It may still be pushing the high-nineties in New York, but believe it or not Fall is almost upon us! Vino’s wine and spirit classes return this September with a fresh autumnal schedule. Our selection has gone international and so have our classes: this semester’s tasting seminars are a reflection of our expanding blend of world-class wines and spirits from around the globe. But we’re starting things off with a return to our roots, as next Tuesday we present The Wines of Italy!
Before embarking on our international expansion earlier this year, we spent the best part of a decade dealing in Italian wine. All that tasting, talking and, uh, tasting some more, had to pay off in the end: the result is The Wines of Italy. Hosted by Vino’s resident Italian wine maven Jim Hutchinson, this intrepid tour of the peninsula will take in Italy’s vast mosaic of appellations, countless grape varieties, and myriad countless winemaking styles. Participants will be treated to an exclusive tasting representative of Italian wine’s remarkable quality and diversity, and learn more about the ever-shifting landscape of Italy’s richly entertaining winemaking culture.
THE WINES OF ITALY
with Jim Hutchinson, DWS
Tuesday, September 7
6:30-8:30pm
$45
For more information and reservations please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.
You will find Paolo Perinelli’s sprawling estate as you travel southeast from Rome and into the foothills of the Appenines. The family-run farm sits at about 1200 ft asl on the outskirts of Acuto, a village in the heart of the Ciociaria, an area famous for its wine and olive oil. Paolo tends the highly-regarded local variety Cesanese d’Affile on a beautiful property called Casale della Ioria, that also produces olives, stone fruit and livestock. For over twenty years he has managed all aspects of his operation.
Perinelli’s approach to winemaking is based on rigorous vineyard management and a low-intervention protocol in the cellar that emphasizes cleanliness and carefully monitored fermentation. His methods reveal a great appreciation for Cesanese’s true varietal character with all labels exhibiting zesty acidity and aromas of cherries and herbs tinged with a slightly acrid smokiness. His use of wood in aging is judicious and includes a variety of barrel sizes and types of oak, very little new.
We carry all three of Paolo’s Cesanese labels:
Campo Novo 2007
$17
Campo Novo is made in a youthful style that highlights the vibrant cherry fruit character that is typical of Cesanese. Paolo selects fruit from his youngest vines and vinifies with a short maceration and ageing entirely in stainless steel.
Cesanese del Piglio is made of grapes harvested from 35-year-old vines. Both Cesanese d’Affile and Cesanese Commune are used. The wine is aged in large Slavonian oak botti for up to 12 months.
Torre del Piano 2007
$42
Torre del Piano is made of grapes rigorously selected from the property’s best and oldest vines. It undergoes a lengthy maceration and fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel and is aged in French barriques, 50% new, for 12 months.
Ciociaria is a politically undefined area between Rome and Naples centering around the province of Frosinone in Lazio. (Vino also carries a digestivo, Amaro Ciociaro from the area.) Its name is derived from “ciocie”, primitive sandals worn by sheep and cattle herders in the Central Appenines. Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni was born in the area, while actor/director Vittorio De Sica and poet/writer/director Pier Paolo Pasolini lived and worked there. Indeed, De Sica’s 1960 movie La Ciociaria adapted from the Alberto Moravia novel of the same name (but released as Two Women in the U.S.), starred Sophia Loren as a widowed Roman shopkeeper trying to protect her teenage daughter during World War II. Loren’s performance earned her an Academy Award, the first time an acting Oscar had been given for a non-English speaking role.
For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.
Try this classic example of northern Italian Cabernet Sauvignon from one of Trentino’s most experienced producers. Pure, clean aromas of cedar, camphor and blackberries and the firm tannins and zippy acidity typical of sub-Alpine Italian cabernet add up to an excellent and well-priced, medium-bodied red that will be perfect at your next backyard barbecue.
The Endrizzi family has been cultivating Cabernet Sauvignon in Trentino since the early 20th century. Francesco Endrici was among the first local winemakers to explore the varied terrain in and around San Michele all’Adige to determine which vineyards would be best for the great Bordeaux variety which had been creeping north from its introduction at Conegliano in the late 1860s.
He selected sites at Maso Kinderleit and Masetto. The former, an area of granite soils that monks had first planted to grapes in the Middle Ages, provided fruit to produce characteristic aromas and impressive structure while the latter, lower in altitude and with more fertile loam soils, allowed grapes to ripen fully and provide richness and body.
Today, Cabernet Sauvignon is grown at both sites and tended with modern viticultural techniques that maximize varietal character while remaining ecologically sustainable. The fruit is hand harvested at full phenolic ripeness and left to macerate in temperature-controlled stainless steel for up to 8 days. After fermentation the wine is racked into Slavonian oak botti where it remains for 12-14 months.
Pinot Grigio has been hiding in plain sight for years now. All over northern Italy winemakers have been churning out zillions of gallons of light-colored, aromatically neutral, crisply nondescript wines to satisfy an army of unquenchably thirsty and unaccountably unsophisticated palates. The people want bland Pinot Grigio! At least that’s what the farmers say. How else would you explain why an otherwise interesting variety is routinely harvested before it’s reached the level of ripeness required to invest it with the same luxuriant charms that Pinot Gris routinely produces in Alsace?
All this Italian Pinot abuse has had us on the run for years. Every time a well made Pinot Grigio appeared on the Vino tasting table we found ourselves making another round of excuses. We couldn’t possibly let a tasty $15.00 PG steamroll our Verdicchio, Erbaluce, Falanghina and Friulano. How would they compete? We run no more.
Clic Pinot Grigio 2009
$13
A medium-to-full-bodied Pinot Grigio with a pink screw cap and a pedigree from one of the best winemakers in Friuli’s Collio zone. Fabio Coser buys fruit from his favorite farmers at its ripest and vinifies in temperature-controlled stainless steel.
Castel Sallegg Pinot Grigio 2009 1 liter
$17
Slightly lighter in body than the Clic, this citrus-scented PG comes from our favorite Alto Adige estate. Winemaker Matthias Hauser picks just shy of full ripeness to produce wines with zesty acidity. The one-liter bottle is a great value as the wine is only two dollars more expensive than the traditional 750ml.
For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.
The brand new vintage of Lini’s Lambrusco has just arrived at Vino, and we’re pleased to report that this year the wines taste as cool and refreshing as ever. Lambrusco is the natural choice for the beach, backyard and beyond: whether you’re throwing red meat on the grill or hosting a rooftop soirée, we defy you to find a better choice for town or country this summer.
Scoffed at for a generation, Lambrusco is now well and truly back in vogue (and in Vogue) and back on the tables of America’s wine drinkers. Since Vino launched Lini’s chic line of Lambrusco in 2007, this endlessly-approachable wine has swept across the land like an enormous pink tidal wave, gently engulfing all those who allow themselves to be consumed by its bubbly kick and washed up among its opulent foam.
One of the many reasons for Lini’s popularity in the United States — in addition to photos of sultry Lambrusco scion Alicia Lini (like the one at the top of this post) — may be the fact that it defies classification. In fact, in many ways it is a wine unto itself: though it’s chilled and sparkling we’ve discovered there’s room for Lambrusco in practically every wine-drinking context. One such circumstance in which Lambrusco comes into its own is a sticky summer afternoon, much like the ones we’ve been experiencing lately…
Though 2010 has been the year of international expansion at Vino, we’ve not forgotten our southern Italian roots. Vino is still the place to find the widest selection of top Italian wines, which is why we’re excited to welcome a brand new addition to our shelves from the heel of Italy’s boot. Bacco is a series of four classic wines from Puglia, each highlighting the region’s native varieties and winemaking tradition.
Winemaker Antonio Romano of the esteemed Leverano estate Conti Zecca has produced a line of wines that he feels best characterize the most significant indigenous varieties of the Salento peninsula. In keeping with tradition, all four wines exhibit great varietal character, represent tremendous value and overflow with the sun-drenched charms of Italy’s meridionale.
The name “Bacco” comes from the Italian for Bacchus, the Greek-Roman god of wine. Also known as Dionysius, this winemaking deity is said to inspire ritual madness, joyful worship, ecstasy, carnivals and celebration. We’re hoping Bacco (the wine) will generate a similar reaction in those who drink it (well, apart from the madness part). The wines’ label features a reproduction of Bohemian sculptor Dominikus Auliczek’s baroque porcelain Bacchus, originally created for Nymphenburg in 1770. Traditional Pugliese wine and classic Bavarian porcelain: it’s a wonder nobody thought of it sooner…
Meet Ruchè winemaker Luca Ferraris at Vino this Friday! Luca will be pouring his entire range of wines at this very special event, which will also feature an appetizing spread of summer antipasti courtesy ofI Trulli chef Patti Jackson! Join us for this an aperitivo piemontese that you won’t want to miss!
Vino is thrilled to welcome Luca back to New York, where his wines have attracted a growing number of intrigued and devoted followers. You’ll have probably heard the Ferraris name mentioned in reference to the variety Ruchè: Luca hails from Castagnole Monferrato, a tiny Piedmontese hamlet famous for this local grape. In addition to his signature Ruchè, Luca’s Barbera d’Asti, Grignolino d’Asti and Ruchè-Syrah blend Il Re continue to rank among Vino’s best-selling bottles.
This season we’ve added to the Ferraris catalogue. Monferrato Bianco is made from 100% Viognier; Luca was among the first producers in Piedmont to plant the French variety. His rosato, a Monferrato Chiaretto known as “Ciaret” is made from from two of Piedmont’s best-known red varieties, Dolcetto and Barbera — plus a healthy dose of Ruchè — each vinified white. Finally, Luca defied many skeptics to produce Opera Prima, an aged Ruchè dedicated to his grandfather, Martino, who first purchased the vineyard Luca calls “Vigna del Casot”. Today he continues to cultivate Barbera, Grignolino and Viognier on the same site.
APERITIVO PIEMONTESE
with LUCA FERRARIS
Friday, July 23
5:30-7:30pm
Tasting is free, no reservation required. For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.
Refosco, often considered exotic around these parts, is typically enjoyed in versatile everyday wines at home in Friuli, the north-eastern region of Italy. We had our Refosco epiphany in a charming osteria in Friuli’s Colli Orientali.
There, where the sub-variety Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso is considered the chief native red, we came to understand that all too frequently the region’s winemakers were sending us their gussied-up versions, replete with full-on oak and loaded down with extract and alcohol while they enjoyed the local style, medium-bodied with zesty acidity and intriguing aromas of stuff like herbs, creosote and blueberries.
The thinking goes we suppose, that our American tastes aren’t excited by such food friendly attributes. To that we say hogwash.
Ronco dei Tassiwinemaker Fabio Coser (above center) and his son Enrico (above right, brother Matteo is above left) created the Clic line to introduce wine drinkers the world over to the great charms of Friulan wines. With outstanding native and international vine varieties and consumate skill in cellar and vineyard the Cosers offer impressive quality at a very good price.
At Vino we’ve spent the best part of a decade extolling the virtues of Italy’s classic wines. And while we’d happily take a bottle of Barbaresco to the proverbial desert island, we know that once we got there such a wine would hardly be appropriate. Likewise when temperatures rise to these levels we’re happy to leave the Amarone on the shelf. Summer’s here, and when the city heats up we cool down with something pink, specifically a cold glass of Italian rosé. And whether it’s grilled chicken in the backyard or chilled gazpacho in front of the World Cup, we’ve found these wines are the best accompaniment to lighter summer dishes.
Though Italy is hardly famed for its rosés, many Italian winemakers produce affordable rosato wines from local grape varieties. From Lagrein to Lambrusco, these highly-drinkable rosés are truly representative of place, while each provides the same delightful tonic of delicious summer refreshment. You can taste five of our favorites this Friday from 5:30pm!
When summer hits the city, New Yorkers know what refreshes best. This Thursday, kill your thirst with a Cola Calabrese! This quenching cocktail is made from Calabria’s tasty digestivoAmaro del Capo, and mixed with real Italian soda! As Marvin and Tammi would say, “Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby!” And as this photo taken in Times Square last weekend clearly demonstrates, we’re excited to report that Cola Calabrese fever has already hit the streets of Manhattan.
Cola Calabrese
Thursday, July 8
5:30-7:30pm
Tasting is free — no reservation required. For more information please contact 212-725-6516 orinfo@itrulli.com.
