CANTINE BONACCHI 2004 MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO DOC

Introduction

As you might have surmised from the name of this site, I have an interest in Italian wines. I selected the Montepulciano D’Abruzzo to be the first Italian wine to be discussed for a particular reason. Just as I have a connection with the California Central Coast, I have a connection (sort of) with the Abruzzo region. As I was growing up, my Italian relatives (and only my father before me was born in the United States) were very proud to be “Abruzzese.” Thus, I thought that my ancestors were from Abruzzo. In a way, they were. However, in 1963, the Abruzzi region was split into Abruzzo and Molise. The hometown of all my relatives was Santa Maria del Molise. I will try to find a wine from Molise to discuss at a later date.

I first came across a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo about 15 years ago when I was trying to come up with a Christmas present for my grandfather. I thought he might enjoy a wine from his home region so after some searching I found the Montepulciano as well as a Trebbiano D’Abruzzo. He did enjoy both as did I. I presented him with bottles of these for several years and have continued to buy it for myself after his death. The Trebbiano is much harder to find, but I will discuss it at a later date (if I can find some!).

Wine Impressions

This wine has a deep red, purplish color. It is dry, but with a slight fruity flavor. I have had other brands of this wine with a bit sweeter, fruitier taste than this one. I think I paid $7.99 for a 750 milliter bottle.

The bottle is about average. I found it appealing because it had the name “Montepulciano D’Abruzzo” in big bold letters at the top of the label. It had a natural cork.

It also had the DOC designation. The Italians have been a leader in designating zones for particular wines, going back to the ancient Romans. Since the mid-1960’s they have applied designations to areas for growing grapes for wines of significance. There are more than 200 DOC regions. In addition, there are nine regions with the DOCG designation. The “G” means guaranteed authenticity (See http://www.made-in-italy.com/winefood/wine/labels.htm). The DOCG wines are the top of the pyramid.

In 1992, the laws changed. Previously, only 12-15 percent of Italy’s wine production had a DOC or DOCG designation and the rest were labeled as table wines. Now, there is a third designation of “IGT,” which allows designation of color, grape variety and typology from large areas (See http://www.made-in-italy.com/winefood/wine/labels.htm). There are also European Union designations and other issues which I hope to discuss in more detail as time goes on.

According to the company web site, the wine is produced by grapes from the hilly areas of the provinces of Chieti, Aquila, Pescara, and Teramo (the four provinces of the Abruzzi region). At least 85% of the grapes must be Montepulciano, and up to 15% may be other black grape varieties. The company recommends a serving temperature of 16-18 degrees Celsius (about 61 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit). It recommends serving the wine with hard cheeses and red meat.

The Company: Cantine Bonacchi SpA

This wine was produced by Cantine Bonacchi SpA of Quarrata, Italy. The company’s web site does not offer an abundance of information. However, I was able to determine that the company has a new building with modern winemaking equipment in the center of its estate . The company has 40 hectares of vineyards in Chianti Monalbano and another 20 in the Chianti Classico Gallo Nero area, in Siena. In 2002, the company bought another vineyard in Siena. Since the grapes for the Montepulciano D’Abruzzo are from the various provinces of Abruzzi, I assume they must purchase those grapes from other vineyards.

The Chianti Montalcino DOCG and the “Badesco,” a Tuscan IGT wine aged in small oak barrels are the two best known wines of this company. Most of the company’s wines appear to be bottled under the Bonacchi name. However, the web site indicates several wines under the names Vini Casalino and Vini Chiappini.

The Region: Abruzzo, Italy

I have already mentioned a little about my connection to Abruzzo. I have traveled to Italy three times. While I have been to Molise twice, I have never been to Abruzzo.

Abruzzo is a sparsely-populated region on the Adriatic side of Italy. It is roughly mid-way up the “boot” on about the same latitude as Rome.. It extends westward to the Apennines. According to www.knowital.com, it is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled regions of Italy. This is due largely to an exodus of population to the cities and to America. The Gran Sasso mountain is the highest in the Apennine range and on a clear day you can see both the Adriatic and Mediterranean coasts from its peak.

In the web site’s description of Abruzzo, it mentions the predominance of sheep farming and remote settlements with “bleak little structures, made of stone, and seemingly huddled together against the wind.” That description reminded me of a story my grandfather told me. When he was a youth (a teenager, I think), he was working in the fields with his father. The fields were located a good distance from the village. He thought that they would be vulnerable if a storm arose suddenly as there was no shelter anywhere near them. His father agreed and they built a small shelter of stone. Sure enough, one day a huge storm arose. From his description it sounded as if it may have caused a mudslide. They were safe inside their shelter, but the storm (and mudslide) did great damage and even caused at least one death.

The major city in Abruzzo is Pescara. It has a population of about 150,000 and is located on the Adriatic coast. It has miles of beautiful beaches. The city of L’Aquila was founded by German Emperor Frederick II in 1242 by bringing together 99 villages. The City Hall bell still rings its bells 99 times every night in honor of the 99 villages. It is at the foot of the Gran Sasso and is a base for mountain climbing and skiing. There are also several museaums and national parks in Abruzzo.

The first known inhabitants of Abruzzo were the Picenians. Other tribes included the Equians, Vestinians, Praetutians and Marsians. The region was crushed by Roman military might in 90 BCE. Among several famous natives of Abruzzo is the poet Ovid who was born there in 43 BCE.

I will provide more information about Abruzzo when I discuss the Trebbiano D’Abruzzo, and possibly when I discuss a Molise wine as well.

MONTERRA 2004 CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Introduction

As I have said, I do prefer red wines over white, and this one caught my eye in the “Bargain Bin” at a local liquor store. It was $7.99 (or 3 for $21) for a 750 milliter bottle. The name was somewhat appealing as it reminded me both of “Monterey,” California, and Italy as it was a bit Italian-sounding. Also “Mont” connoted mountain, and “terra” connoted earth so it is a very appropriate name for a wine. Upon further examination I could see that the wine was indeed from Monterrey County.

Wine Impressions

We found the color to be a deep purple with reddish edges – about what you would expect for a Cabernet Sauvignon. The taste was mild for a Cabernet and it seemed to “evaporate” quickly, i.e. no aftertaste. Its aroma was somewhat “layered.” It had light whiffs but also elements of stronger smells as well.

The bottle was about average. It had an artificial cork that is almost the color of a natural cork. The label has an illustration of a grape vine on it that looks like a tree at first glance. The background color is similar to the color of the wine inside the bottle. The top quarter of the label is a sort of a burnt orange color where the name “Monterra” appears.

The Company: Monterra Winery

Monterra Winery is located in Manteca, California, which is on “the I-5” just south of Stockton and a few miles north of Modesto. It is roughly 60 miles due east of San Francisco. Monterra Winery is one of seven wineries owned by the Indelicato family. The others are Delicato, Clay Station, Encore, Monterrey Vine Select, Kingfish and Encore.

The company operates two major vineyards: the San Bernabe Vineyard and the Clay Station Vineyard. They both have interesting facts about them. According to the company web site, San Bernabe is the largest contiguous vineyard in the world and is called the “world’s most diverse single vineyard.” It is almost 20 square miles in size and divided into 135 unique vineyard blocks. It is located inland from Monterrey Bay and extends south to near Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County (yes, another Central Coast vineyard). The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from this vineyard.

The other major vineyard is called Clay Station. It was once a major stagecoach stop during the California Gold Rush. It was also once part of the Borden Ranch. It is located in the foothills east of Lodi, which is also on the I-5 about 10 miles north of Stockton.

The company began in 1924 with its founder, Gaspare Indelicato, an Italian immigrant, growing grapes to sell to individuals who made homemade wine. Of course, Prohibition was in effect so only individuals could make a maximum of 200 gallons of wine per year. He sent most of his grapes to Chicago. He then began making wine in 1935. In 1950, the second generation began making custom wines for other wineries as well as in their own name. The San Bernabe vineyard was established by others in 1974 and the Indelicatos built a new winery in the middle of it in 1976. The family purchased the San Bernabe vineyard in 1988. It purchased the Clay Station area in 1995, after an extensive search for new land on which to establish a vineyard. The area had never been plowed and the family created the vineyard from scratch.

The Monterra labeled wines were first released for wide distribution in 1997. They were available in the tasting room only beginning in 1993. In addition to the Cabernet Sauvignon, other Monterra wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Shiraz.

Finally, the company uses “sustainable practices” in operating the San Bernabe vineyard. It plants native species between rows of vines to encourage native insects that are predators of pest insects. It also provides “owl boxes” to keep down the mice, voles and rabbit population in the vineyard. My kudos for these practices! I will certainly buy more wine from this company.

The Region: California Central Coast

My policy is to discuss the region where the wine (especially the grapes!) is actually from. While I have discussed the Central Coast a bit in my discussion of the Concannon Chardonay, that report concentrated on the southern portion of the Central Coast and the Monterra Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in the northern portion of the region in the San Bernabe vineyard.

Of course, the most well-known cities in this region are Monterey and Carmel. Monterey had a 2000 population of 29,674. It has an excellent aquarium (which you may have seen featured in Star Trek IV) and is also known for its Cannery Row. Carmel is another beautiful town just south of Monterey. Its 2000 population was 4081. You may remember when Clint Eastwood was Mayor.

The entire County has a population just over 400,000. It is home to Los Padres National Forest and Big Sur (on the coast), Tassajara Hot Springs and the Salinas River. Highway 1 winds along the coast through the mountains. On another trip to California, my wife and I (with out 4-year old and 2-year old sons made the drive on Highway 1 all the way from Monterey through Big Sur and Los Padres to San Luis Obispo. Each bend of the road reveals another view more spectacular than the previous one. Take a camera if you go, but photographs cannot do it justice. If you are in a hurry, take the 101.

Paso Robles (in San Luis Obispo County) is also part of the region. It is also well-known for both its wines and healing waters. You may recall an earthquake that struck the area in December of 2003 and caused considerable damage in the City’s downtown area. Its 2000 population was 24,297.

THE VINO BY GINO STORY

Background

As indicated in the title, my name is Gino and the site is about wine. I recently watched the movie Mondovino and I got the idea to create a blog about wine. The movie focuses on some of the finest wines in the world and includes comments by a world-renowned wine consultant and the ratings of “The Wine Spectator.” It presents some of the issues involved in the globalization of the wine industry and presents several family owned and operated vineyards and wineries from around the world.

As someone who has enjoyed wine for many years, I realized that I rarely, if ever, get to enjoy the class of wines featured in the movie, in Wine Spectator and other similar sources. Much is written about those fine wines, but those are not the wines that are enjoyed by people like me on a daily (or even annual!) basis. Therefore, I thought that more should be written about the wines that the average wine connoisseur could enjoy on a regular basis.

One thing about the movie really struck a chord with me. Now, I am almost embarrassed to admit it, but I had never before heard the term “terroir” used. Of course, I instinctively understood its underlying meaning and I knew about the importance of the soil, climate, region, etc. in the resulting wine that is produced. However, I was not familiar with the term.

The web site www.terroir-france.com presents the following definition:

A " terroir " is a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.
Terroir = Region + Appellation + Grapes + Wine making

There appears to be some controversy about the definition and I have no intention of joining that fray. Without using the term, I intend this site to reflect my understanding of terroir, which is essentially that the area where the grapes are grown impacts the wine that is produced there. As an urban planner, I am also very interested in the characteristics of places that give them their own personality.

Purpose

Therefore, my hopes for this blog are threefold. First, that it focuses on wines that are affordable (with no hard and fast definition, but generally wines that cost from $7 or $8 to about $20 per bottle). Second that general impressions of the wine be discussed. This can include the looks of the bottle, the name of the wine or winery, or other factors in addition to its taste, aroma, color, etc. We might call this “secondary characteristics” of the wine. Finally, that the characteristics of the wine’s region will be discussed. This can include geographic information about the region, its cities, its history and culture, or any other factor that may be of interest.

Personal Preferences

I will tell you about my wine consuming habits. I generally prefer red wine. This is due, in part, to the health benefits, but I also like the taste. I try to have a glass of wine every day around dinnertime. Being frugal, I tend to purchase wine in 1.5 liter bottles because they cost less than twice as much as the same wine in a 750 milliliter bottle. I also purchase six bottles at a time, in order to get a 10% discount. I like to use a particular type of corkscrew that you do not see very often. It is similar to the conventional kind of corkscrew that has two levers on the side that rise as you screw the corkscrew into the cork. However, instead of levers on the side, it has a sort of cap with a hole in the top that you flip over when the corkscrew is securely into the cork. You then continue to twist the corkscrew and the center rod now starts rising through that hole in the cap.

Format

The general format of this blog is to discuss multiple aspects of specific wines. That is, I will name a wine and provide a paragraph or two that will generally explain why I selected that wine. Then, I will present my impressions of the wine (including secondary characteristics).

Next, I will provide some information about the company that produced the wine. This might include the history of the company, its founders, any innovations it might have created or other special features about the company that I find interesting. It may also discuss some of the other wines produced by that company (some of which I will sample at a later date).

Finally, I will discuss the region where the wine is produced, with an emphasis on the region where the grapes were grown in cases where the production occurs a distance from the vineyard. With the hope of not sounding too much like a geography lesson, I will try to focus on aspects that I find interesting and/or that I think will be of interest to others.

Each specific wine will be the focus of discussion threads. My hope is that interested readers will comment on any of the subtopics within each specific wine in order to share experience or knowledge about that particular wine, when or where they may have tried it, their impressions about the wine, the grape, the production methods, or any other aspect of the wine. I also hope that to receive comments about the company and the region. These might include tales of visits to the winery, vacations in the region, comments from residents of the region who may wish to straighten out any misleading comments I may have made or add information that I have omitted, etc. Questions are always welcome, though I may not always have an answer (but I will be counting on readers to respond so that we can all learn and enjoy each other’s experiences.

On occasion I may initiate a thread that is not wine specific, but is only peripherally connected to a wine or wines. I have some topics in mind, but I will get to those later.

I will add to the list of wines sporadically as I have time to do so. Most likely, new additions will be made somewhere between one a week and one a month. In part, that will depend on the response from readers. Of course, the need to drink the wine in order to discuss it provides a powerful incentive to add new ones sooner rather than later!

I intend the tone to be rather straight-forward and honest and never preachy or condescending. After all, my whole purpose (that is, in addition to finding an excuse to drink more wine!) is to provide a fun forum for people who enjoy wines that do not break their budgets. I do not envision ever harshly criticizing any wine as I wish to maintain a positive milieu.

So let us begin to explore the world of wines!

CONCANNON 2003 CHARDONAY

Introduction

This is the first wine I have chosen to feature. There is no special reason for its selection, except that I did want to feature a wine from California’s Central Coast. My wife is from California and now has relatives living in the Central Coast so I have visited the area several times. I guess you could say it is part of my broadened definition of “terroir.” I feel a connection to the area and while I have not visited the Concannon vineyards there, I have driven by many and have visited one (which reminds me that I should feature a wine from Firestone soon). Part of my mission here is to include a brief description of the area from which the wine comes so I thought it might be useful to begin with an area I know something about.

Wine Impressions

I found the bottle appealing, and while I didn’t realize it until it was empty, it is very heavy. It had a natural cork, which I also prefer. We paid $9.99 for the 750 ml bottle, which is the suggested retail price. My wife and I opened the bottle on February 12, 2006.

The wine has a light oak smell. The color was very interesting. It was a light, golden color but it was more than that. We came to describe it as “shiny.” Upon request, our son described it as “like C3PO” (I am not sure that comes across as positive in describing a wine, but it was meant to be a compliment!). The wine had a very pleasant light taste that did not linger. My preference is red wines, but I enjoyed this wine very much.

The Company: Concannan Vineyard

The company has an interesting and appealing history (which is part of my expanded version of “terroir.” I realize I need to coin a new word before the wine purists complain about my improper use of the term!) From the company’s web site, I have learned that it was founded in 1883 by James Concannon. He was the first Irish vintner in America. In 1911, Concannon planted Petite Sirah in Livermore Valley. In 1961, Concannon, upon the suggestion of a friend, was the first to varietally label Petite Sirah (Apparently, wines made from this grape were labeled by a number of names including Durif and Hearty Burgundy). These facts have piqued my interest in trying the Petite Sirah from this company if it fits my budget.

In 1950, the first woman winemaker was hired by Concannon. Her name was Katherine Vajda. This fact also makes the company appealing to me as it seems to be indicative of a progressive company willing to try new ideas.

It appears that Concannon’s primary (and possibly only) winery is in Livermore Valley. It also has vineyards in the Central Coast (I was not able to determine the exact location), where they also produce cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirah, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and syrah in addition to chardonnay. They also produce pinot noir and chardonnay in the Edna Valley and sauvignon blanc in Monterrey.

The Region: California Central Coast

Like many regions, the California Central Coast does not have specific boundaries and is defined differently by different people. I have seen definitions that include Oxnard to the south and San Jose to the north. With no qualifications to do so, I hereby define the Central Coast as including that area south of Monterrey and north of Santa Barbara. I welcome comments on what others’ perceptions are of the Central Coast. If you saw the movie “Sideways,” you saw a bit of the Central Coast.

I have two connections to the Central Coast. In our first visit to California after we were married, my wife and I visited her parents in Carpinteria (outside Santa Barbara). During that visit, we took a side trip driving up the coast with no particular destination. We made it as far north as Cambria Pines. We had a wonderful trip, as there were spectacular views and many interesting sights. We stopped in Solvang (a Danish town built largely in Danish architecture and with many restaurants and shops selling Danish food and products), Buellton (the home of Anderson’s restaurant, famous for its pea soup), and Morro Bay, where we had breakfast at Dorn’s (which has a spectacular view of the Pacific).

During the trip we drove through Santa Maria. I have two vivid memories of that city. First, we crossed over a very long bridge over a tiny stream that hardly qualifies as a river. Here in New England we would call it a “brook.” I guess the long bridge is needed during certain wet seasons. My second impression was that the city seemed poised for strong growth (my urban planning background popping up again). That was in 1981 when the population was 39,685. By 2000, the population had virtually doubled to 77,423.

My second connection to Central Coast is that my wife’s parents and two of her sisters and their families now live in the Arroyo Grande-Pismo Beach area. These places lie just south of San Luis Obispo, which I consider to be the heart of the Central Coast. San Luis Obispo is a beautiful old town with a thriving downtown area with many amenities – an urban planner’s dream. While its population is only 44,174 (2000 U.S. Census), it serves as a regional center and “feels” much bigger than that.

One interesting memory we have is driving along “the 101” (as they say in California) past vineyards with signs indicating the variety of grape being grown. While we have visited the area several times, we have only visited one winery so far (Firestone, in the Santa Ynez Valley, which will be discussed another time)