Ciao Tutti!
This is the weekend before Thanksgiving so once again at Piazza Italian Market, we will offer a trio of wines for your consideration to accompany your Thanksgiving feast. For a gathering wine that could also accompany your turkey and cranberry sauce, , we suggest the “Timido”( $14.50, 12 % ABV); from the Scarpetta Winery in Friuli Venezia Giulia; for a white wine we suggest the “Muni Larion” ($24.25, 12.5% ABV) from the Daniele Piccinin winery near Verona and for a red wine we suggest the “Bozner Leiten /Alte Reben ( $21.25, 12.5% ABV) from the PutzenHof winery near Bolzano in Alto Adige. Since Thanksgiving is all about food and family, I have inserted pictures of the families or individuals who produce their wines:
Scarpetta: ”Timido” Rose’ Vino Spumante Brut
Many years ago, Lachlan Patterson, former chef of California’s iconic French Laundry and Bobby Stuckey, Master Sommelier, fell under the spell of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia region tucked into the NE corner of Italy. Their dream of opening a restaurant whose cuisine would be based upon authentic Friulian recipes came true when they opened a restaurant Frasca Food and Wine, in Boulder, CO. The duo traveled to Friuli several times a year to discover local foods and recipes for their restaurant.
In 2007, the talented duo decided to create their own wine brand and christened it “Scarpetta” to immortalize the Italian name for the tiny morsel of bread left on one’s plate for soaking up the last bit of delicious sauce. Their Scarpetta brand began with 50 cases of old vine Friulano that was sold at Frasca Food and Wine. Their ultimate goal was to create a portfolio of affordable wines. The Friulano was a big hit with the restaurant’s customers who clamored for more Friulian varieties including their Rose Vino Spumante Brut. Patterson and Stuckey continue to seek out partnerships with both established growers and celebrated oenologists that spotlight each grape variety.
Their “Timido” is my fave go-to wine for aperitivi or brunch but many of Piazza’s customers serve this wine throughout their Thanksgiving meal since it pairs very well with cranberry sauce. I like Timido for its aromatics, flavors of honeysuckle and green apple with notes of melon, hazelnuts and melon.
Perfetto for those of you who enjoy a sparkling wine throughout your celebration!
Daniel Piccinin: Muni Larion IGT
In 2006, Daniele Piccinin left his career in the restaurant business to fulfill his dream of his own winery with the purchase of seven hectares in the Veneto. From the beginning, he embraced a natural approach to viticulture, and he soon discovered VinNatur, the 300 member organization representing 12 countries who share a common goal to “put the terroir of their homeland into a wine bottle, while making as little impact as possible on the environment and making a wine that is authentic and alive. His dedication to their principles resulted in his becoming the organization’s Vice President.
“Bianco Veneto” identifies this wine as a blend, but Piccinin wanted a name that better defined this special blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Durella grapes so he chose “Larion” since San Gioani Larion is the dialect version of the municipality where the winery is located .
I like Larion’s rich aromas of ripe fruit and floral nuances, dried fruit and spicy notes, good structure and great acidity for food.
Perfetto for those of you like me who want a white wine for your celebration!
Putzenhof: Bodzer Leiten Sudtirol Alto Adige Alte Reben DOC
Putzenhof’s story begins in 1956, when Johann and Viktoria Schweigkofler purchased the Putzenhoff estate. The road to the estate was arduous, the vineyards were old (“Alte Reben” means old vines) and had been neglected for years and the dilapidated buildings would require extensive renovation.
What looked like a poor real estate investment to the untrained eye, to the Schweigkoflers, the property’s potential was worth the price. Instead of liabilities, they saw vineyards at the foot of a granite wall, (ideal for winemaking because granite’s high thermal mass and insulating properties naturally maintain cool, stable temperature and consistent humidity); slopes with southwestern exposure, good drainage and ideal climate conditions for winemaking.
The third generation of the family, grandson Roman Mottironi, practices organic viticulture and manages the 5.5 hectares of vines and 1.5 hectares of apple trees on the estate. Since 2009, Mottironi began bottling and labelling the wines made with the estate grown grapes.
Bozner Leiten is 85% Schiava and 15% Lagrein-both Alto Adige indigenous grapes. I like Bozner Leiten for its fruity, intense nose, black cherry and violet notes, and its round and well balanced palate.
Perfetto for those of you who want a lighter red for your celebration!
Cin Cin,
Jenn
Piazza Italian Market is located in the Talbot Town Shopping Center at 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD
Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.
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