April Wine For Your Reading Pleasure

I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Abruzzi Region

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider Abruzzi. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Abruzzi is located on the central eastern part of Italy on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The area is 2/3 mountains and 1/3 hills. Over time Abruzzi has belonged to the Romans, the Lombards, and the kingdom of Naples. While this area was once very poor, its income is now growing. Abruzzi and Molise were a single region from 1948 to 1965. Its population is 1.275 million.

Agricultural products include grapes, olives, wheat, sugar beets, tobacco, saffron, pigs, and sheep. The Adriatic Sea and inland lakes and streams provide a wide variety of fish and shellfish. If I remember correctly, the first time that I heard of this region was decades ago, when I learned that according to Craig Claiborne, at the time Food Editor of the New York Times, Italy?s best food was found in Abruzzi.

Abruzzi has no large cities. Its administrative center l?Aquila has a population of about 70 thousand. But big cities are hardly a requirement for good wine. Few would ever claim that Italy?s best wines come from Rome, or the surrounding area.

Abruzzi devotes about eighty two thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 10th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 110 million gallons, giving it a 5th place. About 90% of the wine production is red or ros? (not very much ros?), leaving 10% for white. The region produces 3 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 1 DOCG red wine, Montepulciano d?Abruzzo Colline Teramane. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. About 17% of Abruzzi wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. Abruzzi is home to about two dozen major and secondary grape varieties, a few more white and than red.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Trebbiano and Chardonnay. Sauvignon Blanc. The best known strictly Italian white variety is Trebbiano d?Abbruzzi, felt by some to be Bombino Bianco.
The best known Italian red variety is Montepulciano d?Abruzzo. The Montepulciano d?Abruzzo DOC is the most widely exported Italian DOC wine.

Before we reviewing the Abruzzi wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with local wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with a Pizza Rustica, Cinnamon-Scented Pie Stuffed with Proscuitto, Cheese, and Eggs.
Then move on to Polenta sulla Spianatora, Polenta (Cornbread) Topped with Sausage in Spicy Tomato Sauce.
For desert enjoy a Crostata di Ricotta, a Ricotta Tart.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Abruzzo Illuminati Montepulciano d?Abruzzo ?Riparosso? 2004 DOC 13% alcohol about $11.50

The marketing materials state that this wine has hints of an Amarone (a much more expensive wine) or a Ripasso ( a more expensive wine). There are raisings, currants, and tar on the nose whilst the taste profile is ripe, mellow fruit flavors of raspberry jam and ocha. It doesn?t contain a lot of acidity so drink it within a year. Pair it with pizza, burgers, or any meat dish that you tend to eat during the week.

This wine is said to complement pasta, red meats, and savory cheeses.

I found the Riparosso to be somewhat robust, with cherry and plum flavors. I didn?t have the feeling that I was drinking a regular Montepulciano d?Abruzzo, but instead almost a Ripasso, a wine that I prefer. This wine managed to feel full-bodied even with its light tannins. It balanced nicely the tanginess of barbecued eggplant loaded with garlic, and demonstrated notable spiciness when paired with a meat ball and vegetable stew. Its acidity was pleasant. I did not discern all the flavors listed above. For me the dominant flavor was black cherry. The final meat dish that accompanied this wine was a barbecued boneless rib steak with a spicy curry and cumin sauce. The wine seemed to pick up strength to accompany this meat, which by the way, we don?t eat on a regular basis during the week.

I tasted this wine with two related cheeses. Pecorino Toscano is a soft, nutty cheese. Interestingly enough, I found that the wine was no longer robust, it seemed to soften to accompany this mild cheese. In the presence of a Pecorino Fiore Sardo, a balsamic sheep?s milk cheese with a stronger flavor and coarser consistency than its Tuscan cousin, the wine almost magically picked up flavor to meet the challenge.

Final verdict, as you can tell this wine is a definite keeper.

Extra note. Several months ago on a whim I bought a $6 bottle of Montepulciano d?Abruzzo. Given the realities of the marketplace, I really doubt that any producer can come up with a decent bottle at that price. At first the wine was terribly acidic. I held out, finished the bottle and the last glass was almost OK. Yes, there are bargains, such as this Riparosso, but few in the $6 range.

Short Review on April Wine

I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Abruzzi Region


If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider Abruzzi. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine ...


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April Wine Items For Viewing

The FTD Harvest Blooms Bouquet - Premium


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April Wine in the news for November 2007

'Sonata' is early taste of La Musica (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:36:41 GMT
Although La Musica's annual festival is not until next spring, its fans and patrons are ready to kick off the season with a relaxed evening of wine, dinner and music this week.

HOROSCOPE (San Francisco Chronicle)

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:31:40 GMT
ARIES (March 20-April 18): You’ve had all you can take of people’s problems and are ready for a change of scene. Run, don’t walk! TAURUS (April 19-May 19): Looking to expand your holiday entertaining repertory? Attend a wine tasting or enroll in a cooking...

San Diego Padres Ballpark/Petco Park (BusinessWeek)

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:49:33 GMT
San Diego Padres Ballpark/Petco Park

Fine Wine

Labels: Wine Price

Fruit Wines and Fruit Winemaking ? Part 2 of 2


I hope that this summer was a pleasant one for you and a productive fruit wine season. Here in Western New York the availability of summer tree fruits like apricots and peaches is winding down. For berries, cultivated blackberries and blueberries are still available, and locally grown blueberries will be available until the first frost. This year I managed to get strawberries, mulberries and blueberries for winemaking.



There is a terrific website that can aid you in locating pick-your-own farms across the country, and even in other parts of the world along with fruit availability and picking tips. Go to www.pickyourown.org. There is even a section of unusual fruit, their characteristics and availability. This resource is updated daily, and I?ve found U-pick places locally that I never knew existed. So, if this year was a wash because you weren?t quite sure where to pick, you can plan for next year.



I took a bronze for my 2005 semi-dry blueberry in the 2006 Western New York Home Wine Competition at The Niagara County Fair on August 6th. My sincerest gratitude goes out to my fianc?e Patty Gniazdowski and my future mother-in-law Donna Hanel for the perennial help they offer me with harvesting, cleaning and crushing fruit. They are my right arm and make the whole experience more of a family outing. Kudos also goes out to Tom Chiappone of Chiappone Cellars Winery of Newfane, New York for hosting the event at his winery. If you visit his winery, try the Traminette, its awesome!



The recipe for this wine was a very basic one that I had found several years ago on Jack Keller?s Winemaking Homepage winemaking.jackkeller.net, a resource every home winemaker should utilize. I picked the berries at Childs Blueberry Farm in Humphrey, New York just south of Franklinville. Good wine always begin in the vineyard, orchard and field. The Childs family offers a superior product and this is attributed to their philosophy and methodology in cultivating blueberries. I encourage you to check out their web address, www.childsblueberries.com and visit their farm.



Below is the anaerobic fermentation presented in graphical form. A prototypal BubbleFlo was used with non-prototypal airlocks. After the wine finished the primary fermentation and was put in carboys, the degradation of the secondary fermentation by number of CO2 discharges per hour was closely monitored. I used Lalvin 71B-1122 (Narbonne) to ferment the wine.



As with any winemaking sanitation is the first concern. When underway, temperature control plays a large role in the quality outcome of the wine. This wine was fermented in a temperature range of 730 to 740 Fahrenheit, a temperature range many would say is a bit high for anaerobic. I won?t argue with that, but more importantly most winemakers have found that maintaining a consistency in fermentation temperature leads to a better outcome. Blueberry wine is usually a long fermenting wine regardless of the type of yeast used to do it. This one logged 863 hours (nearly six weeks) in anaerobic. It was the long, seemingly unending fermentation of blueberry wine that inspired the concept of the BubbleFlo.



We are heading for the grape harvest and locally the weather last April dealt a harsh blow to Western New York wine grape producers. A late spring freeze last April devastated wine grape crops locally. Last May the Amherst Times reported the losses in the affected counties.



Below are the estimated crop value losses for each affected county:



Estimate of -

County Total Acreage Affected Acreage Estimated Loss

Chautauqua 17,877 5,000 $7,000,000

Cattaraugus 517 414 $496,800

Erie 1,661 1,293 $1,552,000

Niagara 901 90 $108,000



Estimated crop value losses $9,156,800



Not to end on a sour note but, if you source your juice locally you may want to contact your supplier and find out if they were affected by the freeze and if it will impact your winemaking plans for this year.





Andre Pazik, Executive Vice President & CTO, is a former teacher with a passion for fine food and wine. During his successful careers in criminal justice and education, Andre?s interest in winemaking continue to grow. His experiments in monitoring fermentation led to the invention of the BubbleFlo? system.

Thoughts about April Wine

Making Red, Rose And Sparkling Wines


As touched upon in the preceding article, ?Making White Wine, a Labour of Love? making wine is a very time consuming and difficult job. Timing must be...


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Recommended April Wine Items

Personalized Chateau Rug - "S" Initial


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April Wine in the news on Wine Journal, Jordan Wine,Wine Definitions,Grape Varieties,Wine Making for November 2007

Top 20 Events in SouthEast USA - April 2008 - TravelVideo.tv (press release)

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:55:14 GMT

Top 20 Events in SouthEast USA - April 2008 TravelVideo.tv (press release) - Nov 28, 2007 The North Carolina Wine Celebration. Tasty event brings together 37 wineries in a unique, urban setting to promote NC vineyards. Bistro dining; chef-owned ...

A little hot at the Red Cross - Norman Transcript

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:29:49 GMT

A little hot at the Red Cross Norman Transcript, OK - 8 hours ago The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published research Tuesday showing that women who drink moderate amounts of wine have healthier blood vessels. ...

Charles Shaw
Wine Racks
Carlee Wines
Tags: Glass Bottles | Goat Cheese

Labels: Wine Type, Wine Types