The month of March is when many of the wine and spirits distributors have their biannual portfolio tastings for members of the trade. To coincide with that many of the government sponsored trade associations have their world tour showcasing the wines they are promoting.

This year two of the biggest Italian trade events were held on back to back days. On March 3rd, Slow Wine USA held their tasting in New York City and on the next day March 4th, Gambero Rossso held their Tre Biccheri tasting.

The Slow Wine event was held in the afternoon for members of the trade at Eataly Downtown at 101 Liberty Street in Manhattan across from the World Trade Center. It was the New York City stop on their USA tour that took them to Boston, Denver, Los Angelas and D.C.

Slow Wine is an organization that in its manifesto advocates for “good, clean and fair wine”. They also run the first university “dedicated solely to Gastronomic Science”.

The event was walk around tasting of mostly Italian wines though they did have a handful of non-Italian wines represented. It seemed like they did have fewer California producers present this year than they did last year, I’m not sure if that’s because this tasting was held on the heels of the Vinous Icons tasting the previous week.

Most regions of Italy were represented by small, off the radar producers who many were looking for importers. As usual, Eataly provided some very tasty food to go with the wines.

On the next day, Gambero Rosso, who publish an annual guide to Italian wines (Vini d’Italia) held their walk around tasting for members of the trade showcasing Italian wines awarded one to three glasses in the Tre Biccheri (3 glasses) designation. The USA tour included stops in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and D.C.

This was a larger event than the Slow Wine tasting the previous day with many small producers pouring their award-winning wines. This event was held at the Metropolitan Pavillion at 125 West 18th Street in Manhattan.

Some of what I sampled:

2015 Bertani Amarone (Veneto): Clear medium brick, earthy red leather on the nose, dusty fruit ending with crisp acids.

2018 Zenato Amarone Riserva (Veneto): Opaque dark red, brick rim, crushed nuts on the nose, juicy black fruit with leather notes, prunny finish, good balance.

2020 Fontodi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione “Pastrolo” (Tuscany): Clear medium purple, tar and leather on the nose, tight light fruit with crisp acids.

2020 Collezione di Campaccio (Tuscany): A red blend, clear medium brick, tar and leather on the nose, chewy and firm.

2020 Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montalcino “Sotto Casa” (Tuscany): Clear medium brick, sweet tar and graphite on the nose, dusty fruit with graphite notes, silky tannins.

2020 Campo San Giorgio Conero Riserva Umani Rochi (Marche): Opaque dark red, barnyard, slate and dark red fruit on the nose, dense with silky tannins, nice balance.

2021 San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione “La Pieve” (Tuscany): Opaque dark brick, smoke, almonds and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy black fruit, good grip, long finish.

2021 Monte del Fra Valpolicella Ripasso (Veneto): Opaque medium red, closed nose of smoke notes, chewy red leather with silky tannins, great balance.

2021 Due Mani Cabernet Franc (Tuscany): Opaque black, smoke, white pepper and crushed stone on the nose, chewy black fruit with graphite notes, silky tannins, great balance and a long finish.

2022 Sono Montenidoli Chianti Colli Senesi (Tuscany): Clear light brick, dirty chocolate on the nose, juicy red fruit with dried herb notes, crisp acids.

2022 Borgogno “No Name” (Piedmont): Nebbiolo, clear light brick, toasty tar on the nose, moderate light fruit, silky, firm tannins, light finish.