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Native Italian Varietals
Guided recommendations, pairings, and tasting notes.
$23.99
This vintage of Carlo's single vineyard designate from Prosecco's historical heartland Follo (or Fol as locals call this picturesque little town) is perhaps his best vintage yet. This elegant Brut is characterized by inviting aromas of citrus fruit, especially tangerine and grapefruit, and a note of rustic mint....
$24.99
This young, lively Rosè has a surprise for you. It’s a frizzante! Ornella Molon crafts this refreshingly light wine from Cabernet Franc grapes harvested from estate vineyards southeast of Treviso next to the Piave River. After a brief maceration with the grape skins, the wine is cold fermented...
$54.99
The 2015 vintage is frequently referred to as one of the best vintages in recent years. A relatively dry winter and warm summer produced very good hillside fruit with great complexity and a good balance of acid and tannins. Luca has crafted this classic Brunello with 100% estate...
$89.99
The Pernanno vineyards produce some of the finest Nebbiolo in the commune. These vines were planted in 1946 facing south-southwest. 2012 was a fantastic vintage for Commune Castiglione Falletto and especially this grand Barolo. Make no mistake; this is a big wine. Aromas of anise, mushrooms, leather, and...
Just back from Italy with wines from the Marche (“MAR-kay”) region located on the eastern side of central Italy, on the Adriatic coast, I returned to California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. I brought two different bottles of Verdicchio from Tenuta dell’Ugolino. Verdicchio is a popular white wine in Italy but is not well known outside the country. I also brought two other little known Italian varietals, from the Madonnabruna winery, one called Passerina and another called Pecorino (which is not to be confused with sheep’s milk cheese!) Dan Berger says that there are a lot of Italian white wines that are all delicious, and quite different among them. Italy is known for reds. They have been making wine for...
Ornella Molon and Loris Traverso joined me on the radio with hosts Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Ornella Molon and her husband, Giancarlo Traverso are two of our producers in the Veneto and Friuli regions of Italy. Loris explained how his parents started in the wine business in 1982. Neither his father nor his mother had a background in wine. When his grandparents gave them a vineyard when they were married in 1977, they started making wine, first for friends and then professionally. When they registered the winery as a business in 1982 at the Chamber of Commerce in Treviso, it was the first time that a woman was put in charge of the company. People were skeptical of a woman...
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius (Monte Vesuvio) in AD 79 blanketed the region in volcanic ash and rock, and it also created one of the most unique viniculture regions in Italy known today as Campania. We journeyed into the province of Avellino in Campania in April in search of the "Barolo of the South"- Taurasi- crafted from the ancient varietal Aglianico. After landing at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and pointing our rented cinquecento south on the E45 for two hours, we were navigating the country roads around Avellino and hill towns of Taurasi and Tufo. Vineyards of the ancient varietals Aglianico, Greco, and Falanghina blanket the hills at remarkable elevations—400-500 meters above sea level. The Irpinia district of Avellino...
Great wine! What am I drinking? I often hear this from clients unfamiliar with Italian wines. They closely inspect the labels but see nothing that they recognize as the name of a grape varietal that has crossed their palate before. Traditional California wine labels prominently place the variety, e.g. Zinfandel, in a grand font where your eyes can instantly lock on. Add the winery name, vintage, perhaps the appellation, and you essentially have a complete brand label. As California winemakers have begun to embrace blending, the varietal name has been replaced with a provocative “fanciful name”, and the labels have become less recognizable. So what makes old world wine labels so intimidating for some? Old World (France, Italy) have tightly...