veneto wine

• V Is for Variety

This blend of 70 per cent Corvina, 25 per cent [Rondinella] and five per cent [Molinara] is a monster -- 40 per cent of the grapes were dried on bamboo before fermentation, imparting inky colour and an intense nose of leather, tar, stewed plum and a hint of "barnyard." There's a funky, dung kind of smell (in the best possible way). It's massive and rich on the palate, with lots of spice and ripe plum flavours and a great balance of fruit, acidity and tannin. While it could easily be put away for at least five years, it's drinking very well right now with equally assertive food. If you can't find this one, the regular Campofiorin is also excellent for $17.99. Falling between run-of-the-mill Valpolicella and [Amarone] are wines made in the Ripasso method. Invented by Masi, one of the regi...

Italy's Veneto region produces vino that runs the gamut in flavou...

• Winnipeg Free Press
• August 21, 2009

• Cool It

Let's start with white wines. Generally speaking, the lighter a wine the more it should be chilled. Pinot Grigio, for example, is one of the lighter whites made and can be served well-chilled. On the other end of the spectrum, an oak-aged Chardonnay is full-bodied, rich and often complex. In order to best display these complexities, don't over-chill the wine -- about 30 minutes in the refrigerator should do the trick. Dry roses and other blush wines also should be served chilled but, like whites, the temperature should be based on the characteristics of the wine. Sweeter blush wines like White Zinfandel can be chilled right down without too much concern -- these wines tend to be devoid of really profound flavours. Dry roses, on the other hand, vary based on the grapes used, the length...

...Ciao NV Prosecco Marca Trevigiana (Veneto, Italy -- $2.84/200ml can, available at Liquor Mar...

• Winnipeg Free Press
• October 13, 2009

• White (and Red) House

You'd be forgiven for not remembering Rutherford B. Hayes, America's 19th president, who served from 1877 to 1881. First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes was a staunch temperance advocate. While her husband was president, alcohol was only served at an official function on one occasion -- an early visit from a Russian grand duke. Her disdain for alcohol earned her the nickname "Lemonade Lucy. The Volstead Act isn't a well-known political term, but in 1919 it changed Americans' relationship with wine for decades to come. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the act, which prohibited the sale, production, or importation of alcohol. However, Congress overrode the veto, and the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was created. Prohibition, as it came to be better known, was ratified in Jan...

...Ponte Pietra 2007 Trebbiano-Garganega Veneto, Italy -- around $12, available at private wine st...

• Winnipeg Free Press
• September 02, 2009

• Drawing a Blanc

I was so impressed with last week's Lake Breeze Gewürztraminer that I thought a column (or two) devoted to underappreciated and under-the-radar grapes was in order. Far too often the big-shot grapes -- Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, etc. -- get the lion's share of the spotlight. So this week I thought I'd promote four less commercially popular whites (reds will have their turn next week). Chenin Blanc: This grape, whose origins are in the Loire Valley, was big in the U.S. when wine's popularity skyrocketed in the 1970s. If there's one New World white wine that is criminally undervalued (and deliciously underpriced), it's South African Chenin Blanc (sometimes known as Steen). Also of note is France's Vouvray, as well as Crémant de Loire -- a bubbly Chenin Blanc. I'd be remiss i...

...BOLLA 2005 SOAVE CLASSICO . Veneto, Italy -- . $11.79, available at Liquor Marts and ...

• Winnipeg Free Press
• August 21, 2009