“ITALIAN WHITES”

Tuesday, 29th June 2010
Presented by Clive Platman

Until the relatively recent past, I have always associated Italy with red wine. That’s not to say that Italy did not produce white wine, indeed, in my formative years, cheap Soave, Verdicchio and Frascati would frequent the student parties I attended. The point is that the wines were often poorly made and packed with sulphur to keep them stable. The words “flat” and “uninteresting” were probably the politest way of describing them.

Italy, though, is blessed with a wealth of indigenous grapes and, as a long, thin peninsula, has a great tradition of fish and seafood. It is only natural, therefore, that white wine should be produced to accompany this cuisine. The problem though has been to produce wines of suitable quality to match.

There has been an amazing transformation over the last 30 years, principally brought about by investment in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Miraculously, the wines have become clean and fresh, and real fruit flavours have begun to emerge.

Of course, there is still an awful lot of rubbish produced, and the white and sparkling markets are dominated by the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio and Prosecco – ideal for the “ladies who lunch”. Naturally, we had no interest in tasting those wines, but were going to try out our hand (or palates in this case) at some more original alternatives, from several different regions across the country. All wines were sourced from the Wine Society and Connollys.

1. The Society’s Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2009 doc Classico
(Wine Society £6.95)
From the Marche, along the Adriatic coast, Verdicchio has come a long way since it was marketed in amphora-shaped bottles. Verdicchio is the name of the grape, and this comes from the Coste del Molino vineyard.

The wine was fresh, crisp and bone-dry, with some lime fruit. More weighty than a Muscadet, with similarities to an Albarino or Picpoul de Pinet. Terrific value.
(CHP 16+ BinEnds 7 votes)

2. Fiano Mandrarossa Sicilia IG 2007 (Wine Society £6.75)
Another cracker from the respected Settesoli co-operative in Sicily. Fiano is the Italian equivalent of Viognier, and this too reproduced peach and apricot characters with spice and cream. It was served a little too chilled, but gradually improved as it warmed in the glass. (CHP 16+ Bin Ends 5 votes)

3. Gavi La Battistina 2009 Piemonte DOCG Gavi (Wine Society £7.95)
Gavi and Gavi di Gavi represent Italian wine chic, but they both come from the grape Cortese. It’s a grape that produces good, but never great wine, generally lightish in style. La Battistina is a single-vineyard wine from the top-notch co-operative, Alasia. This was light-bodied, with crisp pear fruit, with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Pleasant, but overshadowed by the Verdicchio and Fiano. Will improve over the next 6 months, but not for long-keeping. (CHP 15+, Bin Ends 0 votes)

4. Greco Basilicata “Le Rolle” Alovini 2008 (Campania) (Wine Society £8.95)
Along with Fiano and Falanghina, the Greco grape is recognised as producing some of the finest whites in Southern Italy. This was honeyed, with stone fruit and a medium/off-dry finish. It had just enough acidity to give interest, a pleasing creamy texture, and a surprisingly long finish. (CHP 16, BinEnds 2 votes)

5. Pecorino Colline Pescoresi 2009 Contesa Abruzzo (WineSociety £10.95)
Pecorino, apart from being a cow’s milk cheese, is also a little-known white grape from Abruzzo. This was chalky and minerally, with flavours of stone-fruit and pear. It was crisp and fresh, developing a creamy mouthfeel, with a hint of bitterness on a long finish. Complex and classy. A real discovery. (CHP 17+ Bin Ends 4 votes).

6. Lacryma Christi Terradora 2008 Campania (Connollys £11.95)
This is a famous, but often disappointing DOC, and our example was produced from the Coda di Volpe grape. Unfortunately, our sample was musty (cork-tainted), but I did detect some honeyed peach fruit. The bottle was faulty. (CHP 0 Bin Ends 0 votes)

7. Soave Inama 2007 Veneto (Connollys £11.95)
Unfortunately, Soave has cultivated a reputation for cheap and cheerful plonk, but the real stuff was from top independent producers, such as Inama, can be divine. The principal grape is Garganega.

Positive bouquet, with mineral and citrus notes. Full-favoured, with a creamy texture, but balanced with a knife-edge acidity. A touch too bitter on a long finish, but classy and elegant nevertheless. (CHP 16+, Bin Ends 4 votes)

8. Poggio al Tesoro Vermentino Solesole 2007 Tuscany (Wine Soc £13.50)
From the Mediterranean variety, Vermentino. Expressive bouquet, with citrus and minerals. Fresh and creamy with ripe fruit and great length of finish. Fabulous, and I will be treating myself to a bottle or two when I next place an order.
(CHP 18+ Bin Ends 8 votes).

9. Lugana Ca dei Frati 2008 Lombardy (Connollys £13.65)
This is made around Sirmione, just at the base of Lake Garda, and is a local rival to Soave. The grape is known as Trebbiano di Lugana, and is believed to share its ancestry with Verdicchio. This is not the same grape as Trebbiano di Toscano, which is better known in France as Ugni Blanc, a neutral variety used for Cognac and Armagnac.

Not as expressive on the nose, but full-bodied with lime citrus fruit, minerals and honey. Good length and well-made. (CHP 17, Bin Ends 2 votes)

10. Verdicchio di Matelica La Monacesca Mirum 2006 (Connollys £17.95)
DOC Matelica is a lesser-known but superior DOC to dei Castelli di Jesi, and is worth seeking out. This was a Verdicchio of Burgundian proportions, weighty and full, yet with sufficient acidity to give balance and elegance. There was lime fruit, spice, gunflint and minerals. Superb structure, length and complexity. (CHP 18, Bin Ends 11 votes).

Conclusion
This was not just a tasting that confirmed the amazing progress of Italian white wines, but actually got me wanting to go out and buy some for my own table.

At the budget end, the Verdicchio and Fiano offered unbeatable value, and at the top end the Verdicchio triumphed, with plaudits too for the Lugana and Soave, closely followed by the Pecorino. All in all, a very successful tasting.

COMING UP .... Dates for your diary

Tuesday, 17th August (one week earlier than usual)
White Wines from Spain

Tonight, we’ll be sampling a selection of
White Wines from Spain.
(£10 per head)

Tuesday, 28th September 2010
Chablis with Austen Biss

Celebrated author and Chablis authority Austen Biss will be presenting a selection of Chablis wines from Petit Chablis to Grand Cru. This is a real coup for the group
and not to be missed. (£15 per head).

Tuesday . 26th October 2010

Katie Jones former export director of Mont Tauch in Fitou will be giving a
presentation of wines from her own vineyard.