DeMarie Langhe Arneis 2019 and Corto Giacobbe Soave 2019

 Demarie is a producer in the Roero area in Piemonte, Italy. They have been there for three generations running vineyards. They use only grapes from their own vineyards. The wine Langhe Arneis is made from 100% Arneis grapes and is of the vintage 2019 and has an ABV of 13%. For this wine traditional production methods has been used and the vinification has been done in steel tanks.
The taste is of grapefruit and pear. A young and fresh wine and due to the acidity and the grapefruit note it goes very well together with fish. However, some people may find the grapefruit note too strong for them.

The second wine is a white Soave wine called Tenuta Corte Giacobbe Soave made by producer Dal Cero in Veneto, Italy. This producer own several vineyards in Italy and the one in Soave is called Tenuta Corte Giacobbe. The grapes used are 100% Garganega and for the storage a mixture of steel tanks and oak casks ha been used.
The taste is  lot of grey pear with some citrus. A nice wine.

Castano Dulce Monastrell 2016

The Castano family is a wine producer in south eastern of Spain in the region of Murcia in the small town of Yecla. The Castano Dulce is a fortified wine done in a similar tradition as port wine.  Monstrell grapes are a very hardy bush vine that can survive the dry and austere landscape of south eastern Spain. The overripe Monastrell grapes are handpicked from old unirrigated bush vines. The fermentation is done slowly during 17 days and then grapespirits is added and then the wine is stored for 6-8 months in oak barrels.

The vine that I have tasted is of the vintage 2016 and has an ABV of 16%. On the nose a deep hit of red and black currant. In the taste black currant, cherry and some chocolate. It feels like a lighter port wine but not written as a bad thing but it is different. I like this wine very much. Very good together with chocolate and is quite easy drinking.

Three red wines from Italy

 First up is the wine Rånäs Slott Barbera 2018. Rånäs Slott is a conference center situated in an old mansion in Sweden. So it is not  brand name as they also name the producer of the wine on the bottles. The producer is Ricossa in Piemonte. 60% of the grapes have been stored in oak barrels so this wine could be quite fruity. The taste is of red cherry and blackberry This is a fruit delight with a lot of fruits. A very good Barbera.

The next wine is the wine Gricos from producer Grifalco in Basilicata. This is a new vintage from 2018 and is made from 100% Aglianico grapes. A fruity red wine with a taste of red cherry and black currant with a hint of plum and earthy notes. Very good.

The last wine is a Montepulciano D'Abruzzo called Tertulia from the producer Guiseppi Savini. In the taste dark fruits such as plum with a hint of violet and acidity. Very nice.

Fortified wines, Cave de L’Abbé Rous Banyuls Rimage and Thasos Moscatel De Setubal

 Two fortified wines from France and Portugal. The first wine is the  La Cave de l'Abbé Rous Cornet & Cie Banyuls Rimage 2017. Banyuls is an AOC that produces fortified or dessert wines in Rousillion in France. The production process is similar to that of port wine with alcohol added to stop the fermentation. The wine is then matured in oak barreles of glass containers which allows for some oxidisation. Rimage is a catalan word which means vintage so this is a vintage wine.  La Cave de l'Abbé Rous is a producer of wine in Rousillion and incorporates 750 smaller producers. It is hard to find information as usual about Banyuls wines as most of the information is in French and is not easy to find but I read that the grape used should be Grenache.

In the taste I get plum. red cherry and chocolate with sweetness. A very good fortified wine that goes down too easy. 

The next wine is the Thasos Moscatel De Setubal 2010. This is a fortified wine from Portugal and also here the wine is stopped fermenting by adding alcohol. The grape used is Muscat and then it is stored in oak barrels. This wine is produced by the Enoport group in Portugal.

The taste is of oranges and honey. For me it is lacking some acidity to lift it up A nice wine but nothing that I remember.

 

Torre Di Giano 2019, White wine from Umbria

 Torre di Giano is a white wine from the region Umbria in Italy.  The vintage 2019. It is made by the producer Lungarotti situated in Torgiano. Lungarotti was started in the beginning of the 1960s by Giorgio Lungarotti. Today the company is run by his daughters Chiara and Teresa. This wine consists of the grapes Vermentino, Grechetto and Trebbiano harvested in early September. The wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks.

This wine is named after the tower today still present in Torgiano: the literal translation of the name is “Tower of Janus”. It was originally dedicated to the Roman mythological god Janus (the god of war and peace). This tower is today the symbol of the village.

The taste is of pear, citrus and some minerals. The finish is full of pear. Nice, fresh and young. Drink it young and don't wait. 

 

Periquita Reserva 2018

Periquita Reserva 2018 is a red wine from Portugal. The producer is Jose Maria Da Fonseca. The designation is Vinho Regional Peninsula De Setubal. The grapes used are 52% Castelao, 26% Touriga nacional and 22% Touriga Francesa and the wine has been aged for eight months in French oak barrels. In the taste I get plums, chocolate oak and some sour cherries. it is nice but I hink that the oak barrels have been used too much and dominates too much.

Tordiruta, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, passito 2011

 Passito is a sweet wine type from Italy in which the grapes are dried in the production process. The Tordiruta, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, passito 2011 is made of 100% Verdicchio grapes and it comes from the area Castelli di Jesi in Marche. The exact location is the village of Castelplanio. The grapes are dried for 12 weeks before the pressing. The fermentation and maturation red one in oak barriques for 12 months before being bottled. In 2016 the Tordiruta was the chosen sweet wine for the Nobel prize dinner.

In the nose I get a smell of honey and dried fruit. The taste is of dried apricot, honey and citrus. An excellent passito.