Sweet And Innocent - That's Moscato

Sweet wines sometimes get short shrift in the wine-osphere. They are not considered to be "serious" wines and are relegated to also-ran mentions, if not met with out-and-out jokes. But there are plenty of times when a sweet wine - not a dessert wine, but one that is not dry - is just what the sommelier ordered. They serve well as aperitifs, icebreakers at parties, even palate cleansers between courses if you are really fancy. Sweet wines also pair well with spicy dishes.

The 2022 Matteo Soria Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta is made from 100% Moscato Bianco grapes, grown in the Asti Spumante DOCG of Piedmont - specifically in the hills of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. Alcohol is barely there, at 5% abv. The wine sells for less than $10.

The wine is straw-colored and has a beautiful nose - sweet and floral, with ripe peach and pear notes. The fizziness adds a lively and festive note while the palate brings the same fruit found on the nose. Acidity is decent, but there is more pleasure from the bubbles than the freshness. It's a delicious wine - simple, but sweet and lovely. 

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White Wine From Northern Italy

White wines are a tricky business.  They can rock one's world with salinity, minerality and acidity or they can lay flaccid in the glass while showering the rim with sweet floral notes.  I want a white wine with some meat on its bones, some heft, some gravitas, some raison d’être.  I want a white wine to drink like a red.

When I want a white wine with guts, I always look toward northern Italy.  Often I end up with a wine from Alto Adige, but this time it was Piedmonte.  Through the kindness of Tenuta Montemagno I have sampled their Solis Vis wine, made from 100% Timorasso grapes in the Monferrato region.  It is the area's indigenous variety, an ancient vine which was rediscovered in the 1980s after nearly disappearing.  

Tenuta Montemagno lies in gently-rolling hills along the 45th parallel, a latitude known for wine grapes.  Maps found in the Montemagno council hall  show wine being produced on the Tenuta property as early as the 16th century.  This wine clocks in at an alcohol level of 14% abv and it sells for about $15.  It amazes me that a wine this good sells for such a great price.

The wine's name - Solis Vis - is from Latin, meaning "the sun’s  strength."  The white wine is a pale straw yellow in the glass.  Its nose gives off a wonderful salinity, with lime and minerals aplenty.  The acidity is better than fine and the palate has citrus, apricots and peaches bursting forth.  I'm always a sucker for any Italian white wine not named Grigio, and this one does nothing to dissuade me.

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CANTINE VALPANE BARBERA DEL MONFERRATO SUPERIORE 2001

Kermit Lynch  is one of those people referred to as a "tastemaker." His knowledge of wine is legendary - at least - and it's widely known that when he finds a wine he likes enough to import to the US, it's worth drinking.  I've seen many wine articles begin with the words, "I don't know anything about this wine, but it's got Kermit Lynch's name on it so I thought I'd give it a try."

To find Cantine Valpane , Mr. Lynch traveled to Italy's Monferrato region.  There the limestone and clay in the soil is said to help produce some very fine Barbera.  This wine gets a boost from the addition of up to 15% Freisa.  These grapes heighten the wine's fruity aspect. 

The wine spends about a year-and-a-half in French oak barrels and is then transferred to stainless steel vats in which it rests before bottling.  The bottle claims an alcohol content of 14.5% abv, and I believe it's at least that.

It's a dark ruby color, but not inky.  There is a powerful nose, heavy with currants, anise and lots of alcohol.  This Barbera required well over an hour of breathing the first night. The second night it was good to go on pouring. 

The taste is quite brambly, with enough leather to make a fine saddle.  There's a spicy characteristic and an almost-hidden hint of raspberry.  It strikes me as a very tough-tasting wine.  It's not a wine you'll drink without ruminating on, that's for sure.

After the bottle was open for three days - we dined out a lot that week - it took on that wonderful scent that is a cross between an old baseball glove and a plant.  Maybe an old baseball glove growing on a cornstalk. Listen carefully and you'll hear, "If you open it, they will drink."