2025 Ravensworth Regional Fiano, Hilltops

Ripper drink. Settles into a savoury hum yet has the tonic water and pear needed to make it fresh and fruity, a touch pleasingly bitter, balanced in its elements. Scents of hay and lightly salted cashew, lemon blossom, nashi pear, lemon thyme and ginger. Flavours more in that pear/tonic water zone, as said before, though the finish rolls into a pleasing haze of texture and a saline-nutty undertow. Great weight to flood the senses, a huge sense of charm. This gets the motors running.

93 points Mike Bennie for The Wine Front

Bryan Martin spent years as a winemaker at Clonakilla alongside Tim Kirk before establishing Ravensworth in 2001 at Murrumbateman in the Canberra District. The operation is deliberately small, built around a straw-bale cellar housing an eclectic collection of vessels — amphora, ceramic eggs, concrete and large oak foudres — each chosen for what it brings to a particular wine rather than aesthetic reasons alone. His philosophy stops short of the natural wine camp but leans firmly in that direction: no chemicals, no additives, minimal intervention, and a deep trust in fruit, site and the microflora that have been doing this work for millennia.

Fiano from the Hilltops region around Young in southern New South Wales, a continental climate at elevation where warm days and cold nights suit the variety well. Bryan sourced fruit from two trusted Hilltops growers, pressed it to a combination of old puncheons and ceramic eggs for wild fermentation, then left it on lees for eight months before bottling in October 2025. A warm, early season gave the wine a generous fruit expression without sacrificing the freshness Fiano reliably holds onto.

Hay, lemon blossom, nashi pear and lightly salted cashew on the nose — aromatic and quietly complex. The palate is generous and textured with pear and tonic-like citrus freshness running through a broad, saline-nutty finish.

A wine with real charm that sits naturally at the table rather than demanding attention. It’s saline quality and gentle texture find a natural partner in simple, quality-driven food: linguine with clams and white wine or grilled flathead with lemon and herbs.

Drink now through 2027.