A parade of new releases from the traditional Tuscany wine country
and from parts not so well known, have made 2014 an” Italian Job,” with
a flood of new releases.
With the Italian government’s help in some campaigns, Italian wineries in unfamiliar districts are introducing themselves to wine shops, restaurants and resorts. Italian restaurants are more than willing to stage generous 4 and 5 course dinners in exchange for an equal number of dinner wines for their guests as they get to taste generous portions of unfamiliar premium Italian wines, with a specially produced gourmet dinner. Both Il Fornaio in Coronado with GM Luca Allieri, and its restaurant inDel Mar with Mathew Galli, are perfectionists at this event.
Every month they find and pour Italian wines that in Italy, are well known in their areas, but have not gained the respect that they should in the U.S. My local Italian distributor, Marco Barat, who has opened up many little-known Italian wines for me in the 8 years I have been writing on wine, notes that Tuscany and Piedmont, which are the most well-known of the 20 districts in Italy that produce wine, aren’t even in the top 4 producers, which are: Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Sicily and Puglia. These districts produce great sellars like: Pinot Grigio, Lambrusco, Tebbiano. Nero D’ Avola and Primitivo. Still, there is no doubt that the most respected and expensive wines in Italy come from Tuscany with its Brunellos and Super Tuscan blends, like Tenuta dell Ornelaia ($978.), Biondi Santi $541.), and Antinori Guado al Tasso ($129.95)
On top of the new Italian contemporary wines is an Italian red wine blend that never tasted so fashionable as in the new Viama Rosso Delle Venezie 2013 ( $15.) What could be more fun for ladies than to carry around a 1.5 liter box of wine in the shape of a purse. It has shoulder strap and a discreet spout. This blend goes great with pasta, cheeses and grilled meats. The spigot makes it easy to drink what you need, then save the rest for another get together. Look for more at www.wine-searcher.com.
Zonin is the name of Italy’s largest family-owned wine company with a diversity of Italy’s major regions including: Friuli, Lombardia,Veneto,Piedmont, Tuscany, Puglia and Sicily.
Zonin has this month’s TASTE OF WINE of the month. Rocca di Montemassi, introduced last week and it comes from Tuscany’s newest exciting area, Maremma. Key markets are the U.S. and United Kingdom. Zonin controls wine solutions from vineyard to the glass and offer wines like Tenuta Ca’ Bolani Prosecco from Friuli, to Feudo Principi di Butera Synposio from Sicily.
A white wine of significance is the Tenuta Ca’Bolani Aquilis made from 100% Sauvignon in Friuli. Lino Vitale, the Pacific Coast Accounts manager is high on this wine. “This is crisp quality, balanced, acidic wine to pair perfectly with Italian food,”he promised. He also told me the wine is sold in both the wine shop and restaurant at Cucina Enoteca in Del Mar.
Look for the complete lineup of Zonin wines at www.zoninusa.com
Wine Bytes
- The St Regis Monarch Beach in Orange County presents a Farm to Feast event Sun. Aug.17 from 4 to 8pm. Chef Franck of the Monarch will prepare custom menu items along with succulent appetizers and fresh veggies from the VR Green Farms. Palumbo Family Wines of Temecula will provide the wines. $55. pp. Call 800-722-1543.
- It’s the 21st Annual Grape Stomp at Orfila Vineyards and Winery in Escondido, Sat. Aug. 23rd from 4 to 8pm. Ticket includes: Dinner Buffet, live dance music, wine tasting, tractor rides and stomping of the grapes. Ticket price is $90. ea. Call 760-738-6500 x22.
- PAON Restaurant in Carlsbad has a Stoplman Vineyards Wine Dinner, Thurs. Aug. 21 with a reception starting at 6:15pm. RSVP at 760-729-7377.
- The Flight Path Wine Bar & Bistro on Kettner in San Diego has a high-end Italian wine pairing event Mon, Aug. 25 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Taste 5 wines and 5 paired appetizers. $45 pp. Call 760-809-4709.
Frank Mangio is a renowned wine connoisseur certified by Wine Spectator . He is one of the leading wine commentators on the web. View and link up with his columns at www.tasteofwinetv.com. Reach him at mangiompc@aol.com.
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