Leading the way for Sagrantino with Arnaldo Caprai

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.

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*I may receive commissions if any wines are purchased directly from this buyer to support the operations of Vino Travels.

Italy's Greatest Grapes Shine in Washington with Wilridge Winery

On my continued search in discovering Italian grapes grown around the world I was introduced to Wilridge Winery.  Wilridge Winery is based in the AVA of Naches Heights near Yakima in the eastern part of Washington state, about 2 hours outside of Seattle.  They are the first and only winery in the Naches Heights AVA (American Viticultural Area).  I have yet to visit Washington other than flying through on my way to Alaska.  Many of the wines from this state that I’ve tried in the past have left a favorable impression and Wilridge was no exception. 

The winery began in 1988 by current owner and winemaker, Paul Beveridge.  The name, Wilridge, developed from both his wife’s maiden name “Wilhemi” and his own name “Beveridge”.  Interesting name for someone in this industry.  Paul’s preference for growing European grapes stem from his upbringing in his family’s church influenced by one of the parishioners whom was studying European grapes growing in Washington at the time.  His deeper love for winemaking developed through his college years attending Whitman College close by to the Walla Walla wine region.  He established relationships with local wineries and later began making his own wine while practicing law.  He was selling his wine at a restaurant he owned until it closed.   

The reason Paul chose Italian grapes is mostly because of his love for Italian wines and Italian food.  “We also like the fact that Italian wines are typically made without the use of new oak, so they have a purity of grape fruit flavors not found in most French and Spanish wines that rely heavily on new oak barrels”, says Paul.  The terroir at Wilridge Winery is very similar to northern Italy.  They are located at the same latitude as Piemonte, Friuli and the Veneto regions of Italy.  The local vines are protected by the Cascade Mountains just as the vines of Northern Italy are protected by the Alps.  A similar climate and a longer growing season. 

Wilridge consists of about 80 acres with 14 acres dedicated to vines home to 22 grape varieties.  Four acres are dedicated to pears and apples used to make brandy at their distillery.  They also make grappa from their Italian grapes as well.  About one-third of their grapes are Italian with another third dedicated to French grapes and one third Portuguese, Spanish, Austrian and German grapes. In 2007 they became organic and biodynamic certified and were the first ones of Washington state per their website.   

Paul shared a unique piece of information about the area in which they grow grapes.  They are located on a one million year old Andesite lava flow, the largest in the world.  The rest of the Eastern Washington wine country is on basalt bedrock and was subject to catastrophic floods.  They were above the floods and therefore have some of the best soil for viticulture in the state.  

The Wines 

I enjoyed a number of Wilridge's wines based on Italian grapes, but here were some of my favorites.  

2018 Wilridge Winery Pinot Grigio Acadia Vineyard– Pale straw colored.  Crisp and bright with good acidity and  lemon citrus with a touch of tropical fruit ending with a lingering finish.  An enjoyable, clean crisp white.  ABV 13.2% SRP $22 

2016 Wilridge Winery Estate Sangiovese – One of the better Sangiovese I have tried outside of Italy.  Medium bodied and rather light in color.  Tart cherry with a hint of tobacco and spice.  Good acid and tannin.  ABV 13.6% SRP $40. 

2016 Wilridge Winery Nebbiolo – Ruby red with brick hues on the rim.  A nose rich in cherries with spice and licorice notes.  Black fruits on the palette with solid acidity and silky tannins on the finish.  ABV 13.4% SRP $35 

2016 Wilridge Winery Estate Sagrantino – Ruby red in color.  Rather lighter on the palette than I expected for a Sagrantino, but not lacking in flavor by any means.  Notes of green peppers, white pepper and cherries.  Tannins lingering on the finish with vanilla notes.  ABV 13.6% SRP $40 

The future plans for Wilridge Winery include opening a new tasting room in the Woodinville wine tourism area this year.  There will be an additional 40 more acres to plant on Naches Heights.  The next Italian grape variety they plan to plant is Pignolo from the Friuli wine region in Italy.  They are also going to be the first Washington State winery included in the Italian Slow Wine Guide this year.  

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are all my own. 

Top 5 Italian Wine Blogs of 2019

Another year has past and another year I’m thankful for all my readers and opportunities that have been presented to me over this 6 year journey.  Although things have slowed down for me due to attention needed for my now 2 and 3 year old I’m committed to not only furthering  my education in Italian wine, but to all my readers. 

I always like to wrap up the year with the top most read articles from the year.  If you missed them for some reason throughout the year give them a read.  I also ventured to Sicily this October and I hope you had a chance to read the three part series featuring my visit to Firriato. 

• #1 Argentina Wines of Familia Zuccardi 
• #2 Lawyers to Winemaking with Antonelli San Marco 
• #3 Zucchini Quiche with Raats Chenin Blanc from South Africa 
• #4 Grape of the Sheep with Umani Ronchi Pecorino 
• #5 Emilia Romagna and the Lambrusco of Today 

I strongly encourage feedback from my readers as well about what you’d like to see more of and what you enjoy about my site so please never hesitate to leave a comment or email me at vinotravels at hotmail dot com.  Here’s to a promising, happy and healthy 2020.  Happy New Year!  Buon anno!
 

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Lawyers to Winemaking with Antonelli San Marco

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 trebbiano spoletino.   

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:

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Buridda for Befana + Còlpetrone 2011 Montefalco Sagrantino”
• Marcia from Joy of Wine shares “The Power of Sagrantino”
• Jill from L’Occasion shares “Azienda Agricola Fongoli: Making Natural Wine In Umbria“
• Katarina from Grapevine Adventures shares “A Biodynamic Expression of Sagrantino in Umbria”
• Susannah Gold from Avvinare shares “Nectar of the Gods: Antonelli’s Montefalco Sagrantino Passito DOCG”
• Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares “Antonelli San Marco: Umbria’s Wine History in a Glass”
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest shares “Italy’s Finest Wine At A Great Price“
• Giselle from Gusto Wine Tours (in Umbria!) shares “#ItalianFWT – Sagrantino For The Win(e)”
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares "Get to Know Sagrantino"
• Nicole from Somm’s Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Còlpetrone Montfalco Sagrantino and Pasta with Red Pesto & Truffle Meat Sauce“
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares “Montefalco Sagrantino to Warm a Minnesota Winter Night”

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

Vino Travels Highlights the Top 10 Italian Wine Blogs of 2015

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

#5 - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Terramane DOCG with Cerelli Spinozzi

#6 - Italian Food, Wine & Travel Features the Le Marche 

#7 - Sicilian Volcanic Wine Pairing: Pasta Alla Norma with Giovi Nerello Mascalese

#8 - Italian Food, Wine & Travel Visits Umbria

#9 - Wine & Food Pairing of Sicily: Inzolia and Arancini

#10 - My Italian Wine Specialist Certification and Podcast with Rick Zullo

Looking forward to another great year in 2016 and sharing the wines of Italy with you.  

Happy New Year ~ Buon Anno!

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Umbrian delight: Strozzapreti with 2011 Perticaia Montefalco Rosso

In light of the Italian food, wine and travel group (#ItalianFWT) that I hosted last week on Umbria and my article on Immersion into Sagrantino, I wanted to share a food and wine pairing with one of the bottles I found to be quite a value with great quality.

In my preview on the region of Umbria I discussed the food of the region consisting of pork and various beans, but I made a discovery in one of my favorite authentic Italian recipe books, Italy The BeautifulCookbook, a typical Umbrian dish known as strozzapreti. Strozzapreti are dumplings with meat sauce, but it's really a thicker style spaghetti with yeast. I'd love to say I had the time to prepare homemade pasta, but I cheated and actually used bucatini as a replacement. It states that this pasta is also known in the Campanian region as strangolapreti meaning priest strangler. Quite the interesting name for a pasta dish don't you think?

Pasta of strozzapreti by Fugzu

Ingredients of Strozzapreti:

Extra virgin olive oil

Small onion diced

1-2 stalks of celery diced

2-3 cloves of garlic

3-4 carrots diced

1lb of ground beef

1 bay leaf

28oz can of peeled tomatoes

Thyme, salt and pepper

Shaved parmesan

Preparations of Strozzapreti

Heat extra virgin olive oil in pan and once ready add diced onions and garlic.

Once onions and garlic are translucent add diced celery and carrots along with spices. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add ground beef and cook until brown.

Add peeled tomatoes and bay leaf and simmer for about an hour.

About 10 minutes before begin to boil your water with added salt in preparation for the pasta.

Once pasta and beef are fully cooked combine in pan.

Add shaved parmesan as topping to your dish and I drizzled mine with some white truffle oil.

Buon appetito!

A couple weeks ago I was able to sample some wonderful wines made with the sagrantino grape in Umbria provided by the Consorzio of Montefalco and Colangelo & Partners. One of the wines that was a fantastic value retailing at only $25 was the 2011 Perticaia Montefalco Rosso. If you've never experienced the sagrantino grape due to it's pricing at $40+ with the 100% sagrantino produced Montefalco Sagrantino, the Montefalco Rosso is a more affordable way to get a sampling of the grape. Although the Rosso Montefalco is not purely sagrantino as it's a blend of primarily sangiovese and sagrantino.

Perticaia by Umbria Lovers

Alessandro Perticaia, winemaker at Perticaia, spoke on the panel discussion a week ago about his 2011 Perticaia Montefalco Rosso. The grapes for the 2011 harvest were matured well and didn't face any stress. Perticaia isn't in favor of using wood so this wine is completely aged in stainless steel. I could totally appreciate the non-use of wood as it demonstrated a purer expression of the fruit and with the power and structure behind the sagrantino grape it had plenty of body and complexities.

Tasting of 2011 Montefalco Rosso

The 2011 Montefalco Rosso is a blend of 70% sagrantino, 15% sagrantino and 15% colorino. The colorino helps smooth out the acidity of the sangiovese grape. Crystal clear ruby red in color it showed ripe red fruit and cherries on the nose. It's a medium-bodied, dry wine with moderately crisp acidity and firm tannins with a persistent finish.

If you're a lover of sangiovese it would be fun to try this wine with the addition of sagrantino and the unique addition of colorino. I would happily grab another bottle of this wine again and recommend if you're never had an Umbrian wine this may be one you want to start with.

Compliments of Perticaia - The Colors of Perticaia

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