Lunae, a piece of Liguria in winter

The white wine Lunae is from Liguria and the DOC Colli di Luni. This spring I visited Luni which is an old Roman town of which only some ruins remain.

The wine Lunae are made of the Vermentino grape and the vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 12,5%. This wine is called Etichetta grigia (grey label). I find it be very fresh with some minerals, acidity, citrus and some green apples. When I drink it I get the following in my head.

I feel like I am back in Liguria, sitting by the seaside in Cinque Terre drinking this wine. A wonderful wine perfect for seafood.

Garofoli, excellence from Marche

I have drank wine from the producer Garofoli in Marche earlier and this time I have tried two different expressions from Garofoli. One is the white wine Macrina and the other is the red wine Novello.

First up is the white wine Macrina from 2016. This is from the Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi DOC Classico Superiore. This wine is made in Marche in the region of Colline Dei Castelli Jesi.  The grape is of course Verdicchio. The ABV is 13%.  Maturation has been done in stainless steel tanks. It has a nice nose of flowers and white fruits. The taste is of melon and pears, I get a crisp grapefruit in the finish. Good structure and a very good Verdicchio Dei Castelli Dei Jesi.

Next wine is something of a rarity for me, it is a red Novello from Marche. The vino Novello is a young wine and it is from this year, 2017. From what I have read is that vino novello is similar to its French cousin Beaujolais nouveau. But since I have never drank Beaujolais nouveau I have no idea what the taste will be. One thing is that there will be less tannins compared to a normal wine. The taste I get is red fruits, some violets and some acidity. A young good table wine. I am very surprised by the quality.

Two different sides of Garofoli and both wines are very good. So far I have tried three wines from this winery and all of them have been very good so far.

Tuscany vs Piemonte

Let's do a battle between Tuscany vs Piemonte, with an older Tuscan wine against a younger Piemontese wine.

First up is the older Tuscan wine Stielle from Rocca di Castagnoli. It is of vintage 2009 and ABV is 13,5%. It contains 100% Sangiovese grapes. It has been aged 18 months in oak and then 12 months in a bottle before being released. The taste is of red cherries and some black currants with soft tannins. A good wine that showcases the Sangiovese grape.

Next up is the younger wine from Piemonte and it is a Dolcetto D'Alba called A Elizabeth from producer Cascina delle Rose. It is made of 100% of the grape Dolcetto and is from 2015. The ABV is 13%.  The taste is dark cherries with some liquorice with some spices and tannins in the aftertaste. This is a good Dolcetto.

So who won. Here the Stielle wins due to a bit more complexity in taste while in price the Dolcetto wins.

Torlasco Barbaresco versus Umbrian red wine

For the second time in my life I tried a Barbaresco. It is the wine Torlasco of the vintage 2011 and the ABV is 14%. When trying to find information about this wine I find the following: "Torlasco is a line of wines born to satisfy the most exclusive markets and customers." This does not sound so good but in the end it is the taste that matters. The grape is 100% Nebbiolo and the grapes have been grown in the Barbaresco area of Piemonte. I find a lot of red berries on the nose. The taste is of black currants, tobacco and some violets. Some harsh tannins in the aftertaste. It is a decent wine but I expect more from a Barbaresco. I think this has been made for American tastes.

Next up is a wine from Umbria in Italy. It is from producer Cantina Roccafiore and the wine is called Rosso Melograno. The grapes is Sangiovese and Montepulciano and the vintage is 2013. ABV is 12,5%. The nose is full of light red berries. The taste is of red currants, raspberry with some herbs like sage. Nice easy wine, not so complex but clear flavours.

Three white wine from Abruzo, Gavi and Soave

The Italian white wines are not as famous as the red wines but there are many different white wine grape varieties in Italy and so many regional styles.

Starting from the south in Abruzzo we have the wine Sprezzatura from producer Azienda Marramiero. This wine is made of the grape Trebbiano D'Abruzzo, vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 12%.  This wine I think is only produced for the Swedish Market as I cannot find this wine on the homepage of Azienda Marramiero. When I nose it I smell pears. The taste is of minerals and citrus and the wine has a long fresh taste. I quite like this wine.

Going up north to Veneto and the Soave we find the wine Soave by producer Brigaldara. I tasted some of their red wines when I visited Verona earlier this year. This Soave wine is a white wine from 2016 and the ABV is 13%. When I nose it I can smell elderberries. The taste is of elderberries, pears and some melon. I like this one also.

The last wine is from Piemonte and the region of Gavi. It is a Gavi wine called Spinola from producer Castello Di Tassarolo. A Gavi wine is made of 100% of Cortese grapes and this wine comes from the Municipality of Tassarola. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13%. The taste is fragrant and I get peaches and flowers and it is very good. I definitely want to taste more of these Gavi wines.