Here are the wine selections for February, dedicated to great organic wines, selected by Stefano Berzi (best sommelier in Italy AIS 2021).
The cellars
Ancient Enotria, Cerignola (FG)
We are in Cerignola, in the province of Foggia.
The vines and fields of the cellar extend from the hinterland towards the sea, in a mix of landscapes made of sun and wind that offers a unique terroir in the world.
Luigi Di Tuccio cultivates his vineyard only with natural methods, using exclusively composted organic substances.
It maintains and increases the fertility of the soil thanks to green manure (that agronomic practice which consists in the burial of various crops to maintain or increase the fertility of the soil), adding specially sown plants such as clover, mustard and legumes to the soil.
Sun and the wolf, Lapio (AV)
Company founded in 2018 at the behest of brothers Antonio and Angelo Melchionno, two very young boys who inherit the family vineyards and decide to give birth to their creation.
Just over five hectares, all owned in one of the most suitable areas of the Fiano DOCG, Lapio, in the heart of Irpinia.
They decided to give life to a wine conceived in the best possible artisanal way, without the addition of selected yeasts and with intervention in the cellar reduced to a minimum.
Dryas, Montefredane (AV)
The name of the winery, Dryan, is inspired by the presence of a centuries-old oak on the land where the vineyard for the production of Fiano was created in 2011.
The sparkling winemaking of Fiano di Avellino is the challenge that Stefano and Rossella Loffredo, with the advice of the oenologist Carmine Valentino, realized with the first production of the classic method in 2013. The subsequent harvests saw the birth, in addition to the classic, of a charmat method and of a still Fiano, the Griseo. These sparkling wines are obtained with careful work in the vineyard and in the cellar, in order to enhance a precise identity of the territory particularly suited to the production of Fiano di Avellino.
LE ORMERE, Avellino
The Le Ormere winery was born in 2012 from the shared passion for wine that has animated the partners Fiore Cecere and Carmine Iannaccone since they were young. The two have a dream: to undertake a path of maximum care of the vineyard to obtain the best possible results and arrive to a product of absolute quality.
For Le Ormere, careful and controlled vineyard management is essential to obtain a raw material that preserves the best characteristics of the vine. All the main cultivation operations (such as pruning, tying, defoliation and thinning of the bunches) are carried out manually.
The harvest is also manual, done when the grapes reach an optimal level of ripeness.
The winemaking is done without the use of oenological adjuvants and without interventions aimed at limiting the natural evolution of the product, just as the sulphite content in the bottle is also limited.
Brandolini, San Damiano al Colle (PV)
The company was founded in 1873, in the municipality of San Damiano al Colle; the business was then carried on by subsequent generations until Alessio Brandolini, just graduated, took over the management of the company, full of ideas and enthusiasm.
The vineyards are mostly located in the municipality of San Damiano al Colle, and to a lesser extent in the municipalities of Rovescala and Montù Beccaria, for a total of 9 hectares.
The cultivated varieties are: Barbera, Croatina, Uva Rara, Pinot Noir for red winemaking, Malvasia, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir for white winemaking.
No synthetic fertilizers are used in the vineyard and in the cellar they use techniques such as cryomaceration, low temperature fermentation and long contact with the skins, in order to best extract the aromatic substances naturally present in the grapes.
The Guardians of Etna, Contrada Mognazzi, Costiglione di Similia (CT)
Mauro Paoluzi runs his vineyard on Etna in a natural and organic way, without using synthetic chemicals, respecting the landscape and nature.
Etna is an incredible and extreme territory: the lava flows have left a very variable terrain, the microclimate is marked by extreme temperature variations and drought is felt in the volcanic and sandy soils.
Carricante, Minnella, Grecanico, Malvasia, Visparola are grown for the whites, and then the reds Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante which are the vines historically grown on Etna.
The viticulture practiced by the winery is primordial and laborious viticulture.
The vine is trained as a sapling, at high density.
The care of the vineyards is manual and addressed to each individual plant.
The harvests take place late, only when perfectly ripe, and only healthy bunches are harvested, to give life to great wines in which you can breathe the flavor of Etna.
Menti, Montebello Vicentino (VI)
A family of winemakers and wine producers in the land of Gambellara, between Vicenza and Verona. Menti is a dynamic winery in Montebello Vicentino, which produces volcanic wines from Garganega grapes, including the famous Recioto di Gambellara and Vin Santo, but also boasts the production of olive oil and honey, made with an organic, careful and respectful approach of the environment and the earth.
Garganega is the most important native vine in the area and thanks to its sparse bunches and thick skin it has good resistance to diseases and is a candidate as one of the best vines for the production of passito wines.
The three types of white wines produced in this area are Gambellara (dry wine that boasts the mention "Classico" when it derives from the hilly area with the most ancient tradition), Gambellara Vin Santo and Gambellara Recioto (the latter are sweet wines obtained from the drying of Garganega.) The cellar passionately interprets Garganega in various declinations, with both a classic and modern touch, with the help of technology and innovation, but always elegant and mineral.
ENTHUSIAST BOX
Irpinia Aglianico "Lapianico", The sun and the wolf
A wine made with 100% Aglianico, which spends 6 months in barrique and the same number in the bottle.
An Aglianico with a purplish red color, all played on the fruit, on the crunchiness and on the florality as a background, mainly dark fruit (blackberry, blueberry, blackcurrant). The tannin is juicy, not too astringent, the acidity is very nice and streamlines the sip.
Suggested pairing: first courses of meat, perfect with tagliatelle with beef ragout.
Taste now or in 5-6 years.
Serve at 14-16° C.
Puglia Rosso "Nella Mia Terra", Antica Enotria
Blend of Montepulciano, Sangiovese and Nero di Troia, only steel.
Pair with sausage and broccoli on pizza or with an appetizer of Italian cured meats.
Ruby red for a wine all about immediacy and drinkability. On the nose: red fruits, strawberry, raspberry, beautiful floral part and also the slightly bloody note, very intriguing.
It is perfect to drink now, enjoy immediately or in 2 years at most.
Serve chilled, at 13-14° C.
Fiano Brut Sparkling Wine Charmat Method 2020, Dryas
Sparkling wine obtained from the Charmat method with 100% Fiano, refermented in an autoclave for six months. Refine in the bottle for another three.
Golden yellow in colour. On the nose, sensations emerge above all that recall wisteria, elderflowers, ripe yellow fruit (pear, quince, apple), together with light smoky sensations that act as a background. Fresh and with nice acidity.
Taste now, when it is at its best, or in two years at the latest.
Pair with fresh fish or sushi. For a vegan pairing, try it with a vegetable quique.
Serve at 6-8° C.
PASSIONATE BOX
Irpinia Aglianico "Lapianico", The sun and the wolf
A wine made with 100% Aglianico, which spends 6 months in barrique and the same number in the bottle.
An Aglianico with a purplish red color, all played on the fruit, on the crunchiness and on the florality as a background, mainly dark fruit (blackberry, blueberry, blackcurrant). The tannin is juicy, not too astringent, the acidity is very nice and streamlines the sip.
Suggested pairing: first courses of meat, perfect with tagliatelle with beef ragù.
Taste now or in 5-6 years.
Serve at 14-16° C.
Greco di Tufo Docg 2020, Le Ormere
Wine produced from pure Greco grapes, grown at 550 meters above sea level and harvested in the second half of August, it is aged for twelve months in steel.
Pairing: it is perfect with white meats such as larded quail.
Intense straw yellow for a white with great structure: after all, Greco is a white grape variety "disguised" as red. A "thick" wine, which on the nose releases both notes of yellow fruit and citrus fruits (especially orange); beautiful saline memories. A wine that plays a lot on minerality, fresh, rounded, persistent.
Serve at 8-10° C.
Drink now but can be kept in the cellar for 7-10 years.
August Notes Classic Method Rosè, Alessio Brandolini
This Classic Method is produced exclusively in favorable years.
The grapes, 100% Pinot Noir, are harvested in 18 kg boxes and only the first pressing is kept.
Brief maceration of 3/4 hours on the skins in order to obtain the typical pink colour. The wine remains on the fine lees until the moment of drafting.
After maturation, the bottles are disgorged and dosed only with the same wine, without additions.
Of a beautiful pink color, the impact on the nose is intense with hints of berries, currants and balsamic herbs. In the mouth it is balanced with good acidity, flavor and persistence.
The bubbles are important and well present, for a very tense sparkling wine, full of a tension that develops in aromas that recall pomegranate, clementine and red flowers such as violets and violets. A beautiful acidity is intertwined with strong minerality.
It is a rosé to drink with shellfish: try it with king crab.
Taste now or even in 5 years.
Serve at 8-10° C.
EXPERT BOX
August Notes Classic Method Rosè, Alessio Brandolini
This Classic Method is produced exclusively in favorable years.
The grapes, 100% Pinot Noir, are harvested in 18 kg boxes and only the first pressing is kept.
Brief maceration of 3/4 hours on the skins in order to obtain the typical pink colour. The wine remains on the fine lees until the moment of drafting.
After maturation, the bottles are disgorged and dosed only with the same wine, without additions.
Of a beautiful pink color, the impact on the nose is intense with hints of berries, currants and balsamic herbs. In the mouth it is balanced with good acidity, flavor and persistence.
The bubbles are important and well present, for a very tense sparkling wine, full of a tension that develops in aromas that recall pomegranate, clementine and red flowers such as violets and violets. A beautiful acidity is intertwined with strong minerality.
It is a rosé to drink with shellfish: try it with king crab.
Taste now or even in 5 years.
Serve at 8-10° C.
NERELLO CAPPUCCIO Organic Sicilian Lands, The Custodians of the Vineyards of Etna
From pure Nerello Cappuccino, grown at 700 meters above sea level, on vineyards located on the northern side of Etna.
Perfect in combination with white meat dishes, such as Schitana rabbit.
A ruby red wine characterized by a beautiful vinosity, with aromas of unripe fruits. The notes recall red and black fruits such as currant, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, hints of pipe tobacco. A turgid red, with a nice acidity and decidedly volcanic, with fascinating sulphurous notes. A red that thrives on acidity, with not very pronounced and elegant tannins.
Serve at 14-16° C.
Taste now or in 5 years.
MONTE DEL CUCA, Minds
Pure Garganega di Gambellara, from a Monte del Cuca vineyard of just 0.5 hectares, facing west and at an altitude of 140 meters above sea level.
A garganega that macerates on the skins: this process causes it to lose its classic golden appearance and turn towards a more orange-toned color. The tannicity, otherwise typical of reds, makes it very particular and recalls a sensation of tea, with aromas of black tea. In the mouth it dries the palate, giving sensations that recall powder, orange peel, and a nice bitter note.
Try it with vegetable appetizers such as quinoa giardiniera, for a vegan solution. In general it is perfect with exotic cuisine, for example Thai cuisine, even spicy and spicy.
Serve at 10-12° C.
It can stay in the cellar for up to 10 years.
