In the north of Italy lies a region with a sixth of all Italy’s people and a healthy portion of its vines. The region is home to the best sparkling wine produced in Italy as well as some of the funkiest cheeses around—try Tellagio sometime, it’s actually very good. Here they call the Nebbiolo grape Chiavennasca and will sometimes dry them to raisins before making a strong, off-dry red. If you haven’t googled it already, the area in question is the Lombardy region, in north-central Italy, along the Swiss border.

The wine market of Lombardy in inextricably linked to its cultural center—Milan. The wines of the region have historically gone to quench the thirst of the cities citizenry. Over time, the region and the city seem to have worked out a deal were the vineyards grow what the city wants to drink—or perhaps the city just like to drink its local vino. In any case, there’s a lot of sparkling wine coming out of Lombardy as well as some excellent red wine called Valtellina.

Franciacorta is a DOCG wine zone (the highest quality level a region in Italy can receive), which grows grapes exclusively for use in sparkling wine. The region uses the Champagne process to make their wines and even uses the Champagne grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—with a little Pinot Bianco thrown in for local flavor. The wines are aged for 18 months to 30 months for non-vintage and vintage wines, respectively. Franciacorta sparkling wines can be expected to have a little more sugar than Champagne, but they won’t be sweet. Any wine that is produced in the area that isn’t sparkling is called Terre di Franciacorta. Still wines from the region include blends of red Bordeaux grapes and aged Chardonnay in the style of Burgundy.

Outside of Piedmont—the ancestral home of Nebbiolo—the only area to grow the grape is Valtellina in Lombardy. Nebbiolo is famous for making Barolo and Barbaresco in neighboring Piedmont. In Lombardy the grape makes a more delicate wine, with less acid and tannin than the world famous Nebbiolos of Piedmont. Though lighter in style, Valtellina makes excellent red wines capable of aging for up to 10 years. A very unique wine is made here from the Nebbiolo grape, it’s called Sforzato and is made from grapes semi-dried grapes and results in a strong, rich wine, similar to Amarone.

Another region producing wine in Lombardy is the Oltrepò Pavese—literally “across the Po river.” Oltrepò Pavese is responsible for half the wine coming out of Lombardy, but most of it is simple wines that won’t get outside of Italy. The quality wines are made from Pinot Noir, both in sparkling white and still red wines.

Chardonnay, International Wine, Italian Wine, Sparkling Wine Chardonnay, franciocorta, italy, lombardy, nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Wine, valtellina

Champagne, I love you, you’re wonderful and I’ll see you on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. Prosecco is for the everyday celebration. You should have sparkling wine at least once a week. At least. Prosecco fills that niche with grace and charm.

So what if it isn’t wafting complex toasted brioche and apricot aromas like the great sophisticated Champagne it is inevitably compared to? It’s not supposed to be Champagne. Yes, they both have bubbles and are usually white…and that’s about where we can stop comparing them. Decent Champagne starts at $30 a bottle, but good Prosecco can be had for $12 a bottle.

You may know Prosecco from the Bellini, that wonderful fizzy peach cocktail. Prosecco can be an aperitif, or a table wine to go with an easy Wednesday night dinner. Prosecco is hip and in-the-know. Prosecco says “I like bubbles, and I don’t care if it’s not from France, I’m going to drink what I want.”

Prosecco hails from the Veneto region in Italy, roughly a third of the way down, on the western side. It’s a pretty land with gently rolling hills. The wine is protected by the Prosecco DOC and by a new DOCG for Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. Just look for the little pink ribbon on the top of the bottle and you’re good to go.

Prosecco is that rarest of rare old world wines that makes sense to the American labeling mindset: Prosecco wine is made from Prosecco grapes. It’s that easy. You just don’t find ‘em like that in Europe. (Of course the Italians caught on that us Americans were having an easy time understanding their labels, so they went ahead and changed the name of the grape to Glera)

Prosecco may not have the reputation that Champagne has earned, but it still should be a go-to bubbly for quality, fun and value.

Cheap Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Sparkling Wine italian sparkling wine, Italian Wine, Prosecco, prosecco grape, Sparkling Wine

The Nebbiolo grape ripens particularly late, which historically meant that by the time the grapes were picked and the wine was made, it got really cold outside. Cold enough to stop the fermentation of the wine while it still had sugar left in it. Barolo wasn’t a dry wine until the mid 1800’s. Global warming has actually helped the grapes late ripening schedule—a little extra time in the autumn for sugars to develop has allowed the production of Barolo to increase.

Barolo is certainly one of the finest wines to come from the great nation of Italy. It’s been called the wine of kings and the king of wines…and not too many people will argue about that. It’s a wine made from a single grape—Nebbiolo—in a small area in northwest Italy.

The Barolo vineyard zone is located in the Italian province of Piedmont—home to the world famous white truffles and the wines of Barbaresco. Barolo is region that has received the highest honor from the Italian government—DOCG, which means it is a product of guaranteed quality. Borolo wines are usually highly concentrated, rich and full bodied; the wines gain this power, tannin and acid-load from the traditional practice of macerating the wine on the grape skins. Modern producers have shortened the length of time that the wine sits on the skins, but have been able to retain some of the characteristic body that is gained from long maceration by utilizing a practice that mechanically pumps the wine over the skins.

The wine can be made in several communes and areas around the zone, but the majority of the wine comes from the original communes of Barolo, La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba and Monfornte d’Alba—any of these names on a label of Barolo is good news. In addition to the communes a few vineyards in Barolo have generated the best wines over time; look for the names: Cannubi, Sarmazza, Brunate, Roche and Cerequi. Traditional style Barolo needed at least 5 years of aging to soften the deep tannins—some newer-style winemakers have moved in a direction that produces wines which are more approachable at a younger age.

Once you’ve found a great bottle of Barolo, you need to get yourself a nice hearty meal to go with it. The huge tannins in Barolo (and many big red wines) are a natural pairing for red meats as well as starches and sauces made from cream, butter and meat stock reductions. Risotto made with Barolo wine—and lots of Parmesan cheese—is a specialty of chef Mario Batali. Go enjoy some Barolo wine…but don’t plan on cooking with it, because you won’t want to stop drinking it.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine barolo, Italian Wine, nebbiolo, piedmont wine

You may have heard of wines called “Super Tuscans” at some point. Alas, these are not Italian super-heroes…but they are fantastic wines. They hail, of course, from the region of Tuscany in central Italy and their history is one of rebellion greatness.

First, you must understand Italian wine laws. There are several quality-level designations within the Italian wine law that basically dictate which grapes can be grown where, based on historical practices. The name for the highest level of quality (and strictness) is DOC and DOCg—which is Denominacion de Controlatta and Denominacion de Controlatta garantita.

In many parts of Tuscany the grape that is accepted for DOC and DOCg use is the great Sangiovese (which you many know as it makes Chianti). In Tuscany the Sangiovese grape has been established for centuries.

Cabernet Sauvignon has not. Cabernet is a French grape. It does not have a history in Tuscany, or Italy for that matter.

Nonetheless, in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s a group of winemakers started blending the native Sangiovese with the Bordeaux grapes, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon along with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The first of these wines was Sassicaia, followed by Tignanello, Ornellaia rounds out the three most famous names in Super Tuscans.

Since these wines were not made according the DOC rules, they had to be labeled as Vin d’Tavolo—that is, table wine. But then something happened, the wines became famous and started commanding very high prices. The Italian government was not pleased that the most expensive wines coming out of Italy were lowly table wines that didn’t follow the rules. So, they went ahead and changed the rules. They called the wines IGT (Indicazione Geographica Tipica) which meant that at least 85% of the grapes for the wine came from the geographic area, in this case, Tuscany.

Winemakers all over the world have followed in the footsteps of the first Super Tuscan producers by planting French varietals and blending them with all kinds of grapes. The Italian government even granted Sassicaia it’s own DOC—the only one for a single vineyard in all of Italy.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Red Wine Cabernet Sauvignon, Italian Wine, super tuscan, tuscan wine, tuscany

Maybe it’s a coincidence that those tacky straw-wrapped bottle of Chianti are called fiasco. Yeah, maybe, that’s a coincidence. If you worship any particular deity, thank him or her for the fact that those horrible bottles have been phased out of use. We can also be thankful for the gallo nero, the black rooster who resides on the neck of Chianti bottles whose producers belong to the eponymous organization dedicated to the quality and integrity of Chianti wine.

The central region of Italy is home to the Chianti region, a large region with multi sub-units that takes up a serious portion of Tuscany. The area has been home to a wine traveling under the name Chianti since the 13^th century—which makes it one of the oldest continuously planted and named wine growing regions in the world.

Today we know Chianiti as a Sangiovese based red wine, however it hasn’t always been produced in this style. For a while Chianti was a white wine, then a wine based around Canaiolo, a red grape which today makes up a minority blending grape in Chianti. The modern “recipe” for Chianti was developed in the mid-nineteenth century by an Italian statesman named Bettino Ricasoli. His Chianti formula called for 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia. This stuck for quite a while. Though the percentages in Chianti vary today, the dominant grape is still Sangiovese, with some Canaiolo blended in.

Today’s Chianti is made in one of 8 sub-regions, all centered around the heartland of Chianti, known as Chianti Classico. The regions use their sub name after the Chianti name; for instance: Chianti Colli Senesi or Chianti Rufina. Most are named for the towns they are based around, Colli Senesi around Siena. The Classico region is still considered to produce the most consistently quality wine—though all regions produce excellent wine from select producers.

No matter where you find yourself in the Chianti sub regions, the grapes and mix will be the same—lots of Sangiovese, a little Canaiolo. The wines can range from light to medium-heavy in body. Acidity is generally medium-high and tannin levels are in the medium area. That’s a lot of “medium” descriptors, but rest assured these wines can be downright stunning. The aromas are righteously old-world: earth, dirt, mushrooms and general funkiness. Don’t forget the aging potential of Chianti; four to eight years for average bottles and vintages and ten to twenty years of improvement for stellar wines.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Red Wine Chianti, chianti classico, fiasco, Italian Wine, sangiovese

There’s been an unfortunate history in the wine industry of labeling generic white wine “Chablis.” It’s unfortunate because the lake of inferior white wine carrying the Chablis name does no justice to real McCoy.

You see, Chablis is a real place. A real, cold, small place in northern France. The region lies on the 48^th parallel—roughly the same latitude as the U.S. border with Canada in the Great Lakes area—and is the northernmost limit of wine production. The Burgundy region claims Chablis—though it’s actually closer to Champagne—but it’s wine production is significantly different. Chablis produces good wines under the AOC designations with only the Chardonnay grape. Burgundy, of course, grows the grape as well, but the styles in which the wines in Chablis are made are distinctive.

Chablis is recognized for the uniqueness of its soils, the most famous of which is the Kimmeridgean. This soil is ancient, from the Jurassic period, and is composed of clay and ancient oyster shells. The soil is said to give the wines a distinct nose of flint, mineral and steel. Some say the reason that oysters and Chablis are such a classic pairing is that the Chablis vines grow from soil composed of fossilized oyster shells.

It’s important to remember that the Chablis region is very far north, which means the grapes often times do not ripen in the same way that more southerly Chardonnay will. The cooler climate and shorter growing season give the wines of Chablis a characteristic acidity, which is described as racy and green-apple-like. Another characteristic of Chablis wines is a faint tinge of green on the edges of the wine in a glass. The wines of Chablis are usually not made or aged in oak. This gives theses Chardonnay wines a particular purity of flavor not often found in Chardonnay from other parts of the world that use significant oak.

The AOC Chablis regulations divide the region into four levels, in ascending or of quality: Petite Chablis, AOC Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. All of the Grand Cru vineyards are located on a single southwest-facing hill; there are only seven but they’re all wonderful. All seven produce wines and label the bottles with the names of the vineyard; they are: Bougros, Les Preuses, Vaudésir, Grenouilles, Valmur, Les Clos and Blanchot. There are good wines produced from the Premier Cru vineyards as well, though they may or may not put the names of the vineyards on the labels.

The wines of Chablis are unique, with strong floral, flinty, earthy aromas and bracing acidity. In good vintages they can be excellent, and, due to the relative lack of demand for them, they can be reasonably priced. Look for wines from ’02, ’05 or ’07 and look for a label with a vineyard name on it—it will at least be a Premier Cru. Expect to pay anywhere from $15-$50 for a bottle.

Burgundy, Chardonnay, French Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine Burgundy, chablis, Chardonnay, French Wine

Imagine a wine so rare that there is only one producer. And that producer only declared four vintages in the first 57 years of production. That’s the story of the modern production of Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello is the local name for Sangiovese, the grape that makes Chianti, Brunello’s companion in the Tuscany region of Central Italy. Though Chianti is certainly the more famous of the two, Brunello is arguably more celebrated. Today there are many more producers, but the wines legend lives on.

A wine known as Montalcino was recorded as early as the 14^th century, but unlike in many regions of Italy, the Montalcino area didn’t develop a long history of wine production. (Perhaps the dominance and proximity of Chianti quelled any need for competition?) Beginning in the early 19^th century a red wine from Tuscany called “Brunello” began appearing. Soon after a farmer in the Montalcino region isolated the grape making these wines (a clonal selection of Sangiovese). That man’s grandson took over the vines and released the first Brunello di Montalcino in 1888.

The wine was aged for 10 years in large wood barrels before bottling. Consider this for a second, this man created a wine that virtually had no market, but had to wait a decade before he sold the first bottle! Modern requirements for aging aren’t that long, but still require 4 years for normale versions of Brunello and 5 years for riserva. The other requirement for the DOCG Brunello di Montalcino—the very first region to be given the honor—are that the wine must be made from 100% Sangiovese.

The climate of the Montalcino is ideal for ripening Sangiovese grapes, and this ripeness shows in the final product. Brunello di Montalcino is a wine full of extract with a full body and assertive tannins; common aromas are of berries, cherries, leather and chocolate. The wine is very intense and has the capacity to age for very long periods.

In part because of the intensity of the wine, and in part because of the desire of producers to release their product faster (in order to get capital for running their operations) the first “junior DOC” was granted to Brunello di Montalcino. Rosso di Montalcino—sometimes called “Baby Brunello”—is wine from the same region as Brunello and from 100% Sangiovese. The only difference is that the aging requirements for Rosso are much less—1 year total aging before release, of which at least six months is in oak.

After seeing the success of the Super Tuscans, some producers in Brunello wanted to emulate them and produce wines with international varietals like Cabernet blended into their Sangiovese. This was of course strictly forbidden in Brunello, so the government set up a DOC to allow producer to bottle wines made from non-Sangiovese grapes. Sant’Antimo DOC has the same boundaries as the Brunello region, but producers can operate outside of the restrictive DOCG rules and still have a respectable DOC in which to sell their wines.

International Wine, Italian Wine Brunello, montalcino, Red Wine, sangiovese, tuscany

You know, the Italians can be pretty logical when it comes to naming some of their wines. Really, all an English speaker needs to translate is d’ or del—it means “from, or, of”—and you can get this stuff down. For instance, Aglianico del Vulture is red wine. Made from the grape Aglianico. In the region of, you guessed it, Vulture.

Though some Italian wines don’t all follow this nice concise naming rule, one that does is Barbera di Asti. Now that’s a name. Barbera is the third most planted red grape in the nation of Italy. Think about that. Italy is perennially in the top three wine producing countries in the world. And there are only two red grapes that are more popular than Barbera. Yet you’ve never had a single bottle of Barbera? Well, Barbera d’Asti is the place to start.

Barbera d’Asti is a DOC as well as a DOCG since 2008. Barbera d’Asti is some good juice. And that’s a guarantee from the Italian government! Barbera is a red grape that calls northwest Italy its home. Barbera is planted across the nation of Italy, and the world, but the heartland of Barbera is the Asti region of Italy.

So here’s the best part about Barbera d’Asti—it’s fun to drink. It’s fun say. It’s fun to know about a semi-obscure varietal that more people should know about. It’s fun to flirt with Italians.

Barbera is a medium bodied red wine, similar in structure to a Tempranillo or a light-style Zinfandel. Barbera has a terrific acid and tannic load. Some of these wines can age as beautifully as a Barolo, but others are ready to go now. The freshest of wines are display a nose of sweet berries and crushed roses. They say Italians have one of the highest percentages of red-heads. Get to know this Italian red head.

International Wine, Italian Wine Barbera d'Asti, Italian Wine, Red Wine

Wine Club Insider coming at you from on the road this week!

Yup… actually had to go out of town to do some work for a living… I pride myself on being one of the busiest unemployed people I know, but every once in a while, I have to do something at least mildly productive, even if just to keep my wife happy.

With that in mind, I had to make the trip to Bend, Or. to teach a small clinic. I drove down Sunday, and it was an awesome day… mid 80s (warmest day this year around here!), sunny… perfect! By the looks of it, the wine industry isn’t suffering quite as mush as the rest of us in these troubled times… people will always keep sipping their vino, I guess. It was great to see all of the new wineries dotting the Columbia River and Oregon hillsides as I made the trip. I’m planning in hitting a few of them on the way home – strictly for educational purposes, of course!

On a side note, the unsettled weather seems to be following me; the drive down was perfect, it was 86 yesterday, and today, after giving it a chance to catch up, it’s 66 and raining – in the high desert. Oh well… just seems to be my luck this spring. I did get a great run in this morning before the clouds rolled in, though, so no worries!

The folks I’m staying with in Bend are also foodie/winos, so we manage to always find something to drink, eat and chat about, even if it’s just a simple salad, watermelon and cheese like we had Sunday night, accompanied by a very pleasant surprise that I dragged out of my cellar and brought along for the ride…

We opened a 2002 A Mano Puglia, which is made from 100% Primitivo (Basically Zinfandel, or at least modern Zin’s grandfather). It was huge! Rich, full, but not over done. Yup… Zin is my current favorite red grape… it’s been working toward it for a year, and over the past 3 or 4 months, I don’t think I’ve had a bad Zin!

Last night, friends came over for lasagna, salad and bread, and brought, of all things, a Ravenswood Zin. A great coincidence! The Ravenswood was excellent, as usual, but lacked some of the fruit of the A Mano, to my mind. Still a terrific wine, though.

Tonight, I’m facing off against one of the chefs here in town in an Iron Chef-meets-Chopped contest, with pride and a good bottle on the line… I’ll let you know how it goes on Thursday!

(I think I have an edge, because I also brought the fabulous 2003 Borra “Fusion,” the Syrah-Cab Sauv-Merlot-Zin blend from from Lodi for the entree, and with my dessert, I’m serving one of the last 6 remaining bottles of Renaissance 1982 Late Harvest Sauv Blanc in a 750… it’s the color of dark caramel, and will carry the evening for me, I’m sure, no matter what I make!) Almost a shame to have to throw in work in the middle of all of it, but it keeps me in vino, laptops and mountain bikes, so it’s all good!

Have a great week!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Red Wine, Shiraz, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting A Mano, Borra Fusion, Chopped, cooking, Iron Chef, Primitivo, Ravenswood, Renaissance Late Harvest, Travel, Wine, Zinfandel

Wine Club Insider back again!

Have you ever got to the point, in late March-early April, where the snow is still coming down, blowing sideways, that you’re almost ready for spring? My wimpy, (smart?) warm-climate friends are playing golf, wearing shorts, sitting on the back deck while we’re still shoveling snow… hmmm… might have to consider this situation… anyone have a condo to rent in Phoenix?

Ah, well… it is what it is, so to make the best of it, I stopped in at one of my favorite local watering holes, “Bardenay,” which is a nautical term used by sailors to announce the arrival of cocktail hour – “Bardenay Time,” which means I like the place already!

Now, Bardenay – www.bardenay.com- which has three locations in Idaho, is a great place with a terrific menu (today they had red bean and chorizo stew and Mojito “small batch” ice cream on the specials list), and a really top notch wine list!

They have 30 wines by the glass, and another couple hundred in bottles, ranging from Uber-affordable, to Classy big names such as Gaja, Caymus, Krug etc. They also have a very nice port selection, with almost a dozen choices between Ports, Madieras and Sherrys.

However, I have to tell you that the reason I like it is they are the nation’s first distillery-restaurant, with the distillery right here on premises, so they make their own rum, gin and vodka, and it’s pretty tasty, I have to say!

My favorite cocktail of choice right now is the Mojito, and in the middle of winter, they aren’t always that easy to get, but Bardenay never disappoints, with fresh mint on hand, rum from right here, and just the right touch of sweetness…

They also hand squeeze all of their juices, and have a terrific atmosphere with a patio, fireplace, and happy, talented servers… ahhh, maybe summer isn’t so far away after all!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out!

California Wine, Cheap Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Red Wine, Sweet Wine, Uncategorized, USA Wine, Wine Bar, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Caymus, Distillery, Gaja, gin, Krug, Mojitos, rum, Spirits, vodka, wine list