Three wines from Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a region in Italy which is famous for two grapes. The green grape Trebbiano and the red grape Montepulciano (not to be confused with the wines made from the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany).

First up is the white wine Mario's 45 made with 100% Trebbiano from the producer Tenuta Terraviva. The Trebbiano grapes for this wine is grown in the traditional Pergola Abruzzese. Harvest time is at the end of September. The wine is aged 12 months in casks, 6 months in steel containers and finally six months in the bottle before being sold. The vintage is 2017. In the nose I get pineapple and in the taste I get pear and grapefruit, It is a nice wine that goes perfectly with spicy food due to the acidity. Will also go very well together with fish.

The next two wines are red wines made from the Montepulciano grapes. First up is the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from producer Umani Ronchi. The vintage is 2018. In the taste I get some oak or dark chocolate with dark cherries  and some blackberry. A very fruity wine. Nice for the price.

The last Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the Annata Historica from the producer Ripresa. This is an older expression from 2012. The colour is quite dark. The nose is quite soft. In the taste I get cherry, blackberry, violet and some tannins in the back. It has a medium finish, Very nice and I think it will get better with a few more years of ageing.

Colle Del Re passito and Monte Del Fra passito

Both of the Colle Del Re passito and Monte Del Fra passito I have reviewed before but it is fun to go back to great wines that I have drank before to see if my opinion has changed anything.

The Colle Del Re Albana di Romagna passito from producer Umberto Ceari is a sweet wine made from 100% Albana grapes. I have earlier tried the 2008 vintage and it was exellent. This wine is as I remember it. A lot of figs and apricots with well integrated sweetness. Still very exellent. Luckily I bought several bottles when I visited Bologna.

The next wine is the Monte Del Fra passito bianco of the 2012 vintage. A lot of raisins and apricots in the taste and here you can feel more sugar. Still very good and an excellent meditation wine.

Three red wines from Italy: Kellerei Bozen, Terre di Giurfo and Zenato

Kellerei Bozen is located in South Tyrol in the far north of Italy. It is located in the town of Bozen which is the German name, for Italians it is more known as Bolzano. From what I could read with my school German Kellerei Bozen is a cooperative started to promote the wines of the region. The wine I have tasted is a Lagrein wine called Perl from the vintage 2018. Lagrein is a hard grape to grow but the wine it produces is very good. This particular Lagrein has been grown in Bozen at the height of 250m and the grapes are picked at the end of September/beginning or October. It is fermented in steeltanks before being stored in big oak casks before being bottled. In the taste I get cherry, plums and some tannins. A very nice and well structured Lagrein.

Next wine is the Valpolicella Classico Superiore from the producer Zenato in Veneto of the vintage 2017. Zenato is a quite big producer and is run by Carla Zenato together with her children Alberto and Nadia. This Valpolicella wine contains 85% Corvina Veronese, 10% Rondinella, and 5% Corvinone. In the taste I get a mix of red and black fruits and berries with some oak in the back. A nice Valpolicella.

The last wine is a Frappato from Sicily. The wine is called Belsito Frappato DOC Vittoria by the producer Terre di Giurfo of the vintage 2016. Terre di Giurfo is situated in Ragusa in Sicily and specialises in native grapes from Sicily. Frappato is not a known grape and it is native to Sicily. It is mostly grown in Sicily and has been mostly used for blending and there has not been many monovarietal wines made from Frappato. This frappato wine is harvested in the middle of September from vineyards at a height of 500 meters above sea level. It is then fermented and stored in stainless steel tanks before being bottled.  In the taste I get cherry, strawberries and some acidity with a hint of tannins. Quite light and good,  quite a typical Frappato.

Two white wines from Friuli, Tonon and Guerra Albano

Friuli region in Italy is a relative unknown producer of high quality white wines. From the Friuli Grave DOC in the province of Pordenone comes a sauvignon wine from the producer Tonon. This winery was founded in 1936 by Pietro Tonon. The winery itself is situated in the north eastern part of Veneto very close to the border of Friuli. Their Sauvignon wine is the only wine they make with grapes from Friuli, otherwise they are mostly focused on for example prosecco wines and other wines from Veneto. The Sauvignon wine is fermented slowly for 15-20 days and then the wine is stored in tanks until bottled. The vintage tasted is the 2016.
In the taste grass, papaya and some gooseberry. Quite a soft Sauvignon, perfect for warm days. Could be the slow fermentation that keeps it under control.

Guerra Albano is a winemaking company in the Friuli Colli Orientali DOC in the Montina village. They have a wine called Friuliano. This grape is an autochthonous grape from Friuli. This grape was know previoulsy as Tocai Fruliano before EU regulations regarding names came into use. In Slovenia this grape is known known as Jakot, whih is Tokaj spelled backwards. The vintage of this wine is 2018.
This wine is quite mineralic with some grapefruit and melon. It is quite an austere vintage and works perfectly together with fish. It seems that Guerra Albono makes quite strong Friulianos.

Two Vermentino from Italy

Vermentino is a grape that I like and it is especially grown in the areas of Sardinia and Tuscany in Italy. The producer Sella & Mosca in Sardinia I have tasted several Vermentinos from but the wine Cala Reale is a new wine that I have not seen before. It is made from 100% Vermentino and is the vintage 2019. It is a nice vermentino with a huge pear taste and grapefruit with some honey in the back.

The next Vermentino is from the producer Col D'Orcia in Tuscany. It is of the vintage 2017. This is a good solid Vementino with a taste of green apples, citrus and some minerals.

Sparkling wines from Rotari and Sella & Mosca

Rotari is a producer of sparking wines from Trentino in Northern Italy. Their Blanc de Blancs Millesimato is an extra brut (dry) from the vintage 2012. Since it is a Blanc de Blancs it is made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. The wine is fermented 36 months on the leese before it is degorged. In the taste I get apple, brioche and citrus. A very good sparkling with complexity and that can probably age a couple of more years.

The next wine is from producer Sella & Mosca from Sardinia. It is their Alghero Torbato spumante. I have tried the 2017 vintage earlier and this is the 2018. This has a lot of brioche with some citrus and apple. Compared to the 2017 vintage the 2018 vintage has a lot more brioche in the taste.