The Sweetness of Moscato d'Asti with Ca'd'Gal Wines

A week ago, on May 9th, was National Moscato Day.  Whether you're a follower of these national wine days or not, it provides the perfect opportunity to have a reason to explore wine grapes or wine regions and try something new or that you haven’t had in some time.  In my house we are lovers of dessert wines, especially the lighter, less unctuous styles that are refreshing like Moscato d’Asti can be. 

Ca’d’Gal Winery 

I attended a virtual tasting some months ago hosted by Studio Cru and was led by the owner of the Ca’d’Gal winery, Alessandro Varagnolo.   

Alessandro Varagnolo - copyright of Cadgal

The Ca’d’Gal brand has 2 wineries in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.  One is Tenuta Valdivilla, set in the hills of the Langhe wine region in the town of Santo Stefano Belbo covering 6 hectares.  A few kilometers away, in the gentle hills of the Monferrato area in Calamandrana, is the other property, Tenuta La Cova.  This property has 9 hectares of vineyards with another 5 hectares of hazelnuts and the rest of the surrounding area is covered by forest.  It was established back in 1989, but Alessandro took the winery over 2 years ago since the prior owner, Alessandro Buido, didn’t have children to pass his legacy on to. 

Ca'd'Gal winery - copyright of Cadgal

The soils of the area are rich in marine sediment and the hills contain a crumbly soil with a high amount of limestone in their southern slopes. 

The steep slopes of Ca'd'Gal winery - copyright of Cadgal

The Ca’d’Gal Wines 

All the wines of Ca’d’Gal featured today are produced with the Moscato, or Muscat grape, which typically produce white wines that have beautiful fruity aromatics followed by fruitful notes on the palate of peach and apricot.  If you are a lover of wines that are sweet these are for you! 

The Ca’d’Gal Asti Spumante DOCG is made 100% from Moscato Bianco from and comes from their youngest vineyards, 20-45 years in age.  This is a newer wine they’re producing drawn up from the demand from the American market for a fresh wine.   It is made with the charmat, or Martinotti method, where the fermentation was stopped at 7% ABV.  Floral aromas with apricot notes. Delicate and light bubbles on the palate.  A nice balance with a touch of sweetness with stone fruit notes.   

The 2023 Ca’d’Gal Lumine Moscato d’Asti DOCG is named after lumin in Italian, representing the sun touched grapes grown in the vineyards.  This is their largest production at 50,000 bottles annually.  With this wine the fermentation is stopped at 5% ABV.  Bright, brilliant straw colored in the glass with aromas of peach and apricot.  A light effervescence and light bodied on the palate with a touch of sweetness.  A pleasurable wine to sip! 

The 2023 Ca’d’Gal Sant’Ilario Canelli DOCG is made from a single vineyard of 70-year-old vines on sandy soils.  The wine is kept in stainless steel at 0 degrees after filtration with the lees until the spring bottling and is released in September of the following year.  Floral stone fruit aromas also showing on the palate with a light effervescence and nice minerality on the finish. 

The 2016 Ca’d’Gal Vite Vecchia Moscato d’Asti DOCG, also called vigna vecchia, comes from a single vineyard in Valdivilla in a southeast position known as “sori”.  This is their last wine to harvest so that the grapes are overripe for balance of the sugar and acidity.   These bottles are left to age for 60 months in a temperature-controlled grotto made of tufo that is dark and humid providing a natural aging environment.  This is where the “magic happens” as Alessandro expressed.  The bottles lay in sand filled wooden boxes.  They have found that this results in the wines having a richness and finesse allowing the bottles to withstand longevity.   

Ca'd'Gal Vite Vecchia wines in sand - copyright of Cadgal

Yellow and straw colored with aromas of tangerine and apricot.  Beautiful freshness and finesse with a well-balanced wine showing stone fruit on the palate and a hint of an herbal characteristic.  This wine is produced in limited quantities. 

What kinds of food can I pair with Moscato?   

Although I tend to drink Moscato on its own, it can be a great accompaniment to a charcuterie board with dried meats or even paired with spicy foods and of course select dessert dishes.

Although Ca'd'Gal isn't sold on wine.com you can find many other Moscato d'Asti wines to sample at Wine.com in support of Vino Travels.

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.  I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through affiliate links.

 

9 di Dante Inferno Rosso Vermouth paired with Pork Tenderloin and Mushrooms

For the first time here on Vino Travels I am exploring the world of Vermouth.  I was invited to a virtual tasting last year led by Alex Ouziel, owner of 9 di Dante, a producer of Vermouth from the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.  I have never been a fan of fortified wines, nor am I a martini or manhatten drinker that utilizes vermouth, so I had a lot to learn during this tasting.  Any time a brand or producer can change my impression and perspective on something, as was the case with the 9 di Dante vermouth tasting, I'm all in on learning and exploring more. 

All about vermouth

What is vermouth?  Vermouth is a fortified wine where the aromatics and flavors of the wine have been enhanced by herbs, spices and botanicals and fortified by distilled alcohol.  Alex explained that vermouth must be made by at least 75% wine, but typically there isn’t much focus on the wine itself.  This is where Alex’s passion lies in making vermouth by focusing on the grapes and the wine as the base. 

In understanding Vermouth there are 2 factors: the color and the sugar content.  Typically, vermouths are white since it is easier to work with white grapes.  Many of the vermouth that are red are due to the caramel coloring that is added.  In regards to 9 di Dante's red vermouth, that is not the case, but we will take about what makes their vermouth unique in a bit.   

When it comes to the varied levels of sugar content in vermouth there is

• extra dry vermouth (less than 30 grams of sugar)
• dry vermouth (30-50 grams of sugar) 
• sweet vermouth (130 grams and above)   

What gave me a chuckle was that there was no explanation what happens to the Vermouth that are between 50 and 130 grams other than they don’t qualify to be labeled at stated levels.  Leave it to the Italians! 

Alex Ouziel, founder of 9 di Dante, with partner and master blender, Mario Baralis

The beginnings of vermouth 

Vermouth began near the end of the 18th century around the city of Turin, the capital of the Piedmont region.  Not too distant from Turin is the port of Genoa, a top trading port, where spices would arrive at the harbor that were utilized in the production of vermouth.  During the 18th century Vermouth was enjoyed by royalty including the court of Savoy.  Later in the 1800’s Vermouth began to be exported to the United States and into the early 1900’s 33% of the classic cocktails, Alex shared, used vermouth in them in comparison to today where about 50/50 of the cocktails are a blend of spirits with Vermouth. 

About 9 di Dante

As the name states, Dante the famous Italian poet and writer, is the inspiration behind the 9 di Dante brand created by Alex Ouziel.    Per their site, "9 di Dante comes to life as a modern liquid version of the poem.  Vermouth is a power struggle between Wormwood and all the other botanicals, told in a language that everyone can understand....wine!"

Mario Baralis, a master blender that lives north of Asti whom had retired from this industry about 20 years ago, was sold on what Alex was trying to do with 9 di Dante and came out of retirement to assist him with this project and to lend his expertise.   

What sets 9 di Dante apart from many of the other vermouth is that theey are made from 100% Piedmont DOC native varietals with up to 83% wine content in comparison to the 75% minimum shared earlier.  Also, 100% of the herbs come from the area around the town of Alba in Piedmont.  The botanicals are extracted in pure alcohol in 27 separate batches at low levels of alcohol to make sure to not burn the herbs, with the exception of the vanilla and orange that can withstand higher levels of extraction.  These wines are also not aged. 

The 9 di Dante Vermouth is produced at the historic distillery in Alba, Dr. M Montanaro Distillery just about 5 miles outside of Barolo and 45 minutes from Turin.  This distillery is the first to make Grappa di Barolo in all of Italy.   

The Vermouth wine 

The 9 di Dante Inferno Rosso Vermouth di Torino Superiore IGP is made from 50% of the red Dolcetto grape and 50% of the white Cortese grape.  Alex first bottled this wine in 2019.  He chose the Dolcetto grape to add its deep color and high tannin profile while the Cortese grape was chosen to lend its high acidity, crispness and help to retain freshness.   

This vermouth had 27 botanicals added, but 9 of those 27 guided the formula, similar to the 9 sins of Dante's Inferno in the Divine Comedy.  This vermouth was a lighter ruby red in color with red fruit and herbal aromas.  A bit of bitterness on the palate with notes of vanilla, spice, orange and cinnamon carried on with nice length.  I was expecting this wine to be more bold and overpowering on the botanicals, but waspleasantly surprised.  Personally, I’ve never enjoyed just sipping on vermouth from my limited experience, but did quite like this Inferno Rosso.  ABV 17.5% SRP $33 

The Vermouth pairing 

I don’t have any experience in pairing food with vermouth, but I thought it would be best to prepare a dish where I could incorporate the vermouth into my cooking of the meal.  I prepared a roasted pork tenderloin for this pairing. On the side I prepared baby bella mushrooms in some extra virgin olive oil with a little butter and about a cup of vermouth.  Cooking with the vermouth and the mushrooms added nice savory flavors to the dish and I poured the remaining liquid over the pork.  Delish!   

How familiar are you with vermouth and how do you enjoy it?

 

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but as always opinions are my own.

The Historic Coppo winery of Piedmont and their UNESCO underground wine cellars

It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve featured the wines of Coppo when I shared their 2013 Coppo La Rocca Gavi.  Wow!  That makes me sound old in the world of blogging.  When fellow wine writer, Jeff of Food Wine Click, presented the opportunity to taste some of the wines of Coppo again I was happy to jump on board.  I had the chance to try two Coppo wines I had yet to try their Monteriolo Chardonnay and Pomorolo Barbera.  Let’s chat a little about the winery first. 

The beginnings of Cantina Coppo 

The Coppo winery was initially established in 1892 and is considered one of the oldest wineries.  This is due to its recognition in 2012 by Unioncamere by as being a business that has had uninterrupted activity in the same sector for over 120 years.   

Coppo vineyards by Coppo winery

Piero Coppo was the original founder who had a passion for the wine industry and with his keen attention to detail he managed all stages of the winemaking process from beginning to end.  He married his wife, Clelia Pennone, whose family was a known wine producer, Pio Pennone, that had been producing and exporting wine for over 2 generations.  Piero’s mission was “to produce wines to express the local environment specificity” with “a constant commitment to uncompromising quality”.  Piero’s winery grew to about 128 acres with vineyards in Canelli, Gavi, Agliano Terme, Castelnuovo Calcea and the Langhe.  The focus was on grapes to include Barbera, Chardonnay, Moscato, Gavi and Nebbiolo. 

Canelli, the birthplace of Italian sparkling wine 

Upon Piero’s marriage Clelia, he joined Pio Pennone on their premises in Canelli where the company is still headquartered today.  Canelli is considered the birthplace of Italian sparkling wine.  In the late 19th century, Canelli was the location of the first Italian sparkling wine that was bottle fermented.  This is credited to Carlo Gancia, a pioneer that used Moscato grapes to produce these sparkling wines via the Champagne method.  He produced these wines in the underground cellars, or underground cathedrals, that are today recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The UNESCO recognized underground cellars of Coppo 

The tunnels that run underneath Canelli were originally excavated in the late 18th century.  They were dug out in the tufa by hand.  These tunnels, or underground cathedrals as they call them, were used for making and aging wine.   

Coppo underground cellars by Noemi Mengo

They run for a total of 16,400 feet and 130 feet deep and provide a consistent humidity and temperature level.  In 2014 they were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can visit these tunnels today in Canelli.

Coppo underground cellars by Noemi Mengo

Coppo wines 

The 2022 Coppo Chardonnay Monteriolo Piemonte DOC has been produced since for 40 years since 1983.  It is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.  These grapes are grown on marly, chalky soil at vineyards that sit about 2,100 feet above sea level.  The grapes macerate for 14 days and are aged for 8 months in French oak barriques are 50% new and 50% used barrels.   

This wine was straw colored with some goldish hues.  A slight toast with a touch of vanilla on the nose.  Medium in body with fresh acidity and ripe tropical fruit with a creaminess on the palate.  SRP $59 

I wasn't planning on doing any pairings this week since we are in our final week of the football season with my boys so to say I've had little time is an understatement.  I did make a chicken, broccoli and pasta dish that did end up pairing well together with this Chardonnay.  Secretly I prepared it in my instant pot as well.  This has become my best friend being short on time, but still wanting to eat a good meal.
 

The 2021 Coppo Pomorosso Nizza DOCG is Coppo’s leading Barbera that helped Coppo get worldwide recognition for it’s quality.  They have producting this wine, made from 100% Barbera, since 1984.  It wasn’t until 2014 when the Nizza DOCG was granted approval that it fell under this new designation.  Nizza is a small sub region within Monferrato. 

The wine is named after the red apple tree that grows at the top of the hill where the vineyards are located.  This wine spends 14 months aging in oak with an additional 6+ months in the bottle.  Coppo recommends that this wine will hit it’s peak with 5-10 years of ago.  Unfortunately, in order to share this wine with you I had to use my Coravin to pull some out, but I will revisit this bottle at a later time. 

The 2021 Coppo Pomorosso was deep ruby in color with purple highlights.  A rich nose of blackberry and black cherry with some spice and a hint of cocoa.  On the palate this wine is full-bodied with bright acidity.  Dark black plush fruits with plum and blackberries filling the palate.  spice with a touch of cocoa again along with a hint of oak on the elegant finish.  This wine was surprisingly 16.5 ABV, which I didn’t pick up at all.  SRP $69

The Coppo winery was acquired in 2021 by Gruppo Dosio that is led by Gianfranco Lanci, but the Coppo family still manages parts of the winery and is also part of the Board of Directions at Gruppo Dosio.  

Join the rest of my fellow wine writers as they sample an array of Coppo wines with some suggested pairings.

 • Camilla from Culinary Cam says "Let's Talk About Cortese and Barbera Grapes: Two Wines from the Historical Underground Wine Cellars of Coppo + Pairings"
• David from Cooking Chat shares "Pairings for Coppo Barbera and Moscato d'Asti "
• Payal from Keep the Peas shares "Coppo Winery 2023 Chardonnay 'Costebianche' x Vegetarian Punjabi Food"
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares "Two Piedmont classics: Nizza Barbera and Moscato d'Asti "
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles reports on "Tunnels and Tufa - The Underground Cathedrals and Coppo Cellars"
• Terri at Our Good Life shares "Pairings with Nizza Barbera and Coppo Monteriolo Chardonnay"
• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares "Historic Wines, Timeless Pairings: Coppo’s Nizza Barbera and Barolo with Wild Mushroom Risotto"
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares "From Coppo's UNESCO Cellars: Nizza and Gavi Paired with Shrimp Ceasar and Duck with Winter Squash Gratin"

• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares "Chardonnay From One of the Oldest Family-Run Wineries in Italy - Coppo"
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares "Dinner with Coppo Wine Cellars Flagship 'Pomorosso' Nizza Barbera"

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*These wines were received as samples, but opinions are always my own.  I may receive commissions for any purchases made via links included this article in support of the operations of Vino Travels.