Italian Dinner Night - The White: MandraRossa Fiano

Italian Dinner Night – The White: MandraRossa Fiano

A chance to see pictures from friend’s recent trip to Italy was also an excuse to have a communal dinner of Italian specialties - Tony’s red sauce and meatballs over pasta, Connie’s tiramisu, my appetizer table of olives and a newly discovered treasure – Piave cheese similar to Parmigiano Reggiano from the Veneto region of Italy. And of course, wine. The White with our appetizers was the 2010 MandraRossa Fiano, Estate Bottled, Sicily, Italy, purchased chilled from the wine cooler at Joseph Decuis Emporium for $10.00

MandraRossa is the winery and Fiano is the grape variety you’ve probably never heard of grown primarily in the Campania region of Southern Italy and on the island of Sicily. MandraRossa is a co-op of over 100 growers, led by Diego Planeta (former owner Planeta and former president of Settesoli wineries) aided by renowned oenologist Carlo Corino. With every parcel of vineyards mapped so that each varietal could be planted on the ideal terrior, and with the benefit of the ideal Mediterranean climate of intense sun and cooling sea breezes, MandraRossa wines are also handpicked and every parcel is crushed separately to retain its characteristics. As an Iowa farm girl, I am impressed by those farmers. Not to mention that they deliver this quality at under $20.

The MandraRossa website www.mandrarossa.com/nero_davola.html is written in Italian: “Menfi, estremo sud della Sicilia. Qui nascono i vini Mandrarossa, internazionali ed innovativi, figli di un territorio incontaminato e di una sperimentazione in ...” but I think there is a MandraRossa Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz, and the intriguing Nero d’Avola and Viognier Sicilia. www.wine-searcher.com lists several of those available across the United States at prices similar to what we paid in Indiana.

Try our Fiano from Sicily’s MandraRossa winery or another Sicilian offering - Planeta Fiano Cometa. A step up is possible by trying one from the Campania region labeled Fiano di Avellino DOCG – www.snooth.com search gave us Monte Faliesi Fiano di Avellino in first position as “most recommended” for $16. Further down its list was California: Sonoma’s Seghesio Family Vineyards Fiano and Santa Clara’s Solis Fiano. Ditto for the relatively new Fiano-growing region of Australia with offerings from Coriole and Oliver’s Taranga wineries, among others.  Go to www.winesearcher.com to find wines and retailers in your area. Let me know what you find!

DivaDaVino Yes & Know:

Yes, I would buy this bottle (2010 MandraRossa Fiano) again – and probably anything else from MandraRossa because of their meticulous farming methods designed to get the most out of every grape.

Yes, I would buy this grape variety (Fiano) again as its taste is newer and fresher than the “old” stand-by oaked Chardonnay and less tart than the “new” trendy Sauvignon Blanc. www.wine.com calls it “medium-bodied and dry with elegant balance.” It is mellow enough to drink alone and its brilliant yellow color looks good in a glass, but it can stand up to food. Was great with appetizers and had there been any left in the bottle, it would have been good with the pasta possibly due to reported  notes of pinenuts and pesto for those who can taste them. “They” say that Italian wine is made for Italian food and this bottle upholds that saying.

Know Italy is the world’s second largest wine producer in the world – 2^nd only to France – and the largest exporter of wine in the world with Germany, Great Britain, and the United States being the main importers. Small vineyards, one million grape growers with an average of one hectare per grower, make for an industry highly fragmented and resistant to building big international brands that have homogenized so much of other countries production.

Know Campania and Sicily are two of Italy’s 20 wine regions and within the regions are appellations equivalent to an American Viticulture Area (AVA) such as the Sonoma AVA in the state, wine region, of California. FYI – Indiana is part of the Ohio River Valley AVA that includes Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

Know Indicazione Geographica Tipica (IGT) on the label is one of the four classifications for Italian wine making it a step above Vino da Tavola (Table Wine) and below Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and the top tier Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). The system is designed to encourage producers to focus on quality wine-making by following the rules for production and labeling but some refuse finding it restrictive. Renegades, such as producers of “Super Tuscans” which must be labeled IGT instead of DOCG, are creating cult followings fueling worldwide interest in new Italian wines.

Wine Tasting @ JD Emporium

My favorite table from last night's wine tatsing at Joseph Decius Emporium - ranging from (far right) Adelsheim Pinot Gris (Oregon) to Dry Creek Chenin Blanc (Sonoma County, California) to all-time favorite Marietta Old Vine Red (Sonoma County, California) to gems discovered by Tony the Wine Guy on recent trip to Italy as shown in the photo album at table's edge - Vietta Barbera d' Asti and "baby Amarone" Tenuta St. Antonio Riposso. Enjoyment was aided by knowledgeable staff from the distributor doing the pouring and Tony's selections from the distributor who specializes in family-owned wineries. If you aren't on your wine retailer's list, get on it and take advantage of the opportunity to taste a lot of different wines in a short period of time with other like-minded individuals. More info on these selections later! Ooops! Just realized I missed tasting the El Coto Crianza (Rioja, Spain) shown at far left!!

Primus "The Blend" at Baker Street

On an late afternoon of early autumn sun, nothing was more welcome than an excuse to sit with a friend in the enclosed patio at Baker Street enjoying a glass of wine and exploring Baker Street’s eclectic selection of appetizers. The excuse was Wednesday and the 30% off a bottle of wine on Wednesday night special.  

The special applies only to those wines that are on the served by the glass list – an unimaginative list of 17 wines over half of which are from California, 2 each from Argentina and Chile, 1 each from Italy and Michigan, and none from France. Given those limitations, and having failed in our attempt to convince our polite but firm server to bend the rules to include selections from the Reserve List, my wine-loving companion and I selected Primus “The Blend” 2009 from Veramonte Winery, Colchagua Valley, Chile at $28/$36 regular price/$10 per glass.

We lucked out on our choice! “The Blend” is a blend of 29% Cabernet sauvignon, 28% Syrah, 25% Carmenere, and 18% Merlot from Valle de Colchagua known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Carmenere, and Malbec.  Jay Miller, now former critic for The Wine Advocate, rated it 89 Points and “Excellent Value” to be drunk now and over the next 5-6 years. Winesearcher.com had availability nationwide from $14.95-$22.99.

Colchagua Valley has become, according to “Wines of the World” author Susan Keevil, “Chile’s most fashionable wine region.”  It is one of two districts in the Rapel Valley wine growing region. Together with Cachapoal Valley, these districts represent one-quarter of Chile’s vineyards. The foothills of the Andes, the Pacific Ocean, and a river that flows into Lake Rapel give their wines firm tannins and intense aromas. Rapel Valley is considered one of the most important regions known for its red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and the long lost Carmenere. Rapel Valley wines may also be marketed under the less distinctive label “Valle Central.”  

Chile has been producing wine since the mid-1500s when it is said missionaries planted vines to produce wine for Catholic mass. The industry was almost wiped out during decades of political turmoil and its rebirth coincided with the return of democracy in 1990. Today, Chile is the 4^th largest exporter of wine to the United States; the top 5 Chilean wine brands in the U.S. are: Concha y Toro, Walnut Crest, San Pedro, Santa Rita, and Santa Carolina. Many experts call its red wines some of the best values in the world in the $15-$25 range. Not surprising as over 100,000 acres are planted in Cabernet Sauvignon, over 33,000 in Merlot, over 17,000 in Carmenere, and over 8,000 in Syrah.

Wine author Kevin Zraly lists Veramonte Primus as one of his favorite Chilean reds – and Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc as one of his favorite Chilean whites. I have enjoyed Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc elsewhere as it is not on the Baker Street wine list. It is produced in the Casablanca Valley wine region dominated by Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir grapes. Vintner Agustin Huneeus is the creative force behind Chile’s Veramonte and California’s Napa Valley Illumination and Flowers Vineyards among others.  He is also behind the marketing of “two edgy wines” per his website www.huneeuswines.com – The Prisoner and Saldo. I’m in search of them now so stay tuned!

 p.s. Baker Street’s complete wine lists can be found at www.bakerstreetfortwayne.com. I embrace Baker Street’s willingness to entice the public with their 30% off a bottle of wine on Wednesday night, but I will admit to being slightly frustrated by their unwillingness to extend the offer to at least a portion of their self-touted “Fort Wayne’s most extensive Reserve List.” And I’d like to suggest, now that they have caught my attention with this Chilean wine, that they include another Chilean wine as a step-up for my palate. The only other Chilean wine on the Reserve List is Marquis de Casa Carmenere @ $37. Carmenere is Chile’s signature grape variety since its DNA testing and authentication.

Screwtop with a smiley face - friends.red

friends.red 2009 Sonoma County Red Wine- a simple red wine at an unassuming price ($10.99 @ Joseph Decius Emporium, Roanoke) with the whimsical touch of a smiley face etched in the cap. Looking at it this morning, the smiley face still enchants – if you can’t appreciate whimsy, who wants to know you?! The deep red label with simple black lettering reads “friends.red, 2009, Sonoma County, Red Wine, a red wine blend for our friends.” The graphic label and the price point will draw you in, and the taste will keep you happy while enjoying with or without food. Warning - at 14.4% alcohol, it is also a very cheap buzz especially without food accompaniment.

The back of the label where the important stuff is required by law to be printed notes “Produced and bottled by Pedroncelli Winery, Geyserville, CA” and a “proprietary red wine blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Sangiovese” are all good things to me when I read a label. As you may know, I love blends. Blends, according to “KISS Guide to Wine” blends are like perfumes with the proprietary blend representing an opportunity for producers to make their wine stand out in the crowded marketplace. Calling them “inventive marriages”, the 2000 KISS guide includes blends and their opportunity to combine grapes from different regions in “Chapter 23 The Future.” That 2000 prediction is 12 years old so this is the future.

Sonoma County appellation has a long history of winemaking; in 1812, Russian immigrants planted grapes at Fort Ross in what is now the Sonoma Coast AVA (American Viticulture Areas). Today, there are 13 AVAs  in Sonoma County reflecting the wide array of climate and soils spanning this large county. In 2006, winemakers formed a Sonoma County Winegrape Commission dedicated to raising awareness of Sonoma County wines by urging vintners to label all wines with “Sonoma County.” The Dry Creek Valley AVA, home to Pedroncelli Winery, is renowned for Zinfandel – “the hallmark of Dry Creek Valley” according to www.sonomawine.com, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc.

 The friends.red label continues “to share with our friends and yours. Enjoy!” after telling the story of founder Giovanni Pedroncelli and friends enjoying wine and camaraderie in the vineyard’s cellar. This wine was recommended by the Emporium’s new wine guy Tony (yes, my friend Tony) and reminded me of Tony’s childhood tale of his grandfather making wine in the family’s cellar in upstate New York with fellow Italian immigrants. On www.cheapwinefinder.com, they reinforce this with “friends.red is what all Italian jug wine should be, juicy and delicious and the perfect accompaniment to the family meal.”

Friends.red has won some recognition including “Best of the West for $25 or Less” by Indiana native Tim Fish, associate editor, Wine Spectator, and author “The Napa and Sonoma Book.” Check out his “Value Reds for Labor Day” @ www.winespectator.com/blogs/show/id/47225.

Then check out www.pedroncelli.com and explore their most recognized wine Mother Clone Zinfandel where fruit from 100 year-old “mother” vines is included in the 90% Zinfandel, 10% Syrah blend.