All good things must come to an end and that includes my Italian adventure. I decided to spent the last couple of nights visiting family. My peeps live in the town of Chioggia which is a small fishing village on the southern part of the Venetian lagoon. The old town is a miniature Venice with canals, bridges and fishing boats while crossing a causeway takes you to the modern beach area of Sottomarina with B & B’s, restaurants and white sandy beaches. Very off the radar for American tourists, it makes a good base to visit Venice while escaping the hoards. You can take the shorter route which is a 45 minute bus ride or the longer which is more scenic but takes longer. You take a boat from the old town which takes you to Lido where you get a bus which takes you to a vaporetto which takes you to St. Marks Square.
It was six years since the last time I visited the town and you would never call it cutting edge but this time around I experiences something I had never had in Sottomarina, a real wine bar. After cousin Alberto set me up in a nice hostel in the old town, we headed to the beach area for a glass of wine. We spent happy hour at a new wine bar munching on some pasta and bruschetta while drinking a glass of the 2011 Russolo Cabernet Sauvignon and a glass of the 2010 Poggio al Vento Morellino di Scansano.
The next day, cousin David decided to take me on a wine tour of the closest wine area, Colli Euganei. The Colli Euganei wine district is located about 30 miles west of Venice. The area is a group of extinct volcanos that rise above the plains of the Po delta. The area is also known for their hot springs as well as their wines. We spent a rainy Monday driving up steep hills surrounded by vineyards. Very picturesque. Dave called ahead and made an appointment with Azienda Agricola Ca Lustra. We were given the standard tour of the facilities then we got down to some serious wine tasting. Of course we started with the whites. Very interesting labels with pictographs of the ancient indigenous people.
The 2011 Zanovello “Oliveani” is a blend of five grapes including Sauvignon Blanc and Tocai. It was gold in color with a nose of honey and mango, full bodied, buttery, nutty with good acidity on the finish. Good start.
The 2011 Zonovello “Pendevenda” made with the local grape varietal incrocio manzoni, was gold in color with a nose of dried mushrooms and red candy, medium full-bodied with some lemon-lime on the finish with good balance.
The 2009 Zanovello “Roverello” which is made from Chardonnay, was deep gold with a big nose of lime and wild flowers and forest floor, big bodied with some dried leaf on the on the back-end.
The 2011 Zanovello “A Cengia” which is a blend of two Moscato grape varietals, was gold with green highlights in color with a very big spicy nose and was medium bodied with juicy green lime fruit and nice acidity on the finish.
The 2011 Zanovello “Agangoor” Rose is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and was cherry red with an earthy, sour cherry nose with bright, crisp fruit, and an earthy finish with firm acids on the finish. On to the reds.
The 2009 Zanovello “Girapoggio” is a blend of 30% Cabernet Franc and 70% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was black with a nose of smoky bacon, concentrated, silky and chewy with firm tannins and acids on the long finish.
The 2007 Zanovello “Natio” which is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Camenere was black in color and a violet robe with a big perfume of camphor, very concentrated and silky with notes of black fruits with a great grip with a long finish that coats the tongue.
The 2008 Zanovello “Sassonero” is all Merlot and was black with a purple robe with a nose of sour fruit, it was tight and concentrated with velvet fruit, good balance and a long finish.
The second label 2009 Ca Lustra Rosso, is a blend of three red grape varietals and was dark red to black with a nose of green pepper, black fruit and lots of barnyard, it was rustic and chewy and a big mouthfeel with dusty fruit and good balance on the finish. Very nice.
Overall it was a very interesting tasting.
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