Help me find my particular wine.
June 8, 2013 1:40 AM   Subscribe

I have found a wine that I love beyond all others, but it's hard-to-impossible to find here and I need to find EITHER an alternative that tastes as close to this as possible OR a new supplier. The wine is a Franciacorta, the maker is Berlucci, and the particular wine is the Storica '61 Brut (61 is the name of the original vintage and is given in homage - it's not the vintage of the wine) and is the white not the red/pink version.

I am in Sydney, Australia and other than an over-priced wine bar, the only other place I've found that sells this is an importer in Melbourne (wine link here) that I've never used.

I've Googled to no avail, and I've gone to various middle-to-high end wine shops and only one had heard of it, but then couldn't tell me if they could get it. That was a year ago and despite repeated calls and emails, I've had no success.

I specifically like this wine because it's complex, fruity and really well-balanced, and not the least bit sugary or vinegary, which is what I dislike about most sparkling wines, especially champagne which usually seems too sharp for me. The closest I've found yet was a $150 bottle of Veuve Cliquot, but that's a little rich and the other varieties of easily available champagnes in the $40 and up price range have been disappointing to say the least. The next closest wine is a $20 bottle of Brown Brothers Prosecco, which is good but still too sharp and not as fruity and rich. I've tried a pile of other prosecco's but they've mostly been as sour as the champagnes.

Any suggestions?
posted by ninazer0 to Food & Drink (8 answers total)
 
I have no clue as to a recommendation, nor do I know how wine is sold/distributed in Australia, but, have you asked the wine bar who supplies them, or e/mail the vintner and ask who distributes the wine in Sydney. If your local wine bar can order it, someone must be selling it. Last suggestion, would the wine bar order it by the case for you at a discounted price?
posted by HuronBob at 3:10 AM on June 8, 2013


Best answer: 1) Befriend the world's best sommelier with exactly the same taste buds as yours to secure a decent recommendation for an equivalent wine; or
2) buy from the importer at your link.

Approaching the wine bar, as HuronBon suggests, can't hurt, but as an ex-book-keeper for a wine bar, I would not be surprised if their markup is astronomical. (I fell in love with a sparkling shiraz and bought it from my employer at $35 a bottle, until the boss's PA had a quiet word in my ear and told me where I could buy it for $10 a bottle, I kid you not.)

I work for a wine club and the companies which sell online, small distributors like your link, tend to be passionate and dedicated. I would email them telling them just how much you love it and ask about buying a case. Hinting that you might become a regular customer might help secure a better deal, perhaps even free freight.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 4:39 AM on June 8, 2013


If I understand your question correctly you have not contacted the importer in Melbourne, have you? Contact them and ask if they would supply you. They should be able to ship it to Sydney. Else they may be able to recommend a source for you?
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:41 AM on June 8, 2013


As an alternative suggestion, you might give Graham Beck Brut NV a try.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 4:53 AM on June 8, 2013


Best answer: If you want to try other wines from the same region/appellation you may consider some from this list of bruts. Cannot speak to style but they are all from the same area and should have similar grape characteristics, so thats a start.
posted by FlamingBore at 4:56 AM on June 8, 2013


Best answer: Franciacorta brut sparkling wines are all pretty much identical chardonnay-based methode champagnoise wines. Any wine on FlamingBore's list should satisfy. Buy the cheapest and work your way up til you find the equivalent to the one you liked. There is a current international fad for Franciacorta MC wines, so you'll see more and more in stores abroad as real champagne prices spiral towards absurdity. You'll also probably enjoy Spanish cava from Catalonia, if you haven't tried it.
posted by spitbull at 6:02 AM on June 8, 2013


Yes, call the importer. I don't know what the laws are like in Australia, but if they can't sell it to you directly they will absolutely be able to give you a list of places you can buy it.
posted by something something at 8:03 AM on June 8, 2013


Buy it from your Melbourne importer; they ship Australia wide through Australia Post, rates here.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:00 PM on June 11, 2013


« Older Learning Mandarin in Japan and Korea   |   What is odd about my speaking voice, and can it be... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.