Old and New Italian Red Wine with Daniele Cernilli aka Doctor Wine.

A few weeks ago I wrote about a Zoom tasting with Daniele Cernilli (aka Doctor Wine).  In the blog I wrote about the white wines that we tasted.  In this blog I will write about the red wines.  The wine came in very small bottles with twist off caps.  Representatives of the wineries joined the webinar.

The Red Wines

Cantine Iorio (Campania) Sannio Aglianico DOP 2020 made from 100% Aglianico. The vineyards are at 250/350 meters. The soil is limestone and clayey and the training system is guyot. There are 3,000 plants per hectare. Hand harvest takes place the last week of October. Maceration takes place at a controlled temperature followed by malolactic fermentation. Aging is in wooden barrels for 6 months and then in bottle before release. The wine has hints of blackberries, black cherries and a note of spice.

Tenuta Falezza (Veneto) Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Superiore 2020. The wine is made from 50% Corvina, 20% Corvinone 25% Rondinella and 5% Oseleta. The first fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks for 20 days. In the second fermentation the new wine is poured onto the pomace of skins and seeds of the Amarone or Recioto. This second fermentation is in stainless steel tanks and lasts for 10 days. This is a full bodied  wine that has hints of black cherry, plums and spice. Daniele said that after a few years of aging it begins to resemble Amarone.

Vinera Domani (Lazio) Roma DOC Rosso 2019 made from 100% Montepulciano. The soil is volcanic and tufaceous clay and the training system is spurred cordon. The wine has hints of cherry jam, plum and blackberry.

Casale della Ioria (Lazio) Cesanese del Piglio DOC Superiore  2018. Made from 100% Cesanese di Affile. The vineyards are at 400 meters, the soil is clay, sub-acid and the training system is spurred cordon. There are 4,500 plants per hectare and the average age of the vines is 16-17 years. Grapes are hand picked in October and the stalks  are removed before pressing. Maceration on the skins for 15 days. Aging is in 20hl oak casks for 6 months and in bottle for 6 months before release. The wine has hints of currents, blueberries, morello cherries and a hint of violet.

Uvamatris (Piedmont) Sagitta Barbera del Monferrato Superiore DOCG 2018 made from 100% Barbera. The vineyard is at 230/250 meters, the exposure is south and the training system is guyot. Heaviest is at the end of September. The wine ferments only using wild yeast in stainless steel tanks with maceration lasting for two weeks. After malolactic fermentation the wine is racked into 660 gallon French oak botti for 24 months. The wine remains in bottle for 6 months before release. The wine has hints of cherry  and raspberry with good acidity.  Daniele said that in Monferrato Barbera has the best position in the vineyard. He also said that Barbera has more acidity than tannin which makes it a very good food wine.

Bocale (Umbria) Montefalco Sagrantino 2016 made from 100% Sagrantino. The vineyard is treated with natural grass regeneration techniques (land planting), using only organic and mineral fertilizers without the use of chemical products or herbicides. Fermentation is with natural yeasts and the wine is produced without microfiltration and thermal stabilization. Manual harvest takes place the second half of October. Vinification: maceration for at least 40 days with natural enzymes. Stabilization and filtration do not take place. The wine is aged in 1,000 liter French oak barrels for 24 months and in bottle for 12 months before release. The wine has hints of blackberries and currants with a touch of spice. I was very impressed with this wine.  This wine will age and Daniele said Sagrantino has the highest polyphenols and tannin of any grape.  Above is a picture of the 2015 I have at home.

Next time, another webinar with Doctor Wine.

At Home with Michele and Charles

Just like everyone else, Michele and I are trying to make the best of being confined to home, which in our case is a small apartment.  For us that means we are doing a lot of reading, tv watching, household projects and of course, eating and drinking.  Luckily, we had done a big shopping trip when we returned home from Italy and stocked up on some of our favorite Italian ingredients.  I keep a supply of wines on hand, so whatever Michele decides to cook, or is able to cook with what she finds in the pantry or refrigerator, I can match a wine to it.  With a good supply of pasta on hand, there is always something good to look forward to.

 

One day it was one of Michele’s childhood favorites.  Broken spaghetti with peas, eggs and cheese.  She uses frozen peas for this dish, and they are perfectly delicious, sweet and fresh tasting.

 

 

Beneventano Falaghina ‘”Resilienza “2018 Donna Chiara made from 100% Falanghina  The soil is chalky and the training system is guyot. Harvest is the first two weeks of October. There is a soft  pressing of the grapes and then they are cooled  50 degrees F for 4 to 5 hours. This is followed a with static decantations.  Fermentation is at 57 to 60 degrees F in steel tanks for 15 days. Malolactic fermentation does not take place. The wine has floral notes with hints of citrus fruit, pear and apricot with good acidity and a long finish. I am always impressed by the Falaghina from Donna Chiara.

 

 

Another day, she tried a recipe from one of Marcella Hazan’s books.  It was spaghetti with bacon and zucchini.  It doesn’t look that interesting in the photos, but we liked it.

 

 

I was craving tomato sauce, so Michele made a simple one with olive oil, garlic, canned Italian tomatoes, and some basil that she had in the freezer.  It will have to do until we can get some fresh basil or plant some when the weather is better.

 

The only time we have pasta leftover is when Michele makes a double batch so that she can fry it the next day.  She mixes the cold pasta — any kind will do — with eggs and grated cheese and fries it in a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet until crispy and browned.  This was made with the remains of the spaghetti with zucchini and bacon.

 

 

 

Here we have spaghetti once again, with broccoli cooked until very soft with garlic olive oil and hot pepper.  Mashed with a little of the pasta water, it  makes  a kind  of  pesto  to  toss  with  the  pasta.

Soave Superiore DOCG “Monte San Pietro”  Sandro De Bruno made from 100% Garganega from the hills around Roncà, at 330 meters. The soil is volcanic, there are 4,000 vines per hectare, the training system is Pergoletta Veronese and the exposure is south. Fermentation is in big oak barrels of 30hl. This is a well-structured, complex wine with hints of tropical fruit,  citrus fruit white pepper and a floral note with a very pleasing after taste and a long finish. A great Soave.

 

This spaghetti was tossed with fresh scallops, garlic, parsley and hot pepper.  She finished it with some toasted breadcrumbs.

Barbera d’Alba” Bricco di Merli” 2001 Cogno  made from 100% Barbara from a 1.8 hectare vineyard at 300 meters, There are 4,500 plants per hectare and the training system is vertical trellised with guyot pruning. Vinification in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with automatic pumping over. The wine is aged for six months in large Slavonian casks and  6 months in bottle before release. This is the fourth bottle of this wine I have had and it is showing very well for a wine 19 years old. Barbara can age. It has hints of dried prunes and cherries with a hint of spice.

 

Fresh fettuccine is the preferred pasta for a slow simmered Ragu Bolognese, made with pork, beef and a variety of vegetables.  But  we  had  it  with  dried penne rigati.

Montefalco Rosso 2016 Bocale made from 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sangiovese, 10 % Merlot and 5% Colorino.  Harvest is by hand the last days of September and the first days of October.  Vinification is with natural enzymes and there is no stabilization or filtration. The wine is aged in barrels and barriques for 12 months. The  wine has hints of violets and cherry with spicy notes

One day, a homemade pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella was a nice break from pasta.  It was even good reheated the next day.

 

A bunch of fresh asparagus was the inspiration for this creamy risotto.

 

Michele fried the remainder into cakes the next day, similar to the fried spaghetti I mentioned previously.

With so much bad news, good meals are a joy and a comfort.  We hope you are eating and drinking well too.