This December 12, 2018 the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation http://www.maseniorcarefoundation.org and I will be hosting a wine tasting event to benefit the Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of long term care services provided to the state’s older adults and people with disabilities.  It will be a social evening of wines from Southern Italy paired with hors d’oeuvre.

There will be 20 different wines featured at the tasting. My wife and I have visited all the producers. They are small  family owned and operated wineries that abide by environmentally friendly practices in the vineyard and cellar, Many of the producers are certified organic or biodynamic.

The evening will feature three sessions. From 6:00 to 6:45 pm there will be an apertivo of wine and  hors d’oeuvre. Three wines will be served: a frizzante rose from Cilento, a white from Siracusa, Sicily and an aglianico from Salerno. From 6:45 to 7:15 there will be a formal tasting of four red wines: an Etna Rosso from Mt. Etna, an Aglianico del Vulture from Potenza, a Taurasi from Irpinia and a Tintore from the Amalfi Coast. The last session will feature more hors d’oeuvre and tasting stations featuring other wines  from the areas represented in the formal tasting and a special table of four Etna Bianco wines for white wine aficionados.  I will be co-presenting with David Gansler, who is in the final stages of completing a diploma in Wine Studies Level 4 with the Wine Spirits and Trust and is a professor at Suffolk University. He is teaching a course called the World of Wine. He is manager of La Rosa Selections; a start-up wine importing company.

Here is a menu of wines for the evening:

Apertivo

Il Fric 2017, aglianico, Azienda Agricola Casebianche, Torchiara, Salerno,  Campania – a sparkling/frizzante secco wine from the Cilento area of Salerno (south of the Amalfi Coast and the City of Salerno). This is an organic/natural wine; no sulfites, sugar or yeasts are added. The only sulfites in the wine naturally occur; sulfites are 6 to 8 parts per million {“ppm”). To provide perspective: USA allows up to 350 ppm of sulfites to be added to wine. Organic producers are allowed to add sulfites; but  per USA standards sulfites in organic wines cannot exceed 100 ppm, though most organic producers are far below the standard. Note, white wine has more sulfites than red (the presence of tannins in red wines limits the need for sulfites).  The owners are the  husband/wife combination of Pasquale Mitrano and Elisabetta Iuorio. They moved from Naples to assume ownership of Elisabetta’s father’s vineyard in the late 1990s. They produce several types of wines and have an annual production of about 30,000 bottles.

 

Pretosia 2017, albanello, Cantina Gulino, Siracusa, Sicilia – a white wine made with the obscure albanello grape. This ancient grape fell out of favor as farmers and wine makers replaced the grape with the popular moscato grape. In the late 1980’s Dr. Sebastiano Gulino began his research in an effort to “rediscover” the albanello grape. After years of research and DNA testing, Dr. Gulino found several albanello vines. Today, Cantina Gulino, which was established in 1793 and underwent several iterations from the production of grapes to fruits and vegetables before returning to the production of grapes in the early 1990s, is the only winery to produce a wine 100% from the albanello grape. A few wineries add albanello as a blending grape. Cantina Gulino is a certified organic producer. It produces eight different wines for an annual production of about 70,000 bottles.

 

 

 

 

Aglianico di Baal 2014, aglianico, Casa di Baal Azienda Agricola, Montecorvino, Salerno, Campania – the patriarch of the Salerno family, Annibale, along with his father purchased the Casa di Baal farm in 1976. Originally, the farm produced extra virgin olive oil, fruits and vegetables. Casa di Baal produces more extra virgin olive oil than wine. They allow local farmers to use their mill to make their extra virgin olive oil. Casa di Baal, which started the production of wine in 2006, adheres to organic and natural practices throughout the farm. For instance, they have bee hives, but not for the production of honey, but to protect the grapes. The bees are predators of an invasive parasite that attack grapes that split in the heat. Once the parasite is eliminated the grapes self-heal. Casa di Baal has an annual production of about 25,000 bottles.

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Formal Wine Tasting

Mofete 2014, nerello mascalese (80%) and nerello cappuccino (20%). Palmento Costanzo, Passipiciaro, Catania, Sicilia. The husband wife combination of Mimmo and Valeria Costanzo, who both originate from nearby Catania, purchased the vineyard in 2009, They are one of many new producers to the internationally highly acclaimed  Mt. Etna wine area. The Costanzos, though new to wine business, are traditionalists as they have preserved the historical Sicilian palmento wine making process that was in disrepair when they purchased the property. Some of their wines are made with grapes from vines over 100 years old. All wines are certified organic. The Costanza family, which is a leading construction and renewable energy company in Sicily and beyond, has a modern spectacular cantina with a large tasting area. They have an  annual production of about 75,000 bottles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Le Drude 2008, aglianico, Azienda Agricola Michele Laluce, Ginestra, Potenza, Basilicata – the father/daughter combination of Michele and Maddalena produce five different wines for an annual  production of about 40,000  bottles. The town of Ginestra is located in the heart of  the Aglianico del Vulture DOCG. The grapes are grown in volcanic soil of the extinct volcano Mt. Vulture. Since 1905 the Laluce family has produced wine, but only since 2001 has the wine been bottled for commercial purposes. Laluce abides by organic farming practices. As do many organic producers, Laluce has rose plants at the beginning of the rows of grapes.  Because the rose plant is more susceptible to certain diseases at an earlier stage than grape vines, it serves as an early warning of diseases that could destroy the grapes. This allows the application of organic measures to protect the grapes.

 

 

 

 

 

Perillo Riserva 2006, aglianico, Azienda Agricola Perillo, Castelfranci, Avellino, Campania – a Taurasi produced from vines that are 600 m above sea level. Per Perillo’s importer Jan D’Amore, the grapes benefit from extreme temperature swings between night and day which allow the grapes to ripen slowly and steadily thus safeguarding perfumes and acidity even in the torrid weather of the South. Michele Perillo started the commercial production of wine in 1999. Prior to 1999, the Perillo family made wine for local use and sent  excess grapes north to fortify certain Northern Italian wines; a common practice of Southern Italian farmers last century. Along with his wife and two sons, Michele produces about 25,000 bottles of wine in a cantina that is an over-sized garage. Notwithstanding the humble operations, Perillo Taurasi Riserva wine year after years wins high marks from wine critics.

 

 

 

Borgo di Gete 2013, tintore, Azienda Agricola Reale Andrea, Tramonti, Salerno, Campania – L

uigi and his brother Gaetano operate a multi-facet operation: a winery, an osteria and a bed and breakfast. The vineyard has been in the family for over a century, but Reale did not produce wine for commercial purposes until 2001. Some of the vines, which are pre-phylloxera, are between 100 to 130 years old. Reale adheres to organic production methods; there is no machinery in the vineyards, thus all labor is by hand. Salice wood, not metal wire, is used to tie the tintore vines to trellises. The tintore grape is indigenous to and not grown outside of the Amalfi Coast. Tintore is a big intense grape; Reale is the only producer that makes a 100% tintore based wine; and it is a limited production. The few other wineries that grow the tintore grape use it as a blending grape. Reale produces about 11,000 bottles per year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Station One – Etna Rosso

Puritani (2013), nerello mascalese, Cantine Valenti, Passipiciaro, Catania, Sicilia – a 100% nerello mascalese based Etna Rosso made with grapes from vineyards located at 700 to 800 meters above sea level at the side of the active Mt. Etna volcano. The father /son combination of Giovanni and Alessandro Valenti, originally from Catania, began the winery in 2004. In the Etna area there are many new wineries started by both Sicilians from Catania (e.g. Cantine Valenti and Palmento Costanzo) and stranieri (foreignors or non-Sicilians – Terre Nere, Passipiciaro and Corneilssen ).  Cantine Valenti is certified organic; it adds far less of the maximum allowed sulfites to its wines and is currently experimenting with a non sulfite added wine (see Station 5). The cantina, a converted old distillery, is an enjoyable place for a tasting. The Valenti family are fans of the arts as evidenced by names given to their wines. Puritani is named after an Italian opera from Catania playwright Vincenzo Bellini.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quantico Etna Rosso 2014, nerello mascelese (90%) and nerello cappucio (10%), Vini Quantico, Linguaglossa, Catania, Sicilia – Giovanni Raiti’s family has been making wine for personal and local consumption since 1900. In 2009, Giovanni decided to produce wine commercially. With vines that are 80 to 90 years old he works in collaboration with his good friend and enologist Pietro di Giovanni to produce both an Etna Rosso and Bianco (see Table 5). The grapes for the Rosso are grown in Solicchiata; a town next to Passipiciaro (where Palmento Costanzo and Valenti grow their grapes). Giovanni and Pietro use no pesticides or fertilizers in the vineyard and no commercial yeasts in the cellar, thus producing an organic and natural wine. From the same vineyard in Solicchiata, Pietro produces his own Etna Rosso called Marchesa. Quantico,  another small winery featured at the tasting, produces only about 12,000 bottles per year. Collaboration among small producers as with Giovanni and Pietro is common in Southern Italy.

 

 

 

Station Two Amalfi Coast/Salerno

Ragis Rosso 2011, aglianico  (80%) and piedirosso (20%), Le Vigne Di Raito, Vietri sul Mare, Salerno, Campania – a red blend wine from the eastern most part of the Amalfi Coast less than a quarter-mile from the Bay of Salerno. As evident from the photos, Le Vigne di Raito has spectacular views from its vineyard and from a patio off its cantina. Patrizia Malanga founded Le Vigne Di Raito in 2001. To appreciate the difficulties of working in a terraced vineyard, Patrizia planted all the vines, herself. She shuns the use of commercial fertilizers; the  vineyard is certified organic and the cellar follows natural techniques as native yeasts are used.  A perfectionist, Patrizia did not produce wine in 2014 because she determined that the fermented juice was not of high quality.  This is the smallest producer in the tasting with less than 5,000 bottles produced per year.

Monte di Grazia Rosso 2009, tintore (90%) and piedirosso (10%), Azienda Agricola Biologica Monte di Grazia, Tramonti, Salerno, Campania – this Amalfi Coat wine is produced from vines from 80 to 100 years old. The vines, as are the vines at Reale, survived the phylloxera plague of the late 1800’s. Dr. Alfonso Arpino, the owner of Monte di Grazia, first bottled wine in 2004. The vineyard has been in Dr. Arpino’s family since 1900. From 1954 to 2003 the winery produced “jug wine” for local consumption. Monte di Grazia is certified organic. Dr. Arpino practices natural pest control. Aa an example, he takes small cuttings of wood and places them at the base of the plants. Invasive pests become trapped at the “false” base of the plants.  Dr. Arpino uses chestnut wood for a pergola type structure and secures the plants with salice wood. Interestingly, Dr.Arpino ages the wine in a chestnut/cherry blend wood barrel. The winery produces about 10,000 bottles per year

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Milavuolo Aglianico 2009, aglianico, Azienda Agricola Vuolo, Rufoli/Giove,  Salerno, Campania – Mila Vuolo winery is located in both Rufoli and Giove, a frazioni of the city of Salerno. The winery is named after the owner. Mila’s father, a physician, purchased the site in 1980’s to be a “hideaway” working farm. When Mila’s father died nineteen years ago, Mila began to work at the farm. After a year or two of commuting from Rome she quit her telecommunication job and dedicated herself full-time at the farm. In addition to growing olives and apples, Mila decided to make wine for commercial purposes. As a certified organic producer her first few vintages were small; which is typical for organic producers as it is difficult to create yield without the use of non-natural interventions. Her grapes are hand-picked; no machinery. In 2003 Mila had her first production – a modest 2,000 bottles. The next two years’ vintages were about the same. By 2006 the yield increased to 4,000 bottles. In 2007 the yield was 5,000 bottles and in 2009 the yield was 7,000. Her current annual yield is about 12,000 bottles.

 

Station Three Vulture Potenza

Titolo 2013, aglianico, Azienda Agricola Elena Fucci, Barile, Potenza, Basilicata – Elena with her husband Andrea Manzani produce 18,000 bottles; all Titolo.  Elena’s grandfather Generoso purchased the vineyard in the late 1960s. At first the family made wine for local consumption. It was not until 2000 that  Elena produced the estate’s first vintage. In our first visit to Elena’s winery the cantina was a large garage, but a new modern cantina was in the process of being built. Last year we saw the completed new cantina. With the assistance of specialists in the construction of buildings that use minimal fossil fuel energy sources, Elena  vinifies and stores her wine in  building that optimizes the use of sunlight and special construction materials to create an eco-friendly environment . Titolo, an organic wine, is a perennial three glass award winner in the Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso.

 

 

Canneto 2006, aglianico, Casa Vinicola D’Angelo, Rionero in Vulture, Potenza, Basilicata – the brother/sister combination of Rocco and Erminia D’Angelo are the stewards of D’Angelo; the oldest independent winery in the Vulture wine area. Rocco’s and Erminia’s grandfather, also named Rocco, started the winery in 1930.  Rocco and Erminia assumed ownership of the winery after the death of their father Lucio.  Due to the lack of access to capital in the 1900’s, D’Angelo was one a few commercial producers from the remote Vulture area. As a result the D’Angelo family for years has been an ambassador of the Aglianico del Vulture wine region. A large producer with an annual production of 300,000 bottles,  they have the most diverse portfolio of wines in Vulture. Interestingly, D’Angelo uses cement tanks in the fermentation process for many of its wines. A practice that we observed last year followed by several natural producers of wine in the Ciro’ Marina, Calabria  wine area.

 

 

Station Four – Irpinia/Avellino

Vigne Cinque Querce 2007, aglianico, Azienda Vitivincola Salvatore Molettieri, Montemarano, Avellino, Campania – a Taurasi produced from vines that are 600m above seal level. The Molettieri family as most farmers in the Irpinia wine area for many years sold their grapes to the internationally acclaimed Mastroberardino winery . In 1983, Salvatore and his father broke their ties with the Mastoberardino family and set off on their own. At first, Salvatore produced wine for local consumption, After winning several awards for excellence, in 1988 Salvatore decided to bottle his wine. Molettieri wine became an international success. It is noted for its intense powerful expression of the aglianico grape. By separating from Mastroberardino, Salvatore Molettieri paved the way for many families in the Irpinia area to follow his lead and start producing their own wine. With his wife and four sons Salvatore produces on an annual basis between 65,000 to 70,000 bottles.

 

Antico Castello 2010 Riserva, aglianico, Societa’ Agricola Antico Castello s.a.s. di Romano Francesco e Chiara, San Mango sul Calore, Avellino, Campania – Francesco and Chiara have been charged with the responsibility of assuming the leadership of the family’s vineyards. With the assistance of their parents, the brother/sister combination produce their wines in a large modern cellar capable of vinifying more than their annual production of 40,000 bottles. Francesco and Chiara lease their excess capacity to other small local producers who do not have a cantina. As noted above in the narrative on Quantico, this practice of “sharing”  vinification space is common. Antico Castello also cultivates figs, cherries and chestnuts.  The winery, named after a castle destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1980, adheres to organic practices. The Romano family has been commercially producing wine for twelve years.

Station Five – Whites from Etna

Etna Bianco 2015, carricante (70%), cataratto (20%) and grillo (10%), Vini Quantico, Linguaglossa, Cantania, Sicily. See Station One for a description of Vini Quantico. This wine is made with indigenous grapes, a wine that features characteristics of Etna Bianco wines: minerality, citrus and herbal.

Ciuri di Lava 2016, grecanico, Cantine Valenti, Passipisciaro, Cantania, Sicily. See Station One for a description of Cantine Valenti. This wine is made without the addition of any sulfites; the same as Il Fric (see Apertivo section). The color of the wine is golden; almost orange; different for an Etna Bianco or for that matter an Italian white wine.

Enrico IV 2015, carricante, Cantine Valenti, Passipisciaro, Cantania,Sicily. See Station One for a description of Canine Valenti. Consistent with the Valenti family interests in the arts, Enrico IV is named after a novel by Luigi Pirandello.

Mofete 2015, carricante (70%), cataratto (25%),trebbiano (3%) and minnella (2%), Palmento Costanzo,Passipisciaro, Cantania, Sicliy. See Formal Tasting for a description of Palmento Costanza. Taste all the Etna Bianco and decide, if you can, which you prefer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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