Merrimack Valley Magazine

Wine Notes – Suave in September

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Growing up, I wanted to be like James Bond — well-dressed, tough and a hit with the ladies. The word was suave, which was considered a positive quality at the time. So when a friend mentioned to me that I should check out an Italian white wine called Soave (swah-vey), I thought to myself, “That wine is calling my name!” The last time I went wine shopping with my wife, she insisted on picking out a bottle because of the pretty label — admittedly not a very scientific way to choose a wine. It was the 2020 A to Z Rose, and it turned out to be a great choice — also making an attractive centerpiece on our table after we placed a flower in it. If that worked, I figured that I could be suave and learn to drink Soave.

The first step in a wine journey is tasting, so I had to find some selections. I prefer to shop at smaller wine stores with knowledgeable staff available to assist me — but my favorite places didn’t have Soave in stock. I had no choice but to search the online inventory at two big box stores. Each had several selections at various locations, so I traveled to Rochester, Nashua and Salem, N.H., along with Burlington, Mass., to collect my samples. 

Soave DOC (controlled designation of origin) is a region in northeast Italy near the city of Verona where the primary cultivar of white grape is garganega, the sixth most cultivated grape in Italy and popular in the U.S. in the post-World War II era. Those were the times when huge amounts of cheap bulk wine were being imported from Italy in fancy bottles wrapped like wicker baskets. This must have appealed to folks who needed table decorations. As time passed, people began to realize that the fancy bottles were the best part, and Soave’s popularity died on the vine. Wineries had to change production from high-yield farming to cultivation methods that produced the highest quality grape. With help from the Soave Consortium, the region is now producing a world-class product that is aggressively marketed in Europe but still suffers in the U.S. from its sordid reputation. 

Suave Wine bottles

Despite Soave’s lack of popularity here, it is worth the effort to locate. We tasted six different bottles, and even the cheap stuff was acceptable. In fact, the least expensive bottle I found, Inama Soave ($12.50) was a favorite at our neighborhood tasting. This bargain Soave is made with 100% garganega grapes even though the DOC allows up to a 30% blend of trebbiano and chardonnay. This is the key to its appeal. The quality Soave wines that would normally be available in the area are produced by the Pieropan winemaking family. Getting containers of wine shipped from Italy, or anywhere else right now, is a serious challenge. I spoke to Sabrina Reming, who manages the connoisseur division at Martignetti Companies, the leading distributor of wines and spirits in New England, and she explained that the best Italian wine choices are coming from Gallo’s Lux portfolio. The portfolio includes the best wines from each region and, because Gallo is such a huge wine conglomerate, they have plenty of inventory stateside. Gallo has exclusive distribution rights in the U.S. for Pieropan.

The easiest one to find is the Pieropan Soave Classico at about $20. Made with 85% garganega and 15% trebbiano, the flowery nose, bright acidity and ample finish make this a great food wine at a price everyone can afford. The other standouts in their portfolio are the single vineyard selections Calvarino and La Rocca. Pieropan Calvarino is only 70% garganega and 30% trebbiano. This surprised me, but the quality of this wine speaks for itself regardless of the blend. My favorite, though, was the Pieropan La Rocca made with 100% garganega. The nose has an elegant blossom perfume with a hint of almond. Exotic fruit flavors follow with a hint of vanilla and a light mineral finish. La Rocca is aged in 130-gallon to 500-gallon oak barrels, which helps amplifies the vanilla notes. I generally prefer white wine that is aged in a neutral containers like the glass-lined cement tanks used for their other selections, but in this case, the treatment is not overpowering. Unfortunately, La Rocca is difficult to find. I purchased a few bottles in Rochester from the clearance section. At $31, this is an excellent choice to bring to your next dinner party. As Soave goes well with seafood and vegetable dishes, I paired the La Rocca with a salad of arugula, beets, roasted peppers, blue cheese and blueberry vinaigrette. It also complemented the chicken cordon bleu that followed.

If you don’t find Soave on the shelf, ask your favorite wine store to order some. Your friends will think you are suave for serving this Italian favorite.

Salute!   

Wine Notes – Mastering Marsala

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Cooking With Wine This Summer? Better Get the Good Stuff.

Tasting wine is often more fun than drinking it. Before COVID-19, we would roam from station to station, stand shoulder to shoulder, and get educated by the person pouring the wine. Most importantly, we experienced the flavors from different regions side by side. We also got to determine if the person pouring was just trying to sell us something.

I received many emails this past year offering opportunities to participate in online tastings. I guess you watch someone open a bottle and describe its wonders. I didn’t fall for it since no one offered to send me wine in advance. They were obviously just selling. One high-end tasting we attended only offered wines that cost more than $60. Now this was a great educational experience, since I prefer to spend $20-$25 for most of my wine. One selection we tried was a $100 white Burgundy — one of the best expressions of chardonnay I’ve had. Then we were told that if we came back in a couple of hours, he was going to make a chicken stir-fry with it. The chef who was pouring insisted that you have to use the best wine if you want to create great dishes. 

Cooking with wine is one of my favorite experiences. Sometimes I even put it in the food. Still, you can’t expect to cook with a bad tasting wine and expect your dish to turn out great — don’t ever cook with something labeled “cooking wine.” The rule of thumb is if you can’t choke down a glass, it doesn’t belong in your cooking.

 

One of my favorite wine dishes to cook is chicken or veal Marsala. I love the nutty flavor and have been trying to recreate the “I’ll have what she’s having” experience my wife once had at Harry Caray’s in Chicago. I will admit that I used to go to the grocery store and buy the cheap stuff that says Marsala but doesn’t come from Italy. It never produced the right flavor, so my search began.

Vecchioflorio Marsala SuperioreMarsala is the westernmost town on the island of Sicily and was “discovered” as a wine world gem by English trader John Woodhouse after his ship was accidentally blown into the port in 1773. He was planning on loading the vessel with the industrial chemical sodium carbonate, but instead returned to England with a full cargo of wine from Marsala. Wine didn’t travel well at the time, so Woodhouse added alcohol to the barrels to reduce spoilage. His Marsala sold out in England and became the most popular wine in the British navy, where it was commonly used to toast the force’s many victories. Woodhouse returned to Marsala, purchasing the vineyards and creating a successful wine empire.

Today’s amber Marsala is made from a combination of grillo, catarratto and inzolia grapes. They are harvested late, increasing the sugar content of the grapes and creating its signature nutty raisin flavor. A neutral brandy distilled from wine grapes is added to the must (a mixture of fresh grape juice and solids), stopping the fermentation. Whatever amount of sugar not converted by the yeast at this point remains in the wine. This results in a sweeter wine fortified to 18% alcohol. Fortified wine will last much longer once opened and exposed to oxygen, making it the perfect bottle to sit in the kitchen ready to be added to your favorite creation.

I traveled the Merrimack Valley in search of the best Marsala wine available for drinking and for cooking. The selection of fine Marsala is rather slim. I purchased six different bottles, all under $15, and tasted and cooked with each. Nothing seems available in the area that’s a fine-drinking Marsala, but I did settle on Vecchioflorio Marsala Superiore as a very good choice. Vecchioflorio is aged in oak for 30 months, which is six months longer than the law requires and gives this wine a definitive edge. The Florio winery began when Vincenzo Florio purchased a wasteland adjacent to the winery that Woodhouse created, and it became one of the largest, most respected brands from the region. You won’t have much trouble finding Vecchioflorio. It is widely distributed in better wine stores in the Merrimack Valley. When I come across a Marsala exceptional enough for an aperitif, I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, this choice will remain in my kitchen as I continue to try to recreate Harry Caray’s chicken Marsala.

Salute!

Wine Notes – In the Shadows of Mount Etna

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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

Hidden New Hampshire

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Hermit Woods Serves Fruit Wines Worth the Search

Over the years, I have attended a lot of wine tastings. Seldom have I been at a tasting where sweet wines were served, as nearly all wine connoisseurs prefer dry wines that contain little or no residual sugar. With the exception of an occasional dessert wine like Sauternes, port or ice wine, I find them repulsive. Sweetness is often used to cover up wine flaws. Small wineries do this when they are trying to make wine from locally grown fruit. So when a friend suggested that I check out the fruit wines from Hermit Woods Winery & Deli in Meredith, N.H., all I could think of was Boone’s Farm apple and strawberry wine. I was prepared to reject them as just another wannabe winemaker trying to appeal to Pepsi drinkers. But being the open-minded kind of guy that I am, my wife and I made a short trip to Meredith to taste and see.

We met with Bob Manley, one of the partners, and he explained the approach they have developed over the past 10 years of operations. Most wineries in this region import grapes or experiment with hybrid varietals that grow well in cool climates. Importing grapes creates significant challenges in selecting the fruit and requires additional transportation costs. Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville, Maine, which I have written about in the past, does a fantastic job of making wine from grapes grown in New England, but it’s a huge operation. Smaller local wineries would find it difficult to match their resources. Hermit Woods operates in a small building in downtown Meredith and has developed a different vision. 

 

All great wines are made in the vineyard, where grapes take on the qualities of the terroir and respond to microclimates. As you develop your wine palate, you may find that you are attracted more to specific growing regions than to grape varietals. So instead of trying to overcome the challenges of the New England climate, Hermit Woods chose to embrace them and began making classically styled wines from local fruit. 

To make 12% alcohol wine, you must begin with at least 24% sugar. A winemaker might employ a process called chaptalization, which involves adding sugar to unfermented fruit — it’s named after Napoleon’s minister of the interior, Jean-Antoine Chaptal, who made the process legal in France. Chaptalization is outlawed in several other places, including California, Argentina and South Africa, but not in the Live Free or Die state. To compensate for the lower sugar content of local fruit relatives to grapes, Hermit Woods’ winemaker Ken Hardcastle experimented with several types of sweeteners before determining that dextrose makes the cleanest tasting beverage.

Every year, Hermit Woods produces about 4,200 cases of wine, which are distributed to and sold in small wine shops in 38 states. When you visit their tasting room, employees will help you determine the types of wine you like and guide you to suitable selections. When I made it clear that I only like dry wines, Manley explained to me that more than 50% of his customers preferred sweet. Still, they have something for everyone. On your visit, you can venture into the lower level of their facility to find a modern wine-making operation that includes stainless steel “super tanks” that control the temperature of fermentation and aging. You also will find a traditional barrel room containing about 30 oak barrels that are used for aging. It’s a relatively small operation, but has everything it takes to make great wine.

I had never experienced wine made from peaches, rhubarb, quince and rose hips, but was pleasantly surprised by Hermit Woods’ Lake House White. This dry wine is crisp and refreshing, and you will be surprised that it wasn’t made from grapes. The Red Scare is made from blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. In this case, you might doubt it was made with grapes as the raspberry flavor dominates. It paired well with a roast pork dinner we later served.

We also enjoyed the dark rich flavors of Hermitage, created with blackberries, blueberries, elderberries and black currants. This Rhone-style wine was aged in oak for 24 months and features the complexity you expect from a fine grape wine. Our favorite, however, was the Petite Blue Reserve, made from wild blueberries and aged in oak barrels. This wine was cited in the November 2017 issue of Food & Wine magazine and the winery was mentioned in a 2019 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, as something not to miss when visiting New Hampshire. 

Each of these wines was nearly bone dry and worth the drive to Meredith. Plan to pair your wine flight with one of Hermit Woods’ deli sandwich selections. On my next visit, I will pair the Red Scare with their turkey bacon jam panini — the deli was closed during our last visit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully you’ll be able to include Hermit Woods in your travels through New Hampshire while enjoying the fall foliage. Salute.

Survive and Thrive with Wine

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I have been buying wine for about 15 years, beginning with bottles I picked up from Shaw’s supermarket at a bargain. These days, I am more interested in where the grapes were grown and meeting the winemakers to learn about their craft. The most notable change in my journey is the kind of wine that I prefer, and recent events have solidified that I have an “Old World palate.”

Being a flag-waving “USA all the way” type of person, I didn’t want much to do with foreign wine at first. I would always choose domestics. They seemed like a better value, and the labels were easier to read. Then I discovered Napa cabs, and I figured that I had followed the yellow brick road all the way to wine heaven. Journey over. Or so it seemed. Soon after, I would discover Old World wines, and a whole new path opened up for me.

 

At the Winter Wine Spectacular in New Hampshire this past January, my winemaker friend Antonio Zaccheo of Carpineto Grandi Vini di Toscana pulled me aside and told me, “I have made an observation that people standing at bars frequently will have a glass of wine without food! That never happens in Italy. We Italians only drink wine as part of a meal.”

I asked what they drink at a bar. “Grappa, spirits, sometimes beer, but never wine,” he said. “Wine is reserved for a meal, almost every meal.” My wife and I had been planning a trip to Italy this year. Before the current crisis put plans on hold, I had visions of ordering a glass of wine at every bar. But now I realize that behavior would be uncouth. We will just have to eat more frequently to taste the maximum amount of Italian wine.

Top: Wine columnist Steven Goddu stands with Antonio Zaccheo of Carpineto Wines. During this year’s New Hampshire Winter Wine Spectacular, Zaccheo met with Goddu and extolled the virtues of drinking wine the Italian way — with food. Although the pandemic has put plans for Goddu to visit the Carpineto winery in Greve, Itally, on hold, he can still enjoy their offerings, also pictured above. Photos by Adrien Bisson.

Antonio’s observation really hit home when I was picking a bottle of wine to bring to a dinner party at a neighbor’s house earlier this year. At the last minute, and without a lot of thought, I went to my cellar and grabbed a $30 bottle of Karma Reserve by winemaker Carol Shelton.

When we arrived, our hostess had already decanted a bottle of Michele Chiarlo’s Tortoniano from Barolo, Italy, that she’d picked up at the Tuscan Market in Salem, N.H. This was a great Old World wine to have with dinner. Then we opened the New World wine from California’s Sonoma County. The Karma Reserve had been aged in oak barrels for 20 months, and these barrels are partially constructed using American oak. I was embarrassed. This was a horrible choice to have with food, and I should have known better. American oak imparts a strong vanilla flavor. Plus, this blend was 70% zinfandel, which is very fruity. It’s a good quality wine, but it didn’t pair well with food.

Amid the global crisis that we are all enduring, Antonio wrote to me: “We are now grounded on the farm but nature goes on. We are pruning olive trees, training vineyards, planting a new vineyard. … Mother Nature doesn’t know that us humans are in grave danger.” In the face of this threat, Antonio posted a video on Facebook describing his survival kit — what he calls his “thrival” kit — noting: “Italians expect to thrive not just to survive.” It includes pasta, olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, basil and, of course, a good bottle of his Brunello di Montalcino, which I highly recommend.

Time will tell if we’ll be able to visit Antonio’s winery in Greve, Italia, this September. Hopefully, life will be back to normal by then. I’ll start saving up Old World wine for dinner parties when the time is right. Salute!    

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