Delinquente "Screaming Betty" Vermentino 2023

Delinquente Screaming Betty Vermentino is bold and bright, with a distinct passionfruit, tropical vibe. Structural and herbaceous lemon thyme grassiness holds on the palate with a subdued citrus, stonefruit push providing a counterpoint in the background. Classic Vermentino on the finish, briny, seaspray savouriness, lots of flavors, lovely acidity, and old-world in feel, a unique interpretation of Vermentino from Australia.

Wild fermented in stainless steel, the wine also spent four weeks on fine lees, stirred twice weekly, giving it a beautiful, textural edge not often found in Australian Vermentino. The cooler vintage conditions meant that acids remained high, even as sugar levels increased and flavours developed, meaning a little higher ABV than previous years, but also more depth of flavour, while not compromising freshness and drinkability.

Each of Delinquente's wines has associated delinquent characters, with unique tattoos and peculiar back stories, that add to a broader story about independence, resistance and justice. They dare to represent the spirit of the delinquent, the story of the rebel. This speaks to Delinquente's approach to winemaking and community-building. Their motivation is about carving a new path and doing what’s right. Read Screaming Betty's story.

Con Greg founded Delinquente in 2013 after trying his hand at other industries before returning home to the Riverland. He grew up surrounded by wine; his Dad was the manager of production for one of the region’s bulk wineries. Delinquente translates to ‘delinquent’ in Italian, which speaks to Con and his team’s desire to always buck the trend, break rules, and do things their own way. His aim is to showcase how good wines from Riverland can be if grape varieties and clones are used that are suited to the climate and soil type and if you treat the vines with respect and care.

Con Greg sources organically grown fruit from two small family growers. Breaking from traditional mechanical farming in the region, all the fruit is hand-picked and hand-sorted. All Delinquente wines are made with extremely minimal intervention in the winery. The yeasts are always native, no wines are fined or filtered, and the only sulfur addition is at bottling and employed in minimal amounts.