 |
| The beautiful garden leading away from the event in Ala, Italy (Photo Credit: Michael Babich) |
---
Through a strange set of coincidences, having nothing to do with the fact that I work in wine, last weekend I found myself at a wine tasting in Ala, Italy, a short train ride away from Trento where I’m currently living. More casual than most of the wine events I’ve attended, (read: I didn’t have to stumble around in heels at this one) it was still one of my favorites for several reasons. First off, it was free (need I say more?). Second, the quality of the wines at the event was top notch. Third, I finally got to enjoy some wines from Trentino Alto-Adige, a luxury I have not been able to afford since coming to Trento because of the expensive price of wine.
Thanks to my friends from WineNot for publicizing this event to the max, so I would know about it. WineNot, a wine start-up based here in Trento, has a really cool application that teaches you how to taste wines and was featured at the event. At the moment, the app is only for Italian speakers but they're developing an English version. Once they release it, I’m sure to use it because while I would like to be better at wine tasting, I so far haven’t found the money to pay for classes to learn more. But I digress.
Lost in the sea of Trentino wines I did what I usually do when attending wine events, I asked my wine expert friends for recommendations. Fortunately for me, Riccardo from WineNot was willing to help and gave me some great suggestions of what to try. The wines that follow are often ones he recommended along with ones I simply stumbled upon.
Paying the five euro deposit to ensure we returned the glass, we were each handed a wine glass in a small bag to hang around our necks. Though it looked dorky, it was actually super useful in not dropping and breaking the glass while balancing a plate of food.
So, glasses in bag, we sauntered along until I decided that one particular table looked good. A young man was sitting there, looking bored, and I thought it would be appropriate to give him something to do, pour his wines and tell me about them. It turned out we’d hit the jackpot. Not only were the wines amazing but every other person at the event told us to try their wines, especially the Merlino. A fortified wine (other examples include port wine), the Merlino had a flavor similar to nothing I had ever tried. Heavy at the beginning and intensely fruity at the end it seemed to me it would go extremely well with any chocolate dessert, if only I’d had some on hand... They also had a tasty Gewürztraminer which I wish I’d spent more time on and an impressive brut rose. Made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it’s aged in the same oak used to age the Merlino, giving it a complex flavor for the usual flat taste of rose.
Knowing that it would be hard to top the first wines we tried, we moved on to a suggestion from Riccardo. The Brut Riserva from Letrari was, I can easily say, the most complex spumante (sparkling wine) I’ve ever tasted. Elegant and light, the change of flavors ending with a floral note was like, as someone put it, “a party in my mouth”.
Following that we tried “il giallo” a yellow moscato by Salizzoni which was pretty popular among the crowd though not my favorite since I’m a) not generally a fan of sweet wines b) was getting tired of sweet after all the sparkling and dessert wines. That being said, it had a great nose and some good complexity that I probably would have appreciated more if I’d been in the mood for it. I’d still recommend it given all the rave reviews it got.
Next we tried the 2007 Mori Vecio from Concilio Vini. An amazing blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc, it was immediately evident what a good wine it was and I told Giacomo I wanted to sip it slowly. So, we made our way out to the garden behind the event and began a leisurely walk as we enjoyed a glass of great wine.
Upon returning, we began our journey again with wine from Bellaveder. Of note was the incredibly aromatic Sauvignon. Its fruity nose, citrusy and delightful, could be smelled inches away from the glass.
Later I tried two Pinot Noirs from Tenuta Maso Corno and was blown away. I really wanted to finish tasting my first taste of the 2007 but at the pourer’s insistence I moved quickly to the 2008 vintage. I’m glad I did. Though they were two different vintages of the same wine, they were massively different and both equally amazing.
Now, if you are interested in trying any of these wines and you live in the United States, never fear, many of the wineries listed here export their wines to the U.S. Just check out their websites or ask at your local wine store if they carry the wines or where you might get them.
List of wines I liked
 |
| Tenuta Maso Corno Pinot Noir (Photo Credit: Michael Babich) |
White Wines
Bellaveder Sauvignon
Pojer e Sandri (Gewürz)Traminer
Red Wines
Concilio Vini Mori Vecio
Tenuta Maso Corno Pinot Noir (2007 and 2008)
Spumanti (Sparkling Wines)
Pojer e Sandri Brut Rosé
Letrari Brut Riserva
Dessert Wines
Pojer e Sandri Merlino
Salizzoni Yellow Moscato
