October 28, 2010 – Orange Wine Tasting, The Wine Bottega, Boston, MA
There were ten "orange" wines poured at this event last Thursday. Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of these wines, and was also glad to find that many were quite reasonably priced. I am quickly becoming a fan of white wines made with skin contact, and feel that these wines are very versatile with food.
2009 Camillo Donati Malvasia IGT dell’Emilia Secca Frizzante
100% Malvasia di Candia. Fresh orange peel nose. Light-bodied, dry, well balanced, lightly floral, with orange and tangerine flavors, plus a lightly roasted nut element. Very good. $23.
2007 Monteforche Cassiara IGT Veneto
80% Garganega/20% Malvasia Istriana. Light in weight, dry, with a pronounced phenolic character and a hint of spritziness; nicely balanced, with floral/Orangina/fresh orange/grapefruit notes. Very good. $16.
2004 Azienda Agricola Il Carpino Bianco Carpino Non Filtrato IGT Venezia Giulia
Field blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Ribolla Gialla, and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. Medium-bodied, nicely balanced, dry, and somewhat creamy, with citrus, spice, herbal, pineapple, and Grand Marnier notes. Very good.
2009 Azienda Agricola COS Ramì IGT Sicilia
50% Grecanico/50% Inzolia. Light in weight, nicely balanced, with good underlying acidity, and some tannin. Very mineral, with some earthiness, and notes of orange juice and mixed nuts. Very good. $25.
We were told at this tasting that since the 2008 vintage, all of COS’ wines have been fermented in Spanish amphorae. I wasn’t able to confirm this, however, from either COS’ website, or that of Domaine Select (COS’ importer). At any rate, I did have the 2007 Ramì a couple of years ago, and do not remember it having much of an “orange wine” character to it, although it was quite nice.
2008 Azienda Agricola COS Pithos Bianco IGT Sicilia
100% Grecanico, fermented in Spanish amphorae (this cuvée has always been done in amphorae). Light to medium-bodied, nicely balanced, with some tannin; tightly wound, and in need of some patience. Mineral/earthy, with some honeyed citrus/pineapple and floral notes that are just emerging. At least very good, and could be excellent when all is said and done. $41.
2006 Azienda Agricola Marthilde Oltrepò Pavese DOC “Dedica”
100% Malvasia – not sure which subvariety. Cidery, almost IPA-ish nose. Medium to full-bodied, nicely balanced, and lightly tannic, with honey, orange, floral, and mineral notes. Very good. The label with the black cat makes this a great Halloween wine. $18.
2004 La Biancara di Angiolino Maule Gambellara DOC “Pico”
100% Garganega. Tropical, almost hoppy nose. Full-bodied, more tannic than the above wines, with moderate underlying acidity; somewhat chunky/cidery, with tropical/citrus/pear notes. Good/very good. $18.
2008 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Rusticum IGT Lazio
A blend of Malvasia, Trebbiano, Verdicchio, and Grechetto. Full, quite elegant, nicely balanced, and moderately tannic, with citrus, floral, orange zest, cider, and honey notes. Based on my experience with the 2007 version, this wine should really be beautiful after some extended aeration. $32.
2008 Panevino Alvas IGT Isola dei Nuraghi
According to the Louis/Dressner website, this is a field blend of Uve Retallada, Vernaccia (di Oristano?), Nuragus, Seminano, Vermentino, Malvasia, and Nasco, each from very old vines. Really expressive nose of roasted herbs, wildflowers, and minerals. Full, moderately tannic, well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Quite mineral, with citrus/carrot/herbal/tropical notes. Excellent. $63.
2008 Clai Bijele Zemlje Ottocento Bijelo Istra
This Croatian wine is made from Malvasia, with some sources claiming that there is also some Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris here. Full, nicely balanced, quite tannic, with pronounced meaty aromas, and notes of nuts, citrus fruits, spices, and herbs. Very good/excellent, depending on how it fills out over time. $36.
A few notes:
1. DOC/DOCG/IGT designations: For those who aren't familiar with my notes, I generally include the DOC(G) or IGT along with the name of the appellation (e.g. Oltrepò Pavese DOC or IGT Toscana), except in a few cases where most people are familiar with the name/general style of a given appellation (Barolo or Chianti Classico, for example). This is also useful in my own personal cross-referencing between different wines that I have tasted. Anyway, if you ever have a question about where a wine comes from, please let me know, and I will definitely get back to you.
2. Malvasia: There are several subvarieties in the Malvasia family. I don't pretend to know all of them, especially given that I have no formal training in wine appreciation, and am not an ampelographer. Anyway, when I just write 'Malvasia', you can figure that the grape in question is a white Malvasia variety, or a blend of different white Malvasias.
Malvasia di Candia is the 'common' Malvasia encounted in Tuscany and much of Central Italy; it has generally had a reputation for mediocre wine in the past. In fact, it may not really belong to the Malvasia family at all from what I have read. Malvasia Istriana is a strain grown mainly in Northeast Italy, which is supposedly better than most Malvasia varieties in terms of quality.
3. Prices: The prices that I list for wines that I taste at an organized, public event represent how much it would have cost me to buy one bottle of that wine on the day of that given tasting. Frequently, there is a discount in conjunction with the event. Again, I will be glad to clarify anything about the prices that I am quoting.