Mood:
mischieviousTopic: Bartending
This week, I started my Mediterranean wine class—once a week for seven weeks. Each class involves tasting 7-9 different wines, learning about the region they're from, and a few will be paired with food. This is the fourth wine class I've taken—this being the second time I've taken the Mediterranean class.
Everyone laughs when I say that. And I get it. Yeah, it sounds like I have an alcohol problem. And maybe I do. The last Mediterranean wine class I took was two years ago, so I figured I've learned a few things since then. Also, although the region remains the same, the wines change for each class, so I'm still learning something new.
For the first class, our teacher gave us a handout on Italian Wine Laws (Italian Wine Laws by Sharron McCarthy). It says that recently, the laws have been changed to promote experimentation with untraditional grape varieties along with technique. The four categories are:
1. Vino de Tavola (VDT): table wines that have no varietal name/vintage date.
2. Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC): These are registered by the government. Labels must have zone of origin and wines must meet certain standards. The product is up for government review at any time.
3. Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT): This law falls between the first two—the government wants to upgrade a majority of the table wines. These wines have to list their specific region, but are not required to list vintage or varietal type.
4. Denominazione di Origine Controlleata e Garantita (DOCG): This is the most strict law; it encompasses all of the DOC rules, plus there is a producer that controls and guarantees all of the claims on the wine label.
A few of my favorite wines of the evening include:
The Costamolino Vermintino di Sardegna DOC 2009 made by Argiolas—this is a wine I enjoyed before, because of its refreshing flavor and feel. This wine is very acidic, which supports a bold fruit flavor of pineapple.
The Ciro Rosso Classico Reserva 2006 made by Librandi. This wine had one of the oldest vintage dates of the evening, 1952. It was probably one of the less dry reds we had also. Typically, I think of complex reds being stored in barrels, however this one is aged and fermented in stainless steel tanks.
The Primitivo: Salento Indicazione Geografica Tipica by Cantele. This is a red zinfandel, one of my favorite types of wine (NOT to be confused with white zinfandel) because of it's full-bodied nature. Yum!
Some of the other wines of the evening include the Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco 2009 by Mastroberardino, the Costera IGT Isola Nuraghi 2007 by Argiolas, the Aglianico Campania by Mastroberardino, the Rapitala "Campo Reale" Nero d'Avola 2008, and the Rapitala 'Nadir' Syrah IGT 2006.
