A Preview into the Volcanic Wines of Italy

There is a reason why volcanic wines from not only Italy, but the world, are some of the most unique and sought-after wines to discover.  According to Food & Wine, volcanos make up only 1% of the earth’s total surface.   Vines growing in the variety of volcanic soils produce wines with such unique character from the mineral rich soils in which they are grown.

Italy hosts a number of regions from north to south that have either active or dormant volcanos with vineyards planted into this rugged terrain.  In the north the Veneto is one of the most known regions for volcanic wines, specifically Soave as well as Colli Euganei and Monti Lessini.  The region of Piedmont has volcanic soils as well.  In central Italy you’ll find the regions of Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria hosting volcanic wines.  In Southern Italy is where volcanic wines really shine in the regions of Campania, Basilicata and Sicily.  

Mt. Vesuvius outside of Pompeii in Campania

On October 3rd our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group of writers will be covering these volcanic wines from all over Italy along with some food pairing suggestions.  We invite you to chat with us live on Twitter that morning at 11am EST at #ItalianFWT.  Lend your knowledge or ask any questions that you’re curious to know in understanding these wines.  If you’d like to join our group in writing a blog in reference to this month’s theme on volcanic wines please email me directly at vinotravels at hotmail dot com.  Hope to see you all there! 

Here is a preview of what is to come on October 3rd. 

• Camilla at the Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be featuring A Single-Varietal Carricante, an Etna Exclusive, & Lapsang Souchong-Braised Duck Legs    
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm will share Grapes grown in Volcanic Soil produce a HOT wine!!!   
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator will have you Meet Mt Etna’s Volcanic Wines: 3 reds, 3 whites, 3 producers from Sicily with pairings  
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest will write about Volcanic Wine in the Veneto   
• Terri at Our Good Life will be sharing Ashes to Ashes: Volcanic Wine and Sicilian Lentil Soup   
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles will feature Mount Etna – The Awesome Power of Active Volcanos, and Yes, Red Wine with Fish   
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass will talk about the wines of Benanti – Capturing the soul of Mount Etna wine  
• Susannah at Avvinare will be Exploring the Colli Berici in the Veneto  
• Cindy at Grape Experiences will be sharing Personality, Elegance, Value: Tenuta Tascante Ghiaia Nera 2017 from Etna DOC
• Nicole at the Somm's Table will tell us all about Exploring Etna with Tenuta di Fessina
• I’ll be hosting at Vino Travels Fried Eggplant Topped with Fresh Tomatoes and Ricotto Paired with I Custodi Etna Rosso   
  

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Variety of Barbera at Scagliola Sansi in Monferrato

I had been searching for a bottle of Barbera that I knew was in my cellar and just kept missing it somehow until I located it the other day.  I hadn’t loaded it into my inventory so I was unsure of the vintage, but I knew it was either past its peak or was getting close to it.  Even though this 2012 Barbera d’Asti from Scagliola Sensi had some age to it, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it had held up.  I was overdue for a wine from Piedmont and this was an enjoyable mid-week treat. 

The Grape ~ Barbera 

Barbera is a red grape that is the most widely planted throughout the Piedmont wine region.  Its native home is in the hills of Monferrato, in the northeastern part of Piedmont.  Barbera is a highly productive grape that is known for its deep color with high acidity and low tannin.  It had always been known for its approachable style and fresh red fruit, but producers have been using oak adding layers, structure and complexity to the wine resulting in a richer wine. 

The Appellation ~ Barbera d’Asti DOCG 

The Barbera d’Asti DOCG appellation was granted back in 2008.  It’s the second largest appellation in Piedmont when it comes to production levels.  Maybe a no brainer, but Asti is the core center of the appellation, hence the name.  With such a large territory, it’s important to do your research and understand how each individual winery is producing their wines to better understand the style depending upon what you’re looking for.   

Copyright of Italian Wine Central

The Winery ~ Scagliola Sansi 

Scagliola Sansi is situated in the village of Calosso on top of the San Siro hill in Monferrato with almost 100 acres reaching about 1,050 to 1,250 feet above sea level.  The winery began back in 1936 by Camilla Scagliola whom unfortunately passed away at a young age leaving behind 5 children.  Thankfully his family followed in his footsteps and today the winery is run by the 4th generation with more to come.  

His son Giovanni at the young age of 14 began to rent land around the family’s home to plant vines, crops and raise livestock.  Cattle sales became a large part of how the family earned a living, but as Giovanni’s sons joined the business, they began selling their wine products on the market.    

The Wine 

2012 Scagliola Sensi “Frem” Barbera d’Asti DOCG – Frem in local dialect translates to firm and robust.  Frem was one of the first Barbera bottles the winery started with.  Although I couldn’t locate the aging process on this wine I can only assume from taste this wine has seen some oak.  This Barbera was deeply colored with purple hues.  It’s full-bodied, rich with bramble fruit and good acidity.  I couldn’t find the SRP on this vintage, but recent vintages were about $25-26.  

What are some of your favorite Barbera producers?

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are all my own. Imported by Vinilandia.

A Unique Blend at Masseria Amastuola of Puglia

Puglia’s history is known for producing bulk table wine that was sold to the rest of Europe and even Northern Italy.  Even though this still happens today, Puglia has focused on their quality and really established itself as a major player in today’s wine market.  Today it ranks in the top 3 regions throughout all of Italy for producing the largest amount of wine.  If you’re not familiar with the region, Puglia is located in southeastern Italy forming the heel of the boot.  It’s one of the few regions I have yet to visit, but is top of my list for when I eventually return there.  We can all dream at this point with everything going on in the US. 

The Winery ~ Cantine Amastuola 

Today I’m featuring Cantine Amastuola.  About 690 feet above sea level in Crispiano at the heart of Puglia’s Valle d’Itria, the property occupies about 420 acres planted to vines and olive trees surrounded by stone walls. The masseria, or farmhouse, where Amastuola resides was built in the 15th century.   Throughout history is has fallen under a couple different, but since 2003 it is owned by the Montanaro family of Massafra, also known as the Kikau Group. 

Copyright of Masseria Amastuola

The Wine 

Although Puglia is dominated by red wines by about 70%, today I’m sharing a white wine from Amastuola, 2017 Calaprice IGP.   It was interesting to sample a wine made primarily from international grapes as a small percentage is produced in the region and the Fiano grape that makes up a small percentage of the blend is a native grape of the Campania region.  This is an organic wine made of 50% Chardonnay, 45% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Fiano.  Made in stainless steel it’s a medium-bodied wine with notes of apple and tropical fruits backed by good acidity.  Personally, the Chardonnay showed up mostly on the palette for me so if you’re a fan of stainless Chardonnay it’s worth trying out this interesting blend.  ABV 13.5% 

If you need an excuse to visit Puglia, from the pictures of Amastuola’s site it looks like quite a beautiful wine resort to stay at.

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are all my own. Imported by Mariposa Fine Wines.

VIVA Sustainability at the Forefront with Michele Chiarlo

Sustainability in the wine industry is a major focus for many wineries and is continually growing its presence throughout wineries around the world.  When Katarina of Grapevine Adventures broached the topic for this month’s Italian Food, Wine and Travel theme it was the perfect time to dig in and understand what sustainability really is and what it means to individual wineries in Italy.   

This week I attended a virtual tasting hosted by IEEM and the Consorzio per la Tutela dell’Asti DOCG led by Jeff Porter.  Being a lover of wines with a touch of sweetness as well as dessert wines this was right up my alley. 

The Wine Region ~ Moscato d’Asti 

To take a step back before we dig into sustainability at the winery, Michele Chiarlo, that I’m featuring today let’s highlight the Moscato d’Asti wine region of Piedmont in northwestern Italy.  This area was delimited at the end of the 19th century.  It's surrounded by the Tanaro and Bormida Rivers and at the North lies the town of Asti.   Moscato d’Asti was established as a DOCG in 1994 containing 51 villages mostly within the Asti province.  

The Grape ~ Moscato Bianco 

If you’re not familiar with the Moscato Bianco grape it’s a highly aromatic grape with floral and fruity notes.  Moscato d’Asti is a slightly sparkling wine with a mild effervescence requiring a low alcohol level of 4.5-6% at about 2.5 bars of pressure.  In comparison, Asti Spumante requires a higher alcohol at about 6-8% with a  minimum 3.5 bars of pressure. 

The Moscato Bianco grape is an important varietal to the region of Piedmont.  It’s the most widely planted white grape in Piedmont.  Jeff brought up at that tasting that there was a statute back in 1511 that required all wineries to dedicate at least 1/5 of all their vineyards to be planted with Moscato Bianco.  Refusing to do so resulted in fines, demonstrating the importance of this grape in the culture of the region.   

Copyright of Michele Chiarlo

The Winery ~ Michele Chiarlo 

Originally established in 1956, Michele Chiarlo has been producing Moscato d’Asti for over 40 years.  Their vineyards lie at a variety of altitudes.  The soil is rich in white sand along with sedimentary marine origin.  The climate mostly consists of warm days followed by cool nights.   

Copyright of Michele Chiarlo

As Alberto Chiarlo quotes on their site “sustainability is tenderness”.  Michele Chiarlo winery is part of the VIVA sustainability project and as of 2016 all their grand crus are VIVA certified.  The VIVA project was piloted in 2011 and Michele Chiarlo was one of the first members.  Its mission is focused on preservation through the entire production chain protecting both the landscape where the vines grow and the heritage of the wine regions.  They look to lessen the environmental impact from beginning to end including lowering carbon footprint and CO2 emissions at wineries, managing waste pollution and water consumption along with soil management to name a few.

Michele Chiarlo practices sustainability through a number of ways mentioned on their site:  

• Utilizing organic fertilizers  
• Reducing soil erosion  
• Eliminating weeding  
• Enhancing flora and micro-organisms within the soil  
• Protecting against insects using pheromone dispensers
• Replacing wood packaging with recyclable cardboard  
• Reconstructing their façade of the winery with a green cover for cleaner air   

The Wine 

I sampled the 2019 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti DOCG.  Nivole is grown in Canelli, one of the major subzones for Moscato d'Asti.  A florally fragrance with aromas of peach and apricot.  I tasted a couple different Moscato d’Asti for this virtual tasting and the Nivole was more rich and creamy with notes of orange and stone fruits.  A beautiful finesse with soft bubbles.  At half bottle size (375ml) this wine retails about $11-12.  For me it’s the perfect way to end a meal.  ABV 4.9%  Drink these wines fresh and enjoy!

There is so much to learn about sustainability and it's affect on climate change and our group of wine writers have much more to share.  If you catch us in time we will be chatting live about sustainability and climate change this Saturday on Twitter at #ItalianFWT @ 11amEST. 

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla takes inspiration from Sicily in Pasta alla Norma + Tasca d’Almerita Lamuri Nero d’Avola Sicilia 2016.
• Terri from Our Good Life shares the article Che Fico: A Wine that Supports Sustainability in Italy.
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass heads to Alto Adige with Alois Lageder – Driven to Create Wines in Harmony with Nature.
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator posts her Interview: Antonella Manuli’s and Lorenzo Corino’s Patented Method + Wines, Lasagna, and Dogs.
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest answers How the Ricci Curbastro Estate In Franciacorta Tackles theSustainability Question.
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles explores the question Climate Change, Finding Sustainable Italian Wines and Why You should Care.
• Susannah from Avvinare tells us more about Sicily with Tasca d’Amerita, A Longstanding Focus on Sustainability.
• Nicole from Somm’s Table looks closer atA Sustainable Sampler Pack with Umani Ronchi.
• Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen shares Italy’s First Vegan Certified Winery.
• Then our host Katarina at Grapevine Adventures will talk about Torre Bisenzio where Authenticity And Quality Is All About Sustainability.

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are all my own.