Glass of Italy

Due to fortunate circumstances, I was invited to a private tasting at The Hudson Hotel, NYC last Tuesday. So hip, there is no sign on the 58th St. entrance...so hipster that I'm forced to don my reading glasses to find the 24th floor button in the elevator. After the cavern-like 'lobby' the tasting is outdoors under a sun tent with views of the Jersey rive gauche, a breezy late spring affair high above the hustle down below. Let's get to the wine.
I run through the whites first, as usual, and this takes but a few minutes as there are not too many here today. Bingo, the first wine is a winner, juicy without being over-fruity or sweet the Trebbiano-Chardonnay blend Rubicone IGT, Terre Forti 2010 was raised in the Northwest of Italy in Emilia-Romagna. If priced well, that is to say in the $10 range (wholesale), I could pour this to great effect. The effect being pleasure for the guest and profit for the resto owner. It went downhill from there with but a Pinot Grigio and a Muller-Thurgau of no distinction, c'est la guerre.
The red wines fared well with a few exceptional works, which is all that interests me nowadays. Life is too short and brutish to waste it drinking average wine so there is my raison d'etre, et voila here are my choices for the next Italian wine list.
From the Terre De Trinci Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2004 offers up a deep and rich wine that screams for a cheese board. Wild berries and leathery tannins combine to create a flavor profile that pairs well with game and beef.
Marco Donati made one hell of a Teroldego in 2009. The Rotaliano DOC is carried on full, ripe berry flavors intermingled with savory herbs and the acidity/tannins prominent but in balance. Head and shoulders above yer average Teroldego, cheers.
The Cantina Di Villa has taken the Nebbiolo grape to great heights by pressing the grapes in January after drying the berries. After a long period of skin submersion during maceration, which is how they get all the flavor in the wine, it is aged for at least 36 months followed by 6 months cave rest in bottle. Result is a wine I know you are gonna love. Okay so there is a touch of fruit on the palate and it leans to the International Style that is taking over, whatcha gonna do but go with the flow, yes, Tom Wolfe was right after all, or was it Ken Kesey of the Merry Pranksters? Whatever, this is a premium wine well worth the $40 retail or $70 on the wine list price. Sforzato Di Valtina DOCG Tinaia 2006, really fine fruits and spice in balance, excellent.
While but a small gathering of producers the results were un-characteristically good. I'll keep you informed of some new wines as I find them...til then, cheers!

Wine Grapes from A to Z

Aligoté


A wine whose main purpose in life is to be fodder for Kir, well, then a sorry life it is. I vaguely remember my enamel being burned off my teeth as I sipped a p’tit ver d’enfer, bien sûr. So let the French in your life take care of all those pesky details, stick with what you know. It has the distinction of being Burgundy’s second white grape behind the much more profitable chardonnay. Bouzeron, proud little city that it is, champions the cause of Aligoté and thus has strict limits on production. Cheers, to them.

Sorry, nothing to recommend.

Wine Grapes from A to Z

Alicante Bouchet


Can’t say I love this grape on its own merit. Perhaps I have had it in Sonoma on one of my Wine Adventures, however I have heard of it and as I refreshed my memory with some light research my eyes glazed over and I thought of an exceptional wine grown not far from here in these very hillsides…Alicante Bouchet, really? Why not champion Cabernet Franc or Tempranillo if you want to stand and fight. Or perhaps you were curious about an obscure grape variety and wanted a thumbnail on said grape. Sorry, It is widely grown in southern France, regions of Spain and hither and yon to no great effect. I will report back here immediately should a profound specimen one day be found!

Sorry, nothing to recommend.

Wine Grapes from A to Z

Arneis


I love Arneis because of the almond and citrus flavors laced with a bright crisp acidity. Associated primarily with Roero, the Italian prefecture whence comes this fetching under-appreciated variety, Arneis has found a fan in Ken Wright, Oregon’s Pinot Noir pioneer. I implore you to try Arneis instead of the usual pinot grigio. Try ANYTHING but pinot grigio, if we all protest this way the restaurateurs will be forced to offer wines of merit and character for our summer fare instead of the vapid insipid choices they invariably make. How about Tocai Friulano or Falanghina or better yet a classic Soave from Leonildo Pieropan? Hnh? Demand more consumers, demand quality! Cheers, CS.
Recommended wines;
Arneis Blanghé Langhe Ceretto Lemony, mineral -laden and dry
Arneis '98 Napa L'uvaggio di Giacomo Nice change of pace

Wine Grapes from A to Z

Albariño


I love Albariño (a.k.a. alvarinho in Portugal’s northern region of Vinho Verde), because of the lemony lightness of its being. The Gallician answer to “What wine goes with shellfish and lighter apps?” A thick-skinned grape with peach aromas and flavors of stone fruit and citrus, it can be high in alcohol and acidity. Still attractively priced despite its increasing popularity in the states, look to Martin Codax, Pazo de Senorans for the finest from year to year. Añada is an aged Albariño of great merit, truly worth the extra money. Rias Baixas is the region of Spain from which Albariño is grown. My notes follow.
Albariño 2005 Quinta de Couselo Rias Baixas Exceptional wine
Albariño 2007 Burgans Rias Baixas More character than most
Albariño 2005 Finca de Arantei Rias Baixas Nice spicy number
Albariño 2005 Havens Napa Unique kinda wine
Albariño 2006 Laxas Rias Baixas Crisp, apple like acidity, long finish
Albariño 2005 Abadia de San Campio Rias Baixas Alluring, special wine
Albariño 2007 Pazo de Senorans Rias Baixas Zesty, alive, wild
Albariño 2003 Pazo de Senorans Rias Baixas Anada 30 months in tanks !!!