[From Manu's Wine Notes, Oct. 13, 2011]

Most people who know and hang out with my staff and me are familiar with what we are up to; we travel around Europe and the US to track down and bring in unique wines from unique production areas. After my last scouting trip, I may have outdone myself. I was in Val D’Aosta, a tiny region, wedged between Italy and France, in the middle of the Alps just north of the city of Turin. I have been visiting this winery since last spring, finalizing our selection while marveling at the beauty of its wines and the mountains all around me. This time I was tasting with Andrea, the winemaker, and he handed me a glass of sparkling wine which I had just been admiring in the bottle because of its beautiful shade of pink. By now, you all know, that I never refuse to taste wines, especially sparkling wines (my July blog can attest to this). This wine was really well made, using classic method, from a single vineyard of Pinot Noir grapes which we had just been hiking. Andrea gave me the winemaker’s description but I will skip the technicality of it all, to get to WHERE the wine is made and WHERE this beauty is aged and matured: on the Matterhorn.  I could not believe it– the cellar for this beauty and for its little brother, a Charmat Method made with Chardonnay and Muscat, is underneath the historic alpine guides’ chalet, the base camp from which all the major climbs to the famous summit took place and still do.

So, out of all the cellars that I visit, this is one that I will need to physically train to reach. I’m planning on taking some of you with me, so you’d better get your hiking boots out and get in shape too. The wines will be coming soon to our market, until then we will have to be patient, like good mountain climbers.

Cin Cin,

Manu

 From Manu’s Blog on 8/22/11

Finally! Last week we got our wines from Sardinia, the first two that will represent this amazing region in our book. The scouting of this region has been quite complicated, it took us two years of trying, tasting and talking to finally be able add them to our portfolio.

Sardinia is the second largest island of Italy after Sicily. I could spend several pages of this blog to describe the unique feature of this land and its inhabitants (hence the difficulty getting the right wines), but my task is to relate the information on the wines and for this reason I recommend all of you readers, to just Google some of the names mentioned below, it is a treat for the eyes.

Our brand is called TERRE PALMAE, we actually went after two distinctive varietals and two distinctive areas of production for the grapes utilized. Our selected red wine is the CARIGNANO DEL SULCIS from a spectacular small island called Isola di S’Antioco just off the west coast of the main island, the vines are all pre-phylloxera, with their original root stock. Thanks to the distance from the main land of Europe, this area was saved from the ferocious pest and has vines that range in age from 30 to 70 years old. The wine has an elegant ruby red color with intense aroma of wild berries and Mediterranean herbs. This peculiar grape thrives near the coastline, rich in saltiness and mild climate.

The white wine is the VERMENTINO di SARDEGNA, from an area called Marmilla, perfect for the cultivation of the Vermentino grape. This is also a type of vine that prefers the saltiness of the coastal areas, being widely cultivated along the coastal regions of Liguria, Tuscany, and of course, Sardinia.

I like that we can now showcase Vermentino from the three main regions with their unique flavor profile and differences: the lightness and elegance of the Ligurian, the power and concentration of the Tuscan, and the strength and depth of the Sardinian.

I hope you will enjoy these two new additions to out family of wines.

Cin Cin,

Manu

Below is an excerpt from Manu’s new blog about his tasting experiences across Europe. Click through to visit his site and enter your email to be updated with all of his new posts!

Gavi di Gavi, Gavi di Massimo, Cortese di Manu

By now one thing is clear, my house drinking wines for the first week in Europe are the Cortese grape based wines. The Gavi di Gavi Ru`, the Gavi made by Massimo Lovisolo and our Tati Cortese  are the quintessential wines to pair to our summer meals. The 2010 vintage is an absolute delight, crispier than the 2009 with lovely nose and superb citrus notes that leave your mouth so fresh you just can’t stop drinking them. We had the Lovisolo Gavi with “Pasta alla Checca”using some of Oreste’s tomatoes and the freshest mozzarella (Oreste is the “Master of our Vineyards” that many of you have met), his tomatoes are poetic, it’s the only expression I can use to describe them.  Our local butcher prepares a deboned chicken drumstick that I made on the pan with olive oil, fresh rosemary and sage, the Gavi di Gavi RU` was perfect with the dish, and during the preparation of the meal our Tati Cortese 2010 was served as an aperitif with “prosciutto and melon”, the bottle disappearing rather quickly. Our guests were pleased, I hope you will be too.

Cin Cin!

Manu

PS: if you need the recipe for the “Pasta della Checca” just ask me.

It’s high springtime, the rain is on its way out, and we’re slowly beginning to see some of that welcome summertime heat. This can only mean one thing. Our newly bottled 2010 rosés are fresh off the boat and searching for your backyard, your porch, and your picnic table! These are fruity, quaffable wines that are indispensable at your next BBQ, versatile thirst-quenchers that can handle all kinds of food. Our first three arrivals are making their way to retailers and restaurants near you.

(From left to right)

2010 Marche Rosé di Giugno
Fabrini
Made of 100% Merlot, this wine is from a family estate that dates back to the mid-19th century. It’s a blast of cherries, red fruits and flowers.

2010 Rosado
Viña Collado
100% Garnacha from the Campo de Borja region in Spain, this Rosado is shows lots of strawberry and melon on the nose, and has a round, almost honeyed finish.

2010 Navarra Rosado
Marques de la Real Defensa
Also a Rosado from Garnacha, this wine shows much of the same fruity character as the Collado, although with a bit drier finish and slightly more structure.
Featured in the Washington Post!

We were delighted to find three of our wines favorably reviewed in Wine Spectator’s recent section on Northeast Italy.

Lis Neris- Pinot Grigio Isonzo del Friuli Gris 2007:  Big. Mineral, spice, dried almond and citrus. Full-bodied, with fennel and cooked apple, a hint of vanilla. Long and flavorful. 91

Lorenzo Begali- Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Monte Ca’ Bianca 2005: Medium-bodied and chewy, with plum and vanilla bean.  Fine tannins. 91

La Cappuccina- Soave San Brizio 2008: Complex with lively lime-and-lemon character and a hint of mineral. 90

Dave McIntyre was again pleased with one of our wines, though this one was from the other side of Europe. We have had the pleasure of working with Miguel and his son for about a year. Their stylish, old-vine Riojas have been a hit across the board.

Dave’s notes:

Miguel Merino Reserva 2001
** 1/2
Rioja, Spain, $30

Spice-box aromas of clove and nutmeg are interwoven with flavors of dried orange peel and dried cherries in this lovely, expressive, traditional-styled Rioja.

Siema Wines: On the list in the District at 1789, Proof. Available in Maryland at Montgomery County Liquor Stores; Urban Cellars and Wine Underground in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Balducci’s in McLean and Alexandria; Rick’s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria; Whole Foods Market in Arlington, Vienna and Springfield; Wine Cabinet in Reston; Kybecca in Fredericksburg; Wine Seller in Williamsburg; Grapes of Taste in Ladysmith.

Dave McIntyre, wine columnist for the Washington Post, selected the Bricco dei Tati Cortese as his top pick  in his column titled “Recession Busters.”  This is an indigenous grape to the Piemonte region of Italy which usually gets muscled out by the region’s Barolos, Barberescos, and other more famous varietals.

Dave says…

Bricco dei Tati Cortese, 2008

Piedmont, Italy $9.00

Great Value! Treat this terrific little white like a red: Don’t chill it too much, then let it open for a half-hour to develop its enticing tropical fruit flavors. It’s dry, but the fruit gives an appealing illusion of sweetness. Great as an aperitif or with light seafood dishes.

Available in the District at Windows Café & Market, all Whole Foods Market locations; available in Maryland at Finewine.com in Gaithersburg, Di Pasquale’s Marketplace in Baltimore, Mills Fine Wine and Spirits in Annapolis, available in Virginia at Cecile’s Wine Cellar in McLean, The Italian Store in Arlington, Rick’s Wine and Gourmet and Daily Planet in Alexandria, Wine Cabinet in Reston, all area Whole Foods Market locations.