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ITALY: Northern Italia
There is an incredible array of wines made in the Northern part of Italy.
Let's define this region narrowly, including the Val d'Aosta, Liguria, Piemonte
(we've got a whole separate page for this area), Lombardia, the Veneto, Alto Adige,
Trentino and Friuli.
Northern Italy and Major Wine
Types |
| AOSTA |
Rarely seen in the U.S. as the wines are relatively
"minor" in the context of international quality. If you visit this
mountainous area neighboring France, you'll find grapes such as Nebbiolo, Barbera, Gamay,
Petit Rouge, Petit Arvine, Moscato, Malvasia, Blanc de Valdigne, Vien de Nus, Syrah,
Grenache, Müller-Thurgau, Fumin and perhaps some Dolcetto. |
| LIGURIA |
This small coastal area along the Italian Riviera has Genoa as its
main city. Famous for basil (friends swear the basil for their pesto is best grown
on some little hill outside Genoa!), the region has relatively modest quality wines.
Cinqueterre is a famous white wine, but what we've seen in our market has been rather
average in quality. Two white grapes are of interest, Pigato and Vermentino, while
in red there's a Dolcetto-like wine made from what's called "Rossese di
Dolceacqua". |
| LOMBARDIA |
Only recently gaining some fame, thanks to a couple of
high-profile winemakers, this region between Piemonte and the Veneto has a curious
assortment of wines and grape varieties. Wines of note include: Buttafuoco,
Franciacorta, Grumello, Inferno, Lugana, Oltrep Pavese, Sassella, Sfursat, Valcalepio
and Valtellina. Grapes here include Pinot Nero, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo, Barbera,
Trebbiano (of various clones), Bonarda, Sangiovese, Marzemino, Schiava Gentile,
Rondinella, Merlot, Pinot Bianco, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Müller-Thurgau,
Riesling, Croatina, Tocai, Pinot Grigio, Brugnola and something called Uva Rara. |
| TRENTINO |
This region, north of Verona and south of the Alto-Adige
(Sudtirol), produces a wide variety of varietal wines. Cabernet, Chardonnay,
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero, Moscato, Riesling, Nosiola, Pinot Grigio,
Riesling Italico, Riesling Renano, Lagrein, Marzemino, Merlot, Teroldego, Müller-Thurgau
and Traminer are typical varieties. |
ALTO ADIGE -
SUDTIROL |
All the villages here have names in German and Italian and many of
the wineries offer their wines with both German and Italian names on the labels.
The locals grow up speaking German as their first language and speak of
Italians as though they're foreigners! There is an incredible assortment of wines
here. The Italian names are listed below, with the German name noted
parenthetically.
Moscato Giallo (Goldenmuskateller), Pinot Bianco (Weissburgunder), Pinot Grigio
(Rülander), Riesling Italico (Welschriesling), Mller-Thurgau, Riesling Renano
(Rheinriesling), Sauvignon, Sylvaner, Traminer Aromatico (Gewürztraminer), Malvasia,
Merlot, Cabernet, Lagrein (the rosé being called Rosato, while the "dark" or
red is called Scuro in Italian, Dunkel in German), Pinot Nero (Blauburgunder) Schiava
(Vernatsch), Moscato Rosa and Tschaggeler. |
| VENETO |
This large region touches a piece of Austria at the north, with
land just west of Verona all the way east to Venice. The most famous wines include
Soave (made of Garganega and Trebbiano), Valpolicella (Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara
as its principal varieties), Bardolino (Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara,
principally), Prosecco and Bianco di Custoza. There are other denominazione such as
Breganze, Colli Berici, Colli Euganei, Lessini Durello, Lison-Pramaggiore and Piave.
Producers of Valpolicella pride themselves on Amarone and Recioto wines, both made
from dried grapes, the former tending to be powerfully dry, while the latter tending
to be strong and in varying degrees of sweetness. Soave producers also,
often, make a dessert wine of dried grapes called Recioto di Soave. You can find
many wines of the region as varietal wines, so there's a lot of Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot
Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Noir, etc. |
| FRIULI |
In Italy's northeast corner, this region has about six sub-regions
and wineries here tend to make a range of varietal wines. Many produce curious
proprietary blends. Frankly, we don't look to this region for "good value"
wines. For example, Sauvignon Blanc wines here cost the importer about the same
number of dollar that most California Sauvignons fetch at a retail or consumer level.
The DOC of "Colli Orientali del Friuli" is probably the most prestigious, while
"Grave del Friuli" tends to produce less pricey wines. In addition to the
"standard" varieties such as Sauvignon (Blanc), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Cabernet Franc, Pinot Nero, Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Riesling, a number of local
varieties are noteworthy. Refosco is a modest red, while Tocai Friulano is a typical
white. Schioppettino tends to be a spicy, lightly peppery red. Pignolo is a rare red wine of
interesting quality. A couple of white grapes make wonderful dessert wines:
Verduzzo (sometimes made into a bubbly or fizzy wine) and Picolit. |
Some Wines We Like:
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COLTERENZIO
 I
have known the wines from this co-op for many years, having done extensive tastings of the
wines from the Alto Adige. On a recent trip to the area my friend Stoffi
scheduled Colterenzio as our final appointment. Apparently he'd saved the best for
last.
 The
winery is run by Luis Raiffer, a serious wine man. The place,
located in the town of Cornaiano (or Girlan in German, if you prefer), was started in
1960. Today they have more than 370 hectares and the production is large.
While many claim the Produttori del Barbaresco to be Italy's model of a cooperative
winery, I would have to say, given the quality of the production here, Colterenzio
deserves that title.
They make an astonishing range of wines. The simple bottlings are
clean-as-a-whistle.
"Lafoa" are the "Bordeaux-styled" wines. Sauvignon
Blanc, expensive though it is, shows amazingly intense fruit. It's a
combination of Loire, New Zealand and Bordeaux. Signor Raiffer
explained they use a number of special clones of Sauvignon to achieve such a
success. This is not for the timid or faint of heart. It's
pedal-to-the-metal Sauvignon.
The 2007 Pinot Grigio is exceptional. This is far better than simple
plonk such as the well-marketed Santa Margherita brand and it's priced
honestly. We're amused when customers insist upon paying for all those
full color ads in various publications, not to mention the monthly Mercedes
Benz' payments for the importer of Santa Margherita. They could have
something better and far less costly.
Currently in stock:
2006 "Cornell" Chardonnay $33.99
2006 "Lafoa" Sauvignon Blanc $35.99
2007 PINOT GRIGIO List $19 SALE $14.99
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FORADORI
 You
can't know the Trentino grape called Teroldego without knowing the wines of
Elisabetta Foradori.
You can't.
Her wines are the reference point for this wonderful grape, a variety that's
particular to the Campo Rotaliano, a small region north of Trento.
There's lots of limestone and granite to the soil here. Ms. Foradori
has worked diligently to plant and re-plant good "clones" of
Teroldego, preferring vines which will produce quality fruit, often at the
expense of quantity. The region, actually, had been carpeted with
Teroldego from more vigorously-producing clones, so Foradori took cuttings
from her family's oldest vines (heirloom Teroldego, if you will) to
propagate. Elisabetta says they have about 17 clones of Teroldego
presently.
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- The Famous Principessa of Teroldego.
In the cellar...
It was a warm morning, so we tasted outside...a "Fuoradori"
tasting.
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Her basic Teroldego is labeled simply as "Foradori." It
carries the "Rotaliano" D.O.C. It comes from
various vineyard sites from her major holdings in the Rotaliano
"region." The average age of these vines is older than
the winemaker, which is a good thing. The fermentation takes
place in stainless steel and the wine is matured in seasoned oak for about a
year. These are routinely delicious and a great alternative to wines
such as Chianti Classico, Barbera, etc.
"Granato" is a wine that's also made entirely of Teroldego, but
though it's the more "special" wine, it has the lesser denominazione
of the I.G.T. of Vigneti delle Dolomiti Rosso. The wine comes
from various vineyard sites, all cultivated with more severe pruning in the
winter to reduce the yields and maximize the intensity of Teroldego. As we
are seeing with many vintners these days, the winemaker's preference is to
ferment the juice in wood, rather than the more sterile stainless steel
tank. Ms. Foradori employs a high percentage of new oak barrels,
crafting a wine of the same level of quality as a Super-Tuscan, Super
Piemontese, Napa Cabernet or fairly prestigious Bordeaux wine. This
sees about 50% new oak, the rest split between slightly older
cooperage. We
currently have some bottles of the highly-acclaimed 2004, a wine with a
wonderful dark fruit quality and sweet oak bouquet. Lovely
example!
A trio of other wines rounds out her portfolio. A white wine called
"Myrto" features Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco and Incrocio
Manzoni. There's a particular red blend featuring Cabernet Sauvignon
with Syrah, Petit Verdot and 10% of local, "Foradori"
varieties. And, finally, she's been bitten by the Syrah bug, creating
a wine called Ailanpa of which she makes about three bottles every few
years.
- Currently in stock: 2005 Foradori Teroldego "Normale"
$21.99
2004 Granato $54.99
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EDI KANTE
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When we try to explain the Carso wine region, most people are
befuddled. They have enough trouble imagining precisely where Friuli
is located until we say "an hour's train ride north of Venice."
Trieste is a town many people have heard of but few could point on a map
with any confidence and peg its location. The Carso region is north
of Trieste along the sea (the Gulf of Trieste, actually) and it's a region
with wines most Italians would consider to be "foreign."
 One
of the leading winemakers, if not THE leading vintner, is Edi Kante.
His wines are regarded as the benchmark of Carso winemaking. And one
of the curious varieties I'd tasted from some Friuli producers who are
located close to or on the border with Slovenia is a wine called Vitovska.
Kante's is a remarkable bottle of wine. You can 'taste' or sense the
chalky soils where the vines are planted. Some tasters may find an
element or influence of the sea, as you might find a note of salt air in
the wine. I found a definite minerality in the wine, with a touch of
apple and pear notes. The 2006 currently in the shop is a terrific
wine to pair with seafood, especially sand dabs or rex sole. Got
oysters?
We purchased a bottle of Kante's Malvasia and Sauvignon Blanc. The
Sauvignon is nice, but not as compelling as the Vitovska.
UPDATE: The Malvasia was a perfectly standard bottle of minerally,
stony white wine. We did not find it floral or fruity, so we don't
have it in the shop but can special order it for you.
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Currently in stock: 2006 KANTE Carso VITOVSKA
$42.99
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TIEFENBRUNNER
 Though they make a lovely
range of wines at this family-run property in the Alto Adige, we see but a couple of
offerings. They have a cellar full of interesting wines, however.
Well-vinified is their simple, honest, basic Pinot Grigio, a wine fermented in stainless
steel and bottled when it's fresh and young. It used to be "Alto
Adige" in denominazione, but recently changed to delle Venezie. I
was worried about a loss of quality, but Christoff explained this change was
caused by legislation, not vineyard sources.  It
seems some of their vineyards are at an elevation higher than the delimited "Alto Adige" area and so they were obliged to change the
label!
We have visited this place a few times. The wines are always of good
quality, some we like more than others. They are looking to improve
wine quality here, something we always appreciate. Wineries who rest
on their laurels often get left behind as others strive to raise the bar, so
to speak.
We were presented a sample of a red a few years ago. My cohorts had
more experience in tasting the wines of this region, so all were surprised
when I was the only one to correctly identify the wine as a Lagrein.
In 2003 we stopped by and were shown another "Mystery Red."
I guessed it as an "Alto Adige Syrah," though I had no idea
anybody was cultivating that grape in this region. It turns out
Tiefenbrunner has a few barrels of Syrah!
The winery is highly-regarded on its
home turf for its Linticlarus Chardonnay and Cabernet wines.
They also make a famous Müller-Thurgau called "Feldmarschall Fenner zu
Fennberg" which we see once in a while.
- Currently in stock: 2008 Pinot Grigio (list $16) SALE
$12.99
Photo (above, right) is of Christoff Tiefenbrunner in his
weinkeller/cantina.
- CANTINA
TRAMIN/TERMENO
 This is
a 280 member grower's cooperative winery whose Gewrztraminer is amazingly
fine! The winery was started in 1898 and in 1971 it merged with
another co-op. Winemaker Willi Sturtz is at the helm.
Now the town of Termeno is called
"Tramin" in German. Some people claim this is the birthplace
of Gewürztraminer. Well, that may be the case and the case gets even
stronger when you taste their "Nussbaumerhof" bottling of this
aromatic variety. I bought a bottle of it for a dinner event we were
having, intending to serve it to someone who claims not to be a fan of
Italian wines and who's addicted to Gewürztraminer.
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Winemaker Willi Sturtz
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The Nussbaumer Gewürztraminer is extraordinary and holds its own with just about any dry
Gewürz from France's Alsace region. The vineyards are in clay and limestone,
the exposure being south and south-west. A portion of the grapes are picked
somewhat late, when they're really ripe and intensely aromatic. The
juice is macerated with the grape skins to further intensify the spice
notes. What a wine! Intense fragrances of lychees, grapefruits
and rose petals waft from the glass. The wine is quite dry, too, with
but 7 or 8 grams of sugar per liter, typically. This balances the
slight bitter finish and balances the wine quite handsomely.
We visited the winery in the summer of 2005 and winemaker Willi Sturtz
opened a 5 year old bottle of the Nussbaumer...amazingly good and still
very much alive. The current vintage, from the 2006 harvest, is
exceptionally intense and very fine.
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- Currently in stock: 2006 NUSSBAUMERHOF GEWÜRZTRAMINER $41.99
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CANTINA PRODUTTORI BOLZANO
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The wines of this
terrific winery are not being imported currently...
The importer here in California (and for the US market) did not pay the
winery a year after purchasing and selling their wines.
What's even crazier, this fellow, an American, bought a house in Bolzano
where the winery is located, despite still owing them for a shipment of
wine!
We hope an enterprising and well-funded importer will go visit this winery
and see about bringing their wines back to the American market...
- This is, in some measure, a "new" winery. But in reality,
it's an old producer.
 Make
that two old producers.
Two old producers, the Gries winery and the Santa Magdalena joined forces a
few years ago, consolidating operations into one major cellar. Like many properties in Italy's Alto Adige, the place
has a couple of names, just to keep us guessing. As a result, you'll
find wines sold as "St. Magdalena-Gries" and some labeled Cantina
Produttori Bolzano. Why make things easy, after all?
Making it even more confusing is the winery down the street called
"Muri-Gries."
Located in the town of Bolzano, a rather major "hub" for the
region and the big city in the Alto Adige, this winery makes quite a
range of reds and whites. White wine, though, is a relatively new
feature here...until the early 1990s, most of the production was in rather
light red wine! In fact, this part of Bolzano, known as Gries, is
ideally suited to cultivating the red grape, Lagrein.
The winemaker is Stephan Filippi. He's the third generation
winemaker that's been at the helm for a couple of decades, having spent a
couple of years at the famous Lageder winery when he was a kid. Now
he's "taken over" the family business, so to speak.
The white wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks with temperature
controls...this is standard operating procedure these days in most of
Italy.
They have quite a nice old, underground cellar downstairs and though one
sees a lot of oak, I can't say I found any of their red wines to be woody.
If you go to Bolzano for winter sports or wine-tasting, do stop by this
place...they have a regular tasting room.
It's open Monday through Saturday.
We have been delighted with several of their basic dry whites.
Currently we have a Pinot Grigio that's delightful. In tasting through
their extensive portfolio on a recent visit, I found all the wines to be
well-made and a number of them to be really good examples of their
particular varietal.
Their 2007 Santa Maddalena Pinot Grigio is excellent. The wine
captures the pear and apple-like fruit notes of the grape and it's dry and
fresh on the palate. We also appreciate the honest pricing.
- Currently in stock: 2007 Pinot Grigio Sold Out
Old labels tailored to the German-speaking market.
- SALVALAI
 There
are numerous producers in Italy's Veneto region that make serviceable wines
at affordable prices. Some are huge factories and I notice that many
wine "professionals" often are "allergic" to wines from
anything but "artisan" domaines.
But sometimes these sorts of large wineries can make good wines which fit a
certain niche, such as "drinkable wines at easy-drinking prices."
And, so we've been customers of this Salvalai winery for a number of years.
They make a really good bang-for-the-buck Pinot Grigio. The wine is
surely made from high-yielding vineyards, yet they manage to produce a wine
which offers typical Pinot Grigio aromas and flavors. Further, the
wine is not the sweet "plonky" stuff imported by various wine
marketing specialists who seek to appeal to wine drinkers who want something
a bit sweet. Salvalai's wine is dry and it's a bargain at our $8.49
sale price.
I've visited the Salvalai folks a couple of times and they've been excited
to show me a new "experimental" wine. It's made of a grape
not often found in the Veneto: Pinot Noir. Well, it might be
possible to make good Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero) in the Veneto, but not
the way the Salvalai winery is producing it. Their version is merely
"red wine" and, though Pinot Noir has a particular character to
it, even in high-yield situations, they've managed to eliminate virtually
all the varietal character in their wine.
Better they stick to traditional Venetian varieties.
And so we have a rather good, attractively-priced Valpolicella
Classico. The "Classico" designation means the fruit for
this wine comes from the historic, central Valpolicella area and the towns
of Negrar, Marano, Fumane, Sant'Arnbrogio and San Pietro in Cariano.
It's 60% Corvina and 40% Rondinella. It's a simply-made
wine. No oak...they merely allow it to rest in stainless steel for a
while to clarify and then it's bottled. Unlike another very fruity,
Beaujolais-like Valpolicella we have in the shop, this is a more
conventionally-styled red wine. It's medium-full bodied and dry.
Pairing it with a savory pasta is ideal, though this pairs nicely with red
or white meat dishes. We find this to be drinkable immediately and it
should remain in good condition for a few years.
I found the ripasso and Amarone wines at Salvalai to also be of interest and
they are well-priced. We can special order those for you, if you like.
Currently in stock: SALVALAI PINOT GRIGIO delle Venezie (LIst $10) SALE
$8.49
SALVALAI VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO $11.99
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Northern Italian Wines
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