Posts from the ‘Italy’ Category

May 7

Ca’ del Monte in Valpolicella

Rondinella Vines at Ca del Monte

After visiting with Frascole in Rufina, Greg and Ryan drove northeast to Verona. Here, they stopped at Ca’ del Monte, located in the DOC Valpolicella Classico, near the village of Negrar, an estate that resides at 800-900m, with some of the highest elevated plots that are higher than most other traditional Amarone producers. Owned and operated by two brothers, Umberto and Guiseppe Zanconte, who oversee all stages of growing and production, Ca’ del Monte has been in the family for generations.

From an area that generally produces high alcohol, dense wines, the Zanconte brothers bring us wines that are Classico in style. ”They’re into aromatics and freshness,” said Greg Reeves, our Italian Portfolio Director, “even in their Ripasso wines…Their Classico is meant to be a fresh wine to drink quickly, and though it can age well, they prefer that you drink it within a year or two to ‘get the wine’.”

Apr 30

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Frascole in Rufina

Old Vine Sangiovese Parcel, Planted 1967-1970

While the ladies were touring Burgundy, Greg and Ryan were traversing the countryside of Italy. Their first stop? Frascole, a traditional producer in the village of Dicomano with some of the highest plots in all of Rufina (or “mountain Chianti”), topping out at 1700 feet and abutting the Tuscan Appennines, with incredibly steep vineyards. “As we were driving towards the farmhouse,” said Ryan, “we turned and went up high hill switchbacks” until they got to the rustic farmhouse and estate, that has been passed down through the family for generations.

Mar 19

En Route to Italy…

Photo credit.

There’s lots going on at TEW next week, leading into our French Portfolio Tasting. The ladies are heading to Burgundy, and Greg, our Italian Portfolio Director, and Ryan are leaving for Italy! With Vinitaly 2012 now scheduled for March 25-28, Sunday through Wednesday, as opposed to the usual weekend, Greg and Ryan are able to extend their trip to include visits with many of our producers.

Feb 14

Cascina Ca’ Rossa & Slow Wine

The other week, Angelo Ferrio of Cascina Ca’ Rossa was in town from Roero, Piemonte for the Slow Wine Guide Publication Party, a tasting event that showcased 60+ of the 1,800 wineries that are included in the current guide. Following on the heels of the snail, the Slow Wine movement is an extension of Slow Food, with origins that lie with Gambero Rosso, with whom Slow Wine published Italian Wines for 20+ years, before parting ways in 2010. ”When it first started, many years ago,” says Angelo, “it generated possibilities for people to learn about small wineries…it put small producers on the forefront, the guide, the tasting…but over time things change, and as a consequence the guide has changed.”

Dec 27

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Nicchia Lambrusco di Sorbara

Named for Virginia Oldoini (nicknamed Nicchia), the Countess of Castiglione, Nicchia is a sparkling Lambrusco from Cantina di Sorbara in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. An Italian courtesan of great beauty turned secret agent, Nicchia is credited for her contributions to early photography and with the unification of Italy. A year after her marriage to Francesco Verasis, conte di Castiglione, she was sent to Paris at the age of 18 to plead the cause of unification to Napoleon III. Four years following her two-year affair the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, freeing Nicchia for her collaborations with the photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson. And in addition to the 700+ image portfolio that celebrates her beauty and love of couture, Nicchia is also credited with persuading Otto von Bismarck to avoid the post-Franco-Prussian War occupation of Paris.

Dec 12

Rocca di Montegrossi

Located in the Commune of Galole, in the heart of Chianti, Rocca di Montegrossi was established in the 7th Century AD, by the family’s ancestor Geremia. Surviving the reign of Frederick the Great, the battles of the Florentines and the razing by Charles V’s troops, the family of Rocca di Montegrossi has shown great fortitude over the years, including the strength of conviction of its present holder, Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi.

Nov 1

Vendemmia 2011 at San Polino

We recently received these stunning photographs along with a report of the 2011 Harvest from San Polino in Montalcino. Cheers!

VENDEMMIA 2011 at SAN POLINO

A couple of weeks before harvest a journalist [Walter Speller] who writes for the English wine specialist Jancis Robinson asked me how I thought this year’s harvest would be. I replied that my impressions were mixed. August and September were overly hot and dry, but that I believed that we should expect many surprises.

He entitled his article “Montalcino’s Surprising 2011 Vintage,” and quoted my letters, which you can read here.

And, indeed, the 2011 vintage certainly brought many unexpected results….

Aug 3

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Continued Conversations with Andrea Franchetti of Passopisciaro on Mt. Etna

Eight years after landing in Siena, where he established Tenuta di Trinoro, Andrea Franchetti acquired Passopisciaro (“Fisherman’s Path”), an ancient vineyard and winery, on the slopes of Sicily’s Mt. Etna. In the town of Castiglione, he planted 40 acres of vines on the north side of Etna, at an elevation that peaks at just over 1,000m. And while the lava-strewn slopes of Etna were a hot bed in the 1920′s, it is only in the last 10 years that vintners began to reexamine the area as ripe for quality wine production. Read more

Jul 29

Conversations with Andrea Franchetti–Tenuta di Trinoro

Before getting swept away by the Tour de France, we hosted a tasting of the wines of Andrea Franchetti, the proprietor of both Tenute di Trinoro in Tuscany and Passopisciaro in Sicily. As our staff and guests tasted through the selections, we watched Andrea on the flat screen via Skype, answering questions and chatting with us about his life and wine production.