Visiting Sirmione and Lugano

Day 3 of our wine trip is easy going. We are visiting Sirmione in the morning followed by a winery visit with lunch. Sirmione and the winery are only a 40 minute drive from Verona.

The day is overcast. We arrive before the tourist hordes who will form a solid line of vehicles all the way along the peninsula looking for parking by the time we leave.

Ruins of the villa of Catullus

We board a motor launch for a circular tour Sirmione at the tip of the peninsula. The boat, one of many doingthe same trip, stops to let us observe a streams of small bubbles coming from an underground volcanic vent. The largest  has been capped and hot water pumped to the thermal spa (Terme) we can see on the beach.

Then we have a hour of free time to explore Sirmione. We have holidayed in Sirmione for several years in the past. Sue and Peter Chasney continue to do so, and we meet them there for a coffee in the town square. 

Then it's back to the coach for our lunch time visit to Cascina Maddalena Winery owned by the Zordan family.

Elisa Zordan

Elisa Zordan shows us the vineyard and cellar. They have 4 Ha of mostly white Turbiano grapes, (see note below)

Turbiano

also some red Marzemino and seven rows of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Marzemino

All their wines are from their own vineyards. Elisa and her winemaking husband Mattia are the third generation on the farm. Mattia's grandfather bought Maddalena farm in 1947, but his father, Luciano concentrated on wine. 

They produce 30K bottles and export 20%, mostly to Germany but also others including Montana. The rest they sell at the winery.

Then we had lunch with wines. All their wines, apart from the fizz, are closed with Stelvin screwcaps as they think these are the best closure, and they now use lighter bottles.

Among the wines we tasted were:

Leonardo - 2,400 bottles are produced of this sparkling wine made by the traditional method, aged on lees for at least 24 months, and with no dosage. All you could expect from a superior fizz, showing again that grapes other then those used in Champagne can and do make super fizz.

Rosanora - pink-orange colour. Made from Marzemino. 3,700 bottles of this off dry pink wine are made. Not my type of wine.

7 Scurtoni 2017 - Meaning 7 Rows with a stylised label image of the rows. They make 3,000 bottles of this unwooded Cabernet Sauvignon. Made in stainless steel its is delightfully soft fresh and fruity.

During lunch Mattia's parents Raffaella and Luciano sang to us. Raffaella is in charge of the kitchen and they boat local dishes made from 0 kilometre ingredients grown by them, or bought from neighbouring farms.

Note: Turbiano is an old local grape variety also known as Trebbiano di Lugano. But Wine Grapes states that Turbiano is the same as Verdicchio Bianca.

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Visting Prosseco

Day 2 – Prosecco

On Saturday we headed to the hills of Refrontolo and Valdobbiadene to visit top Prosecco makers.

Our guide was supposed to be an wine expert, having a degree in wine-making and being a professional sommelier, but apart from a very brief talk in the coach where she told us there were only two ways to make sparkling wine (I know of 5) she preferred to chat to the driver and ignore us.

The slow bus took 2.5 hours to get to our first stop, Vincenzo Toffoli, makers of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. 

Our host was the owner, who told us that here in the central Conegliano Valdobbiadene area rainfall was 1200mm, daytime temperature was 27-30C and at night 16-17C. They get cold air from the Alps and warm air fro the sea. Their vineyards on the hills face south. 

They started in 1964 by three brothers with 5Ha, and they now rent 22Ha more, planted 99.9% with Glera. 

Other varieties are (red) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Marzemino and (white) Verdiso.

• We tasted
• Vincenzo anno 1603 Tranquillio 2018 Treviso DOC – this is not a sparkling wine, but it had some bubbles. Pleasant dry wine. €4.20
• Vincenzo anno 1603 Frizzante 2018 – this has 11%RS. This was the first sparkling wine, first made in 1969. Two closures are offered, a crown cap at €4.20 and a cork secured with string at €4.50.
• 7 Millesimi Spumante Extra Brut 2018. Lovely dry sparkling wine. €6.60
• 7 Millesimi Spumante Extra Brut 2018. From this year Extra Brut designation is allowed for Prosecco with less than 7gL sugar.
• 7 Millesimi Brut 2018 Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Really classy Prosecco €6.95
• Maria Spumante Extra Dry 2018. Enjoyable fizz €6.6
• Vincenzo 1 Ripasso Marzemino Veneto IGT €9. This still red had spent 2 months in barrel. Lovely smooth warming red with prune flavours.

We learned that from this year both the Extra Brut classification and Rosé Prosecco would be allowed

Then we departed for lunch at Osteria Dolcevista, in a position high on the Valdobbiadene hills, surrounded by vineyards with tremendous views.

View from restaurant balcony

But there was a problem. The head waiter was shrugging his shoulders and our guide was on her phone for a long time while we enjoyed the view from the garden.

At long last we were ushered past an open fire where thick steaks were being grilled, upstairs to a room with a balcony and large window.  

A good lunch, and good wines …..

…….but we spent a very long time there.

In the afternoon we visited Bisol who produce 47 million bottles of Prosecco annually. Now under the same ownership as Ferrari Trento, Bisol concentrate on Charmat method wines while Ferrari make traditional method sparklers.

Bisol have 55Ha of their own vineyards.

After a tour of the cellar, we sat outside at large round tables and tasted:- 

• Bisol Collection Crede Brut Prosecco Superior Valdobbiadene 2018 DOCG (€9.50) which was dry (7.5gL) and refreshing, tho’ rather neutral.

• Bisol Jeio Extra-Dry Prosecco Superior Valdobbiadene 2018 DOCG 11.5% (€7.50) Named after the nickname of the founder, this was fruity, rounded and delicious.

• Bisol Collection Extra-Dry Molera Prosecco Superior Valdobbiadene 2018 DOCG (€9.50). This comes from Bisol’s own vineyards, and is very drinkable, soft, rounded and fruity.

We finished with the most expensive, and sweetest.

• Cartizze Valdobbiadene Dry Superiore di Cartizze DOCG (€17.50). With 25gL RS this  was full bodied and ripe.

And then another 2.5 hours to return. We realised the guide hadn't taken us to two promised sights: ancient wine school and Molinetto della Croda an XVI water mill we'd driven pass the signpost to.

Malcolm phoned Pagus Tours and we didn't have that guide again.....

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Valpolicella

Friday 13 September.

Our first day's visit is to Valpolicella Classica in the heart of the wine region. Laura, our guide from Pagus Wine Tours, said on the minibus from the hotel that when she explained the meaning of Valpolicella, we’d never forget it. And I don’t think I will.


Val – meaning valley

Poli – many, like poly in English

Cella  - cellar


Thus Valpolicella means valley with many cellars. There’s 4-500 wineries there but we would visit only two of them.

First was Tenuta SalvaTerra where, after an introductory Prosecco we tasted Pinot Grigio, Valpolicella 2017, Ripasso 2016, Amarone DOCG 2011 and 2015. The 2015 was a stonking 16.5% abv.

In the cellars I noted the barrels were each on stands with wheels, allowing the barrels to be turned to move the lees.

Our guide at Tenuta SalvaTerra

Amarone is made from dried grapes, Ripasso is midway between Valpolicalla and Amarone being Valpolicalla that is refermented on the skins left after Amarone is pressed. All wines were good, but my favourite was the Ripasso which was deliciously ripe and silky.

We then had lunch in nearby Entoteca della Valpolicella. 

1st course: Tomato soup with Gnocchi
2nd course: Pasta with ragu
Main course: Thin slice of beef check in a thick berry sauce
Dessert: Tiramisu
Coffee 

Gnocchi and Tiramisu were both invented in Verona, they told us.
  With the meal we had a 2017 Lugana La Musina white from Sartoli Winery  and this Valpolicella. 

The winery has vineyards in both the Classico and ordinary DOC . This was blended from both, so must have lower DOC appellation. Grapes have been dried 'for a while' to give extra body. It was delicious.


In the afternoon we  visited La Marognole Winery, founded in 2004 by Fabio and Eleonora Corsi after Fabio had spent 8 years working at other wineries. 

They make 14K bottles annually and farm 6ha. They could increase production to 50K bottles but currently excess grapes are sold. Their name comes from the stones - known as marogne - used to make vineyard terraces. 

Co-owner Eleonora Corsi was our host

Our tasting started  with Rose 2015 which was crisp and refreshing. Made from 100% Corvina it wasn't entitled to a DOC because it was a) pink and b) made solely from one variety.

Newly harvest grapes begin drying

Valpolicella Classico was intensified by the use of a proportion of the grapes being dried for 2-3 weeks.

Valpolicella Ripasso 2015 - here they refermented for 2-3 days on skins used in making sweet Recioto then aged 18 months in 300L barrels. They say they use Recioto skins because there's no flavour left on their Amarone skins. This was a lovely smooth drink with a bite of acidity on the finish. Very moreish and would be great with food. in 50cl bottles. Rounded heavy and sweet. Would match with apple pie. 

'El Nane' Rosso Verona IGT. Made like Amarone from grapes dried 100 days in wooden crates, but from over production so not allowed DOC. This had a dense colour with a rich grainy finish

Eleonora shows us their 300 year old wine cellar

 

Verona

To  Verona to spend four days visiting wineries with Verulam Wine Tasting Club.

Flight with BA was delayed so we got to our hotel in the old town, Hotel Giulietta e Romeo, about 19:30. 

Arena at Verona

Time for a walk around the nearby Arena in the setting sun and then a meal at Il Bacaro dell’Arena trattoria next to the hotel. 

On board fizz

Blackberries and Sloes

I cannot recall a year when blackberries have been so plentiful, so large and so sweet.

After a month of gorging on them plucked from brambles, or baked in crumbles or bagged and frozen, they are coming to an end but there are still plenty.

These were on the footpath between the A414 and Ragged Hall Lane.

As the blackberries decline, sloes are ripening bringing their iridescent blue to hedgerows.

My Last Norton

This evening I consumed my last bottle of Norton, saving Chrysalis Vineyards 'Locksley Reserve' 2013 to the end.

Jenni McCloud and Norton

I was lucky enough to get a private tour of Chrysalis's vineyards in Virginia by owner Jenni McCloud in November 2015, after attending the 48th AWS National Conference in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. 

Chrysalis has the most plantings of Norton and Jenni is a strong proponent of this variety - the real American grape.

One of Chrysalis's Norton Vineyards

Neasden Hindu Temple

Probus trip to India - no - Neasden, to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the largest traditional Hindu Temple outside India. We were welcomed and treated very well, with a video about its building, we observed a prayer session in the inner temple, visited the Understanding Hinduism exhibition, had a Q & A session about Hinduism and had an enjoyable buffet meal in their restaurant, followed by time in the beautiful gardens.

Outside is covered with hundreds of carved images

Photo by Tony Woodhouse

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