VIA Verona 2025 Guided Tasting with VIA Faculty: Session Three
The 4th day of VIA Verona 2025 Flagship Course saw Faculty member Sarah Heller MW and Andrea Lonardi MW take charge of an intense tasting session, covering central and southern reds, as well as other styles, with a whopping 33 wines tasted, discussed and evaluated.
The session began with two blind wines and gave Andrea the opportunity to discuss TDN in white wines, which presents as a kerosene or petrol note that can emerge as wines age. Typically found in Rieslings, Verdicchio is also known for the presence of TDN. Andrea advised students to "remove your preconceived ideas about tasting white wines, from Burgundy, from Loire, from other places. Italian white wines begin with assessing non-aromatic, semi-aromatic, and fully aromatic character".
The first half of the session focused on reds and Andrea introduced the concept of "The Italian Red Spine". He explained that Nebbiolo in Piemonte, Sangiovese in Tuscany, and Nerello Mascalese on Etna in Sicily form a spine from north to south of three noble grapes that make similar fine wine styles. All three have high acidity and high tannin, with less color, lighter body, red fruits and a slightly bitter element. This is the classic Italian fine red wine model. He differentiated the grapes this way:
Nebbiolo: roses, tar, lean, elegant, more sheer
Sangiovese: more oranges, gamey, bloody, rustic, robust, less sheer
Nerello Mascalese: confected fruit, sweeter, mineral, more ruby
Sarah noted the "noble" qualities of these three grapes and emphasized that they all retain a "lightness" even when the alcohol is higher and in their most ambitious styles.
The first four wines tasted were all 100% Tuscan Sangiovese from different denominations, and the discussion focused on how to tell them apart. Terroir is very important, as is aging. Andrea separated them as follows:
Chianti Classico: delicate, floral, juicy, violets. Cherry, blood, iron, high acid, dry tannin
Brunello di Montalcino: amaro (bitter herb) notes, garnet color, blood oranges, dry tannins, less acidity.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: cherry, strawberry, peach, apricot, riper, sandy tannins.
Sarah added that winemaking plays a big part in the wines of Sangiovese. An increase of whole berry use is taking place in Chianti Classico, creating more floral characteristics.
Bolgheri was described by Andrea as the heart of succulence, with the maritime influence bringing lightness, freshness and agility to the wines, without losing the ferrous quality and juiciness of the fruit. The tannins are less rigid than Bordeaux, although the blends are similar, and Sarah described them as pebbly and rounded.
Wines tasted:
Avignonesi: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2021
Riecine: Chianti Classico DOCG 2022
Fèlsina: Chianti Classico DOCG "Berardenga" 2022
Poggio di Sotto: Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2020
Librandi: Cirò DOC Rosso Classico "Segno Librandi" 2022
Terre Bianche: Rossese di Dolceacqua DOC "Brico Arcagna" 2023
Sella & Mosca: Cannonau di Sardegna DOC Rosso Riserva: 2021
Guado al Melo: Bolgheri DOC Rosso "Rute" 2022
Torre dei Beatti: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC Riserva "Mazzamurello" 2021
Planeta: Sicilia DOC Nero d'Avola "Santa Cecilia" 2021
Torrevento: Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva DOCG "Vigna Pedale" 2017
Gianfranco Fino: Salento IGT Negroamaro "Jo" 2022
Apollonio Vini: Salento IGT Primitivo "Terragnolo" 2021
Mastroberardino: Taurasi DOCG "Radici" 2019
Elena Fucci: Aglianico del Vulture DOC "Titolo" 2022
Tabarrini: Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG "Colle Grimaldesco" 2019
The second part of the session was all about the bubbles, rosés, and sweet wines. Sparkling wines in all colors, styles and methods of winemaking from across the country were tasted and discussed. The sweet and fortified wines came from Sicily and Sardinia.
Sarah and Andrea addressed different styles of Prosecco, with some producers using only one fermentation, and storing unfermented juice for use throughout the year, and other producers who use two fermentations, by making a base wine and then adding a second tank fermentation. The two-step style is more age-worthy, while the one step process elevates the fresh and floral character of the wines. Cartizze proseccos have become drier in recent years, with less residual sugar, and more ripe fruit.
Moving to classic method sparkling wines, Andrea compared the 5 traditional regions in Italy:
Lessini Durello: Durella grapes, long time on lees, low autolytic character, deep lemon color, rather than gold.
Franciacorta: mostly Chardonnay with some Pinot Noir, one of the warmest places to make sparkling, finer bubbles, golden apple, lower acidity, Satèn style is “the soul of Franciacorta.”
Trento DOC: almost all Chardonnay, the most like Champagne, reductive style, unripe neutral fruit.
Oltrepo Pavese: biggest user of Pinot Noir, largest area of Pinot Noir in Italy, old vines.
Alta Langa: using both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, very high altitude, lean, needs long aging.
Rosés received some attention, with Andrea and Sarah both less than pleased with the current trend in Italy for ultra pale rosati. Looking at the five most important regions for rosé in Italy:
Lake Garda: Gropello for wines in Valtènesi and Corvina in Bardolino Chiaretto, saline and red berries.
Friuli: Pinot Grigio Ramato with its coppery color and stone fruit flavors.
Abruzzo: Montepulciano in Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo with its deep dark pink color and some tannins.
Lambrusco: Lambrusco Sorbara is the grape that makes the rosé style sparkling wine in tank method.
Salento: the best rosés in Puglia with a more intense bright pink color, less tannin and restrained tart fruit (cranberry, pomegranate).
Speaking about these wines, Andrea pointed out that, “if we want to bring wine back into fashion, we have to change our communication. It is our responsibility to say this is a great wine, a delicious wine, even when we are drinking Lambrusco with a mortadella panino.” Of course, we have to be able to assess wines correctly and technically, but we must remember to understand them, and the culture they represent, and speak about them with our soul. We cannot continue to approach wine communication with the idea that consumers are planning to drink Giacomo Conterno's Monfortino Barolo Riserva DOCG at every meal, nor should they.
Happily, the tasting session ended with what Andrea called "the flagship of Italian wines", Passito di Pantelleria DOC "Ben Ryé" from Donnafugata. Sicilian island sunshine in a glass.
Wines tasted:
Nino Franco: Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Spumante Extra Brut "Nodi" 2022
Villa Sandi: Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore di Cartizze DOCG Spumante Brut "La Rivetta" 2024
Fongaro: Monti Lessini DOC Spumante Pas Dosè Riserva Millesimato "Verde" 2019
Ferrari Trento: Trento DOC Brut Millesimato "Perle" 2018
Bellavista: Franciacorta DOCG Extra Brut "Alma Assemblage I" NV
Fontanafredda: Alta Langa DOCG Riserva Brut Nature Millesimato "Vigna Gatinera" 2014
Monte del Frà: Bardolino DOC Chiaretto 2024
Giancarlo Ceci Agrinatura: Castel del Monte Bombino Nero DOCG "Parchitello" 2023
La Valentina: Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC 2024
Paltrinieri: Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Frizzante Secco "Leclisse" 2023
Cleto Chiarli: Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC Frizzante Secco "Vigneto Enrico Cialdini" 2024
Silvio Carta: Vernaccia di Oristano DOC Riserva 2004
Florio: Marsala DOC Vergine Riserva 2011
Donnafugata: Passito di Pantelleria DOC "Ben Ryé" 2022