Alto Adige, good wine and beautiful nature

Alto Adige is one of my favorite regions in Italy. It has such beautiful nature with the valleys and the mountains.

Alto Adige produces some of the best white wines in Italy but this time I have tried two bottles of red wine from Alto Adige. Both are produced using the grape Lagrein, which is a red wine grape native to Alto Adige. First up is the wine Lagrein by producer Mezzacorona from 2012. It is a decent wine with a taste of black currants but feels a bit harsh.

Second wine I bought in Alto Adige and it is the wine Lagrein by producer Cantina Tramin from 2010. The taste is of pepper, cacao and liquorice and has a long finish of pepper. Very good wine. 

Normally I have a picture of the wine I have drank but with such beauty in Alto Adige, lets stay there.

From Sardina to Campania

Sardinia is a place I want to visit someday and until then I have to do with Sardinian pecorino and their wine. A wine that I tasted were the white wine Samas by producer Agricola Punica. The Samas wine is a Isola dei Nuraghi IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). It is of vintage 2013 and contains 80% vermentino and 20% chardonnay. It has a yellow tinged colour and has a very fresh aroma. The taste is very fresh and a bit fruity character with ripe pears and some citrus.

For the second time I had the chance to try the grape Fiano and the producer is the old acquaintance Terredora. The wine is Fiano di Avellino which is also a DOGC and the vintage is 2013. The aroma is strong and the colour is pale straw yellow. The taste is also very strong with a big hit of acid and citrus. Some fruit notes and honey. This wine would be lovely together with sea food. I can imagine myself sitting by the coast drinking this wine with local fish in Campania. I think this wine will store well for a couple of years also due to its strength.

From one end of Italy to the other

Campania, the region there Napoli is situated has the grape Aglianico that is used in the Taurasi wines and is also used in the IGT wine Aglianico by producer Terredora. Compared to the Taurasi wine this is stored less on barrels and has less tannins. The vintage is 2010 is deep red. It has a strong taste of black currants, violets, a bit sharpness and a strong aftertaste. Worked very well with good green olives from Sicily.

On the other side of Italy, in the region Friuli bordering Slovenia the white wines are dominating. The bottle from producer Bidoli is a pinot grigio wine and is the first bottle I ever bought from this region. The colour is very light yellow and is almost clear. The taste is light and is of pears, citrus and ends with an aftertaste of grapefruit. Good wine.

Sciacchetrà Wine: A taste of heaven

Cinque Terre, one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Also Cinque Terre is home to one of the best wines that I have ever tasted. Namely the sweet Sciacchetrà wine. Sciacchetrà is a passito wine which is made from dried grapes. This drying process I could see when I visited Manarola in Cinque Terre.

The grapes hang from the roof and walls in this building slowly drying out until they are ready to be used for the winemaking. I have tried many passito wines and this Sciacchetrà by producer Cheo, is probably the best I have ever tried. The grapes is grown in the hills above Vernazza. The wine is from 2008 and it has been stored in chestnut barrels before being bottled.The colour is deep amber and looks very good. The nose is intense and by just smelling I know that it will taste good. The taste is of apricots, dried raisins and honey. It is very strong and intense and leaves a long aftertaste. Wonderful, unfortunately I cannot buy this at Systembolaget so the next visit to Cinque Terre I have to buy several bottles of Sciacchetrà.

But one will always find reasons to visit Cinque Terre. Salute!

Another journey into Italian wines

The journey to try everything in Italian winemaking continues. This time I am in Puglia region on the southern part of Italy. The wine is Il Falcone by producer Azienda Vinicola Rivera. It is from the DOC Castel del Monte and is made of 70% Nero di Troia grapes and 30% Montepulciano grapes. It is a red wine and the colour is deep red. Before bottling it is stored in barrels for one year before being stored in bottles for another year before selling. This is from 2008 so it has been stored in the bottle for a longer time before being sold. The taste is of red currants and red cherries. Reminded me of my youth eating berriedsin my mums garden. Soft tannins that lingers a while. Good wine.

Sparkling and then Sicilian again

I have drunk many sparkling wines from Trentino in Italy but this time it is the first time I can sample Rotari Flavio from 2006 by the producer Mezzacorona.  It is made by the metodo classico, which means that the second fermentation is made in the bottle. The grape is 100% Chardonnay, the classic champagne grape. The colour is yellow with a lot of bubbles. The nose is pleasant. The taste is quite strong of apples and oranges. Very good, Mezzacorona has made another good sparkling wine.

Another wine from Sicily that I have tried is Canti. This wine is made by the grapes Catarratto and Chardonnay and is a IGT wine. The colours is straw yellow. The taste is of citrus with some hints of fruit and is light and quite nice.

Two dessert wines and one strong Taurasi

I love dessert wines but over the last couple of years dry wines have dominated. The last couple of weeks I have had the chance to enjoy two very different dessert wines both from Italy. The first wine is a Marsala wine from Sicily and it is more than a dessert wine. It is from producer Florio and is called Terre Arse from 2000 with an alcohol level of 19%. It is not your normal fortified Marsala wine as it is quite powerful with a burned character. Interesting taste and the producer recommends it with Parmesan cheese or fish dishes or as a dessert wine. Worked very well as a dessert wine especially with chocolate ice cream. It is not sweet as the cheaper Marsala wine but quite dry taste. I find this wine to be very interesting, unfortunately good Marsala wines are hard to find in Sweden.

Next dessert wine is something I don't drink that much. Namely a sweet red wine from producer Azienda Agricola Villa Medici in the Veneto region. The wine is called La Valle Del Re and is from 2009. It is a passito wine with IGT Rosso Veneto with alcohol level of 14%. The colour is very deep red and the taste is sweet with dark cherries. It went down very well with chocolate. Definitely a wine to relax with. Hard to find information about this wine but I discovered that the grapes are Corvina 60% and Rondinella 40%.

The first Taurasi wine I had were good so now it was time to try another producer. It is from producer Terredora in the district of Campania in Italy from 2008. As it is a Taurasi, the grape is Aglianico. Compared to the earlier Taurasi wine this is very strong. The colour is ruby red and and the taste is of dark cherries, plums and cacao with some strong tannins. Definitely a wine for strong food such as roast meat or game. This wine is also called Taurasi Fatica Contadina Terredora. Yet another nice acquaintance.