Wineshow: excellent, I’d never heard of it
To all the curious wine lovers who have never lost or will never lose their thirst for discovery and adventure, we dedicated a Wineshow full of the rare labels that you really need to know about!
Often we tend to choose the same old wines, the most famous ones, or those that we have already tasted several times, as this way we know we will never be unpleasantly surprised!
But what has happened to our spirit of adventure? That desire to explore what makes us feel like mini Christopher Colombuses when we unexpectedly come across wines that then become our favorites?
This is why, during the Wineshow “Excellent, I‘d never heard of it”, we wanted to have you try a few less popular labels which we, in turn, had stumbled over by chance and with which we had immediately fallen in love.
HERE’S WHAT WE TASTED
Champagne Cordon Rouge by G.H Mumm, #Playful character
As a welcome drink, we served the Champagne Cordon Rouge with its #Playful character. On an evening full of strangers, it is always nice to be able to count on an old friend who makes you feel at home!
“Terre di Olfino” Garda Doc by Gozzi, #Charming character
We are in the province of Mantua, a land that lies on the border between two regions and is often more Emilian than Lombard. This white is the result of a blend of Garganega, Yellow Trebbiano, Chardonnay and Riesling Italico grapes, hand-picked in the vineyards of Olfino in Monzambano, on the morainic hillsides south of Lake Garda.
Judging from the selection of grape varieties, one might expect a wine with a paltry fragrance, tending to feel “ordinary” on the palate.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
With its intense, complex floral and fruity scents, it comes into its own in the mouth: despite its acidic verve and sapid finish, the softness and the full-body imprinted by the alcohol give the drink its structure. And this is why its character is decisive #Charming.
A truly interesting discovery, especially when we revealed the price…
Hold on tight… 6 euros!
Nakone 2017, Terre Siciliane Igt by Sette Aje, #Exotic character
Nakone is a rosé wine and we would normally have defined it as #Eccentric. However, we decided that it was impossible to reduce the entire world of rosé wines into a single category. We felt that we would be undermining it and that we would surely be missing out on the many nuances that this type of wine can offer.
The Nakone made by the Sette Aje winery is the ultimate example of this line of reasoning.
In fact, you would expect anything from a rosé except that it was an aromatic wine, like this blend of Moscato and Ancient Grape, with its antique rose colour and orangey highlights. A wine that is not only little-known but also features a discovery inside a discovery. In fact, it is obtained from a blend of Moscato grapes (so nothing strange up to here) and Ancient Grape.
And what on earth is ancient grape? To tell the truth, no-one really knows and this is precisely why the 4 sisters who make the wine, otherwise known as Sette Aje, decided to give these varieties, which they found in amongst their own rows, such a mysterious and evocative name: antique grape.
And for the same reason they called the wine ‘Nakone’, like the ancient and never again found city of Elima. It is thought to have been located near the Fortress of Entella, along the banks of the Crimiso river (nowadays known as Bélice), even if no archaeologist or academic has ever been able to pinpoint its exact location. The most striking element of the wine is certainly its aroma, in which it is impossible not to recognise the spicy notes of the moscato grape. It is warm but not too tight in the mouth and soft overall. The character? We’ll soon discover the new characters of the rosé wines, but for the moment we’ve classified it as an #Ethnic wine.
Pinot Nero “Noir”, Oltrepò Pavese Doc by Tenuta Mazzolino, #Magnetic character
Here, to tell the truth, we cheated a little…the Noir is anything but a stranger! And in fact, it is one of the most important and successful examples of Pinot Noir in the Oltrepò Pavese area. We introduced it into the tasting event because sometimes it is nice to see the surprised faces of those who rediscover (but more often simply discover) the greatness of the Oltrepò area and understand the ability of this land to produce fantastic wines.
We’re in Corvino San Quirico, on land which has clay and limestone soil, exposed to the north and the northwest, where the vines were launched in 1980 using clones of Pinot Nero imported directly…you’ll never believe it …from Burgundy.
After vinification, the “Noir” rests for approximately a year in French oak, Allier and Troncais barriques. It passes one-third of this time in new barriques, another third in barriques in use for the second time and the rest in third-hand ones, and this is surely why it reminds us so much of the Pinot Noirs from France.
The aroma evolves, from berries to dog rose and finally leather.
A #Magnetic Pinot Noir: fresh and sapid with grippy tannin and a persistent finish.
“Campo delle Conchiglie”, Toscana Igt by Poderi le Fontanelle Lavacchio, #Sage character
Well, this was where we were all shell-shocked.
Drinking wines of this level by chance and in a blind tasting event is like going out to do the shopping and meeting Monica Bellucci or Brad Pitt (depending on your tastes :) ). An incredible red that is produced in Lavacchio, an area that borders with the Doc of the prestigious Brunello di Montalcino. We tasted the 2012 vintage which, as Sebastian, the producer, put it, is a blend of Sangiovese (at least 85%) and a small percentage of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Ciliegiolo. However, over the last few years, they have chosen to only use Sangiovese grapes when producing Campo Saline.
The colour is precisely that of a vintage wine, a ruby red that is not too faded but presents clear orangey highlights. The aroma is an explosion of Tuscany: ripe red fruits, violet, tobacco, leather, and a light hematic note.
Its mouthfeel is warm, structured and luxurious…it’s a #Sage wine, one of those that know it all!
“Passito di Grillo Donna Rosalia”, Sicilia Doc by Sette Aje, #Affectionate character
One of the very few and extremely rare examples of passito made with the Grillo grape produced in Sicily.
Made with grapes that have naturally wilted on the plant, and are then hand-picked. It has the typical colour of an #Affectionate passito: golden yellow with amber highlights, the aroma is very intense with notes of caramel, candied fruit, vanilla, pepper, and tobacco.
It has a very soft mouthfeel but is balanced by good acidity.
And the four sisters who run the Sette Aje winery had no choice but to label this stylistic expression of sweetness with the name of their beloved grandmother, Donna Rosalia, the mainstay of the women in the Cannata family.
In fact, they say: “We wanted to dedicate this wonderful, important wine to our grandmother, her energy and her wisdom”.
Have we made you want to participate in our Wineshows? Visit the events page to find out when the next one is on!