Unique varietals of Italy with Mucci Imports

One of the reasons why I chose to write this Italian wine blog are to educate on the Italian grapes produced throughout Italy that many folks aren't aware of or super familiar with, myself included.  With hundreds and hundreds of grape varietals throughout Italy it's hard to know every one and that's what makes drinking wine so fun. You may try a grape in one region that can be very different in another as well based on the Italian terroir that I recently discussed in one of my recent articles last week.

Nick Mucci

Today I wanted to introduce you to Nick Mucci of Mucci Imports.  I've met Nick a number of times at wine tastings in the Boston area.  

Mucci Imports, owned by Nick Mucci, is a Boston based Italian wine importer specializing in unique Italian varietals from producers he has hand picked throughout his travels from living in Italy and developing special relationships with the winemakers.  Nick first started Mucci Imports in 2013 towards the end of the summer.  When I first met Nick he was introducing his wines to folks at Ball Square Fine Wines in Somerville and I was intrigued by his selections when I saw the announcement.  Being an Italian wine blogger I love the opportunity to try Italian wines, nevermind those that are unique to Italy that are sometimes hard to find over here in the states. 

With Nick being of Italian heritage, both Sicilian and Abruzzi, and growing up in an Italian household, the excitement of Italy and all things Italian is what built up throughout his life.  His Italian heritage is one of the reasons that got Nick to want to live abroad where he moved to Italy for over 3 years.  From living in Italy and experiencing the Italian lifestyle, it became the driving force completely for what he is doing now.  When Nick moved over to Italy  he lived in Rome and taught English.  After living 2 years in Rome Nick enrolled in the MBA program of food and wine at the University of Bologna where he studied for a year.   There he developed further relationships with professors, other students and designed his wine importing business plan.   

While living abroad with his girlfriend they would travel and get lost and come upon festivals, sagre, where he met not only wine producers, but cheese and olive oil producers as well.  All his travel while living in Italy was food and wine based to some capacity.  From meeting these producers the people and relationships that he built along with the welcoming aspect of the people were one of the greatest satisfactions for Nick.  He was welcomed with open arms.  Speaking the language and understanding the culture helped him relate to them.  When he came back to Boston to visit family he wasn't seeing in restaurants or shops any of the wines locally that he was experiencing for himself in Italy creating even more a reason to start Mucci Imports. 

Mucci Imports currently works with about 12-15 producers and imports from regions including Emilia Romagna, Piedmont, the Veneto, Tuscany, Abruzzo (where Nick has cousins that make wine), Campania and Sicily.   Originally Nick wanted to start all with Sicilian wines since he has a lot of passion for this region.  A lot of the wineries Nick works with are quite small.  The wines that he imports and sells are not what the masses are typically looking for.  In educating his buyers and their customers he further hopes to make these wines more appreciated and known.  That is what drives Nick every day to promote the wines of Italy. 

Growing up around this area Nick has focused his efforts on selling wine in and around the Boston area.  You can find some of his  wines at restaurants including Giulia's in Cambridge, Coppa in the South End  and Pastoral Pizza in Fort Point.  You can also located them in your local wine shops including Ball Square Fine Wines in Somerville, Social Wines in South Boston and Federal Wine & Spirits on State Street downtown.

I've written about one of his wines in the recent past when my Italian bloggers group (Italian Food, Wine & Travel, #italianFWT) wrote about the Emilia Romagna region. 

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City Wine Tours of Boston's Italian North End

Whether you are a local Bostonian and/or New Englander or visiting from another state or country there is an opportunity to visit some of the local Boston neighborhoods including local restaurants and sampling worldwide wines. City Wine Tours is a company that provides guided tours that explore multiple neighborhoods in Boston including the South End, the North End, Back Bay and the latest edition to their tour list providing a sparkling wine tour of Harvard Square in Cambridge. City Wine Tours provides an opportunity to tour each neighborhood, visit a few local restaurants and wine shops paired with great wine and a sampling of food to pair with the wines at each stop. The tours offered are a fun way of exploring new wines, restaurants and learning about wine in a warm atmosphere.

Of course being an Italian wine blogger and lover of all things Italian I chose to attend the North End Tour, which was led by wine ambassador, Joanne Frette. Joanne is originally from Scotland and has been living in Boston for the past couple years. She is a WSET Advanced Certificate holder, which is one of the world's top wine certifications from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. 

Joanne Frette

We began our North End tour at the Aragosta restaurant located at the Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel tucked away off of Atlantic Ave where we were greeted by Joanne along with a group of about 13 wine and food lovers for the day. We started our tour at an intimate part of the bar where we were introduced to one another and the wines of the day. Joanne educated folks on how to read Italian wine labels and the process of viewing the color, aromas and tastes of each wine. We sampled wines from the Veneto region including Prima Perla Prosecco DOC and the 2013 Cantina Santa Maria la Palma Vermentino di Sardegna. It was served alongside a nice platter of fresh sliced meats, cheeses, fruit and figs.

We then walked up to the main street of the North End, Hanover Street, where we paused briefly in front of the Old North Church for a brief historical background. We made our way over to Gennaro's at 5 North Square where we sat in their dining room upstairs and sampled wines specifically labeled for Gennaro's including the Gennaro 1st edition 2013 Pinot Grigio and 2012 Valpolicella Classico from the Veneto region of Italy. Both of these dishes were paired with a variety of cheeses and meats.

Our last stop was right around the corner at the Wine Bottega on Hanover Street where we headed downstairs to their wine cellar and gathered around the table. Katie from the Wine Bottega introduced the 2013 Cellario Favorita and Dolcetto from the Piedmont wine region. The Wine Bottega sells wines that are organic without additional additives. I've attended wine tastings there in the past and if you can catch an opportunity to meet a winemaker or a representative from the wineries themselves in Italy I recommend it whether it's there or at any establishment. It's the best way to get a true understanding regarding the winery and the land in which the wine comes from. 

Each tour offered with City Wine Tours lasts about 2 hours with the opportunity to sample six wines in total between the restaurant and wine shop visits costing $66 a person. The walking is very minimal as you leisurely stroll between establishments. The tours are led by knowledgeable wine ambassadors that are all certified or have direct experience within the wine industry.

It's a nice way to get to meet folks from around the country or world while getting a taste of the local flavors of Boston's neighborhoods and the world of wine.

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The Masciarelli Wine Company

I had the pleasure of receiving an invitation and meeting the President and CEO of Masciarelli Wine Company, Roberta Masciarelli-Spagnuolo, and her husband, Joseph, at their grand portfolio tasting at the Boston Harbor Hotel last month. It was a wonderful presentation of all their wines, but of course I was there to explore their Italian portfolio and to experience what the many wineries of Italy had to offer. They had some great obscure grapes from Puglia, Sardegna and Sicily that I featured on my blog, Vino Travels, along with some of the most highly respected wines in Italy including Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, Chianti Classico, etc.

Right to left: Joseph Spagnuolo, Roberta Masciarelli-Spagnuolo and Annamaria Masciarelli

The Masciarelli Wine Company is a well-known importer in not only Massachusetts and the Boston area, but the rest of the country as well as the Masciarelli brand being known throughout the world. The Masciarelli Wine Company distributes to 27 states and 31 wholesalers throughout the United States. The company was founded back in 1987 by Nicola Masciarelli. Nicola at the time was connecting the roots of their family vineyards in Italy to the wine importing business in the United States. Today, the Masciarelli Wine Company has a large presence of Italian wines in their portfolio covering seventeen of the twenty regions within Italy. Besides Italian wine, they have a strong presence of French wine as well making them amongst the top wholesalers of Bordeaux futures in MA. In addition to their Italian and French portfolio they also import wines from Spain, Luxemborg, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, Uruguay and Argentina. In total the Masciarelli Wine Company carries over 1000 different labels in their portfolio.

Roberta and the Masciarelli family have been able to expand the company and carry on the legacy of what Nicola Masciarelli, Roberta's father, started years ago. Their philosophy at Masciarelli is to “deal directly with the winery whenever possible and seek out small estates producing high-quality wines that would be overlooked in larger brand-driven portfolios”. 

Castello di Semivicoli

Masciarelli is also a well recognized name in the Abruzzo region of central Italy where the family wineries are located. A variety of grapes are produced there, but the prominent grapes of this region are montepulciano d'abruzzo and trebbiano d'abruzzo. The Masciarelli winery was established in 1978 by Gianni Masciarelli due to the influence and love of winemaking from his grandfather Giovanni Masciarelli. Gianni began producing wines in 1981. There are four brands that fall under the Masciarelli brand of wines to include Marina Cvetic, Masicarelli Classico, Iskra and Villa Gemma. Today their annual production equals over 2 million bottles. They are located in 4 provinces within the Abruzzo region including their main site in Chieti (San Martino sulla Marrucina), Teramo, Pescara and L'Aquila. 

Marina Cvetic Masciarelli and family

I'll leave with you with Gianni Masciarelli's quote from his thoughts on the Abruzzo region and his love of wine. It's a wonderful remembrance of his passion and what makes their wines special. “However much I love Abruzzo as a whole, this is the place I would like to live if I were vines. A place rich in historical memories and tradition. This is where our vineyards have always stood and the fruits we receive are the authentic expression of this culture. I think everyone has wondered at least once Why ever did I do this? I find the answer in the love I have for the land and in the satisfaction my work gives me.”

Gianni Masciarelli

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