Delinquente Montepulciano Roko Il Vagabondo 2021

100% Montepulciano. Con-Greg Grigoriou grew up on a vineyard in the Riverland, South Australia, where his father managed wineries for over 35 years. A few years ago, while working for an advertising agency in Melbourne, he tasted his first truly interesting Riverland wine and something clicked - why weren't people producing high-quality wines in his home region? Con-Greg’s idea for Delinquente Wine Co was to take advantage of the Riverland’s small vineyards planted with Southern Italian varieties, which are suited to the region’s dry Mediterranean climate. He buys in grapes from trusted growers who work organically and is pretty much hands-off in the winery. All his wines are small-batch and single-vineyard, fermented in stainless steel with wild yeast. His aim is to make wine that is pure, drinkable, and delicious - or as he would put it, “smashable”. To complete his vision he recruited local Adelaide street artist Ankles to design the edgy, eye-catching labels. Amid a sea of Big Wine, Delinquente has managed to convey a unique aesthetic and clear point of view: fun, uncomplicated, and terroir-driven wines that will challenge people’s perception of the Riverland. The Roko il Vagabondo Montepulciano is a fresh and lively version of the grape with vibrant purple color, flavors of fresh berries and spice, and stimulating acidity, thanks to two different parcels (one picked early, one with a bit more ripeness) which were fermented in aged in steel before being blended together right before bottling. Enjoy it on its own or with any kind of Italian food.