Sparkling wine from Franciacorta

Montenisa is a sparkling wine from Franciacorta in Lombardy in Italy. Franciacorta produces very good sparking wines and is compared to Champagne. This wine is very good and the taste is more complex than compared to a Prosecco and the taste is of bread and apples. The grapes used for this wine is Chardonnay, Pinot bianco and a small quantity Pinot Nero. It has been stored on bottle for 30 months before being sold. Montenisa is like a good Champagne but the price is better.

Sparkling wine from Franciacorta

Montenisa is a sparkling wine from Franciacorta in Lombardy in Italy. Franciacorta produces very good sparking wines and is compared to Champagne. This wine is very good and the taste is more complex than compared to a Prosecco and the taste is of bread and apples. The grapes used for this wine is Chardonnay, Pinot bianco and a small quantity Pinot Nero. It has been stored on bottle for 30 months before being sold. Montenisa is like a good Champagne but the price is better.

Barolo and Barbaresco , a comparison between two Fontanafredda wines

Barolo and Barbaresco are two famous wine producing regions in the north of Italy in the province of Piemonte. Barolo is situated southwest of Alba while Barbaresco is northeast of Alba. The saying is that Barolo is the king while the Barbaresco is the Queen. The king is more powerful and the Queen is more elegant.

I had the chance to try two wines from Fontanafredda. One Barolo from 2011 and one Barbaresco from 2012 so I could compare them. Both are made from 100% of the grape Nebbiolo. The grapes for the Barolo wine was picked in beginning of October while the grapes for the Barbaresco were pickes at the end of September. Also the rules for a barolo stipulate at least three years of ageing while for barbaresco it is two years.

I had tasted the Barbaresco a couple of months earlier so the Barolo were news for me. Both wines have an excellent taste but the difference between them is that the Barolo is more powerful and lacks some of the elegance of the Barbaresco. I also felt that I should have stored the Barolo maybe two more years before drinking while the Barbaresco is ready for drinking now.

So right now I prefer the Queen. Maybe that will change in two years time when I make another comparison.

Wine from Sicily and Friuli

I have drank a lot of good wines from Sicily. A new acquaintance for me is the wine Nero D'Avola and Feudi del Pisciotto from 2012. It consist of 100% of Nero D'Avola. The taste is of black berries and spices. But for me it is lacking in depth, something that other Nero D'Avola wines has.

The second wine is from Friuli in the far north of Italy bordering Slovenia. It is by producer Casali Roncali and is from 2014. The grape is 100% Pinot Grigio and the taste is of fruits. Nice.

Wine from south to the north of Italy

From Sicily comes the white wine Adenzia of the vintage 2015 from producer Baglio Del Cristo Di Campobello. It contains the grapes Grillo and Insolia. The taste is citrus and tropical friut. Nice and good.

From Sardinia comes the wine Monteoro of the vintage 2013 from producer Sella E Mosca. It is made with the grape Vermentino which is one of my favourite grapes. Good taste with some nice acidity.

Finally from the north comes the wine I Frati lugana. This wine is from the area near Lago Garda and is made of the local variant grape of Verdicchio. The taste is of pear, tropical fruits, a good acidity and a bit aromatic. Very good. So good I went and bought another bottle of this wine.

Montefalco vs Chianti

This time I have tried one wine from Chianti and one wine from Montefalco. Chianti is situated in Tuscany while Montefalco is in Umbria which is just east of Tuscany.

The wine Brolio from 2013 by producer Barone Ricasoli is from the Chianti Classico region. It contains 80% Sangiovese grapes and The rest Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The taste is of cherries and herbs but I found it lacking a bit. Not as powerful as I wanted it to be.

The wine Montefalco rosso is from 2011 by producer Antonelli in Montefalco. It contains 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Montepulciano. It tastes of cherries and has tannins but these tannins are soft and good. A wine that can be stored for several more years and will age well due to the Sagrantino added to the wine.

For more about Montefalco see my blog post about Montefalco.