Talamonti Tre Saggi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC 2008

There is a name of the grape-Montepulciano. It grows in Italian region -Abruzzo.
Also it's a name of the town in Tuscany in Italy. And in Tuscany there is a wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is wine made from Tuscany grape variety-Sangiovese.
So, you can't confuse Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with the wine from Tuscany! They are two totally different wines.
 Talamonti Tre Saggi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC 2008

Rich dark ruby color with purple notes. On the nose a lot of red fruit, smoky, coffee and oak. On the palate the wine is very meaty, rich, lots of oak, good tannins and balanced acidity. Very juicy with long finish. Will be wonderful with any type of pasta or meat.

Taste of Piedmont. Day one.

 

 Arriving to Turin. Pick up from airport on the comfortable bus. Drive to the Canavese region.

Check in the cozy and rustic agriturismo Cascina del Peso.

Visiting cantina “Orsolani”.You will enjoy a VIP winery tour and a wine tasting of the unique local wine.

After the wine tasting you will love the food at Chef’s Franco place. Chef Franco recently won national competition in Sicily.

Back to agriturismo. Relax before next busy day.

What is agriturizmo?

http://goitaly.about.com/od/italytravelglossary/g/agriturismo.htm

Terre more dell ammiraglia maremma toscana 2009

One of the perfect examples of super Tuscan's!
Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. On the nose dark fruit, berries,  smoked and herbal aromas.
On the palate dry, with very soft tannins, balanced, medium bodied, delicious, with medium finish.
I had this wine with pasta puttanesca, which paired perfectly!

JOSEF DRATHEN RIESLING SEKT 2009

 Sparkling wine

Pale yellow color. On the nose mineral, apple.
Dry on the palate, little bitter, with fruity fresh taste.
Will be good with seafood appetizers.
Good, rather big babbles.

Fetzer Eagle Peak Merlot 2009

Color is dark cherry, very rich. Nose of berry jam, vanilla with a little bit of spice and candy.
Soft and rich on a palate with flavours of cherries and plum. Soft tannins. Good balance. Nice, long,  smooth finish with a taste of oak on the background.

The perfect pair

Yesterday I made eggplant rollatini. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/eggplant-rollatini-recipe2/index.html Dish is rich with cheese and tomato marinara. Sweetness from ricotta cheese wonderfully balances with taste of tomato pasta. When I started thinking about a wine, Barbera immediately came to my mind!

Barbera is a grape growing in Piedmont region. Very popular local wine.

So, I had

Fontanafredda Barbera Briccotondo 2010

Ruby red color on the core with a little bit of purple.
On the nose wine is spicy with a lot of berries aromas and hit of chocolate. Medium bodied, rustic on the palate with good balance of tannins and acidity. Very fruity, full of flavours with long and nice finish.

And yes, it was a perfect pair for my eggplant rollatini. Richness of the dish  and balancing tannins and acidity in the wine came together ideally!

robert mondavi pinot noir private selection 2010

The nose on this wine is pleasant, with aromas like nutmeg, vanilla, cherry.
 In the mouth it's dry tart cherry flavors up front, with some strawberry flavors and spice coming into play on the mid-palate.  The finish is a little bitter.  The acidity is good and the tannins are subtle. 
I had this Pinot with chicken paprikash.  Paired wonderfully!

Rivera Cappellaccio Riserva Aglianico 2005

Another fine find.
Very interesting wine. Rich cherry color with lighter rim.
On the nose first comes aromas of barnyard, wood. Then berries, smoked sausage, vanilla. 
Little different on a palate. Dry, rich, fruity, with long and delicious finish.
Can age couple of years in a bottle.
Rich Italian pasta with meat will go wonderfully with this rustic, serious vine.

My recent wine tasting

Menu

Appetizers

Insalata di Farro

Marinatesd mushrooms

 Marinated Artichoke Hearts

 

Seafood plate

Crostini with srimp, cream cheese and avocado

Stuffed egg with smoked salmon

 Crab salad

 

Meat plate 

 

Sweet Italian sausage

rostini with pate

 

Plate of pasta in cream and wild mushroom sauce.

 

Dessert

• Tiramisu

Wines

 

Piedmont

Molino Ausario Dolcetto D'alba 2009, Doc

Deep red almost black cor colour with violet rim. On the nose a medium intensity of red berry fruits. This Dolcetto hits you with a firm acididty and decent amount tannin which balances as raspberry fruits show themselves. Even with its wonderful medium to long finish.

Fontanafredda Duale Rosso 2007, Doc Langhe

This blend is designed for current consumption. After fermentation, the Nebbiolo and Barbera are aged separately for a few months in French and Slavonian oak casks before blending. The resulting finished wine offers aromas of blueberry, blackberry and redcurrant. On the palate, the Nebbiolo gives the wine volume and structure, while the Barbera adds freshness and fruit-forwardness.

Wines from tasting

Veneto

Santa Margherita Cabernet Franc 2008, Doc Lison Pramaggiore

Santa Margherita was founded in 1935 by Count Gaetano Marzotto Jr., an entrepreneurial figure who played a significant role in Italian finance. From the producers of VINTAGES’ #1 selling white wine (Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, 106450), this Cabernet Franc shows lovely notes of raspberry, cherry, and blackcurrant with a hint of violet. The palate is beautifully balanced with plum and strawberry showing thorough.

Le Arche Ripasso Valpolicella 2008, Doc

Ripasso continues to be a supremely popular style with fans of both New World and European wines. It seems that everyone can identify with its rich fruit and elegant structure. With an interplay of ripe and tangy berry flavours and hints of toasty oak.

Dessert

Bava Cocconato Moscato D'asti 2010, Docg

Piedmont, Italy

The light spritz, gentle sweetness and low alcohol of Moscato d’Asti make it a must-have for anyone hosting a party. Fruity and fragrant, this easydrinking, crowd-pleasing and versatile frizzante works equally well as an aperitif, dessert wine.

Something for Valentine!

Better than chocolate.

Aleatico 

re della Valle Brancatelli

Rich,sweet,luscious. Thick with jammie aromas, oak gives sweet vanilla flavour. On a palate sweet fruit, rich and fully ripened apricot, blackberries.
Drink it slowly, enjoy every sip, this wine gives you such a pleasure with its warmth, a reminder of summer!
The purple-red color, velvety like a rose petal, is almost impalpable.
You can pair it with chocolate or hard italian cheese, like Parmesan.

I'm back!

 It's been a long time since I've written here. Busy holidays, school, exams...now everything is in the past! I needed some time to think, to realize, what I should do now.So, now, now me and my business partner in Turin are continuing to work on our project - Taste of Piedmont! It's almost done. Just need to work out some details. It looks wonderful!This tour is unique! Piedmont is truly a forgotten jewel of Italy.  Beautiful mountains, old castles and towns, rare and old wines. If you were in Italy and want to come back, if you want to taste Italy, if you never went to Italy but always wanted to - this tour is for you!We will show the Piedmont region from the inside. In a very rustic, Italian way. In Piedmont, where slow food was born as opposite to fast food. Where people are so nice and not spoiled with tourists, where you are going to eat only local food and drink local wine. They are not snobby wine sniffers. Even though the biggest of the wine is produced there - in Barolo.  People there just enjoy their food with wine, and we want share that joy with you!I'm so excited! I love this part of Italy, their wine, their food, people, nature, old towns.I'm done with my school, but I decided to continue studying on my own. I want to learn more about Italian wine. There are so many countries producing wine. It's so hard to know everything and everybody, so I'm going to concentrate on Italy, but learning about the rest of the world too. So, I'm back and I'll keep in touch! :0)