There are places, whose lands, well delimited by the rules of nature, pushed by their background, give life to products of which wine, today more than ever, is the absolute protagonist: terroir.
This term, whose meaning is getting richer and richer, does not directly refer to the climatic connotations insisting on certain parts of the territory or the type of land where the vineyard is located. It involves, rather, the human aspect meant as history, culture, and tradition.
Here is a fascinating and agile guide that touches our peninsula in every cardinal point, suggested by Andrea Frizzarin, well-known Food and Beverage Manager, an expert in territory and eco gastronomy.
LIGURIA
This breathtaking strip of land enclosed between the Apennines and the sea, dotted by mountains and hills, offers a great variety of flavors while keeping traditions in wine. When talking about Liguria, it is necessary to pay attention to Rosato ‘Mea Rosa’ of Lunae winery. It is a rose wine produced with Vermentino Nero grapes, a grape that is almost forgotten and is vinified as rose wine.
The color is the result of the cold maceration for about four hours. The city of Luni, the last strip of land before Tuscany, is still wrapped by its history. In ancient times has been important for different cultures. They find expression, in our days, through the presence of native varieties typically territorial.
TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE – LAKE LEVICO
Lake Levico is for those who love spending time in a pleasant and mysterious atmosphere at the same time, a turquoise pearl located in Trentino Alto Adige. It is enough to hear the region’s name to have the products’ guarantee. The sparkling wine TrentoDoc is the pride of these areas. Only Trentino grapes are used, and they are pampered through a harvest by hand followed by the winery’s process, handed down from generation to generation. The wine worthy of note for its particular aging is Cantina Romanese’s Lagorai TrentoDoc Riserva. Every single bottle is aged for almost two years in the depths of Lake Levico. Here it acquires a very particular aroma.
UMBRIA – LAKE CORBARA
From a lake to another, we meet a place that requires a careful observer to immerse ourselves in a location that seems to have no time, such as the magnificent Umbria. In recent decades has had a considerable development that has led it to be a true oasis of cultural interests and not only. The protagonist of this evolution was also the Lake of Corbara. The River Tiber’s waters are thrown, softened by a series of environmental transformations: a beautiful ecosystem, with protected areas such as the Tiber River Park. The daughter of this land is the Barberini winery and its vines that dominate the Lake. Here the harvest has a slow rhythm. It is said that here wine is an uncompromising identity. The symbolic wine, for its name and history, is the Orvieto Classico Superiore Luigi e Giovanna 2012. It has an intense golden color with strong fruity scents.
PUGLIA – BETWEEN BARI AND TARANTO
Every place in this region is a real paradise. Puglia is among the most desired of our beautiful country. Valle d’Itria, between Bari, Brindisi, and Taranto, is a focal point where it is possible to see the various clothes in this region can wear. Right here, wine lovers meet La Verdeca, a grape variety that owes its name to the greenish color of its berries; its wines offer an olfactory range from flowers to citrus fruits and exotic fruits such as pineapple. Among the most renowned ones, there is Curtirussi Verdeca of Mocavero winery, great exporters of this wine jewel having a fresh and light taste.
CALABRIA – IONIC COAST
“L’amuri è come l’acqua: in calata va, in chianata no”: love is like water: it goes downhill but not uphill. We often use proverbs to give an idea of the popular culture of a land. That explains humanity and historical traditions. Calabria and wine are an assured match, especially if we consider the excellence of one of the most important grapes of the region: Gaglioppo, an autochthonous black berried grape mainly spread in the coastal areas, it is the most common variety in Calabria, and we find it in all red wines, the most significant of which is Cirò red. The Calabrian climate and the peculiarity of the arid soil represent the necessary conditions for this wine. It has an early maturation and high resistance.
The love for this land gave birth to Cantina Ceraudo, which welcomes those who cross the threshold of Contrada Dattilo with the inscription <<Happy is the one who makes others happy>>. It is a sentence that goes beyond the passion for wine and binds everyone to reflect on something that is not only drunk but lived.
Chef in Town- a food and beverage column curated by
Intl Editor Francesca Romana Riggio
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