Northern Italian Wines with Gemma
Free tasting | Friday, November 15, 2019 | 5-7PM
4 Piemontese and 1 Venetian walk into a cheese shop…On Friday come taste all Northern Italian wine with us as wine importer Gemma from Giannoni Selections joins us for a pre-Thanksgiving visit! Gemma’s bringing a bagful of all natural wine from the regions of Veneto and Piedmont, including the 2013 Erbaluna Barolo, and a new Piemontese producer to us, Mantunei. The young, up-and-coming winemaking duo Alberto and Carla Brignolo from Mantunei work exclusively by hand to to make totally natural wine without synthetic chemicals or herbicides. Alberto and Carla also collaborate with Eleonora and Luigi of Crealto winery, whose Mutabilis rosato will also be open for you to try. It’s all in the family with these Italian natural winemakers! As always, a 10% off on tasting wines. See you Friday!
Northern Italian Wines with Gemma:
2018 Fiippi ‘Castelcerino’ Soave
Who: Filippo Filippi
What: 100% Garganega
Where: Veneto, Italy
How: These grapes were fermented and elevated in stainless steel and spends time on its lees.
Farming Method: Biodynamic
Fun Fact: The Filippi family first settled in this are in 1300 and started producing wine around 1900.
Tasting Notes: Deep limestone and minerality with notes of raw almonds and apples.
2018 Crealto ‘Mutabilis’ Rosato
Who: Eleonora and Luigi Costa
What: A blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera
Where: Piedmont, Italy
How: Brief skin contact bestowing a beautiful cantaloupe/watermelon color.
Farming Method: Biodynamic
Fun Fact: Eleonora and Luigi’s winery’s name Crealto comes from ‘crè’ which means ‘chalk’ in French and Piemontese.
What It Tastes Like: Smooth and tantalizing with full-bodied notes of roses and strawberries.
2016 Matunei ‘Bagardo’ Nebbiolo
Who: Alberto and Carla Brignalo
What: Nebbiolo
Where: Piedmont, Italy
How: This Nebbiolo was made in a combination of stainless steel and oak. No added sulfur!
Farming Method: Biodynamic
Fun Fact: Have you tried the Mutabilis Rosato or the Crealto Nebbiolo that we carry at the shop? Those two wines come from Eleonora Costa and Luigi Armanino at Crealto winery who are collaborators and friends of the Brignalo family.
Tasting Notes: Lush and ripe cherries with herbaceous notes of violets and thyme.
2017 Eugenio Bocchino, Barbera D'Alba ‘Tom’
Who: Eugenio Bocchino and Cinzia Pelazza
What: Barbera
Where: Piedmont, Italy
How: Cinzia and Eugenio believe that the winemaker's duty is to interfere as little as possible; they do as few 'rimontaggi' (pumpovers) during fermentation as possible.
Farming Method: Biodynamic
Fun Fact: Until about the 1980's Barbera was considered the workhorse grape of Piedmont, as in a less valuable grape than Nebbiolo, and was planted in less vigorous soil. It was grown in abundance with quantity over quality being the mantra. Winemakers Giacomo Bologna and Renato Ratti were the first to view Barbera as an untapped grape of beauty and began to plant and age it with care. This paid off…now Barbera is a very respected grape in Piedmont!
Tasting Notes: An iron-fueled nose, which blows off to reveal freshness galore along notes of tart cherries and juniper. The bright red Dachshund on the label is also a cheeky plus to this fantastic Barbera! Calling all fellow dog lovers!
2013 Azienda Agricola, Erbaluna Barolo
Who: Andrea and Severino Oberto
What: Nebbiolo
Where: Piedmont, Italy
How: These Nebbiolo grapes were macerated for 16-21 days before aging for 24 months in Slovenian oak barrels and then aged for an additional year once it was bottled.
Farming Method: Organic
Fun Fact: The Oberto brothers took over their grandparents farm and begun converting it to organic practices in the mid-1980’s.
Tasting Notes: This Barolo will make you glow with joy with its notes of tobacco, earthiness, and red currants.