Velenosi, wines from Piceno in Marche, Italy

Velenosi is a wineproducer in the Piceno area of Marche in Italy. They produce all kinds of wines, from red to sparkling wines. The company started in 1984 by Angela and Ercole Velenosi. The heart of the company is situated in the town of Ascoli Piceno in Marche. They have several vineyards located in the area and also in the area of Castelli Di Jesi.

For this tasting session I have tasted two of their white wines. The first one is the Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi Classico. The Verdicchio grapes come from 100 meters above sea level. The grapes are handpicked. For the vinification the must is aged in stainless steel tanks. The vintage is 13% and the vintage is 2019. In the nose a floral smell. In the taste a pear, grapefruit and citrus. It is a very fresh and crisp wine and goes very well with spicy food.

 

The second wine is the Rêve offida DOGC Pecorino. And I have to say that this bottle is the heaviest I have ever lifted. Massive amounts of glass must have been used. This wine contains 100% Pecorino from the Offida area. The hand picked grapes comes from 200 meters above sea level. Half of the wine is aged in barriques while the half of the wine is aged in stainless steel tanks. After 24 months the wine is blended together before the bottling.The ABV is 13% and the vintage is 2018. In the nose I get white fruit smell. In the taste I get pear, grapefruit, tropical fruits and an oak influence. A quite rich wine and very good.

 

Yet again excellent white wines from Marche and Velenosi is a producer to watch. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will try some of their red wines and maybe even some sparkling wines.

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.

Praepositus Gewürtraminer 2018 Abbazia Di Novacella

 Abbazia di Novacella is a monastery in Alto Adige in Italy that produces very good wines. The monastery is surrounded by vineyards.

The monastery is also very beautiful and is worth a visit.

The wine series Praepositus is their prestige wine. This line shows off what the best growing areas can do with grapes. The grape for this Praepositus wine is the grape Gewürztraminer and the vintage is 2018. The ABV is one of the highest that I have seen and it goes up to 15%. The growing area is the Bressanone valley basin. The elevation sis 600-650 meters. The grapes have been grown in south to south-west. The fermantation and ageing has been done in steel tanks.
On the nose I get aromatic fruit notes. In the taste I get tropical fruit, grapefruit and some apple and gooseberry in a wonderful combination. This is an excellent wine.

Monte del Fra, Ca Del Magro 2018

The producer Monte del Fra was founded in 1958 by Massimo Bonomo and his two sons Eligio and Claudio. The company is situated near Verona in the area Bianco di Custoza where they have most of their vineyards, however for about ten years they also have a an estate in Fumane, Lena di Mezzo in the heart of the Valpolicella classico area. The company produce many different wines and the Ca Del Magro I have tried the 2016 vintage before but now it is time for the 2018 vintage.

The wine Ca Del Magro Custoza Superiore of the vintage 2018 and has an ABV of 13%. This wine is from the heart of Custoza in the hills near Sommacompagna. Grape varieties are 40% Garganega, 10% Trebbiano toscano, 15% Trebbianello, 35% Cortese and Incrocio Manzoni. In the taste I get apples, peach and minerals and with a citrus acidity that binds it all together. This is an excellent vintage that is a wee better than the 2016 vintage. I think can be stored for a couple of years before drinking and gain some complexity.

Panizzi, Vernaccia di San Gimignano

 Vernaccia di San Gimignano is both a grape and and a DOGC wine from Tuscany in Italy. Maybe San Gimignano is most famous for the many towers that the city has of some can be seen in the picture below.

The wine producer is Panizzi and the vineyard is called Vigna Santa Margherita. In 1979 Giovanni Panzzi bought Vigna Santa Margerita. He worked there until 2005 when he left the vineyard to his son Niccolai. This wine contains 100% Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The vintage is 2018 and the ABV is 13,5%. Half of the wine is stored in barriques and half of the wine is stored in steel tanks. On the nose I get grass and Butter. In the taste I get  citrus, mineralic stone and and apple. Very good structured and I like this one a lot. 

Ferrari Perle 2015 and Maschio Dei Cavalieri prosecco

Ferrari is a big sparkling wine producer in the Trento region in Northern Italy. It is made with 100% Chardonnay picked by hand. It is aged at least 50 months on the yeast before being bottled. The ABV is 12,5% and the vintage is 2015. The nose is very fresh. The taste is of brioche, citrus and  apple. A very good sparkling wine.

Next up is a prosecco from producer Maschio Dei Cavalieri. It is a Rive di Colbertaldo 2018 and is a Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore. Rive is like a quality designation. It demands that the grapes are handpickes, the grapes are from the same farm and that they are from the same vintage. Here the grapes used are 85% Glere and 15% other grapes. Maschio Dei Cavalieri is a big producer of wine but they don't grow any wine. They buy grapes from different growers in the area. In the taste I get pear, apple and citrus in  a good and fresh mix. This is an excellent Prosecco.

Feudi Di San Gregorio part 2

For the part two of Feudi Di San Gregorio I will try two wines, one Greco Di Tufo and one Sirica wine. First up is the Greco Di Tufo wine. It is a white wine and the name Greco says that the grape is the Greco grape. Many times one also use Greco Bianco to differentiate it from Greco Nero, but the Greco di Tufo is an area of growing only the white Greco grape in Campania. The name Tufo comes from a rock formed by volcanic ash. The Greco Di Tufo from Feudi Di San Gregorio contains 100% Greco grapes and the vintage is 2018. It is stored for 4-6 months in steel tanks before being bottled. This is a very elegant wine. A taste if minerals, apple and grapefruit. Very good and I think that this wine can be stored for a couple of more years to bring out some extra flavours but it is good to drink now.

Next wine is the Sirica red wine from 2015. Sirica is a rare grape from Campania. In 2005 Feudi di San Gregorio found three very old, tree-sized vines in an Aglianico vineyard in Taurasi. They weren’t Aglianico, it was a mystery, until DNA analysis established that these were descendants of Sirica – the only ones known so far. Now Feudi Di San Gregorio has three hectars of Sirica growing. So a quite rare wine. This wine has been aged for 12 months in french barriques of medium toast. This is a very well integrated wine with a taste of blueberry, plum, cherry and some tannins rounding out the wine. A very good wine yet again and a very interesting wine, Reminds me of Teroldego which is a relative of this grape.

Remole biancoand Ripa Delle Mandorle, two white wine from Tuscany

 Frescobaldi is a producer from Tuscany in Italy and I have waited for a long time to try one of their wines. The Remole bianco is from their Remole estates in the middle of Tuscany, it is one of many estates that they have. The wine is from 2018 and the ABV is 12%. The grapes are Vermentino and Trebbiano. The maturation was done for four months in stainless steel. This is a crisp and fresh wine with a good nose. The taste is of pear, apple, citrus and some tropical fruit. A nice easy going wine.

Next is the white wine Ripa Delle Mandorle from the producer John Matta in Tuscany. It is of the vintage 2019 and the ABV is 12%. I get pear, aplle and some lemon and citrus in the taste. Quite light and easy drinking but nothing to remember.

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.

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.

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.

Two red wines from Langhe, Marchesi Di Barolo and Giacosa Fratelli

Langhe area has three main red grapes. The famous Nebbiolo, the less famous Barbera and the little know grape Dolcetto. Marchesi Barolo is a producer in Langhe that produces several kind of wines such as Barolos and Barbarescos. They also make a wine called Langhe Rosso. It is of the vintage 2017 and has an ABV of 13%. It consists of 45% Dolcetto, 40% Barbera, 15% Nebbiolo. The colour is almost purple. The taste is of violet, leather and dark cherry with some black peppar. Quite strong and one can feel the influence of Dolcetto here.

The next wine from Langhe is the red wine Leunin from the Giacosa Fratelli. It is made of 100% Nebbiolo and the vintage is 2018. In the nose I get a lot of fruit. In the taste I get cherry, red currant and some spices with almost a pepper and possible some oak. A bit lighter than I imagined.

Il Roncal, wine from Friuli part 1

Il Roncal is a wineproducer situtated in Cividale del Friuli in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia close to the border of Slovenia. This wine producing area is know as Friuli Colli Orientali. Il Roncal own 20 hectars of vineyards on the Montebello hill. The winery name comes from a local Friulian expression meaning “estate on a hill cultivated in terraces” (also known as “ronchi”).Il Roncal was founded in 1986 by Roberto Morealo and is run today by his wife Martina Moreale. They produe several different wines and here I will focus on two white wine and one red wine.

The first wine is a red Merlot wine from 2015. For this wine 20% of the wine has been aged in oak tonneaux for one year before being mixed together with the rest of the wine. The wine then rests for three months on the bottle before being sold. In the taste I get black currant with some earthy notes and tannins in the end. A nice Merlot.

The second wine is a Friulano from 2018. Friulano is a native grape to Friuli Venezia Giulia. For this wine only steel tanks are used for storing and fermentation. In the taste I get honey, lime and tropical fruits in a good light fresh white wine.

The third wine is the the white wine Ribolla Gialla from 2017. Also Ribolla Gialla is a native gape of Friuli Venezia-Giulia and also here steel tanks has been used for fermantation. The taste is of pear, minerals and this wine is fresh and quite harmonius.

Three very good wines from Il Roncal and in the second part I will go into their sparkling wines.

Lvnae Vermentino 2018, Etichetta Grigia

Lvnae Vermentino is one of the few Vermentinos that I can buy in Sweden. But I am quite lucky since Lvnae is a good producer of vermentino. Lvnae is from Liguria in Italy. I have been following their vintages over the years and the quality has been very good. So how is the 2018 vintage? It has a fresh and crisp taste with pear and citrus with a lovely nose of peach and pear. It is an excellent vintage and it is lovely together with seafood.

Two wines from the mountains of Italy

Several mountain regions of Italy produce good wine. Two of them are Valle D'Aosta and Trentino-Alto Adige. The first bottle is the Petit Arvine from Les Cretes in Valle D'Aosta. Petit Arvine is a grape mostly planted in Switerland but also in Valle D'Aosta due to the close proximity to Switzerland. I have visited Les Cretes and it is situated in a beautiful spot in the valley of Aosta. The wine is of the vintage 2018 and the ABV is 13,5%. I get pear, lemon and some grapefruit on the taste. Powerful but quite fresh.

Next up is a wine from Trentino-Alto Adige and the producer Abbazia di Novacella or Stiftskellerei Neustift as it is known in German. The wine is Praepositus Riesling of the vintage 2017 and the ABV is 13%. There is a lovely smell on the nose. On the taste I get minerals, some peach, honey and some citrus, Lovely clean riesling.

Two Vermentino from Tuscany

Vermentino is one of my favourite white wine grapes and they make wonderful white wines using this grape in Italy especialy in Sardinia, Liguria and Tuscany. This time I have tried two white wines from Tuscany. First up is the Vermentino 2018 from producer Aia Vecchia with an ABV of 13%. In the taste I get citrus, lime and minerals. Yet another lovely vintage from this producer.

The second Vermentino is Bellovile from producer Seregi Alighieri. It is 2018 vintage with an ABV of 13%. In the taste I get a lot of pear and almost nothing else, had much better Vermentinos. With some air and time this wine opens up a bit and I get some vanilla and citrus and less pear. This wine feels a bit strange and I wonder if there are some problems with this bottle.

Gradiscutta, wine producer from Friuli Venezia Giulia

For the next upcoming blogposts I will focus on wine from region Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy. This region borders to the east Slovenia and to the north Austria. This region is known for their white wine and one famous region here is the Collio area which is in the north-east area of Friuli Venezia Giulia and it is quite a hilly area bordering Slovenia. In the photo below the border to Slovenia is about 2km away.

During spring 2019 I visited the producer Gradis´cutta. Gradis'cutta is a producer which have 20 hectares of vineyards in the communes of Gorizia, Capriva del Friuli and Dolegna del Collio.

The locations of the vineyards are at different elevations and therefore they have many different growing conditions for indigenous grapes, such as Ribolla and Friulano, and international grapes such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Gradis'cutta produces a multitude of wines, from white to red to sprakling wines.
The indigenous grape Friulano was known as Tocai or Tocai Friulano until 2007 when the name had to change to due EU regulations. This grape has nothing to do with the Hungarian wine Tokaji.

When I visited Gradis'cutta one of many wines that I tasted was their wine Friulano of the vintage 2018 with an ABV of 12,5%. It is made of 100% Friulano grape. This wine is very fresh and crisp. In the taste I get tropical notes and citrus with some minerals. One day earlier I had tasted the 2017 vintage at a bar in Goriza and that vintage was very good also and that shows a good quality over the years. Highly recommended wine and from the wine tasting I had at Gradiscutta they have a very good quality for all the wines that I tasted. A very good producer from a relative unknown wineregion and if you have the chance, please visit them.

A review will come later for their sparkling wines which have interesting stories behind them.

Two Arneis from Langhe

Arneis is a white wine grape Piemonte in Italy and this time I have tried two differet white wines made from this grape from langhe in Piemonte. The first wine is Il Nespolo Langhe Arneis from the producer Prinsi. The ABV is 13% and the vintage is 2018. Azienda Agricola Prinsi is a family owned company in its third generation run by the family Lequios near Barbaresco. In the taste I get peach, lime, gooseberry and some minerals. A young and fresh wine.

Next Arneis wine is the the Langhe bianco by Camparo. It only contains 95% Arneis grapes while the rest of the grapes are Favorita. The vintage here is 2017. In the taste I get pear, butter and some citrus with a hint of grapefruit. Very good and nice.

Some similarities and some differences but still the characteristics of the  Arneis grape shine through. Arneis is definitely a grape that is overlooked.

Two white wines from Sicily from Mandrarossa and Teuta Regaleali

Sicily is a big wine producing region in Italy. You can find so many different types of wine from Sicily, both international grapes to the local grapes. Quality can shift a lot as is usual with big wine regions.

Mandrarossa is a relative new acquaintance for me and their vineyards are situated along the south coast of Sicily. I have tasted their wine Zibibbo secco Costadune. It is made of 100% Zibibbo grapes in a dry style. Normally zibibbo is used to make sweet wines. These grapes come near Menfi in the south west of Sicily and the grapes are grown on hills there. The vintage is 2018 and the ABV is 12%. I get peach and tropical fruits on the nose. In the taste I get pear, some mineral and citrus. A nice dry zibibbo.

Next is the wine Cataratto Antisa from the estate Tenuta Regaleali run by Tasca D'Almerita situated in the middle of Sicily. It is made of 100% Cataratto grapes and the ABV is 12%. The vintage is 2017. The taste is fresh with peach, citrus and some minerals. A very good cataratto.