$45.00
Deepest red with purple hue.
The aroma has blackberry and elderberry competing with savoury meaty notes. The palate is marked by rich fruit in equal proportion to its savoury elements. An abundance of fine, dry tannins gives this wine a long finish. Best served with some substantial Italian fare or for safe keeping in the cellar.
This wine may develop a harmless deposit over time.
Romanesque is a style of architecture and art that appeared during the ‘Dark Ages’ of Europe, following the fall of the Roman Empire. Although solid and balanced, the style is an attempt to copy (clumsily or otherwise) the great achievements of Rome.
Yes, I (Bob) am the ‘barbarian’ trying to emulate the fine, stylish wines of northern Italy!
Our “Romanesque” is a blend of late red varieties in the style of the aromatic red wines of the Italian Alps. Medium bodied, high acid and tannins with a tight aromatic finish.
The blend began in 2005 with Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Touriga Francesca but we are now introducing Aglianico, Lagrein & semi dried Tannat to the blend.
Liquor Licensing Act 1990
It is an offence for liquor to be delivered to a person under the age of 18 years or for a person under the age of 18 years to purchase liquor.
Grey Sands Vineyard encourages responsible consumption of alcohol.
Liquor Licence No. 75119433
Tony Peters, Words from a Wineglass –
2018 Grey Sands Romanesque
Posted on November 16, 2022 by Tony Peters
It is really difficult to have favourites when it comes to the Grey Sands wines. As soon as you try one of their wines you may think, “This is my favourite.” But tasting another one of their wines, that thought soon disappears because you’ve discovered another ‘favourite’. And it happens so easily when you sit down with Bob or Rita, or both of them, and taste through their range that you end up taking away a bottle of more than just one of your favourite wines.
I’m not sure exactly what this blend is, however, the first Romanesque started off as a Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Touriga Francesca blend, but Bob and Rita have been including Aglianico, Lagrein and semi dried Tannat also. It doesn’t really matter because here is a wine that exudes deliciousness for mine. Lovely black berry fruits and dark cherry richness, there’s a slight savoury sort of edge to it too, while the tannins are fine as the wine finishes nice and long. Now, I’d like to say this is my favourite Grey Sands wine, but then so is the…(insert any Grey Sands wine here and repeat).
Grey Sands Website
Region: Glengarry, Tasmania Price: $45 Source: Generous gift
Patrick Eckel Wine Reviewer –
2018 Grey Sands Romanesque October 17, 2022
Wine Rating
94
The Romanesque is made from late ripening red varieties (Lagrein, Aglianico, Petit Verdot, Touriga Francesca and partially dried Tannat). The nose has a youthful disposition of black fruits with olive and cured meat. There is tension to the wine with fine tannins and acidity that is vibrant and frames the wine both now and well into the future as the dusty blackberry and black cherry fruits fill out. The finish enjoys dark cocoa alongside tightly bound black cherry and a touch of spice. Will live for a very long time.
WHEN TO DRINK
Optimal Drinking
2022 – 2040
Date Reviewed
10 15, 2022
Mark Smith –
2018 Grey Sands Romanesque – February 2023
“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody ever does anything about it,” wrote American author Mark Twain.
More than a century later, much the same can be written of climate change. Indeed, it’s been almost 35 years since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change first met in Geneva, Switzerland.
Rita and Bob Richter have lived every one of those years on their small family property on the edge of the Tamar Valley. Vintages like 2018 provide plenty of evidence that significant changes in growing conditions are being experienced by wine producers the world over, even in cool climate Tasmania.
Spring 2017 in northern Tasmania was warm and unusually dry. Lack of summer rain put vines under stress on many sites, with March then bringing the welcome arrival of decent autumn rainfall and cooling weather.
Vintage 2018 arrived as much as three weeks early at Grey Sands, with red wine varieties in particular being characterised by tremendous colour, aroma and flavour.
The couple’s Romanesque wine is a blend of Lagrein, Aglianico, Petit Verdot and Touriga Francesca, with a smidgen of partially dried Tannat thrown in for good measure. Not only does it have incredible density of colour that reflects the long, dry growing seasons, the palate weight and richness on offer seem at odds with the modest alcohol (12.9%) indicated on the label.
This is a big ripe wine by Grey Sands’ standards, albeit with just enough fine tannin and natural Tasmanian acidity to bring balance and a certain finesse to the finish. Its flavours are spread throughout the dark cherry/blackberry/dark plum spectrum, with savoury nuances and a hint of mature French oak adding interest.
I’m not a huge steak lover by any means, but I can see the wine sitting comfortably alongside a rare fillet. My plate would runneth over with a prized cut of Tasmanian venison. Cellaring medium-term will be the option chosen by many wine lovers; mine is to drink and enjoy it anytime soon.