Posts Tagged ‘Orange wine’
oenopole workshop: charcuteries + uve italiane (3/3)
The tasting ended with a gorgeous orange wine, the first to be sold at the SAQ.
Sicilia IGT 2011, Ramì, Azienda Agricola COS ($27.25, 12024237)
Biodynamically farmed Inzolia (50%) and Grecanico (50%) from vines averaging ten years old and growing in calcareous soil. Yield: 50 quintals per hectare. The grapes are manually harvested in 12 kg cases, destemmed, soft-crushed and macerated on the skins and pips for ten days. Temperature-controlled fermentation (with indigenous yeasts) and maturation take place in concrete tanks. The wine is filtered before bottling with a 2-micron filter. No sulphur is used during the wine-making but a small squirt of sulphur dioxide is added at bottling. 12% ABV.
Another beautiful, wafting nose: straw, spice, beeswax, hints of dried apricot and sandpaper. The texture is smooth and full, while the sweet and savoury fruit has overtones of dried orange peel, nuts (more almond or pine than hazel) and faint, faint gingersnap. Bright acidity and ghostly tannins add firmness and tension. Long, balanced and remarkably fresh. A haunting beauty. (Buy again? Most definitely.)
As was noted at the tasting, orange wines’ savour, weight and structure tend to make them vins gastronomiques – wines that show best with food or even demand food. Yet while the Ramì proved to be an excellent pairing for the porchetta di testa, it was equally delicious on its own. Its freshness, lightness and barely noticeable tannins mean it’s a far from radical example of the style – a beginner’s orange wine, as it were – but on its own terms it is wholly satisfying, a testament to the winemaker’s craft.
MWG October 3rd tasting (7/7): Blue moon
IGT Toscana 2010, Luna Blu, Fattoria di Caspri ($28.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
There’s hardly any information to be found on this wine. It appears that two versions are made: one a standard white, the other an orange wine. This, the latter is a blend of organically and biodynamically farmed Trebbiano and Malvasia that have been macerated on their skins (standard procedure for red wines, not whites), which extracts colour, aromatic compounds and tannins. 13.5% ABV.
Gorgeous nose evocative of spiced peaches, dried herbs and straw. Smooth and fluid in the mouth, with light tannins, pronounced, almost biting acidity and a sweet-and-sour quality to the fruit. Not as hard core as some orange wines but yum… uh, what was I saying? Olif of the eponymous blog has, of course, not only tasted the wine but spoken with the winemaker, whom he reports as recommending that it be cellared until 2017. While you can’t but wonder how much better so accessible and delicious a wine can become, it’ll be fun checking out whether he’s right. (Buy again? Yes, yes, yes.)
MWG January 10th tasting (3/7): Pheasant’s Tears
The spark for the January 10th tasting was the recent arrival of several wines from Pheasant’s Tears, a young winery (established in 2007) located south of the Greater Caucasus mountain range in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia. In contrast to the modern-styled Georgian wines we usually see, Pheasant’s Tears wines are made using traditional Georgian techniques that stretch back many thousands of years (most wine historians consider the region to be the birthplace of wine-making). The grapes – some of the hundreds of indigenous varieties found in Georgia – are picked and trod. The resulting must is transferred, along with the skins, ripe stems and seeds, to large qvevri, clay jars (lined with organic beeswax in Pheasant’s Tears case) that have been sunk into the cool ground, where it ferments (with indigenous yeasts) and matures. No sulphur is added, yet all three wines of the wines we tasted are as stable as they come.
For more background, see this YouTube clip from Hugh Johnson’s vintage Vintage series, globe-trotting Julien Marchand’s report (the last photo is of Julien in the Pheasant’s Tears tasting room), the Wikipedia article on Georgian wine and, of course, the Pheasant’s Tears website.
Chinuri 2011, Kakheti, Pheasant’s Tears ($27.25, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
100% Chinuri. 12% ABV.
Hazy gold. Unique nose: pears in syrup, saltwater taffy, slightly rancid butter, the ground under a cedar tree. On the light side of medium-bodied. Fluid. Very dry, even savoury. Crisp acidity. Delicate flavours tending to citrus, herbs and minerals. A bitter, faintly astringent note on finish. Hard to pin down – elusive, ephemeral – and all the more interesting for it. (Buy again? Done!)
Rkatsiteli 2010, Kakheti, Pheasant’s Tears ($27.25, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
100% Rkatsiteli. 12.5% ABV.
Amber-coloured – definitely an orange wine. Bouquet of honeyed yellow fruit and spice, not unlike some late-harvest whites. The palate is totally at odds with the nose and totally unlike modern-styled Rkatsitelis I’ve tried: bone dry, medium-bodied, structured and surprisingly tannic, with fruity overtones (dried apricot?) and a walnut skin astringency. Mouth-filling and long. Unique, involving, fascinating. (Buy again? Done!)
Saperavi 2010, Kakheti, Pheasant’s Tears ($29.85, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
100% Saperavi. 12.5% ABV.
Saperavi is a red-fleshed grape, which may explain the wine’s nearly opaque black-red colour. Nose of dried blueberries, sweat, skim milk, bay leaf. Rich and earthy in the mouth but not heavy. Intensely flavoured: dark fruit, spice, slate. Grippy tannins and a lingering astringency. Less dry than, say, a Bordeaux but not in any way sweet. Great breadth and length. A wine with real presence and a dark magnetism. (Buy again? Done!)
oenopole trade tasting (4/4): La Stoppa
Located south of Piacenza in westernmost Emilia-Romagna, the 58-hectare La Stoppa estate was acquired by the Pantaleoni family in 1973. Daughter Elena took the helm in 1997. She and winemaker Giulio Armani (who also bottles wines under his own label, e.g. the Dinavolino reported on last spring) are both committed to organic farming and the notion that wines are made in the vineyard, not the cellar. The 30-odd hectares of vines are planted to local varieties as well as Bordeaux red varieties and Pinot Noir (in contrast to Tuscany, the international varieties have been in the region since the 1800s).
Since, after the blog’s name, La Stoppa Guttunio is the search string that most often brings visitors to this site (with gutturnio La Stoppa and Gutturnio also among the top ten search strings), I should mention that, as of the 2010 vintage, La Stoppa has stopped making Gutturnio per se. (I’d meant to ask Elena why during her visit but didn’t have the opportunity to speak with her.) Apparently, both the frizzante and still versions have been replaced by an IGT Emilia dubbed “Trebbiolo” (see below).
IGT Emilia 2010, Trebbiolo Rosso, La Stoppa ($18.90, 11896501)
Barbera (60%) and Bonarda (40%) from three- to 20-year-old vines. Macerated on the skins for about 20 days. Fermented with native yeasts. Made and matured in stainless steel vats. Unfined, unfiltered. A little sulphur is added on bottling. 13% ABV
Intriguing nose: red fruit and sweet spice with earthy and savoury aromas only just beginning to unfold. Medium-bodied. Ripe fruit over an inky substrate. Structured by acidity as much as tannins. Turns a little astringent on the finish. Intense, pure, long. Great QPR. A wine to buy by the case.
Colli Piacentini 2004, La Stoppa ($43.75, oenopole, NLA)
Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Merlot (40%) and other minor Bordeaux varieties such as Petit Verdot. Macerated on the skins for 30 days. Fermented with native yeasts. Aged 14 months in neutral barrels and two years in bottle. Unfined. 14.5% ABV.
Bordeauxish nose of cassis, tobacco, mint, graphite. Intense and heady. More extracted than your average Bordeaux but retaining an Old World balance and austerity. Ripe tannins and acidity provide structure, the layered flavours depth. Long, savoury, dark-minerally finish with cherry overtones.
IGT Emilia 2008, Ageno, La Stoppa ($39.00, oenopole, NLA)
Malvasia di Candia Aromatica (60%) with Ortrugo and Trebbiano. Macerated on the skins for 30 days. Fermented with native yeasts. Aged 12 months, 50% in stainless steel vats and 50% in used French oak barrels, followed by another two years in bottle. Unfined. Lightly filtered but no added sulphur. 13% ABV.
Complex nose: flowers, white and yellow fruit, citrus zest, spice and more. Pure, fresh and equally complex in the mouth: dried apricot, straw, minerals, herbs. The lively acidity, light airframe structure and rich extract give the wine a real presence. A light tannic astringency appears on the finish. In contrast to many other orange wines, as kaleidoscopic on the palate as on the nose. A treat.
IGT Emilia Malvasia Passito 2008, Vigna del Volta, La Stoppa ($51.00/500 ml, oenopole, NLA)
Malvasia di Candia Aromatica (95%) and Moscato (5%). The grapes are partially dried on sheets and pressed in a wooden press. Aged ten months in French oak barrels and two years in bottle. 13% ABV.
Fragrant nose: raisiny and candied but fresh. Sweet but not saccharine, rich but not heavy. Honeyed fruit flavours are layered over a savoury, dry substrate. Long finish with just a hint of bitterness and astringency. Another treat.
oenopole trade tasting (2/4): Camerlengo
Trained as an architect, the ebullient Antonio Cascarano switched to farming in 2000 in order to save his grandparents’ three-hectare estate, Camerlengo (“chamberlain”), which is located in the commune of Rapolla, near the village of the same name, on the northeast flank of Monte Vulture in northern Basilicata. There he grows grapes, chestnuts and olives (for reportedly excellent oil) in volcanic soil that’s rich in silica and potassium. The relatively high altitude (400–500 m) ensures a large difference between day and night temperatures, one of the keys to maintaining acidity in grapes. All farming is organic and practices in the cellar are as non-interventionist as possible.
IGP Basilicata 2011, Accamilla, Camerlengo
The first vintage of Antonio’s first orange wine. A blend of Malvasia (70%), 10% Santa Sofia (aka Fiano) and 20% other local grapes, fermented with native yeasts and made like a red wine, with extended maceration on the skins and pips. Aged in chestnut botte. 12% ABV. This sample was drawn from the barrel a couple of days before the tasting; the finished wine will be available from oenopole this spring.
Hazy tawny yellow. Nose of straw, sun-baked stones, yellow fruit and dried flowers. Lighter and more fluid than expected. Savoury and dry, with summery fruit and sprightly acid. Soft tannins and a floral note emerge on the long finish. Delicious.
Aglianico del Vulture 2009, Antelio, Camerlengo ($25.95, oenopole)
100% Aglianico from 30-year-old vines. Manually harvested in late October and early November. Fermented with native yeasts, macerated 25 days. Matured in a 50-hl Slavonian oak botte. Unfiltered and unfined. Lightly sulphured on bottling for stability during transportation. 13% ABV.
Rich ruby maroon. Initial rubber blows off leaving red fruit, slate/graphite and hints of dusky flowers and spice. Medium- to full-bodied. The fruit is rich and sweet, devoid of heaviness, rooted in earth and minerals. The tannins – just a little raspy – are especially apparent on the finish. More upfront, less layered and long than the Camerlengo; then again it’s $12 cheaper and available. The wine’s refined rusticity made it a great pairing for lamb breast braised with tomato and white beans.
Aglianico del Vulture 2006, Camerlegno, Camerlengo ($37.75, oenopole, NLA)
100% Aglianico from 40-year-old vines. Manually harvested in late October and early November. Fermented with native yeasts, macerated 25 days. Matured in a mix of second, third and fourth vintage French oak barriques. Unfiltered. Lightly sulphured on bottling for stability during transportation. 13% ABV. Unfortunately for us, oenopole’s entire shipment has been snapped up by local restaurateurs.
Unusual, delicious nose: red fruit, spice, floral (musk rose?), stones, hints of tobacco. Smooth, medium- to full-bodied. The slim core of sweet fruit is underpinned by mostly resolved tannins, giving the wine a supple, velour-like texture. A faint astringency marks the lingering, savoury finish. Lovely. Among the most elegant Aglianicos I’ve tasted.
Brett happens 