Wanna talk about vino Italiano?
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when the voice in your head reads the following?
‘Italian Wine’
Chianti? Maybe Barolo? Ripasso perhaps? None of these?
Sure, almost everybody’s had and enjoyed a glass of something Italian at some point, but many of us Brits are totally unaware of the sheer and inspiring variety of amazing wines coming out of Italy.
And just cos they’re not as popular doesn’t mean that they’re not as good! Seriously, I’m still surprised that most British wine drinkers aren’t nearly as obsessed as I am.
But I digress. I recently discovered that there’s a wine merchant just up the road from me in Croydon that focus entirely on Italian wine. As a guy who writes about Italian wine this is a very happy coincidence. It meant I could finally get my hands on some of the rarer ones and tell people about them.
The only logical next step was to acquire some of said wines for a review on Tasting Britain and spread the word a little… 🙂
So yeah, said retailer are called Mondial Wine and like any specialist regional importer have a vast selection of ‘niche’ wines – including many, more unusual varieties that you might not have heard of. They have apparently been in the import business since 1985, supplying both trade and consumer. They also have a Wine Club – think tastings, Mondial’s ‘wine of the month’, and so on.
Anyway, If you wanna find out a little more about Mondial, go take a look at http://www.mondialwineuk.co.uk/ or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mondial.wine
But yeah, the best way to know/judge a wine is to drink the fuck out of it, right?
(responsibly of course)
Glad you agree! So we did. And then we took a few notes for you.
What did we try?
We had the following…
Cherchi Tuvaoes Vermentino DOC Italian White Wine (£17.64)
Rating
Nose
Mighty aromatic! There’s a richness (oak?) along with citrus, dryness. Those typical white wine aromas, but amped up a little. I open it a few days later (after having stopped it with a vacu vin) and the nose has almost entirely disappeared. Can’t say I’ve seen that before.
Palette
Again, not too unfamiliar, more of the things you’d probably recognise from a sauvignon blanc, but on a larger scale. There’s bitter fruits/citrus – seville and marmalade oranges (whichever of the two is least bitter, I think). It’s weighty with a good body – like a woman who squats.
Finish
Average length – a mostly oaky richness with a slight sweetness that tails off to a dryness so pure that it’s almost crystalline (in my semi-synesthetic head). It actually reminds me quite a lot of a futsuu-shu sake at this point.
Verdict
This is like an exaggerated ‘conventional’, medium dry white wine, I suppose. This one is a definite crowd pleaser (it also pleased me!). Imagine a weighty sauvignon blanc and that’s kinda the direction we’re going in here. I’d recommended that anybody who likes white wine give it a go, it’s very…inoffensive.
Other notes
It gets sweeter given time to air. I recommend decanting/airing it for an hour+. Or just saving yourself the time and aerating it then and there.
Cantina Bolzano GEWURZTRAMINER Alto Adige DOC Italian White Wine (£13.86)
Rating
Nose
Subtle, not much lemongrass or citrus here. Once you stick you nose in you get some of the creamyness (again, I assume imparted by the oak). There is also a scent that i initially think of as an off note. It’s kinda ‘musty’ and ‘not quite mothballs’ – I eventually pin it down as hops. As in, the hops that make stuff taste like ALE! (srs)
Palette
At 15% ABV this is one of the ‘biggest’ non-fortified white wines I’ve ever had. It might not have much of an aroma but DAYUM it’s got some stuff on the palette. Very rich. Lots of bitter, aromatic citrus – Seville oranges, balanced out with a little sweetness – some floral muscatel notes, which hide a little under ‘den hops’
This marmelade-hops sweetness is a combination I have NEVER experienced before.
Finish
Deliciously long. Marmelade and hops linger for quite some time. If I were forced to try and quantify the unquantifiable I’d say 75% Seville oranges, 25% hops.
Verdict
A white wine that’s not for the faint hearted. A sweet ‘beer-wine’ (a category that, for me, did not exist until I’d tried this one)
Very polarising. God tier polarising. Props for being a white wine with a ‘hops’ flavour – I have never seen that before.
I Would give to pretty much everyone who thinks they’ve tried every kind of white wine. Or people who really like the ‘standard’ kind of white wine – just to fuck with them.
Other Notes
It gets even more hoppy when allowed to air.
Mastroberardino REDIMORE IRPINIA AGLIANICO DOC Italian Red Wine (£16.44)
Rating
Nose
Incredibly aromatic. Ripe fruits – cherries: ripe and candied (maraschino?). Amazing!
Palette
Palette doesn’t quite deliver on what the nose promises, sadly (though that would be a tall order!) Cherries, sharp red berries. Something smoky that might be tobacco.
At 14% it’s quite strong but not hugely weighty. There’s the typical ‘curse of the good but not excellent red wine’ – in which the the tannins knock it down a bit too much. the tannins a little off balance, a little too sour for me. Opens up to more vanilla notes after an hour of being aired or so
Finish
Bittersweet, almost tobacco-like thing happening here. A lingering bitter spice that’s kinda like cloves but not quite cloves. Nice and long
Verdict
Almost delicious, but at this price point I was hoping for more. I guess in a nutshell: I’d say ‘semi generic big red wine with an unusual spicy finish’.
Santi Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Italian Red Wine Italian Red Wine (£27.48)
Rating
Nose
Large, sweet and delightful. Ripe, dark fruits. Black cherries, raisins and dried fruit.
Palette
16% ABV means big, important things happening in your mouthspace. But it’s not just the alcohol, oh no. Sweet, spicy / cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, but with a little too much tannin for ‘danger’ level easy drinking. And a lovely reddish brown/carmine colour
It’s got a spicy, ‘cooling’ effect on your tongue (the closest thing i can think of is the kind of cool freshness that you get from a spearmint, though.. toned down quite a lot more). I’d imagine you’d need to pair it with something equally strong and flavoursome.
Finish
As long as I was hoping for, oh yes. Can I say luxuriant? Lots of spice – cinnamon, allspice, and white pepper (think that short lived fieriness). Vanilla and ripe fruit notes. Godzilla
Verdict
If you’ve been fortunate enough to drink an Amarone you probably know what you’re getting yourself into here. They’re almost always good, it just depends…how good I guess. You can get better value for about £28 however. Maybe this is a wine you bring out when you have a point to prove and the money to back said point…
Also a sommelier told me that Amarones only start to get really good after the 8 year mark. I’m not sure if that’s true or not but it suggests that if you have the right place to store a few bottles, it could be an investment in future happiness…
And we got you a discount code:
Tasting Britain readers get a 15% discount on Mondial Orders. Just enter: ‘premium-reader‘ at checkout.
The code is valid until the 15th of March.
More about Mondial Wine
http://www.mondialwineuk.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mondial.wine