Updated: 05th April 2004
(These pages are updated early/end of each day from 24 March till 5 April. Additional reportage, with background information, before the event. Additional in-depth articles after the event)
report by Remie Law in Verona, Italy
An Overview of
Vinitaly
01/05 April
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| Despite 5 days of intensive Wine Competition tastings, I continued with samplings during the 5 days of Vinitaly. This was the most prestigious tasting of Brunellos di Montalcino of the 1999s & 1998 Riservas. The list of samples spanned 4-pages of one-line listing of Brunellos, every single wine for the asking. | Naturally, it was impossible to sample all in one sitting & I had to make a selection of about 15 wines. These are 4 of the better ones with Winston Yee showing off his favourites (see Winston Wine Cellar pages). This was my only extensive tasting of the better known wines of Italy. I was more excited by the progress made in the development of other lesser known native varietals of Italy. | ||
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| One of the upcoming producers in Umbria is Castello delle Regine, producing intense Merlots & Merlot blends. Their top wines picked up 3-glasses from Italy's top wine critics, with the 2001s showing similar pedigree. Their white blend of local varietals received acclaim from Italian wine critics, too. There is more to Umbria than Lungarotti. | The rocketing star of Israel, Domaine du Castel, assumed moral responsibility by gathering the small boutique producers of Israel into a joint marketing association "Handcrafted Wines of Israel". Here, Eli Ben-Zaken is seen with the only female Israeli winemaker and members of the Singaporean delegation. Their main strength is Cabernet Sauvignon, which were powerful & full-flavoured but with distinct styles between winemakers, making Israeli wines an exciting option for the near future. | ||
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Dott. Werner Walch is an old friend from Alto Adige. I have not met him since enjoying his 1994 Elena Walch Pinot Grigio during my early years as a wine importer. His Pinot Grigio always had body & elegance unlike the thin watery offerings of many, at that time. Werner has continued to maintain a healthy consistency with his wines & quietly building a reputation as a quality supplier of Italian wines with an Austrian twist. The first picture is of Werner circa 1994 showing off his Slovenian oak cask at his winery, when I visited him. |
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Now, the focus is on the young upstarts of Italian wines. The most noticable winner of this year's Wine Competition were the Montepulciano d'Abruzzos. Until recently, derided as the poor man's Chianti/Brunello, new investment & dedication by its winemakers has pulled this native varietal up to be reckoned with. In the 2004 Concorso, the wine picked up the Double Gold Medal in the Young Reds category. A Silver Medal for wines 4-6 years old. A Bronze Medal for wines above 6 years old. This points to the fact that not only are the wines good drinking when young but can cellar well for more than 6 years. The best thing of all, is that prices are still reasonable compared to Barolo, Chianti or Amarones. At a tasting of the best from Abruzzo (left photo), we were treated to wines of sheer power & intensity of its youth. I am sure many will age gracefully for the patient collector. |
Among the great believers of the potential of native varietals in Italy, Spain & South of France, is Mr. Bob Middlemiss of Paradigm Holdings (left photo). His company engages enthusiastic small wineries with financing & technical expertise to make their dreams a reality. Working with partners around the world, Paradigm would then help market & distribute the resultant wines. I had the good fortune to enjoy a sampling of their resultant products, from Spumantes to Grechetto to Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Primitivo de Salento, Carignan from Montagne d'Alaric, Monteferatto Barbera, Nero Calabresi from Calabria & Nero d'Avola grown in Tuscany. One of their partner vineyards cultivates 37 different native varieties! Paradigm are actively seeking importer partners around the world. Please refer to Remie for contact details. |
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Its neighbour, Marche, is no less laidback
anymore. Here Tenuta
Cocci Grifoni concentrates on Marche's native varietals - Pecorino,
Passerina, Verdicchio & Trebbiano (whites), Montepulciano &
Sangiovese (reds). |
Even in more established regions, like Friuli, have discovered & are cultivating, again, some of their 'forgotten' varietals. Here, Dario Ermacora found a few plants of Pignolo in his vineyards & is now the main exponent of this grape varietal in Friuli. This red varietal is a difficult grape to enjoy while young because of its very heavy tannins. Grace & power develops after about 3 years in bottle, while its brooding dark red colour remains. I was pleased to have sampled his 100% Pignolo 1999 and found a very substantive wine with plenty of attractive red fruits and tannins nicely softened. Much of this varietal is still in nurseries, being cultivated for interested vinegrowers in the region. So, this varietal wine will remain hard to come by in the near future. |
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| I sat with only 2 Barolo producers. The first is another old friend, Guiseppe & Alfio Cavallotto (left photo). The young Cavallotttos experimented barrique-ageing their wines but decided to continue the traditional way with oak casks. I am glad, as I fondly enjoy their style of wine. Soft & elegantly earthy, a good contemplatively complex wine with good conversational company. A laidback pace that is a luxury, nowadays. In 2002, no Barolo could be produced, where almost the entire crop was flooded out, leaving a soaking 20%. Despite this, the boys managed to salvage what was left as Nebbiolo delle' Langhe. A rather simple wine but with some charm & definitive varietal character. I also sampled their Barolos of 1997 & 1998. All were true to form & character of Cavallotto. |
Two newer friends were on my must visit list. The first (left photo) is Count Alessandro de Renzis Sonnino. Although he had graciously dropped his royal title off his business card. This is our first meeting, having dealt with is Marketing agent, previously. A true gentleman, Count Alessandro showed off his traditionally blended Chianti, still with a dollop of white grapes in the blend, his Riserve quality cuvee and the Cantinino, a 100% specially selected Sangiovese. Unfortunately, time was pressing & I did not linger but have fulfilled a promise to a Singaporean couple to thank him for a memorable visit, late one evening, at the estate. |
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| On the other hand, we have Dott. Franco M. Martinetti, a progressive man supported by his two sons. A modernist approach to winemaking, Franco is a noted exponent of the Barolo craft, producing just a single Barolo, each year. On the other hand, his company produces 2 white wines from Gavi, 2 Barbera d'Asti & jointly with another producer, some Dolcetto. His Barolo showed suave elegance likened to his two sons. A good dollop of rich fruit & spicy oak in perfect balance even for a 1999. The same stylish elegance is found in their Barbera d'Asti, the 2001 is youthful & brash yet attractive, while the 1999 is already showing elegant maturity. Wines not to be missed, as well, but in a different setting from Cavallotto. | Dott. Pierluigi Comelli visited Singapore with a huge Italian delegation, a couple of years ago. His white wines were one of the more impressive from Friuli but unfortunately found no importer, then. I re-assessed his wines again & affirm that his Pinot Grigio is still characterful with good body & balance even being a 2003. Unfortunately, the bottled wines were of the poor 2002 vintage and it showed. With a good 2003 harvest, I am hoping that Comelli wines will make their appearance in Singapore, soon. Finally, I must express my sincere thanks for introducing the producer of Pignolo (see above) to me, accompanied with Proscuitto from a tiny region in Friuli.. Such is the graciousness of Italians. |
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The
family's young daughter, Paola, helms the winemaking, while elder sister
manages marketing of their wines. A small allowance is made only in their
top red, Il Grifoni, where 15% Cabernet Sauvignon is blended in.