Country: Italy Region: Veneto
Grape: 60% Corvina, 15% Croatina, 15% Rondinella, 10% Other Native Red Varietals
Category: White Style: Dry Vintage: 2017
Producer: Pieropan
Enclosed by the original town walls and dominated by its medieval fortress, Soave has a peaceful, timeless quality about it. In the heart of the old town is the winery of Leonildo and Teresita Pieropan, which goes back to 1860. The present Leonildo ("Nino")'s grandfather, Leonildo Senior, founded the estate and 'invented' Recioto di Soave, a concentrated dessert wine applying a system similar to Tuscany's governo to the indigenous, white Garganega grape.Today, the estate's 74 acres under vine include three single vineyards, all within the historical backbone of the Soave appellation (Soave Classico): Calvarino, La Rocca and Le Colombare. The range is crafted by Leonildo himself, whose wine-making genius, constant research and innovative methods have carved a unique niche for these exceptional, extract-full and long-living whites that go far, far beyond their own appellation.
TASTING NOTESBrilliant and intense ruby red in colour, this is a wine with a heady perfume of black cherries and red summer fruits with notes of pepper and sweet spice. On the palate it is complex and rounded, with a powerful structure supporting the fruit and a lovelyfreshness on the finish. A wine with plenty of character with the potential to age well.
Food pairing: It pairs well with game dishes, grilled or braised meat, and strongly flavoured and aged cheeses.
Country: Italy Region: Trentino-Alto Adige
Varietal: Pinot Grigio Vintage: 2023
Category: White Wine Style: Dry
Producer: Franz Haas
Since its founding in 1880, the estate has remained family-run, passed down from father to son through generations with every firstborn Franz Haas. The Franz we met (#8) has managed to carry his family’s quality torch and then some (we particularly love the label designs by artist Riccardo Schweizer, whose distinct style comes from his time painting with Picasso, Chagall, and Cocteau).
Franz’s name is synonymous with Alto Adige, and his estate wines have become the paragon of cool-climate, high-altitude terroir in Italy. According to The Wine Advocate,
Franz’s vineyards are planted between 350 and 1,150 meters above sea level—the highest in the region due to the family’s shrewd foresight and subsequent acquisitions. That altitude, along with four months of extended lees-aging is to thank for all that alpine zing and rounded complexity.
Tasting Notes: This wine draws you in instantly with a fresh aromatic bouquet of acacia, sage, and hay aromas, followed closely by honeyed sandalwood notes. The palate follows suit, with the welcome addition of juicy lime blossom, lemon, and savory almond minerality on the progressively round finish.
Food Suggestion: Drink with richly sauced poultry or try a monkfish recipe prepared with some cured meat like Parma ham.
Closure: Stelvin ABV:13% Acidity [g/l]: 5.5