Readers may be interested in two modestly priced wines from Italy that are perfect for warm weather quaffing…
2012 Bigi Orvieto Classico – Orvieto is an Italian white wine that may not be terribly familiar to most wine lovers. It is produced in the Umbria region, in the very center of the “Boot,” near the medieval hill town of the same name. A blend of trebbiano, verdello, grechetto, drupeggio, and malvasia grapes, it is stylish and crisp with a flavor that some describe as “slightly peachy.”
Orvieto is Umbria’s most famous wine for one very important reason – its relationship to the Pope. Due to Orvieto’s cool summer climate, when things got literally too hot in the Vatican in Rome, popes over the centuries retreated for the summer to the papal palace at Orvieto. And Orvieto wine became a papal favorite. So much so that one pope, Gregory XVI, 1831 – 1846, requested that his body be washed in Orvieto wine prior to his funeral.
But as wine writer Matt Kramer has noted, most Orvieto wines today are bland and dull. However, the best of them can have real character and are definitely worth seeking out… Such is the 2012 Bigi Orvieto Classico. Orvieto wines may be dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. The 2012 Bigi is bracingly dry, full-bodied, and exhibits decidedly fresh flavors of what I detect as subtle notes of peach and almond. This isn’t a “great” wine, but it is quite distinctive, refreshing, and eminently suitable for warm weather quaffing. Priced at approximately $12.00 per bottle, it is also a real bargain.
2010 Firriato Chiaramonte Nero d’Avola – The Firriato Winery is located in the western mountains on the Italian island of Favignana; however, both culturally and viticulturally it is part of Sicily. Like the island itself, the winery is quite small with fewer than 5 hectares (approximately 12 acres). Founded in 1985 by Sicilian winemaker Salvatore Di Gaetano, the winery quickly attracted the attention of wine lovers and wine critics alike.
When most people think of Sicilian red wines, especially the Nero d’Avola, which is the island’s best-known indigenous varietal, they usually conjure up taste visions of rustic, overripe, pruny wines that are barely fit for human consumption. But Firriato winemaker Giuseppe Pellegrino successfully marries modern oenological techniques with an Old World grape: A cool fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel is followed by six months of aging in American oak barrels. The result is an elegant, fresh Nero d’Avola that sports bursts of fruit & spice, lithe, perfectly balanced tannins, and a vibrant acidity.
This racy, food-friendly wine is normally priced around $18.00… but I’ve seen it on sale for as low as $10.00. Get it while it’s hot!
Bon Appétit!
TAD
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