Category Archives: Italy

Ceretti Ceret One Nizza DOCG, Piedmont, Italy

Ceret One Nizza DOCGServe at 18°-20°C

GRAPE VARIETY        

100% Barbera

AGEING

18 months in oak barrels

ACIDITY          

6 gr/l

SUGARS (REDUCERS)

0,3-0,5 gr/lt

ALCOHOL

14,0% Vol

VOLUME        

750 ml

TASTING NOTES

Characteristics

Ruby red colour with purple hints. Delicate, alcohol-rich, intense, full and lingering aromas. Complex and well balanced body.

Winemaking

Grapes are selected and hand-picked. Crushing/destemming, long submerged-cap maceration 3 weeks. Fermentation in steel temperature controlled vats at 28°-29°. Maturation in oak barrels.

Torraccia del Piantavigna Ghemme DOC – 2009 Riserva, Piedmont, Italy

Torraccia Ghemme 2009

Grape: as tradition demands, 90% Nebbiolo, 10% Vespolina

Vine training system: guyot

Area of production: own vineyard on top of the hill, historically called Ronco dell’Ulivo, in the territory of Ghemme

Orientation: East-West

Average yield per acre: about 2,200 kg, selection of the best grapes

Harvesting: hand-picked during the first fortnight of October and transported to the winery in small crates

Vinification: soft press of the grapes, fermentation in temperature-controlled steel tanks, monitoring the remontage frequency and the oxygen intake, so as to encourage the extraction of polyphenols. This is followed by malolactic fermentation

Ageing: at least 3 years for the traditional Ghemme

Finishing: at least 6 months in the bottle

Bottle: inspired by an original dated 1904

Notes: Torraccia declares a Riserva only in the greatest years, when the weather and the climatic conditions have been exceptionally good, allowing the grapes to mature absolutely perfectly. Only if we deem that the wine is exceptional, do we bottle it bottle it as a Riserva. The vintage 2009 is the second Riserva of the century. The yield is only 2,000 kg per acre.

The Riserva has a ruby-red colour with garnet shades, a fine, intense nose with hints of violet and liquorice. In the mouth, it is dry, powerful and sapid with soft velvety tannins and good residual acidity. We expect this wine to continue to develop well over the next 20 years.

Travaglini Gattinara DOCG, Piedmont, Italy

Travaglini Gattinara

Country: Italy

Area: Northern – Piedmont

Varietal composition: 100% Nebbiolo

Soil: rocky and abundant minerals of iron which give the tipical reddish colour to the indigenous rock

Climate: typical of the piedmont area, in respect to that of the plain. It permits an even distribution of precipitation between both spring and autumn, and a ventilation of the vineyard supported by almost daily descending” winds brought about by the Alpine bow. In the winter, snow is frequent, which supports the slow process of sedimentation of the soil

Harvest: first part of October

Winemaking: crushed and macerated for about 15 days in stain-less steel tanks at controlled temperature. The wine is aged for 3 years, 2 years in Slovenian oak of different origin and size, then rest in the bottle for 3 months

Wine Description: a deep pomegranate red wine; medium-bodied wine shows good depth in its red fruit. Soft silky tannins, with a good structure and intense mineral fragrance

Serving temperature: 18/20° C

Shelf life: 8-10 years, if correctly stored

Alcohol: 13.5%Vol.

Acidity: 5.9 g/l

Sugar residual: 1.1 g/l

Terredavino Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG, Piedmont, Italy

Erbaluce di Caluso Terredavino

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grape variety: Erbaluce

Alcohol: 12.0 % vol.

Serving temperature: 8° – 10° C

Erbaluce di Caluso is a white grape that flourishes in an area north of the province of Turin. Loose, mineral-rich, morainal soils abound around the magnificent Lago di Viverone. Vines are traditionally trained here to the half-pergola, open on the south side, and they show luxuriant foliage and vigorous growth.

A 16-18°C cultured-yeast fermentation lasts some 10 days, and yields a wine that honours the erbaluce di Caluso grape: the light (luce) of the sun is reflected in its appearance, while the classic varietal touch of grassiness (erba) is evident on the palate.

Description

Colour: Straw yellow with greenish highlights

Bouquet: Appealing and crisply herbaceous, showing rich scents of wildflowers and hay

Palate: Dry, harmonious, marked by citrus fruit and a subtle mineral quality

 

Vietti “Tre Vigne” Dolcetto D’Alba DOC, Piedmont, Italy

Vietti Dolcetto D'Alba

Grapes: 100% Dolcetto d’Alba.

Winemaking: the grapes are selected from vineyards located in Langhe region with an average of 4500 plants per hectare, with a production of 50 hl/ha. Soil is limestone-clay.

The wine is fermented in stainless steel to preserve Dolcetto’s black cherry, raspberry and blueberry fruit aromas. Malolactic in steel vats.

Aging: Stainless steel.

Description: Purple red colour, the Dolcetto has black cherry, raspberry and hint of blueberries aromas. An unoaked wine, this medium bodied red has soft tannins, moderate acidity and good balance.

Food Pairings: Grilled vegetables and casual dishes such as pizza, deli sandwiches and light pasta dishes.

Giulio Cocchi Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG, Piedmont, Italy

Cocchi Brachetto d'Acqui

The most distinctive of sweet sparkling wines, Brachetto d’Acqui has had a steady presence in the Piedmontese wine history.

Giulio Cocchi presents this wine made of grapes from the typical DOCG zone, labeling it with the original liberty style poster dated 1932.

GRAPE VARIETY

100% Brachetto d’Acqui

VINIFICATION AND SPARKLING WINE MAKING

Bunches of grapes are harvested by hand and immediately pressed to obtain a very sweet and cherry red must, which will then ferment in autoclave. Thanks to this technique, the aromatic qualities of the grape pass to the wine, releasing its intense scent of rose and raspberry.

TASTING NOTES

Cherry red with light notes and a joyful foam; vibrant, fresh and stylish bouquet with an intense scent of rose; gentle, slightly tannic to balance the sweet aroma and grant a pleasant persistence.

It is the perfect party wine that goes naturally well with fresh fruits, pastries or elaborate desserts.

A young wine to be served chilled; ideal for bars and patisseries, it can be best presented in cup-shaped glasses with a garnish of wild berries.

Boeri Barbera D’Asti DOCG, Piedmont, Italy

Boeri Barbera d'Asti DOCG

Vineyard

Bricco Quaglia in the hills in Bionzo, a small hamlet of Costigliole d’Asti.

Grape variety

Barbera 100%

Vine age

8 – 10 years

Soil

calcareous base, mixed clay

Aging

In stainless steel vessels at controlled temperature for 8 to 9 months

Tasting notes:

Color

intense ruby red, tends to acquire brownish hues with aging

Bouquet

intense bouquet when young, with pronounced spicy notes

Palate

Pronounced cherry and plum, with aging acquires notes of rich marmalades; a full and harmonious wine.

Alcohol content

13°

Serve at

16-18° C

Aging potential

3 – 5

 

2012 Barbaresco Rabaja DOCG, Cascina Luisin, Piedmont

Cascina Luisin Barbarsco bottle shot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Estate: One of the oldest, and finest, Barbaresco estates, Cascina Luisin is located close to the village itself, overlooking its prime vineyard of Rabajà. Roberto is gradually filling the shoes of his father, Luigi Minuto. There has been a renovation of the large oak botti, with Austrian Stockinger oak, along with a new family reserves cellar for all those magnificent old bottles. Alongside the structured Rabajà, this year we are also offering the second release of their old-vine Asili.

Full Bodied, Dry | 14.0 % alcohol

Tasting Notes: Roberto’s Rabajà recalls the damp and then hot vintage, while expressing its prime, “front row”, west-facing, deep, grey, marne-clay soils perfectly. A darker, almost ruby red, it’s very, cooly composed, noble even, on the nose, with dried roses, black truffle and clove notes. Broad, emphatic and square-shouldered with lots of juicy flesh on those heavy bones, ensuring Rabajà’s well covered for the years to come as it ages in bottle.

Banfi Sciandor Moscato D’Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Banfi Sciandor Moscato d'Asti

Castello Banfi owns an historic 45 hectare estate in Strevi – Piedmont, named Banfi Piemonte.

Its vineyards are located between the towns of Novi Ligure and Acqui Terme, in an area passionately dedicated to producing the renowned traditional wines of Piedmont. The winery, established in Strevi in 1860, was purchased by Banfi in the late 1970s to complete its Piedmont estate.

The Banfi Piemonte portfolio boasts a wide range of products which includes unique sparkling wines, whites, and reds, all of them bearing the prestigious appellations of Piedmont.

Grapes grown in Strevi’s hilltop vineyards, traditionally dedicated to the production of Moscato grapes

GRAPE VARIETIES

Moscato 100%

PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE

The selected grapes are gently pressed. The must is then filtered and fermented in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures between 17-18° C until an alcohol content of 4,5% is reached.

DESCRIPTION

Colour: golden pale straw.

Bouquet: varietal aromas, delicate with hints of peach blossom and ripe fruit.

Taste: soft, well-rounded, reminiscent of honey, with subtle hints of raisins on the finish.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES

Soft and lively, Sciandor, our Tappo Raso wine, is made from ripe grapes grown in Strevi, the area more dedicated to the Moscato grape than any other region. This wine expresses, at their best, all the typical sweet and aromatic characteristics of this varietal.

Pio Cesare Gavi DOCG, Piedmont, Italy

Pio Cesare Gavi

GRAPE VARIETY:

CORTESE 100%

VINEYARDS:

Sourced exclusively from hillside vineyards, in very select locations of the Gavi area, from families who have been producing grapes for Pio Cesare for generations.

VINIFICATION:

Fermentation at low temperature in stainless steel tanks.

AGEING:

In stainless steel tanks with extensive lees contact.

NOTES:

Fresh, clean and spicy aromas. Salty, with ripe fruit and rich, complex flavor. Great ageing potential.