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MDI

From Australia’s Godfather of Pinot Grigio Kevin McCarthy, comes MDI (Murray Darling Italy), his passion project with a mission to change perceptions about how good wines from Mildura can really be.

Kevin McCarthy has a reputation for fine winemaking with a splash of rebellion. He’s constantly pushing boundaries and defying expectations – MDI is no different. It’s a collaboration with visionary grower Denis Pasut, a native Friulian and salt of the earth farmer who has been growing grapes in the Mildura region for more than two decades.

Kevin, Denis and their mates and colab crew at Chalmers passionately believe that the region is untapped and brimming with potential—a place to allow your imagination to run wild. It’s a blank canvas of sunshine, cool nights and limestone, the perfect place to challenge the norm and pay homage to their Italian inspirations.

McCarthy’s solid reputation, born from his pioneering work with field blends and skin contact, lends serious weight and kudos to a place not often synonymous with greatness. His enthusiasm for the project and the region is infectious—never one to shy away from a challenge, he is committed to transmitting his Mildura message. The MDI wines offer great value, experimental and slightly wild wines—the talent with aromatic whites is on full display with special limited-edition releases from varietals we’re pretty sure no one has heard of.

Available Wines

MDI Sangiovese 2024

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MDI Sangiovese 2024

Fruit for MDI Sangiovese comes from Denis Pasut’s well-established vineyard in Mildura. The 2024 season tested the crops, but excellent conditions at harvest eventually delivered low yields of top-notch, flavourful, complex fruit in pristine order for winemaker Kevin McCarthy to work with. The grapes were destemmed and fermented in tank.

MDI Sangiovese 2024

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MDI Grillo 2023

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MDI Grillo 2023

Grillo is a white grape variety native to Sicily. It is primarily known for producing Marsala, a fortified wine. Thought to be a cross between Catarratto and Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria), Grillo thrives in Sicily’s warm, volcanic soils – and, as fate would have it, Mildura. MDI’s Grillo is grown at Vanden estate on VSP trellised vines (unusual for the region), and the site is farmed with sustainability in mind. The vineyard backs onto Kings Billabong, which provides some moderating cooling effects during the growing season. This 2023 ‘skins edition’ spent 170 days on skins before being pressed to old barrique, where it rested for five months—100% malo, bottled unfined and unfiltered.

MDI Grillo 2023

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MDI Ribolla Gialla 2024

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MDI Ribolla Gialla 2024

As in 2023, the 2024 season in the Murray Darling was marked by low yields and excellent quality. Aside from less-than-ideal yields, conditions were kind at harvest, which shows in the quality. This is the MDI wine most inspired by Joško Gravner, and it’s always the most seductive, hedonistic and texturally vibrant in the range. Ribolla Gialla is a grape that shines all the brighter when shown some skin-contact love. It appears relatively neutral in the vineyard, but give it some skin and it comes alive. The fruit was sourced from the impeccably managed Vanden Estate near Kings Billabong, Mildura, and spent 162 days on skins in stainless steel. The wine was then drained and transferred to three-year-old hogsheads for a few weeks before being bottled.

MDI Ribolla Gialla 2024

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MDI Vino Del Borgo 2023

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MDI Vino Del Borgo 2023

Vino del Borgo: the village wine. Inspired by the honest, delicious drops poured cuccinas and trattorias across Italy. You don’t ask too many questions, you just trust what’s in the glass. Grown across Mildura and Swan Hill. Handpicked. Left on skins a little. In barrel a bit longer. (Yes, it’s mostly Ansonica and Ribolla. But that could change next year. That’s the fun of it.) At MDI, we’re here to champion the Murray River region. Its sun, soil and spirit shape some of the most expressive, quietly brilliant wines in the country. Where else can you find such a mix of varieties, grown side by side? Where else is there this much freedom to play? Still, not every bottle needs a backstory. Not every pour needs a vineyard name.

MDI Vino Del Borgo 2023

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MDI Ansonica Friulano 2023

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MDI Ansonica Friulano 2023

A new wine in the MDI firmament, this is a blend of Ansonica from the Vinifera vineyard in Murray Darling and Friulano from the Pasut vineyard. Native to Sicily, Ansonica is a sturdy grape with a bronze hue and leathery skin. Ideal for skin contact, the grapes are packed with phenolic character and integrity, allowing Kev to chase down that seductive texture found in the great skinsy wines of the world. Friulano is another variety made all the better by contact with its skin. The wines fermented separately and spent 16 days on skins before being drained and pressed to tank. Once settled, the wine was racked to a mix of large and small format seasoned French oak.

MDI Ansonica Friulano 2023

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MDI Refosco 2023

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MDI Refosco 2023

This year, fruit for the Refosco comes from two vineyards: the Chalmers vineyard and the Duffy vineyard. The Chalmers site is warmer than the latter, resulting in fruit with more density, weight and power than the more elegant and bright-natured fruit from the Duffy vineyard. Most fruit was fermented as whole bunches before being pressed to old French barrique for maturation on lees. It saw minimal sulphur at bottling. It’s an elegant, composed wine with drinkability written all over it. Pop it on the table and watch it disappear!

MDI Refosco 2023

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IN THE PRESS

"MDI Wines is a celebration of winemaker Kevin McCarthy’s enduring love affair with the people, land and wines of the Murray Darling. His first up-close, hands-on grapes experience occurred in ’02 when he bought Murray Darling sangiovese to fill otherwise empty tanks after a disastrously small vintage on the Peninsula at his then winery, T’Gallant. Ever since he has returned to Mildura to work with growers and winemakers on projects like T’Gallant’s Juliette, Quealy’s Fionula and a little-known project, TGQ. With MDI – the name comes from the postcode for greater Mildura, 3501, which translates in Roman numerals to MMMDI – he embraces the alternative grape varieties of the region to create approachable skin-contact wines." Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion

Country

Australia

Primary Region

Murray Darling, Victoria

People

Winemaker: Kevin McCarthy

Winegrower: Denis Pasut

Availability

National

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