A wine a day

For an event lady like me, life is often  long days at work, always on the run and under pressure.
And in these hectic situations, my `spoonful of sugar` is, of course, wine!

Luckily enough I am working in the wine business and I normally have a quite good range of choices on my busiest days. This is why a 4 days roadshow is the perfect excuse to find a favourite per day, because, as an old Italian motto says, 'a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away' (....or was it apples?! )

First day of the tour was in Bristol, the lovely ancient port of England where the goods from West Indies used to arrive. This spicy town inspired me to a kiwi wine, the Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravel Syrah, characterised by intense ripeness of red fruit, savoury spices and a touch of earthiness. In the mouth the wine is round and big but extremely harmonious with its velvety tannins and a long finish. So good I forgot to take a snapshot of the bottle!

Second stop of the roadshow was possibly in the most elegant and beautiful city of all UK: Edinburgh. Such a classy and historic city deserves a 'royal' wine: Barolo, a wine for kings, a king of wines. I have chosen to taste the Poderi Aldo Conterno vintage 2009 because it had been a while since I had the chance to taste a wine from this iconic winery. Nebbiolo as its best, showing aromas of roses, leather and red fruit. Tannins are as powerful as you would expect from a relatively young Barolo, but ripe and velvety. It is muscular yet charming ad elegant. A wine that deserves time for its own; a meditation wine.

On the third day we moved overseas in Ireland. The land of Guinness diverted my wine raid into beer. Not a dark one, but gold and honey. The colourof the Hiver beer is spectacularly gold and the nose is intensely honeyed. In the mouth the beer has a certain sweetness that is balanced by a nice freshness and some final citrusy notes.

Last day in Manchester; a day of celebrations for the end of this long and tiring roadshow. What's better than bubbles then? English bubbles! The Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvee is just as delicious as I was expecting it, with fine perlage, flavours of citrusy fresh fruit, grapefruit but also apples and pears.
The acidity is vibrant and the wine finishes with a refined aftertaste.

Salute!

Pizza, pasta, mafia & mandolino....

I think we all know the common stereotypes on Italians.
Once it was pizza, pasta, mafia, mandolino and the legend about the Italian stallions (yes, I am sorry it is only a legend!)

More recently we also tend to be seen as bad drivers, short-tempered, loud, a bit messy and bunga bunga people. Well, as an Italian living abroad, you can imagine that sometimes being categorized this way it's not that pleasant. I definitely don’t see myself as loud, maybe a bit messy yes and not the most patient woman in the world, ok. But I can drive decently and definitely don’t want to be associated to anything Berlusconi-related. On the other hand I have to admit that we all tend to have stereotypes on other populations or different cultures. It’s human. Often these are wrong. More often they are actually right.

But if we are talking about Italian wines instead, what are the stereotypes and is there any truth in them?

Let me start destroying a couple of the old cliche'....First of all, Italy does not only produce Pinot Grigio, Chianti and Lambrusco as some may think. There is much more out there. One of the greatest characteristics of wine production in Italy is its diversity. Wine is produced all over the country and each regions has indigenous varieties and traditional techniques, so be adventurous and next time you are about to choose a bottle of wine, try something different even if you can't pronounce the name!!

Second, Chianti is not just a cheap wine sold in traditional fiascos. 
Have you ever tried some Fontodi, Selvapiana, Felsina or Isole e Olena for example? Well if you haven't yet, it's really time to do it. Get out, find a bottle of one of these, taste it and think about what people say about Chianti. It ain't right, uhm?!


And for those considering themselves Italian wine conosseurs because they happen to have tried some Super Tuscans and are now convinced that these wines are the maximum (or the only) expression of this country wine production, well...I am sorry to disappoint you but I think you need more exercise. When the first Super Tuscans appeared in the late 70s they could have possibly been some of the best wines on the market but now this is not true anymore. Get a taste of Barolos, Aglianicos, Brunellos, good Soaves...and many more....

Last but not least, if the only wines that pop up on your mind when thinking about Italy are those coming from Tuscany, let me tell you that Italy is divided in 20 regions and as said before, they all produce wines, so why don't you explore other areas? 
Maybe some wines from Southern Italy, maybe Friuli Venezia Giulia or Umbria....you will be pleasantly surprised.

There is definitely much yet to be discovered on Italian wines and plenty of wrong beliefs. The common stereotypes are not doing them justice.
Maybe we should all revise our stereotypes and be more open minded....not only for the Italian wines!

Salute!

Nebbiolo: the bastard grape!

When you have the chance to follow a Masterclass on Nebbiolo with David Gleave (MW and huge expert on Italian wines)  you don't want to miss it.
And when the wines to be tasted are big Barolos from producers of great tradition and prestige, you don't want to spit.


Nebbiolo is a high maintenance grape: no doubts about it.
It's the first variety to bud but the last to be picked. It needs the right sites; it needs south facing slopes. It has to be produced in low yields otherwise the wine will result diluted and the tannins will not be ripe and soften enough. It needs to be treated the right way. It needs people that know how to handle it: how to make a great wine from a difficult and sometimes austere and unfriendly grape.
Finally in the right hands, in the right place (mainly Piemonte - even if it can be cultivated as well in other parts of the world) it will reward you with unforgettable wines such as Barbaresco and Barolo or the less famous appellations of Ghemme and Gattinara.


Nebbiolo has normally a quite light color and it can be strongly aromatic. When young it often has fresh red fruit and flowery intense flavors such as raspberry, cherries, plums, violets and rose petals. With the aging it develops tertiary aromas of leather and tobacco.
It is normally characterized by a lively, vibrant acidity, often balanced by intense fruitiness and a good body depending as well on the wine production and on its age.
But nothing will impress you more than its tannins. They can be harsh and almost unbearable. Young and explosive but under control or they can be extremely subtle and velvety. Once again this will depend mainly by the winemaker's touch and the cares that he (or she) gives to the vineyard.


Love it or hate it but Nebbiolo is a grape that gives wines with strong personality.
Wines that need their time to be waited and their occasions and company to be tasted.
For sure food is probably the best companion, but try it with a book: I am sure it won't disappoint you.

Personal pick of the night was the Vajra Bricco delle Viole 06 a deep, full on, vigorous Barolo with intense and ripe forest fruit aromas and a perfectly integrated smokey hint from the oak aging. Extraordinarily elegant, you would struggle to keep in the cellar!


Thanks to David Gleave and Liberty Wines for the inspirational masterclass and the outstanding wines tasted (Massolino, Conterno, Vajra, S.C.Pannell)