Another year comes to a wrap. It has been a great year of wine from around the world with of course our love for Italian wines. Time to say goodbye to 2018 and welcome 2019 with open arms, open minds and an open glass. As I continue to take you on our journey around Italy I also plan to show some highlights from other wine regions outside of Italy to broaden our horizons. I'd appreciate if you could take this quick survey so that I can hear from my readers and find out what you'd like to read more about in 2019.
Here are the top 5 Italian wine blogs of 2018. I hope they were your favorites too!
Thank you all for your support and sharing your passion for Italian wine. Happy New Year and Buon Anno! As always I love to hear from my readers so please leave comments or send me an email at any time! Share with your friends too!
I’ve been fortunate
lately to participate in a new wine group and drink outside the box than my
typical Italian wines.Last month I
attended a couple virtual tastings via the #winestudio program.We chatted with Ethan Joseph, the winegrower of Iapetus
that shared their wine called Tectonic, a Vermont made wine.
Living in the
northeast I have visited a couple wineries in each state including
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine and if you’re a follower of my blog you
know that I typically make an annual trip up to the Finger Lakes.I have yet to visit any vineyards in Vermont
so when I was presented with the opportunity to try the one from Iapetus I was
intrigued.I will admit that when I
received the wine in the mail I questioned what it was going to taste like as
it was unfiltered and was not your average looking wines.
Vermont’s wine scene
began with Snow Farm in 1997 and many other wineries have sprouted since then
totaling 13 producers state-wide with Shelburne Vineyard being the largest
grape producer.Ethan described the wine
scene in Vermont as a “small and supportive community”.Grape growing in the area originally started
with New York hybrids and german grapes, but as the 2000’s approached the
wineries transitioned over to cold-hardy Minnesota hybrids.
Ethan shared his days
of growing up a Jersey boy and his attraction to Vermont stemmed from his
studies at the University of Vermont where he was drawn to Lake Champlain.He began his wine career working part time at
Shelburne Vineyard and sippin on good old Carlo Rossi.
Iapetus is the name of
an ancient ocean that once covered the Champlain Valley.Ethan chose thename Iapetus to connect the wine of the past
and present and relate it to why he remained in the area and to what drew him
there. “We aim to craft our
product and farm in a way that acknowledges the broad history written into the
earth from which we work”, claims Ethan.They began their production in 2016 with about 500
cases and continues to grow and expand today.The biggest challenges
they face are the New England cold temps and short growing season.
All the Iapetus wines
are spontaneously fermented, unfiltered and unfined.Their spontaneous fermentation means that
7-10 days before harvest they gather the cleanest fruit from the block inaddition to an assortment of flora from
within and around the vineyard.
The 2016 Iapetus Tectonic wine is made of 100% la
crescent grape where it spends 50 days macerating with the skins.Fermentation and maceration take place in
stainless steel and then aged 8 months in barrel.Tectonic had notes of citrus and loads of
oranges and tangerines with some rosewater.Some folks in the tasting compared it to qualities of a cider with
spice, which I sensed myself.I was
rather impressed and surprised and it’s one that you must experience.ABV 14%
Recommended pairings from our chat
included pistachios, charcuteries, roasted beets, Mediterranean foods and
oysters.
Have you tried other wines from Vermont or the north east that you
recommend?
