The Legends of Italian Wine

Istituto del Vino di Qualitá /grandi marchi (The Institute of Fine Italian Wines/Premium Brands) is a group of 19 of Italy’s top wine producers that have joined together on marketing activities to improve both the image of Italian wine and to promote the member wineries. The members include Alois Lageder, Ambrogio e Giovanni Folonari, Tenute Antinori, Argiolas, Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo, Ca’ del Bosco, Carpenè Malvolti, Donnafugata, Gaja, Jermann, Lungarotti, Masi, Mastroberardino, Michele Chiarlo, Pio Cesare, Rivera, Tasca d’Almerita, Tenuta San Guido and Umani Ronchi. The President is the Marchese Piero Antinori.
All of the producers are older well-established wineries that are family owned. It is very unusual to get Italians to agree on anything so to have so many producers from different regions cooperate like this is even more unusual.

Their first event in NYC, “The Legends of Italian Wine,” was held at the New York Public Library on Fifth Ave.  17 of the 19 producers were  at the event (only Gaja and Tenuta San Guido were missing) and there were wines from ten of the Italian regions.

As I tasted the wines, I felt that there was a movement away from the over extracted oaky wines of the past few years. Even those producers that make wines of this type spoke about terroir and using less new oak. There were only two wines that were a little too international in style for me, but they were not over the top.

Listed below are six wines, which I felt were particularly interesting:

Pinot Grigio “Porer” Alto Adige DOC 2011 Alois Lageder 100% Pinot Grigio. (Alto Adige) Fermentation and aging on the lees in stainless steel tanks and the wine is matured in stainless steel tanks and large oak casks. Clemens Lageder, representing the winery, said that the vineyard faces east and gets the morning sun. He feels that because of this the resulting wine has a touch of smoke and good acidity. This is an elegant Pinot Grigio with a lot of body.  It is soft and creamy with a long finish and nice aftertaste. $25

IL Falcone Castello Del Monte Riserva DOC 2006 Rivera Made from 70% Nero di Troia and 30% Montepulciano. (Puglia).   The harvest is in the middle of October, with the older vineyard of Nero di Troia sometimes picked the first week of November. Maceration and color extraction are carried out in stainless steel tanks for 12/14 days with frequent pump-overs and delestage.  Sebastiano Decorato, the sales director and a member of the family that owns the winery said that this is done to obtain better extraction and soften the tannins. The wine is aged for 12/14 months in 225-liter French oak barriques of various ages. The wine is filtered but not cold stabilized and released after one year of bottle aging. This is a wine that should get more attention. I have been drinking it for a number of years and it never disappoints. $30

Taurasi “Radici” DOCG 2006 100% Aglianico Mastroberardino SPA. (Campania) Piero Mastroberardino said that the vineyards were on two hills, Mirabella vineyard at 500 meters and the Montemarano vineyard at 550 meters. Because of its position on the hill and its altitude the temperature at the Montemarano vineyard was much colder and the grapes are picked a little later. Harvest in from the end of October into the beginning of November. The vinification is the classic one for red wine, long maceration with skin contact at controlled temperatures. The wine is aged for 24 months in French barriques and Slovenian oak barrels and remains in the bottle for 24 months before release. Piero made a point of telling me that the barriques were second and third passage. This is full, complex wine with hints of black cherry, plum, spice and a touch of leather.

There was a dinner the night of the tasting and I was sat with Piero. He said that a few people said that his wine should be more concentrated. I could not believe this!.  This is a great wine, a unique wine the can last for 40 years or more. I have the 1989 1995,1997 and 1999 vintages of this wine. Piero said, to my relief, that he would not change anything. $65  

Rubesco “Vigna Monticchio” Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG 2006 Cantina Giorgio Lungarotti SRL (Umbria) 70% Sangiovese and 30% Canaiolo. The Monticchio vineyard is the Brufa hill is near the town of Torgiano. Giorgio Lungarotti said that this vineyard is at 300 meters and the soil is mostly clay. He feels that this is a unique vineyard, which gives the wine its unique character. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with 15/20 days of maceration on the skins. Aging is in oak barriques and barrels for about 12 months and following a light filtering it remains in the bottle for four years before it is released. This is an elegant wine with red fruit flavors and aromas with hints of cherry, tobacco and spice. The 2006 is the current vintage.  I have been drinking this wine since 1981 when I first visited the winery in Torgiano and drank the 1973 vintage. The wine was granted its own DOCG in 1990. The Rubesco Riserva is a wine that can age for 30 years. $55

Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Greppo DOCG 2007 Franco Biondi Santi. (Tuscany) 100% Sangiovese Grosso-BBS11 clone. The BBS11 is a very special clone that goes back to the beginning of Brunello.  Bondi Santi is the only producer that has it.  Alcoholic fermentation takes place in concrete vats. The wine is aged for 3 years in Slovenian oak barrels and released into the market after five years from the harvest. This is a legendary wine that can last for over 100 years. They still have the 1888 and 1891 at the winery and they are still in good condition. $150

Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico Riserva  “Di Costasera” DOCC 2007 Masi Agricola SPA (Veneto) made from 70% Corvina, 15% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta and 5% Molinara. The hillside vineyards face southwest. At the end of September/beginning of October the best bunches are picked and laid out in on traditional bamboo racks (arele) in special lifts where the natural drying process (appassimento) is controlled by the NASA system. By the middle of September the grapes have lost about 40% of their weight and have a great concentration of sugar. Only the Corvina grape is subject to slight touch of botrytis (noble rot). The Oseleta grape gives greater tannic structure and deeper color to the wine after drying. The grapes are gently pressed after partial destalking and are fermented for 45 days in large Slovenian oak barrels or in stainless steel vats at cellar temperature. The malolactic fermentation takes place in 38/40-hectoliter barrels for 35 days induced by the inoculation of selected yeasts highly resistant to alcohol. The wine is aged in 600 liter Slovenian and Allier oak casks-1/3 new, 1/3-second passage and 1/3 third passage. The wine is aged in bottle for six months before release. This is a big full wine, with aromas of ripe fruit, jam and a hint of balsamic. On the palate it is smooth and rich with a long finish and great aftertaste. $85

Wines from Cortina D’Ampezzo

As I entered A Voce Restaurant, I was offered a choice of a glass of Pinot Grigio or Rhine Riesling.  I was there for a wine tasting and lunch, so I tried both wines and liked them.  Wine in hand, I sought out our host, Peter Zemmer of the Peter Zemmer Winery to give him my compliments which he seemed pleased to receive.  Established in 1928, his winery is located in the Alto Adige-South Tyrol in northeastern Italy.

Peter Zemmer

Peter spoke about Cortina D’Ampezzo, a beautiful skiing and hiking resort in the Alps that I visited several years ago, as “his town.”  Cortina, he said, is among the smallest communities in the region and is also the last village with a German-speaking majority before the southern border with Trentino.  It is also the only village in the Southern Tyrolean Lowlands/Unterland that is situated on the valley floor.  He described the vineyards and fruit trees that surround the town and went on to say that the day temperature can be 40 degrees higher than the night temperature, which enhances the aromas and flavors in the grapes. Bolzano, the largest town in the area, can have summer daytime temperatures as high as Palermo, in Sicily.

In response to a question about screw caps Peter said that they can use them in foreign markets but in Italy they only want cork.

The Wines of Peter Zemmer

Pinot Grigio 2011 Alto Adige DOC There is a selection of grapes from the best vineyards of the valley floor and the steep slopes nearby. The soil here is stony, sandy and extremely chalky. Peter said that the low yields per hectare and this particular terroir combines for a very particular Pinot Grigio.  The grapes are gently pressed, then clarified through the natural settling of sediment.  Alcoholic fermentation is carried out with pure strains of yeast in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation does not occur in any of the white wines. The wine remains on the lees for several months before it is bottled. It has more depth than most Pinot Grigio, with ripe fresh fruit, a touch of pear, a hint of spice, good mineral character and fresh acidity. $16

Rhine Riesling 2011 Alto Adige DOC Peter said that this grape is very well suited to the micro-climatic conditions and the loose, well aerated soils in the area. The grapes are pressed and the stems are removed in a pneumatic tank press. Before being pressed, a 6 – 8 hour cold maceration takes place in order to enhance the fruitiness of the wine.
Afterwards, the grapes are gently pressed and clarified through the natural settling of sediments. The alcoholic fermentation is carried out with pure strains of yeast in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. This is a nice fruity wine with good body and hints of fresh peach.  It has a nice finish and aftertaste. $19

Pinot Bianco 2011  – Alto Adige DOC This Pinot Bianco is a selection of the best vineyards of the valley floor and steep slopes near the vineyard estate. It flourishes under outstanding climatic conditions on a stony, sandy and extremely chalky soil. Peter said that the poor yield per hectare and the particular terroir are responsible for the outstanding quality of the wine.

After the grapes arrive, they are gently pressed and clarified through the natural settling of sediments. The alcoholic fermentation is carried out with pure strains of yeast at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks. Peter said that after several months of ripening on the yeast the wine in ready to bottle. This is a wine with rich fruity aromas and flavors with hints of green apple, fresh acidity and a mineral character. $19

Bianco “Cortinie”(Latin name for Cortina ) 2010 made from Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Gwürztraminer. These grapes are grown on the valley floor around the village of Cortina and on the slopes at different altitudes. The aromatic grapes are grown at 600, 400 and 300 meters. Peter explained that grapes from the valley floor give the wine more body and fruit and the ones at the higher altitudes add acidity and minerality. The harvest time is different; the lower vineyards are harvested in August and the highest in late September. Training of the vines is by the guyot method, 6,000 to 9,000 vines per hectare or on the single pergola, 3,500 to 4,000 vines per hectare. Peter said that Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Grigio do not like a lot of sun and do better under the pergola. The older vineyards are single pergola and the newer are guyot.

The grapes are crushed and the stems are removed in a pneumatic tank press. Before being pressed, an 8 hour-long cold maceration takes place. Peter said that this is done in order to enhance the fruitiness of the wine. Afterwards, the grapes are gently pressed and clarified through the natural settling of sediments.  2/3 of the alcoholic fermentation is carried out in stainless steel tanks with select strains of yeast. 1/3 of the fermentation is carried out in small casks of French oak. The wine is then aged for 6 months in French barriques from Allier. Peter said that he does not use new barriques for the wine. The wine is then aged in the bottle until it is ready to be put on the market. This is a full-bodied wine with ripe fruit and hints of apricots and a touch of tropical fruit. There is good minerality and acidity. $ 30Pinot Nero 2010 Alto Adige DOC the stems are immediately removed and the grapes are fermented at a constant temperature of 26 – 28° C (79 – 82° F) for about 10 days. The must is kept in contact with the skins through circulation pumping and gentle pressure from below. Peter said they achieve ideal results with the coloring of the skins and this emphasizes the fruitiness of the wine. After two gentle rackings, 70% of this Pinot Noir is aged over 12 months in large barrels of French oak, and the remainder is aged in small casks of French oak (barriques), which are 2 – 3 years old. After blending, 750 ml Bordeaux-style bottles are filled and the wine is aged an additional 6 months in the bottle before it goes on sale. $22

Lagrein 2010 Alto Adige DOC
Peter said that this varietal, unique to Alto Adige, finds excellent growing conditions on the loamy soils of the community of Ora. Tender care of the vineyard offers the best conditions for the production of varietal and extraordinary quality.  The stems are immediately removed and the grapes are fermented at a constant temperature of 28° C (82° F) for about 10 days. The must is kept in regular contact with the skins through circulation pumping and gentle pressure from below. Peter said by this they achieve ideal results with the coloring from the skins and emphasize the fruitiness of the wine. After two gentle rackings, 60% of this Lagrein is aged over 12 months in large oak barrels, and the remainder is aged in small casks of French oak (barriques), which are 2 – 3 years old. After blending, 750 ml. Bordeaux-style bottles are filled and the wine is aged an additional 6 months in the bottle before it goes on sale. This is a big, intense complex wine with hints of wild berries, violets and spice. $22

Peter said that they make 22 wines but only these six are brought into the United States.

Alto Adige: Why is it also called the Sudtirol?

 The Alto Adige

Urs Vetter of the Alois Lageder winery

Driving north passed the city of Bolzano, the countryside started to look more German than Italian.  Road signs were in two different languages: German and Italian. When we reached the Alois Lageder winery, we were greeted by Urs Vetter the export manager who gave us a tour of the winery and a wine tasting.  When it was time for lunch, he said that he knew an excellent restaurant not far away. He called the restaurant and spoke in German. When he looked up and saw the surprised look on our faces he simply said that in the Alto Adige, German is the first language.

 Located at the foot of the Alps and the Dolomites, the region borders on Austria and Switzerland. The Alps protect it from inclement weather from the North and the Atlantic, while the Dolomites protect the vineyards from the cold, damaging winds from the east.  Along with its proximity to the Mediterranean and Lake Garda, this makes it an excellent region to grow grapes. It is interesting to note that in the summer, the temperature in Bolzano is higher than in Palermo in Sicily. The people that live here call their region the Sud Tirol and themselves Tyroleans.   The food is decidedly Austrian with only a hint of Italy.  Ham is called Speck and they have a cheese called Weinkase Lagrein and bread called Schuttelbrot. 

  Recently in NYC I was invited to attend a seminar followed by a tasting of the wines of the Alto Adige moderated by Mary Ewing Mulligan, MW (the first American Woman Master of Wine).  The seminar was entitled “Distinctive White Wines of the Alto Adige” and included eight wines in the tasting.

Mary began with a few remarks regarding the enormous range in vineyard altitude and temperature between the southern and northern areas of the Alto Adige which results in a huge diversity of microclimates. She also went on to say that the most important grapes from the area for the American market were: Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir and Lagrein.

The Wines

Pinot Grigio “Punggi” (single vineyard) 2007 DOC Alto Adige Nals Margreid 100% Pinot Grigio. The vinification of the grapes and the wine’s storage are carried out half in large oak barrels and half in stainless steel. The speaker for this wine was Klaus Gasser, sales director of the Cantina Terlano cooperative.  He said that Pinot Grigio grows better in the southern half of the Alto Adige where there is less elevation and higher temperatures. It is also grown in the north but as he put it “in the south it is the right grape in the right place”. He described the wine as balanced, fresh with crisp acidity, minerality and nice fruit. Mary asked him how long the wine would age, he said this was not his wine but he knew it well and his answer was 10 years. Klaus also said that to make a great wine the vines must be at least 15 years old. He also added that while they still were training the vines using the Pergola Trellis, most were switching over to Guyot.  $24

Manna 2004 IGT Dolomiti Franz Hazz made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Reisling and Traminer Aromatico.  Because of the different maturing times, the grapes are harvested and worked separately. The Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are fermented in barriques, the Reisling and Traminer Aromatico in stainless steel. The wine does not go through malolatic fermentation.  The Traminer Aromatico is late harvest and there is only a small percentage of Sauvignon Blanc .The wines are then blended together and rest on the lees for 10 months and remain in the bottle a few months before release. The speaker for this wine was Tobias Zingerle.

He is the General Manager of the Kaltern-Caldaro cooperative. Mr. Zingerle said that it was interesting to note that the four vineyards are in the municipalities of Montagna, Egna and Aldino, all very close to each other. The altitude is between 350/800 meters. The sites however are very different from each other, are of Dolomite origin, prophyric, sandy and marly, with a south-west exposure. This was not Mr. Zingerle’s wine but the winemaker told him that he blended these grapes together so that this wine would go with all types of food. The wine was big and complex with hints of spice, honey and a surprising fresh fruit finish and after taste. However it lacked acidity which I believe is necessary to make it a good food wine. $40

 Pinot Grigio “Sanc Valentin” 2006 DOC Alto Adige San Michele Appiano 100% Pinot Grigio. This winey is also a cooperative. The grapes come from selected vineyards in the Appiano Monte at an altitude of 450 meters and the wines are 25/40 years old. 40% of the wine is fermented in new barriques and 60% in used ones, where the wine stays on the yeast for 11 months. The speaker for this wine was Wolfgang Klotz. Mr. Klotz is the marketing and sales director. He said that 2006 was the driest vintage in the last ten years and that the berries were very small and concentrated. The wine had a very distinctive aroma that I could not quite place. On the palate it was very mineral. Over all it had more oak and vanilla then I expect from this producer.

 Sudtiroler Sauvignon Castel Giovanelli 2007 DOC Alto Adige Caldaro 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Castel Giovanelli is 2.5 hectares of vineyards which are bio-dynamically cultivated. There is extreme prolonged pressing of the grapes in their entirety, spontaneous fermentation of the unfiltered juice in 500 liter oak casks. The wine is aged in wood for 12 months, then a light filteration and bottled in August 2008. The speaker for the wine was Tobias Zingerle. He said that the vineyard was an east facing slope of 500 mt above sea level. The soil is loamy, chalky gravel with porphyry and weathered granite, providing a prominent mineral character to the site. This was the most vegetative of the wines with a lot of citrus fruit which I found to be a strange combination. Mr. Zingerle found it less vegetative. Mary commented that this was more of a winemakers wine than a natural fresh wine but did not find it “over worked.”  I did.

 Nova Domus 2005 Riserva DOC Alto Adige Terlaner The wine is made from 60% Pinot Bianco  30% Chardonnay and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. Fermentation: 50% in large oak casks and 50% in Tonneaux (500 liters). Maturation and aging for 12 months on fine yeast in large oak barrels. This was said to be in keeping with tradition. The assemblage took place in March 2007 and bottled in August 2007.  The panel member speaking was Klaus Gasser. The producer feels that the wine can age and the 2005 is the current release in magnums. He said that the 2007 would be available in 750’s and went on to say that 2005 was a warmer vintage while 2007 was cooler and made a more elegant wine. Even thou there is only 10% of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend it was the dominant aroma and taste along with a mineral character in the mouth. It is an interesting wine. $N/A

 Chardonnay Lowengang 2002 DOC Alto Adige Alois Lageder 100% Chardonnay The  grapes come from selected vineyard sites in the Magre and Salorno area. Using natural yeasts, the wine is aged for 11 months on the lees in barriques made of Alliers, Nevers, Troncais, and Vosges of which one half are new. The vines are between 45/60 years old and are at an altitude of 260/450 meters. The soil is sandy and gravelly with high limestone content. It is a warm mesoclimate with vast contrasts between warm days and cool nights. The harvest was the 19/20 of September. This was the oldest wine that we tasted. The speaker was Urs Vetter, our old friend now the VP for the Alois Lageder winery and their director of sales and marketing. He said that all their wines go through malolatic fermentation. Urs also said 2002 was a very good year for Chardonnay and the secret to making great Chardonnay was the age of the vineyard. The wine was an interesting combination of citrus fruit, vanilla and oak.  In the mouth the sensation was very strange; the oak, vanilla and citrus were all there but you tasted them separately! The current release is the 2006. $N/A

 Gewurztraminer Reserve 2006 DOC Alto Adige Peter Zemmer 100% Gewurztraminer.   The vines are grafted on slow-growing rootstock and trained on traditional trellises (Guyot), the grapes are grown in the best vineyard zones in the valley floor around the center of Cortina. Before the grapes are pressed 6/8 hour long cold maceration takes place. The grapes are gently pressed and the stems are removed in the pneumatic tank press. The wine is clarified through the natural setting of sediments. The alcoholic fermentation is carried out with pure strains of yeast at a controlled temperature. The speaker for this wine was Urs and he said the Gewürztraminer was the most typical white wine of the Alto Adige. $ N/A

  Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer 2004 DOC Alto Adige Cantina Tramin. 100% Gewurztraminer The speaker was Wolfgang Klotz from the Tramin winery and Urs introduced him as a Gewurztraminer expert.   He said that Gewurz means spice in German and Tramin being a village in the South of Alto Adige where the grape originated. Others believe that it is Germanic in origin. The Nussbauner estate is located in Sella, a small village above Tramin. The vineyards are between 350/550 meters on the slopes below the Roen mountains. Dry winds blow from Lake Garda during the entire growing season. The soil is clay and gravel with a limestone layer from 20-100cm and porphyry subsoil. The grapes were harvested in small bins, gently crushed and left to macerate with their juices for a brief period.  Mr. Klotz said this was done to capture the characteristic aromatics of the grape. After pressing the grapes are fermented at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks. This wine was balanced, complex elegant and subtle all at the same time. It was one of the best examples of Gewürztraminer that I have ever tasted. $40

 Mary said that the cooperatives in the region were quality-focused and overall the region has the best cooperatives in Italy. A typical cooperative will have several hundred members cultivating a plot that is on average less than 2.5 acres. Fifteen cooperatives produce almost 70% of the regions wine. The remaining 30% is produced by wine estates and independent winegrowers.

There was a brief discussion on how well the white wines of the Alto Adige age. Mary said that she was surprised that the panel members did not chose a Pinot Bianco as part of the seminar. She agreed that the white wines do age but believed that the Pinot Bianco aged the best. She went on the give examples of Pinot Biancos that she had in the past that were 20 and 30 years old and in great condition.  This was why she believed that the best place to grow Pinot Bianco was in the Alto Adige.

Ms. Walch of the Elena Walch winery

 In the walk around tasting here are some of the wines which I found interesting and show the great variety of wines produced in the Alto Adige:Abbazia di Novacella – Kerner 2009, Cantina Bolanzo- Santa Magdalena Pinot Grigio 2010, Franz Hass Moscato Rosso 2009, Alois Lageder Muller Thurgau 2010, St Michele Appiano Sauvignon Sanct Valentine 2009, Elena Walch Beyond the Clouds 2008 and Schiava 2009, Peter Zimmer Lagrein 2009 , Manincor Moscato Giallo 2009  Tiefenbrunner Pinot Nero Turmhof 2009 and the Pinot Bianco 2009 and the Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer  2009 from Tramin.

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