I found myself drinking more Italian wine during the last Christmas break. Here are the four most interesting wines I drank: a Riesling from Oltrepò Pavese, a Piedirosso from Campania, a Nero di Troia from Puglia and a sweet Bianco di Greco from Calabria. My New Year’s gift to my readers dotted with juicy tasting notes!
As an Italian wine lover living in the UK, I often take advantage of my extended Christmas holiday in Italy to buy local Italian bottles that I struggle to find in England. I uncork some of those beauties during the festive meals I have with my family. The other bottles I carefully transport in my luggage for my return to the UK.
During the last Christmas break, we happened to drink more Italian wine than usual. Normally I alternate Italian bottles with vinous specimens from other countries – for the most part, France (especially Burgundy, Bordeaux and Alsace), Spain (Sherry, Rioja), USA or South America. But this time it was different. Perhaps with age, I’m becoming more homesick, or it may have just been a coincidence. In any event, this time, when I found myself back in Puglia (my region of origin) I focused solely on Italian wines.
Where the choice was to drink Italian, I wanted to try something off the beaten track. Namely, not the usual Tuscany/Piedmont/Veneto labels that populate England’s wine shop shelves. After a mix of careful investigation and fortunate discoveries, I ended up with a few glorious wine bottles. Four wines made the cut and impressed me so much that my festive apathy briefly parted. I was compelled to write about the four luscious wines listed below:
- 2019 “Gli Orti” Riesling Oltrepò Pavese by Frecciarossa
- 2016 Vigna delle Volpi Piedirosso Campi Flegrei by Agnanum
- 2017 “Le Cruste” Nero di Troia Puglia IGT by Alberto Longo
- 2013 Greco di Bianco Passito by Mariolina Baccellieri
2019 “Gli Orti” Riesling Oltrepò Pavese by Frecciarossa
In Italy I’ve had great Riesling from the northern regions of Trentino Alto-Adige and Piedmont. It is rare to find interesting Rieslings from elsewhere in the boot-shaped peninsula. Therefore, it was a true delight to discover “Gli Orti” Riesling by Frecciarossa winery, a dry white wine coming from the Oltrepò Pavese region.
The Oltrepò Pavese wine district (I wrote about this wine region also here) is located in Lombardia, just south of Milan and – as you might have guessed – around the town of Pavia. The DOC borders Emilia-Romagna on the south and Piemonte on the west in North Italy. Oltrepò Pavese DOC is renowned for a wide array of treasures: sparkling wines made with the Metodo Classico (Champagne method), reds made from Pinot Noir, Croatina, Barbera and Vespolina (the last three made in a monovarietal fashion or blended), sweet wines dramatically called “Sangue di Giuda” (literally “Judas’s Blood”), white wines from Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Riesling.
I purchased the 2019 “Gli Orti” Riesling from a local Italian wine shop with the warning that it was “still too young”. While I salute the honesty of the seller, I can also confirm the wine’s young age was not detrimental to its lovely qualities. In a way “Gli Orti” reminded me of some of the nicest dry German Rieslings – perhaps something stylistically in between Mosel and Rheingau. Like its German counterparts, “Gli Orti” has plenty of fruit and flowery notes to savour while a laser-like high acidity does its job to clean your palate sip after sip.
Frecciarossa - "Gli Orti" Riesling Oltrepò Pavese, 2019
Frecciarossa’s history dates back to 1919 when Mario Odero, the current owner’s great-grandfather, came back from WWI and purchased a 19th century mansion amongst the rolling hills of Oltrepò Pavese. The mansion sat on top of a hill called “Frecciarossa” (which means “red arrow” in Italian), named after the soil’s colour which was rich in red clay. Mario Odero studied wine in Burgundy and Champagne, bringing French fine-wine principles to Italy and the start of one of the longest established wineries in the Oltrepò Pavese region. In 2011, Valeria Radici Odero took the reins of the Frecciarossa estate.
For “Gli Orti”, the Riesling grapes are sourced from the foothills around the town of Casteggio. After a delicate pressing, the grapes are aged for 12 months in stainless-steel vats before spending an additional 4 months in bottle before release.
In the glass, the wine is a brilliant transparent yellow. The colour is interspersed with glimpses of gold.
On the nose, it has a medium+ intensity of flavours. Fruity notes of juicy citrus, white nectarine and yellow plums alternate with flowery undertones (jasmine, lemon blossoms, acacia), with an underbrush of ginger and flint pebbles.
On the palate, the attack is fruity and consistent with the flavours detected on the nose. A lovely flinty minerality is evident in the mid-palate, along with whiffs of white flowers and suggestions of dill and baking powder. The wine is medium in body, with a crystalline high acidity that perfectly counterpoints the fleshy fruity aromas. The finish is medium to long. Balanced and harmonious, this wine is very versatile when it comes to food pairing.
2016 Vigna delle Volpi Piedirosso Campi Flegrei by Agnanum
In the Campania region of South Italy, Piedirosso is the trusted blending companion to the more fierceful Aglianico grape in many a red wine. Although less common in its monovarietal form, 100% Piedirosso wines can be found in a number of Campania’s DOCs: Taburno, Campi Flegrei, Sannio, Falerno del Massico, Capri, Amalfi, Ischia.
Piedirosso is an ancient grape variety that was widely planted in Campania before the phylloxera plague, after which it suffered a decline in popularity. Now it seems the Piedirosso grape is having a comeback, leading to an ever increasing number of wineries producing varietal wines from this grape.
For “Vigna delle Volpi”, grapes are sourced from the Campi Flegrei, a wine district located to the north and west of Naples. The volcanic nature of the area is evident in this Piedirosso, exuding graphite-like aromas and a characteristic black stone minerality.
Agnanum - Vigna delle Volpi Piedirosso Campi Flegrei, 2016
The Agnanum winery was founded in 1960 by Gennaro Moccia. It’s located within the Astroni Nature Reserve in Agnano, in the heart of the Campi Flegrei district. Agnanum is the ancient name of Agnano. The Moccia family pride themselves on their traditional methods, ranging from manual harvesting, meticulous selection of the grapes and care in handling the wine in its journey from vine to glass.
“Vigna delle Volpi” literally means “foxes’ vineyard”. This plot of land is the highest part of the Moccia’s holdings. Within the vine rows, the foxes that inhabit the natural reserve are routinely spotted feeding upon the ripe Piedirosso grape clusters – hence the vineyard’s name. After fermentation, the wine rests in small oak barrels for around 8 months before release.
In the glass, the wine has a ruby hue, starting to veer towards garnet. Medium intensity of colour.
On the nose, this “Vigna delle Volpi” features a pronounced intensity of flavours. The dense fruity attack is thrilling with notes of juicy black plums and damson intertwining with violet and brushwood. Underneath the glorious black fruit notes are suggestions of earth, juniper and myrtle with touches of toast and oriental spices. All wrapped by a lovely graphite minerality. Very aromatic and perfumed.
On the palate, the wine is medium to full in body, with a velvety mouthfeel and fine (medium+) tannins. The fruity attack (black plums, red and black cherry) gives way to a fragrant mid-palate, with hints of laurel, dried oregano, autumn leaves, dried tea, toast and the omnipresent graphite minerality that lingers to the end. The herbal component is more evident on the palate. Medium to long finish.
This lovely wine combines dense fruit flavours with a slender structure. Its lovely texture and svelte acidity preserve the wine’s overarching finesse.
2017 “Le Cruste” Nero di Troia Puglia IGT by Alberto Longo
Red wines from Puglia are generally associated with jammy (and often unnecessarily off-dry) Primitivo and juicy – sometimes equally overripe – Negroamaro.
Alas, these are the kind of red wines which are more likely to be exported abroad. However, if you look carefully, you can find a more diverse vinous scene and an array of lesser-known black-skinned varieties: Susumaniello, Malvasia Nera, Aleatico, Ottavaniello, Nero di Troia.
Looking for something which combines concentrated flavours and elegance, I headed towards Nero di Troia, as its better examples are capable of both.
Nero di Troia (also known as Uva di Troia) is the third most planted black variety in the Puglia region of South Italy. While Primitivo and Negroamaro grapes dominate the southern part of Puglia, Nero di Troia is most widely present in its Northernmost part, especially around the towns of Andria, Barletta and Foggia.
In careful hands, Nero di Troia wines are capable of combining structure and elegance, with refined tannins that are less intrusive than those of most Southern Italy reds.
“Le Cruste” by Alberto Longo is a formidable example of what the best Nero di Troia can be when its potential is fully realised. I had read great things about this wine, but I didn’t want to be too hyped before trying it. However, I was impressed when I sipped “Le Cruste”. This wine exceeded my expectations and made me realise that my region is capable not only of producing powerhouse wines, but also elegant ones – if you are patient enough to seek them.
Alberto Longo - Le Cruste Nero di Troia, 2017
Alberto Longo’s family have been growing vines and olive oil (two staples of traditional Pugliese farming) since the 1960s. In 2000, Alberto Longo started to commercially sell wine. His vineyards lie in the countryside of San Severo and Pietramontecorvino, in the northern part of Puglia near Foggia.
To craft his elegant “Le Cruste”, the Nero di Troia grapes are softly pressed and subject to careful fermentation. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels for 9 to 10 months before resting for an additional 12 months in bottle before release.
The wine has a perfect ruby hue in the glass. The colour is of medium+ intensity.
On the nose, it commands a medium+ to pronounced intensity of flavours. It’s still very youthful and the red fruit component dominates the attack. The aromas of black plums and black cherry are ripe and juicy, but at the same time preserving a natural slenderness and elegance – two words that characterise this wine as a whole. The black fruit notes dance with balsamic and herbal suggestions of crushed bay leaves, mediterranean shrubs, violet and old bark.
On the palate, the wine is medium+ in body. It is rich and textured but also precise and refined. The tannins (medium+ quantitatively) are fine-knitted and beautifully resolved. Pronounced intensity of flavours, with a medium to long classy finish. Great medium+ acidity, perfectly balancing the focused fruity flavours. From start to finish, everything is in harmony and there is a finesse to this wine. Great fruit flavours with a lovely integration of herbal spiciness, flowery undertones and secondary flavours.
2013 Greco di Bianco Passito by Mariolina Baccellieri
Outside Italy, it is difficult to find wines from the southern region of Calabria region other than the occasional Ciro’ reds. For wine lovers such scarcity is a real shame.
Probably one of the most interesting wine denominations from Calabria is the Greco di Bianco DOC. Its sweet dessert wines are made from the Greco Bianco white-skinned variety using the “passito” method (where the grapes are air-dried before fermentation to concentrate flavours and sugars – as I explained in Everything you need to know about Sweet Wines).
The “Greco di Bianco” name can be confusing since the “Bianco” in its denomination refers to neither grape colour, nor to the grape variety used (Greco Bianco). To add even further complexity, Greco Bianco is also different from the Greco grape used in Campania (for example in the Greco di Tufo white wines). The “Bianco” in the “Greco di Bianco” appellation actually refers to the Bianco town, a popular tourist hamlet in Calabria’s Ionian coast which is located in the southernmost tip of the region.
Mariolina Baccellieri - Greco di Bianco Passito, 2013
The Baccellieri estate’s history dates back to the 18th century. Today, Mariolina Baccellieri is the first woman to lead the winery and continue a winemaking tradition which in this region (Calabria) has been carried out for millennia.
The Baccellieri family produces citrus fruit, wheat, oil – but they specialise in wine using local (and sometimes nearly-extinct) grape varieties such as Greco Bianco, Guardavalle, Pedelongo, Mantonico Bianco, Nerello Calabrese and Gaglioppo. The Baccellieri believe (and I agree!) that wines produced from these grapes are the best way to tell a story about their unique land.
To produce their Greco di Bianco, the grapes are air-dried under the sun for around 10 days. After a soft pressing and fermentation, the wine is aged for 24 months in stainless steel vats and then in French oak tonneaux for 18 months before release.
In the glass, this wine has a beautiful copper/amber hue. The colour is of medium intensity.
On the nose, it exudes pronounced intensity of flavours. A wide array of aromatic notes alternate including candied citrus, dried apricot, sultana, dried dates and burnt brown sugar. There is a flowery counterpart which is splendid with notes of orange blossoms, jasmine and honeysuckle. Intense dried fruit notes seem to dance with flowery and delicately smoky sensations.
On the palate, this wine is full in body and very intense in flavours. It’s sweet, but not cloying – thanks to a lovely supporting high acidity. The mesmerising aromas perceived on the nose are all there to be enjoyed on the palate too. Candied fruit in the attack, butterscotch and honey in the mid-palate closing harmoniously in a toasty and long aromatic finish. This outstanding dessert wine will perfectly match most Christmas treats. We paired it with a lovely Panettone, and it was a match made in heaven!
That being said… Happy New Year!
The beginning of a new year is traditionally a time of reflection upon what we achieved in the year that just passed and our hopes for the year to come. For my first post of the year, on Wine and Other Stories I adopted a more down-to-earth approach. Distancing myself from grand treatises, I limited myself to sharing the most interesting wine bottles I savoured with my loved ones during the last festive winter break. I hope you enjoyed my article and I wish you all a Happy New Year!