Description
The rarest grape in the Chalmers collection, Pavana caught Dr. Rod’s attention during a mid-1990s tenure at Udine University. Only a handful of pavana vineyards now remain in Italy, mostly in Valsugana which bridges Trentino and Veneto, but it was once widely planted in these areas when the region was part of Austria where much of the pavana wine was consumed. Being a pale, perfumed and herbal light red it wasn’t favoured by the Italian’s once the region passed to Italian rule so Pavana became unviable and was removed from most vineyards.
The pretty, rich garnet coloured Pavana has intense fragrance of fresh wild raspberry, dried figs and Darjeeling tea leaves. The palate is vibrant with rhubarb, rosehip and geranium characters, the classic Heathcote charry note, backed by a subtle tannin structure around a long acid line.