I don’t know about you, but here in my little corner of the world, the sun has finally come out!
I was in Piedmont last week, planting Timorasso barbatelle in Stefano Bellotti’s vineyards. Hot, sweaty work at the best of times, but even worse in 30 degree heat and at 600m above sea level!
We would leave the cascina at 7am and not return until at least 7pm when we were panting, sweaty and desperate for a glass of wine.
Here are six summer wines that I tasted at the Villa Favorita (VinNatur) tasting back in March. They are all perfect for picnics, aperitifs or simply by themselves to quench your thirst.
ETNELLA Soc. Agr. La Presa (Sicily) “Kaos” Etna Bianco IGT 2013 Carricante-Cataratto with some Coda di Volpe, Minnella, Inzolia (12.5%.)
There’s a ton of smacking minerality on this wine, made at over 750 metres above sea level, near Passopiscaro on Mount Etna.
It’s a simple wine; one year in steel then 6 months to rest in the bottle before arriving on the market. I loved the combination of that intense volcanicity with a touch of sweet, ripe fruit.
FILIPPI (Veneto) “Castelcerino” Soave DOC Colli Scaligeri 2013 Garganega (12.5%)
Castelcerino is the highest village in the Soave appellation and these vineyards are around 400 metres above sea level on volcanic (basalt) soil. For what this wine lacks in its immediate aroma, it easily makes up with its mouthfeel. An explosion of delicate floral characters (white tea) which transform into conference pears and rich slightly-mulled apples. A very stylish, elegant wine; the finish is marked by a gentle acidity. Persistent.
CANTINA MARGO (Umbria) “Fiero” Bianco Umbria IGT 2013 Trebbiano-Grechetto (12%)
Carlo Tabarrini is a young winemaker working in a thankless area on the Italian penisula. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no fining, no filtering, no added sulfites, just lots and lots of great wine. This one in particular has a pleasant tangerine colour. It is made from old vines of Trebbiano and Grechetto, a few days of skin-maceration in open vats without temperature control, then aging in damigiana.
There’s plenty of fruit characters (apples, melon and orange peel) alongside some herbal and medicinal aromas. Dangerously drinkable.
BOSCO FALCONERIA (Sicily) “Catarratto” IGT Terre Siciliane 2013 Catarratto (12.5%)
There seems to be a heavy slant towards southern Italy today because here comes another Sicilian wine in this summer collection of whites. This time, however, the wine comes from Palermo, on the other side of the island from Etna. There’s no denying that Sicilian wines make great thirst-quenchers if you’re outside in the sunshine. This wine merits a place in this list for its grassy and herbal bouquet. It’s immediately accessible and pleasing. The equivalent of a fresh summer breeze with a clean citrus edge. In short, it’s summer in a glass!
DVA DUBY (Czech Republic) “Ex Monte Lapis” 2012 Saint Laurent (11.6%)
QUARTICELLO (Emilia) “Despina” Malvasia Emilia IGT Frizzante 2013 Malvasia Aromatica di Candia (11.5%)
Quarticello are mainly known for their Lambrusco but this Malvasia was a very pleasant surprise. A deliciously refreshing wine that could easily be confused for a lime-soda! If you typically avoid Malvasia at this time of year thinking that it will be too sweetly aromatic, you have nothing to fear with this wine. It packs a mean punch of lime, grapefruit and orange blossom. The salinity on the finish (bone dry, by the way) was absolutely delicious.
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