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 It’s official. Happy Autumn! It’s time to start dusting off hearty bottles of wine to go with cozy and comforting meals served in the upcoming crisp autumn days and evenings. In addition to making soups, my menus will include roasted vegetable casseroles, potpies, quiches and apple crisp to name just a few! And I plan on using my natural gas grill right through winter.  To celebrate the beginning of another season, I had lunch with a friend. As much as we wanted to be festive and order a bottle of Veuve, we weren’t ready to drink quite that much at lunch. So we had individual bottles of Candoni Prosecco D.O.C Brut. This sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy came in cute 6 oz. bottles. It was fruity with a crisp snap to it. The finish was pleasant with a hint of clover. It was the perfect serving to toast the September Equinox.  “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower” Albert Camus Happy Wednesday!
Cheers! Penina  It’s a lovely day…and technically, the last day of summer! I’m not ready to put away the sundresses and sandals quite yet. However, the leaves on the trees are starting their transformation and my hummingbirds are getting ready for their journey south.  Yesterday, a friend came over for a quick “autumn” lunch of homemade soup and bread. We opened a bottle of 2008 D'Isanto & D'Isanto I Balzini White Label Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT. We each had a glass to toast our friendship. I never tire of this wine and have reviewed and discussed it a few times over the course of a year.  Antonella and her husband Vincenzo D’Isanto founded the estate that is located just outside the boundary of Chianti Classico. All their wines are named after a color and labeled red, white, black, green and pink. I have not tried nor do I have the Green or Pink Label yet. But I did review the Red Label about a year ago and I have a few bottles of the Black label waiting to be opened.
http://www.ibalzini.it I look forward to sharing the rest of the I Balzini White Label tonight! Happy Tuesday! Cheers! Penina  Bel Giorno! Yesterday I began my review of the Kobrand Tour d’Italia 2015 eight-city tour of Italy. We explored some wonderful vineyards and tasted interesting wines. I now have three more stops to make.  I made my way to Veneto, where Tony Apostolakos, the U.S. Director of Masi Agricola was waiting to guide me through a tasting of Amarone. It is interesting to note that Sandro Boscaini, the owner of Masi, is referred to as “ Mr. Amarone” due to the unique crafting of his wines. He uses the appassimento method to concentrate aromas and flavors in wine. The Appaxximento symbol can be found on his labels guaranteeing the authenticity and quality of Masi Wine. I’ll highlight a few of the wines I tasted. The 2011 Costasera Amarone was full-bodied with cherry, plum and spices. The 2008 Vaio Armaron Amarone, aged in cherry wood casks for four months, was amazing. The aroma and flavor of cherries, spices and fruit lingered on the palate. Before I departed I was treated to a taste of 1999 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. It had a beautiful bouquet of fruit and earth, with dark fruit and spice on the palate. http://www.masi.it  The next stop was Piedmont to visit Michele Chiarlo, a family owned and run winery. Their grape varieties are Moscato, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Cortese. It is interesting to note that the wines are never blended. I tried a 2011 Reyna, Barbaresco, 100% Nebbiolo. It was flowing with dark fruit, spice and licorice. The 2007 Cannubi Barolo, also 100% Nebbiolo was full-bodied with notes of licorice, spice and firm tannins. Although I didn’t have a chance to taste the light sparkling wine Nivole, Moscato d’Asti, 100% Moscato, I was told the wine is so delicate that, Michele Chiarlo named it Nivole after the Piedmontese word for clouds. http://www.michelechiarlo.it/ My final destination was back in Tuscany with Ambrogio E Giovanni Folonari. The Folonari family began their wine making in the 1700’s and are considered among Tuscany’s top winemakers. Their portfolio is vast and with the array of bottles set before me, I knew that I didn’t have time to sample them all. So I asked Claudio Andreani to guide me through a few of the wines. We started with the 2010 Tenuta La Fuga Brunello di Montalcino. It was full-bodied and robust with dark berry and tobacco. The 2012 Tenute del Cabreo Il Borgo was smooth and earthy. Tannins were a bit chewy. Next was Tenuta di Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva, 100% Sangiovese. Aged for 16 months in Slavonian oak vats, the wine was earthy with firm tannins. My last taste was a 1997 Tenuta Campo al Mare, Rosso, Bolgheri. This wonderful Bordeaux-style blend was rich in flavor. Dark fruit, licorice and a long smooth finish completed my day of tasting. http://tenutefolonari.com
Have a great Friday! Cheers! Penina  Tuesday was a beautiful day and what better way to spend it than touring Italy. Our kick off point was the trendy Bowery Hotel in NYC. This small boutique hotel located in the East Village was the perfect setting for the Kobrand Tour d’ Italia 2015 wine event.  The first stop on this eight-city tour was Risano and Spessa di Capriva in the Friuli Grave and Collio Goriziano D.O.C. zones. I met with Roberto Pighin, the owner of Fernando Pighin & Figli. He has been part of the family winery since he was a child. He is passionate about his wine and took great pride in discussing the production of the Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. The Pinot Grigio Friuli Grave was sweet with fruit and quite lively, as compared to the Pinot Grigio Collio that was more intense with citrus and less fruit. The Sauvignon Blanc Friuli Grave was grassy, mild and very pleasant. http://www.pighin.com  My next stop was the estate of Tenuta San Guido located in the D.O.C. Bolgheri in Tuscany. Colleen McKettrick, the Brand Ambassador, greeted me. It is no secret that Sassicaia is a favorite of mine. And, it is also the first Super Tuscan to be released in 1968. So it was with great pleasure that I tasted some excellent wines. The 2012 Sassicaia was rich with dark fruit, spices and was quite robust. Colleen poured me a special taste of the 2004 Guidalberto and 2006 Sassicaia that were pure velvet! The 2013 Guidalberto Toscana IGT is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was well-balanced with dark fruit and a velvet texture. The 2013 Le Difese Toscana IGT is a mini Super Tuscan made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, sharing a pedigree with Sassicaia. The fruit is picked from younger vines and is easy to drink. http://www.tenutasanguido.com Agricola Punica, founded in 2002, is located in Sardinia, a large island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sebastiano Rosa (Principle) and his son led me on a guided tour of their wines. We started with the Samas, made with Vermentino and Chardonnay grapes. It was quite refreshing and light with lots of citrus. I also tried Montessu, 2013 and Barrua, 2012, both made with the Carignano grape which is one of three main grapes planted in Sardinia. The Montessu was layered with fruit & spices and called “Super Sardinian” The Barrua was more robust and full-bodied. I’ll have to come back to this island! http://www.agripunica.it/ I found myself back in Tuscany again tasting wines from Tenuta Sette Ponti owned by Giovanna Moretti and her brother Antonio Moretti who also own Feudo Maccari in Sicily. Their Tuscan wines are eclectic and there were many to sample. The newest wine is Vigna del Impero made with 100% Sangiovese. Planted in 1935, Imperno is one of Tuscany’s oldest vineyards. The wine was rich with fruit, spice and medium tannins. I made a quick stop in Sicily to taste Grillo, Sicilia IGP 2014. Aged in steel tanks, this full-bodied wine was floral scented, with citrus and stone fruit on the palate. Did you know that the Grillo grape is most famous for its role in making Marsala wines? http://www.tenutasetteponti.it Tenute Silvio Nardi, located in Tuscany is owned and operated by Emilia Nardi. They are one of the founding families of the Brunello Consortium. The wines are made with 100% Sangiovese. I tasted the 2005 and 2010 Brunello. The 2005 Brunello was high in tannins and more “chewy”. I preferred the 2010 Brunello having softer tannins that allowed the fruit, licorice and spices to dominate. I then tried the 2006 and 2010 Manachiara Brunello. Although the 2006 was bright and robust, the 2010 was smoother and more complex. http://www.tenutenardi.com So, this is where the first leg of my trip ends. Tomorrow I will continue on to Veneto, Piedmont and then back to Tuscany. Until then…  Saluti!
Penina The weekend was filled with social and work obligations. So I am remiss in not posting anything for a few days. I need to catch up on reviews and some fun moments, but not today.  Well…I will give you a quick review on a wine I had the other evening. It was a 2013 Palazzone Terre Vinate Orvieto Classico. This Orvieto blend comes from a small estate in Umbria. The blend is 50% Procanico, 20% Grechetto, 30% Verdello, Malvasia & Drupeggio. It was a perfect sunset drink before dinner. The wine was pale gold with fruit and flowers on the nose. On the palate it was dry but refreshing with hints of nuts and peaches. It definitely had a “bite” to it, but the finish was delightful with floral and pear lingering. http://www.palazzone.com  I have much to do as I’m hosting a little get together this evening. I have shopping to do and food to prepare. However, the wine and vodka are already chilling! Happy Monday
Cheers! Penina  It was another “indoor “ day on Tuesday as thunder, lightning and powerful winds paid us a visit. Trees came down, hail smacked against the roof, but I continued on with my work.  Although I’m not a fan of Pinot Grigio, I must give a thumbs up to the one I tasted last night. A friend brought me a perfectly chilled bottle of 2013 Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio Trentino that we immediately opened.  The color was pale straw with aromas of pear, pineapple and citrus. The palate offered pear, grapefruit, vanilla and lemon zest. It was smooth with a very nice citrus finish. It was a cool and refreshing wine to drink on a sultry summer’s night! http://www.cupcakevineyards.com I’m off to an early appointment and then really looking forward to a long awaited swim.
Happy Wednesday! Cheers! Penina  Wednesday turned out to be a long day of “catch up” at work and dealing with a myriad of personalities.  So, it was a welcome treat to go out for a peaceful dinner and glass of wine with a friend. That’s right…no bottle ordered!  I had a glass of Banfi Centine Toscana 2009. The grapes were Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The color was ruby with a lovely nose of dark cherries, spices and floral. The flavors were intense with lots of berries, plum and a touch of spice. This was an easy drinking wine with soft tannins and a nice finish. http://castellobanfi.com/ I have a busy day ahead, but I’ll be dining and wining tonight…hoping to open something big!
Have a great Thursday! Cheers! Penina Saturday turned out to be quite the party scene at my house. An impromptu visit from a friend to watch the NY Rangers play, turned into more friends coming over to watch the Preakness Stakes. It was a lot of fun until I ran out of beer and white wine! So, we switched to vodka and scotch…but not together! With a starving crowd and no food to serve, we had pizza and snacks delivered and the party resumed!  Among some of the wines that we depleted were a 2013 Armas de Guerra and a 2012 Tenuta Le Calcinaie Vernaccia di San Gimignano. They are both very refreshing, light and what I call “great starter wines”. The 2012 Tenuta is an Italian wine from Tuscany and 100% Vernaccia grape. It had tones of white fruit, peach and grapefruit. Very refreshing on a warm day. The 2013 Armas de Guerra Blanca is from the region of Bierzo of Spain. It is a blend of 85% Doña Blanca and 15% Godello. It was a lovely floral blend, with peach and was light and crisp. Both of these wines are modestly priced and worth stocking up on. It’s a great way to start the party before bringing out the bigger wines! Enjoy your Sunday!
Cheers! Penina So it seems that I need to backtrack a few days. As I mentioned in a previous post, I attended a wine seminar and tasting on Wednesday for Chianti Classico.  The purpose of the seminar was to introduce a new classification to the top of their DOCG quality pyramid, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. The most important elements of this classification are as follows: 1) Wine must be produced from a single vineyard or from a selection of the estate’s best grapes. 2) Minimum aging requirement is 30 months, including 3 months of bottle aging. (mostly French oak is used) 3) Strict chemical parameters & outstanding organoleptic characteristics are judged. We tasted eight 2010 Gran Selezione. They were all a deep ruby color with heady aromas and each one unique on the palate. The wines that “spoke” the most to me were the Antinori, Isole e Olena and Felsina. When I have time, I will elaborate more on my experience and share tasting notes. I will also have to catch up on the wine that I had last night as well!
Happy Friday! Cheers! Penina  I’m sneaking in a moment of a rather crazy day to give a shout out…again, to a wine I had last evening. Although it was a stressful and long day, I managed to rustle together a lovely meal. As I flew around the kitchen, I gave my dinner guest carte blanche to my “wine cellar”. He came back with a wine that I reviewed on 1/29/15, Day 194.  It was a 2008 D'Isanto & D'Isanto I Balzini White Label Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT. The wine is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Sangiovese. The last time I reviewed it, we had decanted the wine and let it sit for an hour. This time, we poured right from the bottle, let it sit in the glass for about 20 minutes and then enjoyed the experience. My review of the wine is the same as before. “The color was deep garnet with an incredible bouquet of dark fruits, earth and spices. It was rich in flavor with dark plum, blackberries, pepper and herbs. The finish was long and smooth.” Check out their website: http://www.ibalzini.it And now it’s back to work.
Happy Thursday! Cheers! Penina |
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