Red Wine Scarpa Briccorosa Rouchet Monferrato Rosso 2011. Decant 1 hour before serving. Antica Casa Vinicola Scarpa is considered one of Piemonte’s finest estates thanks to a combination of time-honoured winemaking techniques and excellent terroir. The estate was founded in 1854 and has been producing quality wines in the Monferrato hills ever since. Scarpa’s modern history began in the 1960s when Mario Pesce took over the estate, prioritising a traditional approach to winemaking with very long maturation periods and fermentation in wooden vats. Rouchet is Scarpa’s word for the Piemontese grape Ruché since the estate sits outside the defined boundaries for the variety and cannot use its official name on their labels. The grapes for this bottling are sourced from Scarpa’s 50 hectare Poderi Bricchi estate in Castel Rocchero. Almost 23 hectares of the property is forested, creating a rich biodiversity that helps maintain healthy vineyards. In the winery the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks and the young wine is matured in the tank for a year followed by another year of ageing in the bottle before release. The result is an elegant and refined red with plenty of ample freshness from the variety and bright red fruit character. An excellent wine to serve with cheeses or charcuterie, or as an accompaniment to fresh pasta served with a tomato-based sauce.
2011
Red Wine Scarpa Briccorosa Rouchet Monferrato Rosso 2011
Red Wine Roxanich Merlot 2011. Decant 1 hour before serving. Inspired by his travels to wine regions all over the globe, Mladen Rožanić crafts stunning natural wines from both traditional Croatian grape varieties and international varieties which he carefully selects to suit the climate and soil conditions of western Istria. This sublime Merlot is a nod to the delicious reds of Bordeaux’s Right Bank while retaining its own unique personality thanks to the local terroir and Mladen’s minimal intervention approach to winemaking. After the harvest and fermentation with wild yeasts, Mladen ages this Merlot in large wooden casks for a total of 6 years followed by two years in the bottle before it is ready for release. The result is a charming natural wine which opens with complex aromas of cherry liqueur, rose hip, graphite and leather. On the palate the fruity character of the wine is dominant with luscious dark plum, mulberry and blueberry flavours perfectly balanced by an elegant acidity, smooth mouthfeel and firm tannins which suggest this wine will continue to develop and evolve for years to come. If you are eager to drink it now, try pairing it with hearty game or beef dishes to complement the robust flavours and structure of the wine. Another advantage of Mladen’s natural and organic winemaking methods is that this bottling contains very low quantities of sulphur dioxide, less than 20mg per litre, which means that it is an ideal option for those with sensitivities to sulphites.
2011
Red Wine Zyme Oseleta 2011. Decant 1 hour before serving. The son-in-law of the legendary Guiseppe Quintarelli, winemaker Celestino Gaspari founded Zyme in his garage after helping set up more than a dozen wineries in the Veneto region. Celestino was born into a family of farmers and started out working with livestock before discovering a passion for winemaking. He learnt how to make exceptional Amarone and Valpolicella wines while working alongside Quintarelli. When Celestino founded Zyme he decided to embrace a more experimental approach using little-known native varietals and winemaking techniques. Oseleta is a rare Venetian grape which was close to extinction for a long while, dwindling to just 20 hectares close to the shores of Lake Garda. Celestino’s version is sourced from 30 hectares spread across small parcels in Valpolicella, Verona and Vicenza. The grapes are fermented using wild yeasts and the young wine is then aged in the barrel for at least 36 months followed by one year of additional ageing in the bottle. On the nose there are elegant hints of red currants and cherries while the first sip reveals a bright acidity, ripe red fruit flavours, and a very long finish. A great wine to serve with charcuterie, hard cheeses or tomato-based pasta dishes.
2011