The Navarra: Fruit, Spice and Everything NIce

We're going on an Italian hiatus this week and taking a short jaunt over to Spain to discover the Navarra. Spain has always been a top country selection for me in terms of value along with Italy. I was introduced to these wines by my blogger friend Susannah of Avvinare that is partnered with the Navarra DO so I was fortunate to sample through an array of wines including white and red wines. 

The Navarra is located in northern Spain between Madrid and San Sebastian. The Pyrenees are found to the north and it's also in close proximity to the Ebro River. There is such a variety of topography between the Pyrenees, the Bardenas Reales desert and the Bay of Biscayne to the south. There are even 3 different types of climates as well including continental, Atlantic and Mediterranean. These are all major influences on the Navarra as a winemaking region. 

The Navarra DO was established in 1933. About 11,000 hectares are under vine and a small portion of those are vines are 30+ year old. The wines of this region are primarily red totaling about 60% with rose' wines coming in at 30% and whites only at 10%. This area had always been known for it's rose' production. Majority of the wines produced (70%) are native grapes including garnacha and tempranillo mostly as well as others including viura, graciano and carinena. The other 30% are international grapes including cabernet sauvignon and merlot mostly with syrah, chardonnay and pinot noir.

Age Levels of Navarra Wine

Reading wine labels in another language can always be tricky. Here are some terms that will help you determine the aging of the wines:

• Cosecha – a young wine
• Tinto Roble – minimum of 90 days in the barrel
• Crianza – minimum of 24 months aged with 9 months in the barrel
• Riserva – minimum of 60 months aged with 12 months in the barrel
• Gran Riserva – minimum of 60 months with 18 months in the barrel
• Dulce Natural – sweet wine

Wines of the Navarra

2015 Bodegas Nekeas Vega Sindoa Tempranillo

• Located in the Valley of Valdizarbe this wine is made of 100% tempranillo. An easy drinking wine with fresh blackberries, a hint of licorice and spice. SRP $9. ABV 14%

2015 Bodegas Camilo Castilla Moscatel

• Located in the town of Corella in the Ribera Baja this wine is produced with moscatel de grano menudo grapes, or easier said moscatel. Pale yellow in the glass this wine had a very aromatic nose. It was clean, enjoyable wine with notes of peaches. ABV 12.5%

2013 Castillo Monjardin La Cantera Old Vine Garnacha

• Ruby in color. A medium bodied, dry wine with baking spices, vanilla, cherries and plums with a decent finish. ABV 13.5%. SRP $9

2015 Bodegas Principe de Viana Graciano Roble

• Deep red in color this wine is made of 100% graciano. It's a soft wine with rich fruits of plums, cherries and currants paired with some black pepper and a hint of minerality. ABV 13.5%.

2015 Bodegas Principe de Viana Garnacha Roble

• 100% garnacha. Deep ruby red with lots of fresh red fruits with notes of vanilla. Easy drinking and a moderate finish. ABV 13.5% SRP $13

2015 Bodegas Ochoa Tempranillo/Garnacha

• Made of 70% tempranillo and 30% garnacha. Purple tinge demonstrating a younger wine. You get the tannin from the tempranillo and the ripe berries of the garnacha. SRP $15. ABV 13%.

Food Pairings with Wines of the Navarra

The Navarra DO recommends pairing these wines with the abundance of vegetables produced in the region including white asparagus and fire roasted piquillo peppers. Game, meats and lamb are a good selection for the hearty reds as well as foie gras, charcuterie, and shepherd cheeses of the region (roncal and idiazabal). 

Between the variety of soils, landscapes and microclimates there are a variety of wines for everyone to enjoy from this region and at great price points that won't break the bank. And if you need another reason to visit this region they are known for the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Now that would be a site to see!

*These wines were received as samples, but opinions are my own. Information and pictures sourced from the Wines of Navarra and Bodegas Ochoa.

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There is Prosecco and then there is Valdobbiadene Prosecco

This month our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group is highlighting sparkling wines of Italy. The most widely known sparkling wine of Italy is prosecco, but there are many others that are worth recognizing, especially those of Franciacorta in Lombardy and those of Trento in the region of Trentino. Then you have those sparkling wines that are on the sweeter side like moscato d'asti and brachetto d'acqui. I've written about many of these in the past, but with prosecco being so widely produced and there being many inexpensive styles on the market it's important folks are aware of some of the best prosecco to seek out if you're desiring some Italian bubbly on your next visit to the wine store.

There is prosecco and then there is Conegliano Valdobbiadene also known as just Valdobbiadene. The area of prosecco production is located in northeastern Italy within the Veneto region, but some of the top quality prosecco come from the hillside areas of Conegliano Valdobbiadene. To be labeled as a Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G the grapes must exclusively be grown here from the 15 communes. Prosecco is produced from the glera grape.The area became classified as a D.O.C.G in 2009, but was initially recognized in 1969. This area is also known for the first winemaking school of Italy that started in 1876 in the town of Conegliano. There are also frizzante and still versions, but they can't bear the superiore label.

To take it even further there is also the Rive DOCG, which consist of only 43 sites and has stricter regulations and very steep hills of high quality grapes that are picked by hand, and Superiore di Cartizze DOCG, the top cru site of the area.

I was able to sample a number of bottles from this area and shared some brief notes below. I'm not a huge sparkling wine lover, but I can appreciate quality when I taste it.

 

Carpene Malvotti 1868 Extra Dry Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore – This was was straw yellow in color with fine, lively bubbles. It showed soft fruits including pears and apples with a dry, good finish. SRP $18.99.

2015 Adriano Adami Vigneto Giardino Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore - This is a single vineyard cru from Colbertaldo di Vino. It's pale yellow in color with a fruity nose of apples and peaches. It had a rich mouthfeel with creaminess. Fresh and elegant. SRP $19.

2015 Ruggeri Vecchie Viti Prosecco Superiore Brut - As the name dictates, vecchie viti meaning old vines, these grapes come from about 80-100 year old vines. This wine is floraly with a creamy texture and lengthy finish. SRP $22

Borgoluce Rive di Collalto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut – Straw yellow in color this is dry with good acid combined with notes of peach and pear. Lively bubbles that play on your tongue. SRP $25

 

If you have doubted the quality of prosecco based on the ones you have tried that flood the markets, but haven't tried prosecco from this area I strongly recommend you try some and let me know what you think.

Here are the rest of my fellow bloggers look into sparkling Italian wines.  Check them out!

David Crowley of Cooking Chat  finds for us examples of “Italian Sparkling Wine Beyond Prosecco”

Lauren Walsh the Swirling Dervish will teach “Why You Should Learn to Love Lambrusco”

“Pink Bubbles, Paté, and Pecorino” is the topic from Camilla Mann of  Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mike Madaio of   Undiscovered Italy   offers up “One Great Bottle: Fiamberti Oltrepò Pavese 2012”

Jennifer Martin of Vino Travels says “There is Prosecco and then there is Valdobbiadene Prosecco”

Italian Producers Beef Up Sparkling Offering is the offering from Susannah Gold of avvinare.

Here at Wine Predator we have “Three Trento Sparklers with Seafood Risotto for #ItalianFWT”

Please join us for the twitter chat (#ItalianFWT) about Italian sparkling wine on Saturday May 6 from 11-12pm EST and check out our blogs!

These bottles were received as samples, but opinions are my own.

Information sourced from Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG.

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*all wines were received as samples, but opinions are my own. Pictures were sourced from Balzac Communications and Locations Wine.

Italian Grapes in the Finger Lakes of Upstate NY

It's always my mission to find wineries in the US producing wines from Italian grapes grown on American soil. I had always taken a trip to upstate NY to the Finger Lakes wine region for many years annually, but had taken a break over the past 5 years as I had traveled to some other places around the world. It was nice to make it back here and we couldn't ask for better weather and accommodations as I write from our beautiful villa right on the water of Seneca Lake in Geneva. 

A couple days prior to my arrival the Seneca Lake Wine Trail called out to my attention that Ventosa Vineyards located in Geneva at the top of Seneca Lake was working with a few Italian grapes. I had been to Ventosa Vineyards years ago, but this was well before my wine blog so I really couldn't recall the wines that they produced. Thankfully a private tasting and tour was arranged for myself and family with their winemaker and vineyard manager, Jenna Lavita. 

As Ventosa Vineyards states that their winery is “a taste of Tuscany in the Finger Lakes”. Upon arrival you can't miss this massive, gorgeous villa that is eyecatching from route 96A. The winery was established eleven years ago and the owners are Italian lovers themselves taking trips often over to Italy, but providing folks with a Tuscan setting right in the Finger Lakes as well. They produce about 3,000-3,500 cases on 22 acres. The owners believe in finding peace in the craziness of wine life within their vineyards therefore the vineyards are sacrosanct, blessed by the priest and located around the property and within the vineyards themselves are religious statues all around.

The tasting we had with Jenna on their patio overlooking their vineyards below and Seneca Lake was a treat. Jenna was such a pleasure to spend time with. She actually graduated from the local college, Williams Smith, back in 2008 and learned winemaking under the winemaker of Fox Run Vineyards, Peter Bell. She had actually gone to school for law, but making friends and getting acquainted with the wine industry drew her in. It's amazing to me how many folks I have met in the wine industry had previously been lawyers. I guess that profession leads you to drink converting many on it's journey ; ) She also owns a small brewery in town as well, Lake Drum Brewing. 

Jenna Lavita

We tasted through many of their wines, but of course I was mostly interested in the Italian grapes they are working with: pinot grigio, tocai friulano and sangiovese. To see Italian grapes grown in such a cold climate area is rather interesting and I only remember coming across 1 other vineyard in the Finger Lakes wine region working with Italian grapes, Red Tail Ridge produces a teroldego grape, which I didnt get to revisit on this trip. 

There are about 3 acres planted to the pinot gris grape. The 2015 Ventosa Vineyards Pinot Gris is a very easy drinking, clean, light bodied wine with green apples most prevalent on the palate. The interesting wine for me was the 2014 Ventosa Vineyards Tocai Friulano mostly found in the wine region of Friuli in northeastern Italy. I know this sounds crazy, but I picked up almost pickle juice on the nose. It's partially aged in American oak imparting tropical notes into the wine. Lower on the acid scale the wine had more weight than the pinot gris. We finished with the Ventosa Vineyards Tocaice, which is their ice wine made from the tocai friulano grape. They don't freeze the grapes on-site, but instead take them to Ontario to a commercial freezer where they are frozen for 1-2 months. They are pressed onsight though at Ventosa Vineyards with a hard press (2.5 bars) over 24 hours to extract as much juice as possible. They usually get about 150 gallons from 3 tons of grapes. For those with a sweet tooth and that enjoy a dessert wine at the end of your meals this had nice rich honey and orange zest notes. An unctous wine indeed!

Following the tasting we proceeded to the production facility underneath. Walking through the vineyards it was just the start of bud break for a few of their grapes including sangiovese, pinot and chardonnay. The last few winters have been colder in the Finger Lakes and many wineries having been losing their primary buds. 

bud break

For me the highlight was the Ventosa Vineyards Owners Reserve Sangiovese. We tasted their sangiovese in the fermentation room comparing the 2011 and 2012 vintages. I preferred the 2011 vintage as it was more similar in style to that of Tuscany than the 2012. It was drier in style where the 2012 showed more ripe red fruit. The 2011 had more earthiness and dried fruits, which is personally more my style. It's medium bodied and aged in American oak for 2.5 years plus an additional year in bottle. These sangiovese had soft tannins.

Overall, it was a great way to start the day and taste the difference of Italian grapes grown on American soil in the Finger Lakes region of NY. 

My son learning how to smell wine

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