October 3-11 was Milano Wine Week 2020. The event was curated by the I.E.E.M. (International Event & Exhibition Management), a PR agency for the wine industry. Promoted as “the first international event of 2020” they ran tastings, exhibitions and seminars in Milan and several international cities. In New York they held a series of sit-down “master classes” during the course of three days which were held at Il Gattopardo restaurant at 15 West 54th Street in midtown Manhattan.
Master class: “Discover The Unique Expression of Pinot Noir From Oltrepò Pavese”
The wines were from the Confagricoltura Pavia, an agricultural trade organization.
Oltrepò Pavese which translate into “Pavia across the Po” is one of Italy’s 329 DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) zones and is located about 50 miles south of the city of Milan in the region of Lombardy.
The flagship wines from that region are Spumante but they were one of the first regions in Italy to plant Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero).
As Lombardy is in North Italy, these are cool weather Pinot Noirs and I wasn’t expecting the type of lush, fruit forward Pinot Noirs that you would get from warmer weather wine regions such as California. The wines were young and for the most part hard as nails with tight fruit and high acidity.
2017 Marchese Adorno “Rile Nero”
2015 Conte Vistarino “Pernice”
2018 Conte Vistarino “Costa del Nero”
2017 Tenuta Travaglino “Poggia della Buttinera” Riserva
2018 Frecciarossa “Carillo”
2016 Frecciarossa “Giorgio Odero”
2017 Mazzolino “Noir”
2019 Mazzolino “Terrazze”
Master Class: Vermentino Phenomenon: Discovering The Top 10 Vermentino.
Vermentino is a white grape varietal grown around the Mediterranean.
The Maremma is on the western coast of Tuscany and in a country where grapes have been planted for centuries, a relatively new vinicultural area. Viticulture was introduced in the 19th century after the drainage of the swampland in the region.
At this tasting we sampled ten Vermentino from Consorzio Tutela Vini della Maremma Toscana. They are an association of wine grape growers, wine makers and wine bottlers which was established “to protect the quality of Maremma Toscana DOC wines and to promote them in Italy and abroad”. They poured wines from the Grand Prix 2020 and the new low sugar versions.
For the most part the wines were bone-dry, delicate, crisp whites that would go well with shellfish and other seafood.
| 2019 Balbino | 2019 Vermentino |
| 2019 Nudo Vermintino | 2018 Leardo |
| 2018 Balbinvs | 2018 Codice V |
| 2017 Montero | 2017 Matan |
| 2019 Scalandrino | 2018 Cobalto |
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