By Sonya Logan

First published in the May/June 2017 issue of the Wine & Viticulture Journal

Merv Johns had just begun supplying WD Wines with what both parties believed to be Carignan for the company’s Hesketh label when DNA testing in 2014 revealed what he had been growing was, in fact, Bonvedro.

Even before joining the winemaking team at WD Wines in 2013, Phil Lehmann was familiar with the block of red fruit in the Johns’ vineyard, located in the Light Pass sub-region of the Barossa Valley.

“I’d bought the fruit a couple of times for blending when I was at Teusner when we thought it was Carignan. We bought some when I was still at Peter Lehmann’s before that too,” recalls Lehmann, WD’s chief winemaker.

Indeed, Bonvedro has quite the history in the Johns’ vineyard. Merv and his forebears have owned the property for around a century, and Bonvedro – then believed to be Carignan – had been among the plantings for at least 80 of those years when the decision was made to pull them out in 1968.

The old vines had simply had their day, explains Merv. But the Johns family weren’t about to give up on the variety. Instead, they made cuttings from the old vines and replanted some more that same year. Those same cuttings were used to plant a second block some seven years ago.

Today, the Johns’ vineyard contains six acres of what they now know is Bonvedro, which are trellised to a single wire, supported by a foliage wire. Interestingly, although it is among the first varieties in the vineyard to reach budburst – Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay are also grown – it is generally always the last to be picked.

“Because they do shoot early, although not quite as early as Chardonnay, this can make them a frost risk. We can get early frosts here and when we do they can affect the Bonvedro whereas other red varieties in the Barossa like Cabernet haven’t burst by then.”

His several decades of experience with Bonvedro has taught Merv it is essential to thin the variety to ensure consistent yields.

“If you don’t thin them out, they will crop heavy in one year and light the next,” he says. “We aim for around 3-4t/ha. The older vines might crop at slightly less than that. We also have to watch them in the heat as they can lose leaves.”

Phil Lehmann concurs with Merv’s assessment of Bonvedro’s bearing capability.

“Viticulturally, Bonvedro is quite a prolific bearer. It can throw a good crop and has a big bunch architecture. It has a big wide bunch with wings. A 200g bunch wouldn’t be unusual,” Phil says. “It’s also a super late ripener and I don’t think that’s simply due to it carrying a big crop; I think that’s just the way it is. It ripens even later than Mataro. It’s also fairly resistant to disease.

“It seems to get some degree of sunburn in most years. Aside from sunburn it seems tough as nails. It doesn’t pack up and drop leaves in heat like Tempranillo, for example. And even if the grapes shrivel up to nothing it doesn’t really affect the flavours.

“I find when the grapes are super ripe it gets really powerful flavours like those found in Touriga; the flavours are in such abundance. But, if we pick at a Baume of, say, 13.5, we achieve a better savoury balance,” Phil says, adding an acid level in the low 6s and a pH of 3.65-3.7 would be common at harvest.

“In cooler climates I think Bonvedro would struggle to ripen. It’s grown on nice red dirt in the Johns’ vineyard which is well drained.”

To produce the Hesketh Bonvedro, the fruit is crushed into 7-10t open fermenters where a “coolish” fermentation takes place. After about eight days on skins, the juice is pressed off and placed in older barrels for six to eight months to settle out the tannins.

“We release if fairly early – in November in the same calendar year that it’s picked,” Phil explains.

He says as a medium-weight wine, Bonvedro is most like Touriga in its flavour profile.

“It has ample flavour with sweet exotic fruit, but a savoury character too; opulent yet savoury. It has flavours of dark plums, sage, saltbush, and something vegetative but not green.”

He says it has a medium ageing potential along the lines of Mataro or Carignan.

“It will continue to improve for about four to five years. It becomes more earthy and leathery over time, but some red fruits remain.”

Hesketh Wines Bonvedro is primarily distributed to on-premise outlets, including a couple of restaurants in the Barossa.

BONVEDRO

By Peter Dry Emeritus Fellow, The Australian Wine Research Institute

BACKGROUND

Parraleta (pah-rah-LEH-tah) is the preferred prime name of the variety commonly known as Bonvedro in Australia. It is widely dispersed around the Mediterranean and on the Iberian Peninsula. Parraleta appears to have originated in the region of Somantano in north-east Spain. Other synonyms include Caricagiola, Carcaghjolu and Carcajolo Nero in Corsica (France), Carenisca in Sardinia (Italy) and Bonvedro in Portugal. DNA analysis has also shown that it is the same as Tinta Caiada in Alentejo (Portugal). In 2010 there were 162ha as Tinta Caiada in Portugal, 119ha as Caricagiola in Corsica and 56ha as Parraleta in Spain. In both Portugal and Spain there has been recent expansion due to renewed interest, particularly in Alentejo and Somontano. Outside of Europe there may not be any significant plantings of Parraleta with the exception of Australia. The exact area in Australia at the present time is difficult to determine. In 1976, the French ampelographer Paul Truel visited vineyards in many Australian regions, accompanied by Allan Antcliff of CSIRO. All of the so-called ‘Carignan’ in South Australia turned out to be Bonvedro—at that time there may have been as much as 100ha of Bonvedro in SA, most of which was planted in the Barossa Valley. For one reason or another, many of the blocks of Bonvedro that survived the Vine Pull Scheme (1987) in SA have continued to be incorrectly known as ‘Carignan’. Furthermore, any ‘Carignan’ planted before 1966, or propagated from vines planted before 1966, is likely to be Bonvedro. In summary, it is unlikely that there is much true Carignan at all in SA. As for the other states, the situation is less clear. The Vine Health Australia website lists ‘Carignan’ with 5.09ha in the Barossa Valley, 4.26ha in the Riverland and 2.61ha in McLaren Vale—but only 0.57ha of Bonvedro (in the Barossa Valley). There are just two wine producers of Bonvedro listed in the 2016 Wine Industry Directory—but the correct number is likely to be closer to ten. For further information on the Bonvedro/Carignan situation in Australia, refer to Dry, P.R. and Dry, N.S. (2014) Carignan – the unmasking of an imposter. Wine Vitic. J. 29(4):49- 52.

VITICULTURE

Maturity is mid-season and vigour is high with erect growth habit. Bunches are medium and compact with medium berries. Yield is moderate to high. Spur pruning is used in Australia. Berries are susceptible to bunch rot. There are at least seven clones registered in Australia, mostly local selections.

WINE

Parraleta produces well-coloured, light to medium bodied, fresh and fragrant wines. There is often a slightly floral character. Wines are best consumed when young. In both Portugal and Spain, some producers consider Parraleta makes better wine than Carignan. There are some blocks of old Bonvedro vines in the Barossa Valley that have a good reputation for their wine.