Tag: wine

The wine of the week: Alto Adige Lagrein 2018 Muri-Gries – Italian Cuisine

From the Alto Adige, a native red of rustic elegance, born within the walls of a convent

Wine and the Catholic religion have always been two inseparable elements and it is thanks to the activity of the monasteries that viticulture has flourished over the centuries in Europe. In South Tyrol there are excellent examples of this combination, such as Muri-Gries, the cellar-convent of Bolzano, symbol of Lagrein. Its most recent history begins in 1845, when a group of Benedictine monks arrived from the Swiss Muri in Gries, then a village on the outskirts of Bolzano, today a residential neighborhood near the city center; from the Augustinian canons found the abbey, which also included a flourishing wine business for centuries, and took care of the vineyards (and apple orchards) that still surround the place today. At the Klosteranger vineyard, enclosed by the abbey walls and cultivated with lagrein, are the Moritzing vineyards, also in the Bolzano basin, and those of the municipality of Appiano, where pinot bianco, grigio and nero, schiava and gewürztraminer are cultivated.

The annual production of the cellar-convent stands at 650,000 bottles, of which over 400,000 are Lagrein, the red grape variety, native of Alto Adige, which is vinified in three types, Kretzer, that is rosato, vintage and Riserva . The Vintage Lagrein, with 300,000 bottles, is by far the most produced and known label of Muri-Gries. It is an easy, fruity and juicy wine, which makes freshness and soft tannins its winning cards. The aromas range from ripe plums to violets, with some nuances of chocolate and spices; to the taste it is striking for its rustic elegance and smoothness; it is very suitable for everyday home cooking.

If you happen to be in Bolzano, don't miss the visit of the cellar, which welcomes wonderful carved barrels and thewine shop, where you can buy all the wines produced (this year the Pinot Noir is also very good).

Why now: because it is a red friend of the table and, playing with the serving temperature, you can enjoy combining it with even the most summery dishes.

As did: ferments in steel and refines partly in steel and partly in large oak barrels for 5-6 months.

To combine with: baked chicken, grilled steaks, escalopes with mushrooms, veal with tuna sauce, canederli with speck.

Serve it at: 14 ° C.

Price: 13.50 euros.

muri-gries.com

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The wine of the week: Dogliani 2018 Poderi Luigi Einaudi – Italian Cuisine

The company founded by the President of the Republic, and today carried out by the fourth generation of the family, signs a versatile red on the table and with an exceptional value for money

Luigi Einaudi did not come from a rich family; he made sacrifices and in 1909 he bought the San Giacomo estate in Dogliani, his mother's birthplace. Over the years, he managed to purchase other plots in the most suitable areas for the production of Dolcetto and then also of the Barolo. He managed his land in a modern way and with a great ethical sense he always thought of the well-being of the people who worked for him. The attachment to his peasant origins never failed, not even when he sat at the Quirinale as President of the Italian Republic, and succeeded in conveying his values to the following generations as well: just think of the Einaudi family as one of the greatest Italian publishers, his son Giulio and a famous musician and composer, his nephew Ludovico.

Even when the numerous institutional commitments kept him away from his lands, a harvest never failed and he was the first to bottle the Dolcetto and make it known beyond the local borders; so it is not surprising that Poderi Luigi Einaudi was among the promoters of the long journey that in 2006 led to the birth of Docg Dogliani, to protect red wines produced in these areas with dolcetto grapes.

Today it is managed by Matteo Sardagna, the fourth generation of the family, and production has reached about 320,000 bottles a year. The most representative wine of home style remains the vintage Dogliani, a territorial red, very friendly to the table and offered with a quality-price ratio that has few rivals. Ruby red in color, it has aromas of red fruits and a cool, cool sip with an almond finish. It is so smooth and well done that it has conquered even the Americans: with the 2015 vintage it ranked 38th in the ranking of the 100 best wines in the world of the prestigious magazine Wine Spectator.

A visit to the winery is highly recommended not only to find the places that were dear to Luigi Einaudi and Cesare Pavese and to taste the Dogliani directly between the hills where it was born, but also because in the old family summer residence a relay which is a real haven of peace (and breakfast is unforgettable!).

Why now: it is a very friendly wine of the table and you will be able to combine it with seafood and mountain dishes.

As did: the grapes come from the vineyards of Madonna delle Grazie, San Luigi and San Giacomo. Ferments and refines in steel and cement.

To combine with: first courses with meat and cheese sauces; white meat and vitello tonnato; to try with the beccafico sardines.

Serve it at: 14-16 ° C

Price: 9 euros

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Wine tourism, a new trend that appeals to athletes and sportsmen – – Italian Cuisine

Join a healthy one mountain vacation with a passionate immersion in the world of wine: this is the philosophy of Vinums Hotel, a network of places of hospitality in Tyrol that welcome customers amidst the mountains and vineyards.

Alcoholic holidays for drinkies around the world are increasingly successful. Here the formula is different, because the healthy environment of the mountain, with its genuine products, is combined with wine-making excursions and drinking.

Wine tourism is in vigorous increase in our country: between Open Cellars and Wine Roads, private tours and local authorities, parties and fairs, we cannot complain … The Wine Tourism movement has more than a quarter of a century and the reception wine tourism is increasingly broad and multi-faceted. We then discover something of Tyrolean Vinum Hotels.

There are currently 29 facilities family run who boast cellars where to taste excellent labels South Tyrolean and international e activity for a wine to live, as well as to drink: seminars, visits to wineries and vineyards and other cultural proposals and well-being. Some are real castles, others have the wellness center, farm or distillery. Gourmet dinners, chefs, even organic vineyards, view of the Dolomites and breathtaking views.

THE'South Tyrol has a unique variety of microclimatic area and land. Between Bolzano and Silantro, in the steep slopes and between the dry stone walls of the Val Venosta are born Gewürztraminer and Pinot Whites dry or semi-dry with fresh mountain acidity and a Pinot Noir dry and elegant. Around Merano excels grapes Slave while in Val d’Adige, next to the apple orchards is produced Lagrein and Pinot noir. The Lagrein is also extraordinary, coming out of the alluvial soils that line the Talvera torrent, in the surroundings of Bolzano. Between Bolzano and Salorno, l'Oltradige, with its lake of Caldaro and its white wines of character and the Lower Altesina, with the highest daytime temperatures. The Isarco Valley, between Bolzano and Bressanone, is among the most prestigious Italian regions in terms of White wines.

Naturally abounds events dedicated to wine lovers. In addition to those scattered in various locations during the summer and until late autumn, The Wine Road covers 68 wineries and offers many possibilities, from bike tours to Winepass, from workshops to refine the senses to gastronomy in the cellar. Wine Safaris are active throughout the year.

Aurora Quinto
July 2019

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