Club Corner
Italian Wine Club September 2024
ABRUZZO Abruzzo may be only a few hours east of Rome in central Italy, but it’s a whole ‘nother green world. The region arranges three national parks, 38 nature reserves, and an amazing 75% of the flora and fauna on the continent into the space between the Apennine Mountains to the west and a long Adriatic coastline to the east. A third of its 4,900 square miles consists of officially protected land, and two thirds are covered by rugged peaks, which provide great (if labor intensive) conditions for viticulture: thin soils, big diurnal temperature shifts, and cool mountain air currents, moderate the temperatures in the vineyards on the slopes, providing a perfect microclimate for the vines. Closer to the coast, the climate becomes wetter and more temperate, receiving a decent amount of annual rainfall. So it’s no surprise that Abruzzo goes way back with wine. Officially, the local tradition starts with the Etruscans in the 6th century B.C.E., but there is evidence that vine growing began in the 4th century B.C.E., when a sweet, Moscato-style grape called Apianae was grown. It is also believed that when Hannibal made his epic journey over the Alps, his soldiers were given Abruzzo wine from Teramo (historically known as Pretuzi). Whatever the case, today Abruzzo ranks fifth amongst Italy’s 20 regions in terms of wine production per annum - which is remarkable given its relative size: Tuscany has twice as much land under vine and makes far less. This is due in part to the high permitted yields of Abruzzo's main DOC region (as much as 100 hectoliters) as well as the government mandated use of high-producing tendon vine-training systems installed in the 1970s. This fecundity arguably comes at the expense of diversity though: more than ⅔ of Abruzzo’s juice is made by co-ops and/or sold in bulk to negociants for blending elsewhere - in Tuscany, Piedmont or Veneto. Abruzzo’s two most famous red and white varietals: Montelpuciano D’Abruzzo* and Trebbiano D’Abruzzo, respectively, account for a combined 86% of all plantings. Small wonder our two wines this month are made from them. Both are still outliers however, as they come from small grower/producers organically farming their own vineyards who are unquestionably among the finest the region has to offer. In fact, some of you may remember the Inalto winery from our last visit to Abruzzo, in April 2023, when we featured their Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. For September, we have In Alto’s equally great Trebbiano, which completely transcends that varietal’s sometimes tepid reputation, with body, freshness and poise. The red selection is something a little different. Made from the aforementioned Montepulciano grape it is in fact a Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo, the region’s newest DOC (as of 2010), though it represents a very old style of winemaking. You may recognize the appellation Cerasuolo, which means “cherry red” in Italian, from another DOC in another region: Cerasuolo di Vittoria, which is Sicily’s only DOCG status bottling, a red wine made from the local grapes Nero D’Avola and Frappato. In Abruzzo, Cerasuolo must be at least 85% Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, grown in the same area below 500 meters of elevation, or 600 meters for a south-facing slope (same as its red sibling), it has to have at least 12% alcohol, and can’t be sold until the first of January following harvest. But I’ve intentionally buried the lede here: technically Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a rose, though the finest examples - and Praesidium makes maybe the best I’ve ever had - exist in a liminal space between rose and red wine. Without the small “rose wine” clarification on the back of this bottle, you’d be hard pressed to confidently classify it via the usual indices of color, texture and flavor. Indeed, there are many who insist that Cerasuolo is Montepulciano’s quintessential expression. So ignore the fine print and treat this bottle like a serious lighter red. You can serve it slightly chilled or not (it shouldn’t be ice cold), pair it with a variety of dishes, enjoy on one of the warm days we’ve got coming up or even age it a few years if you’d like. No wrong answers with juice this good. Salute! Alan Hicks - PlumpJack Noe Wine Buyer *(Forever fated to be confused with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a famous wine from the Tuscan medieval town Montepulciano that is mainly produced with a local Sangiovese clone known as Prugnolo Gentile. In fact, the grape Montepulciano is not grown in the town of Montepulciano at all, despite being widely planted all over Central Italy – in Marche and Emilia Romagna, for instance - and having more than 50 DOCs dedicated to it.) Inalto Trebbiano Superiore D’Abruzzo D.O.C. 2020 Region: Abruzzo, Italy About the Winery: Adolfo De Cecco is part of a new generation of wine entrepreneurs that has come to the stage in recent years. The son of FrancescoAdolfo De Cecco, who helms the renowned De Cecco pasta makers’ dynasty, Adolfo's vision is to make wine from a specific cru with the intention to achieve the best expression of a particular grape from that particular site. He pitched the concept to Thomas Duroux, winemaker and general manager of Chateau Palmer, the famous Margaux Third Growth vineyard in Bordeaux and after touring the entire Abruzzo region, De Cecco and Duroux selected Ofena, in the province of Aquila, an area almost 500 meters above sea level. This,they decided, was the perfect location to produce refined and elegant wine. The area is known as Forno d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo's oven, because despite the high altitude, the terrain is shaped like a bowl and retains the heat from the sun, which helps to ripen the grapes uniformly. The cool nights preserve the fragrance and elegance of the fruit. About the Winemaking: Made from Trebbiano Abruzzese grapes harvested in the first week of October, with a yield of about 40 quintals per hectare. After approximately 72 hours of cold maceration, fermentation takes place partly in stainless steel and partly in wood. It then matures on the lees for 6 months before resting in the bottle for another 4 months. Tasting Notes: A great Trebbiano d'Abruzzo featuring prismatic peach, laurel, aromatic herb, candied citrus fruit and wet stone notes, with a slight hint of smoke, impressive texture and a juicy sapidity. Winemaker: Thomas Duroux Price per bottle / per case $32.99/$356.30 Suggested Food Pairing: Pecorino cheese Cacio E Pepe Orzo Shrimp Scampi Seafood risotto and stews Praesidium Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Superiore 2022 Region: Abruzzo, Italy About the Winery: Praesidium is a 7-hectare estate in the Peligna Valley, the genetic birthplace of the Montepulciano grape. Enzo Pasquale, his wife Lucia, and their kids, Antonia and Ottaviano, are the last winegrowers of the village of Prezza. The village itself sits on a rocky outcropping that has a near-360° view of the surroundings. It makes sense, then, that the name Prezza comes from the Latin verb praeesse (to preside), and that the village was the “Praesidium” (defense garrison) of the Peligni tribe, an Italic people who eventually acquiesced to Rome. They farm the vineyards organically, in the spring planting a cover crop of fava beans to add nitrogen to the soil and doing all the work by hand including a green harvest to control the size of the crop. They only use copper and sulfur as natural treatments against rot when necessary. They then hand harvest the grapes and crush them and allow spontaneous fermentation to take place. The finished wine is always bottled unfined and unfiltered with just a few rackings for clarification. About the Winemaking: 100% Montepulciano. Praesidium's iconic Cerasuolo comes from four different northeast-facing parcels of Montepulciano, planted in 1965, 1973, 1995, and 2006. Harvested at red-wine ripeness, maceration for 4 days. Long aging in stainless steel. 6,372 bottles made. Certified organic. Tasting Notes: A gorgeous blend of wild strawberries, lavender and wet stone makes the 2022 Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Superiore impossible to ignore. This is round and supple, with juicy acidity and ripe red berry fruits offset by candied citrus and spice. The 2022 finishes long yet energetic and crisply refreshing, leaving a tinge of tart raspberry that slowly fades. While fruit forward, there's no shortage of depth and complexity. Winemaker: Thomas Duroux Price per bottle / per case $32.99/$356.30 Suggested Food Pairing: Very versatile - Can serve with burgers, other grilled meat, pizza, winter stews and soups, tuna steak, pastas with sausage and peppers. Frittata di alici – anchovy frittata This humble frittata is originally from Vasto, on the southern coast of Abruzzo, where anchovies – the key ingredient – abound. Eggs and anchovies might seem like an odd combination, but they work surprisingly well together, especially when freshened up by a good dose of parsley and spiced up by chili. If you can’t source fresh anchovies, you can replace them with their marinated counterpart. Just know that the result will be bolder in flavor, and less meaty. This frittata is particularly good when eaten in a sandwich. It also makes a good appetizer, and is a great addition to any picnic basket. Ingredients 8 eggs 3 oz of Pecorino Romano, grated 2 tbsp of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes fine sea salt freshly ground black pepper 1 1/8 lb of fresh anchovies, cleaned, rinsed and patted dry 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil Instructions In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the grated pecorino, parsley, chili, salt and pepper. Add the anchovies and stir to incorporate In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium-low flame. Once hot, add the egg mixture. Cook the frittata for 5 minutes, or until set enough to be able to flip it (I use a plate or a large lid to do so). Then, cook it for 5 more minutes on the other side. Once done, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a plate
Learn more
May 2023 Rosé Club
Italy has over 250 indigenous varieties of grapes, and the majority of the red grapes are made into rosé (rosato). However, Italy only produces 10% of the world’s rosés, which is probably why you don’t see them as frequently in our club. Despite a long tradition of highly rated bottlings, both Italian production and domestic consumption of rosato has been falling since 2000. Only a small amount of Italian pink wines are exported to the United States. When they can be found, they represent exceptional values, and typically offer a stark contrast in aroma and taste to the more familiar French and Californian styles. The most well known Italian red wines come from Tuscany and Piedmont, and the main grapes within each region are Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, respectively. While Sangiovese is the most widely planted varietal in all of Italy, Nebbiolo doesn’t even crack the top 10 – so when we came across a fresh and light Nebbiolo rosé, we decided to bring it in for you to try. Even better - because who ever says “we have too much rose?” - it comes in a liter bottle. Sfera (short for “atmosfera”, or atmosphere in Italian), is a collaboration with a rotating case of certified organic winemakers from the Alps to the Mediterranean, dedicated to producing limited-run, large format bottlings. This particular selection is a partnership with the excellent Croin winery in Piedmont’s Monferrato hills. After Sangiovese, Montepulciano is the next-most-planted variety in Italy. This dark-skinned grape loves the lengthy growing seasons of central and southern Italy and is a common variety in Abruzzo, Molise, and Marche vineyards. Montepulciano produces a deep purple wine with higher acidity and grippy tannins. Its most famous wine is Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, but it also produces Rosso Concero, Rosso Piceno, and one of this month’s rosés, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, from the Torre Dei Beati winery. The name “Torre dei Beati” is drawn from a detail of a fresco dating back to the 14th century, in the S. Maria in Piano local church. In the representation of Judgement Day, the “Tower of the Blessed” (“Torre dei Beati”) is the final goal of the souls that is achieved through hard effort and many tests. The winery’s aim is to express, through extremely careful selections in the vineyard and at the winery, the best of the native grapes grown in the Loreto Aprutino area. Starting from the first production core, located on the ground floor of an old farmhouse settled in the center of the vineyard, a new cellar for the wine ageing and a new winery have since been added, allowing Torre dei Beati to use the house as a welcoming and tasting center. In 2004 they bought a new 8 hectare plot, where they are now planting new vineyards. Over time, their portfolio increases significantly with studies of the Montepulciano, the grape varietal on which their efforts are mainly focused. Think Pink! Carrie Upson-General Manager Torre Dei Beati Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Region/Country of Origin: Loreto Aprutino, Abruzzo, Italy About the Winery: Torre dei Beati started its family-run winemaking activity in 1999, when they decided to start manually cultivating their vineyard planted in 1972 by father Rocco. They firmly trust that high quality wine has to be natural and that to separate the two issues is really impossible. For this reason they immediately converted the vineyard to organic farming. Their first bottle dates back to 2000. About the Winemaking: The grapes, carefully selected in 20 kilos cases, are immediately brought to the winery, located close to the old farmhouse in the middle of the vineyard. There they are selected again on a sorting table to choose only the best. This process is applied to all of the grapes used in their wines, for the purpose of best expressing the potential of each wine according to its category. At the winery, the most advanced technology is applied to traditional winemaking with respect for the genuineness of the organic grapes. Cold pre-maceration, light pressing of the grapes before destemming. Fermentation at 15 to 16 degrees Celsius/ 59 to 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Maturation: In stainless steel tanks. Tasting Notes: Brilliant cherry color, enriched with intense violet reflections and a sense of balanced consistency. Bouquet: Fresh and persistent aromas of strawberries, pomegranates and cherries; embellished with elegant floral scents. Taste: Characterized by an optimal equilibrium of softness, tied to a supportive alcoholic component and a lively persistence of mineral acidity. Stimulating finish. These characteristics give Cerasuolo a particular pleasantness and flexibility with different dishes. Winemaker: Fausto Albanesi Price: $25.99 btl / $270 case Suggested food pairing: Antipasti, first courses, soups, legumes and grains, poultry and fish. Serve at 55-59 degrees. Sfera Litro Rosato Region/Country of Origin: Monferrato Astigiano, Piedmont, Italy About the Winery: From the Alps to the Mediterranean, SFERA is a collaboration with small certified-organic farmers to bottle Liters in limited runs. All the wines are made: - WITH organic certification- WITH a producer written in label- WITH only a minimum of added SO2 (from 20 to 40 mg/L)- WITHOUT selected yeasts- WITHOUT clarification or filtering. About the Winemaking: 24 hours on the skins, softpress and then the free run juice ferments for 20 days in stainless steel tanks. Élevage for 4 months in stainless steel and only one racking before bottling. Native yeasts with no fining or filtering Tasting Notes: This Rosato is refreshing and bright, with notes of pomegranate and cranberry, and a deeper rose hue. A rosé that is acid driven, dry, fruit forward, and has a low tannic grip. A super easy drinking, glou-glou style wine. Winemaker: Cristiano Garello, Federico, Marcello, & Corrado Russo Price: $16.99 bottle/$183.49 Suggested Food Pairing: Charcuterie, pasta dishes, risotto, ham.
Learn more