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Veneto
Veneto
Up northeast, Veneto's a province that has it all. From mountains to fertile plains and a lagoon on the Adriatic seaside. Red or white? Reds from Valpolicella range from juicy, medium bodied reds to richer full bodied, powerful dried grape styles of Amarone and its little cousin Ripasso. Prosecco is the fun time fizz for when friends pop in, with its peach, green apple and pastry notes. But again, head for the hills where the quality producers farm their vineyards. The best examples come from the Conegliano zone, specifically the Cartizze hill. The simpler wines are best put to use when aperitivo hour strikes, in either a Bellini or a Spritz. Grapes Favourite Producers
Holidaymakers will know it for romantic spots like Verona and the faded majesty of Venice's canals and treasures like the Rialto, the Guggenheim and the Aperol Spritz.
Equally adept with white as with red, but in Veneto, finding quality is key. There's the handsomely named smoky, crisp dry whites of Soave and the more familiar Pinot Grigio. The best both come from hillier vineyards.
Garganega (in Soave), Pinot Grigio
Corvina, Molinara, Rondinella (in Valpolicella)
Glera (in Prosecco)
Soave - Pieropan, Prà, Anselmi, Inama, Tamellini
Valpolicella - La Dama, Masi, Quintarelli, Allegrini, Tedeschi, Dal Forno, Zenato, L'Arco
Prosecco - Nino Franco, Bellussi, Bellenda, Adami, Ruggeri
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Valfaccenda Arneis 2021Luca and Carolina are two of the best people we’ve met in the world of wine. We’ve known one another for many years and long admired the wines so we decided it was time to navigate our friendship and import the wines. Luca Faccenda grew up in the hills of Roero, northwest of Alba, where his family made wines in Valle Faccenda, a small valley between Canale and Cisterna. The vineyards in Roero are primarily on sandy soils, the hills very steep and difficult to work, and the wines more perfumed and pretty compared to those of the Langhe with a distinct saltiness on the palate.
This comes from Loreto and Mompellini with an average vine age of 15 years and the vineyard parcels are divided into ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ soils, harvested separately. The rich soils bring acidity and and sharpness to the wine, whilst the poor soils more structure and warmth. The poorer soils produce smaller berries with ripe tannins and these parcels are fermented and aged in old wood, with about 10-15 days on skins. The wine goes through malo and is blended and bottled in the waning moon of late Spring following the harvest and then aged in bottle for a minimum of three months.
Luca makes the point that his Arneis is grown only on the steep hillsides (where mostly Nebbiolo is grown) and it’s the first variety to flower and the last to ripen. He is looking complexity rather than a simple aperitivo wine. The nose is rich with peach and pear fruit and touch of white pepper. The mid palate fills out with depth and some tannin, finishing crisp and salty.2021ArneisItaly499$62.00 As low as $55.80