ITALIAN WINES
“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”- Ernest Hemingway.
The taste of elegance in three different expressions of the Nizza appellation from the Amistà winery in Nizza Monferrato: Amistà Nizza DOCG, Amistà Nizza DOCG Riserva and Amistà Vermouth DOCG, that celebrates terroir, biodiversity and the best of Piedmontese craftsmanship. All of the wine that Amistà produces is Nizza DOCG. And the wines are made from vineyards that are more than 30 and 50 years old. In some cases, the vines are more than 90 years old. Nizza is widely considered to be the greatest expression of the Barbera grape. Amistà wines are produced in small amounts and every bottle is numbered. They are made using grapes from vineyards in the Bricco di Nizza cru.
“We don’t use deadlines at Amistà”, says Luca D’Attoma, the world-famous enologist who works as consultant with Amistà, “we have just one goal: to create the best wine possible. Throughout the vinification and aging process, we aim to maintain the natural character of the grapes — their elegance and their balance. Bottle aging also takes longer than the minimum required by the appellation. Our Nizza is aged six months longer than required and our Nizza Riserva is aged 12 months longer than required before they are released.”
A special tribute is paid to the noble Piedmontese tradition with Amistà Nizza Vermouth, crafted with 100 percent Nizza wine. The decision to use Nizza as the base wine is a homage to the early pioneers of great vermouth. Vermouth first began to appear in Turin toward the end of the 18-th century. Its recipe can trace its roots back to the aromatized wines that the ancient Romans made. In antiquity it was highly coveted for its medicinal properties. But in Turin, it would become a symbol of conviviaoity. It was served at the Court of Savoy. And it was offered to guest in the best salons. It was consumed regularly during the “Vermouth Hour” at countless venues that dotted the Turin cityscape during the 19-th century. The great 19-th century Italian writer Edmondo De Amicis mentions vermouth in his book Le tre capitali (The Three Capitals: Turin-Florence-Rome) in 1897. By the end of that century, there were myriad producers of vermouth that sprang up along the railroad tracks that led to the port city of Genoa where it was shipped to more 150 countries. Along the way, it became the most famous aromatized wine in the world.
Langhe is a land of gentle sinuous slopes set against the steep and rugged hills, where vineyards have been worked for centuries. This combination creates a landscape of haunting beauty that became the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is Langhe’s beauty and ruggedness which gave birth to one of the noblest art forms: the transformation of the cluster into wine. The wines of the Langhe are prestigious in Italy and famous around the world: Barolo and Barbaresco, Barbera and Dolcetto, Moscato and Arneis. Even from the first years of production, Salvano paid great attention to its selection of grapes.
The company owns vineyards in Ricca, Roddino, Barbaresco, Treiso, Serralunga, Monforte, in Roero and in Diano d’Alba (the historic land of the first seat of the cellar). The vineyards are treated and processed by farmers, according to tradition, in order to preserve the different features of every land. Earth and microclimate are the two elements for a perfect and unique grape. Salvano lets its grapes grow in these different vineyards where the soils of particular flavors and aromas produce unique grapes. These grapes are further tempered by the microclimate of each vineyard. Distinct seasons, ideal temperatures both day and night, enhance the aromas and the presence of tannins to characterize each wine’s structure. These two elements transform the grapes into Salvano’s exclusive wines.
The origins of the Salvano cellars date back to shortly after the mid-20th century. At that time viticulture was not the only activity of the farm and in fact they cultivated wheat, potatoes and hazelnuts. However, it is possible to establish in the 1960s the beginning of the transformation of grapes into wine suitable for sale and trade. Angelo Salvano begins the production of wines in the “Grillo” farmhouse among the vineyards of Diano d’Alba, in the heart of the Langhe.
Its products, the result of hard work in the vineyards and dedication to a hard and rich land at the same time, begin to be known by many. Immediately after the war, the iron will of his son Saverio allowed him to expand the cellar and move to Valle Talloria. From here begins the bottling of the wine, previously only sold and distributed in small barrels and demijohns. The name Salvano becomes synonymous with quality wines, finding success throughout the North of Italy.
At the end of the nineties the Bolfo family decided to renovate the ruins of a convent of XVII century that was near their country house in the village of Pievasciata, in the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena). The vineyards surrunding that convent, converted into Hotel***** Le Fontanelle, started the history of Vallepicciola.
The estate covers a total of 265 hectares (655 acres) with 4,000 olive trees and 105 hectares (260 acres) of vineyards that have been planted choosing favorable exposures to optimize the slow and gradual ripening. The important thermal excursions that characterize these areas, together with soils rich in clay, limestone marl, galestro and alberese, contribute to create an ideal habitat for the cultivation of vines and the production of elegant and unique wines. Vallepicciola currently produces about 500,000 bottles per year, where Chianti Classico and Pinot Nero are the most significant products.
The 6000 m2 cellar, 80% underground and characterized by the process of gravity of the grapes, has been completed in 2020. Designed by arch. Margherita Gozzi, it appears to visitors perfectly integrated in the territory with a beautiful harmony. It consists of two underground floors where all production stages are carried out (from fermentation to shipping) and an above-ground floor dedicated to hospitality, starting point for suggestive visits to discover the cellar and the vineyards closeby.
Pinot Noir, among the best grape varieties in the world, capable of giving wines of extraordinary elegance and harmony.
And that was the challenge: to produce a great wine in a land famous for other grape varieties, but not for this one.
The Podere Monastero winery is located in Castellina in Chianti, in the heart of Tuscany, about 500 meters above sea level. It was established in 2000 by owner and oenologist Alessandro Cellai with the sole goal of producing a great Pinot Noir. The area planted with vines is 3 hectares, of which only 1.5 are destined for Pinot Noir. The remaining 1.5 are devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon (50%) and Merlot (50%).
Podere Monastero offers only two wines: La Pineta (100% Pinot Noir) and Campanaio (50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot), with total quantity of 8000 numbered bottles per year.
The original wine labels were made by the precious hands of the famous sculptor Konrad Winzer .
The result? “When I began my adventure producing Pinot Noir in Castellina in Chianti, I was considered a madman by many. Today, Daniele Cernilli, one of the greatest wine critics , awarded La Pineta 2016 with 97/100 and above all as BEST ITALIAN PINOT NOIR, thus giving me immense joy as well as giving me the stimulus to always improve in this important and exciting challenge. I have always believed in it and will continue to believe in it.
Thanks to Doctor Wine and Daniele Cernilli.”
Alessandro Cellai, year 2019
The farm Gli Archi is located in fabulous Tuscany, among the rolling hills of Poggio alla Farnia, in the municipality of Fauglia, a historic village in the province of Pisa, rich in nature and charm, a land of great agrarian interest since ancient times and still maintaining this characteristic. Beautiful woods and ancient villas frame this medieval village, an area marked by the itinerary of the Wine Route of the Pisan Hills.
A territory that spreads over 15 hectares of nature, with a great variety of flora and fauna, Gli Archi is the place where you can spend your vacations immersed in nature and where you can taste the wines and olive oil of internal production, evidence of the authenticity of these lands.
The family-run organic farm, with its highly esteemed members-horses of the Comtois breed, which help carry out a project to enhance the land with less soil compaction and better fertility. Gli Archi has been producing red and white wines for years, the result of the passion and experience that, combined with the unique characteristics of the Tuscan soil, allows the winery to produce wines of excellent quality.
Cantina Valpolicella Negrar is the leading producer of Valpolicella wines ( Amarone, Ripasso, Appasimento, Valpolicella) with 1000 Hectares of vineyards in the appellation made up totally of 4000 Hectares.
The production has been organized in two wine lines:
• Cantina Negrar wines
• Domini Veneti Cru
The whole production has been certificated BEC and IFS according to the international standards requested by International Off Trade chains.
This is the winery where Amarone was born, where history, tradition and innovation are mixed in the highest quality standards you can find on the market.
AMARONE. The King of Valpolicella
The name of this structured Veronese red wine comes from the word “amaro”, meaning bitter, a word that immediately distinguishes it by contrast from the sweet Recioto della Valpolicella that it mistakenly arose from.
It was 1936 when Adelino Lucchese, the cellar manager of Cantina Sociale Valpolicella Negrar, noticed a barrel of Recioto that had been forgotten. The Recioto had by then “scapà” (escaped) and had become dry. A serious mistake, given that historically Recioto was (and is) a prestigious sweet wine! All the same, before dismissing it as a loss, Adelino wanted it to be tasted by Gaetano Dall’Ora, the president of the cooperative that had been founded in 1933. Gaetano brought the glass of this unknown wine to his nose and immediately tasted it. The discovery was surprising. Genially inspired and inebriated by so many aromas and flavours, the president exclaimed: “This is not an amaro, it’s an amarone!” (amaro means bitter in Italian).
What had happened? In essence, the Recioto had been put in barrels and then forgotten and not decanted, so it continued to ferment until it became dry. The sugars had all turned into alcohol and had caused the wine to lose its sweetness, giving rise to a wine with complex and fascinating aromas, but with a dry taste, just the opposite of the sweet Recioto. Amarone, precisely. A king had been born.
