L'épicurien, Aix-en-Provence, France

This year we took a road trip to the Basque Country and on our way up and back we stopped in Aix-en Provence.  What a fun little town, full of shops, restaurants, cafés and Cezanne.

a beautiful Burgundy

I absolutely loved it.

olive tapenade

outside

water

appetizer, squid with fried leeks

simple place setting

appetizer

house made bread

the duck with sunchoke puree 

flank steak

side of vegetable with melted cheese

finished off the dinner with some red tea

Vini di Vignaioli, November 3, 2014

Fornovo Taro, Parma

This is a wine festival I’ve been wanting to go to for a long time. To make it happen we had to skip the Merano Wine Festival.  I'm still sad about this fact, but not sad that we had this wonderful experience here at Fornovo.  I have to say that the quality of wines that I tasted here were really really high end for natural uncontaminated wines.

There were only 2 that I didn’t like at all, no names named here.

Vini di Vignaioli is very casual.  White plastic tables topped with very naturally made wines, poured by very genuine people. I enjoyed meeting all the wine makers and tasting some pure nectar of the gods.  Nothing fancy here, but it was fun. 

The following are all 75, I repeat 75, unique and authentic wines that I tasted at Vini di Vignaioli.  75 is a lot of wines tasted in one afternoon.  Usually I arrive at 40-60 and my palate is exhausted, but with these wines I managed to taste more.  As you will notice there are quite a few stars scattered about.

We tasted mostly the wines that are missing in the Vinosofia selection, though we would have liked to have tasted them all.  The order is not the order in which we tasted the wines, I have just re-ordered them according to region and photos.

One thing that was seriously lacking at this tasting was a guidebook and organization in the table set up.  I found it to be quite random.

Graziano waiting for 

the doors to open

what a great spittoon!

The Scene at Vini di Vignaioli

                   Friuli Venezia Giulia

First Stop, at I Clivi with 

Vignaiolo Mauro Zanusso

Azienda Agricola I Clivi, 

Corno di Rosazzo UD

beautiful classic labels

1.             Ribolla Gialla 2013 ★★

2.             Friuliano 2013★★

3.             Malvasia 2013 * (half star)

4.             Verduzzo 2013 ★★like PEZ candy

5.             Clivi Galea 2012 ★★

6.             Clivi Brazan 2012★★

I Clivi bottlings, classic and gorgeous 

                                                                         

Loris Follador of Case Coste Piane

Veneto

Azienda Agricola Case Coste Piane, Valdobbiadene TV

1.        Prosecco★ our house Prosecco at Vinosofia

Lots of empty bottles in front of these gentlemen!

arrived just in time for the 3rd chunk of this 

fresh and fantastic Parmesan 

Lombardia (Franciacorta)

Michele Loda of Az. Agr. Il Pendio

Lombardia (Franciacorta)

Azienda Agricola Il Pendio, Monticelli Brusati BS

 1.    Il Contestatore Pas Dose, 2009 100% Chardonnay ★★

2.            Blanc de Noir pas dose 2010 ★★

Later we also tried their reds, though no notes were taken, my writing skills had faded.

 Il Contestatore

Il Pendio Rossi

Antonio Tornincasa of Cà del Vent, Franciacorta

Azienda Cà del Vent, Campiani di Cellatica BS

1.    Franciacorta Brut 2009 (?) Pas Operé dosage zero molto minerale★ Graziano said “NO”

2.    Franciacorta Brut 2009 (?) Blanc de Blanc Pas Operé dry dry Graziano SI

3.    Franciacorta Brut 2007 (?)  Sospiri 2007 100% Chardonnay vini veri style★

4.    Curtefranca Tamerlano 2011 100% Chardonnay★★

5.    Curtefranca Ubiqua 1999, 100% Chardonnay riserva private, burgundy style, beautiful nose, only 50 bottles made riserva privata 

Many interesting characters at this event

The 1st Gewürztraminer on the left 

was absolutely beautiful!

Bannwarth's distinctive 

appellation bottlings

Alsazia

Stéphane Bannwarth, Obermorschwihr, France   

1.  Pinot Gris, 2012 from their Vins “Nature” bottlings nice,

but served too warm

2.      Pinot Gris 2009 from their Vins “Nature” bottlings ★★

3.    Gewurztraminer 2011 from their Vins “Nature” bottlings ★★★ excellent, very fruity floral, beautiful!

Qvevri, named after the appellation, these wines are unfiltered and have no sulfites.

4.      Qvevri 2012 Riesling, like having stones in you mouth

5.      Qvevri 2011 Riesling, gasoline & stones

6.     Qvevri 2011 Gewurztraminer smoky, very particular★★

7.             Qvevri 2012 Gewürztraminer  ★

Mr. Bannwarth holding my favorite Gewürztraminer 

all kinds of fresh chilli's

Carlo Venturini of Monte Dall'Ora

che bel vino!

Veneto

Azienda Agricola Monte Dall’Ora, Castelrotto di San Piein Cariano VE

             1.      Valpolicella 2013 Saseti ★★

          2.         Camporenzo 2012 cru Valpolicella classico sup. ★★ 

            3.   Sausto Ripasso 2010 smoky finish, bello ★★ 

             4.   Amarone 2009 ★★★

       5.    Sant’Ulderico 2010 Recioto del Valpolicella ★★★

Fun French guy from Loira, Domaine Saurigny

Loira

Domaine Bertrand Jousset, Montlouis-sur-Loire

Importer in California, Return to Terroir, Raphael Knapp

1.    Gamay Spumante 2013

2.    Bubulle 100% Chenin 2013

3.    Exhile, chenin & chardonnay ★excellent mineral notes

4.    Premier Pendez, 2010 100% Chenin ★★

Montlouis sur Loire

5.        Singulier Clos Aux Renaros 2013 100% Chenin ★★

one man show Mr. Aldo Viola

Aldo again

Sicilia

Azienda Agricola Aldo Viola, Alcamo, Trapani

1.    Egest, 2012, Grillo, ok

2.    Guarini 2012 Syrah

3.    Shiva 2010 Nero D’Avola & Syrah ★

Sicilian wines

Umbria

You wanna a glass of biodynamic Sagrantino right?

Local boy Diego Calcabrina enjoying the show

the boys at Casino degli Ulivi

Piemonte

Cascina degli Ulivi, Novi Ligure AL

1.        Semplicemente Vino, come il nome Cortese 100%      -

2.        Gavi 2013 ½ star

3.        Filagnotti 2011 aged in Acacia wood barrels.  Graziano-bello mi piace

4.        Filagnotti 2006 ★ better interesting

5.        Montemarino Vino Bianco 2009 100% Cortese ★★

6.        A Dumua 2013 in diletto Liguria means divertimento

7.        A Dumua 9 mese di maceration

great little Ape Food truck parked out back

terroir elements from Azienda Agricola Monte Dall'Ora

Here are the rest of the wines I tasted at this event.

Borgogna

Domaine Emmanuel Giboulot, Beaune, France

1.    Terres Burgondes 2013

2.    Côte de Beune Le Grande Chatelaine 2011, pretty acidic, but good ★

3.    Combe d’Eve 2012 ★

4.    Le Pucelle Rully 1 er cru 2012 ★★

5.    Lulunne Beune 2013 ★

6.    En Gregoire 2013 ★

7.    Sous Le Mont 2013 ★

Champagne

Francis et Delphine Boulard, Cauroy-les-Hermenonville

1.             Les Murgiers Extra Blanc de Noir 26 euro

2.             Les Murgiers Nature Blanc de Noirs ★ very bitter finish euro 28

3.             Vielles Vignes Extra Brut, Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs ★★ 30 euro

4.             Les Rachais 2009 Brut Nature, Graziano liked it★

Abruzzo

Azienda Agricola De Fermo, Loreto Aprunito PE

1.             Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2013, barnyard nose, ok

2.             Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2011, really nice nose, great tannicity,

not too heavy ★★

Campania

Cocciacavallo, Campania

1.    Campania Fiano IGP 2011 a little oxidated

2.    Aglianico, barn yard, terrible

Emilia Romagna

Azienda Agricola Gian Maria Cunial, Traversetolo PR

1.    Malvasia Spumante Brut 2013★★

2.    Malvasia 2012★

3.    Sauvignon2012★ really really fruity, chick wine

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Azienda Agricola Radikon, Gorizia GO

1.             Chardonnay & Tocai 2012 molto vini veri Slatnik ok

2.             Oslavic 2007, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon ok

3.             Jakot (Tokaj) 2007 nice nose, honey★

4.             Ribolla 2007 ★★

These wines reminded me very much of the wines from Gravner. 

See my blog post

http://www.italianwinestyle.blogspot.it/2012/06/gravner-friuli-venezia-giulia.html

Sicilia

Azienda Agricola Francesco Guccione, Contrada Cerasa (Monreale) PA

1.    Trebbiano Cattarato ★★

2.    Cattaratto ★ 2012 Monreale

3.    Nerello Masc. & Perricone 2012 nicely balanced★

4.    Perricone 2013 weird

5.    Nerello Masc. 2013 ok

Tenuta di Castellaro, Lipari Messina MS

1.             Pomice 2011 Malvasia 60% Caricante 40% ★★

2.             Rosa Carlino 2013 ★★

3.             Ossidiana 2011 ★ Corinto Nero & Nero D’Avola

Toscana

Azienda Agricola Altura, Isola del Giglio GR

1.    Ansonica 2013 juicy ok

Umbria

Fontesecca, Umbria

1.    Rosato, Caniolo 60% Ciliegiolo 20% Sangiovese 20% ★ buono

2.    Pino, Sangiovese 2011 ★★

3.    Elso Bianco 2013 ★ Trebbiano 60% Grechetto 25% Malvasia 15%

4.    Teo d’oro★★vino come Occhio di Pernice Malvasia. 

All labels for this wine are made each year by a group of disabled children

Veneto

Azienda Agricola Masiero, Tressino VI

1.             Vedugo 2011 Merlot ★ sotto bosco, interesting

2.             Primo 2006 ok