Italian Winemakers in Houston - Conegliano Valdobbiadene

Gambero Rosso came to Houston to present their two part "Italian Wine Tales" tastings starting with a seminar on the Prosecco Superiore wines from Italy's Conegliano Valdobbiadene region. As a lover of bubbly wines, I was looking forward to this event.
Prosecco wine is made primarily from the grape variety Glera using a minimum of 85%. It may be blended with up to 15% of Verdiso, Bianchetta, Perera, Pinot or Chardonnay. While basic Prosecco DOC wine can come from a much larger area in the Veneto and Fruili regions with an area that includes 600 municipalities, the higher quality Prosecco Superiore wines from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG come from fifteen municipalities in a much smaller delineated area set between the two named towns on limestone hillsides. The wines which are produced here have adhered to higher standards in both the vineyard and the winery than the more basic DOC wines.
The wines may be vintage dated or they may be non-vintage/multi-vintage. There are three sweetness levels produced. Brut is the least sweet or most dry and probably the most versatile with food while Extra Dry is the most traditional with its touch of sweetness. Dry is the sweetest and may be the most difficult to pair with food.
A recent introduction onto labels is the "Rive" indication. This wine must be vintage dated and will include the name of the municipality where the grapes were grown within the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region. This new labeling allows terroir differences to be explored by wine lovers around the world. Wines with this indication join the spumante wines from the historic zone of Cartizze at the top of the quality pyramid for the region.

All of the wines were a clear, very pale straw color with profuse bubbles. The wines we tasted:

2012 Bellenda Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore Brut San Fermo Millesimato- fruity peach aromas with some floral notes. Dry, creamier texture than I expected with flavors matching the aromas, nice acidity and a mineral finish. Very good, recommended.

Valdo Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore Brut Oro Puro- light floral aromas. Dry, delicate, light, good acidity, clean finish. Food friendly, recommended.

Canella Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry- light fruity pear and apricot aromas. On the dry to off dry line. Zesty citrus flavor added to the aroma flavors, good acidity with a richer mouthfeel than the previous one and a mineral finish. Very good, recommended.

2011 Bortolomiol Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry Bandarossa Millesimato- distinct wisteria floral aroma. Off dry with a dried apricot flavor and good acidity. Intriguing.

2012 La Tordera Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore Dry Cru del Tittoni Mill- fresh and fruity aromas of apple and peach. Off dry+, similar flavors.

2012 Astoria Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore Brut Casa Vittorino Rive di Refrontolo Millesimato- right as I begin to sniff this glass, the person to the left of me says, "It's like a sparkling Gruner Veltliner." I ponder that wine thought with some agreement and I don't actually write down any notes for this one, though I do remember liking it.

Colesel Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore di Cartizze Brut- Fruity aroma-apple and pear. Dry, a little more full bodied with a bit more of a creamy texture. Pear flavor with a bit of nuttiness in the finish. Recommended.

Overall, I would say that although I enjoyed virtually every wine that I tasted. In my home, I would be more inclined to serve the drier Brut version. I would serve it as an aperitif for dinner parties or with a light quiche or frittata meal or any brunch type menu. I might also serve the Extra Dry version with saltier pre-meal snacks like cured meats and cheeses. The Consortium recommends less sweet desserts or spicy fusion cuisine with the sweeter Dry version.

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Nocera - A Native Grape from Sicily

Nocera is a native grape from Sicily. It comes from the Messina province which is located in the northeast. Nocera is a quality red wine grape that is most known as a blender in the red wines of the Faro DOC. I had the opportunity to taste some pure versions (which according to Wine Searcher are rare) this week at a trade tasting held at Roma Restaurant in Houston. Wine production in the region dates back to the 14th Century BC, however, phylloxera decimated the vineyard area in 1881 leaving it at a fraction of its original size. The area boasts a Mediterranean climate with sunny days and coastal breezes, moderate rainfall, and mild winters, all ideal for grape growing. The Nocera grape is a bluish/black color and has a thick skin which allows for the production of structured wines with prominent tannins which are balanced by good acidity. High alcohol is common. Red wines produced from the grapes are an intense ruby color with purple highlights and aromas and flavors of dark fruits a

The Salta Tour 2012

Vine Connections and Pioneer Wine Company hosted a seminar and tasting event for Houston's wine trade and media at Backstreet Cafe yesterday. All but two of the wines were from the Salta Province of Argentina. Salta is the most northern wine region in Argentina lying close to the Bolivian border. The climate is very extreme due to the high altitude. Plantings start at 5,000 feet above sea level and climb to 9,000 feet, making these vineyards the highest in the world. The intense sunlight the area receives helps to create grapes with more anthocyanins, these are the color pigments which result in softer tannins, lower astringency and more intense flavor. The wines produced are extremely pure, concentrated and terroir specific. Torrontes Riojano which is considered the best of the three Torrontes clones is the most widely planted grape with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat increasing. The seminar started with a tasting of four Torrontes wines, three from diff

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