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e-mail winechap@thesilverstonecollection.com |
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Best of the Red Bunch July 2001 |
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Falesco Vitiano 2000 As Popes and Cardinals stroll through the grounds of the Vatican, with the heavy burden of the world's affairs lightened by silent prayer, I wonder whether their inner harmony and rectitude radiates across Rome and permeates the neighboring countryside. I pose this question, because there is a certain calm and pensive quality within many of the winemakers whom I have met from "The Green Heart Of Italy": Umbria and it's close neighbor Lazio to the south-west. Some 50 miles from Rome, Riccardo Cotarella is a content man indeed. He nurtures and produces beautifully structured nectar for his Falesco winery, which is located in Umbria, and owns vineyards around the Umbrian-Lazian border. The grapes for "Vitiano", which were grown in Umbria, are a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. The juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged three months in wood barrels before bottling. After 3-4 months in the bottle, the wine is released, so it has been given time to develop it's personality. Vitiano is soft, rather mellow, but rich and fruity, filled with the flavor of assorted berries, oak and spice. A wine clearly at peace with itself, unhurried and serene...in a pensive kind of way! Cheers! REGION Umbria, Italy TECHNICAL Fermented in stainless steel and aged in Nevers barrels PRODUCTION Bottles Produced: 550,000. Size of vineyard: 49 acres PRICE (approx) $11.69 FOOD MATCH Chicken, Pizza, Lamb, game back to top | back to original page Best of the first White Bunch July 2001 Enzo Mecella PAGLIANO Verdicchio di Matelica 1999 American hockey stadiums tend to be dominated by the adrenaline pumping high velocity performance of the late Freddie Mercury and Queen belting out their classic "We Are The Champions". So I came to the obvious conclusion that an Italian winemaker had convinced a heavy metal group to endorse his wine. My ignorance was shamefully apparent by mistaking Matelica, the region-albeit a tiny one- for a passe rock band. Matelica is located in the eastern part of the Marche region in central Italy along the Adriatic coast. The area's claim to fame, and perhaps one of the best kept secrets in the wine world, is the Verdicchio, a 600 year old native of the area, with a green coloring (hence "Verde" in it's name). Enzo Mecella brands the wine "Pagliano" which is easier to remember when shopping! This is an ideal aperitif wine or a summer salad or omelet partner. There is a fresh, clean quality to this Verdicchio, with rays of summer sunlight streaming from the light straw wine in the glass. A hint of nuts in it's flavor, and an ephemeral flirtation with some saltiness carried from the Adriatic. More Vivaldi than heavy metal! Cheers! REGION Matelica, Marches, Italy GRAPES Verdicchio (85%); Malvasia (15%) WINERY PROFILE Founded over 50 years ago by Marsilio Mecella. Since 1977 owned and operated by Enzo Mecella. PRICE(approx) $7.99 FOOD MATCH Aperitif; Salad; Omelet; Seafood back to top | back to original page
T'other Best of the White Bunch July 2001 Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc 2000 Dry Creek Valley, was very much up a creek without a paddle, or indeed, without a decent grape vine, less than 30 years ago. Sadly bereft of love, this region in Sonoma County, California, needed some serious tlc, which it found from David Stare, a Bostonian, who established the first new winery since Prohibition, in 1972. Today, over 5,500 acres of vines are owned by 34 wineries in this prosperous wine growing region. Besides owning a winery, David Stare has a passion for sailing, which explains the distinctive sailboat on every Dry Creek label. From unchartered water, Stare has set a course for smooth sailing these past three decades. Stare's inspiration came from France's Loire Valley, and this is evident when popping the cork on Dry Creek's Chenin Blanc, the grape responsible for the white wines of the Loire. This is a much overlooked grape variety, seriously under hyped and rarely poured by wine snobs! I adore the wines made from this grape, and Dry Creeks delivers every conceivable nuance I expect from Chenin Blanc. A touch of lemon, and very flowery perfume, with a flavor of melons, pineapples and tropical fruits. With wines like this, it's calm waters indeed for Mr. Stare and Dry Creek. REGION Grapes grown in: Clarkesburg, CA ( Sacramento Delta ) This region excels in producing similar quality of grape as used for the wines in Vouvray, France. Cheers! GRAPES 100% Chenin Blanc TECHNICAL Cold fermented in stainless steel at 40 degrees F for 8 weeks. PRICE (approx) $8.99 FOOD MATCH Thai food; oysters; chicken salad; baked ham. back to top | back to original page © Phillip Silverstone 2001 |
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