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Talking about wines: which trend do you expect in the new decade? 2

Posted on January 02, 2010 by Stile Mediterraneo

As we start this new decade, which new wine trend do you expect to prevail in your country or worldwide?

After talking to several oenologists and wine makers during the wine tours we organize in Puglia, we have the impression the tendency will be towards wines which have less and less a distinctive wood – oak taste. Instead, we think wines will be appreciated when they reveal the unique flavors of the indigenous grapes (such as Aglianico, Primitivo, Negroamaro in Italy).

Successful wines will be those who have good structure, lots of flavors and “elegance”.

And you? do you agree with this view?

What kind of wine do you personally prefer? Do you like the wood taste?

How do you choose which wine to buy? do you base on ratings, price or what else?

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Tags: Italian wines Italy DOC wines Puglia wineries Puglia wines wine tours Italy
Category Wines & wineries

It’s November! Time for Novello wine! … but please don’t call it “new wine”! 0

Posted on November 15, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

Starting from November 6th, we can buy and drink the Novello wine in Italy.

As usual, lots of people are going to be disappointed and many others will love it! I think it is important to consider that Novello wine is totally different from the …..other wines. When we taste the Novello wine, we should not expect the same body, texture and taste we have when we drink all the other wines.

Many people call it the New Wine, but it is made with a completely different method. The new wine is the result of the latest grape harvest. It is made with the traditional method of separating the raisins from the vines, crushing the raisins and fermenting the must. The new wine still has a little fermentation on going. It is a young wine that still needs to improves due the action of the the yeasts.

Its color and taste depend on: the area where the grapes were produced; the time when the grapes were harvested; the time lag between when the vinification process ended and when the wine is tasted.

The Novello wine is totally different from the new wine. It is made with a completely different method, known as the carbonic maceration: the whole grapes (which have NOT been pressed) are kept in tanks, hermetically sealed, with gas, at about 30 °C for up to 3 weeks. At the end of this process, all the resulting grapes are crushed and let to ferment for about 2 days.

Novello wine is tannin-free and so its life is very short. Its color is usually bright red and its taste is very fruity, tasting strawberry, rasperry, banana, apricot and freshly squeezed grape. It has less alchool and body than wines made with the traditional method.

Novello is in Italy what the Beaujolais is in France. In Italy, Novello wine was traditionally made in Veneto, Trentino and Tuscany. Nowadays, Italy counts 350 Novello producers, in almost all regions, with a production of about 15.000 bottles per year.

Grapes which are usually used to make Novello are: Merlot, Sangiovese, Barbera, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, Nero d’Avola, Aglianico and in Puglia, Primitivo and Malvasia Nera di Lecce.

Novello is perfect for an aperitif, but also with young cheese, poultry, not too fat salami. and of course all the food which is in the same season, such as chestnuts!

For more information about the Stile Mediterraneo wine tours in Puglia Italy please write at info.stile@gmail.com or subscribe to our newsletter

Tags: Italian wines Italy wine tastings Novello wine Puglia wineries Puglia wines Southern Italy wineries Southern Italy wines wine tours Italy
Category Wines & wineries

What you should not miss if you come to Puglia: the Primitivo wine! 7

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

If you come to Puglia you should definetely try the many different wines produced from the distinctive local varities, which are impossible to find in any other part of Italy.
Puglia is a region with one of the most ancient enological traditions of Italy. The region counts 25 DOC wines and many local grapes, including the now famous Primitivo. A few years ago Primitivo variety was cultivated with the only purpose of making bulk wines destined to other Italian and European regions, where wines were less robust and with less alcohol content.
Nowadays, thanks to the hard work of many oenologists and wine producers this grape has been revaluated and is now fully appreciated around the world.
Primitivo became famous when it was found out that Primitivo and Zinfandel have the same DNA.
Some researchers say that both Primitivo and Zinfandel have Balkan origins, from the Zagarese grape. They say that Primitivo grape was introduced in Puglia in the 17th century.
Other people say that the primitivo grape was introduced in Puglia much earlier by the Greeks.

The name primitivo comes from the fact that this grape ripens earlier than other varieties.
The current success is due to the innovation introduced in the vineyards, such as the early harvest and the very low yield per hectare so that the resulting wines are softer, more fruity and less aggressive in terms of alcohol.
Lots of wine makers still practise the manual harvest which results in higher quality of the grapes and so of the wines!

Primitivo is produced everywhere in Puglia, but the DOC areas for Primitivo are Gioia del Colle (where the different temperature between night and day lets the fruit ripen slowly and perfectly) and Manduria (where the wind coming from the sea contributes to keeping the fruit in good health and to its flavors). The wine obtained from primitivo is well structured, with flavors of ripen red fruit and minimum alcohol degree of 14%.

This grape has a strong and very distinctive character and Pugliese wine makers wisely prefer a short time aging in French barrels (instead of complying with the international wines with a stronger wood taste). This is a wine to be aged.
Today wines made of Primitivo show undeniable class in a style that stands comparison with its American counterparts.
Every last Sunday of May is a special day for those who love wines from Puglia. All wineries are open to visitors for free visits and tastings, while usually, it is not possible to visit wineries without an appointment.

For more info on our wine tours in Puglia please email at: info.stile@gmail.com

Tags: Italy DOC wines Italywine tastings Primitivo wine Puglia wines Things to do in Puglia wine tours Italy Zinfandel
Category Wines & wineries, things to do in Puglia

Grape harvest 2007 in Italy: excellent Italian wines! 0

Posted on October 03, 2007 by Stile Mediterraneo

Four of the most important Italian winemakers agree that the 2007 Grape Harvest will result in excellent wines.

From Piedmont Barolo producer, Michele Chiarlo, to Fausto Peratoner, the director of Cantina La Visa in the Trentino; from Marco Caprai, the Umbrian winemaker who put Sagrantino back on the map, to Alessio Planeta in Sicily who, together with Francesca and Santi, run the most successful winery in Sicily – all agree that the uniting factor of the Italian grape harvest, from the north to the south of Italy, is the high quality of this year’s wine.

Tags: grape harvest Italy Italian wines Italy Italy DOC wines Puglia wines
Category Wines & wineries