The Valpolicella Family

Italy is a wine lovers dream. Within each region one can find gems. What makes Italian wines so special is the amount of native varietals found in the country. This is also what makes Italian wine so confusing.
In the Veneto region, near the town of Verona, is where you find the Valpolicella area. I’m sure many of you have drank Valpolicella or Amarone but could you tell me what grapes go into these wines? The simple answer is Corvina Veronese and Rondinella. More specifically 45-95% Corvina Veronese, 5-30% Rondinella with no more than 50% Corvinone. Italians crafted their wines using the varietals they had on hand as importing vine cuttings wasn’t common practice centuries ago. The first records of Corvina being grown in the Valpolicella area date back to the 1800’s. While Corvina may not be the noblest of grapes, in the right areas it can produce wines with nice floral and cherry notes and good levels of acidity. It is an ideal grape for drying as its small berries and thick skin help resist rot. Corvinone is its own varietal and not a sub-varietal of Corvina. It is similar but it has larger berries and imparts more color and tannin and can reach higher sugar levels. It is for these reasons that producers blend the two varietals together. Rondinella lacks the elegance and aroma of Corvina but it is disease-resistant so it makes it popular with growers. It also dries well but without the high sugar levels of Corvinone.

There are 4 wines in the Valpolicella family. Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso and Recioto della Valpolicella. All these wines are made with the varietals and percentages described above. So what distinguishes one from the other if they are all made with the same grapes? Valpolicella is a DOC wine with a minimum alcohol of 10%. It can be labeled Superiore if it’s aged for at least 1 year and has a minimum alcohol of 11%. Amarone della Valpolicella achieved DOCG status in 2010. The grapes are carefully selected at harvest and then laid out to dry. The wine is made no earlier than December 15 with these dried grapes. It’s a deeper ruby red color than Valpolicella and it has a fuller flavor. This wine ages for a minimum of 2 years and its minimum alcohol is 14%. This is due to the higher sugar content in the dried grapes. The higher the sugar content the greater the alcohol. The Riserva version is aged for a minimum of 4 years. Recioto della Valpolicella also achieved DOCG status in 2010 and is also made with grapes that have been subjected to drying and vinified no earlier than December 15. Recioto is a sweet wine with a minimum alcohol of 14%. It is also produced in a Spumante (sparkling) version. It is great with desserts and chocolate. The last member of the family is Valpolicella Ripasso. This is Valpolicella wine which is allowed to re-ferment on the leftover skins of Recioto and/or Amarone. These concentrated skins add a little extra to the Valpolicella resulting in a more complex Valpolicella. This wine is classified DOC. If you find any one of these wines with Classico on the label, that means it comes from the original and therefore oldest Valpolicella area. Valpantena on the label means it comes from the area of that name.

With the exception of Recioto, all these wines work well with red meats, game and strong cheeses. I recommend serving Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso between 62-66 °F (16-18 °C) and Amarone between 70-74 °F (20-22 °C) decanting first.

If you have never tried these wines before, I hope this has encouraged you to give them a try. And for those that have tried them in the past, may this lead to greater enjoyment in the future.

Salute.

Chianti vs Chianti Classico

I often get asked what is the difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico. The simple answer is geography but in reality it’s much more than that. There is history behind this iconic Tuscan wine.

As far back as the 13th Century, wine was being made in the ‘Chianti Mountains’ around Florence. The merchants in the towns of Castellina, Gaiole and Radda formed the ‘League of Chianti’ to promote their wines. By 1716, these three towns along with the town of Greve, were decreed by Cosimo III de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, as the only official recognized producers of Chianti. They had an official area but what was now needed was an official blend.

In 1872, Baron Bettino Ricasoli, whose family had been making wine in Tuscany since the 12th Century, developed what would become the official Chianti blend. His blend called for 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia Bianca (a white varietal). He determined that these 3 varietals worked well together and that those percentages brought out the best in each other making a very enjoyable wine. He later became Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy.

Over time, the blend changed to include another Tuscan white varietal, Trebbiano Toscano. In France, this varietal is known as Ugni Blanc and is used in the production of Cognac. After World War II, the market called for more inexpensive wines and the percentage of Trebbiano Toscano slowly increased diluting the quality of Chianti. Add to that increased plantings of a Sangiovese clone from Romagna, and Chianti lost a great deal of its original character.

In 1932, the Chianti region was re-drawn and divided into 7 areas. Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Montalbano, and Rufina. Many of the villages that were now in the new Classico area, added ‘in Chianti’ to their name such as Greve in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti. Starting in 1967, with the granting of DOC status, these wines began their return to quality. They became DOCG’s in 1984.

So here’s how it stands today. Chianti Classico is the wine produced in the original area decreed by Cosimo III de Medici. This area includes the towns of Greve in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Barberino Val d’Elsa, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Poggibonsi. The wines that are labeled Chianti DOCG come from 7 areas. Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Montalbano, Montespertoli and Rufina.

Besides geographical differences, the two wines have different compositions. Chianti DOCG may be 70-100% Sangiovese with a max of 10% white varietals, max 10% Canaiolo and the balance red varietals grown in the area. The percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc may not exceed 15%. Chianti Classico DOCG is min 80% Sangiovese with the balance red varietals grown in the area. Since 2006, white varietals are no longer permitted in the blend.

Chianti Classico wines are often distinguished with a black rooster on the label. Gallo Nero. Many producers belong to the Consozio Chianti Classico which was established to promote the wines of the area and improve quality. They are no longer allowed to call themselves Gallo Nero after losing a lawsuit brought about by Ernest & Giulio Gallo. The Gallo brothers claimed that having an organization with the name Gallo Nero would confuse consumers and much to the disappointment of the Chianti Classico producers, the Gallo brothers won.

I hope that you all go out now and try a variety of Chianti Classico’s and Chianti’s. There are great values out there and they’re not the same wines that were once sold in the fiasco.

My Olympic Diary - Casa Italia - Part 1

On February 12, 2010, the Olympic Games will open in Vancouver. Several months ago I found out that Italy would have a venue called Casa Italia located in the Roundhouse which just happens to be located across the street from my apartment building in Downtown Vancouver. I decided to see what I could do to participate.

I started by sending an email to the Italian Sports Federation (CONI). I introduced myself and let them know that I would be available to assist them in anyway. As an Italian Sommelier, native English speaker and Vancouver native I thought how could they resist. After about a month, I got a reply from what I figured was the company that handled the email inquiries for their website. They asked for my resume and some contact info. I immediately replied, and waited.

After a few weeks of silence, I decided to send another email. Still no reply. Being as I was getting ready to leave for Vancouver, I needed to kick-start this project. So, I contacted the FISAR national secretary, Mario Del Debbio (who I also happen to know) and asked him to write me a letter of introduction. After explaining what I was trying to acheive he got to work. Now as it turns out, the organization responsible for the wine bar at Casa Italia, Enoteca Italiana, is located in Siena (Tuscany) and they had just announced that they would be involved and they had only just started working on the project. Mario put us in touch and a collaboration was born. The person I spoke with, Alessandro Mugnaioli, was thrilled to have not only a sommelier on board, but one with my unique abilities. I could hear the sigh of relief over the phone.

And so my Olympic journey begins. I arrive in Vancouver on Monday, February 1 and Alessandro arrives February 3. The wines follow on February 4. The wine list is extensive and each day different wines will be featured. February 6 -11 will be the 'soft opening' and then we start in full force on February 12.

I'm very excited to have this amazing opportunity. I will use this space in the next month to document my journey as well as talk about the featured wines of the day and summarize some of the most common questions asked.

So stay tuned.

Brunello di Montalcino - Modern vs Traditional

As I promised in my previous blog, I was going to continue with the Brunello theme. Last blog I gave you a bit of history regarding this wine and how it was produced. In order to have an even better understanding, it will help to visualize the area.

I realize this isn't the best map but it was the best I could do and it will help illustrate the various points I have to make. The map is in 9 quadrants. If we number them 1-9 starting with the upper left and then moving right, the middle quadrant will be quadrant 5. It is in the north-eastern corner of this quadrant where we find Biondi-Santi and Brunello's ground zero (Number 178 if you can read it).

Some boring numbers. In 1966, when Brunello became a DOC, there were 76.53 hectares planted. In 1968 the number actually fell to 56.24 hectares and was up to 74.84 hectares in 1970. By 1971 the numbers reached 156.50 hectares. Let's put that into some numbers that make more sense. In 1975, 800,000 bottles were produced by 25 estates. In 1979, they were up to 1.5 million bottles produced by 40 estates and the 1995 vintage registered 3.5 million bottles produced by 120 estates. The last figures I have (2007) show 197 estates producing Brunello. I was unable to find the current bottle production stats or hectares under vine but I can tell you that Banfi alone produces 600,000 bottles a year of their basic Brunello. What these numbers show us is the incredible growth in this area in the last 30 years.

But at what cost?

Ferruccio Biondi-Santi's Brunello was aged 4 years in large Slovenian oak casks then 2 or 3 years in the bottle. With all these new producers starting up, they decided to change the aging requirements to help them out. So in 1980, when Brunello became the first DOCG in Italy, the aging requirements changed from 4 years in oak to 3 1/2. The bottle aging remained. Today's DOCG aging rules for Brunello are minimum 2 years (3 years for Riserva) in oak of any type or size, followed by a minimum 4 months (6 months for Riserva) of bottle aging. The wine cannot be sold until January 1st, 5 years following harvest (6 years for Riserva). So right now you can purchase 2004 Brunellos. You'll have to wait until January 2010 for the 2004 Riservas.

With the increasing amount of Brunello plantings, the growing area got progressively larger. The areas in quadrants 8 & 9 are much warmer areas than that of quadrant 5 and the wines produced there have little in common with the original. Wines from the southern areas typically have lower acidity and higher alcohol and colour concentration. This combination does not make for long aging potential. Also, the newer and larger estates use meccanized equipment for harvesting. However there are still many estates that still do everything by hand.

In the aging requirements I mentioned oak of any type and size. Traditionally Brunello was aged in large Slovenian oak (pictured left), not small French oak barriques. A barrique holds 225 litres or 300 bottles and is the most common used barrel in winemaking (below right). The reason for the large Slovenian oak cask is that Sangiovese doesn't need all the characteristics that the smaller barrique imparts into the wine. In fact, it can be a hinderance to the wine. That said however, in those warmer southern areas mentioned above, the barrique can be beneficial. It can help balance out what the grape is lacking naturally.

So what does all of this mean to you the wine consumer? When you go into a wine shop and ask for a Brunello, you may be asked if you prefer a traditional style or modern style wine. Traditional is aged in the large Slovenian oak and modern in barrique. Ultimately, both are quality wines it's just a matter of what you prefer. There is an unfortunate trend upon us right now to homogenize wines. What I mean by this is that many wines are starting to taste the same. It's becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between Old World and New World wines. The marketplace has a preference for easier drinking, fruit forward wines and that is what's being produced. Nothing wrong with it but I'm just scared that we will start losing individuality in wine. I want to taste the difference in my wines. I like that Sangiovese from Tuscany tastes different than something from California.

So what are some Brunello producers to look for. A quick check of the BC Liquor Store website shows many quality producers available. It just comes down to price. Altesino, Angelini Val Di Suga, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Poggio Antico, Silvio Nardi are all good. Not to mention the Banfi, Antinori and Frescobaldi offerings. If you happen into a good wine shop such as Marquis Wine Cellar or Everything Wine in North Van, ask about Brunellos by Tiezzi, Sesti and Argiano. Tiezzi's vineyards are located right outside the walls of the town of Montalcino (number 50 on the map) and are made in a traditional style. Sesti and Argiano are further south (numbers 89 and 23 respectively, quadrant 7). Sesti is very small compared with Argiano which is owned by the same family that owns Campari. If you want to drink the wine wine now, I would buy the oldest vintage you can find. 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003 were all excellent years but not as outstanding as 1995, 1997 and 2004. The better the vintage the higher the price. 2002 was considered fair and 2000 slightly better. Those vintages should cost considerably less.

If you want to try a wine from this area but don't want to spend the money on a Brunello, try a Rosso di Montalcino. Most Brunello producers make a Rosso which is the same grape varietal as Brunello but isn't aged as long. This DOC wine was created to help producers get a quicker return on their investments while waiting for their Brunellos to age. A really good value for the money.

Now go out and drink some Brunello and impress your friends will all your new-found knowledge.

Brunello di Montalcino - A History

I spent last weekend visiting the Montalcino area. Montalcino is a town in Southern Tuscany and is famous for the wine made from Sangiovese Grosso, Brunello di Montalcino.

I spent an intense 3 days touring vineyards and tasting the wines (in 4" heels by the way). I was laying the groundwork for a wine tour that I am hoping to put together. I have so much info to share that I think I'll divide it into a few blogs. I want to start at the beginning and tell you how Brunello came to be.

This area of Tuscany (like many others) was made up of people who worked the land for survival. In the 1700's , a man named Tullio Canali built a villa in an agricultural zone a kilometer and a half from the town of Montalcino. This area was known as Greppo. Tullio's daughter Petronilla, married Luigi Santi and they had 2 sons, Tullio and Clemente. Tullio Jr, became the first mayor of Montalcino after the unification of Italy while Clemente became a pharmacist. Clemente dedicated most of his time to the villa's agricultural endevours especially the vineyards. His love of the land and his knowledge of science and chemistry helped him become a first class enologist. He was a true pioneer and won many awards for his wines. His daughter, Caterina Santi, married Jacopo Biondi and their son Ferruccio inherited his maternal grandfather's passion for the land and wine. As a tribute to his grandfather, he joined the family names and became Ferruccio Biondi-Santi. It was Ferruccio who started making wine of 100% Sangiovese, the first Brunellos. His wines were very full bodied. Without knowing it, he started a new chapter not only for Italian wines but for the town of Montalcino.

Ferrucio's son Tancredi inherited the land and his father's passion for the wines made there. Not to mention, all his dad's wine making secrets. Tancredi realized how extraordinary the wines made by his father were and how well they aged. The proof was in the cellar which held the 1888 and 1891 vintages. Tancredi's decision to preserve the old vintages and to only make Riservas in the best years helped show the world how truly amazing this wine was. Tancredi had 3 children, Tedina, Franco and Fiorella. It is Franco who carries on the family tradition.

Dr. Franco Biondi-Santi is currently 87 years old. He is a very regal man. The wine world in general and Montalcino in particular are very much in his debt. There is no way that I can recount all of his acheivements in this blog. For the real keeners reading, I will recommend a book. Franco Biondi Santi, The Gentleman of Brunello by Kerin O'Keefe. It's not a big book but very well written and informative. I was very fortunate during my visit to meet and chat with him. It was at his insistance that I also got to taste a 1998 Brunello.

Here's a few fun facts about Brunello.

1932 - Italy officially recognizes that Brunello is a creation of Dr. Ferruccio Biondi-Santi.

1944 - Second World War. To protect the old Brunello Riservas, Tancredi and Franco hide them in cellars underneath Montalcino. Sealing them off by building a brick wall to hide them. Tancredi figured that the passing armies would either drink them or steal them.

1966 - Brunello is granted DOC status. It is with Tancredi's guidance that the rules for the wine are formed.

1970 - Tancredi passes away. At this time, his Brunello is the most sought after and expensive in all of Italy.

1970 - The start of clone selections for Sangiovese at the Greppo. These clones are labelled BBS, Brunello Biondi Santi.

1990 - Franco founds an environmental group for Montalcino to prevent a huge garbage dump from being placed in Montalcino. This dump would be 200 meters from the Brunello vines. After 6 years, he is victorious.

1994 - Vertical Tasting. 16 journalists are invited to to taste 100 years of Brunello Riservas (from 1988 to 1888). The highest points went to the 1891 vintage.

1999 - Wine Spectator names Biondi-Santi's 1955 Riserva as one of the 12 best wines produced, in the world, in the 20th Century.

2004 - Biondi-Santi's logo is added to the list of the best 'Made In Italy' logos. Others include Ferrari, Gucci, Ferragamo, Versace, Fendi, Valentino and Bulgari.

Ok. So after all that, let's talk about the wine. Brunello as invented by Ferruccio was supposed to age 4 years before being released. The Riservas 5 years. The first 3 (or 4 in the case of Riservas) were to be in large casks of Slovenian oak, the remaining year in the bottle. To this very day that is how the Brunellos of Biondi-Santi are made. And their price tag reflects that. In all honesty, you shouldn't even consider drinking one until it's 25 years old. I purchased a 2004 and I plan on holding it for at least 20 years. The 2004 Riservas won't be out until next year. In Biondi-Santi's cellar, they still have 4 casks that Ferruccio purchased. They are over 100 years old and every wine produced spends at least 6 months in them.

Coming up, I'll will continue with my Brunello blog. I'll talk about modern vs traditional styles of Brunello and introduce you to some producers whose wines I really enjoyed. Plus, I'll also talk about the Rosato wines made in the area.

Stay tuned.

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

I had never attended the Playhouse Wine Festival before this year. I have been to many other similar events and as a general rule, I'm not a big fan of large wine tasting events. It reminds me of a cattle call. And to be fair, I haven't usually been in town to attend it.

This year I decided to take advantage of the fact that I was in town during the event. I was invited to some private tasting suites and I signed up for 3 wine seminars. I even joined the herd on the main tasting floor.

I attended 3 seminars on Saturday, Vinho Verde, Blind Blind and Century Mark. Blind Blind was a double blind wine tasting. Not only did we not know what wines we were drinking, we were also blindfolded. The idea being that taking away one sense heightens the others. Now as I've previously mentioned, I suck at blind wine tasting. This was a great seminar for me to work on my skills. Having just got back into town on Thursday night I hadn't had a chance yet to start building on my nose encyclopedia but I am happy to report that I did get 2 of the 10 wines right. And by right I guessed what grape varietal they were. Baby steps.

During the Century Mark seminar we tasted 9 wines all from vines that are over 100 years old. The vines are over 100 years old not the bottles of wine. These wines are produced in limited quantities because vines that old have small yields meaning they don't produce a lot of grapes. The wines were very dark and rich. I wish they would have given us some cheese during the tasting because these wines are so intense that a bite of cheese would have made a big difference towards the enjoyment of them.

But the seminar I enjoyed the most was Vinho Verde. Vinho Verde is a white Portugese wine. This was my a-ha moment. One of my goals with this blog is to introduce people to good quality wines that don't cost a fortune. Vinho Verde is one of those wines. You all know how I feel about Critter Wines, well I have found the exception to the rule. Vinho Verde Gatao (there's a blue cat on the label). This is an awesome wine. Once the weather warms up, it will be great to sip on the patio by itself or with a wide variety of appetizers. During the seminar there were snacks provided by the chef of the convention center so we got to try the wines with various foods. There is a huge Asian influence in Vancouver's cuisine and it's often hard to find wines to work with all the complex spices. Typically Rieslings have been the go to wine for Asian food as well as Sauvignon Blanc. The Vinho Verde wines were amazing with the Asian spices. The other two wines that stood out were Arco Nova Rose 2007 and Arco Nova Loureiro 2007. We tasted 6 wines and they were all fabulous and all under $20. The problem is that 3 of them aren't available yet. You can get Gatao at the BC Liquor Store for $10.99. The Arco Nova wines are available at Everything Wine in North Vancouver. If you are in North Van, it's worth a trip to Everything Wine to pick these wines up. The Rose' worked so well with all the snacks we tried. I was told that if you bought them by the case you got a $2/bottle discount off the listed price. Well worth it because once you have these wines at home, they will be gone quickly.

Aside from the great wines tasted during the seminars, I really need to comment on how excellent the events were run. The people they had running the seminars and on all the panels were fabulous. They made each event very enjoyable. I can't wait until next year so I can attend more seminars.

It made me very proud to be a Vancouverite. Many people from all over the world come to this event. This wine festival is really world class.

The Court of Master Sommeliers

I recently returned from Orlando Florida where I was writing some exams for the Court of Master Sommeliers. I am a sommelier with the Federation of Italian Sommeliers (FISAR) as well as their Sommelier of the Year 2007. So the obvious question is why write exams for another sommelier organization. As with many things Italian, I find FISAR to be disorganized and unprofessional. Also, it is unknown outside of Italy. The Court of Master Sommeliers is recognized worldwide and there are very few Master Sommeliers out there. The program is very intense. I headed to Orlando because I could write several exams in 3 days. And Mickey's there. You automatically think wine when you see Mickey. Or is that just me because I'm trying to drown out the screaming children that typically surround him?

I arrived in Orlando around 8pm on Sunday night and my first seminar was at 6:30am Monday morning. I spent 2 full days in lectures before writing the first of 4 exams. The lectures consisted of an overview of all the aspects of winemaking as well as all the wine regions of the world. These weren't lessons. You had to know your stuff before walking in that door or you would have been lost. The key part of these 2 days for me was the blind wine tastings. Let me explain what that is. A blind wine tasting is when you are given a wine and you have to figure out what it is by looking at it, smelling it and tasting it. You then draw a conclusion as to if the wine is old world or new world, the grape varietal you think it is, the country and region you think it comes from and what year it is. Easy right? We tasted 28 wines over those 2 days. I suck at blind wine tasting.

There are a few reasons why I suck at blind wine tastings. A key one is that my nose isn't great. It looks good on my face but it isn't fine tuned in the smell department. I don't know if this is a result of the many sinus infections I've had over the years or if it just never worked properly out of the factory. Everyone is different with their smell abilities. I think people that grow up in the country have more to work with as they've been exposed to more of natures' smells than city folk. And I'm a total city girl. The other reason is that I've never been properly trained to analyze wines like that. The main focus in my Italian training was wine and food pairing, a subject that wasn't even discussed in the Orlando sessions. So for me, the blind wine tasting sessions were very important and one of the main reasons I wanted to enter this program.

The first exam came at the end of day 2. It was a multiple choice written exam covering everything imaginable about wine. Out of over 100 people who wrote, I got the highest score. There was no time to celebrate as at 8am the next morning I was back for more exams. The first one of day 3 was the dreaded blind wine tasting at 8:45am. The theory is that your nose is at it's sharpest first thing in the morning. My nose is still asleep at that time. Try as I might, I couldn't get anything out of the wines. Now, my nose isn't completely useless but it sure was that morning. I tried my best and then moved on to the written exam. This exam was harder than the one the previous day but I did well. After the written we had to do a practical service exam. We were put in a restaurant setting and had to open a bottle of champagne for our customer and answer various questions that he asked.

Let me talk about the champagne for a minute. Each sommelier association has their own service protocol they want you to follow. The ideal way to open a bottle of champagne for the the Court of Master Sommeliers is in the air, with a napkin over the top. I've never opened one like that before. I could have left it in the ice bucket and opened it there (which I should have done) but I wanted to do it in the preferred manner. When opening a bottle of champagne you should never pop the cork. The cork should be released gently so the champagne hisses. When I opened my bottle it sounded like a Disney firework went off.

Once I recomposed myself, I continued with the exam. I was asked a variety of questions including wine recommendations for particular dishes. Because of the champagne incident, I didn't think I did very well but surprisingly enough I got a good review and was even complimented on my wine/food pairing abilities. So it all came down to the dreaded blind wine tasting. It was no big surprise that I didn't do very well on that part.

So what does this all mean? Because the blind wine tasting is such an important part of the total exam, I can't move on to the next level yet. I was very disappointed that I didn't do better but I'm not giving up. I am going to work on my blind wine tasting techniques and start working on my nose. It is possible to train your nose. I just have to start smelling everything and commit those smells to memory. Build up my nose encyclopedia.

And drink lots of wine.

Studying is hard.