Italian wines are my first love. I fell in love with red wine, and wine in general while living in Italy for two years. I have had so many beautiful wine experiences there; from visiting amazing wineries to memorable meals made even better by the wine. Meeting winemakers who are passionate and proud of their work is one of the perks of my job. The wines of Umbria, one of my favorite areas of Italy, are really special to me. And recently, I have been discovering the lesser known wines of Lazio and Campania. I hope you enjoy the wines I feature here....I sure do!
So let's talk Amarone. Not for the feint of heart, Amarone is a true love of mine. It's made using a method called "appassimento" which simply means the grapes are dried before being made into wine. The grapes are selectively harvested, and left to dry on racks on in bins, in single layers with the air naturally circulating around them. This drying process concentrates the sugars and flavors of the grapes before the winemaking even begins.
Why is Amarone so expensive? Because it is so time consuming to make, and the yield is so low. Normally, it takes about a kilo of grapes to make one bottle of wine. But by leaving the grapes to dry for about a hundred days, you can imagine the amount of liquid in the grapes has become greatly lowered. As a result, it can take about 10 kilos to make one bottle of Amarone! Additionally, Amarone must age for two years before release, four years for a riserva. The resulting wine is highly complex, deeply flavored, and age-worthy. The bottle you see to the left is from Speri; one of my favorite producers. The region of Veneto has many producers of this fabulous wine worth trying. And, great wine areas beget great food. There are fabulous restaurants to visit as well, from tiny little osterias to very elegant multi-course restaurants. Drooling now. Let's go! |
On my most recent research trip to Italy, I decided to spend time exploring the region of Veneto. I am in love with Amarone wines (more on those later), but on the way there, I made a quick stop in Lombardia to taste Franciacorta. The little appellation of Franciacorta is only about 22 x 10 kilometers in area, but within lie 118 producers of this delicious wine. And just what is Franciacorta, you ask?
The micro climate in this area produces grapes ideally suited to make Champagne. But we can't call it Champagne....because we're not in Champagne. We're in Franciacorta, remember? So in the exact classic style of Champagne, Franciacorta produces it's beautiful rendition of sparkling wine. Berlucchi is an exceptionally large producer, and one of the first to establish themselves in this area. Originally, the area only produced Pinot Noir. But at some point, Chardonnay was planted as an experiment, and now the area produces about 80% Chardonnay, and 20% Pinot Noir. This particular Brut Saten was absolutely delicious. It's like drinking velvet. Its ultra-fine bubbles are never ending...and last at least as long as you can make the glass last. Bonus: A tour here is so much fun. The cellars are dark and mysterious, yet modern. The tasting room is covered in interesting modern wall murals, and the staff is very kind. Let's explore these less-visited areas together and discover some delicious delights! |
I'm embarassed to tell you how many bottles of this wine I have purchased. The 2010 vintage was a true love of mine. It's one of those wines that I keep trying to cellar....but can't stop myself from drinking. I think I've finally managed to cellar four bottles.
In addition to being a great wine, I love to visit these cellars in the town of Montepulciano. They have amazing subterranean passages involving lots of stairs. But the effort is so worth it. And to top it off, they have a wonderful staff. Come to Tuscany with me and let's spend an afternoon chatting and drinking with my friends at Talosa! |
I've consumed a fair amount of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo in the past few years. It's always been an "okay" wine; something that goes with everything, but never has it knocked my socks off.....until I drank this one. This is what Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is supposed to be!
I brought this back from my most recent trip to Italy. It had been recommended to me by one of the guides I work with who also happens to be a sommelier. Yes....the man is a guide AND a sommelier. Only in Italy. Bonus: Whenever I find an Italian wine I love, I do a little research to see where the winery is located and if I can go see it. Well, as it turns out, this one welcomes visitors, though I haven't made my way there yet. Want to come with me? |
I tasted this wine for the first time while dining in one of Mario Batali's restaurants in New York City. To be honest, when dining out (especially in New York City) I'm appalled at the price of a bottle of wine. So in this case, I ordered this wine because it was one of the most reasonably priced Italian reds on the wine list. I had never heard of Cesanese wine, so I thought I should give it a go. And am I glad I did!
As it turns out, Cesanese grapes are grown all over Lazio, the province that Rome is situated in. I could have been drinking this the whole time I lived in Rome, but it never made it onto my radar screen. This is a lovely easy-drinking, sipping wine. It goes great with food, but doesn't need food to bring out its best qualities. I would buy this one by the case if I could.
Bonus: Bella Giornata Tours has a lot of sightseeing destinations in Lazio. A tour of a winery (this one in particular, or one of many others) makes an easy addition to a tour itinerary with me. After falling in love with this wine, I made a point of finding this winery on my next trip to Italy. The people at Corte dei Papi are so nice and my clients have loved visiting.
As it turns out, Cesanese grapes are grown all over Lazio, the province that Rome is situated in. I could have been drinking this the whole time I lived in Rome, but it never made it onto my radar screen. This is a lovely easy-drinking, sipping wine. It goes great with food, but doesn't need food to bring out its best qualities. I would buy this one by the case if I could.
Bonus: Bella Giornata Tours has a lot of sightseeing destinations in Lazio. A tour of a winery (this one in particular, or one of many others) makes an easy addition to a tour itinerary with me. After falling in love with this wine, I made a point of finding this winery on my next trip to Italy. The people at Corte dei Papi are so nice and my clients have loved visiting.
As I have mentioned before, the wines of Umbria are very special to me. Montefalco Rosso is one of the most famous wines from that area. Most wineries in Umbria produce both a Montefalco Rosso and a Sagrantino among others. Rosso is a blend which starts with a large percentage of Sangiovese, but has a smaller percentage of Sagrantino in it as well. Sagrantino, on the other hand is 100% Sagrantino.
Umbria is a landlocked region of Italy. As such, it is a meat eaters paradise. Wild boar stews, ragu and sausages abound. There are great steaks, salami, etc. All these wonderful meat dishes pair exceptionally well with Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino. The rosso is lighter in body than the sagrantino, which is a very bold wine.
This rosso from the Arnaldo-Caprai winery is readily available in the U.S. and a shelf standard in Italy. It's delicious, easy-drinking, goes great with food, but is a great stand alone wine as well. Drink up!
Bonus: Would you like to taste the wines of Umbria with me? I'd love to take you there to visit wineries and have wonderful wine-paired dinners. On top of that, Umbria has amazingly beautiful hill towns. Let's go!
Umbria is a landlocked region of Italy. As such, it is a meat eaters paradise. Wild boar stews, ragu and sausages abound. There are great steaks, salami, etc. All these wonderful meat dishes pair exceptionally well with Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino. The rosso is lighter in body than the sagrantino, which is a very bold wine.
This rosso from the Arnaldo-Caprai winery is readily available in the U.S. and a shelf standard in Italy. It's delicious, easy-drinking, goes great with food, but is a great stand alone wine as well. Drink up!
Bonus: Would you like to taste the wines of Umbria with me? I'd love to take you there to visit wineries and have wonderful wine-paired dinners. On top of that, Umbria has amazingly beautiful hill towns. Let's go!
This is truly one of my "go-to" wines. The bottle pictured is the Rosso Riserva, but the regular Rosso from this winery is fabulous as well. Their sagrantino is spectacular. This winery is located outside of Bevagna in Umbria, but the owners have a small shop in town. Fabrizio offers wonderful tastings there. I tell you, his idea of a"taste" is what New York City restaurants think a whole glass is. Whenever I have guests in Italy, I like to organize a wine tasting in his shop. Love it!
Bonus: This wine is available in the U.S. but why not just go to Italy and get some? A tour of Umbria is one of my favorite itineraries and it always includes a stop here.
Bonus: This wine is available in the U.S. but why not just go to Italy and get some? A tour of Umbria is one of my favorite itineraries and it always includes a stop here.
Here's another Italian favorite, Chianti Classico from Poggio Alla Croce. This wine can be purchased in the charming town of Monteriggioni, a stop which we could definitely include on a tour of Tuscany.
Chianti, made mostly from Sangiovese grapes, must come from the Chianti area of Tuscany, but Chianti Classico comes from the even smaller historic center within that region. There are sooooo many out there; it is simply mind-boggling. But this one is a keeper! Bonus: The town in Tuscany where we can buy this is just so darned cute! And it's so darned small! And you can climb up to, and stroll the rampart walls....how cool is that?! You know you want to go. |
Chianti has never been my very favorite of Italian wines. Given a choice, I usually choose something else. Having said that, I absolutely love this one. This wine was poured for me by Renzo Marinai himself at his beautiful farm, winery, property in Chianti Classico country. (I think I should write a blog post about this....good idea, Irene.)
His farm, his personal style is so relaxing. Why, he even plays classical music for his barrels of aging wine to listen to....seriously. I would love to stay on this property for a few days. Imagine. Laying by the pool, a vista of vineyards and wheat fields, sun setting over yonder hill. Sleeping in a centuries-old farmhouse. Dining on homecooked meals, while sipping this fabulous wine (among others). Sigh. Bonus: Let's go. Right now. |
I drank this wine for the first time in Orvieto, at one of my favorite restaurants, while dining on some wild boar stew. Yum and yum. It's a blend of 50% sangiovese, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot. It's a smooth, easy drinker that drinks well on its own, but is hearty enough to serve with meat dishes.
I've since been able to find it in New York, so it has become a "go-to" for me. Bonus: This wine is from the Lago di Corbara area outside Orvieto. This is an area my wine tours often take me to. Would you like some...from the source? Drop me a line, and let's plan a trip. |