Good Things From Italy - Le Cose Buone d'Italia

It’s appropriate that the country producing both the greatest quantity and greatest variety of wine in the world should also host the globe’s largest wine show.

Over 4,200 wineries and 140,000 wine lovers gathered last week in the literary home of Romeo and Juliet, which seems fitting as the event is frequently billed as “another love story in Verona.”

What follow are some Italian grape varietals that you may not have heard of, but your palate is sure to be rewarded by making the effort to seek out these wines.

Lacrima di Morro d'Alba

The name means teardrop and the grape is found in the central east coast region of Le Marche. Typical aromas of roses with wild strawberries and a beautiful juicy vinous character. Used to produce still red wines, sweet wines and unique and delicious sparkling.

Pecorino

Mostly found in Le Marche and Abruzzo regions resulting in white wines with fresh and delicate aromas, full on the palate with mineral notes, some fresh herbs and citrus.

Marche is a hilly wine growing region on the Adriatic Coast of central Italy, a rural area that has retained its own wine making traditions and local grape varietals. The combination of the ocean air and the soil of the region gives the grapes a unique character all their own. Saturday we’ll be exploring the region, trying some of the local delectables from such grapes as Verdicchio, Bianchello, Aleatico and Lacrima di Moro, as well as a unique and delicious local cherry wine.   

2009 Colonnara, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico $11

100% Verdicchio 
Colonnara practices sustainable agriculture respecting the natural habitat. Their Verdicchio has hints of green apple, grapefruit, kiwi and elegantly floral notes of acacia and mimosa. It is full-bodied with good balance and a lingering aftertaste of fruit and fresh almond.

2010 Terracruda, Boccalino Bianchello $14

Terracruda, literally “raw earth” is located in the small village of Fratte Rosa. Their vineyards are in the process of being certified organic. The Bianchello has notes of fresh fruit and spring elderflowers described as “the typical flavor of the Pesaro area.”

2010 Terracruda Vettina Pergola Rosso $14 

Vernaccia di Pergola (Aleatico) 
The Pergola Rosso is predominantly made from a native clone of Aleatico, which is an aboriginal biotype of Pergola. The grape provides this wine with an aromatic complexity both to its taste and to its complexity. “Vettina communicates, through a sensation of youth and aroma, the maximum expression of the territory. Ideal for moment of relax and carefreeness.”

2009 Marotti Campi, Orgiolo, Lacrima di Moro $24

Morro d’Alba is a village with only 150 acres of the grape. Here the local grape Lacrima thrives. It has strong aromas of rose and violets along with notes of raspberry, pink pepper and oriental spices. It is nicely fruity and spicy on the palate, with smooth tannins, long velvety finish. The Orgiolo is the wineries Reserva being aged for 12 months in small second or third use French oak barrels.

 2009 Terracruda, Visciolata $21 

500ml Aleatico, Sangiovese and wild cherries
This distinct and tasty dessert wine is made from the local red wine is blended with wild cherries the following July. It’s very aromatic, full of mixed fruits and just plain delicious.