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
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Vinos de Madrid Open Tasting in Washington DC
Vinos de Madrid seminar at Barcelona Wine Bar in Washington DC
Earlier this week we had an invitation to attend a seminar tasting with wines from the Vinos de Madrid DO. The seminar was followed by a walk-around tasting. The venue was held at the Barcelona Wine Bar on 14th Street NW in Washington DC. We have attended several wine tasting at this restaurant all featuring Spanish wines. The restaurant does a wonderful job with tapas served during the walk-around tasting.
One of the purposes of the tastings and seminar was to introduce wine enthusiasts, distributors, importers and writers to Vinos de Madrid, an often undiscovered wine region in Spain. Many of the producers in this area are crafting premium wines at very reasonable prices. Gretchen Thomas, Vice President of Beverage at Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group that owns Barcelona Wine Bar, conducted the seminar and tasting.
Gretchen became interested in wine while attending culinary school in New York. She was instrumental in introducing Spanish wines to the Barcelona Wine Bar chain of restaurants in the country. During the presentation, we learned that the Spanish capital was moved around the country over the centuries. Wherever the capital was located, the surrounding area was agricultural, in order to meet the needs of the inhabitants. This occurred when the capital was moved to Madrid. The wine production from this immediate area had to be large to meet the needs of the people. Through the 1900s, the wine region had more of a bulk wine reputation than a fine wine status. During the past couple decades, though, fine wines are now produced by the wineries.
The Madrid wine region is divided into three sub-zones (Arganda del Rey, Navalcarnero, San Martin de Valdeiglesra), and a fourth zone (El Molar) will be created in the near future. The seminar focused on the Arganda del Rey zone east of Madrid, and the San Martin de Valdeiglesras zone west of Madrid. We discovered a few grape varieties that were new to us including Albillo Real and Malvar for the whites. We have tasted the red grapes varieties before. The most common varietal red grapes in the zones are Tempranillo and Garnacha. The Vinos de Madrid zones currently comprise of 8,391 hectares (20,734 acres) of wine grapes.
Nine wines tasted during the seminar on Vinos de Madrid.
The Seminar Tasting
Five wines caught my attention. For the white wines I liked the 2017 Navaherreros Blanco from Bodegas Bernabeleva. This yellow colored wine had a light green hue. The wine was a blend of Albillo Real and Macabeo. Mineral, flowers and citrus were noted on the aroma. The taste included honeysuckle, white roses, mineral and citrus. This wine had a velvety mouthfeel and was full bodied. The finish was crisp with layers of flavors.
There were several of the red wines that were notable. The 2009 Bodegas Nueva Valverde 750 was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This 14% alcohol wine was an opaque dark ruby color. Black fruits were on the aroma. The taste included blackberries, black cherries, black raspberries and baking spices. The wine was full bodied with kissing tannins (tannins that would pucker your lips as though you were going to kiss someone). The finish was fruity and spicy.
One of my favorite reds is the 2014 Felix Martinez Cepas Viejas Reserva is from the Vinos Jeromin portfolio.
The 2014 Felix Martinez Cepas Viejas Reserva is from the Vinos Jeromin portfolio of wines. The wine was predominantly Tempranillo. It had an opaque dark ruby color with a black hue. Black fruits and spices were noted on the aroma. The taste included black berries, raisins and spices. The full-bodied wine had kissing tannins. The finish was spicy and fruity.
The 2016 Seleccion Especial by El Regajal was a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot. The wine had an opaque dark ruby color with a black hue. The 14.5% alcohol wine had dried jammy fruits on the aroma. The taste had a perceived sweetness with blackberries, blueberries, black raspberries and baking spices. The full-bodied wine had bold tannins. The finish was fruity with spice.
The Tierra Calma 2015 was crafted with 100% Garnacha. The 15.5% alcohol wine was an opaque dark ruby. Floral and black fruits were picked up on the aroma. The taste was reminiscent of violets, roses, blackberries and baking spices. The full-bodied wine had bold tannins. Fruit and spices were on the finish.
We enjoyed the wines during the seminar and the walk-around tasting. Many of the fine wines from the Vinos de Madrid offer a great value for wine enthusiasts.
Cheers,
Terry