ITALIAN SUMMER WHITE WINES FOR UNDER $ 20

My motto has always been that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on wine to drink well. Over the last year I have tasted  many excellant Italian white wines that are under $20.  Here is a list of some of my favorites.

Frascati Superiore Secco 2009 DOC Lazio Fontana Candida Made from 60% Malvasia Bianca di Candia, 30% Trebbiano and 10% Malvasia del Lazio. The grapes come from hillside vineyards in the DOC zone located in the province of Lazio, in the communes of Frascati, Monteporzio Cantone, Grottaferrata, Montecompatri and Rome. The grapes are harvested between September and October and immediately transported to the cellar where they are gently pressed. Vinification takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel and then bottled under nitrogen to protect its freshness and fruit. The wine has aromas and flavors of white peaches and apples. It has good acidity and minerality with a long finish and a nice aftertaste. $10.

Bianco Veronese “Ferdi” 2009 IGT Sartori di Verona (Veneto) made from 100% Gaganega.  There is a careful selection of handpicked grapes from different vineyards that are partially dried in small boxes for 30- 40 days (appassimento) in order to reduce water and concentrate sugar content and color.  3 grams of sugar per liter in the wine is balanced by the acidity. There is a light cold soaking. The pressing of the grapes is followed by short skin maceration at a low temperature.
Part of the must is fermented in 500-liter oak tonneaux but the oak is not new. The remainder is aged in stainless steel. The wine is then left to mature on its lees for 6/7 months. This adds mouth feel and intensity. The wine is aged in bottle for at least 3 months before release. The wine has subtle floral notes with hints of pears and apricots and good acidity.  $14

Gavi del Comune di Gavi DOCG 2010 Beni di Batasiolo 100% Cortese (Piedmont) the vineyards are at 100/200 meters and there are 3,500 vines per hectare. They use the Guyot system modified into small arches. There is soft pressing with static decanting, and the alcoholic fermentation is under strict temperature control. The wine is bottled after malolactic fermentation. The wine has aromas of white flowers with hints of white peaches, citrus and good acidity. $18.99

Cuppa Ramato 2009Venezia Giulia Pinot Grigio IGT 2009 Attems.
The harvest took place near the end of September and the grapes were harvested by hand. Vinification takes place in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature. Fermentation lasted for seven days. For this wine the skins remained in contact with the juice for 12 hours and the wine did not undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged for four months in barriques and two months in stainless steel and one month in bottle before release. It has the color of a blush wine. The aroma is very aromatic with hints of strawberry and cherry. It is quite firm on the pallet with a nice fruit in the finish and aftertaste. It is a most interesting wine! $19

 The history of the Orange Wine
This wine goes back to the way Pinot Grigio was made during the time of the Republic of Venice. Ramato, meaning copper, was the term used to describe the color of the wine. Some clones of Pinot Grigio can also be copper in color. The traditional vinification process led to the use of this name. The must remains in contact with the skins for 36 hours and this gives the wine a very distinctive coppery hue. The term “orange wine” is used to describe white wine where the juice has had skin contact.

Grechetto Dell’Umbria IGT 2010, made from 100% Grechetto. Scacciadiavoli The harvest takes place the first ten days of September. Vinification takes place in steel tanks on the lees and malolactic fermentation does not take place. The wine is aged in bottle for 3 months before release. Grechetto is a native Umbrian varietal and this a wine to be enjoyed when it is young. It is fresh and fruity with floral hints and good acidity. $18
Vermentino Maremma Toscana IGT 2011 Cecchi 85% Vermentino and 15% other approved grapes. The vines are at 150 meters and the training system is guyot. There are 5,500 grapes per hectare. Harvesting takes place the beginning of September. After the grapes are picked they are left for 12 hours at a temperature of 8°C in contact with the skins in order to keep the primary aromas.
Fermentation takes place in small stainless steel tanks for 18 days and the wine remains in bottle for two months before release. $16
Pecorino 2009 Offida DOC 100% Pecorino Saladini Pilastri.  The vineyard is 4 hectares at 150 meters with gravelly soil and east/northeast exposure. Training system is vertical shoot-positioned trellis, and there are 4,200 plants/ha. The harvest takes place in the middle of September and the grapes are organically farmed. Temperature controlled fermentation for 20 days. This is a wine with floral and herbal undertones and nice citrus aromas and flavors.  $14.99

Scavigna Bianco DOC 2010 Azienda Agricola Odoardi (Calabria) made from Greco Bianco, Chardonnay, Malvasia, Trebbiano, Pinot Bianco and Riesling. The winery is at 600 meters. The soil is calcareous clay and the training system is Guyot. The harvest takes place in late August and fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The wine has flavors and aromas of white peach and herbs. They are one of the few producers that make this wine.  Owners are Giorgio and Giovanbattista Odoardi. $17

Falanghina Beneventana IGT 100% Falanghina  Donna Chiara.(Campania)  The soil is chalky clay, there are 2,500 vines per hectare, the training system is Guyot and the harvest takes place the first week of October. Fermentation in stainless steel at controlled temperature for 40 days. The wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation and does not see any wood.
The wine was fresh with hints of citrus and floral aromas and flavors, good acidity and is a very pleasant wine to drink. $18

The Wines of Davide Sada and Dinner by a Tuscan Chef

Davide Sada is a wine lover and always dreamed of owning his own winery.

Davide however was involved in the family business; his great-great grandfather had patented the technique of vacuum-canning foods and was the creator of what was to become Simmenthal, Italy’s best-known brand of tinned beef.

 Sig. Sada at first wanted to start a winery in Friuli, but he changed his mind and his career when he met the well known Italian enologist, Maurizio Castelli, who convinced him to look in the northern part of the Maremma.  After a detailed analysis of the land lying between Casale Marittimo, Bibbona and Bolgheri by a geologist friend of Castelli, Davide purchased land that they felt was best suited for growing quality grapes.  The new winery was named Azienda Agricola Sada – Fattoria “Carpoli”. 

Chef Vallini and Davide Sada

 Recently, at the Hotel Michaelangelo in NYC Sig. Sada presented his wines at a very special dinner of simply prepared traditional Tuscan food.  The dinner was prepared by Emanuele Vallini, chef/owner of La Carabaccia in Bibbona, not far from the winery.  Sig. Sada is so proud of the food of this area that he flew Chef Vallini to the US to prepare the food for the dinner.

 Vermentino Toscana IGT 2010, 100% Vermentino. The production zone is the Casale Marittimo. The vineyards are at 350 meters. The training system is spurred cordon and the harvest takes place toward the end of September. Vinification is in stainless steel and the wine does not undergo malolatic fermentation. It is aged 5 to 6 months in steel and 2 to 3 months in bottle before release. The wine was fresh and fruity with flavors and aromas of green apple, grapefruit and a touch of honey. It was a perfect combination with the Coccoli della Carabaccia (fried bread dumplings, zucchini flowers vegetables and sage leaves that were passed around as finger food. It also went very well with the first course pappa al pomodoro (bread and ripe tomatoes porridge, flavored with garlic, onions, basil and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil.) $26

 Integolo Toscana IGT 2009 Made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30-40% Montepulciano.  Sig Sada said that if the vintage is lacking and more color is needed in the wine, they will add a small percentage of Alicante, so grape percentages may vary according to the harvest. The production area is Bibbona. The vineyards are at 120 meters, the training system is guyot and the harvest is toward the middle of September. The wine is vinified in stainless steel, aged in steel for 3 months and aged 3 more months in bottle before release. Sig. Sada said that he was trying to make a wine characteristic of the area that was low in price and low in alcohol,  what he called “a wine for every day drinking”.  It is only 12.5 degrees of alcohol because the leaves of the plants are shaded from the sun. The wine had flavors and aromas of fresh red fruit, with hints of blueberry and good acidity. I think he has succeded.  It is an easy drinking wine and went very well with the farro della Garfagnana con pancetta e porro su crema di pepperoni (a timbale of spelt from Garfagnana with bacon and leeks, over a bell pepper cream) $19

 Baldoro Toscana IGT 2008 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Montepulciano and 5% Alicante. Vine training, altitude, harvest and vinification as above. The wine is aged is stainless steel for one year and in bottle for 6 months before release. This wine had fruity red berry flavors and aromas with hints of blackberries and blueberries. This wine had more body than the Integolo and had a longer finish and more lasting aftertaste.

Sig. said that the Baldoro started out as being his “every day” wine but it soon developed into a complex wine with more body and fuller aromas and flavors than the Integolo.  He felt that Baldoro would be an excellent wine with steak. We had it with La Carabaccia di Caterina de’Medici (onion soup with fresh egg soup) $26

Carpoli Toscana IGT 2006 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.  Sig. Sada said that these were the classic grapes of Bolgheri in the Maremma. The altitude, training system, harvest, and vinification are the same as above. The wine is aged in French oak barriques. Less than 1/3 are new and the rest in second and third passage barriques. It spends 8 to 10 months in bottle before release. Sig. Sada said that this was his “Super Tuscan” and a wine to age. It was a little too modern for me but not over the top and was better with the filetto di maiale in crosta di erbette e noci (polk filet in a crust of herbs and walnuts.) $44

 Vermentino Toscana IGT 2008 100% Vermentino- Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest)

This wine is not for sale at this time and is only made for family and friends. It was dark brown in color, very dense, thick and sweet. However with the dessert crema di mascarpone con sbrisolona di cantucci (cream of mascarpone with crumbles of cantucci) it was a perfect combination.

 At dinner I was sitting next to Sig. Sada and he said that the winery was organic but he does not put it on the label.