Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard has reaffirmed its commitment to chilled reds with the release of Cienna – made and positioned as a red partner to the popular Brown Brothers Moscato. 

Cienna is a truly unique New World grape variety, bred in Australia by the CSIRO from crossing Cabernet Sauvignon with the Spanish variety Sumoll. 

Not only is Brown Brothers a pioneer of the variety, but a non-traditional approach has been taken in the winery. 

Brown Brothers’ Head of Winemaking, Wendy Cameron, says she “broke every rule in the winemaking book” to make Cienna. 

“It is actually very hard to make. It’s hard to filter, its all made in cold and kept in carbon dioxide, but the process suits this new variety perfectly,” Cameron says. 

Cameron believes the fruit-driven, low-alcohol style with a hint of frizzante fills a niche for the Milawa producer. 

“We have two very successful products in Moscato, and the chilled red Dolcetto & Syrah. We simply can’t produce enough of the latter to meet demand, which proves there is a market for that style of wine.” 

“Our approach with Cienna was to make a wine somewhere between the two. Cienna has more sweetness and less tannin that Dolcetto Syrah, as well as being around 3 per cent lower in alcohol, matching the Moscato.” 

Brown Brothers is a fervent supporter of chilled red styles. They now have four: Tarrango, a pinot dominant Rose and Dolcetto & Syrah and Cienna.  

The first vintage of Cienna was made in 2002 in small batches in the aptly named Kindergarten Winery. 

CEO, Ross Brown says Cienna sold out as a cellar door only wine with its first vintage, and then on limited release in Victoria last year. 

“Whether a wine makes it to national distribution is largely decided at our cellar door,” Brown says. “We have 100,000-plus visitors each year who act as a gauge for popular appeal. The success of the first two vintages prompted an increase in production to service national distribution.”

With its deep beetroot red colour, sweet cherries and fresh berry fruit flavours, Cienna is as dramatic on the eye as it is on the palate. It is ideally suited to game dishes, desserts with berry and fresh fruits, or for a stand-alone drink for those looking for refreshing upfront fruit flavour.