Mood:
energeticTopic: Bartending
For our last class in Italy (we move to France next week), we enjoyed wines from northeast Italy, a region that includes Venice, Padua, and Trieste.
One of the wine regions in that area is the Trentino-Alto Adige, which was once part of Austria-Hungary. In this region, bread and wine are thought to be fundamental sources of nourishment and growth—hells yeah!
One of my favorite whites of the evening was the Pinot Bianco Alto Adige DOC 2009 from Tiefenbrunner. This wine is from the Trentino-Alto Adige region, with the winery located near Entiklar—right in the heart of the Italian Alps. The wine is made from 100% Pinot Bianco, which creates a medium-bodied dry white wine.
The best red of the night was the Montepulciano D'Abruzzo from Capestrano, in the Abruzzi region. This wine is one of only four wines produced in that area. In an article on intowines.com, it says this:
The Montepulciano grape is quite prolific. The Montepulciano grape grows easily in Abruzzo. It is plump with high amounts of juice. In an area this poor, this has been a boon to farmers wishing to take advantage of high yields. Unlike most other varietals, this grape makes nice wine even when produced in large quantities. The grape has a deep purple and ruby color to its juice. It has lower acidity (especially for an Italian varietal) and mild sweeter tannins...Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can age brilliantly especially in the hands of the right producers.
According to TLC, the Abruzzo region has the most national parks and forests of any Italian region. But because of the high altitudes, the temperature can change greatly between night and day.
The other wines we tasted include the 2006 Pinot Grigio delle Venezie IGT Le Rosse, the 2006 Brentino IGT Veneto, the 2007 Cormi Merlot Corvina IGT, the 2008 Valpolicella DOC by Allegrini, the 2006 Palazzo della Torre IGT Veronese by Allegrini, the 2005 Amarone della Volpolicella Classico DOC by Allegrini, and the Prosecco Brut Conegliano DOC.
