A Morning Tasting at Fattoria La Valentina

On day two of touring Abruzzo vineyards, we started at Fattoria La Valentina which is located in Spoltore in the Pescara province. One of the owners, Sabatino Di Properzio met our group and took us out to tour the estate Bellovedere Vineyard before our tasting. The vineyard sits just a couple of miles from the Adriatic Sea, that coupled with the cool mountain breezes brings out the best the grapes have to offer.

He felt it was important to share that the vines are all pergola trained. Their goal is to intervene as little as possible although the vineyard does have water misters which are only used as needed for troubled spots. The oldest vines are 47 years old, they use what he called "a French approach" changing out plants only as needed. The vineyard is sustainably managed.

In the winery, they prefer small French oak barrels with a low toast. The Binomial, one of their single vineyard wines, is refined in barrique. Sabatino Di Properzio says, "Barriques are used to obtain the best from a wine not to add flavor."

The partners continue with plans to expand by increasing their vineyard holdings.

The tasting:

The Spelt label is their attempt to link the Germanic background of the area to the wine. It is based both on legend and history.

La Valentina Pecorino 2017 - Fresh, vibrant, concentrated zippy citrus aromas and flavors, round feel with a slightly creamy finish.

La Valentina Spelt Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Superiore 2017 - Light, fresh and crisp wit a red apple nuance and a mineral laced finish.

La Valentina Spelt Cerasuola 2017 - Fragrant fruity ripe red berries with a pithy finish, dry, full body, lightly tannic, with clean, crisp acidity.

La Valentina Spelt Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2014 - Aromas and flavors of sweet mixed berries with a spicy note, a more rustic style, more tannic.

Binomio Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2014 - Sabatino Di Properzio described this wine as the mountain expression of their two single vineyard wines. Rich and concentrated with dark fruit, blackberries, plum, black pepper, ripe tannins and a raspberry finish.

La Valentina Bellovedere Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2013 - Sabatino Di Properzio described this wine as the coastal expression of their two single vineyard wines. Floral with dried herbs over mouth filling flavors of mixed berries with a slight saline minerality.

Spelt Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2003 - From a hotter vintage, this wine displayed more tobacco, dried herbs with a hint of balsamic over black plum.

La Valentina Bellovedere Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006 - Floral notes of violet with ripe red plum, dried herbs and a hint of balsamic with a bigger structure, full body, velvety tannins and a persistent finish. My favorite red in the tasting.

Binomio Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2000 - Smoky tobacco, sandalwood, dried plum with a sherry note in the lingering finish.

A surprise wine with lunch:
La Valentina Auha Fiano - Floral and fruity with jasmine, apricot and grapefruit with a fresh, lingering finish.

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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