Day Five: Colle Ciocco, Antonelli, Belvagna and The Legend Of The Unsalted Bread!
"Adventures In Wine Country" Co-Hosted by Chuck Byers and Greg Rist is a new series airing April 2010 on CHEX Television Channel 12 Durham and Greater Toronto Area.
Greeted By Native American Grape Vines
The intricately designed and attractive Colle Ciocco winery was next on our list to visit. I in particular was not ready for what I found. A large group of vines blanketed a Trellis and the grapes seemed rather large for the Sagrantino, Sangiovese or Merlot varieties so I picked one and tasted. To my utter surprise I tasted 'Welch's Grape Juice" which is the wild taste of native American Labrusca Varieties. I called Christina over and said "These are Labrusca grapes! How did they get here!"
"Oh no!", she said, "These are what we call Strawberry Grapes and we use them to eat. I just love them, but they are not Lambrusca."
"Oh no! Not Lambrusca but Labrusca---a native American grape!" I retorted.
She went off to ask and was told that they were indeed from the states but they did not know much more. But they were not Lambrusca----I decided to keep my mouth shut.
Some time later, I heard a large discussion with loud voices coming from the winery office. Christina came running out to me and I thought something was wrong.
"It is Vina Labrusca!" she uttered in pleasant surprise and followed it with "Bravo".I felt like the proverbial child who had just been patted on the head by his teacher!
Keeping in mind that we had just finished breakfast and were shortly to go to another winery and have lunch, it was a surprise when a "small" snack was prepared for us to have with our wine.
Making Passito, Drying Grapes, Olive Groves and Post Breakfast Pre-Lunch Snack.
The winery is truly a lovely place. From the terrace there is an amazing panoramic view of the vineyards and surrounding land. Upstairs there is a special area for drying Sagrantino grapes over racks for Passito wine. A fan helps draw the the air and keeps it fresh while it helps to dry the grapes. The grapes are kept in impeccable shape because of the cleanliness and dryness thus no mould develops. They are later pressed and fermented into Passito wine.
Olive groves with trees in some cases over 600 years old litter produce some of the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the world. The trees are kept short in order to make it easier to pick. It probably also keeps them quite healthy. In 1956 and again in 1985-86, frost killed many of the olive trees with only the older ones surviving.
We were also treated to a "Snack" to have with the wine. We had already had breakfast but---!
The meal was a mixture of cheese, prosciutto, salami and bread. Plus some rather sweet desserts. The wine that we had with them actually went quite well.
Wines Tasted
Clarignano Umbria Bianco: This white wine is 50% Viognier, 40% Grechetto and 10% Chardonnay. This just goes to show you how popular the Viognier grape has become when you consider that about 20 years ago, it was almost unknown with the exception of its native France and then only in the Rhone area. The Viognier seems to tame the high acid of the Grechetto and adds some great floral notes to the wine yet keeping the firmness and freshness of the Grechetto. The Chardonnay adds some complexity especially on the finish with its butter and citrus nuances. Very nice wine!
Montefalco Rosso: This wine has the traditional blend of 70%-15%-15% of Sangiovese, Merlot and Sagrantino. The wine is elegant and powerful with the usual Sagrantino punch at the end.
Montefalco Sagrantino: The 2005 version of this wine is power and tannin combined with the full flavour of blackberry, cherry and plum. A wine that probably will be drunk sooner than it should.
Passito di Sagrantino: We where talking about the drying of the grapes. The result is here. With a luscious wine full of natural sugar taste but not too sweet to be cloying. Dip bread and cookies in it and you have a great sensation of sweetness and delicate taste.
Antonelli Winery
This winery lies on the estate which was once owned by the Bishop of Spoleto from the 12th to 19th Century. It harbours fine antiques that were collected by the family of the present owner Filippo Antonelli. The private residence has many interesting items which include family pictures that go back many years and include pictures of kings and other famous people as well as books and family artifacts from ages gone by.
The land and house were bought in 1881 by the Antonelli Family and in 1902 the winery was already producing wine. In 1979 the estate started bottling and marketing its wines. In 1992,
Philippo opened a hotel complete with pool and cooking classes thus making the winery a gourmet centre and attracting agri-tourists from all over the world. Many come with the hope of seeing one of Philippo's famous relatives----actor Christopher Lee who sometimes visits.
When we arrived, Philippo gave the household and winery tour before preparing the main dining room for lunch----I even got to sit in the Bishop's Chair!
Lunch
Lunch was a typical Umbrian meal which suited the wines that we were having.
Stragozzi with Tomato Sauce
The typical meal consisted of home made pasta cured with tomato sauce. Simple and tasty it accompanied the Colli Martini Grechetto wine with its refreshing acidity that allowed it to handle the tomato sauce and heavy pasta with olive oil.
Rabbit with Potatoes
Another typical dish was Rabbit with Potatoes. The flavourful meat of the rabbit went well with two wines, Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino. The Sagrantino also was used to accompany the sweet Strudel Cake since it can match a wide variety of food because of its power and residual sweetness. I found that the wine was so versatile since it is a dry wine but keep in mind that dry wine----especially one of Sagrantino's consistency has residual sweetness that can match the dessert and yet meld with the sweet meat of the rabbit. The dessert went quite well with the Passito.
Modern Winery
The winery boasts a modern gravity fed system whereby the grapes going into the fermenting tank are not damaged. Modern equipment also helps give Antonelli an edge. Large 25 hectolitre barrels help give the important wines more of a chance to develop slowly though 10 hectolitre barriques are also used for aging he wines.
Legend Of Unsalted Bread: Several hundred years ago, the Church had much power. We were told about the legend of the unsalted bread. It seems that the Pope decided in his wisdom to place a tax on salt. Rather than pay it, the people decided not to use it. The one major thing affected was the bread which to this day has remained unsalted.
END OF DAY FIVE
Greeted By Native American Grape Vines
The intricately designed and attractive Colle Ciocco winery was next on our list to visit. I in particular was not ready for what I found. A large group of vines blanketed a Trellis and the grapes seemed rather large for the Sagrantino, Sangiovese or Merlot varieties so I picked one and tasted. To my utter surprise I tasted 'Welch's Grape Juice" which is the wild taste of native American Labrusca Varieties. I called Christina over and said "These are Labrusca grapes! How did they get here!"
"Oh no!", she said, "These are what we call Strawberry Grapes and we use them to eat. I just love them, but they are not Lambrusca."
"Oh no! Not Lambrusca but Labrusca---a native American grape!" I retorted.
She went off to ask and was told that they were indeed from the states but they did not know much more. But they were not Lambrusca----I decided to keep my mouth shut.
Some time later, I heard a large discussion with loud voices coming from the winery office. Christina came running out to me and I thought something was wrong.
"It is Vina Labrusca!" she uttered in pleasant surprise and followed it with "Bravo".I felt like the proverbial child who had just been patted on the head by his teacher!
Keeping in mind that we had just finished breakfast and were shortly to go to another winery and have lunch, it was a surprise when a "small" snack was prepared for us to have with our wine.
Making Passito, Drying Grapes, Olive Groves and Post Breakfast Pre-Lunch Snack.
The winery is truly a lovely place. From the terrace there is an amazing panoramic view of the vineyards and surrounding land. Upstairs there is a special area for drying Sagrantino grapes over racks for Passito wine. A fan helps draw the the air and keeps it fresh while it helps to dry the grapes. The grapes are kept in impeccable shape because of the cleanliness and dryness thus no mould develops. They are later pressed and fermented into Passito wine.
Olive groves with trees in some cases over 600 years old litter produce some of the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the world. The trees are kept short in order to make it easier to pick. It probably also keeps them quite healthy. In 1956 and again in 1985-86, frost killed many of the olive trees with only the older ones surviving.
We were also treated to a "Snack" to have with the wine. We had already had breakfast but---!
The meal was a mixture of cheese, prosciutto, salami and bread. Plus some rather sweet desserts. The wine that we had with them actually went quite well.
Wines Tasted
Clarignano Umbria Bianco: This white wine is 50% Viognier, 40% Grechetto and 10% Chardonnay. This just goes to show you how popular the Viognier grape has become when you consider that about 20 years ago, it was almost unknown with the exception of its native France and then only in the Rhone area. The Viognier seems to tame the high acid of the Grechetto and adds some great floral notes to the wine yet keeping the firmness and freshness of the Grechetto. The Chardonnay adds some complexity especially on the finish with its butter and citrus nuances. Very nice wine!
Montefalco Rosso: This wine has the traditional blend of 70%-15%-15% of Sangiovese, Merlot and Sagrantino. The wine is elegant and powerful with the usual Sagrantino punch at the end.
Montefalco Sagrantino: The 2005 version of this wine is power and tannin combined with the full flavour of blackberry, cherry and plum. A wine that probably will be drunk sooner than it should.
Passito di Sagrantino: We where talking about the drying of the grapes. The result is here. With a luscious wine full of natural sugar taste but not too sweet to be cloying. Dip bread and cookies in it and you have a great sensation of sweetness and delicate taste.
Antonelli Winery
This winery lies on the estate which was once owned by the Bishop of Spoleto from the 12th to 19th Century. It harbours fine antiques that were collected by the family of the present owner Filippo Antonelli. The private residence has many interesting items which include family pictures that go back many years and include pictures of kings and other famous people as well as books and family artifacts from ages gone by.
The land and house were bought in 1881 by the Antonelli Family and in 1902 the winery was already producing wine. In 1979 the estate started bottling and marketing its wines. In 1992,
Philippo opened a hotel complete with pool and cooking classes thus making the winery a gourmet centre and attracting agri-tourists from all over the world. Many come with the hope of seeing one of Philippo's famous relatives----actor Christopher Lee who sometimes visits.
When we arrived, Philippo gave the household and winery tour before preparing the main dining room for lunch----I even got to sit in the Bishop's Chair!
Lunch
Lunch was a typical Umbrian meal which suited the wines that we were having.
Stragozzi with Tomato Sauce
The typical meal consisted of home made pasta cured with tomato sauce. Simple and tasty it accompanied the Colli Martini Grechetto wine with its refreshing acidity that allowed it to handle the tomato sauce and heavy pasta with olive oil.
Rabbit with Potatoes
Another typical dish was Rabbit with Potatoes. The flavourful meat of the rabbit went well with two wines, Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino. The Sagrantino also was used to accompany the sweet Strudel Cake since it can match a wide variety of food because of its power and residual sweetness. I found that the wine was so versatile since it is a dry wine but keep in mind that dry wine----especially one of Sagrantino's consistency has residual sweetness that can match the dessert and yet meld with the sweet meat of the rabbit. The dessert went quite well with the Passito.
Modern Winery
The winery boasts a modern gravity fed system whereby the grapes going into the fermenting tank are not damaged. Modern equipment also helps give Antonelli an edge. Large 25 hectolitre barrels help give the important wines more of a chance to develop slowly though 10 hectolitre barriques are also used for aging he wines.
Legend Of Unsalted Bread: Several hundred years ago, the Church had much power. We were told about the legend of the unsalted bread. It seems that the Pope decided in his wisdom to place a tax on salt. Rather than pay it, the people decided not to use it. The one major thing affected was the bread which to this day has remained unsalted.
END OF DAY FIVE
posted by Chuck Byers - Wine Consultant | 10:00 PM
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