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Viva l'Italia!
A Night in Italy
Guest Chef: Jim Taranto,
formerly of Nana Carmelo's of Monroe
Wednesday, November 11
7:00 pm - St. Demetrios Center
The Seattle Wine Society’s November 2009 program, “Viva l’Italia”, will be held on Wednesday, November 11, at St. Demetrios Cultural Center. In Italy, wine, food, and friendship are inseparable, and guest Chef Jim Taranto, formerly of Nana Carmella’s in Monroe, will be on hand for a lively and entertaining cooking demonstration of several
authentic Italian dishes.
Featured Wines
Brachetto is an aromatic light red varietal grown primarily in the Piemonte region, principally
around Asti, Roero, and Alessandria. This sweet bubbly is reminiscent of strawberries and cherries, and makes a delightful aperitif or dessert accompaniment.
Valpolicella comes from the Veneto region of northeast Italy, and is comprised of the varietals Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella. Amarone della Valpolicella uses dried grapes, creating a more intensely-flavored, often spicy wine. Valpolicella Ripasso is a Valpolicella blend that has had Amarone skins added to the must for extra body and character.
Grillo is a classic Sicilian grape that’s been around for thousands of years, and in the right hands, yields a full-bodied, aromatic alternative to Chardonnay. Grillo (“Greelloe”), is a variety so ancient that it was used in one of Julius Caesar’s favorite wines, the sweet, luscious Mamertino of Messina. More recently, Grillo is the primary grape in Marsala, the strongly fortified, Sherry-like sweet wine of Western Sicily.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a distinctive dry white wine made from the local Vernaccia varietal of Toscana, which was mentioned in the archives of San Gimignano as early as
1276. With a delicate fragrance and intense flavour, the wine is balanced with a correct
and persistent acidity.
Vin Santo is the classic amber dessert wine of Toscana. made primarily from Trebbiano
and Malvasia grapes that have been dried on straw mats laid out under the rafters, to
concentrate the grapes’ sugar and flavors. The wine is also aged further in small oak
barrels.
Grab your two tasting glasses and come join us for this warm and friendly event, complete
with delicious wine and food, with all the conviviality of a family Italian meal! We look
forward to seeing you!
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There may be a few tickets available at the door. Please
call Joanne to check on availablity. Tickets with Paypal deadline is Tuesday, Nov.10, at 10 p.m. For questions
about ticketing, you can contact Joanne at (425) 775-7901.
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7:00
pm
St.
Demetrios Cultural Center
2100 Boyer Ave. East, Seattle
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Wines of Viva l'Italia!
Rosa Regale is a unique red sparkling wine. Aromatic with a hint of rose petals and  raspberries, Rosa Regale is delightfully vivacious and festive.
While it is appreciated as one of the few wines in the world that truly marries well with chocolate, especially dark or bittersweet, its charms extend across a palette of occasions and food pairings, from savory to sweet.
On its own Rosa Regale is an elegant aperitif. Its fruity character beguiles the heat of spicy Asian and Latino fare, and its gentle acidity is an ideal foil to the piquant richness of goat cheese, especially in a spring mix salad with almonds and cranberries. Quiches, glazed hams, beets, vichyssoise, gazpacho, chowders and even the myriad of flavors at Thanksgiving dinner, all traditionally challenging wine matches, are enchanted by Rosa Regale. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, trifles and hazelnut tortes are all elevated by this frothy wine.
This off-dry (i.e., lightly sweet) sparkling wine with a vibrant ruby color comes from Italy’s Piedmont region. With its penetrating floral fragrance and sweet, vivacious raspberry flavors, it is a great aperitif for almost any occasion and is good with dessert, too, since it pairs well with chocolate.
Silver Medal
Dallas Morning News Wine Competition - February, 2009
Forego the flowers this year, and enjoy hints of rose petals,along with luscious cherry-berry fruit flavors, in this lightly sweet, softly sparkling-but fully sophisticated- deep pink wine.
A Good Glass of Wine
Relish Magazine - February, 2009
GOLD MEDAL
Florida International Wine Competition - April, 2009
 This dark-ruby wine offers typical Chianti aromas of spicy black cherries, with flavors in an open, fruit-forward Chianti style, juicy and bright, tart-cherry fruit and warm cinnamon over plenty of mouth-watering acidity and a wisp of soft tannins. Under modern Chianti regulations, its Sangiovese base is filled out with non-traditional Merlot (10%) and Syrah (5%). It's good to get the 2003 over so quickly, and best to enjoy it while it's young and fresh. Matched well with juicy lamb burgers topped with fresh tomatoes and basil. (July 19, 2004)
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Starts with berries, flowers and fresh herbs on the nose, turning to red licorice and mineral on the palate. Medium-bodied and lightly firm, with a good core of fruit and a delicious chocolate-tinged mineral finish. Elegant. Drink now.
SECCO-BERTANI VALPOLICELLA VALPANTENA DOC
Secco-Bertani has been in continuous production for over 150 years and is rightly extolled asthe “grandfather” of ripasso-technique Veronese wines. With the classic ripasso process,grape must is left to rest for a few days in spring on freshly drawn lees from Bertani’s Recioto Amarone wine. Launched in the late 1850s, Secco-Bertani was in all likelihood the first ripasso Valpolicella to earn a substantial following outside its native Italy.
Bertani is headquartered at the palatial neo-classical Villa Novare north of Verona in Italy’sVeneto region. One of northeast Italy’s most prestigious wine producers, Bertani owns all its own vineyards from which it produces an array of estate-grown wines. Founded in 1857, thisfamily-owned estate has enjoyed a reputation for quality from the start. Bertani Amarone is justly celebrated as a standard bearer for its category.
PRODUCTION AREA: From prime estate vineyards in the heart of Verona’s
Valpolicella Valpantena wine district.
GRAPE VARIETIES: Corvina Veronese 70%; Rondinella 25%; Molinara 5%
PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES: The wine undergoes an 11-day maceration in vats at a
controlled temperature and with programmed remontages. In
March it is refermented over Recioto Amarone skins,
following the traditional Veronese technique called“Ripasso”. 75% of the wine ages in large Slavonian oak
casks, 25% in French oak barriques, for approximately 18
months; it is refined in bottle for a minimum of 90 days.
DESCRIPTION: Color: Deep garnet red.
Bouquet: Delicate, characteristic of mature wine, with
scents of spices and nuts.
Palate: Dry, well balanced with a pleasing hint of
bitterness in its lingering finish
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Maso Canali 2007 Trentino Pinot Grigio
This wine originated on the 17-acre, family-owned Maso Canali Vineyard in Trentino, Italy. The Canali family has lived on the estate for over 500 years, and has been planting Pinot Grigio grapes there since 1893. The fruit for the 2007 vintage was drawn from this estate and other carefully chosen sources in the premier growing region of Trentino. Because the Maso Canali vineyard is 500 meters above sea level, the soil has a special mineral concentration, which adds character to the wine.
Viticultural Notes
The climate during the maturation of the grapes was characterized by high daytime temperatures, which led to an exceptional maturation period and ideal growth of the grapes. Pinot Grigio was the first of the white varietals to be harvested in Trentino, with harvest beginning very early in mid-August in the warmer areas of Trentino and finishing in early September. The climate during harvest contributed to excellent sugar accumulation in the grapes, and the drop in temperature during the nights to 10°C promoted the development of aromatic substances, for a wine with marked varietal aromas and a pleasantly soft palate.
Winemaker Notes
All grapes were hand harvested, followed by a gentle pressing to extract the fresh fruit flavor while imparting minimal color from the skins. After slight clarification, the juice was fermented clean, in temperature-controlled stainless steel, with select yeast added at a temperature of 20°C. To intensify the tropical characteristics of the wine, all grapes are from late harvest (surmaturo) Pinot Grigio grapes. Additionally, 6of the blend is from late harvest Pinot Grigio grapes that were dried on racks, vinified separately, and added to the final blend. This time-intensive “Passito” process gives the wine its unique body, complexity, and tropical fruit flavor. Finally, the wine was cold stabilized, filtered and bottled to retain the crisp, fruity characteristics of the wine and to avoid malolactic fermentation.
Tasting Notes
Maso Canali 2007 Pinot Grigio has a brilliant pale golden color and a full, ripe palate. The nose delivers peach and a hint of honey, and the wine is characterized by enticing flavors of lemon and fresh apple, with floral notes. It is well-balanced with a lovely, persistent finish and a lively acidity.
Finished Wine
Varietal Content: 100Pinot Grigio
Varietal Origin: Trentino
Alcohol: 12.8by vol.
Residual sugar: 1.9 g/l
Total acidity: 5.9 g/l
pH: 3.5
In Italy, heritage is a source of pride -- and at Maso Canali, our heritage is extraordinary. The 500-year-old Maso Canali Estate, set against the backdrop of the towering Dolomite Mountains and the elegant Lake Garda, has been home to vineyards since the Middle Ages.
As far back as 1893, growers cultivated exceptional Pinot Grigio grapes on the land. They followed many of the time-honored viticultural practices still used on the Canali vineyards today, walking through the rows of vines season after season to carefully inspect each vine and tend to them by hand.
Today, members of the Canali family still reside on the Estate, growing grapes of the highest quality for the acclaimed Maso Canali Pinot Grigio. The wine is a testament to our history: you can taste the Canali heritage in every sip.
Obscure grapes and wines: Grillo
 In another of our periodic excursions into the odd and obscure, let's examine today a classic Sicilian grape that's been around for thousands of years and that most of us have never heard of: Grillo ("Greel-loe"), a variety so ancient that it was used in one of Julius Caesar's favorite wines, the sweet, luscious Mamertino of Messina.
In more recent centuries, Grillo toiled anonymously as the primary grape of Marsala, the strongly fortified, Sherry-like sweet wine of Western Sicily, which is better known to most of the world in the kitchen (as the base for dishes as varied as chicken Marsala and Zabaglione) than on the dining table.
In the postwar years, when the Sicilian wine industry sought to upgrade its image by modernizing what might politely be called a "traditional" status, Grillo enjoyed a brief resurgence and was planted widely, although in more recent decades, much of it has been ripped out in favor of more familiar varieties, with plantings falling to a relatively nominal 5,000 acres in the 1990s, according to Jancis Robinson.
Much of that output still goes into Marsala, and more of it goes into bland, neutral white wines. But now and again, a Grillo-based white dramatically exceeds expectations, demonstrating that there's real quality in this variety for the producer willing to make the effort to bring it out. Today's wine from Feudo Arancio is a fine example, a worthy alternative to Chardonnay for those in search of a full-bodied, aromatic white.
2007 Feudo Arancio Grillo
SKU #1040112
Awarded a "Best Value" from the Wine Spectator: "Fresh apple and pear aromas follow through to a medium body with good fruit and a clean finish in this appealing Italian white. Drink now." (08/08) A "Best Buy" designate from Wine Enthusiast: "This luminous, hay-colored Grillo imparts measured notes of banana and exotic fruit that add extra richness and dimension to what is a simple and easy-drinking white wine overall. You could pair this wine with a long list of seafood, vegetable and pasta recipes—and you can’t beat this low price." (11/08) In the event that you have never tried a 100% grillo-based white, this is typically an elegant while thoroughly fruity wine. Arancio's newest edition of Grillo is both of these things, offering aromas of jasmine and other dainty white flowers along with flavors of tropical fruit, wrapped up with a very vibrant and fresh finish. Wonderful with pasta tossed in a seafood- or vegetable-based sauce.
Fedrigo Luca L'Arco Amarone della Valpolicella 2001 - This garnet red wine has hints of ripe fruit and spices. 55% Corvina, 35% Rondinella, 10% Cabernet, Nebbiolo, Croatina e Sangiovese.
L'Arco Amarone is a fine companion for stews, roasts and all types of red meat. It is ideal with game and sharp seasoned cheeses. To exalt all the organoleptic character, this wine should be uncorked at least 8 hours before serving.
The Estate takes its name from a stone arch, called “Arco di Giove”, well in sight on the road to Negrar (one of the seven historic Valpolicella counties) and near the farmhouse where the Fedrigo family resided until a few years ago.
The arch, dating from 1500/1600, was one of a series of seven arches along the hillside path near S. Vito di Negrar. It is a name that awakens memories of the past for Luca Fedrigo, which he has wanted to pass into the wines produced by him. Using traditional techniques like the drying of the grapes and the ancient technique of Ripasso, combined to research of modern techniques, guarantees quality and precious wines.
This is all summed up in the Latin phrase on the labels: "Merum ad Lapideum Arcum" which means a genuine and pure wine like an arch made of stone.
Luca, has worked for many years in a prestigious Valpolicella’s cellar, which must his experience and gratitude, it proposes like a young establishment but with an ancient hearth, dynamic and well-based, able to offer a product that is unique for its origins and which retains all the traditions tied to Valpolicella.
 Vernaccia comes from an important vine variety, capable of outstanding results, and cultivated in an area with which Cecchi has strong links.
Careful selection and special growing techniques have made it possible to enhance all the characteristics of the vine in a modern day manner. The white vinification of Cecchi’s Vernaccia calls for cold soaking of the skins to encourage a higher extraction of the primary aromas.
The soft pressing is followed by fermentation in steel containers at a controlled temperature of 15°C. After about three weeks of fermentation bâtonnage is carried out twice a day for a period of a month, a process that stirs up the so-called “noble lees” in order to guarantee greater fullness and volume. With a delicate fragrance and intense flavour it is balanced with a correct and persistent acidity.
Excellent with fish based dishes this wine, because of its full body, also goes well with white meats.
This is a wine to be enjoyed young at a serving temperature of 12-14 °C.
TASTING NOTES
With a delicate fragrance and intense flavour it is balanced with a correct and persistent freshness.
GRAPES VARIETIES
Vernaccia di San Gimignano 90% and other white grape varieties 10%
Cecchi
In 1893, after several years of experience as an assistant in the cellars of the most famous commercial vineyards in the area, Luigi Cecchi set up his own business as a wine taster and broker. His efforts were soon rewarded with success, extending beyond the region of Siena. Over the years, Luigi's other three sons, Mariano, Natale and Francesco started working with their father, and from 1919 onwards rapidly established their reputation in almost every region of Italy. In 1948, his son Luigi entered the company, due to his father's premature death. Since 1953 he has run the company himself.
In the 1970s, Cecchi moved to the borough of Castellina in Chianti, an area which has traditionally produced Chianti Classico. In its cellar, equipped with the latest technology, the final part of the production cycle is carried out. The fermentation operations are carried out at the four commercial vineyards distributed in famous DOC zones in Tuscany and Umbria: Villa Cerna in the Chianti Classico region, Castello di Montauto at San Gimignano, Val delle Rose near Grosseto, and Tenuta Alzatura at Montefalco, in Umbria. Since 2004, following the death of Luigi, his sons Cesare and Andrea, along with their mother Anita, have run the company with enthusiasm and passion.
 VINSANTO   Tech sheet   Scores
This D.O.C. dessert or 'meditation' wine is derived from 'selected' white grapes, mainly Trebbiano, which are dried for several months in the traditional manner on cane matting. The must is then fermented and matured for over four years in cherry-wood, oak and chestnut 100 litres kegs. The yield is very low: from ¼ to 1/5 of the original weight of the grapes.
92, Wine Advocate: "Capezzana's 2002 Vin Santo di Carmignano is simply beautiful. Made in a slightly oxidative style, this full bodied, dense sweet wine coats the palate with notes of honey, roasted coffee beans, caramel, prunes and baking spices. It offers outstanding length and tons of style.
Decanter: Cofee, tofee, cinnamon, nuts. Intense, full of personality."
AREA OF PRODUCTION: Carmignano (Prato)
ELEVATION: 100 to 150 mt.
SUN EXPOSURE :East
POSITION: hilly
GRAPE VARIETIES:Trebbiano, San Colombano
SOIL COMPOSITION: clay schist
HARVEST: beginning of September
VINIFICATION: the grapes are put to dry according to natural methods from the moment of the vintage to the following february. The vinification takes place in traditional small chestnut and cherry casks.
DEVELOPMENT : in small casks for 5 years
AGING : in bottle forat least 3 months
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 16,5 % developed + 6% undeveloped
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 16°/18° C
COMBINATION WITH FOOD: Recommended with all desserts
TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: Deep golden yellow
NOSE: Quite complex, fruity, with dried fruit and candied apricot and orange peels; floral nuances of yellow flowers
PALATE: Complex, sweet, soft and opulent with a sweet persistent finish of candied fruit.
HISTORY OF CAPEZZANA
Wine jars and tasting cups found in Etruscan tombs dating to approximately 1000 BC show that vines have been cultivated in Carmignano since Pre Roman times.
More specifically, a parchment rent contract conserved in the Florence State Archives, dated 804, reveals that vines and olives were cultivated at Capezzana for the production of oil and wine as early as 1200 years ago.
In the early Renaissance, Monna Nera Bonaccorsi built the first ‘Nobleman’s house’ and nine farmhouses together with wine-making buildings at Capezzana. Numerous generations and families followed: the Cantucci, relations of the Medici, and the Marchesi Bourbon del Monte. In the Eighteenth century the wife of Marquis Bourbon, née Cantucci, enlarged the estate and increased the number of farms; her greatest achievement, however, was to introduce exemplary administrative practices, evidence of which can be found in the estate’s historic archive.
After the Bourbons the property passed to the Adimari Morelli and then to the Franchetti.
Sara de Rothschild, widow of Baroni Franchetti, sold it to the Contini Bonacossi.
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