Swept Away to Soave with Gini

Our Italian Food, Wine & Travel groups theme this month is Soave.  I visited the wine region of Soave within the Veneto for the first time back in 2009 and also tasted some of the Soave wines produced from some of the wineries when I visited the Valpolicella a few years back.  Even though I only visited a few wineries at the time back in 2009 I had a great visit in the center of town where a food festival was taking place with plenty of chocolates and pastries to indulge in.  Even the fountain of wine, fontana del vino, was offering out free wine. 

Free wine offered in the center of town

The one thing about the wines from Soave is that there is so much variety.  Unfortunately soave's image was tarnished from back in the 60's when the focus was on quantity over quality.  I've tasted many soave at an event some years back with Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein including those from the flat plains, hills and the Classico area as well as the wines where winemakers used oak in their winemaking vs. those that use stainless steel.  As you can image each result in a totally different wine.  Then there are those producers like Azienda Agricola Gini that I'm writing about today that are known for their quality and allow you to get a true sense of what soave is all about.    You should also seek out those from Inama, Suavia, Pieropan and more.

So what is soave?  It's primarily comprised of the indigenous white grape of the Veneto, garganega, and some producers may also add u pto 30% trebbiano di soave.  Soave is not only the name of a wine, but it's also the name of a medieval walled town in the Veneto in which the wine is produced.  In 1931, Soave became a delimited wine zone along with the Chianti wine region.  According to the Soave Consorzio, “in the 1970's soave surpassed chianti as the largest selling Italian DOC wine in the US”. 

What pairs well with it?  Recommended by the Soave consortium, soave can pair well with citrus based dishes, pork, chicken, quail or cornish hens, all types of fish, pastas with light cream or butter sauces or risotto alla primavera and paella. Pairing with cheeses you can choose from mild cheeses like chevre, feta or brie as well as burrata.

Castello Scaligero

Azienda Agricola Gini have producing wine since the 1600's and therefore claims to be one of the oldest wine producers in the area.  They are located in Monforte d'Alpone, which is part of the Classico area of Soave. They are a certified organic winery with vineyards that range between Monforte in the Soave Classico DOC as well as Campiano in the Valpolicella DOC.  I haven't visited their winery myself, but their wine cellar sounds intrigued dug into the volcanic rock where you can actually see some of the black tufo. 

I had a bottle of the 2014 Gini La Frosca Soave Classico in my cellar that I tried.  This wine is made from 100% garganega and is named after the volcanic hill where the vineyards reside.  A wine straw in color with  fragrant notes of peaches and pears.  There was definitely minerality in the glass along with some lemon, pears and apple accompanied by some nice acidity.  The wine was still holding up well and as Gini recommends it is a wine that can withstand some age. SRP $21

I'll finish with Gini's great statement on their site that states "Nature must be indulged and at the same time governed.  Every vintage is different and every harvest needs to be interpreted in a unique way.  We believe it is important to let the grapes do the talking.  Our role is knowing how to listen".

To discover more about Soave wine, food and travel, join me and my fellow writers of the #ItalianFWT group on Saturday, June 2 @ 11am/EST on Twitter. Here's what we'll be sharing:

Li at The Wining Hour will share "Soavemente, Bacciame! Getting Intimate with Soave"

Jeff at FoodWineClick will share "The Name Says It All: Soave Classico"

Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Cam will share "Salmone al Forno + Pieropan Soave Classico 

Susannah at Avvinare will share "Soave Looks Ahead to New Frontiers"

Nicole at Sommstable will share "Inama Soave Classico with Brown Butter and Herb Crayfish Rolls

Lynn at Savor the Harvest will share "Strolling to Soave and Cantina del Castello

*Information sourced by the Consorzio Tutela del Soave and Gini.

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Malvasia on the Island of Sicilia with Tasca d'Almerita

A few weeks ago I was invited to a tasting of the Dalla Terra portfolio where 9 families of Italian wine producers were visiting Boston.  I love opportunities like these, especially when they all Italian.  It was the perfect opportunity to take the day off of work and meet these folks.  I made it through 7 of the 9 so I have plenty of stories and wines to share with you in upcoming weeks.  Life is a little crazy right now with getting our house ready for sale while trying to find one never mind balancing two little ones under 2, but that's why we have wine right?!

Giuseppe Tasca

The wines I'm sharing with you today are made from the malvasia grape from Tasca d'Almerita on the island of Sicily.  This was my first stop of the day and I was greeted by co-owner of the winery and VP, Giuseppe Tasca.  Giuseppe, along with his brother Alberto and father Count Lucia Tasca, manage the operations of the winery today.  Giuseppe greeted me with such enthusiasm and was so proud to tell me the history of his family and the estates that they own.  He walked me through all his pictures and explained the differences between the 5 farms, known as tenuta, and how the expressions of the grape varieties differ from the variety of landscapes that they're grown on.  Those 5 estates include

• Tenuta Capofaro (Salina)
• Tenuta Tascante (Mt. Etna)
• Tenuta Whitaker (Mozia)
• Tenuta Regaleali (DOC Sclafani county)
• Sallier de la Tour (Palermo province)

Tenuta Capofaro

The malvasia wines I'm sharing come from the Tenuta Capofaro estate.  This particular estate is located on the Aeolian island Salina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, off the northeastern coast of Sicily.  At the estate they only grow malvasia, known there as malvasia della lipari, on their vineyards that consist of 6 hectares situated on ancient lava rock.  This area is known for malvasia typically produced as a sweet wine.  Tenuta Capofaro wanted to present it also in a different light and show it as a dry style wine with freshness and elegance, hence their Didyme wine I tasted below.

Giuseppe was showing me pictures of the resort that guests can stay at on their estate. Looked like heaven to me!  They purchased this estate back in 2002 and at the time majority of the hectares were already planted with malvasia, but they restructured some of the vineyard and kept the best quality vines.  

The 2 wines I tasted were the 2016 Tenuta Capofaro Malvasia Passito called "CapoFaro" and the 2017 Tenuta Capofaro Malvasia Didyme.  I hope you have an opportunity to taste these wines and to experience malvasia in its different styles.

2016 Tenuta Capofaro Malvasia Passito "CapoFaro" Salina IGT made of 100% malvasia.  These malvasia grapes are dehydrated indoors, concentrating the sugars in the grapes.  They're fermented in stainless steel and aged for 6 months.  The wine showed a beautiful balance of sweetness and acidity without the heavy viscosity of other dessert wines.  Beautiful notes of honey and peaches.  SRP $38 (wine-searcher)

2017 Tenuta Capofaro Malvasia Didime Salina IGT made also with 100% malvasia.  This wine is named after the old name of the island "Didyme".  A light-bodied dry wine that is crisp, elegant, showing nice minerality and acidity combined with some citrus, flowers and herb notes.  SRP $16 (wine-searcher)

Happy Memorial weekend to everyone!

*Pictures and information sourced from Jarvis Communications and Tasca d'Almerita.

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Vermentino of Toscana with Aia Vecchia

In the Boston area this past week we have experienced a blast of heat and definitely got me into the mood for some whites, which is the highlight of our Italian Food, Wine & Travel groups feature this month as we discuss the white grape of Italy, vermentino. 

Vermentino is a grape that can be found in a number of regions within Italy and as if it's not hard enough to learn about all the indigenous grapes of Italy, but in certain regions it is known under a different name.  This grape can be found in Tuscany, Piedmont where it's known as Favorita, Sardinia and Liguria where it's known as Pigato. 

Vermentino is a dry, light-bodied aromatic white wine with refreshing acidity, floral and citrus notes and a finish at times that includes almonds.  Jancis Robinson calls vermentino a grape that is "racy, citrus, often mineral and sometimes marine character of refreshing dry wine, usually unoaked and moderate in alcohol".

I opened a 2015 Aia Vecchia Vermentino of Tuscany that I had on hand last week and days later happened to receive an invitation to meet one of the members of the Pelligrini family that produces the wine so it all happened at just the right time.

Elia Pelligrini

Aia Vecchia is located between Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci and lies oalong the Tyrrhenian Sea.  The winery began in 1996 with their first vintage in 1998.  Their aim was to produce wines of high quality from small plots that were Super Tuscans.  Prior to producing their own wines most of their grapes were sold to other historic estates in the area. 

They have vineyards in both the Maremma and Bolgheri areas of southern Tuscany.  Of their 104 acres of vines planted, 74 of those are under the Bolgheri DOC.  Within Bolgheri you’ll find more international varieties like merlot and cabernet sauvignon vs. the more indigenous grapes of Italy. Aia Vecchia grows Bordeaux grapes including cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot which are showcased in their wines "Sur Ugo and Lagone" that I tried at the event this week and will share in an upcoming article. 

Tuscan wine regions including Bolgheri and Maremma copyright of Wine Folly

The vermentino I’m sharing today grows on their estates known as Magiano in Toscana and Orbetello located in Grosseto.  There is a small percentage, 5%, of this wine that includes viognier for weight and florals.  The 2015 Aia Vecchia Vermentino Toscana IGT was straw colored with lemon and citrus notes in the glass.  A dry white light on the acidity and a round mouthfeel with some tropical notes and a hint of almond.  I enjoyed the 2016 that I had at the tasting more than the 2015 due to its salinity and citrus notes, but I personally feel with a lot of these white wines the fresher the better. SRP $14. 13% ABV.

Join the rest of our Italian crew this Saturday May 5th live on Twitter at 11am EST #ItalianFWT and learn all about vermentino around Italy.  Join in the fun! See you then for a taste of summer.

• Gwen from Wine Predator is sharing "You Need To Know Vermentino: Paired with Carbonara #ItalianFWT" 
• Lauren from The Swirling Dervish is writing "Vegetarian Plates and Pigato from A.A. Durin: Perfect for Your Summer Table" 
•  Jill from L'Occasion is adding "Vermentino from Maremma, Land of The Butteri Tuscan Cowboys" 
• Jane from Always Ravenous is penning "Which Vermentino to Pair With Shrimp & Fresh Herb Pilaf?"
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest is contributing "One Italian Island White Wine You Must Try" 
• Katarina from Grapevine Adventures is dishing on "Vermentino by Antonella Corda - An expression of Sardinia Terroir" 
• David from Cookingchat is giving us "Salmon with Lemon Olive Relish and a Vermentino" 
• Nicole Ruiz Hudson from Sommstable is bringing "Piero Mancini Vermentino and Salmon Two Ways" 
• Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Cam is posting "From Sardegna to the Land Down Under: Vermentino + Pizza alle Vongole" 
• Wendy from A Day In The Life on The Farm gives us "A Successful Search for Vermentino". 
• Susannah at Avvinare is all about "Vermentino in its Varied Styles from Liguria to Sardegna."                   
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