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.

Forlini Cappellini from Cinqueterre DOC

One of the places that I love to visit in Italy is Cinque Terre. Beautiful landscapes everywhere. Unfortunately to much tourists during daytime but up in the surrounding mountains and in the evenings it is very peaceful.

In the picture one can see the village of Manarola in the distance and the vineyards up on the mountain side. Here in Manarola the producer Forlini Cappellini makes the white wine Cinquterre DOC.  The grapes are a mix of Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino and the vintage is 2016. The ABV is 13,5%. For 2016 the production was 8103 bottles.  As can be seen in the picture it is quite labour intensive to make a wine here but the results have been very good for the wines that I have tasted so far. This wine has a quite intense taste with citrus, mango and gooseberries and has a quite lingering after taste. Goes perfect with seafood. Very good.

Four new white wines from Italy

The first white wine from Italy that I have tried is the Vette di San Leonardo in Trentino/Alto Adige. It is made from 100% Sauvignon blanc and the vintage is 2016. I get white fruits in the nose. Gooseberries in the taste with some citrus and almost some butter. A very well balanced wine which is very good.

The second wine is the Mafefa wine from Tuscany which is from producer Agrisole. It is of the vintage 2016 and has an ABV of 13,5%. The grapes used for this wine is Vementino, Grechetto and Malvasia Bianca. It is a fresh wine with a light taste. The taste is some citrus with pears and grapefruit.

The third wine is a Vermentino wine from Liguria. It is called Armentin Valpolcevera by producer Andrea Bruzzone. It is of the vintage 2016 and has an ABV of 12%. The taste is fresh with soemmelons and pears and finish with some citrus. A good Vermentino for seafood.

The last and fourth wine is a wine from Sicily. It is a Fiano wine from procducer Colpasso. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. It is a floral taste with honey, pineapple and acidity. A good  wine.

La Bettigna, Vermentino from Liguria

I quite like Vermentinos from Liguria. Always a good choice. Producer Societa Agricola La Bettigna is situated near la Spezia in Liguria and the wine I have tasted is their Colli Di Luni Vermentino 2015 with and ABV of 13%. The colour is a light orange, almost a bit like a natural wine. The wine has a light fruity character with some passionfruit and grapefruit in the end. A foodwine but lacking some acidity. I wonder if this wine has oxidised a bit? Need to taste it once more to give a complete review.

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.

A visit to Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is one of the most beautiful places in the world with the five villages so beautifully situated along the water. 

Less know is that in Cinque Terre they also produce wine, although in Italy one can produce wine almost everywhere. The wines of Cinque Terre is mainly white wines made by the grapes of Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino. The vineyards are beautifully situated along the slopes of the mountain.

I had the chance to dine at the restaurant Dau Cila in Riomaggiore, this restaurant has excellent seafood. The view of the Mediterranean sea is beautiful from Dau Cila.

If you ever has the chance to visit Dau Cila you should try their excellent seafood starters.

Of course when eating in Cinque Terre I always drink wine from Cinque Terre and for this dinner I choose a white wine from producer Cheo. I have tasted a Sciacchetrà from this producer and that was awesome so I had high hopes for their white wine. This wine is from 2015. It has a full body and it tastes of apples and some citrus. Very good. Matches the seafood perfect.

All in all, a wonderful evening in Riomaggioe in Cinque Terre.

Lacrimarosa, or is it tears of joy?

One producer in Campania that I have wanted to try is Mastroberardino, however their wines are hard to get in Sweden unless one wants to buy six bottles. But I found their rose wine Lacrimarosa and I bought a bottle. The colour of this rose is very beautiful. Almost like the colour of a red grape. The taste is complex and is the best rose wine that I have tasted. The taste is of red currants, blood grape and some herbs. Not an easy drinking wine but a wine for food.

A region in Italy that I don't drink that much from is Liguria, but the white wine Vinodamare from the DOC Colli di Luni has found it self into my hands. The grape is vermentino and it is from 2012. The colour is very deep yellow shifting into orange. The taste is very strong and a good wine for seafood.

Sciacchetrà Wine: A taste of heaven

Cinque Terre, one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Also Cinque Terre is home to one of the best wines that I have ever tasted. Namely the sweet Sciacchetrà wine. Sciacchetrà is a passito wine which is made from dried grapes. This drying process I could see when I visited Manarola in Cinque Terre.

The grapes hang from the roof and walls in this building slowly drying out until they are ready to be used for the winemaking. I have tried many passito wines and this Sciacchetrà by producer Cheo, is probably the best I have ever tried. The grapes is grown in the hills above Vernazza. The wine is from 2008 and it has been stored in chestnut barrels before being bottled.The colour is deep amber and looks very good. The nose is intense and by just smelling I know that it will taste good. The taste is of apricots, dried raisins and honey. It is very strong and intense and leaves a long aftertaste. Wonderful, unfortunately I cannot buy this at Systembolaget so the next visit to Cinque Terre I have to buy several bottles of Sciacchetrà.

But one will always find reasons to visit Cinque Terre. Salute!