Woodgate Fiano Riesling 2024

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Pale straw to light gold, reflecting its extended development in amphora.
• Aromatics: Pear, white peach and yellow apple meet lime zest, lemon blossom and delicate floral notes, with subtle savoury and almond-like complexity underneath.
• Palate: Fiano provides a generous core of orchard and stone fruit, while Riesling brings citrus energy and a more precise line through the palate.
• Texture: Extended lees contact gives the wine a creamy, gently rounded mouthfeel without making it feel oily or heavy.
• Savoury character: Subtle almond, dried herbs and a mineral edge provide contrast to the vibrant fruit.
• Acidity: Mouthwatering acidity keeps the wine lively and gives definition to its richer texture.
• Finish: Persistent and layered, with lingering citrus, stone fruit, gentle nuttiness and a fresh savoury edge.

Wine Details

• Vintage: 2024
• Blend: 60% Fiano and 40% Riesling
• Region: Manjimup, Western Australia
• Vessel: Amphora
• Amphora maturation: Nine months
• Lees contact: Extended
• Style: Textural, vibrant and savoury
• Body: Medium-bodied
• Oak influence: No obvious oak character from the amphora
• Serving temperature: Approximately 9 to 11°C
• Suggested cellaring: Enjoy now or cellar until approximately 2030

What Fiano Brings to the Blend

Fiano is an ancient Italian white grape variety best known for producing wines with flavour, texture and a distinctive savoury character. In this blend, Fiano forms 60% of the wine and provides its main body. It contributes orchard and stone fruit characters such as pear, yellow apple and white peach, along with the variety’s characteristic subtle nuttiness.

Fiano can also produce a slightly waxy or creamy sensation through the middle of the palate. This makes it particularly well suited to extended lees contact and amphora maturation. It is the part of the blend that gives the wine its shoulders: generosity, texture and enough weight to carry the more savoury elements created during its nine months in amphora.

What Riesling Brings to the Blend

Riesling plays a very different but equally important role. Where Fiano supplies body and texture, Riesling provides the wine’s spine. Its naturally high acidity brings freshness, precision and a mouthwatering finish, preventing the creamy lees-derived texture from becoming broad or heavy.

Riesling also contributes citrus and aromatic lift. Lime, lemon blossom, green apple and delicate floral notes brighten Fiano’s riper orchard and stone fruit flavours.

At 40% of the blend, Riesling is not simply a minor addition. Its acidity and perfume remain clearly present, giving the finished wine energy and direction.

Nine Months in Amphora

Amphorae are clay or ceramic vessels based on containers that have been used to make and store wine for thousands of years.

Unlike an oak barrel, an amphora does not add flavours such as vanilla, toast or obvious wood spice. This allows the natural character of the grapes to remain at the centre of the wine.

The vessel can permit a slow and gentle interaction with oxygen, helping the wine’s fruit, acidity and texture become more integrated. At the same time, it preserves a more direct connection with the varieties than strongly flavoured new oak would allow.

Nine months gives the wine time to move beyond simple primary fruit. Its citrus, orchard fruit and floral characters remain vibrant, but they are joined by a deeper savoury dimension and a more complete texture.

The amphora is not being used merely for novelty. It is an important part of why the wine feels rounded and developed while retaining such freshness.

Extended Lees Contact

Lees are the fine yeast particles that remain after fermentation.

Rather than immediately separating the finished wine from these particles, Woodgate allowed the wine to remain in contact with its lees during its time in amphora.

As the lees gradually break down, they release compounds that can give wine a silkier, creamier texture. Lees contact can also introduce s’s most underappreciated wine regions, particularly for small-batch and alternative-variety wines. This release demonstrates why its combination of cool conditions and adventurous producers can create wines with a personality all their own.

Serving and Cellaring

• Serve Woodgate Fiano Riesling at approximately 9 to 11°C. This is slightly warmer than the temperature of a standard household refrigerator. If the bottle has been thoroughly chilled, remove it from the refrigerator approximately 15 minutes before serving. Serving the wine too cold will suppress its aromatics and make its creamy lees-derived texture more difficult to appreciate. As it warms gently in the glass, the Fiano’s stone fruit and savoury characters should become more expressive.
• Decanting is not essential, but a brief period of air can help this unconventional blend reveal its different layers. Either open the bottle 15 to 20 minutes before serving or use a medium-sized white wine glass rather than a narrow aromatic wine glass.
• The wine can be enjoyed now for its vibrant fruit and mouthwatering acidity. Its structure and extended lees contact should also allow it to develop over the next several years, becoming rounder, nuttier and more savoury with bottle age.

Food Pairing 

• Pan-fried snapper: The wine’s citrus acidity cuts through the richness of the fish, while its creamy texture complements the flesh.
• Grilled prawns: Try it with garlic, lemon and fresh herbs.
• Roast chicken: Fiano’s texture works with the richness of the chicken, while Riesling refreshes the palate.
• Creamy seafood pasta: The wine has enough body for a creamy sauce, with acidity to prevent the combination from becoming too rich.
• Mushroom or truffle risotto: Savoury amphora and lees characters complement earthy mushrooms and Manjimup truffle.
• Grilled octopus: Fiano’s Mediterranean character works beautifully with charred seafood, olive oil and lemon.
• Roasted cauliflower: Particularly good with almonds, herbs and a yoghurt or tahini dressing.
• Pork belly: Riesling’s acidity balances the richness, while Fiano has enough body to stand alongside the meat.
• Soft and washed-rind cheese: The creamy texture and acidity make it a strong partner for richer cheeses.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Fiano Riesling taste like?

Fiano brings pear, yellow apple, stone fruit, subtle herbs and a gently nutty character. Riesling contributes lime, green apple, floral aromatics and refreshing acidity. The finished wine combines ripe fruit and creamy texture with a citrus-driven, mouthwatering finish.

Is this wine sweet?

The vibrant fruit can create an impression of generosity, but the wine’s mouthwatering acidity keeps the palate fresh and balanced. It should be approached as a textural, food-friendly white rather than a simple sweet or fruit-driven style.

Why blend Fiano with Riesling?

The varieties provide characteristics that the other does not possess as strongly. Fiano gives the wine body, texture and savoury complexity. Riesling contributes aromatic lift, citrus freshness and acidity. Blending them creates a more complete wine with both generosity and precision.

Which variety is more noticeable?

Fiano makes up 60% of the blend and provides its main body and texture. However, 40% Riesling is a significant proportion. Its citrus, perfume and acidity should remain clearly noticeable, particularly through the wine’s fresh and persistent finish.

What is an amphora?

An amphora is a clay or ceramic vessel used for fermenting or maturing wine. The basic concept is ancient, with similar vessels used in winemaking for thousands of years. Modern winemakers use amphorae to build texture and encourage gentle development without adding the obvious flavour of oak.

Why was the wine kept in amphora for nine months?

The extended period allows the Fiano, Riesling, acidity and lees-derived texture to become more integrated. It also gives the wine time to develop savoury complexity while the neutral amphora preserves the varieties’ vibrant fruit.

What are lees?

Lees are the fine yeast particles remaining in the wine after fermentation. Keeping wine in contact with its lees can create a creamier texture and introduce subtle savoury, nutty or bread-like complexity.

Does creamy texture mean the wine contains dairy?

No. Wine does not need to contain cream or dairy products to feel creamy. The description refers to its smooth, rounded mouthfeel, which develops naturally through extended contact with the lees.

What temperature should it be served at?

Serve it at approximately 9 to 11°C. If it has come directly from a cold refrigerator, allow it to warm for around 15 minutes before drinking. This will make its texture and more subtle aromas easier to appreciate.

Why Buy Woodgate Fiano Riesling From Partners in Wine WA

Partners in Wine WA is a Perth-based specialist in boutique Western Australian wine, with a strong focus on family producers and hard-to-find local releases. We offer a strong local range of Woodgate wines in Perth, along with competitive pricing across the collection. You can also enjoy complimentary personal delivery across Perth on orders over $75, Australia-wide shipping, and an automatic 5% discount when you buy 6 or more wines.