From Prosecco to Primitivo: Organic Wines in the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri "Italy in a Nutshell" Tasting

Wines in the Top Ten Tasting Lineup from Organic Vineyards

Seated masterclass tastings at Gambero Rosso's in person tour featured an outstanding array of wines from many regions of Italy. The wines were excellent and the chance to taste them in person a valuable experience since many did not appear to have U.S. distribution. 

Which raises the eternal question: When will the US distribution system get it right? These are truly great wines and it seems a shame that the systems in place frequently do not allow consumers access to them. If wine distribution were not controlled by monopolistic structures in the U.S., surely we would enjoy these stunning wines. 

Meanwhile, here's what to look for from the tasting:

• Villa Sandhi's Cartine-Brut La Rivetta 2020 (15,000 bottles)

The lineup on Friday's tasting began with extra brut and brut wines - a lively start. Gambero Rosso's Italian Wines Guide 2022 calls this wine "a star performer"..."on the nose, white fruit is embellished with by fresh flowers and citrus fruits"..."shows on the mouth with impressive sapidity coming through lean and crisp and closing on a note of bitter almond." It is indeed an impressive wine.

This is the 12th year the wine received a Tre Bicchieri, and this year, it won the guide's Sparkler of the Year award, in a crowded field:

"The Bubbles of the Year Award increasingly marks the differences and complexities within the Prosecco galaxy. In this case, we are in the heart of the municipality of Valdobbiadene, in a micro-vineyard area that outlines an amphitheater of vines that is scenic to say the least, with dizzying slopes. We are talking about the Cartizze hill, 107 hectares of vineyards for a production of 1.2 million bottles. A suitable territory, divided into over 40 owners..."

Find more on page 445 of Gambero Rosso's Italian Wines 2022 guide in the Veneto chapter.

While the winery itself has more than 560 hectares (1,383 acres) under vine, La Rivetta is only 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres). 

Villa Sandhi's overall production is 5.6 million bottles.

I found only one place online in the US to buy it - for the price of around $80. 

• Castello de Cigognola's More Pas Dosé M. Cl. 

A Blanc de Noir with bright fruit and citrus notes, this was a two Bicchieri wine in the guide (page 250 in the Lombardy chapter) from a brand that converted to organics in 2018. 

In comparison to the giant Villa Sandhi, this winery is much smaller - with 30 hectares of vines. It produces 75,000 bottles annually. It also makes a Brut Nature of Pinot Nero as well. 

This sparkling wine is made via the classical method.

• Coppi's Gioia del Colle Primitivo Senatore 2017 DOC (30,000 bottles)

A few wines later the scene shifted to reds and to this subtle, gorgeous Primitivo (page 928) from the South. For those used to big beefy Zinfandel expressions, this Tre Bicchieri wine would be a revelation with its delicate red berries and fresh, fruity flavors. 

Primitivo comes from the variety's early ripening characteristics, our tasting leader Marco Sabellico explained. 

In addition to the current vintage, the guide lists five previous vintages that also won a Tre Bicchieri award, attesting to Puglia's ability to compete with the higher priced regions. 

The wine is named for Senator Antonio Michele Coppi, "the farsighted founder of Coppi winery as well as winemaker, who loves and deeply knows the territory of the Murgia dei Trulli of Bari," the winery's web site says. 

I found the 2015 listed online for sale in the US on wine-searcher.com.

• Cantine San Marzano's Primitivo di Manduria Sessantanni 2017 DOP 

Another outstanding Primitivo, showing the nuance and finesse this grape can offer, this wine (page 940) comes from a coop of 1,200 growers farming 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of vines in Puglia. A tiny bit fruitier than the Senatore, it offers up plum notes followed by a kiss of delicate cherries on the finish, with elegant tannins.

The wine comes solely from 60 year old vines grown in the traditional Albarello style, which are bush vines that must be hand picked. 

The area receives almost no rainfall.

The Cantine also won Gambero Rosso's award for Cooperative of the Year in 2022.

---------

In addition to the "Italy in a Nutshell" tasting, a second round of seated tastings featured wines from the Custoza DOC in the Veneto, where blended white wines from indigenous varieties rule. 

• Gorgo's San Michelle 2020 DOC

Another Tre Bicchieri wine, this intriguing, complex blend of Garganega, Cortese, and Trebbiano comes from 40 year old vines.

Described by the guide as "the quintessence of finesse," it's a "floral and citrusy wine that features, a sapid, taut and racy palate." I'll second that. 

It's currently available in two states in the US for $13-15. (See page 405 in the book for more info.) A gorgeous wine at that price, to be sure.

-----

Just as at the Slow Wine U.S. tour, Gambero Rosso is a place where importers can taste, meet and select new wines to import. Both events are funded by the EU in hopes of promoting commerce. Let's hope the exposure makes these wines more accessible.

Organic Wines from Italy Outperform Others in Top Honors in Gambero Rosso 2022 Guide, Winning 30% of Tre Bicchieri Awards (Compared to Being 18% of Vines)

After a Covid interval, Gambero Rosso's annual tasting of Italian wines was back in town at Fort Mason, and the crowds were not nearly as overwhelming as usual. A typically cram packed show was made more civilized by fewer people attending, although the event was still a big draw.

Italian wines form the backbone of so many restaurant wine lists, for their affordability, quality and tremendous variety, and the restaurants that survived the pandemic were in attendance to look, see and (later) buy. As usual, a large number of the wineries were seeking importers. 

Gambero Rosso's Marco Sabellico led the masterclass tastings.

Along with other wine writers (including pals Chris Sawyer, former Getty somm and noted wine authority, and Alder Yarrow, of JancisRobinson.com), I attended two back to back masterclasses with Gambero Rosso director Marco Sabellico. 

The first was one of my favorite tastings–a top ten tasting of Tre Bicchieri wines. (Tre Bicchieri, or "three glasses," represents the guide's best wines). 

All of the wines are featured in the Gambero Rosso book Italian Wines which alas came in shrink wrapped plastic which could be tossed into "Landfill" containers at the event. (Not eco-minded. We can hope for better in future years).

Yet of the thousands of wines tasted for the guide, the organic rose to the fore, with 30 percent of the Tre Bicchieri (140 wines out of 476 Tre Biccheiri, out of more than 45,000 tasted) winning the top honors. (The guide includes 25,000 wines). That, in a country where 18 percent of the wines are certified organic, means that organically grown wines outperformed their peers by a significant margin, winning 12 percent more than "sustainable" wines. (Do healthier soils make the difference?)

I'll add a list of the organically grown wines we tasted in the Tre Bicchieri class later.

Love Brick House Vineyard's Beautiful Wines But Can't Afford to Buy Them Very Often? This Deal's For You

Brick House Vineyards in Oregon's Ribbon Ridge AVA is a perennial favorite and for good reason. Organic, biodynamic Chardonnay and Pinot - top ranked for decades. And now, you might want to try some of their new "second" wines: the House Red Pinot, House Red Gamay and 2020 Ribbon Ridge Chardonnay. All under $30. Visit https://brickhousewines.com for details or call the winery.

Smoke Taint Panel at Unified Wine Grape Symposium

The article I wrote on the fabulous smoke taint panel at Unified was published today on WineBusiness.com. And what a panel it was with U.C. Davis scientist Anita Oberholster on the latest from the world of research and Napa based attorney John Trinidad on how to renegotiate and redefine grape purchase agreements. Ukiah grower Mike Boer shared what not to do from his own experiences during the 2018 Mendocino Complex fire. 

Read it here.

The Slow Wine SNAIL Collection of Wine Launches on Pix.Wine

The Slow Food movement has given birth to yet more goodness. 

The team at Slow Wine Guide USA is proud to announce that our editors' top picks from the Slow Wine Guide USA launched here on Slow Wine's SNAIL Collection on Pix.Wine.

What's a SNAIL you might ask? A SNAIL is a winery that meets Slow Wine's highest eco-friendly and sensory standards. This list includes a number of wines from the SNAIL wineries. 

Get more info on all the SNAILs and other environmentally conscious producers (organic, biodynamic and other) in Slow Wine Guide 2021. (And look for the 2022 guide which will launch later this month from OKO Press).

For more about Slow Wine Guide USA, have a look at this recent news interview.

Here's the Slow Wine manifesto - qualities that we look for in SNAIL wineries.

Focus - The Slow Food Manifesto for good, clean and fair wine

1 - Wineries must directly cultivate at least 70% of the grapes used for the production of wines (exceptions are made for some areas that traditionally have a large trade of grapes, such as Madeira, Napa Valley, Southern Spain…).

2 - Wineries must not use fertilizers, herbicides and antibacterial agents deriving from synthetic chemistry.

3 - The use of environmental resources for wine production must be responsible and sustainable. The use of irrigation systems must be limited as much as possible, and aimed at avoiding cases of severe water stress.

4 – Any new company buildings to be built, must respect the landscape. Regarding buildings that already exist, any eventual renovation and their management must take into account environmental sustainability.

5 - Wineries must not use reverse osmosis or physical methods of must concentration. Furthermore, except for sparkling wines or wines that traditionally require it, MCR (Rectified Concentrated Must) or sugar (depending on the country of production) must not be used. The use of shavings is not taken into consideration to flavor wines.

6 - The amount of sulfur in the wine must not exceed the limits indicated in the European Union organic wine certification.

7 - The wines must reflect the terroir of origin. This is the reason we welcome the use of indigenous yeasts as well as scientific research aimed at isolating native yeasts, which can then be replicated and used by the company or by several winemakers of the same area and denomination.

8 - Wines must be free of the major oenological defects, because these tend to make the wines homogeneous and flatten the territorial differences.

9 - It is desirable that the winery actively collaborates with the entire agricultural community in order to enhance the agricultural system of the territorial area where it produces. In this regard, it is absolutely necessary for the winery to maintain a virtuous relationship with its collaborators and employees, encouraging their personal and professional growth, and it is equally necessary for the winery to collaborate and share knowledge with other winemakers in the area, avoiding unfair competition.

10 - The sustainable winemaker encourages biodiversity through practices such as: alternating the vineyard with hedges and wooded areas; soil management that includes grassing and green manure and that excludes, in any case, bare soil, except for short, seasonal periods; protecting pollinating insects and useful fauna by preferably using the insecticides allowed in organic farming, in case such interventions are necessary, but in any case avoiding using them during the flowering of the vine and other herbaceous species present in the vineyard; breeding animals in respect of their well-being and the production of manure on the farm, and the company's production of compost from pruning residues and other organic materials.