Exploring lesser known grape varieties and regions
Tasting notes and comments from a wine tasting in June 2010.
Caruso & Minini Terre de Giumara Inzolia – Sicily, Italy – 2008 alcohol 13%
Although Italian statistics are variable, Sicily is Probable the biggest wine producing area of Italy. Until recent years much of Sicily’s wine was barreled and sent north for blending. The focus was therefore on quantity rather than quality – high yields – and high alcohol levels. More recently Sicilian producers have focused on bottling the wine themselves, increasing standards, reducing yields and balancing the lower alcohol levels with distinctive fruitiness. The increased usage of stainless steel and temperature controlled fermentation has also been important. Although Sicily produces many of the international grape varieties it is the local grapes that most excite. Many of these varieties have a Greek origin and are rarely found outside Sicily and southern Italy. The tasting wine is an example of a local grape variety which originated in Greece, 100% Inzolia. It is produced at 200-400 meters near the town of Marsala on soil that has high limestone content. Aromatic and elegant with notes that include citrus, melon and peach, it has good acidity, freshness and character. Inzolia is one of several local white grape varieties; others are Grillo, Grecanico, Zibibbo (Muscat), Cataratto and Fiano.
Warburn Estata Verdelho – New South Wales, Australia – 2009 alcohol 13%
The Verdelho grape is perhaps most closely associated with Madeira and the production of the famous sweet wines. Nowadays it is increasingly grown in Australia. Although it has been grown in Australia for over 200 years, it is only in very recent times that the grape has become increasingly fashionable and used to produce dry white wine rather than the sweet wines of the past. The tasting wine is produced in the Riverina area of New South Wales. It is a complex layered wine with notes of melon, pineapple, herbs and spices. A versatile wine that will go well with a wide range of chicken and fish dishes, also with mildly spiced dishes.
Torres Viña Sol – Cataluña, Spain – 2009 alcohol 11.5%
In recent years, Spain has probably changed more than any other European wine producing country. Extensive use of stainless steel gives many of the wines greater freshness and purity. The difference is particularly noticeable with the white wines. Formerly, the white wines were heavily oaked and in some cases deliberately oxidized do that they had notes reminiscent of sherry. This “rancio” style, particularly in Rueda, has now largely disappeared. The tasting wine is made by the Torres Company in Cataluña, Spain. It is produced from 100% Parellada grapes – a major grape of Cava. A refreshing wine that includes apple, pineapple and spice notes. This wine goes well as an aperitif and with seafood. Other Spanish white wines worth considering are from Rueda – Verdejo grape – and Rioja – Viura grape, elsewhere called Macabeo and one of the most planted white grape varieties in Spain.
Casa de la Ermita, Monasterio de Santa Ana Monastrell – Jumilla, Spain – alcohol 13.5%
The Murcia section of the Mediterranean coast has seen resurgence in wine investment partly due to more relaxed regulations that allow irrigation. Casa de la Ermita is one of a number of new wineries – founded in 1999. About 85% of the grapes in the region are Monastrell, the Spanish name for Mourvedre, widely grown in the Southern Rhone. The grape is particularly tolerant of drought conditions. The tasting wine is 100% Monastrell and has soft tannins and dark fruit flavors. The acidity works well with tomato based dishes as well as sausages, casseroles and risottos.
D’Angelo Sacravite Aglianico – Basilicata, Italy – 2006 alcohol 13%
The southern part f Italy was once part of the Greek empire and many of their grape varieties have a Greek origin. The Aglianico grape takes its name from a corruption of the Italian name for Hellenic Greece. The grape is grown mainly in the Basilicata region of Southern Italy and the best wines are produced from grapes grown on the slopes of the Vulture volcano. Grapes here are grown at 450 – 600 meters. Aglianico wine has become fashionable and there are now plantings in Australia. Aglianico wines can be inky black with big tannins and notes of chocolate, coffee, leather and smokiness. They age well (5-10 years) and can develop further in complexity. This is a wine to go with rich meat dishes and mature cheese.
Chateau Plaisance Fronton – Languedoc, France – 2007, alcohol 13%
The Négrette grape has a long history but almost disappeared before it was identified and rescued from oblivion by a grower near Tolouse. The grape is believed to have a Greek origin and related to the Mavro grape. It was brought back to France from the Middle East by 12th century crusaders. It is a thin skinned grape that is susceptible to mildew and other problems. Many growers have replaced it with more international varieties. Today, the grape is mainly found in Fronton, a small appellation north of Toulouse. The grape is low in acidity and tannins and appellation requirements are that Fronton wine must be a blend of three grapes with Négrette being a minimum of 70% of the blend. Chateau Plaisance is a small, organic producer. The wine is made using wild yeasts – the yeasts that develop naturally on the grape skin and in the cellar – and is unfiltered and unfined. The process is intended to bring out the natural flavors of the grape. The soil is poor and yields are very restricted. This is an aromatic, gentle and elegant wine with lots of cherry notes supported by hints of spice; may particularly appeal to Pinot Noir lovers. This wine goes well with cold meats and paté.
Domaine Haut-Lirou, Pic Saint-Loup – Languedoc, France – 2008, alcohol 13.5%
Pic de Saint-Loup is a small area around 20 kilometers north of Montpellier. This is “garrigue” – scrubland- country with limestone peaks – the most notable being Pic Saint-Loup – and poor soil. Vines grow at around 250 meters and benefit from the cooler evenings and the Mediterranean climate. Domaine Haut-Lirou is a family company. The tasting wine is a blend of 80% Syrah (Shiraz), 10% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. A wine with gentle tannins, spiciness and notes that include baked fruits, violets and licorice. A wine that would go well with veal, coq au vin, and mildly spice meats; more rounded – and more elegant – than many wines from the south west.
Hervé Sabardeil Cabalié – Pays Cotes Catalanes, Languedoc, France – 2009, alcohol 14%
The tasting wine is produced in the small town of Maury - which is more famous for its sweet wines – by a highly regarded winemaker named Hervé Sabardeil. Wine has been produced in Maury from the second century BC. The area has some of France’s oldest wines. The production quantity is extremely small – less than 1,000 cases. It is made from old vine Grenache with a small amount of port like Maury – in the way the Romans made the wine. Intense flavors of brambly fruit, plums and chocolate and with a port like smoothness. A big wine that would go well with hearty barbecues. Sabardeil is also the winemaker who produces La Difference wines.