Golden Glass Wine Tasting

The Golden Glass Wine Tasting was held in SF this past Saturday 6/12/10. The annual event is sponsored by Slow Food an organization that promotes the pleasure of food and wine and recognizes restaurants and food and wine producers who utilize sustainable, biodynamic and organic practices. The food which included among other things goat sliders, pizza, salmon tartare on cucumber & tuna on bruschetta was all delicious and a great compliment to the wonderful and diverse wines.

The event has been in existence for 7 years and used to just be Italian wines. Italian procuders were invited to showcase their wines and 3 glasses or "tre bicchieri" were awarded to the best wines. A few years ago the event was expanded to include wines from New Zealand, Spain and France, Argentina and this year for the first time there were also California wines.

While I did taste some of the wines from outside of Italy, I chose to focus primarily on the Italian wines because it is the one time of year many producers come over from Italy to showcase their wines and it a great opportunity to try wines from Northern, Central and Southern Italy, many of which are only available in Italian restaurants and are not available for direct sale.

Since I lived in Italy and speak Italian, for me the event is a wonderful opportunity to talk to producers in Italian about their wines. What I find very refreshing with Italians and Italian winemakers and producers is the lack of pretense. Italians love wine and drink a lot of it. For Italians the key is to like what you are drinking and to enjoy drinking it.

While things have become a bit more commercial over the years in the wine business in Italy, it still seems that Italians have managed not to lose focus on the taste and enjoyment of wine and what's in their glass. In talking to those affiliated with the various wineries it is quite apparent that they love what they do and in fact many of their families have been making wine for generations.

Azienda Agr. La Montecchina for example has been bottling wine since 1200. They follow the cycles of the moon and have been involved in sustainable and natural processes for centuries, way before it became trendy. Located in the Veneto in the Colli Euganie, their Fior D'Arancio Spumante 2009 is a sparkling Muscato at around $19 that has a nice flavor with hints of orange. It is quite sweet and meant to be enjoyed as a dessert wine. This was my favorite muscato at the tasting and there actually were quite a few to try.

Ruggeri had a Gold Label Valdobbiadene Proseco Superior Extra Dry that was also quite good and at $14 a bottle a great value for a sparkling wine. The Ruggeri Gold Label Proseco is a light and delicate sparkling wine that starts out creamy then fills the mouth with fruity flavors. It has just the right amount of bubbles and is not sweet but dry. This sparkling wine can be enjoyed with appetizers or on it's own for a before dinner apperitivo and is at a great price point.

As far as white wines, the Le Merietttaie Offidea Pecorino 2008 from Ciu Ciu Vini in Le Marche and the Viognier "Le Vigne" 2008 from Tenuta San Rocco were my favorites. The Pecorino from Chi Cui at $14 a bottle not only has a fun name but it is organic. It has a nice floral aroma but tastes crisp, fruity and is well balanced with a nice acidity. The Viognier from Tenuta San Rocco is 85% Viognier and 15% white muscat. At $13 a bottle the Le Vigne is a nice light summery white wine and the white muscat gives it an interesting finish.

My favorite reds were from opposite ends of Italy, the 2007 Fumin from La Crotta Di Vengneron Valle D'Aosta in the far north of Italy in Piemonte and the Centorame Castellum Vetus Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Colline Teramane 2006 from the south of Italy 50 miles east of Rome. The 2007 La Crotta Di Vengneron Fumin Valle D. Aosta at $28 is big and bold but well rounded with a smooth finish. This wine is hand harvested and fermented with natural yeast. The Centorame Castellum Vetus Montepulciano D' Abruzzo Colline Teramane 2006 at $35 a bottle is a very very big red with a lot of complexity, tannins but some big ripe fruit flavors.

If you want unpretentious, good wine made in the old world style then I suggest you give Italian wine a chance. With Italian wine you can often find good and unique wines at a nice value. My recommendation is that you make sure to enjoy Italian wines with food though because in Italy wine is meant to be savored with family and friends and enjoyed with food. This is in fact the whole premise of the Slow Food Movement, the sponsors of Golden Glass, to encourage the enjoyment of food and wine thru the use of "good, clean, fair" methods in their production to promote sustainability. So be sure to stop, smell the roses, fill a glass with some Italian wine, relax, cook up a nice meal, drink, eat and enjoy!