This is to wine what Carlsberg is to lager...

...probably the best in the world (ok, not the world, but possibly Italy). Why do I love this wine? 

It is authentic. It is not diluted with non indigenous grape varieties.

It has character, yet it is fine.

It is excellent value. If a wine of this quality was from the Médoc, it would be at least twice the price. 

It is perfect with food - the optimal balance of fruit, tannin, and acidity.

Perhaps most of all, it is evocative. It has the ability to transport the drinker to the place it was made. Isn't that terroir? Possibly, but this wine has a well defined sense of place. 4* 8/ 10

Fontodi

Always a personal favourite of mine, Fontodi is definitely one of the best Chiantis out there. Being a Chianti Classico, this is not a turbo charged, Frankenstein oak monster, as is so often the case with the riservas. When equivalent quality Bordeaux from what is a top estate in the region costs two to three times as much, why would you bother? This wine is seriously good and undervalued.

Chianti Classico, Fontodi, 2006
Very dark and brooding. Cedar and even rubber with Bordeaux-esque fruit on the nose. Still big tannins which are not quite fully integrated, but almost there (give it another 6 months to a year). Palette of prunes and morello cherries, in keeping with Sangiovese. A long finish backed by well balanced oak and acidity. The vintage was a good one and it shows but perhaps not enough acidity for me. A very good, well balanced wine and excellent value. Fontodi rarely disappoints. 3* 8/10

Bowled over by Barbaresco!

This is easily the best looking wine I have ever seen! Normally, it's the taste of a wine that is captivating. This Barbaresco was different. It had the most beguiling colour, with the brightness and clarity of a diamond and the depth and translucent crimson of a ruby. Initially, the palette was closed by the tannins, but after an hour it had blossomed into a truly remarkable wine. 4* 9/10

In the beginning... Villa Cafaggio

This is the wine that started my love affair with Chianti. Villa Cafaggio is one of the best producers of Chianti and it is both widely available and excellent value.

The Conca d'Oro

Like my all time favourite Chianti, Fontodi, the Cafaggio estate is located in the "Conca d'Oro" of Panzano in the Chianti Classico region.  Not only has Tuscany been blessed with an almost uninterrupted run of excellent vintages since 1999, but it is also probably the only terroir in the world capable of harnessing sangiovese to perfection. In a world where most wines struggle to assert themselves in what has become a commoditised market, it is beyond me why Chianti producers choose to dilute their unique identity with international grapes. Thankfully, this Chianti Classico is made entirely from Sangiovese and aged in traditional Slovenian oak casks.

Villa Cafaggio, Chianti Classico, 2007

Appearance: deep & sumptuous

Nose: the nose of an older, more mature vintage with eucalyptus, cedar and herbs

Palette: sumptuous, deep and soft fruit (blackberries & leather - almost Hermitage) with an elegant balance of acidity. Middle palette fades fairly quickly but the acidity whips up lovely mature tannins & black cherry fruit into a long fruity finish.

Conclusion: still in my top 3 Chiantis. An approachable & delicious wine but where can it go from here? 3.5* 8/10

Vermouth: the insider's tipple

At the end of a recent Piemonte tasting, with puckered lips and purple teeth, I approached Roberto Bava of the eponymous winery. To my amazement, he suggested I don't bother trying his wines but have a vermouth instead. "Vermouth, isn't that an 80's throwback drink?", I thought to my self.

Wow, what a pleasant surprise! This is not just any vermouth, this is Cocchi's Vermouth di Torino. Mixed with a few ice cubes, some sparkling water and some lemon zest, this makes the most refreshing and delicious drink I have had in a very long time.

Piemonte: the good, the bad, & the ugly

I love Italian wine. Indigenous grape varieties, an array of idiosyncratic regions,  and not to mention probably the most food friendly wines in the world with their moreish acidity. Italian wines are unmatched by any other country for their character and diversity. 

However, I am a relative newcomer to Italy and her wines and thus far I have not ventured far from the well trodden path of Tuscany and Abruzzo. Until recently, I knew the wines of Piemonte only by reputation, and so I jumped at the chance to taste some of the best the region has to offer at the Decanter Piemonte Grand Tasting. Unexpectedly, there was one common theme running through most of the wines: oak. There was a clear distinction between those producers who aged their wines in the traditional botti and those who used the more modern bariques. To my taste, the former made wines with more balance where the oak complimented and lifted the fruit, while the latter made wines that were utterly lacking in fruit and perfume, having been swamped by new oak. Here are a few highlights as I have since lost my notes! 

The good...

Barbaresco, Produttori del Barbaresco, 2006

A beautiful brown colour and an enticingly perfumed nose. Very burgundian. A lovely, well balanced wine that, although young, is drinking well now.

For a co-operative, these are superb wines. Interestingly, they produce single vineyard wines too.  The website has some great photos and details on the individual vineyards themselves. 

Roero, Sudisfa’, Angelo Negro e Figli, 2008

100% Nebbiolo and aged in botti. Herbs on the nose,  a darker colour suggesting a heavier wine but it had a nice balance between ripe fruit and light, perfumed texture. In another two years this will be perfect!

Having never tried a wine from Roero, this was a fantastic introduction to the region. In geographic terms, Roero, is opposite Barolo, but in vinuous terms it is very close, being 100% Nebbiolo. What is more, Roero's wines represent value for money - this one is approximately £30 a bottle, which is half the price of many Barolos of similar quality (bear in mind this is Piemonte!).

Moscato d’Asti, La Rosa Selvatica, Icardi, 2010

So crisp & delicate that it barely touches the palette. The bubbles lift the sweet grapey fruit and release it as they pop in the mouth. At 5%, it's light in alcohol too.


The bad...
Cortese. I like indigenous grapes, but this one has very little to offer. Piemonte, stick to the reds and the sparkling wines, your whites do you no favours!

The ugly... 

Like a horrific creation, Enzo Boglietti's wines had more in common with Frankenstein, having been constructed with the incongruous 'limbs' of Nebbiolo and rampant new oak. The fruit was caged in the oak, making these wines unpleasant to drink.

Return of the Soave

Although not in the same league as Pieropan's La Rocca, this is another really god wine from Soave. If anyone ever needed proof that the Garganega grape can rival Chardonnay for richness and Sauvignon for crispness, this is it.

The Coffeles have 25 hectares of vineyard in Soave. Made entirely from Garganega, the Soave Classico is the entry level wine to an impressive and diverse range.

Soave Classico, Coffele, 2009

Appearance: light & golden with  a green hue

Nose: clear with minerals & wild herbs

Palette: clean and crisp with some underlying honey richness and apricots. More mineral on the finish, which isn't particularly noteworthy.

Conclusion: a good wine with all the right flavours but a little two dimensional. 2.5* 6/10

An Italian discovery

Falerio dei Colli Ascolani DOC is hard to find. It doesn't exist in most wine books, even the indispensable Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book 2010 draws a blank. The little known appellation is in the Marche, the central coastal region of eastern Italy. Falerio dei Colli Ascolani is a DOC for white wines made from a traditional blend of Trebbiano, Passerina, and Pecorino (the grape variety, not the cheese!). 

The producer, Saladini Pilastri, was the first winery in the Piceno area to achieve the prestigious Tre Bicchieri award from Italy's wine bible the Gambero Rosso. The winemaking is overseen by celebrated enologist Alberto Antonini and the vineyards are clasified as organic since they are kept without the use of chemical fertilizers. While the wines are not amongst Italy's most well known, they are well regarded. Wine Advocate raves about the wines of Saladini Pilastri, which regularly receive scores of 90 and above.

I didn't make a tasting note but it was an interesting wine with a richer palette than other Italian varietals and pleasant minerality: 2* 6/10. It turns out that the same wine was stocked by Berry Brothers who noted the following:

Falerio is the appellation, a little known enclave of The Marche, in the centre of Italy. The producer, Saladini Pilastri, has been making organic wine since 1995 and this example, which includes the rare grape varieties of Passerina and Pecorino, is delightfully lemon oil and fennel-scented, and is crisp, dry, intriguing and compelling.

Finally, not only do Saladini Pilastri make excellent wines, they are also not bad with a camera. The website has some great photos, perfect for vinuous escapism...

The vineyards

The surrounding area

The Colli Ascolani

Spinetoli

The clock tower in Spinetoli

Soave & sophisticated

Pieropan's single vineyard La Rocca is one of Italy's top wines, and one which demonstrates that Soave can indeed produce world class wines of real distinction, as opposed to the flaccid, over-produced wines that have dented the reputation of this appelation.

If you've ever been to Venice then you've probably drunk Soave. One of many diverse local wines in the verona area, Soave is based on the garganega grape. The wines can be intense, with mineral flavours and can age well, but like so many Italian whites they are often underrated.

The Pieropans were pioneers of single vineyard Soave and produce two single vineyard wines, Calvarino and La Rocca, on which their reputation has been built. The Pieropan website gives the following information on La Rocca...

The vineyard La Rocca is situated on the Monte Rocchetta hill, just below the mediaeval castle built by the Scaligeri family in the town of Soave. The microclimate in this vineyard produces wines with a unique perfume and distinctive taste. The grapes are picked when very ripe, often as late as the end of October, giving tremendous complexity and aromatic qualities to the wine, making it a wine of great breeding. The wine was first made under this label in 1978.

Soave Classico, La Rocca, Pieropan, 2008
 
Appearance: bright golden hay with a green hue
 
Nose: sweet honey & minerals (wet stones, reminiscent of a Vouvray)
 
Palette: an altogether richer feel than the Coffele Soave Classico we drank as an aperitif. A spoonful of honey, brown sugar and apricots. Initially very Meursault and then the minerals & acidity kick in to reveal a complex wine. A very long finish of honey and brown sugar.
 
Conclusion: a wine fully deserving of its excellent reputation. Intense and almost demi sec with a rich a creamy texture which really came out after being open for an hour. 4* 9/10

Vino nobile indeed!

Montepulciano is a picturesque fortified hill town in Tuscany, famous for its version of local sangiovese grape, Prugnolo Gentile, the principal ingredient in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. We visited Montepulciano in 2005 on our first wedding anniversary and bought back a few bottles from a variety of producers (Avignonesi, Contucci...). At the time, Boscarelli was by far and away the best producer amongst those we tried. After six years, would the wine still be as good and would it be worthy of its 'nobile' name?

Boscarelli is one of the leading producers of Vino Nobile. Unlike some of their peers in Tuscany who go for supercharged Sangiovese, bolstered with international grape varieties such as merlot and cabernet sauvignon, the Boscarellis prefer a more traditional style. Their Vino Nobile is a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, Mammolo and Colorino, aged for 24 months in oak before the bottling. 

In keeping with the wine's Tuscan origins and in a attempt to recapture a wonderful holiday, I served the wine with a Tuscan feast of pappa al pomodoro, followed by tagliata di manzo.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Boscarelli, 2001

Appearance: dark & brooding, still youthful but with a garnet rim 

Nose: slightly closed but strawberries & balsamic come through later

Palette: juicy with moreish acidity. Toasty fruitti di bosco & chocolate backed by dry, sappy tannins with just enough oak that lends a sweetness and lifts the fruit and balances the tannins, thereby avoiding the dryness often associated with Vino Nobile. The finish is very long with mocha and prunes and the acidity comes back to re-release the fruit, this time strawberries & balsamic.

Conclusion: a first class wine from an excellent vintage with sublime balance, worthy indeed of its nobile title. I must buy more! 4* 10/10

Interesting everyday wines from Italy: part 4

Back to that mixed Wine Society case of Italian wines and, to demonstrate that this blog is not a wine snob dedicated only to fine wine, here is a frankly bland and forgetful wine....


Barbera d'Asti, Araldica, 2006
Light, frivolous and perfrectly good if a little one dimensional. It's not all bad though and there is some violet, redberry fruit, albeit slightly jammy on the finish. Lacks depth and it's too inky 2* 5/10

A wine to forget...

Interesting everyday wines from Italy: part 3

Still working my may through the Wine Society case, this time with a belter from Puglia...

Copertino, Eloquenzia, Masseria Monaci, 2004

Of the 450 officially recognised wine denominations in Italy, Copertino is not the most well known. In fact, I am into wine, albeit relatively new to Italian wine, and I had never heard of Copertino. Situated on the Salento peninsula, Copertino is one of 31 DOCs (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) that belong to Puglia. However, with the introduction of the DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) system this year, one denomination for Puglian wines will come into force... Puglia DOP. The mere mention of Puglia on a wine label is likely to mean more to the average consumer that the previous 31 hard to pronounce and unrecognisable names. So whilst this will undoubtedly ruffle some proud local feathers, it is likely to be better for Puglian wine exports.

Made by Azienda Monaci, a family run winery in Copertino, Eloquenzia is one in a portfolio of nine wines and made entirely from the local grape, Negroamaro. Thus far, this is the best in the case and a wine I can thoroughly recommend for its both its taste and its price (£6.50).

• Appearance: Deep ruby red
  
• Nose: Excellent. A heady mix of herbs & smoke. Very Chateauneuf/ mourvedre in style
  
• Palette: Juicy & crunchy fruit. Thick with dark & bitter black cherry & glycerine - like a mature Rhone. Very long finish.
  
• Conclusion: A wine of real distinnction & expression. Lives up to it's eloquent name. Definitely reorder. 2.5* 8/10
   

Interesting everyday wines from Italy: part 2

Two wines this time...

Chianti, Malenchini, 2008

Situated within the Chianti Colli Fiorentini sub region only a few kilometers from Florence, the picturesque Malenchini estate produces a wide range of wines from table wine to a Super Tuscan, Bruzzico. From the middle of this range, the basic Chianti is made from 100% Sangiovese and is not aged in oak. It is therefore bursting with dense and ripe fruit and possesses everything I love about Italian wine in spades: indigenous grape varieties, moreish acidity & black cherry fruit, and food companions.

• A: Deep core with scarlet & lilac rim. 
• N: ?
• P: Soft tannins with rich blackcurrants, and crunchy cherries & red fruit on finish. 
• C: A great every day wine but with expressive terroir. I'd definitely reorder as a house red (£6.50, The Wine Society) 2* 7/10
  

Fiano, MandraRossa, Sicilia IGT, 2008

The previous vintage won a Decanter International White Single Varietal Trophy. I was therefore expecting a lot of this wine and I am happy to say that it did not disappoint. Possessing only a rudimentary knowledge of Italian, there was a limit to what I could find out about the wine on the Italian MandraRossa website. MandraRossa is a premium range of Sicilian wines produced by the Settesoli co-op in Menfi. Made entirely from the native Fiano grape and fermented in steel vats, the wine is therefore unencumbered by oak which would only overpower such a delicate and aromatic grape.

• A: Pale gold
• N: Honey on the nose, bit like a demi sec chenin
  
• P: Lovely lemon mousse palette with masses of steely minerality (reminicant of Chablis or Santorini) but little finish. 
• C: Nonetheless, a great & interesting wine and one I would not hesitate to reorder as a house white (£6.50, The Wine Society). 2* 7/10

Interesting everyday wines from Italy: part 1

This is the first in a series of wines which come from a mixed Italian case from the Wine Society designed for everyday drinkning. As usual, the Society has yet to disappoint me with bad wine and this is no exception.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Vigna Corvino, Contesa, 2007

From Collecorvino, a south facing hillside in the Pescara province of Abruzzo, this wine is made entirely from the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Incidentally, the bird on the label is the same as those on the coat of arms for Comune di Collecorvino. Aged in oak for only a few weeks, the Vigna Corvino is made in a forward, more fruit-driven style. Perhaps this is why it slightly disappointed me, only because I was benchmarking it  against other, bigger styles such as Oinos from Tenuta San Lorenzo, which I enjoyed immensely. Nonetheless this is perfect for everyday drinking and much better than some of the more insipid wines of the region at the same price. It was perfectly matched with a lamb & fennel stew from the Abruzzo region. My tasting note is below...

• A: Almost balck core with violet rim
• N: Merlot-esque or petit chateau Bordeaux with spicy redcurrants too
• P: A silk hankerchief of inky black fruits envelops the mouth and then recedes, giving way to rasping blackberry & raspberry aicidity & fruit kernel/ olives on the finish.
• C: Good everyday wine (£6.95 from Wine Society) but expected more depth. 2.5* 6/10