Gambero Rosso wine tasting in Washington, DC

Earlier this week, June 3, 2019, Terry and I attended the Gambero Rosso Top Italian Wines Road Show in Washington, DC. In an earlier blog, Terry wrote about the event and described many of the red wines we tasted. The following is a brief description of the white wines that we enjoyed at the wine tasting as well as suggestions for future wine tastings.

The Italian white wines we tasted were from several of Italy’s wine regions including Marche, Lazio, Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia, Emilia Romagna, and Abruzzo.

Gambero Rosso wine tasting in the US

The Offida Pecorino Pekò 2018 from La Canosa winery in the Marche region was  produced with the Pecorino grape. The Marche wine region is located along Italy’s border of the Adriatic Sea. The Offida Pecorino Pekò was a yellow color with a gold hue. The aroma was of tropical fruits. The full-bodied wine had notes of pineapple and mineral. The finish was fruity with some mineral. La Canosa suggests pairing this wine with fish and stuffed pasta in a white sauce. La Canosa produces white, red and sparkling wines.

Casale del Giglio produced the Anthium Bellone 2018. The winery is located in Italy’s Lazio region. In addition to producing wine, Casale del Giglio also produces grappa and olive oil. At the wine tasting it was noted that the vineyard is 100 meters from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The wine was a dark yellow color with a gold hue. The aroma was sweet reminding one of a dessert. The full-bodied wine had notes of peach. The finish was crisp and fruity.

We tasted three white/rosé wines from the Puglia region. Leone de Castris produced Five Roses 2018.  Five Roses wines have been produced since 1943. The number five reflects the fact that a number of generations of the Castris families have had five children. The Five Roses 2018 wine was a blend of primarily Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera di Lecce.  The wine was 12.5% alcohol.The wine was a dark salmon color. The aroma had light berry fruit notes. The taste was of raspberries and strawberries. The finish was fruity with fruit yielding to dry and mineral.  The company, Leone de Castris, was started in 1665 by Duke Oronzo, Earl of Lemos.

From Sicily we tasted four white/rosé wines. The Aibibbo Dardinello 2018 from Assuli was produced with Muscat Alexandra. The wine was a yellow color. The aroma offered notes of flowers especially blossoms. The taste included notes of white peach, blossoms and honeysuckle. The finish was complex and offered a hint of salt. In addition to producing many wines, Assuli also produces extra virgin olive oil.

At the seminar on Monday, the only white wine from Sardinia region was the Alghero Torbato Terre Bianche Cuvée 161 2017. Sardinia is an island west of Italy. The wine was produced by Tenute Sella & Mosca. The wine was produced with the Torbato grape variety. Alghero refers to the village. The wine was a yellow color. The aroma was of yellow stone fruit. Peach notes were on the taste. The crisp finish offered fruit yielding to mineral. In 1899, Sella & Mosca was started by two adventurers, Mr. Sella and Mr. Mosca.

A white wine from the Emilia Romagna region was the Callas Malvasia 2015 produced by Monte Delle Vigne. The Emilia Romagna wine region is located in the northern area of Italy with a portion of it along the Adriatic Sea. The region is known for both white and red wine production. The Callas Malvasia 2015 was a light yellow color. The aroma was of flowers and herbs. The taste included notes of spices, flowers and herbs. The finish was crisp and sharp.

The Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Chiamami Quando Piove 2018 was produced in the Abruzzo wine region. Abruzzo is known for Trebbiano and Montepulciano grape varieties. Abruzzo is south of Marche. The producer was Valori. The wine was a salmon color. The aroma was of red berry fruit and the taste had notes of red raspberries. The finish was crisp and fruity.

Suggestions for Wine Tasting Presentations or Seminars

• Delays happen, it’s almost inevitable but by keeping those waiting informed, people will be more patient.
• Provide numbers for people as they arrive and wait in line. This keeps the line orderly.
• Create a Power Point or Keynote presentation that can be shown during the seminar. It helps if people can view the information and makes a presentation more powerful. For example, the name of the grapes in the wine – so attendees can see the spellings. Also include alcohol content of each wine, the designation of origin, a map showing the geographic regions and food pairings for each wine. 

Despite a minimum of frustration, I was happy to attend a tasting of so many Italian wines. Another visit to Italy is now on my bucket list.

Many thanks to the Gambero Rosso for this wine tasting event.

Cheers!
Kathy