Wine writer RICHARD CALVER puts a Clare Valley cabernet with an interesting name to the taste test. 

I SAID to John-Paul Romano, of Italian Brothers in Manuka: “Are you being ironic choosing your house red with the name Godfather Too?”

He responded, saying: “Irony or not, it is our top-selling Australian wine. It has a great history in SA’s Clare Valley. I love to drink it, why don’t you do a review?” 

“Mate, the review will probably not sit well with you because I’ll introduce my favourite Godfather story where a lawyer, unusually, triumphs.”

“Whatever,” he said.

The Farrell Wines Godfather Too 2019 Cabernet is named with a nod towards the proprietor, Senator Don Farrell, now Minister for Trade and Tourism. He has received recognition as an ALP “powerbroker.” In 2016 SBS News had this to say: “Labor Senator Don Farrell returns to parliament after winning back his SA Senate seat. He’s known by friends and foes as ‘The Godfather’. Will the sequel be better than the original?”

I called winemaker Dave Palmer, who said Farrell remained connected to the winery through family. Of course! 

Dave also said: ”We have been making the Farrell family’s wines, including the cabernet sauvignon, since 2015 and I believe the cabernet has been called “Godfather Too” since and including the 2016 vintage.”

Mate Alex and I tried the Godfather Too 2019 at Italian Brothers with an Italian hard and soft cheese; the latter, a buffalo mozzarella, was delicious. 

The wine started out a little harsh with acid on the finish, but opened up with air. It was a wine that gained length when taken with food rather than being reflective of a quaffer that I’d choose to have on its own. 

It’s a mid-weight wine with some blackberry and savoury flavours and the price point is acceptable. It is available from the winery at $199 ($33 each) per box with free shipping. It’s also available at Italian Brothers in Manuka by the glass for $16, or to takeaway for $38 a bottle. 

And now for the story John-Paul had to suffer. 

A godfather had hired a deaf mute bookkeeper. He had done this so that the accounts wouldn’t be able to be communicated to the authorities easily. 

This arrangement worked well for a decade. But the godfather noticed that in the last 18 months his receipts had been down. He got one of his other advisers to look at the books in detail. It was discovered that there was around $1 million missing. 

The godfather’s lawyer knew sign language and so was taken to a meeting to confront the bookkeeper. The godfather “persuaded” the bookkeeper by showing his pistol and eventually after signing back and forth between the lawyer and bookkeeper nothing had been disclosed. The godfather was out of patience. Placing the gun on the bookkeeper’s temple, he said: “Tell him, he either tells me the location of the stolen money or I’ll shoot him in the head.” 

The lawyer signs to the bookkeeper who by now is petrified. He signs to the lawyer: “Okay, okay. It’s buried in a suitcase in my garden at the far right fence line.” 

“What did he tell you?” the godfather asks the lawyer? 

“Well,” said the lawyer, “he says you don’t have the guts to pull the trigger.” 

John-Paul didn’t laugh.