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March 26, 2022

Brash Higgins Zibbibo Natural Wine + A Sashimi Plate

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A young man leaves New York restaurant life in 1989 "to make the world his wilderness" and settles in South Australia to make unusual and all natural wines.

Zibbibo and sashimi

Named as one of the top sommeliers in the US, Brad Hickey served as the wine director for famed New York City restaurants Bouley and Danube. Why the switch to winemaker?

Love, of coarse.

A native of Chicago, he met his future wife working an Australian wine harvest for the renowned Shiraz winemaker, Chris Ringland.

The couple decided to settle in the wine region of McLaren Vale and created the label, Brash Higgins.

Brash Higgins ZBO wine label

Per the back of the wine bottle, "Brash Higgins is an idea, an alias, a ticket to ride, a place to hide. For the love of an Aussie lady and a place in the vineyard--in darkness lurks a chance."

Per the website, they "seek to capture the essence of McLaren Vale's sun and soil" using natural and traditional techniques to make minimal intervention wines.

This particular wine is made from the Zibbibo grape, from the Muscat family thought to have originated in Egypt and thus is known as the Muscat of Alexandria. Often used to make dessert wine, such as Passito from Italy, it also makes smooth, soft, and structured still wines.

screwcap of Brash Higgins Wine bottle

Perhaps most unusual is that the grapes are the size of golf balls. I just couldn't picture it, nor could I find an actual picture of what these large grapes might look like.

Per the winery, "the varietal was chosen for its potential to develop length and complexity from longer skin contact, the wine is fruity yet bone dry; reminiscent of something from Alice in Wonderland, where things aren’t always as they seem."

And a taste of this atypical wine made in the amphorae method in terracotta pots with skin contact did indeed reveal an unexpected mouthful.

As Brad said in this article from The Buyer, the amphorae method yields "mouthwatering tannin and acidity...as well as a warmth, vibrancy and prettiness not found in oak, steel or concrete. Plus, these 200 litre vessels are hand thrown on the wheel by a local potter using clay sourced from near our vineyard; as a wine geek, that’s irresistible."

Brash Higgins ZBO wine bottle and glass

2020 Brash Higgins ZBO Amphora

Ricca Terra Farms, The Riverland, Australia; hand picked; sustainable viticulture

100% Zibbibo, 13.2% ABV, 150 days in Amphorae; $25 from K&L Wine Merchants

Visual: hazy daffodil, tangerine wisps

Aroma: buttered pears, pastry cream, vanilla, white gardenias, honeydew, fresh cut grass, musk, smelled different with each swirl

Taste: sit up straight pucker at the beginning that mellows with a little bit of tanning, descends into a full mouth finish, kumquat rind, savory cookies, green olive, medium acid, a trip downtown to funky town

Pairing: As the Brad stated in Good Food, the wine "really holds its own with spicy food and complex flavours so chefs and sommeliers love it."

I decided to try it with a simple sashimi plate of scallops, Atlantic salmon, ahi tuna, and albacore tuna. With the spicy wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce condiments, the wine didn't shy away but became even bolder, floral, and surprisingly sweeter.

This is definitely a food friendly wine that I would love to try with other foods, if I can find it again. The wine shop sold out of it, but maybe they will bring back another vintage. Apparently, the Shiraz and Cabernet do well in the Chinese market for Brash Higgins, but the UK and US markets have taken to their more unusual, non-garden varietal wines.

Brash Zibbibo and sashimi plate

Explore a world of Australian wines beyond Shiraz. Learn more about South Australian white wines from the World Wine Travel writers:

Crushed Grape Chronicles (Robin) discusses "Jim Barry Wines – 3 Generations making Clare Valley Riesling"
A Day In The Life On The Farm (Wendy) pairs "South Australian Chardonnay with Pesto Bruschetta Chicken"
Culinary Adventures with Camilla (Camilla) shares "Asparagus-Leek Velouté + Naturalis Sauvignon Blanc 2020"
Enofylz Wine Blog (Martin) digs into "Pewsey Vale - Eden Valley’s Original Riesling Monopole"
AdVINEtures (Chris & Allison) is exploring "South Australia Riesling"
My Full Wine Glass (Linda) discusses "Eden Valley Dry Riesling? Cool!"
Wine Predator ..... Gwendolyn Alley shares "Eight at the Gate: Sustainable Chardonnay In Wrattonbully, South Australia"
Savor the Harvest (Lynn) discusses "Paxton Wines - Biodynamic Pioneer in South Australia"
Food Wine Click! (Jeff) shares "Eden Valley Shines Among South Australia Whites"
Our Good Life (Terri) tells us about "Tait Family Wines and a Family Tradition Meal"

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MARTIN D REDMOND says

    April 04, 2022 at 2:30 pm

    Zibbibo, that's a new-to-me grape and your tasting notes have me salivating! Would love to try a glass of this wine!

    Reply
  2. Linda Whipple says

    March 28, 2022 at 9:44 pm

    Wow! What a fascinating, unusual wine! I'm not a big fan of Muscat, but your descriptive tasting notes have me yearning for a bottle... if I can find one.

    Reply
  3. Robin Renken says

    March 27, 2022 at 7:15 pm

    I'm with Lynn, I love everything about this! The philosophy, the label, the amphorae, the variety! I loved learning about this winery through this post and will definitely be looking for this wine. I love the texture that amphorae can give to a wine and can't imagine how great that would be with this variety!

    Reply
  4. Lynn says

    March 27, 2022 at 2:59 pm

    Love the sound of everything here Deanna. Muscat of Alexandria (although Zibibo is more fun to say 😉 and sashimi fan here! I went to the Brash Higgins website to learn more about it and it's sold out. I'd love a bottle to take that trip downtown to funky town!

    Reply

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