Nebbiolo is a wine that is versatile in pairing with food.
Garlic, truffles, olives, capers, butternut squash, wild mushrooms, polenta, leeks, tomato-based sauces, pizza Parmigiana Reggiano or Pecorino Fatty foods, butter, vinegar-based sauces. This is a high tannin wine. Steak with fat. Think meats like bib eye, sausages, duck, or pork shank.
So I had this lovely Nebbiolo that was sent to me as a media sample from Terre di Bacco. This wine is from Langhe and is harvested from vineyards near Barolo. It is a wine that is meant to enjoy young and is brilliant with food.
(If you want to read our post about this wine and the Langhe DOC in Italy, visit our post here)
With the pandemic, I have been trying to eat from the pantry as much as possible and Michael happened to have ordered a butternut squash, so that was where we started.
As you can see in her blog name, she leans healthy, this recipe called for 2% milk, low-sodium chicken stock, gluten-free pasta…which is all wonderful, but I was feeling indulgent, so I mixed this recipe up a bit.
If you want to do it healthily, I salute your discipline, click through to her recipe above, I am sure that it will also go very well with the wine. If you want to indulge…read on.
Bacon and Butternut Pasta
I renamed this dish, “Bacon and Butternut pasta”, leading with the bacon because, in my revamping of the dish, that was the flavor that led.
I do have a fear of butternut squash, not eating it, but cutting it. They are hard and can be difficult to cut. I usually talk Michael into cleaning them for me, and that worked this time. You can of course often find fresh cubed butternut squash in the produce department or even go with frozen. Either would work fine in this recipe.
To meld the dish with the wine, I amped up the fat and depth of flavor, frying the bacon first then adding the butter to the bacon grease to cook the onions and the rest of the dish. I happened to have a little mushroom stock left from rehydrating some mushrooms the other day, so I supplemented my chicken stock (which was not low sodium) with that. This will add mushroom notes and Nebbiolo is known to pair well with wild mushrooms.
I have fresh sage and rosemary growing in the backyard, so those were the herbs I used. The wine has big tannins (a polyphenol that occurs in red wines and black teas, among other things. They are astringent. If you want to see what tannins taste and feel like, put a wet tea bag on your tongue). While the tannins will be good with the fats, I wanted to add another tannic ingredient to the dish to match, so I toasted some walnuts to top the dish.
This is a pretty simple dish, you need a pot for the pasta, a pan for the sauce, and a food processor, blender, or…oh man, I could have made this easier by just using my immersion blender (facepalm!)
Bacon and butternut pasta
30 minutes, feeds 6
Ingredients:
3 strips of applewood bacon
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced red onion
1 garlic clove minced
3 cups butternut squash cubes
3/4 cup chicken stock
¼ cup of mushroom stock
1 1/2 tbs diced fresh sage
1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup milk
salt to taste
12 oz. pasta (I used spaghetti)
¼ cup toasted breadcrumbs
¼ cup toasted walnuts
Shaved parmesan
Fresh sage to garnish
Instructions
In a large skillet cook the 3 strips of bacon until crisp.
Remove the bacon placing it on a paper towel-lined plate.
Add the butter and red onion to the bacon fat in the skillet. Scrape up any of those delicious bits left by the bacon, this will flavor your dish.
Sauté until slightly soft, about 1-2 minutes.
Add in the garlic, sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant
Add the butternut squash, chicken stock, mushroom stock, sage, and rosemary.
Cover and cook until the butternut squash is tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Put the squash in a food processor with the milk and salt to taste. Puree until smooth. (or…if you have an immersion blender, just turn off the heat and puree it right in the pan!)
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package
Drain pasta and add butternut squash sauce to the pasta (or the pasta to the sauce, as I did), gently toss together and top with toasted breadcrumbs & walnuts, crispy bacon, and garnish with fresh sage.
How did the Bacon and Butternut pasta pair with the Terre di Bacco Langhe 2017 Nebbiolo?
The wine highlighted the umami notes from the bacon and onions and had nice acid to balance the rich butternut sauce. Michael found that the butternut mellowed the youthfulness of the wine, making it come across as a bit older and more serious. He also liked it very much with the sage, the coolness of the wine giving a lift to this herb.
This dish paired well with this wine. Keep in mind that this is a young Nebbiolo. A Nebbiolo with more oak aging, might want a dish with a bit more structure.
We did also pair this with a walnut, mushroom flatbread with tomato sauce and spices that was topped with red onions, arugula and sumac. The wine was very good with that pairing also!
Let us know if you try this and what adjustments you made to make the dish suit you (or your wine!)
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
The Delle Venezie DOC is a relatively new DOC, replacing the IGT that previously covered this region, specifically for Pinot Grigio. We will talk about the region, the process of becoming a DOC, the impact of the pandemic, their highly entertaining YouTube marketing campaign as well as two wines that we tasted.
I was presented with samples of two Delle Venezie wines for this piece from the Consorzio Delle Venezie DOC, as part of an online tasting and seminar on the region, in conjunction with with the 2020 Virtual Wine Media Conference. All opinions are my own.
Pinot Grigio. We’ve all heard of it. We’ve probably all had a glass or two. This wine comes from a large area covering 3 regions in northwest Italy.
Delle Venezie DOC
Delle Venezie DOC region – courtesy Consorzio DOC Delle Venezie
The Delle Venezie DOC covers the region of Trentino, Veneto, and Friuli Venezia Giulia. This is the northeastern part of Italy encompassing Veneto, the region around Venice with its southwestern edge on the Adriatic Sea and Lake Garda on part of its western border, Trentino sits in the region northwest of here, getting into the Italian Alps and then Friuli-Venezia Giulia which is bordered by Austria to the North and Slovenia to the East. This DOC replaces the pre-existing IGT for the region when it comes to Pinot Grigio.
This is the first Italian consortium for territorial extension. What does that mean? Well, an IGT (Indicazione geografica tipica) typically covers large regions and these are wines that have fewer restrictions on viticulture and winemaking techniques. On the wine ladder in Italy, IGT is on a lower rung sitting just above Vino (basic table wine). Above that, you have DOCs (denominazione di origine controllata) which have more restrictions and then DOCGs (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) that have some of the most strenuous restrictions.
The new Delle Venezie DOC encompasses 20 DOCs within this region, but it is specific to the variety of Pinot Grigio. The great part about this is the variety. With so many smaller regions in this DOC, there are variations on soil and climates, and you will be able to find multiple styles of Pinot Grigio.
A little bit on Pinot Grigio
42% of the Pinot Grigio in the world comes from Italy and 96% of that is exported. With the primary export markets being North America, Great Britain, and Germany.
In Italy, there are over 32,000 hectares of vineyards specific to Pinot Grigio and almost 26,500 of those hectares are in the Delle Venezie DOC. (Figures as of 2018 from DOC Delle Venezie).
So, what is the difference between this new DOC and the old IGT?
The differences primarily affect the regulations for quality. Here are the most important changes.
Must be a minimum of 85% Pinot Grigio from the Trivento area
Yields are limited. They decreased the amount per hectare by 26 hectoliters per hectare from the previous IGT level.
Creation of the Delle Venezie DOC
Getting to be a DOC is a long process. The DOC was approved in Italy in 2017. EU acceptance has been longer, coming earlier this year. Valentina from the Delle Venezie press office clarified the dates for me.
“…the DOC and the Consorzio were born and founded in 2017 and in August 2020 the DOP obtained the official name protection and consequent registration in the eAmbrosia register by the European Commission and, 20 days after, the Consorzio got also the recognition from the Ministry of Agriculture (Rome).”
Valentina Fraccascia, Delle Venezie DOC August 31, 2020
The affects of the pandemic on this new DOC
I was curious as to how the pandemic had impacted the rollout of the DOC. Valentina said that the new DOC has not suffered economically from the pandemic. They have international large-scale distribution.
“Signs of stability compared to last year confirmed by the trend of DOC certifications and bottlings at the end of June, which have even slightly grown, and which suggest an equivalent absorption capacity in the next marketing campaign.”
Valentina Fraccascia, Delle Venezie DOC August 31, 2020
Entertaining marketing with Filippo Bartolotta
I also inquired as to how they had pivoted their marketing during the pandemic. This is where their highly entertaining video series with Filippo Bartolotta comes in. It allowed their clients worldwide a resource when they could not taste with them live. She shared with me a bit of their April press release.
In the face of the restrictions imposed by governments around the world that have caused the main trade fairs such as Prowein and Vinitaly to be suspended, the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie Consortium looked to the polyglot fluency of the communicator Filippo Bartolotta. Storyteller, teacher and writer with a foreign background and a huge following especially in the USA, Filippo knows how to transport the auditorium with an engagingly cheerful energy and with the professional firmness of competence. His charisma will reach Europe and the shores of North America – which accommodates the largest exports of Pinot Grigio delle Venezie (whose foreign share reaches 95% of the bottled product) – bringing the public of operators in the sector closer to that of wine lovers from around the world.
Therefore, 16 videos that will recount over 100 DOC labels of the latest vintage, 2019, after the introduction of another 3 videos that will lead the listener by the hand to discover the land, the vine and the denomination, revealing the history and the culture of the place but also the ampelographic characteristics of the grape variety and all the processes that make it traceable, safe and guaranteed. But above all, Filippo Bartolotta will raise the curtain on what is the “Italian Style”, that savoir fair that the glass emanates at each twirl, emanating memories of our country, and which is passed on in a sip that is eclectic, fresh and rich in tradition. Pinot Grigio is perfectly able to represent all the facets of the Tre Venezie, thanks to a bond with this land that has historical origins.
The videos are wonderful. They do not lie when they say that Filippo Bartolotta is charismatic. Here is one of the introduction videos, in which he explains how widely Pinot Grigio from the Delle Venezie will pair with food. Additional videos are geared to importers, but…they are highly entertaining as he runs through tastings live on camera and shares with you his thoughts in one take.
The Delle Venezie DOC is raising the bar for Pinot Grigio from this region. With this information in hand, I expected to see some classic Italian wineries, striving for a tradition of quality, or perhaps younger wineries who are breathing new life into the region with thoughtful wines….hmm…Here are the two wines I received.
Tommasi 2019 Le Rosse Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC
Tommasi – This wine is a 4th generation family winery based in Valpolicella. Yes, of course, they make Amarone. They also own vineyards in Tuscany, Puglia, Basilicata, and Oltrepo Pavese in Lombardy. This is not a small producer.
Filippo describes it at 5:28 into this video. They are very well known in Italy.
The Tommasi Le Rosse is a single vineyard Pinot Grigio from Le Rosse vineyard in the Valpolicella Classico area.
Prophecy 2019 Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio
Contrast that with our other wine. Prophecy Wines Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio.
Here, the company has invested in beautiful labels. They tell a story about each wine, and you can read up on the Artist Victo Ngai. She is an award-winning illustrator from Hong Kong who is New York based and has received numerous awards.
What you won’t find, is many details on the vineyard or vineyards, the name of the winemaker, or any other real details on the wine. They have added a page on their blog about the sourcing of their wines. They source different varieties from their best-known regions globally hence a Pinot Grigio from the Delle Venezie. They do supply a description, full of visuals, and few details on their blog.
“Our Pinot Grigio offers a glimpse into the classic wines of Northeastern Italy, where the grape flourishes against the backdrop of the region’s stunning landscape. The high-altitude vineyards lie in the shadow of snow-capped mountains and vines that thrive in the cool air climate of the Adriatic Coast, resulting in elegant and crisp Pinot Grigio wines with citrus characteristics, delicate hints of white flowers and signature minerality.”
You can see Filippo wax poetic on the label at 13:38 into this video.
The wines? Both were enjoyable. I enjoyed the Tommasi best, it was a little leaner and more elegant, softer and rounder. The Prophecy felt a little larger and in my face. But, in all honesty, I might have been biased based on my research. I want a real story, not a marketing ploy behind my wine. So much of my enjoyment of wine comes from the stories. If this had been a blind tasting, would my reaction have been the same? I think that I would have still leaned toward the subtleties of the Tommasi and referred to the Prophecy as a bit bolder.
I will admit that the Prophecy label is eye-catching and striking, which is great when you are looking for it in the grocery store. I found it at our nearby Smiths when I was last in the wine section there. The price online I found for it was $10.99. the Tommasi from Wine.com retails at $15.99.
The 2020 Harvest
I receive a press release about the 2020 Harvest. The Pinot Grigio harvest in Veneto finished in early September. Overall, quantity was down, and quality was up. With the decrease in supply, the price of grapes increased. We will see if this translates into higher prices on shelves for the 2020 vintage.
This region, so known for Pinot Grigio, has set their sites on increasing quality for their wines. For consumers, that is rarely a bad thing. So I encourage you to watch for the Delle Venezie DOC on the bottle.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Climate change and sustainability. If you love wine, you really can’t be a climate change denier. I have spoken with too many winemakers who are seeing the changes in their vineyards. They watch bud break as well as harvests coming earlier. In some regions, they are dealing with increased pressure from fires and the possibility of smoke taint, with some losing entire vintages. We watched this in Australia early this year and parts of California are dealing with this right now. Vineyards are looking at planting new varieties, geared toward the new climate that they see moving into their area.
This month the Italian Food Wine and Travel Group are tackling climate change and sustainability. It’s a big subject, even if we are just focusing on Italy. We are led by Katarina of Grapevine Adventures. You can read her invitation post An Invitation To Look Closer at Aspects of Sustainability to Better Tackle the Climate Change. I look forward to reading all the viewpoints and insights that my colleagues will bring. Scroll to the bottom to find links to their pieces on the subject.
We will be gathering on Twitter on Saturday September 5th at 8 am PDT. Just follow and use #ItalianFWT to join the conversation.
If we just talk about climate change…(this is the “why you should care” part)
Picture the wine regions that climate change will affect Photo by Onur Adbobe Stock
I recently attended a session called “Wine and a Changing Climate: Will the terroir model of today survive”. It was presented by Roger C. Bohmrich MW at the Society of Wine Educators Virtual Conference earlier this month.
He points out that some regions may benefit from climate change, like Bordeaux and much of Germany, while other regions will suffer as more and more of their vineyards become too warm to sustain their traditional varieties of grapes. Italy is one of those places.
Defining Sustainable wines
But there is more to this. Sustainability doesn’t have a universal definition, but Sandra Taylor at “Discover Sustainable Wine” gives one that is easier to wrap your head around.
“Very simply it means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Sandra Taylor, from Discover Sustainable Wine
There are 3 parts to this; environmental, economic, and social. We need to take care of the environment, produce a quality product, and be socially responsible. There are programs out there for certification, that vary on their focus and the area they cover.
Looking through the wines I have tasted recently
I looked through several wines that I had recently tasted from Italy to see where they were in addressing sustainability. To do this, I went directly to each of their websites.
The first I looked at was Banfi. Banfi is a large company, and if you can get these larger companies on board it is helpful, since they employ so many people and ship so much wine.
Banfi has an entire sustainability page where they note specifically their use of the Lightweight bottle, the bio-bed, Variable flowrate irrigation, corporate social responsibility, and certification from the vineyard to the bottle.
They did a bit of research in 2008 and 2009 on this. Reducing the weight of the bottle saves in multiple ways, obviously the shipping weight per bottle is less, which saves energy and there is less glass in the end. In addition, there is a savings on the energy needed to make each bottle. They first reduced from 570 g bottles to 400 g, then in 2014 reduced again to 360 g bottles. ( you can read more at https://www.banfi.it/en/sustainability/lightweight-bottle.php )
Under Corporate Social Responsibility they discus Eco-balance Low input farming. Reducing the greenhouse effect, maintaining biodiversity and working on erosion control.
I expected the “Social Responsibility” to contain something about workers, but it did not. It instead covered things like erosion control and reducing the greenhouse effect.
I moved on to other wineries I had recently tasted. I recently had a lovely Moscato d’Asti from Saracco. While they did not have a page devoted to sustainability, they did have a paragraph regarding their vineyards that included this.
“On their 50 hectares grapes are grown sustainably in harmony with nature and with attention to changes to the climate throughout the year.”
That was it. 3 other brands that I recently tried, had nothing on any form of sustainability. Everything they had to say was on quality and tradition. They did not even link back to tradition in farming and respect for the land. Well, that felt a bit tragic, so I dug deeper into wines I had a month or so ago and remembered Caiarossa.
Caiarossa is a vineyard and winery on the Tuscan Coast. I had tasted a wine from them for a piece on Super Tuscans. They employ biodynamics here and look at the property in a holistic way, which includes the men and women who work on the land, although there are not full details on their vineyard staff. They have been Demeter certified since 1999, and embrace the idea of “…creating a harmonious bond between Nature and Man. …by creating a full resonance with the rhythms of the universe, we manage to fully amplify their effects.”
Okay, I feel a little better about my Italian wine drinking.
My expectations
Perhaps as a consumer, I am pushing boundaries, expecting wineries to share, not just notes on the quality of their wine, but also on the ways, they are making the world a better place, or at least not making it worse.
I was feeling a bit sad about my choices of wine recently. I am good about researching wineries in the US based on their practices, but with fewer options on imported wine, I don’t research my purchases in advance as much as I evidently should.
What’s happening in Italy?
I went in search of information on wineries who are actively working toward sustainability in Italy and there is a great deal of hope.
Italian consumers are also looking for transparency, and the Ministry of Agriculture is working to create a standard for sustainability in wine. If this goes through, Italy could be the first country to set such a standard.
The ministry of agriculture in Italy is working with Equalitas as they create their sustainability program.
Equalitas has set a standard that requires biodiversity in soil, water and lichen. They set a standard for both carbon and water footprints. They cover working practices for both agriculture as well as winery and bottling practices. They deal with economic practices financially for the business and for employee programs as well as dealing with suppliers. There are social practices for workers’ rights and training as well as community relations. Finally, there are policies for transparency. The certification is set fo4 3 years and is monitored within that period. ( source)
Currently Equalitas, which was founded in 2016, has 17 certified sustainable wineries. I do not know about you, but that number seems pretty low to me. They are a young organization, so I look forward to them growing.
Italy is a leader in organic wine. From 2013 to 2018 the organic vineyard acreage in Italy increased by 57% (source Nomisma Wine Monitor). So there is that!
In addition there are other organizations like VIVA under the CCPB, under the ministry of the environment. As well as SQNPI under the Ministry of Agricultural Policies. (source)
But figuring out if a wine is sustainable by its label? That’s a bit tougher.
My friend Lynn Gowdy, of Savor the Harvest, wrote a piece on how you can find details on Italian wine labels which is a great reference. “The Important thing you don’t know about Italian wine labels” So, there is a start there. Look for “Vino Biologico” on the label or look for the Agricoltura UE leaf or Ecogruppo Italia logos on the back label. Agricoltura UE has the Euro Leaf logo (a bright green background with a leaf outlined with stars) which certifies that the product meets the regulations for Organic farming in the EU. Ecogruppo Italia is a certification body for Eco-sustainable production.
These are ways you can check the label, if you are in the market or wine shop already shopping. The best Idea? Do your research ahead of time. In the meantime, let’s talk about some of the means to combating climate change that are out there for wineries.
Fighting Climate change with regenerative agriculture.
The idea behind regenerative agriculture Image by Marcoaliaksandr Adobe Stock
So what can a winery do about climate change? Well, as we mentioned with Banfi, lighter packaging can decrease the carbon footprint. In addition, farming methods can decrease a winery’s carbon footprint. That might be by less mechanical passes in the vineyard, or alternative methods of power, like solar.
Regenerative farming is being discussed quite a bit these days. Most people utilizing the techniques of biodynamics refer to it as regenerative farming. In combating climate change, this is idea of creating healthy soil that absorbs carbon. (source).
Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles recently joined a pilot program to become Regeneratively Organic Certified (ROC). Their vineyard is already Demeter Certified for biodynamics as well as certified organic. So why did they feel the need to jump on this new bandwagon? Regenerative is by the very name, beyond “sustainable”. This is not about just staying par for the course, it is able to improve the ecosystem. It encompasses soil health, animal welfare, and social welfare. Tablas Creek wrote a great article about why they felt the need to jump on board with this certification. You can read it here. They also released a beautiful video that will explain the idea behind the certification quickly.
That’s what I was really looking for, something beyond the status quo, something that is not just looking to keep us from falling over the edge, but something that might tip the scales the other way.
Beyond the soil, let’s talk about the people
This gets to the “Social” part. The recent uproar over Settimio Passalacqua, the agriculture magnate in Southern Italy who was arrested for systematic exploitation of migrant workers. This dramatically affected his daughter Valentina Passalacqua whose winery in Puglia was on the rise and was being imported to the US through several companies, who have dropped her label, waiting for her to be proven innocent. She works independently of her father and says she is outraged by these types of exploitation practices. She is listed, however, as having a 25% share in one of the companies and as recently as mid-October 2019 attended a shareholders meeting.
Just before this story on her father broke, I had tasted one of her wines and did a piece on it. I watched her videos with her out harvesting with her crew. I was enchanted. The comradery felt genuine. It did not show the whole picture though. (I encourage you to read the article in “The Morning Claret” if you are interested in further details)
The point I guess is, that people are holding companies accountable for unfair treatment of workers. For consumers and distributors you need to be transparent. They need to be sure that you are treating your workers fairly. More and more people are buying less blindly. Like me. But currently it’s not easy.
Why this is important and what you can do
The planet is warming and is on course to get warmer. Climate change is real and ass we look to the future, we must do something about it. People, workers are being taken advantage of. That has got to change. We make individual choices, as well as look to the businesses we support to make good choices. Ideally, we just support those willing to go the extra mile, because they hold the same ideals we do.
It’s not easy. Certifications are individual also. Some more respectable and trustworthy than others. Then there are small businesses and producers, who may not be able to invest in the certification.
We need to do our homework. Again, it’s not easy. I often am writing a piece and need to investigate a region and I get what is available. But more and more I try to research before purchasing, so I can find those brands, or better yet, those small wineries, who are doing things right or working to get better at protecting the land, our planet, and our fellow man. We ask the questions and increase the demand for products we trust and believe in. We won’t always succeed, but together, bit by bit we can get better.
The Italian Food Wine and Travel Group #Italian FWT
After all this digging, there are so many questions I still have and I’m sure we all have. I look forward to reading the work of my colleagues from the Italian Food Wine and Travel Group. If you are reading this in time, join us on twitter on Saturday, September 5th at 11 am EDT or 8 am PST. Just follow and used #ItalianFWT to join in the conversation. I’ll be there with my coffee! You can read my colleagues’ work below!
On Saturday, 5 September we will discuss more in-depth sustainability and climate change in the Twitter chat of the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel writers’ group. Join us on Saturday at 11 am EST / 17.00 CEST to learn more about Sustainability to Better Tackle the Climate Change.
Get into the sustainability vibe…
These are the titles of the coming articles on Saturday.
I highly recommend taking a peek at Discover Sustainable Wine. Sandra Taylor has written some insightful pieces on the subject of sustainability in wine.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
It’s no secret, I love bubbles, from classic Champagne, to Cava, to Prosecco. I even dive into some Cremant from various regions in France, sparkling wines from Washington, Oregon, and of course California. I’ve sipped a few bottles of bubbles from down under in Australia as well as a pet-nat from Austria.
Recently I had the opportunity to dig a little deeper into some regions that I had heard of but had not yet tasted. These were wines to accompany a wonderful online session with Alan Tardi author of “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the Worlds Most Celebrated Drink”. His session was the kickoff to the Society of Wine Educators 2020 Conference, which was held online last week. They were exciting, delicious, and relatively affordable so I wanted to share them with you!.
The first bubbles!
Today we will begin with where historically bubbles first began. No, not Champagne and no not England either. The first recorded sparkling wine, that was intentional, not just an accident, actually came from the south of France in Limoux which sits within the Languedoc region.
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The Languedoc-Roussillon Wine Region in France
Blanquette de Limoux the orignal sparkling wine
It was at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire where monks, rational monks, (not those silly monks who thought bubbles meant the wine was possessed by the devil, lol), discovered or invented sparkling wine. Records of this wine date back to 1531. This, my friends was before Champagne. Rumour has it that Dom Perignon was a monk here before moving to the Champagne region.
Galerie du cloître de l'Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire Photo By olivierguerinphoto Adobe Stock
These bubbles were light and were made in the Method Ancestral. In this method the wine is bottled before the fermentation is complete and completes it’s fermentation in the bottle, which traps the CO2 bubbles which incorporate into the wine. Likely this first happened accidentally. When it got cold the fermentation stopped, but was not complete. The wine was bottled and then when it warmed again in the spring, those little yeasties got back to work in the bottle.
Blanquette became very popular in the 19th century and is was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, who kept quite a bit on hand at Monticello.
Thomas Jefferson’s record of his cellar stash of Blanquette de Limoux, image courtesy of Jack Poust Co JEFFERSON AND WINE’ Published by the Vinifera Wine Growers Association Edited by R. de Treville Lawrence Sr.
My bottle sadly, was not made in the Ancestral Method, but…it was from Saint-Hilaire! The 2018 Blanquette de Limoux Saint-Hilaire was 90% Mauzac, 5% Chenin Blanc and 5% Chardonnay. Mauzac is a very old white grape that you don’t see much outside this region. It was made in the Traditional method in a Brut style, so it has residual sugar of 12 grams per liter.
This sparkling wine was dry, but flavorful with citrus and apple, lemon curd and ginger with yeasty notes. It sits at 12.5% abv and runs just $12.99. This is bottled by Jack Poust and Company.
We paired this with lobster pate, apple, citrus, almond nougat, pear, crystallized ginger and lemon curd for our cheese plate and later enjoyed it with Tuna steaks and fries.
The next region, you have likely heard of but may not have sipped on in a while.
Moscato d’Asti DOCG
This wine hails from Italy’s Piemonte region and is made of Moscato Bianco, also known as Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains.
It was 1993 when Moscato d’Asti became a DOCG.
Map of Italy (map by Albachiaraa, Adobe Stock)
Piedmont regional map with Asti (image By luisrftc Adobe Stock)
Our wine came from Saracco, whose primary vineyards are in Castiglione Tinella. The soil here is layered with sand, silt and limestone which enhances the wines aromas. The Saracco family has produced wines since the early 1900s. In the 1950 they sold their wines to the makers of Asti Spumante. In 1988 Paulo Saracco decided to start bottling their Moscato making a balanced and beautiful Moscato d’Asti.
From the winery
“After harvesting, the bunches are gently pressed to extract the most flavourful juice from the outermost part of the grapes. The must is kept in stainless steel containers at -3°C, where it can be kept for months. When there is market demand, it is then transferred into autoclaves for temperature-controlled fermentation, microfiltered for purity and then bottled to keep the freshness and flavours intact.”
From the winery https://paolosaracco.it/en/wines-saracco-piedmont/moscato-d-asti-docg-saracco
This is a sweet wine with 26 g/l of residual sugar, that is frizzante or lightly bubbled. If you want more bubbles, that’s where you head for Asti Spumante.
The nose had orange blossom, peach & tangerine and on the palate, it was balanced with acid to counter the sweetness. It sits at just 6% abv and was $14.99.
On their website, they suggested pairing this with a stone fruit panzanella and I couldn’t resist. I had peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, cherry tomatoes, sourdough bread, basil, fresh mozzarella and mint to meld with a lemon vinaigrette. It was delicious and beautiful.
Finally we travel further south, into the Southern Hemisphere to South Africa for some Cap Classique.
Cap Classique the South African Sparkling Wine
Cap Classique is the term for a traditional method sparkling wine from South Africa. The first wine of this kind was made in Stellenbosch in 1968. The regulations require whole-cluster fermentations and 9 months on the lees. But the Cap Classique Producers Association is working to increase that to 12 months. Standards are the same as with most sparkling wines for residual sugar levels, so you can pick your sweetness just as you would with a Champagne. Here all grapes are welcome. Many producers do stick with the Champagne varieties, but Chenin Blanc is also popular, and was the case for the wine that we tasted.
Wine Growing Areas of South Africa - map credit Wines of South Africa
Man Family Wines Method Cap Classique Brut
The grapes for this 100% Chenin Blanc Man Family Wines Cap Classique come from the Agter-Paarl region where they are head trained (bush-vine) and dry farmed.
The seal that you see on the cap, certifies that the wine has been produced in an earth-friendly manner. In addition to verifying the variety, vintage and origin.
After a cold ferment, 30% of the wine goes into French oak for 4 months. After secondary fermentation in bottle is complete, the wine stays on the lees for another 14 months before being disgorged and then gets another 3 months aging in bottle before release.
It sits at 12.5% abv, has 4.4 g/l of residual sugar. This wine ran me $23.99.
The nose is bright with stone fruit like white peach, green apple (think Granny Smith), lime and pear. You get sourdough from the lees. The bubbles are fine and pervasive.
Our cheese plate included pear, peach, lobster pate, granny smith apples, sourdough bread to pair. For something more substantial, think oysters, lobster or go back the the tuna steak and fries we did before for a pairing.
There is so much more to the world of bubbles!
There are bubbles being made all over the globe, good bubbles, unique bubbles! Get out there and try them, ask for them. Don’t settle for the same stuff all the time. Variety is the spice of life my friends! Explore those sparkling wines!
After his fascinating session I am looking to pick up Alan Tardi’s book “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the Worlds Most Celebrated Drink”. You can visit his website to see details on his studies and writing.
Alan’s session, as I mentioned, was the kickoff to the Society of Wine Educators Virtual Conference this year. The Society has been around for 44 years and has wonderful programs for wine professionals who want to increase their knowledge. I went through the CSW program last year and became a Certified Wine Specialist. Visit their site if you are interested in pursuing more wine knowledge.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You might also want to check out our YouTube channel where we have tons of videos on wines & pairings, wine regions as well as interviews with vineyard owners and winemakers.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
I love rosé, rosado, rosato. I loved it before it was cool. I’ll admit, back in my youth, I even loved that rosé that now makes my stomach churn, Sutter Homes. I don’t love it because it’s pink, (I’m not a girl who wears pink…I typically live in black), but despite it being pink. I love the way it calms me and makes me hear the ocean even when it is not near. Not that rosés are all made near the ocean, I just always envision myself on the beach when I drink one. It’s a getaway in a glass. All wine of course is, but rosé or rosato, well, it seems to have an extra edge on that.
So here it is, almost August, and we are still stuck at home, in the heat. Luckily, the #ItalianFWT group, led this month by Lauren of The Swirling Dervish, (what a great name, right?) is taking us on a virtual trip to Italy to explore rosatos of indigenous Italian grapes. Kinda perfect if you ask me.
If you want in on this getaway, you can join us on August 1st at 8am PDT or 11am EDT, on twitter. Just follow #ItalianFWT and join in the conversation. You can look forward to hearing about pink wines from all over Italy from my fellow wine writers! (scroll to the bottom for a list of all the different pieces with links!)
As I mentioned, rosé or rosato, as it is known in Italy, makes me hear the sea. So, it will not surprise you that I chose 2 coastal regions (although when you are in southern Italy, all the regions with the exception of Umbria, are coastal) to choose wines from. Both are made from the indigenous grape montepulciano and both come from the southern part of Italy on the Adriatic coast.
Map of Italy
First let’s talk about this indigenous grape Montepulciano
Montepulciano (the grape) and Vino Nobile de Montepulciano – nope, they are not the same!
I’ve heard of that you might say, but you may be thinking of Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, which is the name of a wine, that is made of sangiovese. Confusing, no? Here’s the scoop.
Vino Nobile de Montepulciano – that would mean “Noble wine of Montepulciano”, Montepulciano being a village in Tuscany. The wine is made of sangiovese, the grape famous for Chianti.
Montepulciano, the grape, is a grape native to the southern part of Italy.
Due to the confusion with this wine and the grape, the folks at Vino Nobile de Montepulciano have opted to just refer to their wine as “Vino Nobile” and it seems to be sticking.
Montepulciano – the grape
Montepulciano is the 3rd most planted grape in Italy. It sits unsurprisingly, behind sangiovese in the top spot and the white grape trebbiano (or as it’s known in France ugni blanc), which is an undistinguished white grape, (at least typically) that is mostly used in making brandy.
It is most widely planted in the region of Abruzzo, but is also widely found in Marche, Molise, and Puglia. All four of these regions sit in a row down the Adriatic coast of Italy. It is a late ripening grape, which is what keeps it in the south, further north than Marche and you find difficulty ripening it. It is a deep colored grape that imparts great tannins and can age.
Montepulciano as a rosato
With these deeply colored skins, you would be unsurprised to find that the rosatos are deeply colored also. Now many people can get snooty about their rosé and want it in that ballet slipper pink or onion skin color of Provençal rosé, but I love the variety of shades. Rosé or rosato, is a color of wine, just like red or white, and everything pink does not and should not taste or look the same. These darker pink wines, (like Tavel in France), can carry more flavor and texture than a barely colored rosé, and as such can pair widely with foods.
Our first rosato is from Abruzzo where it is part of its own DOC for rosato.
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC
Abruzzo spans from the mountains of central Italy out to the Adriatic Sea. It sits north of Molise and south of Marche. The ancient tribes of the region long resisted Roman rule, and the rugged landscape kept it isolated for many years.
In 2010 the Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC was established for rosatos from the region. The name means cherry in Italian, and is taken from their deep cherry color.
This is not the easiest wine to pronounce. It is pronounced CHER-rah-ZOO’OH-loh dah-BROO-tsoh
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2019 from Cirellli Collina Biologica
This wine from Francesco Cirelli comes from the Cirelli Farm. I would love to describe it to you, but I think that Francesco on his site does it best.
“The sea is only 8 kilometers away and rolling hills, vineyards and olive groves surround the variegated landscape of the town of Atri in the Abruzzo region where our farmland lies. Nearby, national parks, woods, and badlands, all wonderfully preserved, are waiting to be discovered in the majestic silence that seems to characterize this region of Italy suspended in time and space.”
Francesco Cirelli from his site
This is a farm with olive trees, vineyards, old grains, fruit trees, gardens, and animals. It is certified organic. The property is 22 hectares with 6 of those under vine. They dry farm and produce abut 30,000 bottles annually.
While our particular wine was not, he now makes a line of wines in amphorae. I look forward to an opportunity to taste the Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo made in Terracotta Amphorae.
Tasting the Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo
This wine was a deep pink-orange color and was clear. The nose took a moment to open for me, but Michael immediately got bright red fruit, “cherry fruit rollup” he declared! As I dove into it, I found sour cherry, with notes of watermelon, white flowers, and pomegranate. Additional notes of citrus like blood orange and bits of dried herbs popped up. On the palate it was dry with medium body, tannin, and alcohol (it sits at 12% abv). It had high acidity, and pronounced flavors of cranberry, red currant, and a splash of lime, with a long finish. It was tart and vibrant with red fruits bursting forward.
Puglia
The second wine we had is again a rosato of montepulciano, but this one hails from Puglia. Puglia is the heel of the boot in Italy. This wine comes from just inland of the boot’s spur, the National Park of Gargano, that juts out into the Adriatic Sea. Valentina Passalacqua’s vineyard sits just west of the National Park and 20 minutes’ drive south of Lake Lesina that sits on the Adriatic Coast. Her mantra is “Peaceful Living”. Many of the vines on her property are on pergolas, providing shade for the workers as they pick during harvest. She has a wonderful video on her site that I encourage you to visit and watch.
This wine is made from montepulciano grapes from young pergola vineyards. Fermentation is spontaneous in open vats. It is unfiltered and aged 6-8 months in steel. It is 10.5% or 11.5% abv (I found conflicting and could not locate it on the bottle) and is bottled in a one-liter bottle with a crown cap. The label was drawn by her daughter.
“My work has no secrets. Together with my collaborators-artists, I only try to collect what the Earth presents to me and to give it a personal value through art and craftsmanship. My wines are fragments of the soul of the Gargano, the Mountain of the Sun. A white limestone promontory, which extends into the Adriatic Sea with the green silences of the millenary forests of the Umbra Forest and the scents of the Mediterranean scrub of the National Park. We are waiting for you, to give you a taste of this magical reality.”
Valentina Passalacqua from her site
Tasting this rosato from Puglia
This wine had the same vibrant orange pink color but was a bit cloudy as it wasn’t filtered. There was sediment in the bottom. On the nose you were hit first with funk, the kind that I like. Notes of leather and red fruit, sour cherry, and spice. On the palate it was dry with medium tannins, body, and acidity. I think the fact that it was unfiltered made the acidity seem lower. On the palate I got blood orange, red cherry, blackberry, leather, and dried herbs. I think the nose was really integrated, which was why I determined it as funk, and didn’t break it down like I was able to on the palate.
Pairing with foods of the region
I searched for dishes from each of the regions and the one thing that popped up in both was that these are poorer regions, where meat is a luxury. As such, both my dishes are vegetarian, and both have relatively few ingredients
Pallotte cac e ove
My dish from Abruzzo is called Pallotte cac e ove (cheese and egg balls)
The recipe is simple: Mix together ½ cup of breadcrumbs, 1 cup of grated parmesan, salt, minced garlic, pepper, and a pinch of baking soda. Then add in 3 eggs and mix. Roll into balls. You can either fry them now, to enjoy as an appetizer or do as I did, and toss them in the fridge for a bit, then cook them in a pot of fresh tomato sauce for 15 minutes.
Orecchiette from Puglia
The second dish is from Puglia. Puglia is known for its orecchiette pasta, the little hand made pastas whose name means “little ears”. Traditionally this is served with turnip tops or broccoli rabe. We had baby broccoli and cherry tomatoes.
I boiled the pasta and added the baby broccoli to blanche in the last 2 minutes. I drained it reserving some of the cooking water. Then I cooked up some minced garlic in butter and olive oil until it was fragrant, I added a bit of the cooking water then, the orecchiette and broccoli, some grated parmesan, juice of a lemon, chili flakes, the sliced cherry tomatoes and lemon zest.
Each of the dishes went well with the food, but each also paired best with the wine from their region.
We also did a cheese plate with orange, herbed mozzarella balls, blackberries, strawberries, pomegranate, rosemary asiago, prosciutto, and almonds. The herbs from the mozzarella balls really paired beautifully, elevating the flavors of the herbs.
So that covers 1 grape. Italy has more than 400 grape varieties allowed in their wines. Guaranteed, a few of those are international varieties, but still… If you count the subvarieties, the total comes to almost 2000. Wonder what varieties the other #ItalianFWT writers got into?
Don’t forget to join us Saturday August 1, 2020 at 11 am Eastern Time (8 am Pacific) on twitter to chat! Just follow #ItalianFWT! We’d love for you to tell us about your favorite Italian rosatos, just remember to add the hashtage #ItalianFWT to be part of the conversation thread!
Do you love pink wines? Well we have written about them before and if you would like to explore…
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
We find ourselves in strange unprecedented times. I find it hard to focus on wine when there are so many more important things to focus on right now. My country is going through change, a change that is long overdue.
In addition we are still living with a worldwide pandemic and Italy was deeply affected by COVD-19. I want to show my support for the vineyards, wineries and people in general who were so affected by this virus and are continuing their recovery.
Amid standing for what we know to be right, there also must be self-care to keep us strong to continue. I join with the Italian Food Wine and Travel Group today in posting this piece. This is a community and communities are much needed now.
We paired these wines with comfort food. Perhaps you will find comfort in these dishes to gather at table and replenish yourselves to continue to fight for change.
The many names of Sangiovese
Sangiovese Grapes for Tuscan Wine (photo by Stefano ShardsOfLife, Adobe Stock)
Sangiovese. It is a grape most closely associated with the wines of Chianti. You find it grown throughout Tuscany as well as in the regions of Umbria, Marche and Lazio. At over 70,000 hectares (170,000+ acres) Sangiovese is the most planted grape variety in Italy. It is beloved and grown worldwide, but its home is Tuscany.
The Apennine Mountains running down Italy’s spine create many small isolated regions. As a result, the same grape may have a different name depending on the area. It is known as Brunello in Montalcino, as Prugnolo Gentile in Montepulciano, as Morellino in Maremma and as Nielluccio in Corsica.
Map of Italy (map by Albachiaraa, Adobe Stock)
Map of Tuscany with general regions of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG an Morellino di Scansano DOCG (map by malachy120, Adobe Stock)
Prugnolo Gentile in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Located South East of Florence the village of Montepulciano has been known for winemaking since the Etruscans. Wine here was a favorite of Pope Paul III who called it the “King of Wines”.
Rules of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Minimum 70% Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese). The remainder may be Canaiolo, Mammolo, Trebbiano or perhaps an International variety like Merlot or Syrah. White grapes are allowed but cannot be more than 5% of the blend.
Maximum yield per hectare of 8000 kg.
Matured for 2 years, (3 for Riserva).
Subject to consistency tests by the commission
Vinified and matured within the Municipality of Montepulciano
Panoramic view from Montepulciano-Italy milosk50, Adobe Stock
Panoramic view of the medieval village of Montepulciano Tuscany Italy, Delphotostock Adobe Stock
Beautiful alley in Tuscany Oldtown Montepulciano Italy BajeczneObrazy.pl, Adobe Stock
This was one of the first 4 DOGCs put into place in 1980. It is interesting to note that there was a recent push to refer to these wines as Vino Nobile, dropping the di Montepulciano. There is a grape named Montepulciano which is grown in Abruzzo (Montepulciano d’Abruzzo) with which it could be confused. I remember sitting amidst a heated conversation in a session at an Italian wine event where they “discussed” this. It seems for the most part that it is referred to as Vino Nobile, these days.
Morellino in Morellino di Scansano
This DOCG is in the Tuscan province of Grosseto and within the region of Maremma. Sitting close to the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, this region south west of Florence is protected from the north winds and open to sea breezes.
Rules of the Morellino di Scansano DOCG
Minimum 85% Morellino (Sangiovese). The remainder may be other authorized red grapes in Tuscany including: Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Malvasia, Colorino, Alicante as well as International Varieties Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah and other red grape varieties.
Maximum yield per hectare of 9000 kg.
Riserva must be aged for a minimum of 2 years.
Vinified & bottled within the production area of the grapes (Exceptions for wineries that historically bottled these wines outside the area before the DOCG recognition.)
View of tuscan fields and hills in Maremma region, oscity, Adobe Stock
Talamone rock beach and medieval fortress at sunset. Maremma Argentario Tuscany Italy, stevanzz, Adobe stock
Maremma (Tuscany), landscape at summer, Claudio Colombo, Adobe Stock
On to the wines
Figli d’Italia Leone d’Oro Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2013
Figli d’Italia is the Order of the Sons of Italy, a fraternal organization for Italian Americans, founded in 1905. The lion on the label is the “Leone d’Oro” the Golden Lion, the organization’s symbol. They partnered with Votto Vines and Vecchia Cantino to produce this wine. I was unable to find the details on this particular vintage, but previous vintages have been 90/10, Sangiovese and Canaiolo.
On the nose I got sweet tobacco, eucalyptus, white and black pepper, black cherry, leather, clove, prune, and a little five-spice. It was dry with medium tannins, body and alcohol. The acidity seemed medium, but as we enjoyed this with food, we realized that it had bigger acids to go with the food, they just came across very smoothly. On the palate I got red and black cherry and spice.
This wine had a complex nose, with a lighter mouthfeel. The acid was cleansing rather than tart. Tannins went from suede to velour, coating and numbing the gums then gently dissolving. As it opened, we got more earth and leather notes. This wine sits at 12.5% abv and ran me $21.99
Terre di Talamo Morellino di Scansano Tempo Riserva 2015
Produced by Bacci Wines this wine is unfiltered and made from Sangiovese, known here as Morellino. The soils in the vineyard, are rock and brown clay.
The vineyard is in the far southwest of the region and has spectacular views of the coast, from the Argentario promontory to the port of Talamone. Go to the site, I’ve included the link below. The photos are spectacular.
This wine has a nose of sweet clove, walnut, black plum, rhubarb, coffee, berries, black cherry, with notes of iris and chocolate or cocoa. Again, medium across the board as far as tannins, body and acidity. It has a lovely long finish.
This was decidedly brighter than the Vino Nobile, perhaps because of its youth (it is 2 years younger), perhaps because of its proximity to the sea or maybe there was a little less time in oak (it only requires 2 years). It was fresh and beautiful with surprising depth. 14% abv and $18.99
Pairings with regional cuisine
I went looking for Tuscan fare to pair with these wines. After much searching, I settled on a cheese platter, Panzanella and a Tuscan Ragu with pasta.
The cheese plate was filled with all sorts of things to compliment and contrast with the wines: Asiago cheese, soppressata salami, pecorino romano cheese, prosciutto, apple, orange slices, cherries, dried cranberries, walnuts, blueberries, chocolate and basil. Hard cheeses are great with this wine and the Asiago was wonderful in the way that it brought out the floral notes.
Panzanella
This traditional salad is typically made with stale bread. Mine was fresh, but I crisped it up in a pan with olive oil. We added sliced grape tomatoes, seeded cucumber slices, thinly sliced shallot, red and yellow peppers and basil and tossed the lot with a vinaigrette. Make sure to let it sit at least 30 minutes to integrate all the flavors.
Tuscan Ragu
I had to vary my recipe, which called for dried porcini mushrooms, which I could not find. This was a simple soffritto (which is Italian mirepoix, just onion, carrot and celery, sautéed in olive oil) with prosciutto, ground pork, ground beef, tomato paste and sauce, nutmeg, salt and pepper. This recipe suggested some options for added umami including tamari or soy, Worcestershire and fish sauce. I had soy and Worcestershire sauces. At the end we added grated lemon zest to brighten it, tossed it with penne and topped with some of the pecorino romano.
The pairing
Both wines were lovely with perfect acid to pair with the foods. The Vino Nobile was a bit richer and seemed heavier, perhaps a bit more serious. While we enjoyed both, we both seemed to reach more often to refill our glasses from the Morellino di Scansano. It seemed fresh and lively with just the right complexity for our mood.
#ItalianFWT
The Italian Food Wine and Travel Group will gather on Twitter on Saturday June 6th to discuss Sangiovese from around Italy. You can join in the conversation by following the hashtag #ItalianFWT on Saturday morning 8 am PST. Below you can find out more about other Sangioveses from around Italy that this group of writers have written about. I can’t wait to read them and find my next bottle to search out.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Valpolicella is primarily known for Amarone, but the grapes grown here are made into other wines. You will find red wines and Ripasso that are affordable and delightful.
Beautiful panoramic view of Valpolicella from San Giorgio in the province of Verona – Italy, Lorenzo, Adobe Stock
The Valpolicella Region
This region sits North of Fair Verona and east of the beautiful Lake Garda in the region of Veneto. It is made up of 13 Valleys that channel the winds in from the Alps. Many know it as “Valley of the many cellars” or “Valley of many fruits”. In truth it is the Valley of alluvial deposits.
The area has a mix of soils. On the hillsides you find limestone, in the flats alluvial soils. Then there are some regions, like Marano, with volcanic soils that give the wines a smokier or meatier note.
From West to east, the first region is the Classica region with sub regions of Sant’Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano, Fumane, Marano and Negrar.
As you move east the valleys are winder and further from Lake Garda and get more hours of sunshine as they get near Soave.
The grapes of Valpolicella
Bunches of ripered grapes ready to be picked up and will become a tasty wine like Valpolicella, Amarone, Ripasso or Recioto mrighetti82, Adobe Stock
The primary grapes are Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. Molinara has all but dropped off but was known to add salinity and increase acidity. Only recently Corvinone was only found to be a different grape than Corvina. Before, as the name says, it was thought to be “big Corvina”. It does add more tannins to the wine. Rondinella adds color.
There are rules to the blend. If it is called Valpolicella it must have 45-95% Corvina or Corvinone. 5 to 30% MUST be Rondinella. Molinara had previously been required but is no longer. You may, however, insert it into the blend if you choose. With all of this, 60% of the production in the region is Corvina.
The Wine Styles of Valpolicella
The region is best known for Amarone, made through the appassimento process. This is a process where grapes are dried for several months and then fermented.
Grapes drying for the Appassimento method of making Amarone in Valpolicella Italy, Massimo Beccegato, Adobe Stock
How and why did this method begin? Originally in this high latitude, the grapes did not ripen well. They would gather the grapes before the weather changed. The grapes would then dry inside, giving the vineyards a bit more control.
After 100 days of drying, they press the grapes. The wine is then made from this free run juice, and ends up about 15-16% abv.
Amarone is expensive, as I said. The reason? With drying the grapes, it takes grapes from 3 vines to make 1 bottle of Amarone.
The 5 levels of Valpolicella
I mentioned that there were other wines other than Amarone made in Valpolicella. Here is the full list of DOCs in the region.
Valpolicella Classica DOC: This is a wine from the Valpolicella Classica region. Just a regular wine of Corvina, Corvinone & Rondinella
Valpolicella Superiore DOC: slightly higher quality of grapes. Same process as the Classica
Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC: (read the Amarone first!) They take the Amarone grapes after they have been pressed and toss them in with Superiore grapes, they ferment together and get pressed. It’s like a halfway between at Valpolicella Superiore and an Amarone.
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG: The Grapes dry, then they press them to make wine.
Recioto della Valpolicella: This wine is in a sweet style. Made like Amarone, but not fermented dry.
Valpolicella Superiore DOC and Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC.
We tasted 2 wines; a Valpolicella Superiore DOC, as well as a Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC. It was nice to see the basis for the Ripasso, to taste the flavors in the base wine and how the Ripasso process changed the wine.
Cecilia Beretta Valpolicella Superiore 2017
This wine comes from the Pasqua Family. It is a Valpolicella Superiore DOC wine, so a blend of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella made as a red wine. The wine was bright and tart, with notes of sour cherry. It has a long finish, but is relatively light with good acid, so it makes for a good wine to pair with food. Suggestions were, salad, seafood, gnocchi, pizza…. So, you can see that it is good with lighter food. We paired it with a flatbread pizza with arugula and prosciutto, sweet potato gnocchi, and a green salad and it went very well! At $13.99 this was a fairly good deal.
Acinum Valpolicella Ripasso 2016.
Valpolicella Superiore from Cecilia Beretta with gnocchi, pizza and salad
This is a Ripasso wine. It is made from Corvina Veronese, Rondinella and Molinara grapes that do a second fermentation with the Amarone marc (or grape skins) left after making Amarone. It gives you some of the Amarone notes, without the price!
The grapes for this wine were grown in the Negrar Vineyard, which is one of the seven villages in Valpolicella, located in the eastern part toward the Lessinia mountains. The importer, Vias Wine, provides us with some information on this region:
“The name “Negrar” seems to come from the Latin ‘Nigrariu,” which means ‘the land with the black earth.” This is rightly named because the soil of this area is richly colored red-brown with cretaceous marble, basalt, and Eocone limestone.”
This wine is a proprietary label created by Vias. The winemaker is Enrico Paternoster.
Some other details:
This 6 hectare vineyard has soils of marl and limestone with a southern exposure and sits at 300 meters above sea level. They train the vines via the Veronese pergola method, which has been noted to be better for growing grapes for Amarone.
Bunches of grapes in Valpolicella on the Veronese Pergola trellis system. mrighetti82, Adobe Stock
The vines range between 15-25 years old. The blend is 70% Corvina Veronese, 20% Rondinella and 10% Molinara.
Fermented in Stainless steel for 20 days, it did its second fermentation with the Amarone marc, which is what makes it a Ripasso. It is aged for 1 year in New French Barriques.
This wine had just the right bit of sweet on the nose with 6 g/L of rs (residual sugar). It was still dry enough to be delicious with the food. This is a lovely comforting wine that I will happily return to. It was also reasonable $23.99 retail.
Pairing roasted cauliflower with a Valpolicella Ripasso
My pairing decision for this came from a Roasted Cauliflower recipe from Wine Enthusiast.
While we were not roasting an entire head of cauliflower the roasted flavors would be similar. They suggested pairing this with a Vapolicella Ripasso Superiore.
‘Fernando Trivisonno, general manager/sommelier at Mora Italiano, suggests pairing this tender-roasted vegetable based on its consistency.
“The cauliflower is soft in texture, and so is this wine,” he says. “It has very soft tannins and is full-bodied, but doesn’t feel heavy, making it ideal for late summer.”
Fernando Trivisonno, Wine Enthusiast, July 27, 2019
Sicilian Rigatoni with orange segments and roasted cauliflower.
We did another Sun Basket pairing. Sicilian Rigatoni with orange segments and roasted cauliflower.
Valpolicella Ripasso with the ingredients for a Sicilian Rigatoni with roasted cauliflower and orange
We roasted the cauliflower and onion with olive oil, and added it to the cooked rigatoni. We then added orange segments (we supremed our orange), walnuts, parsley, thyme, currants (I love getting to use currants!) and piment d’Espelette (a French red pepper powder). After stirring it up to warm all the ingredients, we added ricotta and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Valpolicella Ripasso from Acinum with Sicilian Rigatoni with Roasted Califlower
The sweetness of the roasted vegetables paired well with this wine. The acid and brightness made the meal go quickly and created a bright but cozy meal.
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Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Ages ago we had tasted some of the Bella Luna wines at a tasting at Vino 100 here in Vegas. Their Fighter Pilot Red as well as the guy pouring Kevin Healy were both memorable.
Bella Luna Trucks in Yard
On our last trip to Paso Robles we were driving the east side early in the morning for some great photos in the rolling hills and decided to stop by. The winery is located in Templeton off of Templeton Road. We drove up to the tasting room. This looks like a 2 car garage with an apartment above. The tasting room is downstairs and upstairs is the winery loft apartment. Members of their 6 or 12 bottle clubs get one or two nights free stay here. You will typically find one of the owners Kevin Healey or Sherman Smoot pouring. This morning it was Sherm.
Bella Luna Winery Tasting Room
When we arrived at around 10 there was already a quartet of people in the tasting room. These were wine club members and they were tasting through their next shipment. Before we jumped into tasting Sherm asked if we had left our car windows open. Evidently the vineyard cat loves to nap in cars and more than a few guests have gotten a ways down the road and had a little cat head pop up in the back seat! We had a chuckle, assured him our windows were closed and set about tasting.
Their Estate Vineyard is Carly’s Vineyard, named for Sherm’s daughter. This 5 acre estate gets cool moist evening breezes from the Templeton Gap. The 5 acres also has 4 different soil types. “Rock Pile” is alluvial river bottom soil with lots of rocks and this section produced the most intense fruit. There is an area of clay loam that holds the most moisture, and then sandy loam on their southeast hill, where the Cabernet seems to grow best. In the bottom you find loamy soil, the Cab likes this too and does well because in the bottom they get later frost protection. They dry farm organically and head train both their Sangiovese and cabernet.
They are working on being greener, having recently added solar panels to generate power for the winery.
This is a family affair with Sherm, Kevin and Sherm’s son, Jimmy working as the winemakers and Kevin’s Daughter Nicole their Enologist and Viticulturist.
Bella Luna Fighter Pilot Red
Their wines are meant to go with food in the fine Italian tradition. We tasted through the 2012 Estate Dry Rose, the 2009 Estate Riserva which is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Sangiovese blend, the 2010 Estate Sangiovese, the 2011 “Fighter Pilot Red” Zinfandel, the 2009 Lot One Barbera and the 2009 Tempestuous Tempranillo. The Fighter Pilot Red, that I remembered tasting before was still beautiful in this vintage. As the wines are in the Italian Style and are meant to go with food, they tend to lean toward acidic. This is the place to come for a wine dinner or pairing, these are beautiful food wines.
On our last trip to Paso Robles, Michael and I stopped into the Kenneth Volk tasting room that is next to Lone Madrone and tasted his 2008 Aglianico. Okay don’t try to pronounce this without assistance or you will butcher it like I did. Let Bruno de Conciliis teach you how to correctly pronounce it. (ah-L’YEE’AH-nee-koh)
I was doing research on Aglianico to figure out how long I should cellar this and found lots all kinds of interesting information on this variety.
In many places you will hear that this grape came from Greece in the 6th century and was used to make Falernum (it’s latin name) or Falerian wine. Falerian wine was a favorite of the Romans and was said to be made with Aglianico and sometimes Grecco grapes. These grapes were grown on the slopes of Mt. Falernus and is mentioned in Roman literature. This wine was a white wine that was at 15% alcohol. The grapes were a late harvest grape harvested after a freeze (like eiswein?). The wine was aged in an amphorae for 15 to 20 years so the wine became amber to dark brown before drinking. The area these vines were grown in is now the vineyards of Rocca de Mondragone and Monte Massico. The name was thought to be a version of the word Hellenic or Ellenico the Italian word for Greek.
Okay now that I’ve given you all that rich history…DNA research shows that Aglianico is not related to the Greek varieties that were used to make Falernum. Still…great story huh?
This grape was almost completely wiped out by phylloxera in the 19th century. It is a late ripening variety that has strong tannins a deep black color and a firm structure. It is said that these wines can be harsh in their youth and 5-10 years in the bottle allows the fruit profile to emerge and the tannis to soften. These wines exhibit a smooth, rich texture with aromas of coffee, leather, smoke, dark chocolate, black fruits and mineral and tend to be complex.
Jancis Robinson has a beautiful speaks of this wine which she describes as “exuding class”.
The variety is grown in Campania where it is made into Taurasi. Taurasi is mostly Aglianico, but may have up to 15% of other grapes, such as Piedirosso which is a fresher and more aromatic local grape or the Primitivo of Puglia. The addition of these grapes makes this wine mature earlier and leans toward fruity. It buds early and harvests late. In high altitudes in Taurasi it has been harvested into late November.
In Basilicata they turn this grape into Aglianico del Vulture (Vul-tur-e not like the bird!) This wine is 100% Aglianco. Both Campania and Basilicata are located in Southern Italy.
This variety is slowly being grown outside of Italy, thus my Kenneth Volk ’08 Aglianico! Seghesio is also growing it in the Alexander Valley and it is now being grown in Australia in the inland wine regions. It has been discussed that this grape could be a great alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon in California as it is more suited to the warmer climate. By the looks of the multiple vineyards that popped up on my search for “California Aglianico”, it is finding a foothold.
So after all my research I was still wondering…should I cellar this for another 5 years? So…I e-mailed Kenneth Volk and received a wonderful personal response. His Paso Aglianico is grown in Pomar Junction and as it often does not have the opportunity to be as late ripening as traditional Italian Aglianico it tends to not cellar by typical Italian standards. He suggested that the ’08 was drinking well now and will probably drink well for a few more years. Since it was drinking well now I asked for his suggestions on pairings. He did tell me that this was a food wine and suggested something protein rich like lamb, waterfowl or a rustic pasta.
Well…now my day was complete. I had two correspondences from Kenneth Volk (who I have a bit of a wine crush on) and determined what I was having with Thanksgiving dinner. Michael and I started a new tradition last year in that, since it is just the two of us, rather than cooking a whole turkey, we indulge in a duck. So….that will be my waterfowl.
And I have to say a huge thank you to Mr. Volk for personally answering my questions so thoroughly about his wine. Not only is he a genius, he’s a nice genius! Now to figure out what to pair with the duck!
