Wine Party – Wines of Italy
Friday, October 12th, 2007Saturday,
4 to 6 pm
$5.00 per person
Home of: ExecutiveGiftService.com
You may have noticed that after returning from Italy, I have had Italian wines on my mind. I have been shopping catalogue lists for older vintages of well aged wines as well as sampling the tidal wave of new entries to our market. The tidal wave is more like a tsunami in respect to the sheer volume of imports. Most European countries have hundreds of varietals, whereas Italy has thousands. It seems every conquering nation used Italy for its vineyard. Please forgive me my passion for these wines and the extended days of tasting allotted to these wonderful wines.
Masi Serego Alighieri Bianco
List price: $9.99; OUR PRICE $7.99
It was in 1353 that Pietro, son of the poet Dante Alighieri, purchased land and a villa in the hills of Valpolicella. The estate is still the property of the descendants of the author of the Divine Comedy. The Serego Alighieri family is the current owner of this Veneto property and operates under the technical supervision of Masi who also handles distribution throughout the world. This wine combines the bouquet of flowers and fruit of Sauvignon Blanc (30%) with the delicate elegance of the Garganega grape (70%), with its characteristic aftertaste of almonds.
Antinori Tormaresca Chardonnay,
List price: $10.99; OUR PRICE $9.95
Florence-based Piero Antinori made the decision to invest in the southern Italian region of Puglia in 1998. Viticulture is nothing new to Puglia where vines have been in the ground since the 8th century, when the region was known as Magna Grecia or Greater Greece. The wine is partially barrel fermented which accounts for its buttery peach aromas and flavours, but you can also taste the minerals and the nearby sea influence on the nose and palate. A soft, fresh, ripe apple/citrus chardonnay with an elegant demeanor that reflects its European origins in flavor and style.
Masi Serego Alighieri Rosso
List price: $14.95; OUR PRICE $9.99
The collaboration between the Alighieri family and Masi has lasted for over 30 years, producing blends of Corvina grapes with Sangiovese. Brief ageing in cherry wood casks lends unique personality to the wine giving it a spicy, fruity body and easy drinkability.
Bersano Generala Barbera d’Asti
List price: $ 25.00; OUR PRICE $16.50
Based in Nizza Monferrato, the Bersano estate produces Asti and Monferrato wines, from the varietals Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto d’Alba, Gavi, Roero Arneis, Brachetto d’Acqui and even a grappa. The vineyards are located throughout Piemonte, but Bersano is best known for the long aging wines of Barolo. Here is an opportunity to try a well aged Barbera d’Asti from the 1998 vintage.
Tenuta Sant’Antonio Capitel del Monte Cabernet Sauvignon
List price: $22.50; OUR PRICE $12.95
Tenuta Sant’Antonio is located in the hills of the Valpolicella zone of Northern Italy, just to the north of Verona and a smidge west of Lago di Garda. This wine is quite intriguing as the grapes are air dried for up to a month before they are pressed, thus concentrating all the aromas, acids, sugars and flavors; a Cabernet in the Amarone-style, if you will. The wine opens after aeration with a plumy berry nose and finishes with mouth coating chocolate and cedar flavors. This is a big wine from an excellent vintage and is not for the squeamish.
Vietti Moscato d’Asti, Piemonte
List price: $14.00; OUR PRICE $11.95
Asti Spumante refers to a fully sparkling wine with straightforward sweet and fruity flavors that can be quite enjoyable as a dessert selection. Moscato d’Asti, on the other hand, is one of the world’s great wine styles. It is a low-alcohol, semi-sparkling wine with about half the carbonation of a typical sparkling wine. It is extremely aromatic with a complex perfume. The wine has a mild level of sweetness counterbalanced by vibrant acidity.
UPDATE: Pictures from the tasting…
