What a Dry Year Can Teach You About Fiano

Wine Back Wednesday gives me a reason to step away from my own wines for a moment and look closely at what someone else in the region has done well.

This week, it was the 2025 Hugo Fiano from McLaren Flat.

What interested me here was not just the wine itself, but the judgement behind it. 2025 was a very dry season, and in years like that, timing matters. If you get it wrong, white wines can lose their freshness. If you get it right, you can end up with something concentrated, textured and very much at home at the table.

Why this wine caught my attention

If you know McLaren Vale, you know the Hugo name. They have deep roots in McLaren Flat, and that kind of long connection to a place matters. It does not guarantee a good wine on its own, but it often shows up in the decisions made along the way — in the vineyard, in the shed, and most importantly in the timing.

That is what I kept coming back to with this wine.

Fiano is a variety that can be very rewarding in our part of the world, but it needs judgement. In a dry year especially, the fruit can move quickly. You want flavour, but you also want freshness. You want texture, but not heaviness. The best examples manage to hold those things in balance, and this wine does that well.

What the season did

The 2025 season was exceptionally dry. From September through to March, there was very little rain, and conditions like that shape everything. The vines have to work harder, berries are often smaller, and flavour can become more concentrated.

That can be a gift, but only if it is handled carefully. With white wine, the risk in a season like this is that you can lose the line and freshness that make the wine feel alive. Pick too late, or let the fruit become too broad, and you lose some of what makes the variety attractive in the first place.

What I like here is that the wine still feels bright and composed. It carries the season, but it does not feel overworked by it.

What I noticed in the glass

The first thing I noticed was the shape of the wine.

There is bright citrus and nashi pear there, which feels true to the variety, but what makes it more interesting is the texture underneath. The wine is not trying to impress with obvious oak or weight. Instead, it has a gentle creaminess and a savoury edge that make it feel more complete.

That comes down to the choices made in the winery. Most of the wine stayed in stainless steel, which helps keep the fruit clear and the acidity fresh. The balance went into older French oak, not for woody flavour, but for texture. That is an important distinction. Older oak, when used well, can soften and shape a wine without dominating it.

Lees stirring plays a role here too. I often think of it as filling potholes. A naturally high-acid white can sometimes feel a little narrow through the middle of the palate. Stirring the lees back through the wine helps build texture and gives the palate more shape. Done properly, it rounds things out without taking away the wine’s freshness.

Why that matters

A wine like this is a reminder that flavour is only part of the story.

What makes a wine satisfying is often the way all the parts sit together: fruit, acid, texture, shape, finish. In this case, the fruit is there, but it is not the whole point. The more interesting part is how the wine carries itself. It feels composed, dry, savoury in the right places, and very much built for the table.

Who this wine suits

This is the sort of wine I would point towards if you enjoy whites with a bit more shape and interest than simply bright fruit.

It would suit someone who likes texture in a white wine without wanting heaviness. It would suit someone who enjoys wines that work well with food. And it would suit someone curious about varieties beyond the usual Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, but who still wants something balanced and easy to return to.

At the table, I would happily put this with grilled fish, squid, lemony pasta, or something with herbs and olive oil. It has the freshness for that, but also enough texture to hold its own.

Final thoughts

Wine Back Wednesday is not really about scores or trying to turn every bottle into a headline. For me, it is a way of staying curious and paying attention to what others in the region are doing well.

This week, what stood out in the 2025 Hugo Fiano was judgement.

A dry year asks plenty of both grower and winemaker. It asks for restraint, timing and confidence in the decisions being made. When those things come together, you get a wine that feels considered rather than pushed.

That is what I think this wine shows.