The first organic Franciacorta winery, Barone Pizzini

I'm honored monthly to be invited by Snooth to share a wine based on each month's theme. I'm joined by a very talented group of wine bloggers, sommeliers, writers and connoisseurs. The theme for December was a Holiday Sparkling Bottle Pick List.

When I think of sparkling wine in Italy I immediately gravitate toward Lombardy or the Veneto with prosecco. I've written about Lombardy in the past including a couple articles on Franciacorta. I've tried some prosecco recently that I'll be sharing in an upcoming article, but my selection for Snooth's list was the Barone Pizzini Franciacorta Brut Animante NV (non vintage). 

Franciacorta by Takashi Yamaoku

Franciacorta is located along the shores of Lago Iseo. What makes the sparkling wines of Franciacorta so unique? The sparkling wines here are made in the classic method, or metodo classico. This is the same way in which Champagne is produced. Franciacorta became a DOCG in 1995 and at that point was separated from the still wines labeled under the Terre di Franciacorta DOC. The primary grapes used in producing a Franciacorta are chardonnay, pinot bianco and pinot nero. The difference between this non-vintage and the vintage wines of Franciacorta is that non-vintage must be aged at least 18 months where vintage wines are aged a minimum of 30 months.

Barone Pizzini's winery was established in 1870, but released it's first bottle of Franciacorta in 1971. According to Barone Pizzini, the “Animante was created to commemorate a long and pioneering journey that honors Barone Pizzini's leadership in the organic evolution of Franciacorta”. They are the “first organic grower and winemaker in Franciacorta”. Animante stems from the word anima, meaning soul, that represents the winery's respect for winemaking and the land in which these wines are produced. The Barone Pizzini Animante is produced from 25 vineyards all delivering a variety of different characteristics that are blended together to produce a wine that shows the “soul” of the land. It's comprised of 78% chardonnay, 18% pinot nero and 4% pinot bianco.

You can see my full review on the Barrone Pizzini Franciacorta Brut Animante on the Snooth site for Holiday Sparkling Bottle Pick List.

Have you tried the sparkling wines of Franciacorta?

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Journey to Trentino with Teroldego and Spaghetti alla Carbonara

This week I'm back to joining the Wine Pairing Weekend group featuring new wines for the new year.  When I had the honor to take my first press trip in February 2015 to the Veneto I was able to tack on a few extra days and explore some areas that I hadn't been to yet, including the Trentino-Alto Adige wine region. The train system in Italy makes it so easy to get around and travel so I jumped on the train from Verona and headed about an hour and a half north to the town of Trento. The excitement of exploration of a new town with sights to see, food to taste and wine to try. I previously wrote about a particular pairing, Canederli and Muller Thurgau, that I experienced while resting from my wanderings. I visited a local wine shop while in Trento and wanted to make sure I brought back something I don't get to experience to often in the states or a grape that I had never tried. I chose a 2012 Vigna Braide Teroldego of the Teroldego Rotaliano DOC.

Concilio was established back in 1860 by Angelo Grigolli, but didn't take on the name Concilio until they partnered with Boschi & Gamberoni. Later in 1990 ownership became shared by local vintners under the brand Concilio. They produce about 600,000 cases annually on about 620 hectacres (1,530 acres).

The Teroldego Rotaliano DOC was established in 1971 and as the name states, teroldego is the primary red grape. It takes its name from the vine training method in which the grape uses, tirelle or wire harnesses. It's also been thought to have derived from the gold of Tyrol known as Tiroler Gold. Regardless of how the name was derived, this is a grape that you must try. It produces wines that are rich in fruit, full bodied and it's high acidity make it a very versatile wine to pair with a variety of dishes.This 2012 Concilio Vigna Braide Teroldego was a deep ruby red with hints of purple.  On the nose was rich dark fruit of blackberry and blackcherry.  It was rather high in acid upon opening, but mellowed out with some time. Dry, medium body with a silky mouthfeel.  Low on tannins with a lengthy finish.  ABV 13%. SRP $19.

Food pairing with Teroldego
I chose to pair this teroldego with spaghetti alla carbonara. Who doesn't love pasta?! I figured the acidity of the wine would match well with the creaminess of the dish and I was right. With a baby now I'm always looking for easy meals to prepare and this was very simple to cook up. While you're prepping the sauce for the pasta, start to boil your water for the pasta adding salt, but make sure once your pasta is “al dente” that you reserve about a cup of the pasta water. The sauce consists of sauteing some oil and garlic in a pan with your choice of either pancetta, guanciale or bacon. Cook until crispy, but not overdone. On the side mix a couple eggs with about a cup of grated cheese (I chose pecorino romano). Once the pasta is done, add immediately to the saute pan while hot and mix with the egg and cheese blend along with some of the hot pasta water. Top off with some parsley and viola!

Wait!  There's more!  Check out my fellow wine and food pairing friends and what's new to them this new years.

Wine Predator will write about New Year, New Wine: New Jersey? 
A Day in the Life on the Farm is trying New Wine for a New Year Grape Experiences is sharing Try Something New: Moroccan Wine with Lamb Tagine 
Culinary Adventures with Camilla will post Young Nation, Ancient Vines in Croatia: Pairing Crni Rižoto + Dingac Vinarija’s Peljesac 
A Palatable Pastime is serving Duck Ragout with Creamy Polenta 
L'occasion will share about The Wines of Red Mountain ENOFYLZ Wine Blog will serve Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa and Mencía 
Foodwineclick will try Something Old, Something New - Flank Steak & Douro Red 
Rockin Red Blog is Journeying into a Glass of the Unknown Pull That Cork will post Loire Valley Red Meets Onion and Bacon Tart: When Old Becomes New 
The Swirling Dervish will pair Lacrima di Morro d'Alba and Broccoli Rabe Lasagna 
Tasting Pour is serving up Lamb Stew and Wine from Lebanon 
Cooking Chat is pairing Pork Tenderloin with Onions and Canary Island Wine 

You can join the conversation about new wine and food pairings to go with it! Our live #winePW Twitter Chat will take place this Saturday, January 14, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. Just tune into the #winePW hashtag between 11 and noon ET that day. Check out past and upcoming Wine Pairing Weekend events here. 

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Negroamaro of Salice Salentino with Leone de Castris

This month our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group (#ItalianFWT) explores coastal regions in Italy. Much of Italy's regions are bordering water so it's easy to find a region to talk about today. That's what makes Italy so unique in that you can travel to many a region, north to south, and be able to experience mountains, beaches and seas and the inland plains. According to wikipedia, Italy has over 4,700 miles of coastline touching the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

Puglia, located on the heel of the boot, is one of these regions with a long coastline touching the Adriatic Sea. It seems to have been the hot spot lately in terms of travel. I've seen many of folks venturing there and it has even peaked my interest as well for my next journey overseas to Italy when it happens. One can only wish, but with a 6 month old there are no promises yet.

About Leone de Castris

I recently tasted a wine from the Leone de Castris winery located in Puglia, specifically a village in Salento known as Salice Salentino. Leone de Castris was founded in 1665 when Duke Oronzo discovered the terroir in Salento and sold his property in Spain to get himself grounded in Puglia. The winery had always sold off it's grapes from the beginning of the 19^th century until they began to bottle their own in 1925. The winery is actually best known for their rose' known as Five Roses, but they produce an array of wines including the 2013 Maiana Rosso I'm sharing today. The winery produces about 2.5 million bottles annually.

Piazza Plebiscito in Salice Salentino by Andrea Donato Alemanno

Negroamaro is a native grape of Puglia that is deep in color with good weight, rich fruit and can have medium tannins. The name, negroamaro, has origins are tied to both the Latins and Greeks. You'll find this grape primarily produced within the Salice Salentino DOC. There are some great values out there as with many Italian wines, but not all are quality produced wines so ask for assistance when picking out a bottle so you can taste the best.

I tasted the 2013 Leone de Castris Maiana Salice Salentino Rosso DOC that is made of 90% negroamaro and 10% malvasia nera. It's fermented in stainless and aged in large oak for 6 months. I loved the ripe dark fruits and found it to be rather well balanced with acidity. Full bodied. A great value. I actually enjoyed it with a slight chill. SRP $12-14. ABV 13.5%.

More with our ItalianFWT group
Here's a preview of what's to come this Saturday January 7th. Join us for a live Twitter chat at #ItalianFWT 11am Est about Coastal White and Red Wines, Foods and Travel around Italy's long coastline. If you'd like to be part of the group there is still time. Email directly at susannah@vignetocommunications.com.
 

Avvinare - Vermentino the perfect coastal white wine from three Italian regions: Liguria, Tuscany and Sardinia
Food Wine Click - Swordfish Pasta with a Not So Crazy Sicilian Red
The Wine Predator - Sicily: Global and Coastal Influences Flavor Four Dishes Paired with Wine
L'Occasion - The Terraced Vineyards of Liguria  

Enofylz Wine Blog - A Ligurian Red Blend: 2015 Azienda Agricola Terre di Levante Rosso Liguria

*All pictures and videos copyright of Leone de Castris.

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