Last week I had the privilege of attending the Tre Bicchieri World Tour, which stopped in Ottawa at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Organized by Gambero Rosso, this world tour gives global wine professionals a taste of what’s new in Italian wine, featuring the best of the best from all across Italy. It was one of those beautiful sunny spring days, offering a taste of summer.
It was a busy work week for me, so this became a one-hour Italian wine whirlwind. I had to be selective about what I tasted! I didn’t stop at any of the wineries I already knew (sorry, Bertani!), attempting to try only new-to-me offerings.
Without further ado, here are my showstoppers from the event!
Casale del Giglio
Based in Le Ferriere, just 50 km south-east of Rome, Casale del Giglio winery is nestled between hills and sea in the Italian wine region of Lazio.
Here, the main grapes grown are malvasia, trebbiano, merlot, sangiovese and cesanese. Not many on that list are well known outside of Italy. This is why whenever I go to wine events, it can be really eye-opening to try wines made from lesser-known varieties. This time, that choice really paid off, with two absolutely standout wines from Casale del Giglio.
Casale del Giglio Bellone Lazio Bianco IGT 2023
This was one of my favourite white wines from the event. I’d never even heard of Bellone before, an indigenous vitis vinifera grape that has been cultivated since the time of the Romans. Nowadays, it is mainly grown in small amounts in the regions of Lazio and Umbria and used for blending, which is why it’s rare to see it as a single-varietal wine.
This particular wine is a warm golden colour in the glass, and smells immediately of fleshy tropical fruit like mango and papaya. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with a round, rich mouthfeel, perfectly balanced with some nice, zippy acidity. It has gorgeous flavours of ripe peach, papaya, white flower and some baking spice. I could not bring myself to share this one with the spittoon and I selfishly kept it for me and my very happy palate.
The Anthium Bellone would be perfect with any Asian fare, fish dishes or something creamy like mushroom risotto. Or you can just drink it all on its own.
The 2024 vintage of this lovely wine is available by the case from Profile Wine Group. Who wants to go in on a case with me??
Casale del Giglio Cesanese 2022
Next in my glass was this beautiful Cesanese (pronounced cheh-za-neh-seh). This low-yield, late-ripening grape is native to the region, and usually one of the last to be harvested in late October (that’s super late for a winegrowing region that far south).
This cesanese is a deep ruby red and very aromatic, with plummy, cherry pomegranate and spicy notes. On the palate it’s smooth, round and soft, and tastes of blueberries and blackberries with some black pepper and violet. There’s also something rustic to it, like a wine that would be perfect to drink on a working farm with the family after a long hot summer’s day (flashback to Tuscany!). The tannins are well-integrated and the acidity would make this a perfect pairing for anything tomato-based (hello lasagna!). The two combined mean this is a wine that will age well.
There are currently only 16 bottles of the 2021 vintage of this wine left at the LCBO. If you live in Barrie, Sault Ste. Marie or Uxbridge, you may be in luck. If not, it’s available by the case from Profile Wine Group.
After tasting these wines, Lazio is high on my list of wine regions to visit.
Other favourite: Tenuta Stella Sdencina Rosso
Focusing on indigenous grapes from northern Italy and Slovenia, the Collio region’s Tenuta Stella is making wines that don’t fit the mold. I had the pleasure of chatting with winemaker Erika Barbieri while tasting two ribolla gialla wines (another grape you don’t hear much about on this side of the Atlantic!). One was oaked and one was unoaked, and it was super interesting to taste them together and really get a feel for the different expressions of the grape.
For me, however, the standout was the Sdencina Rosso. This blend of pignolo, tazzelenghe, merlot, refosco dal peducolo rosso (quite a mouthful, that one) and schiopettino grapes underwent spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast in French oak barrels. It is intensely fruity on the nose, and on the palate, it is fresh with flavours of dark cherry, pepper and licorice.
Tenuta Stella is not yet represented by an agency, which means this is all a big tease for anyone trying to get their hands on this wine in Ontario. Sounds like a good excuse to go to Italy, if you ask me!
Local connections – Vinocola Arno
Speaking of new discoveries, during the event I had a nice chat with Michael and Mara Arno of Manotick, Ontario who, a few years back, bought a vineyard in Piemonte. The vineyard prides itself on its strong focus on natural products, and is currently converting to organic farming. 95% of its production is the barbera grape.
Vinicola Arno Maria Augusta
This Barbera d’Asti Superiore spent six months in Austrian oak barrels, resulting in a full-bodied (15%), deep ruby wine with aromas of ripe cherry, blackberry jam and violets and a hint of baking spice and cocoa. With an enveloping mouthfeel, its fruit flavours are nicely balanced by the slight tug of tannin and mouthwatering acidity. Yes please. More of that. It’s no surprise this wine has won a plethora of awards.
These barbera wines are available in Ontario from Gradwell Wines.
I left the event with a spring in my step and feeling pretty darn great. It was a beautiful day, downtown was awash in tulips, and the sun was shining. What more could you want?
Event announcement – Oh Canada
If you’re looking to keep things local and buy Canadian, there is an amazing all-Canadian event coming up next week in Ottawa on May 28. It’s Savvy Company’s Oh Canada event. If you want to taste wines from all over Canada, including from Nova Scotia and British Columbia, this is the event for you! It’s going to be great! Get tickets here.
PLUS stay tuned to see if this indecisive Libra ever decides how to mark the occasion of Wining with Mel’s 10th anniversary (already?!?), coming up this summer.
Happy wining!