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Merrimack Valley Magazine

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Wine Notes – In the Shadows of Mount Etna

June 1, 2021 by Steven Goddu

The Bible tells us “there is nothing new under the sun.” But as I walk through the valley of trellised vineyards, I am pleased to be reminded that “ignorance is bliss” and that every place on Earth I look, I discover new wines.

These wines aren’t new, but they are new to me. I let my experiences guide my path and simply question things along the way, then obsess on a given subject. Recently, we had some guests over for dinner and I was assigned to make veal Marsala. Generally, I pick up Taylor Marsala at the grocery store because it’s cheap, but this time I decided that I would search for a “quality” bottle. I visited five wine stores and made a purchase at each. Most of the stores had only one inexpensive selection. Such was the case when I arrived at Andover Classic Wines, where store manager Andrea Lewis informed me that I wasn’t going to find any outstanding Marsala, but she did have some other wines from Sicily that were really hot, and, speaking of hot, were produced in the shadow of the second most active volcano on the planet: Mount Etna.

 

The volcano, located on the east coast of Sicily, has been displaying its fiery fury this year and depositing ash on the surrounding landscape. You’ve likely heard of the eruptions, but do you know about the explosive popularity of Etna DOC wines? The Etna DOC (“designation of controlled origin”) was established in 1968 as the first Sicilian wine region. For many years, high volume bulk wine was the region’s focus, but the past 10 to 15 years have brought a growing interest in higher quality production. The results are noteworthy. The high mineral content created by ash deposits and lava rocks, mountain elevation and favorable microclimates with hot days and cool nights make this region of Italy unique. 

Nerello mascalese is the dominant red grape in the region. By DNA comparison, it’s a cousin to sangiovese, but the qualities revealed from this wine grape are a combination of the tannic strength of nebbiolo and the fruitiness of pinot noir. I purchased a mixed case of wine from the Mount Etna region and blind-tasted each selection so the technical notes wouldn’t influence my findings. Initially, I noted a surprising consistency in Etna Rosso, which I later discovered was partially due to the DOC requirement that nerello mascalese must be at least 80% of the varietal. The wines were very structured, containing strong tannins and plenty of dark fruit flavors. The Etna Rosso to pair with lamb or spicy tomato sauce. My two favorites, which were both 100% nerello mascalese, were Etna Rosso Graci ($33.99) and Etna Rosso Alta Mora ($29.99).

Carricante is the premier white grape varietal in the Etna DOC, and each bottle must contain at least 60% in the blend. If the vines are in the commune of Milo, and are at least 80% carricante, the wine can be rated as “superiore.” I am always suspect when I read the English equivalents of words such as superiore and reserva on a U.S. wine label, but in Italy and other European countries the use of such terms is strictly regulated by law. I enjoyed the Vulka Etna Bianco, which was a standard 60% carricante, but my favorite Etna Bianco was from Barone di Villagrande vineyards. The blend is 90% carricante grown in Milo, but the label didn’t indicate it was designated superiore. Why not?

Alfonso Caltagirone of Barone di Villagrande explains: “The DOC of Mount Etna was born in [our] winery. Professor Carlo Nicolosi [Asmundo of the Nicolosi Asmundo family that has controlled the vineyards since the 18th century] is the man that wrote the DOC disciplinary, and so the superiore concept could be applied only to the carricante from Milo.” He continues: “The 2019 vintage showed a total acidity a couple of decimals higher than the standards dictated by the DOC disciplinary and thus we decided to maintain it with its acidity. … It was a decision to show that the vintage here still matters in terms of difference from year to year and that our wines show the signs of the year’s conditions.” 

I will continue my vicarious Sicilian journey to the Italian west coast, where Marsala is located, and search for quality wine from that region. Meanwhile, I was pleasantly distracted by the Etna Rosso and Etna Bianco. These wines can be challenging to locate, but you’ll find a great selection at Andover Classic Wines. Salute!

Andover Classic Wines
Andover, Mass.
(978) 470-0500
AndoverClassicWines.com

Filed Under: Food & Drink Tagged With: Andover Classic Wines, Etna, steve goddu, Volcano, Wine, Wine Notes

Wine Notes – The Freak of Austria

September 17, 2020 by Steven Goddu Leave a Comment

It’s never easy to step out of your comfort zone. We find something we like, or dislike, and stick with our opinion. If you are truly interested in expanding your knowledge of wine, you must be open-minded and try everything. Sometimes I make it a point to taste wines that I am sure I won’t like, if only to confirm my prejudices. So my wife and I regularly attend as many free wine tastings as we can. To be honest, these aren’t free, because we always find something we like and then the wallet opens. 

We were at the Wine Connextion in North Andover and the owner, Sam, said to me,  “You gotta come out back and try this new wine I’m bringing in from Austria.” Austria? I’ve tasted very little wine from Austria, so his suggestion piqued my interest. The wine turned out to be bold and spicy with a great aromatic finish. I examined the oddly shaped bottle, staring at it for a minute or so in confusion. Wine labels are often difficult to understand, especially when you aren’t familiar with the language. I had to ask which word on the bottle indicated the grape variety: blaufränkisch. I’d never heard of it and didn’t know how to pronounce it.

 

My wine journey just took a new direction. I now needed to learn about, and start drinking, wine from Austria. Next stop was Andover Classic Wines to ask the owner, Andrea, what she had in Austrian wines. She introduced me to a dry white called grüner veltliner and a zweigelt rosé. Both were excellent. Crisp, not overprocessed. These were light wines, perfect for warm weather. But I was after a big, bold red.

Next, I attended a tasting presented by Austrian winemaker Christof Höpler. He offered his grüner veltliner, a white varietal and the most planted grape in Austria, along with selections of riesling, zweigelt and pinot noir. The last was my favorite, and it was a bargain at $20. Höpler described his pinot as an Old World wine made in a modern style, and noted, “We have very modern cellars and don’t have fungus in our cellars.” I asked, “Do you think Austrian wineries are cleaner than wineries in France?” He answered, “If you were to look at 100 wineries in Austria and 100 wineries in France, yes.” 

To understand why he is so adamant about high standards, it helps to know that Austria revamped its wine laws after a 1985 scandal in which several wineries illegally added diethylene glycol, which is often used as a primary ingredient in antifreeze, to sweeten their products. The news went international, and the Austrian wine industry went into a free fall. In the aftermath, Austrian winemakers turned away from their previous specialization of sweet wines. 

I asked Höpler about his favorite wine. His answer? Blaufränkisch. “I think it has a lot of future potential,” he said, but he didn’t have any available to taste. I began to think I was on a fool’s errand, trying to find this elusive freak of Austria.

Still, I continued searching. I looked for blaufränkisch in the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets search engine — don’t use the umlaut over the “a” or you’ll get no results. I found two blaufränkisch wines — Una and Hillinger — on sale at the Hooksett, N.H., location. The Una was a great choice at only $15, but the Hillinger seemed flawed to me, as though it had been overheated during transport or storage. I guess I had begun at the top because neither was as impressive as the backroom beauty I’d tasted at the Wine Connextion.

My journey ended where it began. Sam deserves credit for introducing me to the 2015 Groszer Wein blaufränkisch, a single vineyard wine. It is grown in Szapary Vineyard, located on the steepest south-facing hillside of Eisenberg Mountain. The vines are 40 years old and grow in 100% slate soil. This contributes to the beautiful minerality the wine delivers. All of the grapes are hand harvested and selected, aged in large oak casks, and bottled unfiltered. 

Blaufränkisch needs to be decanted for at least two hours before drinking to realize its full expression. Try tasting a little out of the bottle first to experience the transformation. When we let some rest in a decanter overnight, it was even better the next day. The Groszer Wein blaufränkisch is available at the Wine Connextion for $35, along with a lower-priced version for only $17. 

I’m thinking Greek wine is on my horizon and expect the Euclidean alphabet will be quite a challenge. The hobby of exploring wine is endless, so don’t get stuck in a rut. Salute!  

Andover Classic Wines
Andover, Mass.
(978) 470-0500
AndoverClassicWines.com

Wine Connextion
North Andover, Mass.
(877) 469-5025
WineConnextion.com 

Filed Under: Food & Drink Tagged With: Andover Classic Wines, Austria, steve goddu, Vineyard, Wine, Wine ConneXtion

The Feast of Dionysus: A Song of Pinots, Pepper and Cast-Iron Pans

April 14, 2018 by Steven Goddu Leave a Comment

When I was growing up, kids were mean. They called me all kinds of names, but it all rolled off my back like water on a duck. Mmmm, I love duck!

Recently, I have had more than one person call me a new name: Foodie. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or just another way of saying, “Steven, you really eat too much.” I have come to learn that being a foodie is an obsession. For instance, when a recipe calls for garlic — and almost everything calls for garlic — I begin to think, shall I slice it thin, Asian-style, or crush it with the side of my knife and chop it up, Italian-style, or simply squeeze it through a press? I think it makes a difference, and if you do, too, then you might be a foodie, as well. Once I began to explore how important wine and food parings are, my obsession expanded to finding the perfect wines to go with everything I cook.

My wine journey did not begin with food. Wine was a social beverage that was chosen instead of beer or cocktails. It was poured from a big glass jug or a bartender’s gun — press C for chardonnay. These days, I first think about what we’re eating before choosing a bottle of wine.

Chuck Palazzolo, the owner of Lucia’s Bodega in Windham, N.H., says I’ve got it backward. “First you choose the wine,” he says. “Then decide what you are going to cook that will complement the wine.”

Palazzolo is a trained chef and a graduate of the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University. After graduation, he worked as a chef for the Marriott organization, then spent 10 years at a gourmet food and wine shop before opening his own specialty retail enterprise. He has credentials that force me to pay attention, so I asked for his favorite food parings.

First you choose the wine … Then decide what you are going to cook that will complement the wine.
~ Chuck Palazzolo, owner of Lucia’s Bodega. Photos by Kevin Harkins.

With his typical passion, Palazzolo brought me to his Italian wine section and selected a bottle produced from the “Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin” (DOCG) wine region of Montalcino, which is famous for its Brunello. A sirloin strip steak is perfect for this sangiovese. Next, he introduced me to a bottle of chardonnay from the Chassagne-Montrachet vineyards in Burgundy, France. Lobster would make a great accompaniment to the buttery and honey notes offered by this premier cru wine.

Both of these pairings are quite classic, but what really interested me was his favorite pairing of pinot noir with veal chops. One of the notable qualities of pinot noir is its variable flavor profile, highly influenced by vintage and terroir. I enjoy pinot noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley because it generally presents with a crisp acidity that will cut through a rich sauce without the strong tannins that get in the way of some flavors. On the subject, Palazzolo said, “You gotta go with Ken Wright.” I took his advice. With a $60 bottle of pinot in my car, I headed directly to the butcher shop for veal chops.

I seasoned the chops with salt, pepper and rosemary, then drizzled extra virgin olive oil over the top before searing them in a very hot cast-iron pan. After the proper amount of browning, they were finished in the oven while I made my pan sauce. Sauteed onions and pressed garlic went into the pan before I deglazed with a glass of the same wine we paired with dinner. Chicken broth, a couple shakes of flour and a dab of butter finished the sauce. After this exhausting exercise, I can report that veal chops and pinot noir are, in fact, a great pairing.

Wine is no longer my beverage of choice to consume when gathering with friends on the weekend, and I seldom choose wine unless we are having a meal. I have developed an Old World palate steeped in the tradition that wine is food and should be accompanied by food. Shopping at a boutique bodega where a trained chef advises you on which wines will be best for your dinner party might open up new culinary avenues, and is an opportunity not to be missed.

When I attend wine tastings at Lucia’s Bodega, Palazzolo often describes his favorites as “delicious,” a term generally reserved for food. “If it goes in my mouth, then it is food,” Palazzolo resounds, and I agree.

The next time you are planning to have a special meal, try shopping for the wine first, then decide what food will be appropriate. Salute!

Ken Wright Cellars
Willamette Valley, Oregon (AVA)
2016 Canary Hill Vineyard  l  Pinot Noir $59.99

Domaine Berthelemot Brigitte
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru (AOC)
2014 ‘Abbaye de Morgeot’ Vineyard  l  Chardonnay $94.99

Marchesi Antinori
Pian delle Vigne Estate (DOCG)
2012 Brunello di Montalcino  l  Sangiovese $72.99

Filed Under: Food & Drink Tagged With: domaine berthelemot brigitte, feast of dionysus, ken wright cellars, Lucia's Bodega, marchesi antinori, steve goddu, Wine, Wine Notes

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