Italian Wine Day for Consumers 2010

The Nordic Wine Institute organised the latest in a series of yearly Italian Wine Days on the 30th January 2010 at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. The venue was far too small for the number of attendees and it was like being a sardine packed in a tin.



These are my list of wines tasted, associated ratings, and current retail price :

A Wines

• Brunello di Montalcino 2003, Poggio San Polo (369 SEK)

A- Wines

• Dedicato a Walter 2005, Poggio al Tesoro (575 SEK)
• Dedicato a Walter 2006, Poggio al Tesoro (499 SEK)

B+ Wines

• Rubio 2006, Poggio San Polo (110 SEK)

B Wines

• Gaja Sito Moresco 2007 (329 SEK)
• Tenuta Belguardo 2006, Mazzei (239 SEK)
• Brancaia Ilatraia 2006, La Brancaia (399 SEK)
• Il Nero di Casanova 2006, La Spinetta (159 SEK)
• Pin Rosso Monferrato 2007, La Spinetta (340 SEK)
• Barbera d'Asti Superiore Bionzo 2007, La Spinetta (325 SEK)
• Barbaresco Bordini 2006, La Spinetta (389 SEK)
  

B- Wines

• Sondraia 2005, Poggio al Tesoro (319 SEK)
• Sondraia 2006, Poggio al Tesoro (299 SEK)
• Lucente 2006, Luca delle Vite (205 SEK)
• Ca di Pian Barbera d'Asti 2007, La Spinetta (195 SEK)
• Aglianico Stupor Mondi 2005, Carbone Melfi (269 SEK)
  

C+ Wines

• Brancaia Chianti Classico 2005, La Brancaia (259 SEK)
• Aglianico Terra Dei Fouchi DOC 2007, Carbone Melfi (123 SEK)
  

C Wines

• Brancaia Tre 2007, La Brancaia (149 SEK)

TN : Zaca Mesa Z Three 2004, Santa Ynez Valley, California, USA

This wine is a blend of 44% Syrah, 22% Mourvedre, and 34% Grenache.

All of the grapes were hand harvested, fermented, and barrel aged separately for seven months. The resulting wines were then combined and aged for an additional 14 months in French oak barrels.



Clay Brock was the Winemaker.

The wine was imported by Vinobele.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Blackberry, toast, liquorice, mint

Taste : Mint, liquorice, blackberry, violets, pepper blueberry, toast, grainy tannins on finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 227 SEK (Reduced from 284 SEK)

Mark : A-

Website : Zaca Mesa Winery
Website : Vinobele Wine Agency

TN : Maverick Trial Hill Eden Valley Riesling 2007, Maverick Wines, Barossa, Australia

The vineyard which produced the grapes for this wine is two hectares big.

This wine was bottled under screwcap.



Colour : Bright yellow

Aroma : Lemon, lime, petrol, mineral

Taste : Intense zingy lemon and lime, petrol notes, minerals, dry very long finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 169 SEK (Reduced from 215 SEK)

Mark : B-

Website : Fondberg & Co
Website : Maverick Wines

TN : Maverick Trial Hill Eden Valley Shiraz 2005, Maverick Wines, Barossa, Australia

Maverick Wines Pty Ltd. was established in 2004. The total acidity is 6.56 grammes per litre and the pH is 3.50. 460 cases were produced. The winemaker was Ronald Brown. The grapes were harvested in early-April and fermented in small, open top fermenters. After basket pressing, the wine was matured in new (44%) and conditioned (56%) French oak barriques for 20 months.



On the back label it states An historic and distinctive flat-topped, stone pine tree marks the highest point in the Barossa. The "Monkey Nut Tree", as it is known locally, overlooks Maverick's Trial Hill vineyard. The vineyard is 1.6 Hectares and is situated on a North-facing slope high in the Eden Valley.

This wine was imported by Fondberg & Co.

Colour : Inky purple

Aroma : Raisins, dark fruits, savoury, meaty

Taste : Raisins, blackberry, blackcurrant, toast, slightly overoaked, sweet, long finish

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 299 SEK (Reduced from 399 SEK)

Website : Fondberg & Co
Website : Maverick Wines

TN : Chardonnay Exklusiv 2006, Weingut R&A Pfaffl, Weinviertel, Niederoesterreich, Austria

All the grapes for this wine come from the Rossern vineyard. The soil is sandy. The sea has left its mark in that under a very thin bed of loess, that was deposited here by winds in the ice-age, there is pure sand.



Colour : Bright yellow

Aroma : Buttered toast, nutty, sharp green apples

Taste : Buttered toast, green apple, slight mandarin, slightly overoaked, bitter oak on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 144 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Weingut R&A Pfaffl

TN : Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Vineyard Selection, Jonkershoek Valley, South Africa

This wine was bottled under screwcap.



At the time of writing, there are no details about the specific vintage of this wine available on the Neil Ellis Wines website.

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Asparagus, passion fruit, lime

Taste : Asparagus, oak, pear, nettles, zingy finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Neil Ellis Wines

TN : Serame Viognier 2006, Vin De Pays D'Oc, France

This wine was under screwcap.



Colour : Yellow

Taste : Oak and fruity lemon

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 5 Euro (18.7 cl bottle British Airways In-Flight Service)

Mark : C+

TN : Mediterra 2007, Tenuta Poggio Al Tesoro, Bolgheri, Italy

This wine is a blend of 40% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot.



Poggio Al Tesoro is a partnership between Allegrini of Valpolicella and Leonardo LoCascio, president of Winebow, an exporter and distributor of Italian wines to the USA.

Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Spice, tobacco, herbs, chocolate, cherry

Taste : Spice, cherries, tobacco, plums, herbs, drying tannic finish

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : B

TN : Gran Coronas Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005, Torres, Penedes, Spain

This wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tempranillo.



Colour : Blackcurrant

Aroma : Oak, herbs, fruit cake, cherry, blackcurrant, vanilla

Taste : Blackcurrant, herbs, cherry, fruit cake

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 96 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Torres

TN : Champagne Lansson Rose Label Brut Rose, Champagne, France

This wine was a blend of 53% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay, and 15% Pinot Meunier.





Colour : Orange/pink

Aroma : Biscuits, hints of red berries

Taste : Rich tea biscuits, strawberry, raspberry

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 369 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Champagne Lansson

TN : Luddite Shiraz 2005, Western Cape, South Africa

This was bottle 5056 out of 25400 bottles.

After pressing the wine was put into 90% French Oak, 5% American and 5% Hungarian Oak. 25% of these barrels were new and the rest were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fill. An average analysis of the fruit at harvest yielded results of 25 Baling, a pH of 3.65, and TA of 6.5. An analysis of the final wine yielded results of pH of 3.6, TA of 5.8 grammes per litre, and residual sugar of 1.8 grammes per litre.



The wine was imported by Prime Wine Sweden AB.

Colour : Deep blackberry

Aroma : Plums, blackberry, herbs

Taste : Spice, herbs, blackberry, plums, pepper, slight vinegar note

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 289 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Luddite Wines
Website : Prime Wine Sweden AB

TN : Syrah Reserve by Rudi Schultz 2005, Stellenbosch, South Africa

This wine is a limited release from the best Syrah of the vintage. The wine was matured in four new French oak barrels for twenty months.



This wine was imported by JPC Wines AB.

Colour : Deep purple

Aroma : Toast, vanilla, meaty, black fruits

Taste : Toast, vanilla, violets, pepper, savoury, meaty, dark fruits

Alcohol : 15 %

Price : 279 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : JPC Wines AB

TN : Riesling 2008, Kamptal DAC, Weingut Rabl, Austria

This wine was sealed with a screwcap. Fermentation was in steel tanks.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Pear, orange skins, mandarin

Taste : Pear, oranges, apples, orange skins, gooseberry

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Rabl

TN : Vina Robles Petite Sirah 2005, Paso Robles Jardine, California, USA

This wine was aged for 19 months in French oak barrels.



This wine was imported by MURAM International AB.

Colour : Inky blackberry

Aroma : Blackcurrant, blackberry, oak, herbs

Taste : Blackcurrant, blackberry, herbs, pepper, oak, toast on finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 198 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : Vina Robles
Website : MURAM International AB

TN : Montepasso 2007 Rosso Conero, DOC, Moncaro, Italy

This wine is 100% Montepulciano.



Colour : Inky purple

Aroma : Spicy, plums, herbs, cherries

Taste : Spicy, cocoa, cherries, plums

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 79 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Moncaro

TN : Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Domaines Barons De Rothschild (Lafite), Colchagua Valley, Chile

DBR began modernising Los Vascos in 1988. 350 cases of this wine are produced annually.



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, oak, sandalwood#

Taste : Mainly oak and sandalwood, blackcurrant. Opened too early, this wine needs another two years for the oak to calm down whilst still maintaining the fruit. The Vina Los Vascos website recommends decanting for one hour.

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 8.90 Euro (Frankfurt Airport Duty Free)

Mark : C

Website : Vina Los Vascos

TN : Chateau Fournas Bernadotte 2003, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

This property was mentioned as early as 1645 according to the back label but it is not stated where the mention was. At both the time of harvest and bottling, the chateau was under the ownership of May-Eliane de Lencquesaing who also owned Chateau Pichon-Lalande. The wine is a second selection of Chateau Bernadotte.



The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, herbs, oak

Taste : Blackcurrant, herbs, oak, cedar, plums

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 181 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Chateau Bernadotte

TN : Benjamin de Vieux Chateau Gaubert 2007, Graves, Bordeaux, France

This wine is a blend of 60% Semillion and 40% Sauvignon Blanc.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Nuts, green apple, lemon

Taste : Nuts, oak, creamy texture, green apples, lemon

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 79 SEK (375ml bottle)

Mark : C

TN : Alcayata Malbec 2007, Bodegas Francois Lurton, Tupungato, Argentina

The grapes underwent a three day cold maceration before alcoholic fermentation at a temperature of 26 degrees. The wine was aged for 16 months in new French oak.



This wine was imported by The Wineagency AB.

Colour : Blackberry

Aroma : Blackberry, toast, herbs

Taste : Blackberry, plums, vanilla, toast, spice, cloves, dry grippy finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Francois Lurton
Website : The Wineagency AB

TN : The Tin Mine 2007, Zevenwacht, Stellenbosch, South Africa

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

At 340 meters above sea level, the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are the most elevated at Zevenwacht. Three clones are planted that perfectly suit the lofty southern slopes of the Kuils River hills. The decomposed granite soils include desirable clay elements that retain moisture during the drier months of ripening, yet, as a result of the prominent gravel fractions, allow for excellent drainage. The grapes were fermented at cool temperatures and with extended post fermentation lees contact.

The Chardonnay vineyard is from a site that faces almost west and is on the lower slopes of the Kuils River hills. The clone is 166, a clone that imparts a wonderful Muscat aroma. The golden yellow grapes were harvested at 24 degrees Brix and lightly crushed. After pressing the juice was settled and racked to first and second fill 5001 barrels and second fill French Hogheads. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts and lasted almost three weeks with the temperature never rising above 24 degrees Celsius. Regular bâtonnage (lees stirring) helped in the development o the creamy texture .

The Viognier comes from the warmer Northern slopes of the Banhoek area. The ripe grapes were whole-bunch pressed. After settling the clear juice was racked to first and second fill 5001 barrels and second fill French Hogheads, where it fermented and matured for six months. Assemblage took place after nine months and the wine was stirred on the lees for a further four months.

This wine is a blend of 42% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Chardonnay. and 23% Viognier.

The winemaker was Jacques Viljoen. The pH was 3,37, the residual sugar was 2.6 grammes per litre, and the total acidity was 6.00 grammes per litre.



This wine was imported by Sharabu AB.

Colour : Lemon/yellow

Aroma : Oak, nuts, yellow plums, mandarin

Taste : Little too much oak, yellow plums, lemon pledge polish, mandarin

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 119 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Zevenwacht Wine Estate
Website : Sharabu AB