ITALIAN LOVE WINES
By Seema Tikare
In the late Middle Ages, Valentine’s Day was close to the awakening of spring. February 14th in the Julian calendar fell at the end of the month and coincided with the first signs of spring shoots and blossoms and perhaps the mating season for birds. As a result, traditional gifts for Valentine’s Day are often flowers. It is considered a celebration of love and romance because, reputedly, St. Valentine performed secret marriage ceremonies for Christian couples in the 3rd century CE before he was beheaded for trying to convert the Roman Emperor Claudius II.
In any case, as a celebration of love, it is also often celebrated with wine. As the famous saying goes, “Where there is no wine, there is no love.” And no one knows this better than the Italians. Any Italian meal is enhanced with good wine pairings, and with so many great wines to choose from, it is difficult to not go overboard. But here are six wonderful wines that will always bring out the romance of the day.
NV IL FRESCO PROSECCO DOC ROSÉ MILLESIMATO BRUT
VILLA SANDI, VENETO & FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA, ITALY
Where better to start a romantic evening than a sparkling wine made in the region around the ancient city of Venice? This is not your usual fruity, cheap and cheerful Prosecco. This wine is a newly approved rosé that combines the freshness of the Glera grape with the aromatics and colors of the Pinot Noir grape. Unlike other Prosecco wines that are bottled straight after the second fermentation, this wine is aged for 2 months on the lees to create a more complex palate. The result is a silky wine with a lovely mousse and beautiful pale pink hue. Notes of cherry and raspberry from the Pinot Noir enhance the floral notes of the Glera. It is a perfect way to toast love. Available from Southern Glazer’s Beverage Company.
2O22 VINNAE RIBOLLA GIALLA IGT JERMANN, VENEZIA GIULIA, ITALY
Another wine from the Venezia area is Ribolla Gialla, a white grape that has firm acidity and minerality with peach, citrus, and apple notes. This wine blends in a bit of Friulano and Riesling to bring more aromatics and tropical flavors into the mix. The Jermann family planted their first vines in 1881. Launched in 1984, to mark 1OO years since their first cuvée, they decided to call this new wine Vinnae, to honor the birth of their second son with that name. Aged partially in large Slavonian oak barrels, the wine retains a crisp, mineral character that pairs perfectly with cold seafood appetizers such as oysters, shrimp cocktails, and even poké. Available from United Liquors.
2O19 BARBARESCO RISERVA “RABAJA” PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO, PIEMONTE, ITALY
Despite being a cooperative, Produttori del Barbaresco makes some of the finest wines for the Barbaresco region. They carefully work with the local growers to ensure the best fruit is brought to the winery, where the utmost expertise is used to make beautifully scented, ethereal wines from that most finicky of grapes, Nebbiolo. While Nebbiolo has delicate aromas of roses, violets, cherries, and a weirdly satisfying hint of tar, it has a powerful palate of structured tannins and round red fruit including plums and pomegranate. At five years of age, it is already showing light notes of balsamic mingled with some spice and licorice. This wine cries out for some rich prosciutto and soppressata on buttered bread. Available from MS Walker.
2O21 “IL SICCAGNO” NERO D’AVOLA, ARIANNA OCCHIPINTI, TERRE SICILIANE, ITALY
While some Nero d’Avola can be heavy-handed, Arianna Occhipinti brings a lighter touch to this very rich and round grape. Sicily is a land of surprises and contrasts. While the climate is hot by European standards, it also has one of the oldest wine traditions that has incorporated flavors, techniques, and varieties from numerous Mediterranean countries. The result is that while one would expect big, round, jammy wines from this region, there are a number of wines that seem to defy the climate. Occhipinti is one such winemaker, being one of the most respected natural winemakers in Italy. She makes this wine with an understated elegance that still emphasizes the blackberry, chocolate, sweet spice, and dusty minerality that characterize Nero d’Avola. The deep color and robust aromatics flow onto the palate with firm acid and tannins softened by the lush fruit notes. This wine goes with everything from antipasto to pasta to grilled meats and spicy fish. Available from Carolina Wine & Spirits.
2O21 “PHILIP” CASTELLO DI FONTERUTOLI, TOSCANA IGT, ITALY
This delicious wine is a classic “Super Tuscan,” or wine made in Tuscany with non-traditional grapes, in this case, Cabernet Sauvignon. The Mazzei Family, owners of the Castello di Fonterutoli, have owned this land and made wine since at least 1435 CE. They bring a deep understanding of the land and its vineyards to every wine they make, but this one is steeped in tradition. It is a wine dedicated to Filippo Mazzei, who was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson gifted Filippo 74 acres of land in Virginia where he tried to grow Sangiovese – before they understood the devastation of phylloxera on European grape varieties. Despite the failure of this experiment, Thomas Jefferson prized both the wines and his friendship with “Philip”. The wine is rich, deep, and full-bodied, full of black currant, blackberries, chocolate, licorice, notes of leather and graphite, with lovely velvety tannins. This is a wine that is perfect for snuggling on the sofa in front of a roaring fire and contemplating the beauty and contradictions of true love. Available from Ruby Wines.
2O1O VIN SANTO DE MONTEPULCIANO, AVIGNONESI, TUSCANY, ITALY
The desserts of Italy are some of my favorite – tiramisu, panna cotta, gelato, biscotti. There is no better way to finish a meal than with one of these rich desserts and a glass of Vin Santo. Vin Santo comes from a long tradition of wines made from dried or raisinated Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes. About 6O% of the water is allowed to evaporate from the grapes before pressing so that the resulting must or juice is highly concentrated. This concentrated must is thick and full of flavors and sugars, which ferment very slowly as the yeast becomes quite sluggish. The process is often kick-started with a “madre” or mother yeast from previous batches. Once fermented, the wine is left to age in small oak barrels called caratelli, often for several years. This allows the wine to oxidize and age to a rich, luscious texture full of notes of apricots, tangerine, hazelnuts, caramel, and even figs. While we Americans love to dip biscotti (or “cantucci”) into our Vin Santo, this is frowned upon in Italy, so beware the disapproving brow! Available from Boston Wine Company.
