Italian Varietals from WA State
APRIL 2026
Bart Fawbush is a pioneer. He founded Bartholomew Winery nineteen years ago. Very early on, he veered off the traditional path and started playing with lesser-known Old World varietals. He has never looked back. His current offering includes: Aligoté, Cunoise, Sagrantino, and his flagship – Carmenère. When you talk with him, he delights in the finding of a new plot of some relatively unknown grape and then seeing what he can do with it. All we have to say is that we've been buying his wines since his 2010 Tempranillo, and we haven't looked back either. He's a super talent, and what he's doing is niche, interesting and fun!
Your 2-bottle club includes his Nero d'Avola and his Malvasia Bianca. The 3-bottle club members get an Amativo, the local Puglian name for a Primitivo-Negroamaro blend. Enjoy. The wines are fabulous!
2-BOTTLE CLUB
Nero d'Avola
Nero d'Avola translates as the black grape from Avola, a town on the southeastern tip of Sicily. It is indigenous to the island and is Sicily's primary red wine today. The grape thrives in a hot, dry climate and is known for being a pleasant, medium- to fuller-bodied, table wine full of dark cherry and earthy plum flavors.
What happens to Nero d'Avola when it grows in Washington State, in particular, a small block in Rattlesnake Hills (pictured above)? Washington has harsher winters than Sicily and extreme temperature swings which give depth of flavor and good acidity. As Bart says "the result captures Sicily's dark fruit intensity while gaining Washington's signature bright acidity - a combination that simply doesn't exist anywhere else."
Bartholomew 2023 Nero d'Avola • Columbia Valley, Washington • Reg $32.99 | Mixed Case $26.39
100% Nero d’Avola. Aged 12 months in neutral oak. Earthy plums on the nose with a touch of raspberry. Good complexity. Flavors add in black cherry acidity on the palate. Fuller, ripe-plum flavors. Finish curves around to blackberries = fresh-delicious-food-wine-acidity. Great wine. Drink now to 3 years.
Bart's food pairing suggestions: "What grows together, goes together is my general food pairing guide. Mediterranean food, citrus marinated chicken, roasted pork, and a lean cut of beef will suffice."
Malvasia Bianca
Pronounced mahl-vah-ZEE-ah, this white grape is indigenous to Greece but has been grown in Southern Italy for more than 2000 years. What's interesting about it? Super floral, aromatic nose and then bone dry on the finish. Bart says it "leads with perfume and finishes with restraint."
What is Washington State Malvasia like? Bart stumbled on a small block (pictured above from a vineyard near Benton City) several years ago and made a 300 liter batch just to see what would happen. Today, "each of the two vineyard lots [that he uses] is fermented separately with two distinct yeast strains, then blended after fermentation. This technique allows for a nuanced layering of aromatics and texture, building harmony between the heady nose and the bone-dry palate. The result is a wine that challenges expectations: lush and floral up front, but clean, mineral, and unexpectedly dry on the finish."
Bart thinks Malvasia Bianca is the future of white wine from Washington State. "The grape is climate resilient, naturally suited to thrive in the warm, arid vineyards of Eastern Washington, and capable of producing expressive, aromatic wines without excess intervention."
Bartholomew 2025 Malvasia Bianca • Columbia Valley, Washington • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
100% Malvasia Bianca. Field of white flowers on the nose with dried apricot and white peach. Intoxicating. Flavors are a little different: apples, crunchy pears and a touch of honeysuckle. Great acidity. Then the fun part — it curves around to a dry finish. Really good with all kinds of fish, poultry, pork, sausages. Would also be great with spicy dishes. Sushi, too! Absolutely tasty wine! The balance is incredible. Drink now to 1 year.
3-BOTTLE CLUB
Amativo
Primitivo (pictured above - from Horse Heaven Hills) and Negroamaro (pictured below - from Rattlesnake Hills) are the two primary, indigenous, red grapes grown in Puglia, Italy's heel of the boot. Usually they are bottled as single varietals with Primitivo known for its spicy, red & black berry flavors, medium- to fuller-body, and easy-drinking style, and Negroamaro for its darker fruit profile and fuller-body with earthy, spicy notes. Note: these two grapes are some of Italy's best sippers without food! When blended together (usually in a 60/40 ratio), it's called Amativo.
Bart said that a customer brought him a bottle of Amativo and it may be the best bottle of wine he's ever had. At the time he had some Primitivo and some Negroamaro in production, so he decided – what the heck... and blended them to see what would happen. Be glad he did! The wine's terrific.
Bartholomew 2023 Amativo • Columbia Valley, Washington • Reg $25.99 | Mixed Case $20.79
Blend = Primitivo 62%, Negroamaro 38%. Aged 12 months in neutral oak. Spicy plums, black raspberries on the bea-u-tiful nose. Palate is turning a little bit. Adds in blackberry, a little more acidity. Fun! Jens: that wine is S-E-X-Y. Medium-bodied. Long fruity, spicy finish. Delicious. Drink now to 2 years.
Great sipper. Flexible food wine: pizza, burgers, lasagna. In Puglia, you might enjoy this wine with Bombette Pugliese, little pork rolls stuffed with local cheeses, pancetta & seasonings, then roasted or grilled. Yum!
Bart walking the vineyards with his son
A Note from Jens:
Your wine club pick-up tasting is always the 2nd Saturday of the month. We host this tasting so that you can taste and learn about your wines before enjoying them at home.
I think this month's club theme is one of the most creative ones we've had in awhile, and it's thanks to the good work of Bart Fawbush (pictured above with his son in the vineyards). Seriously. This guy is a talent, and the fact that he's making wines from ancient, often little-known, Old World grapes is crazy-fun. Hope you love these wines as much as I do! Supply is good on all of them if you'd like more. Bart just released all three.
You can also taste the Portalis EXPLORES club wines at the tasting. April's theme is Puglia, Redux! featuring Trebbiano (white) & Sangiovese from Italy's heel of the boot.
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop
If you are here because you’re curious about our wine clubs: Here’s more general info & online sign-up. You can also peruse the last 12 months of both clubs to get a feel for the themes we pick and the wines we showcase: Portalis EXPLORES (our everyday wine club) & Portalis FLAGSHIP (our signature club).