Snooth PVA: il gran giro d’Italia con dodici vini bianchi

The wine tastings at the Snooth PVA weekend fell into two categories: classes and dinners. I enjoyed both. The dinners hit upon my preferred opinion that wine is food and that the two should never be separated, and encouraged more convivial conversation among my fellow writers. However, the classes provided a lot more information from a top-down format and allowed for some serious study on a specific topic. And thus on Saturday at 2:30 in the afternoon, we entered the basement of the Altman Building to attend the White Wines of Italy Master Class.

This is a tasting that I've thought a lot more about since leaving the city, and one in which I wish I could have spent more time analyzing each bottle with some wine books and dizionari nearby. Our host was the genteel Giuseppe Capuano of Vias Imports Ltd.. Despite the fact that he is from San Lazzaro di Savena in Emilia-Romagna and quite attached to the native grapes of his home region, he took us on an incredible tour of the white wines of Italy and her islands. East, west, north, south, Sicily, Sardinia... Even the German-speaking vineyards of Alto Adige/Südtirol were represented.

A restaurant would be well-advised to steal the following list to make a special wine flight dinner to celebrate the white wines of Italy. I can imagine the following going quite well with a multi-course meal, rearranged a little to ensure optimal regional food pairing.

2011 Istituto Agrario di San Michele all'Adige, Nosiola Trentino DOC, $23

The institute is an agricultural college in northern Italy focused on wine production, founded in 1874. Think about this as trying something from UC Davis. The grape is Nosiola, and it's very mild on the nose with lots of bright lemon on the palate. Great acidity and minerality, and certainly a perfect start to the tasting.

2011 Strasserhof Kerner, Valle Isarco DOC, $27

There's a good bit of German/Italian overlap in language, family names, and grapes in the far north. My first Kerner was the 2003 Klaus Zimmerling Kerner Trocken Landwein, brought back by California Girl after her 2005 vacation in Germany. This one was rich with honey, overripe peach, and a rich mineral aftertaste. Later notes of nutmeg. This used to be a popular destination for Germans in search of affordable, delicious wine before the Euro currency unification.

2011 Luisa Friuliano, Isonzo del Friuli DOC, $21

Wet stone and a mild floral note, with bright acidity. This grape used to be known as Tocai Friulano until the EU came along and the name was banned to avoid confusion with Hungarian Tokaji.

2011 Luisa Ribolla Gialla, Isonzo del Friuli DOC, $22

Somehow this was my first exposure to Ribolla Gialla, and I look forward to exploring this grape in the future. Exotic and fascinating with a nose of jasmine and orange peels, but a light and delicate body.

2011 Argillae, Orvieto DOC, $17

The name means "spirit of the soil" in Latin, and this one was a powerhouse of acidity. I found it a little harsh and bitter, but perhaps better enjoyed with food that will balance it out properly.

2011 Cataldi Madonna, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC, $17

Light and gentle with a delicate body. A little small and lost in the shuffle, but something that I'd like to serve with quail and white asparagus for a calm first course.

2011 Terredora di Paolo, Fiano di Avellino DOCG, $24

This wine is entirely soil-driven, with elements of mineral and ash, chalk, and balanced acidity. Fruit comes and goes, but geology is forever.

2011 Statti Greco, Calabria IGT, $23

Clean and fresh, with a light and mild body. I've had stronger Grecos in the past, but it's nice to see a more austere presentation.

2010 Feudi del Pisciotto Marengo Grillo, Sicilia IGT, $33

Nutty with fresh-baked cookie notes and an acidic finish. The oak gives some serious structure to this particular bottle.

2011 Nuraghe Crabioni Vermentino di Sardegna, Sardegna DOC, $21

Rustic and exotic with characteristics of flowers, nuts, and fruit. Deep, firm body and a strong mouthfeel. Everything I could have possibly wanted from a Sardinian wine.

2011 Colle dei Bardellini Pigato, Riviera Ligure di Poenente DOC, $19

My first experience with Pigato, and Greg pointed out that if you ever detect the aroma of pencil eraser in your wine, there's a 50/50 chance that it's Pigato. I wasn't really sure what to make of this particular wine (I think my bottle was a bit oxidized), but I'm holding that tasting note in my pocket to win a blind tasting in the future.

2011 Maison Anselmet Chambave Muscat, Vallée d'Aosta DOC, $27

We concluded the tasting with an odd wine from a very stubborn and independent winemaker. Only 6,000 bottles of this were made, and the result is a Muscat that has the characteristic aromas of honey and honeysuckle, but is completely dry. I think everyone was expecting sweetness and was pleasantly surprised at the flavor. I'm not sure how I would serve this (there's a perfect cheese just out of my mental grasp), but I found it to be another true delight from this master class.

Check out these other great reviews of the same tasting! The V.I.P. Table "A Regional Tour of Italian Whites", The Reverse Wine Snob "Excellent Italian Whites - Exploring the White Wines of Italy Including Two Bulk Buy Selections", Vindulge "Learning about the white wines of Italy with Snooth – one region at a time", Wine Julia "#SnoothPVA: Indigenous Varietal Italian White Wines From North to South", My Vine Spot "#SnoothPVA: White Wines of Italy"

Note: This trip was provided by Snooth.

NV Jaillance Cuvée Impériale

Situated in the middle of the Rhône Valley wine regions, Clairette de Die produces a sweet, lightly sparkling wine. Unlike Champagne, this is a naturally sparkling wine, though one with lower pressure that did not require the technological advance of the stronger Champagne bottle and corking methods. (Also a bit odd: the local rules establish a maximum content of 25% Clairette, with a minimum of 75% Muscat. Why not call it Muscat de Die?)

While this is my first time trying wine from this particular AOC, it was instantly familiar and I can see why it's being promoted now. In flavor, alcohol content, and sweetness, it is almost identical to the Italian Moscato d'Asti, which has become hugely popular here in the US. Sparkling Muscat wines are popping up from all sorts of places, and I've reviewed examples from Spain, Australia, Brazil, and Moldova. France can not be accused of just now jumping on the bandwagon, this style of wine has been made in the Die region for some two thousand years and was written about by Pliny the Elder.

NV Jaillance Cuvée Impériale
Clairette de Die AOC
90% Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, 10% Clairette Blanche
$17, 7% abv.

Aromas of honey, peach nectar, and a slight musky undertone are present from the start. The wine is quite sweet, and just barely fizzy--enough to produce a small head of foam but not enough to really tickle your palate. While the alcohol level is very low (some beers are stronger), the sweetness creates a bigger body than you'd expect. I enjoyed it after dinner with soft white cheese and fresh strawberries, and it would make for a great dessert wine at a date if your significant other has a sweet tooth.

Note: This wine was received as a sample.

Wines of Rosa d'Oro

Rosa d'Oro is based in Kelseyville, California and has been in the wine business since 1953, as well as producing olive oil and vinegar. They specialize in a lot of interesting Italian grapes that seem to thrive in the local region. I last sampled the products of this winery back in 2009 and was delighted to have the opportunity to try some different bottles.

2011 Rosa d'Oro Muscat
Yolo County
60% Moscato Giallo, 40% Muscat Canelli
$16, 12.5% abv.
Not as sweet as you may think, but full of the musky and honey tones you've come to love from Muscat grapes. A deep golden color and a heavenly aroma match up with balanced acidity and a clean finish. An outstanding first course or salad course wine, particularly with shellfish.

2010 Rosa D'Oro Montepulciano
Tracy Hills - Mt. Oso Vineyards
100% Montepulciano
$20, 13.8% abv.
Ah, the wine that I served with my BBQ goat tacos... Soft and mild with bright cherry flavors and a smooth body, just a touch of raspberry tartness and a light finish. Something about Montepulciano and BBQ just goes together in my mind. The great thing about this grape is that it is mild but holds up to smoked meat very well, and everybody loves a good food-friendly red.

2010 Rosa d'Oro Sagrantino
Tracy Hills - Oso Vista Vineyards
100% Sagrantino
$24, 14.4% abv.
Like the Montepulciano, there were only four barrels of this wine made. That's 96 cases or 1152 bottles, so few people will get the opportunity to try this wine. I had fun serving it to Julia alongside a more mass-produced California red, and she kept going back to the Sagrantino because it had so much more character. Amazing dark fruit and spice, with plum and black pepper and firm but balanced tannins. It's great for swirling and thinking about an hour after dinner as well... Highly recommended if you are lucky enough to snag one of the bottles.

Note: These wines were received as samples.

2007 Lost Angel Muscat Canelli

I felt like returning to the chicken and mac & cheese theme from the recent dinner party, but scaled back for a casual lunch. The pasta is pretty much the same as last time, minus the lobster and substituting cavatappi for elbow macaroni. This corkscrew shape is more fun to eat and holds on to the sauce better due to the tiny ridges along the sides. Lightly steamed broccolini for the tasty vegetable side. Pretty simple dinner, yet I did something interesting with the chicken.

I brined the chicken legs overnight using a slapdash mixture of pomegranate juice, allspice berries, mustard seeds, honey, salt, and water. The next morning, I smoked them using alder chips for about two hours before serving. The color was gorgeous--looked more like a cherry/walnut wood varnish. Great flavor, the kind that can't be duplicated merely by slapping on McSmokehouse BBQ Sauce™. In fact, this chicken needed nothing else added to it. I even left the hot sauces in their respective hazmat containment units.

I opened a random purchase, the 2007 Lost Angel Muscat Canelli from Eos Estate Winery in Paso Robles, California. $14, 11.5% abv. Honey and apricot aroma, with a touch of pineapple. The flavor is medium sweet, and a veritable fruit salad: peach, cantaloupe, a little banana, and a final burst of lemony acidity. It's sweeter than what I normally prefer, but was a fun change of pace, and an interesting contrast after trying a dry implementation of the grape.

Rosa d'Oro Wines & The Return of California Girl

California Girl, the pseudonymous character on this blog formerly known as The Girlfriend, left town last June but just came back for a week-long visit. A dinner party was mandatory, and I had some California wines made from Italian grapes that I was dying to try. An Italian menu seemed like a natural fit, with one small hitch: California Girl does not eat tomatoes in any form, and she's not big on pasta. Now there's lots of Italian cuisine that doesn't involve tomatoes or pasta, but it was still a unique challenge.

For the evening's wine lineup, I had three wines from Rosa d'Oro of Kelseyville, California, plus an unrelated Italian sparkling wine in the middle. Rosa d'Oro is is Italian for "Golden Rose", and the Buttitta family has been growing grapes in California since the 1950s. In addition to wine, they also produce olive oil and single-grape vinegars, though the latter are currently sold out. Think about the bragging rights at a dinner party when you can whip out the Dolcetto vinegar.

The Rosa d'Oro wines and olive oil can currently be ordered from the website--check back later this year for the vinegar.

After an antipasto course of real bruschetta (just sliced crusty bread that's been toasted, tapped on the hot eye of the stove for grill marks, then rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with olive oil) and a selection of salami/capicola/sopressata, it was time for the main feast...

As always, click on the photos for larger versions with more detail.

Primo piatto: Risotto with bay scallops, shrimp, and crawfish tails. Pretty easy to make, and using Kitchen Basics Seafood Stock provided great depth of flavor. I kept the risotto and vegetables separate from the shellfish, which I seared off in a skillet with butter before placing on top of the rice.

For the wine, I chose the 2007 Rosa d'Oro Dry Muscat Canelli, $16. Muscat Canelli goes by several different names, including the charming Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, or "white muscat with small berries". It's an old grape, reliably tracked back as far as ancient Greece and Rome. While often developed into sweet wines, here it shows the grape's dry yet fruity side. Light and enchanting aroma of pears, lemon, and flowers. Dry and delicate, but fruit forward with touches of lime and that distinct Muscat duskiness.

Insalata: This isn't Italian, but it was two days before Easter and I figured it might be fun to put something whimsical on the table. Half a quail on a bed of mesclun greens, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette, and a small nest of alfalfa sprouts with half a chicken egg. Yes, a whole quail egg would have been more appropriate, but I had chicken eggs in the fridge that needed cooking.

I love to throw in a sparkler in the middle of the meal. This is the NV Rotari Rosé Talento Trento, a metodo classico sparkling wine from near the Italian Alps. It's 25% Chardonnay and 75% Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), giving it that little salmon blush we all love from blanc de noirs. This is crisp with massive bubbles, and has a bright, tart raspberry aroma and flavor to it. Excellent for cutting through the savory quail.

Secondo Piatto: Braciole and baby Brussels sprouts pan-fried in bacon. This is my second attempt at braciole, and since I didn't have the option of braising it in a rich tomato sauce, I roasted it on a rack. It's more rare than you see with a lot of braciole, but I had a choice between rare and tender or another couple of hours until it was falling-apart tender. The stuffing of ricotta, spinach, and fresh herbs is difficult to see here, but it provided great flavor. I served both of the reds with this course, with my fellow diners going back and forth between the two. Opinions varied, but the Refosco was my favorite of the night.

2007 Rosa d'Oro Primitivo, $18. Primitivo is the same grape as Zinfandel and its original Croatian name, Crljenak Kaštelanski. While wines bearing these three names may be made in different styles, the DNA evidence proves that they're all the same plant. This particular bottle was smoky, with a dusty nose full of black plum, a touch of jam, and a bold black cherry flavor that was a hit around the table.

2007 Rosa d'Oro Refosco, $24. You don't see a lot of wines made from Refosco here, except occasionally in blends, but just because there's not a whole section for it in the wine shop doesn't mean you shouldn't look for it. This particular wine had a fascinating aroma of nutmeg, raisins, stewed fruit, and a touch of toast. It had very mild tannins with deep flavors including cocoa and blackberry. Highly recommended.

Dessert was provided by my brother and his wife, and the evening stretched on for a few more hours. Good food, good wine, good friends... la dolce vita.