Alessio Komjanc, wine producer in Friuli Venezia-Giulia

One year ago I visited Friuli Venezia Giulia and visited the producer Alessio Komjanc near the Slovenian border in the area of San Floriano del Collio. It is a family owned business. The winery Alesssio Komjanc was founded in the seventies by Alessio Komjanc. When visiting this winery the one showing us around were Roberto Komjanc, one of the four sons of Alessio Komjanc. This winery has 24 hectars of vineyards. And they focus on many of the grapes used in Friuli Venezia Giulia. For white wines Komjanc uses regional grapes as Ribolla Gialla – still and sparkling; Friulano, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and the international grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Traminer Aromatico. Komjanc also produces some red wines on grapes such as Schioppettino, Pinot Nero, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Also there is a production of olive oil.

 

For this tasting I have focused on the red wines, made from Cabernet Franc and Pinot Nero. The first bottle is the Cabernet Franc red wine.  It is made of 100% Cabernet Franc grapes and is of the vintage 2016. In the taste I get black currant, strawberry and some cherry. This wine is very slightly sparkling which gives it a bit more refreshing taste when it is warm outside. A good wine which for me is perfect in summer time.

 

Next wine is the Dedica Pinot Nero, which is made from Pinot Nero grapes and has the vintage 2016. This wine has been aged for 18 months is French barrels. The ABV is 14,5%. In the taste i get sour cherries, tobacco, oak and some black currant. Nice structure with the tannins in the back. Works best with food as it complements food very well.

 

 

Monte Vibiano, wine producer in Umbria

Monte Vibiano is a wine producer in the green heart of Italy, Umbria, and I have tasted some of their wines before and this time I have tasted three of their wines. First up is the Villa Monte Vibiano Bianco of the vintage 2017. This is a white wine with the ABV of 12%. The grapes used are 40% Trebbiano spoletino, 35% grechetto di Todi, 15% sauvignon blanc och 10% viognier. The storage is done in steel tanks to preserve the freshness of the wine. In the taste I get pear, citrus and grapefruit. When I had this wine two year ago I found it a bit unbalanced but two more years in the bottle has brought out a more harmonious wine which I find now to be quite good. Lovely to have with some spicy food.

Villa Monte Vibiano Rosso is from 2017. The grapes used for this wine is the following. 55% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon och 5% Cabernet Franc. It has been stored in steel tanks for six month before being bottled. In the taste I get cherries, some coffee and some soft tannins at the end. More easy drinking than the 2016 vintage. Very good.

The last wine is the red wine Monvi from 2014. The grapes used here are 52% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot och 8% Cabernet Franc. The Sangiovese were stored for 15 months in steel tanks while the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot grapes were stored for 15 months in oak barrels. So this should have more oak character compared to the Rosso. Here I get cinnamon, red fruit and dark fruits in the mix with tannins in the back. I like it and it is quite structured and it gets better with food. Takes some time to open up so open the bottle one or two hours before dinner.

Sedura from Donnafgata and two other red wines from Italy

Finally I have found a different wine from Donnafugata which is not usually available and it is the wine La Bella Sedara.  The ABV is 13,5% and the vintage is 2017. This wine is made from several different grapes with the main grape being Nero D'Avola blended together with Cabernet Sauvigno, Merlot and Syrah.In the taste I get black currant, cherry and some spices and black peppar. A very nice easy drinking wine.

The wine Aglianico is from the producer Fattoria Pagano in Campania. It is made from 100% Aglianico grapes. The vintage is 2017 and the ABv is 14%. The vineyard lies at 270-300 meters above sea level in Casale Carniola in Campania. The taste is of black currant and plum with some tannins which some are a bit unripe. It is a decent wine which gets much better when paired with spicy food.

The last red wine is from the producer Bepin De Eto in Veneto. I have tasted the wine Cabernet earlier and still my thought is that it is a decent wine but I prefer the other red wines from Bepin De Eto which in my mind are better.