Two white wines from Sicily and the one from Tuscany

Sicily ha many interesting white wines and this time I have tasted two wines made from grapes grown on the slopes of the volcano Etna.

First up is the wine ETNA from the producer Planeta. It is from 2014 and is made from 100% of Carricante grapes. The grapes comes from the winery Feudo di Mezzo on the north side of Etna which is situated ca 700 meters above sea level. It is a good wine. Very tasty and the wine has a clear taste.

I like tasting wine made from unusual grapes. One such wine is the Ciuri by producer Terrazze dell'Etna. It contains 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Carricante. The red grape Nerollo Mascalese is used normally for red wines but here it is used for a white wine. It is an interesting wine. Strong taste of citrus, mineral and fruits.

From Etna I go to Tuscany and the grape Vermentino which produces such good wines. Producer Rocca di Montemassi in Maremma in Tuscany produces a good Vermentiono wine called Calasole from 2014. It is a classic Vermentino. Young and fresh with hints of citrus. Perfect for a sunny day and would compliment a fish course very well.

Tuscany and Umbria

The Italian regions Tuscany and Umbria lie side by side butTuscany is so much more famous.

I tried the wine Rubesco riserva from Umbria producer Lungarotti a month ago and now I have tried their normal Rubesco wine. This wine is from 2012 and is a Rosso di Torgiano DOC and have an alcohol level of 13,5%. The taste is of cherries, tobacco and currants and is very easy to drink and still feels a bit elegant. One can see the start of the riserva in this wine.

Next up is a red wine from 2012 from the Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG which is an area south of Siena. The producer Azienda Agricola Casale Falchini in San Gimignano produces a wine called Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG Titolato Colombaia. This is my first experience of a red wine from San Gimignano. The taste is of liquorice and blackberries and one can feel the tannins. A nice wine.

Three white wines from Itay

I have always liked the white wine from the town of San Gimignano called Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The town of San Gimignano is known for the many towers that the town has. The wine I have tasted is from Fattoria di fugnano e Bomberto and is from 2014. The taste is nice and fresh and surprisingly no aftertaste of bitter almond.

The next wine is from the island of Ischia outside of Napoli, the wine is from producer Azienda Agricola Fratelli Muratori and the wine is called Pietra Brox and is from 2012. The wine consists of the local grapes Biancolella and Forastera with some addition of the grape Fiano. It is from the Ischia Bianco DOC. The color goes a bit towards orange and the taste is strong with notes of grapefruit and citrus. Coupled with seafood this wine is a delight.

Going over to the east coast of Italy is Abruzzo and the wine Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. The producer Barone di Volforte  produces the wine Villa Ambrosia and the vintage is from 2013. It consists of 100% of the grape Trebbiano. The taste is strong and has notes of pears, citrus and peaches. Very good and an excellent food wine.

From Campania to Tuscany

Mastroberardino is a famous producer in Campani. They are known for their red Taurasi wine and also for preserving ancient grapes. Finally I have had the chance to try their Taurasi wine called Radici from 2009. This wine is made of 100% Aglianico grapes and is from the Taurasi DOGC. The colour is very dark ruby. The smell is very strong. The taste is intense and very strong. Definately a food wine. Very good.

Further north in Tuscany the grape Vermentino is popular and it gives very good wines. I have tasted the wine Litorale by producer Val Delle Rose.  It is a very good Vermentino wine. Light but still fresh and excellent when served chilled.

Sardina and sparkling wines

Sardinia is not the place when I think of sparkling wines but they have some sparkling wine production. I got to try the wine Akenta which is a Vino Spumante by producer Cantina Santa Maria La Palma. It is from the DOC Vermentino di Sardegna which means that it is made of Vermentino grapes. This wine is good. It has the freshness of a Vermentino and is quite light to drink but with a good flavour. Very good wine to enjoy. Could give Prosecco a challenge.

Next wine is a Ferrari Perle from 2008. I found this wine a bit non descriptive when I tasted it. Was it a bad bottle or where I a bit off that day? Because all other Ferrari wines I have tasted have been very good. Will have to try another bottle one day to see.

Champagne and more champagne

For new years eve I had the chance to sample several champagnes.

Baron Fuente is a brut vintage champagne from 2002. I bought it several years ago and I had almost forgotten that I had it. When pouring this champagne it were not so much bubbles any more but it smelled nice. The taste were still strong but I had the feeling that this champagne were on its last legs and would probably become worse in the upcoming years.

Next champagne were the vintage champagne Comte Audoin de Dampierre from 2002. This one still had all the bubbles left and the smell of this were very strong. It had an elegant taste and I think this champagne can be stored for several more years.

I also had the chance to try a brut nature champagne, which is a champagne with no added sugar. Very good and dry.

Rubesco and Ferrari

For my birthday I always serve wines that I have never tasted before. As an aperitif was the sparkling wine Riserva Lunelli from producer Ferrari in Trento. The vintage is 2006 and it consists of only Chardonnay grapes. It has spent seven years on the yeast. The alcohol level is 12,5%. The taste is deep and one can feel apples and bread. A powerful vintage, I think that this one will be better if stored for a couple of years more. A long aftertaste. An excellent vintage.

The next wine were the Rubesco Vigna Monticchio from 2005 by producer Lungarotti in Umbria in Italy. The grape is primarily Sangiovese with up to 30% of the grape Canaiolo. It is from the DOGC Torgiano Rosso Riserva. I have heard that this wine is made for storing and can be stored for a long time. The smell is nice but the big surprise is the taste. I had expected a strong wine with a lot of tannins. But I got a very elegant wine which were surprisingly very easy to drink but with a great character. Yet another excellent wine from Italy.