I was chatting to my partner about wine this week as I reflected on what I wanted to achieve this year and realised that I had a very serious New Year’s resolution. I mean, I have a few too many, but there is one that I have to achieve, and I want you all to hold me accountable. You see, there is something missing from my wine reviews: white wine. I’ve done plenty of reviews on everything else, but I seem to keep missing the white wines. Well, no longer! This year I promise to stop neglecting the delicious white wines in my wine reviews. So I guess dry January won’t be a thing in our house. What a shame….not!

I’m starting the year off strong by jumping straight on this resolution. This week I have for you a cracker wine to start us off on our white wine journey. I am not usually the biggest white wine drinker, but this one might have just changed my mind. It was like a sign from my wine room, letting me know that this New Year’s resolution was going to be achievable.

But wait a second, where on Earth is Riverland?

The wine I am reviewing is the Unico Zelo Jade & Jasper 2018 Fiano. I’ve tried the Unico Zelo reds before and always been a fan for their interesting wines and fun bottles. I actually won this as a part of a Dirty Santa game (trust me to go for the wine), and so I thought it was only fair to crack it open and revel in my glory.

The Fiano is from a region I’ve never heard of before: Riverland. When I’ve looked it up, it is in South Australia and East of the Barossa Valley, so you can expect warm climates. Unico Zelo is all about producing wines from interesting regions with different soils to affect the tastes of the wine. Because of this, they don’t stick to one region, instead opting to produce the wines from the region they feel they can produce the best wine from. I really like this approach to wine – it is something different and refreshing!

What I love about it

The first thing I love about this wine is the look of it. The wine has a great label that matches their other wines, and matches the cork! Those little touches really make a difference! It’s also rare to find a corked bottle in Australia from a 2018 vintage, and I think it adds a nice touch. There’s something about uncorking a wine that makes it feel more special.

Fiano is known for the complex flavours when you smell the wine. I’ve always been a fan of Fiano, being an Italian variety, but it is hard to find. The Unico Zelo Jade & Jasper is full of fruit and aromatic on the nose, like summer in a bottle. It also has a hint of acidity from green apple and lemon to tie off the fruity and floral notes.

When you taste the wine, you get a great balance of the initial sweetness of fruit, followed by crisp acidity. The length of the wine is quite short with no tannins, so it has a crisp finish that doesn’t leave a lingering taste. This along with the balanced flavours makes for an incredibly easy wine to drink. It makes you want to go back for more, and before you know it the whole bottle is gone. It’s not something you’ll bother putting a cap on to keep for another night!

What to enjoy it with

This wine would go perfectly with any light summer meals. Fish, chicken or pork with a nice salad as long as there weren’t too many bold flavours. It could also stand its own with a pasta dish with an olive oil based sauce. It is Italian after all! We had it with lasagne which probably wasn’t the best match, but it sure went well with the parmesan I was enjoying before we ate!

The Unico Zelo Jade & Jasper would also go well before dinner. I really think the wine would be fine to enjoy without food because of its complexity and the clean finish. Paired with a balmy summer sunset, you’d be set!

The last word

The Unico Zelo Jade & Jasper Fiano was a perfect way to start off my New Year’s resolution of drinking more white wine. Can you imagine if I’d had a dud? I’d be straight back on the red in an instant! This wine was not just good, it was great. It provided everything you’d want in a summer drinking wine: goes down easy, refreshing and crisp.

For such a great price, this wine is a great option if you’re looking to try a new white wine variety. Fiano is such an interesting wine, and this one shows just how great it is!