Friday, December 7, 2012

Italy’s Top Wines and Wine Makers – The 2013 Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Riccardo Ricci Curbastro from Ricci Curbastro, Franciacorta, in Washington DC, USA

See also:

The Up and Coming Premium Sparklers of Franciacorta (#EWBC), Italy 

The best Italian wine guide is Gambero Rosso’s Vini d’Italia. The top winemakers and the top wines of Italy are awarded glasses, from 1 glass to 3 glasses - Tre Bicchieri.

This is the 26th edition of Vini d’Italia, which was first published in late 1987 in newsletter format with reviews of a limited number of wines. It has grown in size and coverage each year since then. The latest edition is over 1,000 pages.

The Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia 2013 was issued in November 2012. The German and English versions are scheduled to be released in February 2012.

See here for previous years:

Italy’s Top Wines and Wine Makers – The 2012 Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia

Italy's Top Wines - 2011 Gambero Rosso's Vini d'Italia Wine Guide

Italian Wine

Italy is home of some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Etruscans and Greek settlers produced wine in the country long before the Romans started developing their own vineyards. Two thousand years later, Italy is world leader in wine, accounting for about 20% of world wine production. Italians also lead the world in wine consumption by volume, 59 liters per capita, compared with 8 liters per capita in the US. Wine is grown in almost every region of the country.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Barone Francesco Ricasoli in Gaiole, northeast of Siena, at Castello di Brolio

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Visiting Barone Francesco Ricasoli and his Castello di Brolio in Chianti Classico, Italy

The Classification System

Italy's classification system has 4 groups of wine. The 4 classes are:

(1) Vino da Tavola (VDT): A very basic wine, made for local consumption; the bottle label does not indicate the region or grape variety. This is the wine you typically get served in a Pizzeria or Trattoria in Italy, when you ask for the “house wine”. Simple, cheap and decent. Sitting late in the evening at a Piazza in Italy and eating Pizza with a Vino da Tavola, served in a 1 liter jug, is just great.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Pio Boffa of Pio Cesare in Washington DC

See also:

Pio Boffa and the Wines of Pio Cesare, Piedmont, Italy

(2) Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT): Wines that are considered to be of higher quality than simple table wines, but which do not conform to DOC and DOCG regulations. Sometimes, these are premium wines of winemakers who dropped the DOC/DOCG designation and instead carry the broader IGT designation, allowing them to try to improve quality by using nontraditional grapes, blends, viticultural practices or vinification techniques that are not allowed under the DOC and DOCG standards. A typical IGT wine is the so-called Super Tuscan.

(3) Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC). Soave is currently the largest DOC appellation in Italy, with 15,500 acres of vines.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Marco Pallanti, Owner/Winemaker at Castello di Ama, Chianti Classico in Italy

See also:

Extraordinary Art and Wines at Castello di Ama in Chianti Classico, Italy

(4) Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). DOCG wines are a tick higher in terms of quality requirements than DOC wines (maximum yield for example), which is the highest category in Italy's wine-classification system. About 13,000 acres of vine of the 15,500 acres of the DOC appellation also qualify for DOCG. Presently, there are about 120 IGT zones, 310 DOC and 30 DOCG appellations.

Wine Regions

There is wine everywhere in Italy, from the Alps in the North to Sicilia in the South, clustered into 20 wine regions, which correspond to the 20 administrative regions. The about 30 DOCG wines are located in 13 different administrative regions but most of them are concentrated in Piedmont and Tuscany.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Giovanni Folonari from Ambrogio e Giovanni Folonari Tenute

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Kobrand’s Impressive Tour d'Italia 2011 in Washington DC, USA

The Piedmont area of northwestern Italy is further divided into the two popular regions of Barbaresco and Barolo. The predominant grape there is the Nebbiolo. Northeastern Italy has the Veneto area. Soave and Valpolicella are two important regions that produce many local varieties.

The large area in central Italy is Tuscany and is known for Chianti. The Sangiovese is the predominant red grape in Tuscany. The Chianti area of Tuscany is a large geographic area that is divided into eight zones. Each zone has a Chianti DOCG that regulates the Chianti made in that zone.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Emanuela Strucchi Prinetti (Owner) at Badia a Coltibuono in Italy

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Wining and Dining at Badia a Coltibuono in Tuscany with Wine Makers and Owners Roberto and Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti, Italy

In Italy’s South are Puglia and the island of Sicily. The Negroamaro grape is widely grown in this area.

Italy’s Grapes

There are several hundreds of indigenous grapes in Italy. The following is a list of the most common and important ones.

Rosso

Sangiovese - Italy's claim to fame, the pride of Tuscany. It produces Chianti, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino.

Nebbiolo - The most noble of Italy's varietals. Nebbiolo is difficult to master, but produces the renowned Barolo and Barbaresco.

Christian G.E. Schiller with Maurizio Zanella, Owner/Winemaker, Ca' del Bosco, in Brescia, Italy

See also:

Blogging, Wining and Dining at the European Wine Bloggers Conference (#EWBC) October 2011 in Brescia, Italy – A Tour D’ Horizont

Montepulciano - The grape of this name is not to be confused with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano; it is most widely planted on the opposite coast in Abruzzo. Its wines develop silky plum-like fruit, friendly acidity, and light tannin.

Barbera - The most widely grown red wine grape of Piedmont and Southern Lombardy, most famously around the towns of Asti and Alba, and Pavia. Barbera wines were once considered as the lighter versions of Barolos. But this has changed. They are now sometimes aged in French barrique, intended for the international market.

Picture: Dinner at Dario Cecchini's Solo Cicca restaurant in Panzano in the Chianti Classico Region

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Dining and Wining where the Royals Eat: Dario Cecchini’s Solo Cicca Restaurant in Panzano – the Butcher of Chianti Classico

Corvina - Along with the varietals Rondinella and Molinara, this is the principal grape which makes the famous wines of the Veneto: Valpolicella and Amarone.

Nero d'Avola - Nearly unheard of in the international market until recent years, this native varietal of Sicily is gaining attention for its plummy fruit and sweet tannins. The quality of Nero d'Avola has surged in recent years.

Dolcetto - A grape that grows alongside Barbera and Nebbiolo in Piedmont; a wine for everyday drinking.

Bianco

Trebbiano - Behind Cataratto (which is made for industrial jug wine), this is the most widely planted white varietal in Italy. It is grown throughout the country, with a special focus on the wines from Abruzzo and from Lazio, including Frascati. Mostly easy drinking wines.

Moscato - Grown mainly in Piedmont, it is mainly used in the slightly-sparkling (frizzante), semi-sweet Moscato d'Asti.

Christian G.E. Schiller at il Mosnel with Lucia Barzano from il Mosnel, Franciacorta, Italy

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The Premium Sparklers of il Mosnel, Franciacorta, Italy

Pinot Grigio - A hugely successful commercial grape, known as Pinot Gris in France and Grauburgunder in Germany. Produces crisp and clean wines. Typically mass-produced wine in Italy.

Arneis - A crisp and floral varietal from Piedmont, which has been grown there since the 15th century.

Christian G.E. Schiller at il Mosnel with Chef Stefano Cerveni from due colombe, Franciacorta, Italy

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The 1 Star Michelin Food of Chef Stefano Cerveni from the due colombe Ristorante and the Premium Sparklers of il Mosnel, Franciacorta - Wining and Dining at il Mosnel, Italy

Garganega - The main grape varietal for wines labeled Soave, this is a crisp, dry white wine from the Veneto wine region.

The 2013 Gambero Rosso Tre Bichieri Wines

This year, 399 wines got the top award of Tre Bichieri. This compares with 375 wines in the 2012 guide. 47 wines have received the Tre Bicchieri for the first time. 93 wines received the Tre Bicchieri Verdi for being a top “green” wine.

The 2013 Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia Awards

Best red wine of the year is the Bolgheri Sassicaia 2009 (Tenuta San Guido).

Best white wine is the Collio Friulano Sauvignon Zuc di Volpe 2011 (Volpe Pasini)

Best sparkling wine is the Trento Aquila Reale Riserva 2005 (Cesarini Sforza)

Best sweet wine is the Valle d‘ Aosta Chambave Muscat Flétri 2010 (La Vrille)

Best winery of the year is Sella and Mosca from Alghero (Sardinia).

The title “best value for money” went to family Cantele from Apulia
for their Salice Salentino Rosso Riserva 2009.

The title “winemaker of the year” went to southern Italy – to Nicodemo Librandi from Cirò Marina (Calabria).

The award “up and coming winemaker” of the year went to family Terenzi from Scansano (Tuscany)

Cantina Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio from Marsciano (Umbria) received the award for sustainable wine production.

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2 comments:

  1. As Etruscans and Greeks started wine production long before 1000 B.C., it's three thousand years, not two thousand

    ReplyDelete