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. 

 

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.

Ciu Ciu, four wines from Ciu Ciu

Ciu Ciu is a big producer fro Marche in Italy and I have tried four of their wines. Two white wines and two red ones. Let us start with the red wines of which the first is a Sangiovese based wine called Ciu Ciu Limitato Sangiovese. In the taste I get red fruit with some coffee and some black currant. A nice red but nothing special.
Next one is called Piceno Bachus. This is from 2016 and has an ABV of 13,5%. This wine consists of the grapes Sangiovese and Montepulciano. It is a very good mix of these grapes. I get dark cherries with some plums and some earthy notes and with some oak in the back. Much better than the Limitato.

Next up is two different white wines from Ciu Ciu. First one is the wine Merlettaie Offida from 2016 with an ABV of 13,5%. This consists of 100% Pecorino grapes. This is quite an austere white wine and the taste if of apple and some minerals. It is very dry and I would say that this is a food wine.

The last wine is the the white wine Falerio Oris from 2016 and the ABV 13%. The grapes are Pecorino and Passerina with some Trebbiano. In the taste I get some pear, acidity (citrus) and some minerals. A very good white wine. The best wine of this tasting.

Two Italian B wines

Time to try two Italian B wines, and with B I mean two producers that start with a B. namely, Biscardo and Bersano. First up is Biscardo and their wine Borgoa San Lorenzo which is a Soave Classico wine from Veneto. The grapes are Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave and the vintage is 2016 with an ABV of 13%. This wine has a deep flavour with some nice grapefruit and apples. Very nice.

Second winery is Bersano from Piemonte and the wine Roero Arneis. This wine is from 2016 and the ABV is 14%. The grape is 100% Arneis. I get honey, melon and a wee bit citrus in the taste. A very well balanced wine.

Three wines from Veneto

Time to go north in Italy and try three different wines from the Veneto region. First up the the only red wine of this session. It is a Valpolicella ripasso from producer Antiche Terre of the vintage 2015. The ABV is 13,5%. I taste vanilla, cherries and some other red fruits. Some softer tannins in the aftertaste. A good wine.

Next up is two white wine. The first white wine is the Soave by producer Luigi Righetti. Vintage is 2015 and ABV is 12%. It has a smell of white fruits like melon and some elderberry. The taste is of melon and some elderberry. Quite a light wine but a good tablewine for a warm summer day. This wine is made of the grapes Garganega and Trebbiano.

The last wine is the wine San Vincenzo from producer Roberto Anselmi. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 12,5%. This is an IGT Veneto Bianco wine, and the grapes used are Garganega (70%), Chardonnay (15%) and Sauvignon blanc (15%). I get a taste of melon, grapefruit and honey. A very good wine.

Trebbiano vs Grüner Veltiner

It is fun to try two different wines and compare them. This time I tried a Trebbiano D'Abruzzo and compared it with a Grüner Veltiner. The Trebbiano wine from Abruzzo if manufactured by producer Orlando Contucci Ponno and is called Adrio and it is from 2015. The Trebbiano grape is one of the most planted white wine grapes in Italy. This wine is very fresh, has a lot of fruit with green apples in the mix. I could also feel a bit minerals. It is very good but should be drank young.

The Grüner Veltiner wine is from producer Leth in Austria and is of the vintage 2016. This wine is very similar to the previous wine. Very fresh, with fruits and apples in the taste. Also some minerality. I would not be able to feel the difference between these wines in a blind tasting.

I recommend both of these bottles. Very good fresh young white wines.

Wine from Marco Donati and Lungarotti

In Italy there are so many grape varieties and in the northern region of Alto Adige there are many that are indigenous to the region. When I hear the grape name Teroldego I always think of Alto Adige. And the origin of this grape is clouded in mystery but some its relatives are Syrah and Pinot Nero.

Producer Marco Donati makes a wine Teroldego Rotaliano, I have sampled the vintage 2015. This wine is made of 100% Teroldego grapes from the Mezzacorona-Campo Rotalino wineyards. The ABV is 13%. The colour is ruby red. The aroma of the wine is rich and intense. The taste is dry, dark fruits and cherries. It is rich and intense. A very good wine.

Going down to Umbria there are certain grapes that are only common here. One of them is the grape Grechetto. This is one of the grapes in the wine Torre Di Giano Vigna il Pino from producer Lungarotti. It contains the grapes Grechetto and Trebbiano. It is of the vintage 2010 so it is a white wine that can be stored for a very long time. The ABV is 13%. The nose is very good. The taste is deep and fruity. Some acidity with a bit of grapefruit in the aftertaste. This is definitely a food wine. A rare white wine that can be aged for a long time. Lungarotti produces so many good wines.