Monthly Archives: April 2015

Elena Walch is one of the most innovative winemakers in Italy.

The company was founded in 1985 and is one of the youngest in the region of Alto Adige. Elena Walch, being an architect, first became involved in winemaking after meeting with her husband Werner Walch, who is a representative of one of the oldest wine dynasties.

However, in contrast to the spouse, she has a more modern approach to winemaking and sees his task in the creation of high-quality, modern wines – strong, deep and complex.

The winery has been awarded the “Tre Bicchiere” many times now and has come to be looked upon as a quality leader in the region. Elena is very active in “Le Donne del Vino”, an organization of women in the wine business in Italy.

A really fine wine, fresh and pronounced this Beyond the Clouds, bright yellow, announces an aroma and a fruity scent, but also a hint of vanilla and a hint of wood.

It is a special cuvée blend,  primarily from Chardonnay grapes, but a dominating spiciness comes through, most likely from Gewürtztraminer.

The various grape varieties get picked as soon as the Chardonnay reaches optimum maturity. All varieties get crushed and pressed together after which they also ferment together in new French oak barriques.

Love this one…I paired it with a nice Pasqualina, the traditional Easter italian cake but it’s perfect  with meat or fish.

Valle d’Aosta is one of my favorite region in Italy.

Mountains with lots of snow in the winter and fresh valleys to run to in summer when the heat and humidity of the flat area where I used to live become unbearable. Great wines and fantastic cheese.

The characteristic that I love the most about the wines of Aosta is that they all express a purity and freshness that I haven’t experienced  in many other wine region. On top of that, Aosta intrigues me because of its grape diversity. So many varieties thrive in such a small, steep, majestic, and enchanting geographical area.

I found out about Didier Gerbelle from the sommelier of  “La Clusaz”, one of my favorite restaurant in Valle d’Aosta. I loved to dine here on my way to Alsace or everytime I drove to the valley.

Didier is a young wine maker who studied in Alba and started his own winery in 2006, although his family has been involved in viticulture for four generations. Currently from his three hectares of vineyards, he produces two whites (Pinot Grigio e Gewurztraminer), four reds (Petit Rouge, Cornalin, Fumin e Premetta), and one passito

The work of Didier is based on the rediscovery of ancient values: native vines and respect for the grapes coming into the cellar, aging in wood with caution.

Torrette superieur is a wine to listen to, understand and wait, sometimes difficult.
One might say that it is like the mountains it comes from.

Its hardness is now anticipated to nose with acid scents of roots, vegetables, dark and smokey.

Complex and rich (70% Petit Rouge then Cornalin and Furmin) but well balanced and long finish at the end.

A surprise you have to try!

After a long Easter weekend where I enjoyed some wines bought during my Finger Lakes getaway I decided to return to my first love bollicine.

This time I tried this gorgeous Animante. This comes from the organic and biodynamic Barone Pizzini and has a lovely weight of fruit and some of the creamy, brioche notes that come with ageing in bottle. It develops some toast and peach in the mouth, but never loses sight of its acidity, keeping it dry, fresh and delightful.

Barone Pizzini is one of the oldest wineries in Franciacorta having recently celebrated its 140th anniversary. It was also the first winery in Franciacorta to adopt organic farming methods.

This elegant northern Italian wine is made of a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Bianco used for sparkling wines in various regions around the world, but predominantly in Franciacorta (Italy) and Alsace (France). This trio is just one variation on the globally popular Chardonnay/Pinot combination that has been internationally accepted as the best blend for sparkling wine production.

Perfect with raw fish or culatello as aperitivo.

Last week it was cold. Oh yes it was, but stunning, and a tour in the wineries a must do.

New York’s Finger Lakes region takes its name from 11 freshwater lakes placed like a handprint between Lake Ontario and the Pennsylvania border.

The Finger Lakes are probably best known for the award winning wines from this region particularly for the world renowned Rieslings crafted in this region of New York.

I’ve tried  Fox Run wines a couple of times so far and had a wonderful visit this time. This is definitely one of the higher quality wineries on the Seneca Lake wine trail, consistently churning out good quality Finger Lakes Rieslings, Chardonnaies and Gewurtztraminers. Tastings are interesting and there is a good balance beetween quality and price.

On the way back I stopped at Heron Hill Winery and taste some of their wines. I didn’t particularly liked their reds but Riesling and some other whites were good. Perfect wines to drink for an aperitivo in a sunny day.

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I just came back from a weekend spent in Canada!

Completely lost into the icewine world! I took a drive north along Ontario’s scenic Niagara Parkway to some Wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This area is known for its Icewine, which is made from grapes that are left to freeze on the vine over the winter. Once temperatures drop to -8 degrees Celsius (about 18 degrees Fahrenheit), the grapes are then collected and allowed to thaw, a process that helps intensify their flavor.

My visit started with Jackson Triggs, an amazing producers in Niagara Peninsula.

Jackson Triggs is Canada’s most awarded winery and have been named “Best Canadian Winery” an unprecedented number of times in international and domestic competitions. You can feel proud when serving Jackson-Triggs White and Icewines in knowing that, no matter the varietal, vintage, or region, you’ll be pouring a premium wine.

They create great wines but of course what I was there for were their outstanding icewines and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved them.

After a good lunch where I enjoyed food and wine pairings I moved to the next winemaker Inniskillin.

Jackson Triggs’s business sister is almost even better. As the first winery licensed in Ontario, Canada since prohibition, Inniskillin winery represents a a singular commitment to quality and innovation. I enjoyed an icewine flight with taste of pure joy. Starting with Sparkling Vidal I move on to 1994 Vidal, 1998 Oak Aged Vidal and 2001 Cabernet Franc. WOW!

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