Last week our
Italian Food, Wine & Travel group (#ItalianFWT) exploerd
the region of Molise. I
shared one of the major producers of Molise, Masseria Di MajoNorante, and one of their wines Ramitello,
a Molise Rosso. This is definitely a region that doesn't get a
lot of attention in the world of wines and even so when we talk about
Italian wines themselves, but I believe in always exploring the
lesser known grapes and helping to educate and open ones eyes to a
different grape if you have an opportunity to seek it out.
 |
| Mountainous region of Molise by Lucio Musacchio |
What is Tintilia?
I mentioned in our
online chat last Saturday and also in my article a mention of the
native red grape of Molise, tintilia. I don't remember ever
having the pleasure to sample this grape and look forward to an
opportunity at one point, but it may be a very difficult one to
find. Prior to this article you were probably asking yourself, what
is tintilia? The sad part is that through all of my Italian wine
books that I have none of them mentioned tintilia and even the
sections on Molise, if there was one, had very little to say.
The Origins of Tintilia &
it's Production in Molise
Tintilia finally
got it's own DOC in 1998 that it can qualify for, which is the
Tintilia del Molise DOC from the provinces of Isernia and the
capital Campobasso. It's another grape, like some of the other
Italian grapes we've discussed along the way, that faced extinction,
but some wine producers of Molise continue to work with the grape and
still produce wines with it. It's unknown where the grape hailed
from or whom it was introduced by whether it was the Spanish or the
Samnites, but the word tintilia hails from the spanish word tinto,
which means red, and a red grape it is. So whether or not that means
it came from the Spanish your guess is as good as mine and there was
no definite answer online.
Characteristics of Tintilia
Typically with
this wine it produces a ruby color and is medium-bodied showcasing
red and/or black fruits. Depending on the producer you may also pick
up some spice notes and licorice. A well produced tintilia should
balance good fruit and acidity with firm tannins.
Producers of Tintilia
There are
definitely more, but these wineries produce tintilia wines of Molise
that maybe you can find.
- Di Majo Norante
I would love to
hear from those that have had the opportunity to try this grape and
share your experience with us.
No comments:
Post a Comment