We are currently spotlighting two wines of Italy from dramatically different terroirs.
Passimiento Bianco Pasqua 2018 Verona
Our white, which we refer to as “Italian Picnic Wine,” is from northeastern Italy, near Verona. It is a grape called Garganega, which most commonly comes from the village of Soave, and carries that name. This wine is referred to as Passimiento, which employs the method of drying the grapes slightly before fermentation. It has lovely notes of almond, citrus, peach on the nose, and is crisp and bright on the palate, very dry, with mild acidity. It conjures up images for me of basking in the countryside in the sunshine, a mild breeze, and the scent of wildflowers wafting about.
Cannonau 2019 “i fiori” Pala Sardinia
Cannonau is the Sardinian name for what is commonly called Grenache or Garnacha.
The terroir and climate on the island of Sardinia creates wine of distinct character.
Bright, with ripe, sexy, cherry-like fruit notes upon entry, it finishes clean and mildly tannic with a hint of earthiness. After a short aeration, it gathers some girth and velvety mouth feel. Great with fowl and meat off the grill, stands up to spicy food, and appropriate for sinewy fish and pastas.