Italy - How Sweet It Is.

Some countries are known for their dessert wines. Hungary with its Tokay, Germany with their Trockenbeerenausleses and Eisweins, not to mention France and its Sauternes. Even Canada is known for its Ice Wine. But when you think about sweet wines, Italy is not a country that typically comes to mind. A shame really considering sweet wines are produced throughout the country. The best part about Italian dessert wines is their balance of sweetness with acidity.

There are two techniques used in making dessert wines, Vendemmia Tardiva (late-harvest) or Appassimento (drying). Vendemmia Tardiva is just as it sounds. The grapes are left to hang on the vine until they are over-ripe. During this hang-time, the grapes’ sugars concentrate and if conditions are right, a mold occurs. This is called Botrytis Cinerea or Noble Rot. Normally, rot on grapes is a bad thing but this type of mold is a really good thing. This Noble Rot is what makes Sauternes so special giving the wines that hint of apricot. It can also be present in some Ice Wines.

Appassimento is the most common technique used in Italy to make sweet wines. Once harvested, the grapes are either laid out on bamboo mats in loft areas or on volcanic stones to dry in the sun. The latter technique is famous on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria. Once dried, the grapes are crushed and vinified. This doesn’t usually occur until January or February of the following year. During the drying process, 100 kilos (220 lbs) of grapes yields 60 kilos (132 lbs) of dried grapes.

In the Veneto region, the drying process is referred to as Recioto. Amarone wines use the late-harvest and drying techniques. The reason that those wines aren’t sweet is that they are fermented dry meaning that there is no residual sugar left in the wines. Recioto della Valpolicella is made with the same grapes as Amarone & Valpolicella (Corvina & Rondinella) but in this case the fermentation is halted leaving residual sugar. In older times, sweeter wines were more desireable than dry wines and Amarone was actually failed Recioto. Other notable Veneto dessert wines are Recioto di Soave and Recioto di Gambellara. Both of these use the Garganega grape.

Another interesting dessert wine from the Veneto is Torcolato. Torcolato is made with the Vespaiolo grape. The grapes’ name comes from the Italian word Vespa meaning wasp (not the scooter) because the ripe grapes attract them. Torcolato means twisted. This refers to the way the grape bunches are tied for drying before being hung in special loft areas. This wine has raisin, orange, vanilla, green tea and roasted nut flavors. Maculan is the largest producer of Torcolato.


In Tuscany you find Vin Santo (Holy Wine). There are many theories as to why the wine has that name. Some will tell you that it was the wine used during the mass or that a visiting priest from Greece said that the wine reminded him of a wine from his hometown of Santos. In actual fact, it is most likely because the wine was usually vinified during Holy Week.

The most common Vin Santo is made with Trebbiano Toscano grapes which are dried after harvesting. After vinification, it is aged in small 100 litre (26 gallon) barrels called caratelli in a room known as a Vin Santaia. Usually wine is stored in cool cellars to age but the Vin Santaia is actually in a loft area that is not temperature controlled. The wine is dormant during the cool months and ferments throughout the warmer months. To avoid having the barrel’s bungs pop during fermentation, the bungs on the caratelli are covered over with cement with the year etched into it. This process usually goes on for 4-5 years. There is also a red Vin Santo made from Sangiovese grapes. It’s called Occhio di Pernice.

Sicily probably has the largest selection of dessert wines. Malvasia, Moscato & Zibibbo are the grapes used. Pantelleria is a volcanic island located between Sicily and Tunisia. Zibibbo aka Muscat of Alexandria is grown here and is the varietal used in both Moscato di Pantelleria and Passito di Pantelleria. These are probably the most famous dessert wines in Italy. Other Sicilian sweet wines include Moscato di Siracusa (which was almost extinct), Moscato di Noto and Malvasia delle Lipari. The latter is produced on the islands of Eolie and Lipari in the Tyrrhenian Sea. This is one of Sicily’s oldest wines and with minimal production, it’s not to be passed up if you get the opportunity.

Other wines worth mentioning include Sciacchetrà from Liguria and Picolit from Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. Sciacchetrà is made with the Ligurian varietals Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino. Picolit is from the grape variety of the same name. The grapes’ berries are very small and subject to a genetic mutation that causes them to spontaneously abort the flowers on newly formed clusters. As the flowers ultimately become grapes, less than half of Picolit’s flowers survive to become grapes. You can expect wildflowers, acacia, chestnut, honey and ripe apricots in this wine.

Try these wines with biscotti or strong cheeses like gorgonzola. They are also fabulous on their own as ‘meditation’ wines or as an accompaniment with a cigar.

At least that’s how we do it in Italy.

Tazzelenghe......Gesundheit

Italy has a ridiculous number of indigenous grape varietals. There are hundreds, if not thousands of them. It's no wonder that the land was known as Enotria (land of the vine) in ancient times. Earlier this year I developed an Italian Wine Appreciation course and during that process came across many of these autochthonous (indigenous) varietals. One that caught my attention was Tazzelenghe.

Tazzelenghe aka Tazzalenghe or Tazzalingua or even Tassalinghe is a varietal that originated in Friuli. Friuli is located in the North-East part of Italy and most commonly known as Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. The hills around Buttrio is ground zero for this varietal and to this day is it's epicentre. This varietal gets it's name from a combination of words in the local dialect meaning cut and tongue. Tazze from the Italian verb tagliare, to cut and Lenghe from the Italian lingua which means tongue. So, this wine cuts your tongue with it's high levels of tannins and acidity.

High tannin & acidity is not something most North American wine consumers go for. Not exactly a great selling feature. But in today's ever increasing generic wine market, why not try something new and interesting? These wines most definitely need to be aged to tame those characteristics but so do many wines. It would be interesting to see how this varietal would do in North America. It is a high vigor vine that prefers hillsides or sites at the foot of hills. I would love to see what some of our winemakers could do with the varietal.

Maybe a BC VQA Tazzelenghe could be in our future.

Sassicaia - For Love of Wine and Horses

Sassicaia is one of Italy’s most famous wines. It is the original Super Tuscan and responsible for bringing Italian wines into the modern era. Like all great Italian wines, this one also has a history.

The Incisa della Rocchetta family, the producers of Sassicaia, have a long history in Italy. The earliest records of the family date back to before the year 1000. But it is with the Marquis Leopoldo Incisa della Rocchetta where our story begins. Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta is the creator of Sassicaia and Leopoldo was his great-grandfather.

Leopoldo spent 28 years working as an administrator in the Imperial government of Lombardy-Veneto. In 1840, he was paralyzed by illness and had to retire. He was 48. Not wanting to be idle, he began studying viticulture. In a memoir from the mid-1800’s, he spoke about the successful results of the French varietals planted at the Piedmont estate. In 1862, he composed his first catalogue of the 175 varietals of vines that he had growing in pots. In 1869, he composed a second catalogue. In this one he had Cabernet Sauvignon listed at #93 and Cabernet Franc at #145. According to his writings, he figured them to be the most valuable of all the varietals that he had introduced. Leopoldo died in 1871. Unfortunately, his nursery did not survive for long after his death, but his catalogue did. It became an invaluable resource for his great-grandson Mario.

Mario Incisa della Rocchetta grew up in Piedmont then Rome. He fought in the first World War as part of the cavalry and afterwards he enrolled in the faculty of Agriculture in Pisa. He brought the horse he rode during the war with him. During this time, he became involved in the local equestrian community and it was through his love of thoroughbred horses that he met Clarice della Gherardesca. She was the daughter of Giuseppe della Gherardesca and the American Harriet Taylor.
Mario and Clarice married in 1930 in the old church in Bolgheri then settled in Rome and restored one of the properties owned by Mario’s mother. It was here that they began to raise thoroughbreds and the most famous Italian racehorse of all time, Ribot, came from their stable.

After World War II, Mario and Clarice decided to move back to Bolgheri where Clarice, along with her sister, had inherited Tenuta delle Capanne. Bolgheri is in the Livornese Maremma. It has one of the most diverse eco-systems of southern Europe. Mario decided to invest in his wife’s family property. Money wasn’t a problem thanks to Ribot’s earnings, both in prize-money and stud fees. Due to the war, much of the property was in a state of neglect and one of Mario’s first priorities was to re-organize the agricultural portion of Clarice’s inheritance. This was Tenuta di San Guido.

Mario had actually been working on his pet project since 1942, but it was on terraces hidden amongst holm oaks and the trees of Castiglioncello, that the adventure of Sassicaia began. Mario loved the French clarets he drank in his youth. In the early 1930’s he experimented with Pinots at his estate in Piedmont. After further study of French reds, he determined that Pinot was better suited to Northern Italy and Cabernet to the center. He actually preferred the bouquet and texture that came from Cabernet based wines. It was in 1942 that he began taking soil samples and examining sun, wind and sea exposures. The local wines being produced at this time lacked elegance and often had a ‘brackish’ character due to the proximity of the vines to the sea. Mario chose a piece of land 350 meters above sea level (1148 feet) with south-east exposure that was sheltered from the sea winds. He fermented his wine in open-topped wooden vats and right from the beginning, aged it in oak. At that time, it stayed in oak for 5-6 years.

This wine however, was not appreciated by the locals who were unaccustomed to the flavors of Cabernet. Plus, they wanted to drink the wine in the spring following the vintage like they did their local wines. Mario knew that Cabernet could not possibly be ready that soon. The grassy and tannic qualities that so disgusted the experts were in fact good qualities that just needed time to express themselves. Annoyed by all the negativity, Mario felt defeated and tried to forget all about his wine. 10 years later, in the early 1960’s, with the encouragement of his son Nicolò, they opened some bottles of the 1949 and 1950 vintages out of curiosity for a friend who was a wine and food connoisseur. The wine was enthusiastically received and Mario decided to try again.

He created a second vineyard 100 meters (328 feet) above sea level and ran the vines north-south so that both sides received the same amount of sun. With some help from his Antinori cousins and specifically their enologist Giacomo Tachis, more new vineyards were planted and the most promising, Sassicaia, gave it’s name to the first Incisa-Antinori label in 1968. (The name comes from the pebbly soil in the vineyard. Sasso is the Italian word for stone).

With Antinori’s involvement, the wine was no longer in Mario’s hands. It reached worldwide success and won many blind tastings against the best Cabernets of France, California & Australia. One journalist called it a ‘Super Tuscan’ and the term stuck. Philippe de Rothschild wrote Mario. “Dear Colleague, your wine is wild and savage but brilliant………” Mario was thrilled to be referred to as a colleague.

Mario did not set out to make a wine that would change the panorama of Italian winemaking. He just wanted a wine for himself, his family and a few friends. Sassicaia is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. This was what his great-grandfather, Leopoldo Incisa della Rocchetta recommended. Sassicaia was labeled as a table wine until 1994 when it was granted a DOC designation. A unique distinction for a wine produced only by one single winery.

Sassicaia made the Bolgheri area famous and without it there would be no DOC Bolgheri and no Etruscan Coast Wine Trail.

The Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta died in 1983.

Prosecco - Italy's Favorite Aperitif

Many of you are already familiar with Prosecco. It is Italy’s favorite aperitif. Many restaurants will offer you a glass to enjoy while you study the menu. In the afternoons, many Italians will enjoy a glass before heading home for dinner. It is the correct wine to use in a Bellini.

What you may not know is that Prosecco isn’t just the name of the wine but also the grape from which the wine is made. The grape has its origins in the Veneto region of Italy and it excels in the area of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. In 2009, Prosecco from Conegliano-Valdobbiadene was granted DOCG status and this year Prosecco from Colli Asolani was also granted DOCG status. There is still a Prosecco DOC which covers other areas. You can find Prosecco classified as Brut, Dry and Extra Dry. The latter is the most common and in some cases is the best expression of the grape and its territory. Meaning that the fragrance and acidity of the wine are in perfect balance. There is also a sub-zone of Valdobbiadene called Cartizze. It is in this area that Prosecco Superiore di Cartizze comes from. This Prosecco has great character and is most commonly found as Dry but the Brut version is finally finding its way and developing more personality. One of the newest classifications is Il Rive. This version is made with grapes that come from only one area of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. These sub-categories allow the wines to show off their terroir.

Prosecco can be made in the traditional method (second fermentation in bottle), metodo classico in Italian, or by the Charmat method. Some Proseccos declare years meaning that minimum 85% of the grapes used to make the wine came from the stated year. If the wine was made in the traditional method, Metodo Classico will be shown on the bottle.

Prosecco is a dry sparkling wine with good acidity, not overly high in alcohol (typically around 11%), and with a slight creamy flavor. So besides being a great aperitif, it pairs nicely with seafood and all sorts of deep-fried snacks as the bubbles help cleanse the palate. Try it with an assortment of deep-fried seafood, prawns and calamari for example. In Italy we call it Fritto Misto which translates as mixed fry. Prosecco Superiore di Cartizze in its Dry version, is best paired with pastries due to its high level of residual sugar. When deciding on a Prosecco, keep in mind that Brut will be the driest followed by Extra Dry which has a softer finish then Dry. The Dry version is the least common. Some producers to look for include Adami, Bisol, Carpenè Malvolti and Bellenda. Mionetto is probably the most easily found brand name. They have a large variety of Proseccos on the market so read the label to verify that you’re getting the one you want.

I hope you go out and try some Prosecco or re-discover it if you’ve tried it in the past.

As we say in Italy…….. Salutè!

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.