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The Inspired Wine Club, August 2009: Hot Italian Nights

Ivy Kupec — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:58:07 +0000

“Peccato gravissimo ē quello di stare senza vino e senza amante.”

Translation: “It is a grave mistake to live without wine and a lover.”

~ Giuseppe Lonardi, winemaker

It’s that sultry part of summer. August is here and what better way to celebrate than with a couple of reds from steamy, passionate Italy. Yes, it’s time to pull out the Dean Martin or Louis Prima music to accompany your red-checkered tablecloth on your own private terrazzo. The summer breezes will win out over the humidity as the sun sets and you can enjoy some of Italy’s fine wines with penne Puttanesca, veal Parmigiana or the old standby spaghetti Bolognese (with meat sauce). However, these are versatile reds that are suitable for your quasi- Tuscan grill, too. These are your spicy Italian reds, ready to embolden and enliven you or just soothe your soul as you watch fireflies from your favorite deck chair.

Giuseppe Lonardi Valpolicella Ripasso,

Veneto, Italy

After 12 months of aging in small oak barrels that provide more surface area to the wine inside, this mix of 75 percent Corvina Veronese, 20 percent Rondinella and 5 percent Molinara, has another six months of bottle aging. A very “Corvina” wine, it has dark, lush cranberry and smoky chocolate flavors. It’s a deep ruby wine that is bold and can stand its own with red meats, grilled meats, game, and your spiciest pasta dishes. It’s a traditional “ripasso,” which means it has to conform to that process – fermenting with the unpressed, but drained Amarone skins and lees. Amarone is a very dry red wine that when used in this way produces beautiful Corvinas that are generally best suited to enjoy with food.

Perazzeta Sara Rosso Toscano,

Tuscany, Italy

Bring the Tuscan sunset to your own backyard with this Sangiovese wine. Named after his daughter Sara, Alessandro Bocci has produced a wonderfully bold Chianti-esque wine that clearly gets its intensity from the Tuscan sun and the large river rocks that are found on his Estate there that hold in that heat at night. Fermented first in steel tanks, followed by the smoothing malolactic fermentation in small wooden barrels, Bocci has produced a wine with bright cherry flavors and spicy notes and earth tones. Again, this is a crisply acidic wine that goes well with your meats and Mama’s favorite red sauce.

Benvenuto! Stories from Small Vineyards in Italy

Sean — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:05:36 +0000

My recent trip to Italy was largely restricted to Roma, which is located in the region of Lazio. The professor shepherding my small group of students suggested we taste mostly Lazio wines, preaching that the difference between a tourist and a traveler is an interest in what their immediate surroundings offer. Tourists would insist on only trying wines from the regions their guide book declared to be the best, while true travelers would immerse themselves in the wines from Lazio, suppressing the urge to drink strictly those from Toscana and Piemonte. Tourist is a detestable name anywhere, and so to avoid being labeled one I stuck with Lazio. They tasted fantastic to my young palate, but nothing like the portfolio Small Vineyards presented yesterday.

Prosecco – Simple, yet Sparkling

Ivy Kupec — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:54:43 +0000

Who would have guessed that Paris Hilton could change winemaking? In the past year here in Germany, I have seen Ms. Hilton’s face on billboards, buses and big, in-store displays NOT to promote another reality TV show, but rather single-serving cans of Rich Prosecco. Yes, I did say, “cans” of Prosecco. And as Rich Prosecco turned up [...]