Latest trends and news to toast the sunset with a glass of white that won’t make you regret the bubbles
by Monica Di Pillo
Summer favors meeting occasions, the desire to toast in the open air, to glasses raised with the lights of the sunset. But it also leads to experimentation, to taste some novelties, including a series of whites which, due to their organoleptic characteristics, their freshness and balanced acidity, are particularly suitable for an aperitif. Our journey to discover the whites that wink at happy hour starts from Trentino, with two proposals: a high altitude Chardonnay and a Gewürztraminer, both varieties with intense aromas, which are well suited to aperitifs and will be made soon to be loved also by perlage fans.
The choice for high mountain Chardonnay falls on ” Troy 2017 Chardonnay Riserva Alto Adige Doc “, the winery’s prestigious label
Tramin Kellerei, which in the South Tyrolean language means “path”, a choice that represents the long path of research and experimentation of this noble grape variety implemented by the winery, which has chosen to cultivate the vineyards even at the top. Its organoleptic characteristics are reminiscent of the decidedly mild April of 2017, which started the germination early. But in September the many rainy days
they acted as a counterbalance, guaranteeing a temperature excursion that favors acidity and freshness. After eleven months on the lees in barrique, the wine is decanted into steel containers for a further maturation on the lees for 22 months. The clarification of the must takes place through spontaneous precipitation, following which the wine matures for a further four months in the bottle. A process that guarantees the wine delicate floral and citrus scents, tropical fruits, chamomile and mint with a touch of almond and toasted hazelnut. In short, with a lot of elegance “Troy” shows off its typically alpine character and lends itself particularly to the aperitif with its notes of mango, banana and melon, embellished with a hint of hazelnut and supported by an incredible freshness and saline minerality that resists on the final.
Our journey to discover the whites to be tasted at sunset arrives in the Terlan winery, another gem of Alto Adige, which offers the “Traditional Gewürztraminer Alto Adige Doc ”, whose vine takes its name from the wine village of Termeno, in Bassa Atesina, and is a cornerstone of the assortment of white wines produced in South Tyrol. Thanks to its distinctly floral and fruity components, and above all to its intense aromas, this wine is enjoying many favors, is particularly suitable for happy hour and lately it is increasingly combined with Asian recipes. On the palate, the wine is the celebration of the harvest and the selection of manual grapes, subjected to delicate pressing. To characterize it is then a slow fermentation at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks, which ends with an aging for 6-7 months on the fine lees in steel barrels. Its bright and saturated straw yellow color stands out in the glass, which will shine with every toast, while its scent is made captivating by hints of lyxes and mangoes, but also honeysuckle and cloves. The bouquet is completed by notes of rose petals, which characterize this grape variety. Obviously the unmistakable aromatic structure of this wine also reappears on the palate, where the fresh fruity flavor and lively acidity, flanked by mineral notes, leave a round and persistent aftertaste.
The route continues descending and heading east, in the fascinating Venetian lagoon, where the lowest vineyard in Europe, if not in the world, is located, it is the cultivation of an ancient native vine: the Dorona, rediscovered by the Bisol family, who has bet on “Venissa Bianco”, which is born in vineyards located on the island of Mazzorbo, west of Burano, in the Venetian lagoon. This wine is made exclusively with Dorona grapes, a variety coming from Native Venice, today at risk of extinction, which the Bisol family is committed to recovering. The harvest takes place entirely by hand, at the beginning of September and then the must ferments, with 22 days maceration on the skins, in steel, at a controlled temperature of 16-17 ° C. Subsequently the wine is aged for 18 months in steel before being bottled. It is also particularly suitable for aperitifs, because the “Venissa Bianco” is characterized by a bright straw yellow color, which opens to the nose with an intense and complex bouquet, with hints of pear, apricot, plum, almond and spices, enriched from evident iodized notes fused with citrus. On the palate it is full and warm, with a pleasant minerality and softness, which invite you to drink and is perfect to accompany an aperitif with all varieties of seafood.
This article is also in Chinese! Browse the magazine n.5 19Youbao dedicated to Italian white wines.
Read the other articles by the food and wine journalist Monica Di Pillo in the “Wine tasting” category.
