Sep. 21, 2011 - Issue #831: The Sandwich Issue

Veni, Vidi, Vino

Treasure of Tuscany

Sangiovese looms large in Italy's fifth-largest wine-growing region

A little bit of Italian culture exists right here in Edmonton with a late-September grape harvest festival in Little Italy, and also in a few local independent restaurants that fill their wine lists with Italian fare and wine. For the average person who doesn't find themselves in Italy once a year, this can be a great cultural experience to get familiar with one of the most renowned food and wine regions in the world.
With 20 main wine regions and over a thousand native grape varietals, Italy officially produces more wine on an annual basis than anywhere else. Italians also drink the most wine of anyone in the world: almost three times as much as Americans.
Many of the Old World wine regions make wine to pair with regional food. Tuscany, the fifth-largest wine region in Italy, grows a whole lot of Sangiovese, also known as Brunello. Sangiovese is characterized by its fresh fruity flavours and little bit of spice. It is the main component in several blends produced in the region including Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciono and Morellino di Scansano. Wines made from a Sangiovese base are higher in acidity and made to drink alongside pasta dishes and pizzas native to the region.
While Chianti wines are made from an old recipe that blends Canaiolo and Malvasia bianco into a Sangiovese base, 100 percent Sangiovese wines are commonly labelled as Rosso, Rosso di Montelcino or Brunello di Montelcino. Throughout most of Italy, wines take the name of the town or area they are grown in so, for example, the Rosso di Montelcino means the red wine from the town of Montelcino.

Wines that follow Italy's strict quality control designations the DOC (Denominazioni di Origine Controllata) and DOCG (Denominazioni di Origine Controllata e Garantita) have specifications by region and grape varietal. Most wines follow these guidelines, but an additional classification, which denotes wine of high quality that doesn't conform to the stricter DEC/G regulations, called IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). Super Tuscans are the juicy, luscious big blends, known for their high quality and price that started the IGT movement. Innovative winemakers are blending the native Sangiovese grape with foreign varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. These quality wines have such a cult following that a reformation of the Italian wine laws corrected the DOC/G law to include Super Tuscans—though certain Super Tuscan producers prefer to maintain IGT status.
Trebbiano, a common white grape varietal used to make dry white wine from Tuscany is also a main component in the production of the decadent dessert wine called Vin Santo, meaning holy wine. Blended with Malvasia Bianca, these wines are aged for three years in barrel before being released. Several different styles ranging from dry to sweet are available, commonly with nutty, raisin and honey characteristics. Definitely worth a taste, and often consumed as a digestif in Italy.
Check out Little Italy and some of the local traditional Italian restaurants to get a feel for the culinary art of Italy, and the delectable wine that belongs at its side. V vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus