Monday 7 July 2014

Italy – Aquila del Torre Oasi 2010


Friuli is a region of great wines. And great drinkers, too. So, when I had to choose the wine to be drunk during the party for the baptize of my second child I went straight to this producer. What brought me up to Savorgnano in a cloudy and rainy afternoon? The curiosity to visit this cellar, the variety of the wines they produce, the freshness of their marketing and communication policy and, in addition, the not so common (in Italy) possibility to buy biologic, good, wine.
I climbed the hills of Friuli, surrounded by peace and vineyards and, despite the rain, the visit and the view were fantastic. My memento of that trip? Thirty bottles of wine. And among them, here it is the most … uncommon! Mr. Picolit!



Domaine and vineyard

The Aquila del Torre story began in 1904 when Cavaliere Sbuelz purchased 200 “campi” of land to create the estate. In 1922, Aquila del Torre extended over 111 hectares, of which about 90 were farmed and 21 left as woodland. Even at that time the main crop was the Picolit grape, which was grown in association with fruit trees – pear, apple, peach, cherry and plum – and the cultivation of forage grasses as foodstuffs for horses, cattle and sheep.
The family that runs nowadays the wine estate started, in 1996, a complex and huge work of stabilising and constructing terracing for vine plantings while at the same time restructuring the ancient stable where the Vineria wine centre and cellar are now housed. Last they moved to the organic cultivation on all the 18 hectares vined today.
Aquila del Torre's terrain is at an elevation of 175 to 350 metres above sea level. The hillslope vineyards are planted to a single-row terrace pattern to trap the sunshine and ensure consistent ripening of the grapes which, exclusively hand-picked, are transported for selection and vinification to the multi-level cellar, where fruit moves from the delivery zone to the pressing area by force of gravity alone. A special room for drying grapes has been set up in the driest, best-ventilated part of the cellar.


The wine

Oasi 2010 comes from different small cru hidden among the woods; the terroir is Flysch, interbedded clayey-textured marl and sandstone; on the hill slope have been created some terraces on an elevation from 175 to 300 meters above sea level
The vines, averagely 12 years old, are trained in Guyot simple system, with an average density of 5000 vines per hectare and an average yield of 0.8 kg per vine.
The harvest starts with a bunch selection on the vine and then goes on manually, using small cases.
Once in the cellar the fermentation is conducted with native yeast in French oak barrels and the wine mature there 12 months before being bottled and put on the market.


Tasting Note

Date
05 July 2014


Wine name
OASI
Vintage
2010
Nation
Italy
Region
Friuli Venezia Giulia
AOC-DOC
//
Grape Varieties
Picolit
Serving temperature
10-12° C
Alcohol
14
Price (in euro)
25



Visual Examination
Taste analysis
Limpidity
Brilliant
Body
Full
Color
Straw yellow
Balance
Balanced
Consistency
Quiet consistent
Soft sensations
Warm – Soft
Effervescence
//
Hard sensations
Quite Fresh - Tasty


Flavors intensity
Intense
Olfactory analysis
Flavors
Citrus fruits, hints of balsamic
Aroma intensity
Intense

White flowers
Complexity
Complex
Finish/Persistence
Persistent
Quality
Fine
Overall evaluations
Aromas
Floral, Mineral, Citrus fruits
Development
Ready


Harmony
Harmonious



Food pairing

Soft-paste cheese, moderately strong blue cheese, rice or pasta with wild spring greens or seafood, baccalà alla vicentina (milk-poached salt cod); salty plumcake with bacon and stalks of spring onions.


Dry Vinification of natural sweet grapes in my mind tastes a bit of challenge. It means to react to the standard and common use to look for uncommon sensations and tastes. And the Oasi of Aquila del Torre is really a great victory in this challenge. I have loved this wine from the very first glass: the story, the aromas, the flavors. And the pairing with soft paste cheese (I live in France now …) really fantastic.
I will come back to visit again this winery to tell you something more about them and to unveil some other little treasures that their sage hands can produce.


Official website: www.aquiladeltorre.it

Tanzania - Sharye Red Wine



My ideal trip around the world goes on, hoping to find hidden diamonds among stones. Here it is the second of the three bottles I bought in Tanzania. In principle, this should be better than the other, as the company can benefit of the Italian know-how since the very beginning of their adventure. And they even have a website!
The curiosity is too much so let’s pour this nectar in a glass and taste it!


Domaine and vineyard

The story of this experience, a mix of mission and enterprise, begins in 2004 when the Italian engineer and entrepreneur Fiorenzo Chesini was contracted by the Italian charity foundation Sa     n Zeno to dig a well for potable water in the village of Hombolo. Once there he realized that almost fifteen years before an Italian missionary, running a mission there, had brought with him some grapes and started to cultivate it there producing some wine. Unfortunately, after few years he was moved to another place and the production ceased but the legacy remained in the know-how and in the vines of some local producers. Back to Italy he told this story to the foundation and added his firm conviction that good wine could have been produced there. San Zeno accepted to fund the adventure so in 2004 an old  grain store is reconditioned and becomes the cellar of the new Central Tanzania Wine Company (CETAWICO) and is then equipped with the latest tools for wine production. Two agronomists, one Italian and one Tanzanian, rule the daily routine. In 2005 first products are on the market and start being spread to the European and American buyers. In addition the CETAWICO participated at the famous Italian wine exhibition Vinitaly.


The wine

Sharye is a wine produced from the blend of Marzemino, Teroldego, Syrah and Aglianico coming from hundreds of local producers, all organic, who work in the region of Hombolo. The region is located in the central Tanzania, The climate is mild and breezy, with temperatures ranging from 20°C to 35°C. In Hombòlo it rarely rains, but thanks to an irrigation system constructed in the nineties by the Italian government, the soil is fertile and produces two harvests per year (March and September).
Once completed the harvest the grapes are cleaned with compressed air and then placed in a stemming and crushing machine. The juice together with the skins is pumped into special stainless steel fermentation tanks with temperature control.
The fermentation tank capacity is approximately 1000 hl and also the stainless steel storage tanks, where the wine matures for 6 months, have a similar capacity. The filling machine is completely automatized and is equipped with a filtering and micro filtering system.
The finished bottles, complete with label, cork and capsule are manually packed into carton boxes and stored in a room with temperature and humidity control. In this status it remains 2 months before being sent to the market.


Tasting Note

Date
01 July 2014


Wine name
SHARYE
Vintage
//
Nation
Tanzania
Region
Hombolo
AOC-DOC
//
Grape Varieties
Marzemino, Teroldego, Aglianico, Syrah
Serving temperature
16-18° C
Alcohol
12,5
Price (in euro)
6



Visual Examination
Taste analysis
Limpidity
Limpid
Body
Full
Color
Ruby Red
Balance
Balanced
Consistency
Quiet consistent
Soft sensations
Warm – Quite Soft
Effervescence
//
Hard sensations
Quite Tannic


Flavors intensity
Quite intense
Olfactory analysis
Flavors
Fruits, sweet spices
Aroma intensity
Intense


Complexity
Quite complex
Finish/Persistence
Quite persistent
Quality
Fine
Overall evaluations
Aromas
Apricot, spices, coffee
Development
Young

chocolate
Harmony
Quite Harmonious



Food pairing
Roasted and grilled meats, game and mature cheese 


The main characteristic of this Sharye is certainly the warmth and sweetness that follow you all along the tasting, in the nose and in the mouth. Two marks not at all disappointing but more likely to be the footprint of the Tanzanian temperature and terroir. In conclusion a nice wine, ideal to be drunk as young as it is, perfect to give a touch of exotism to your BBQ on the beach!   

Official website: www.cetawico.com