When
we talk about Italian wine, we talk about some of the respected wines of Italy
and those more prevalent in the market. Surprisingly, the Sagrantino
grape doesn't get widespread recognition amongst Italian wines.
Sagrantino is a grape native to the wine region of Umbria and does very well in
the terroir in and around the town of Montefalco. It's a thick-skinned
grape that contains high levels of polyphenols creating wines that are rich in
antioxidants. The Sagrantino grape lends a deep, densely ruby color with
violet highlights. It produces full-bodied, robust wines high in tannin,
allowing them to be aged for 10-15+ years. Darker fruits are displayed on
the nose and palate, including blackberries, black cherries, plums, spice, and maybe
some earthiness.
Sagrantino grapes sourced from Arnaldo Caprai
A
few designations in Umbria contain the Sagrantino grape, including Sagrantino
di Montefalco DOCG, Montefalco Rosso DOC, and Montefalco Sagrantino Passito
DOC. The Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG wines, created in 1992, are dry-style
wines made from 100% Sagrantino. These wines require 37+ months of age,
including 12 months spent in oak with 4+ months in the bottle. The wines of the
Montefalco Rosso DOC, established in 1979, are dry wines that blend Sangiovese,
a minimum of 60%, along with Sagrantino primarily. With the Montefalco
Sagrantino Passito DOC, the 100% Sagrantino grapes are dried for 2+ months
concentrating the juice requiring 37+ months of aging without the requirement
of oak usage.
One
of the pioneers for Sagrantino and a producer that continues to lead the way
for this grape and the appellation is the Arnaldo Caprai winery—established in
1971 by textile entrepreneur Arnaldo Caprai, who first began by purchasing
about 7.5 acres. His son, Marco Caprai, took over in 1988 and has been a massive
advocate for the Sagrantino grape, paving the way for worldwide recognition of
the capabilities and quality of the Sagrantino grape. In 1991 he acquired
new vineyards, which today stand at 370 acres with about 220 acres in
production in Montefalco, Bevagna, and Gualdo Cattaneo.
Marco Caprai sourced from Arnaldo Caprai
Marco
has put tremendous work into multiple projects to promote Sagrantino and to
help develop the grape, techniques used to produce these wines and the
territory in which it grows. He has focused on modernizing technology,
finding the optimal wood for aging, the best methods for fermentation,
trellising systems, pruning methods, and finding the best clonal
selections.
This week I enjoyed the 2009 Arnaldo Caprai Collepiano Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG. This wine was first produced in 1979. Collepiano represents the gentle hills in which the vineyards are located. Per the requirements of the appellation, this wine is made from 100% Sagrantino. It is aged 24-26 months in French barrique with 6+ months in the bottle.
I wanted to sit on this vintage for some time to see how a Sagrantino evolves in the bottle with team. A deep brick color in the glass with enticing aromas layered with savoriness, earthy with a hint of mushrooms, chocolate, licorice, dried cherries and baking spice to name a few. Every smell brought different elements to the glass. With the 20+ years of age on this wine the tannins were still moderate to firm along with nice acidity, but smoothed out on the finish leaving behind a silky mouthfeel combined with blackberries and spice. You can find more recent vintages with an SRP around $45-50. ABV 14.5%
I enjoyed this wine with some bacon wrapped filet on the grill last night. Perfetto!
If you're interested in taking a look at Arnaldo Caprai wines or other Sagrantino try a search on Wine.com.
*I may receive commissions if any wines are purchased directly from this buyer to support the operations of Vino Travels.
Our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group is exploring Umbria and its powerhouse sagrantino grape. Outside of the well known red grapes of Italy, I long have appreciated this grape along with aglianico
I shared last week. Anytime there is an opportunity to talk about
these wonderful wines and try some I’m all about it. In the past I
wrote a comprehensive guide to sagrantino that you can reference as well as some other blogs about sagrantino and Montefalco where it originates. Today I share sagrantino from the Antonelli family in Montefalco.
The Winery
The
Antonelli family has owned the estate since 1881 and currently live in
Rome, but are originally from Umbria in the town of Spoleto. Many of
the Antonelli family members are lawyers that invested in the winery and
management of the estate. It’s funny how many folks I have met in the
industry that started as lawyers and got pulled into the industry. It’s
a career path that leads one to drink I guess.
Filippo Antonelli has been involved with the winery since 1986 as well as managing another estate, Castello di Torre in Pietra. He served as President of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco for 10 years ending in 2006. Even though sagrantino
can be a powerful grape their aim is to be able to provide drinkable
wines that show elegance via using moderate wood aging and gentle
extraction. Plus, they are also now producing certified organic wines
as of 2012 starting with their Grechetto Colli Martani. The winery mostly produces sangiovese, sagrantino, montepulciano, merlot and cabernet sauvignon for red grapes. For white grapes their focus is on grechetto and trebbianospoletino.
The Land
Sagrantino is a grape indigenous to the area of Montefalco in Umbria. Montefalco is a town that lies just south of Assisi and is situated amongst many hills.
Umbria is the only land locked region of Italy located in central
Italy. It always amazes me how many people flock to Tuscany when within
a short distance you can be in Umbria and avoid many of the
overwhelming crowds and still get that Italian charm. I’ve been to a
number of towns in this region including Assisi, Orvieto and Perugia to
name a few. If you’re a fan of chocolates, Perugia is a must visit.
Views from Orvieto
The largest Perugina Baci in the world
The Grape
Sagrantino
is a grape not for the light wine hearted. The rich tannins, full body
and structure, big flavors and acidity in this wine make it a wine best
suitable for long term aging. At least for me these are some of the
wines I love the most. There are typically so many characteristics and
components that evolve in the glass. It’s amazing how this wine even
tastes 24 hours after it has been opened because of its structure. This
wine stands up for itself to many of the other big players of Italy,
but like many is not highly marketed nor understood so falls under the
radar for many. That’s why I’m here!
If you’re drinking a sagrantino di montefalco it is produced 100% from sagrantino
by law. It also must age at least 2.5 years before it’s released to
the market, but again this ideally isn’t a wine you’re going to drink in
its youth.
The Wine
2009 Antonelli San Marco Montefalco Sagrantino: Produced from 100% sagrantino these sagrantino grapes are handpicked. It’s aged lightly in toasted barrels for 6 months, plus an additional 12 months in oak, then on to being refined in cement for 3 months and finally in the bottle for 12 months. A lengthy process for sure demanding a higher price point than your average bottle, but at the same time much more affordable than the big and bold barolo and barbaresco. For a 10 year old wine this wine was drinking well now, but still had some aging potential to it.
Ruby red in color with a tinge of garnet on the rim. This wine was
full-bodied and structured with a gorgeous floral nose of rich, ripe
fruit reds. Plenty of vanilla, red fruits with a hint of licorice. A
rustic wine with gripping tannin, but finished with a lengthy elegance. SRP $28-30 ABV 15%
This month, our group of bloggers have been wrestling with Sagrantino, take a look at their posts below. This Saturday Feb. 2, our posts will all be live and we’ll be chatting about our discoveries. Join us on Twitter at 10am CST at #ItalianFWT, we'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with Sagrantino! Take a look at all the great ideas our group will be posting:
Another year has come and gone and boy does time fly. I appreciate all the support and recognition from my readers since my beginnings of Vino Travels in 2013. I'd love to hear from more of my readers around the world so drop me an email to say hello or leave a comment. It's always exciting to me to see subscribers from around the world and I hope you have enjoyed your weekly newsletter. I'm always looking to improve and will have some changes to my site hopefully this year that I'm working on as well. Can't wait to share it with you. Have a great happy and healthy start to New Year! Below I'm sharing my most popular top 10 Italian wine blogs of 2015. Enjoy a recap! #1 - Italian Food, Wine & Travel (#ItalianFWT) Explores Abruzzo #2 - Vernaccia di Serrapetrona: A 3 Fermentation Wine #3 - Comprehensive Guide to Sagrantino & Montefalco #4 - Donna Laura Ali, The Sangiovese of Angels
Ciao! Welcome to our 12th Italian Food, Wine & Travel group as we travel to central Italy to the region of Umbria. Earlier this week I shared a preview of Umbria with an overview of the region.
Early this spring I wrote a comprehensive guide to the grape sagrantino from Umbria and a food pairing with sagrantino. Today I'm sharing with you an wine tasting I attended this week with a panel of winemakers from Montefalco with the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco. I’m always honored when I get offered wine to sample. It’s not only an opportunity for me to taste
new wines from producers, but it’s all about education and learning the ins and
outs of the grapes themselves, the regions they come from, the cuisine and the
culture of that region.
The winemakers that attended the presentation virtually with their wines to match were:
Marco Castignani – Colpetrone
2011 Montefalco Rosso
Liu Pambuffetti - Scacciadiavoli
2008 Montefalco Sagrantino
Even though you may have missed the virtual tasting you can still view this presentation
on sagrantino live and I highly recommend it. It was very well conducted and led by Filippo Bartolotta of Le Baccanti. It
gives you the opportunity to hear one-on-one from the winemakers while the
bloggers online asked questions. You’ll
hear some questions from Vino Travels as well ; )
The vines in Montefalco are rather young and only about 15 years old. The traditional version of sagrantino was more of a passito, dried grapes, style, which is still produced today. These wines are sweeter in style, but due to the strength of the tannins it doesn't produce a cloying wine. A lot has changed in the area from 15 years ago when there were only 100 hectacres and today there are about 700 hectacres and 70 producers.
Here are some highlights from the panel discussing sagrantino.
Colpetrone
Marco explained that they just started harvesting the sangiovese and merlot
grapes. Sagrantino, the flagship wine of Umbria, is harvested later in
the first days of October this harvest. Colpetrone produces more than 200,000 bottles with majority of the wines under the
Montefalco Rosso label so it's a very important wine for them. Their '11 Montefalco
Rosso is made up of 70% sangiovese, 15% merlot and 15% sagrantino. The choice of the grapes blended on the
Montefalco Rosso is the particular style of the winery and the grapes they
choose for the blends. Retails for $14 and
the importer in the USA is Vias Imports.
Terre de la
Custodia
Unfortunately we weren't able to sample their wine due to shipping issues. This winery is not currently present in the USA with their wines, but only with their
extra virgin olive oil which they started producing in the early 1960’s. Last year was a tough year for Umbria as well as many other regions within Italy and 80% of the olive harvest were lost. They started producing wine in 2000.
Perticaia
The '11 Perticaia Montefalco Rosso blends with their sangiovese the colorino grape, which is used a lot within the region of Tuscany in
the wines of Chianti. It helps smooth out the sangiovese. Perticaia uses stainless steel for their wine
production. Balance is important for Perticaia to extract the sweetness of tannin
as well as extraction of flavor and color.
Alessandro stated that a short maceration doesn’t reduce tannins because they macerate some of their wines for over 60 days. Many factors come into play including how many times a day they do pumpovers as well as the temperature of the maceration. This wine retails for $25 and their importers
vary state to state with Ideal Wines (MA), Artisan Wines (CA), Zigzigando.
Antonelli
Filippo described sagrantino as a grape that has good structure and a good quality of tannins. Tannins that aren't drying, but ripe
tannins that help with ageability. They are the muscles in the wine. A request to change the laws within the appellation to increase the amount of sangiovese and sagrantino allowed in the wines of this area. This allows producers to
use native varieties at higher percentage levels. I had questioned him about the different of sagrantino today vs. the past. Filippo mentioned that in the past smaller barrels
were used that extracted more where today larger barrels are used that extract less. Per Antonelli in the last decade the best vintages of sagrantino were '04,, '06, '08 and '10. This wine retails
for $40-45 and their importers are Omni Wine (NY), Grappoli (DC), Cream Wine (Chicago), Tosca
Wines (CA).
Scacciadiavoli
The 2008 that Liu shared was a traditional vintage for them. It was first fermented in big oak with a long maceration. This wine was aged 24 months in big oak barrels and 24 months in small oak barrels. It retails around $40 and the importers vary
with Selected States (NY), Vinity Wine Company (CA), Vino Vero (TX), Down EastSelections (WA), Volio Vino (CO).
Tenuta Lunelli
Lucca offered food pairings suggestions with sagrantino with meat being the best option. Sagrantino is a great wine to experience the changes in the glass throughout the meal. Their wine retails $35-40 and their
importer is Palm Bay.
Arnaldo-Caprai
Arnaldo-Caprai is one of the most popular wineries of this region with 130 hectacres. Marco stated that sagrantino can age for more than 20-30 years as well as the rosso montefalco. His food suggestions were steak,
rack of lamb and matured cheeses. Per Marco the best vintages of sagrantino were '09, '10, '11. His wine retails for $60 and the importer is Folio Wines (CA).
Food pairing with sagrantino Stated by Filippo Bartolotta sagrantino has igh acidity and tannins that are "screaming for juicy meat". I paired my sagrantino with a beef stew served over pappardelle and plan on preparing another Umbrian dish known as strozzapreti. Strozzapreti are dumplings with meat sauce. Alessandro of Perticaia also had with his rosso sagrantino before this meal another Umbrian dish, strangozzi that is
very similar served with pieces of sausage and black celery from the nearby town of Trevi. Continue on our Umbrian journey with other fellow bloggers. Don't forget to join our live chat on Twitter at #ItalianFWT at 11am EST. We can't wait to her about your Umbrian experiences.
The Palladian Traveler - Marcello's Big Fat Italian Christening Orna O'Reilly - Castelluccio di Norcia: On the Rooftop of the Apennines Culinary Adventures with Camilla - Roasted Flank Steak with Zucchini Mint Pesto with an Umbrian Merlot Italophilia - Visiting Assisi in the Enchanting Umbrian Hills Flavourful Tuscany - Umbrian Cuisine and Fun Facts Rockin Red Blog - Beauty and the Beast Enofylz Wine Blog - Umbria's Sagrantino: Call It a Comeback Food Wine Click - Orange is the New Red: Paolo Bea Santa Chiara & Umbrian Steak on FoodWineClick The Wining Hour - Taste Umbria - Black Truffle Linguini with Shrimp & Montefalco Sagrantino Cooking Chat - Rigatoni with Collard Greens & Sausage with Wine from Umbria
Welcome back to
Italian Food, Wine & Travel (#ItalianFWT) for our 12th
month. Gosh, we have covered so many regions of Italy and are in
our 2nd half of the country. Last month we shared with
you our experiences in the region of Abruzzoand this month we take you to central Italy again, but to the
region of Umbria this time. Many folks say that Umbria is in
the shadows of Tuscany, but this week we're going to show you why
Umbria needs to be considered in it's own spotlight for all it's
beauty and what it offers to those that visit it.
Umbria is a
fertile, hilly region also known as the “green heart of Italy”.
It's the only region within Italy that is landlocked surrounded by
the regions of Tuscany, Lazio and the Marche. Even though it doesn't
have the sea influences as many of the other regions there is Lake
Trasimeno and Lake Bolsena within the region that create milder
microclimates.
Travel in Umbria
There are so many
great medieval towns worth visiting within Umbria and all known for
their own highlights. My last trip to Italy brought me back to
Umbria for my 2nd time to gawk at the Gothic Duomo in the
hilltop town of Orvieto and relax in the peacefulness of Assisi,
especially at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. To celebrate
the renaissance of Italy one must visit to the town of Urbino and the
Palazzo Ducale. For wine lovers there is not only the town of
Orvieto to visit, but also Torgiano and Montefalco. Other towns of
of note are Spoleto, Todi and Gubbio.
Duomo in Orvieto
Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Food of Umbria
Every region has
their own specialities and Umbria is known for a number of food
delights. One of it's best known gems are tartufo nero, black
truffles. They are a very distinct taste with their intense
aromatics and powerful flavors. Pork is very common throughout this
region as well, especially in the town of Norcia. Beans, including
lentils and farro, are most popular in the town of Castelluccio di
Norcia. To top it all off for my chocolate lovers one must visit the
chocolate festival in October in Perugia or year round you can make a
stop at at the Perugina factory for some fresh samples. It's a
calorie free tour of course!
Wines have been
produced in Umbria since the settlements of the Etruscans as well as
the Romans. If you enjoy white wine, Umbria is dominated by Orvieto.
These wines are named after the local town and are made primarily
from the grechetto and procanico, aka trebbiano, grapes. For red
wines, sangiovese and sagrantino
are the primary grapes and are well worth lots of recognition for
their power structure.
Here is a preview of our upcoming blogs on the region of Umbria: Vino Travels: Immersion in Umbrian wine with Sagrantino The Palladian Traveler - Marcello's Big Fat Italian Christening Orna O'Reilly - Castelluccio di Norcia: On the Rooftop of the Apennines Culinary Adventures with Camilla - Roasted Flank Steak with Zucchini Mint Pesto with an Umbrian Merlot Italophilia - Visiting Assisi in the Enchanting Umbrian Hills Flavourful Tuscany - Umbrian Cuisine and Fun Facts Rockin Red Blog - Beauty and the Beast Enofylz Wine Blog - Umbria's Sagrantino: Call It a Comeback Food Wine Click - Orange is the New Red: Paolo Bea Santa Chiara & Umbrian Steak on FoodWineClick The Wining Hour - Taste Umbria - Black Truffle Linguini with Shrimp & Montefalco Sagrantino Cooking Chat Food - Rigatoni with Collard Greens & Sausage with Wine from Umbria Join us this Saturday October 3rd at 11am EST on twitter at #ItalianFWT to share your experiences with Umbria. There is still time to join our group as well so shoot me an email at vinotravels at hotmail dot com.
My passion for Italian wine has taken me all over Italy, but I'm
honored to have the privilege to share with you an overview of a region, area and
wine that I've touched upon before, but have long wanted to revisit
as well as visit in person. Traveling to wine regions allows you to fully understand the terroir, the history of how a wine came about and
hopefully have the opportunity to meet some winemakers that can deepen the understanding and share with you first hand information. Today I share with you the region of Umbria and the
town and area of Montefalco including it's prized grape, sagrantino.
Wine Map of Umbria copyright by Federdoc
Montefalco
& Umbria
Montefalco
is situated in the region of Umbria, which is the only landlocked
region in all of Italy, also known as the “green heart of Italy”.
In relation to Umbria you have Tuscany to the northeast, Lazio to
the southeast, Emilia Romagna to the north, Le Marche to the west,
and Abruzzo to the southwest. Montefalco is a town surrounded by
12th
century walls and has the nickname of “la ringhiera
dell'umbria”, meaning “balcony
over Umbria”, since the town sits high overlooking the valley. It's surrounded by the mountains of Martani, the Apennines and
Mount Subasio, which are possible to see from Montefalco with its panoramic views. The weather of this region is continental,
but with the winds, known as Tramontana,
coming off the mountains it helps moderate the heat and prevent rot
and diseases in the vineyards.
The region of
Umbria has many important grapes with the well known white wine
Orvieto made of grechetto and trebbiano, but when it comes to red
grapes, Montefalco and the area surrounding it take the cake with the
prized red grape, sagrantino. The name, sagrantino, actually stems
from the word sacrements and the latin word sacer meaning sacred.
This grape was grown by monks and was used mostly for religious
ceremonies and almost faced extinction in the 60's. When utilized by monks it was used as a sweet passito style wine where the skins
were dried, known as appasimento, that further concentrates the juice. Sagrantino today still has a passito version, but is also a dry red wine with thick
skins, high phenolics and tannins. You'll find it produced in the following towns: Montefalco, Bevagna, Castel Ritaldi,
Gualdo Cattaneo and Giano dell'Umbria.
DOC &
DOCG
There is both a DOC And DOCG made with sagrantino within Umbria,
Montefalco Rosso DOC (created 1979) and Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG (created 1992). The major differences between the DOC and DOCG are the
following factors:
Montefalco Rosso DOC
Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG
Grapes
60-70% sangiovese 10-15% sagrantino 15-30% other grapes
100% sagrantino
Aging Process
18 months aging
37 months total with 12 in oak
Alcohol
12.00%
13.00%
*There are additional requirements as well
Vintages
If you're never had
sagrantino you may want to seek out some of the best
vintages if you can find them to experience this grape at its finest. According to the Consorzio Tutela
Vini Montefalco, the 5 star prized vintages of Sagrantino di Montefalco are
1986, 1990, 1999, 2005 and 2009. The most recent vintage release of
2011 received 4 stars producing grapes of a “very good quality”
that are balanced and have the potential of long longevity.
Food pairing
with Sagrantino
Being of Italian heritage myself I know all too well that you can't talk about Italian wine without food. Inspired
by the Umbrian recipes provided on Italian
Food Forever, I chose to pair the '09 Colpetrone Sagrantino di
Montefalco with Pappardelle
alla Norcina.
Norcina stems from the town of Norcia located in Umbria that is known for it's pork products. Pasta alla norcina is usually prepared in a tomato light-based cream
sauce with sausage, but the healthy side of me withdrew the cream and
tomatoes and decided to go with more of a aglio-olio
sauce, garlic and oil. I have been dying to write about a sagrantino
for some time now as well use my pappardelle I brought back from
Italy and no better time than for this wonderful pairing. You can
also pair sagrantino with braised meats, lamb, game and aged cheeses. Always think of the region the wine comes from when it comes to pairing with food. This is my rule of thumb when it comes to Italian food and wine pairing.
Pappardelle
alla Norcina
Ingredients
1 pound of pappardelle
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
4-5 cloves of minced garlic
4-6 links of Italian sweet sausage
Baby bella mushrooms
½ bunch of kale
Parsley
Sea salt and pepper
Pecorino White truffle oil (optional)
Directions:
1) Prepare a pot of water and boil, adding a little salt. Once pot has reached boiling point, add pasta and cook to designated time on package.
2) In a small saucepan simmer on low heat the extra virgin
olive oil, including a dash of sea salt and 2-3 cloves of minced
garlic.
3) In a separate saute pan add oil, dash of salt and 1-2
cloves of minced garlic and simmer on low. After 3-5 minutes add
sliced mushrooms and chop kale and saute covered for about 8 minutes
on medium heat.
4) In another saute pan or after the mushrooms and
kale is cooked and removed into a separate bowl, add sliced sausage
and cook until browned rotating sausages on all sides.
5) Once everything has been cooked and pasta has been drained,
combine all ingredients into a bowl.
6) Finish by adding parsley, shaved pecorino on top and a touch of white truffle oil.
Italian food love: White truffle oil, pecorino & pappardelle
Pappardelle alla Norcina paired with '09 Colpetrone Montefalco Sagrantino
Wine Pairing
with Pasta alla Norcina
There is no better way to understand sagrantino than to experience it for yourself and today I'm sharing with you the 2009 Colpetrone Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG. I received a gracious sample from the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco and couldn't wait to pop the cork. Colpetrone is part of the Saiagricola S.p.A. The winery is located in the heart of Montefalco, in Gualdo Cattaneo, with about 155 acres of vineyards and an annual production of 200,000 bottles a year. This particular wine was aged 12 months in French barrique with 26 months additionally in the bottle before release. I decanted the wine for about an hour before enjoying it with my meal, but obviously stole
some sips prior as I always love to see how the wine evolves in the
glass as it aerates. This wine was deep garnet in color with a dark,
almost black center. Full bodied, well-structured with rich ripe red
and blackberry fruit, earthy and balanced with good acidity and
tannins. A hint of dark chocolate as well. The tannins were well integrated into the wine and paired very well with the Pasta alla Norcina, especially with the
Italian sausage. It had a lengthy finish. Drinking well for 2009 it can still withstand additional years in the bottle and will probably
develop to be even more smooth and balanced. This grape is known to be a grape that withstand longevity.
I hope you experience this region for yourself so you can envelop
yourself in the culture, cuisine and wine, but you can also
experience it in the comfort of your own home as I did as well. I'm looking forward to sharing with you an additional sample from this region, Arnaldo Caprai Rosso di Montelfalco so stay tuned. Buon
appetito and ciao ciao! Source: Strada del Sagrantino , Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco, Italian Food Forever,Sagrantino.us
