On Saturday I attended Wines for the Summer 2024 tasting (vini per l’estate) organised by DoctorWine at the Principe di Savoia Hotel in Milan.
DoctorWine is a wine guide founded by Daniele Cernilli, an Italian wine heavyweight, who’d also founded Italy’s most prestigious wine guide Gambero Rosso in 1986. After stepping away from Gambero Rosso, in 2011, he transformed into Doctor Wine, continuing to review wines.
I’d attended a Barolo masterclass organised by DoctorWine before, where I was able to taste 10 Barolos from some very prestigious wineries for only 25 euros, with Mr. Cernilli insightfully explaining each wine as we tasted it. It was wonderful. I’ve become a regular at DoctorWine’s tastings ever since.
Sicilian Beef Jerky
There were more than 20 wineries exhibiting on Saturday, from all over Italy.
Wines for the summer are mainly white, rosé and sparkling served chilled, but a few wineries brought also reds, because after all, there must still be people drinking reds in the summer.
The Sardinian Vermentino from Famiglia Casadei Winery was way more acidic than the peninsular Vermentino I’d tasted before, almost like a Riesling. Still aromatic and flavourful, but with a little more finesse and elegance (no photo, link to the wine here). I’m not familiar with Sardinian wines. I’d once tasted a traditional method sparkler made from the Torbato grapes, a native Sardinian variety, which led to insomnia the same night, not making a good first impression on me. But after this Vermentino from Famiglia Casadei Winery, I’d like to get to know more about Sardinian wines.
The Etna white from Sicily’s Cusumano Winery, on top of the mineral notes that are standard for volcanic wines, there was a defined and intense aroma of beef jerky. On the palate was just as beef jerky-y. Actually very delightful. The flavour was so out of the ordinary that I had to share it with the sommelier, who nodded in agreement with me, and the corners of her mouth lifted up as if to suggest to me that Sicilian wines were so varied that I shouldn’t be surprised to smell or taste anything in them.
The meaty, gamey flavours usually come from red wines that have been bottle-aged for a while, but this Etna white had even more meaty aromas than any aged reds I’d ever tasted. But intense as it may be, it was well integrated into the overall flavour profile, which I found very likeable.
Among the sparkling wines, the Pinot Noir rosé sparkler from Il Pollenza Winery in the eastern Marche region, though on lees for 72 months, was not biscuity on the nose, but rather like freshly kneaded dough, which almost reminded me of the scent of Play-doh in my childhood. Very smooth and balanced on the palate, nothing to be critical of, except for the bulky apperance that was nothing rosé about it.
Low Tannins, Please
In the realm of red wines, Mora&Memo Winery’s Monica, a native Sardinian variety, had a saline flavour and smooth tannins, ideal for the summertime.
Drawn by the winery’s fame, I also tasted the Chianti Classico from Castello di Meleto in Tuscany. That wine had every element needed to be outstanding, but the 2021 vintage was just too early to enjoy, where Sangiovese’s tannins in infancy were still tart and, if you asked me, not suitable for the refreshment-thirsty summer days. Maybe had the winery manager stuck some of the reds into the ice bucket, numbing out the young tannins, enjoying Chianti Classico in the summer heat would’ve been more feasible for me.
Finally, back to the whites, my favourite of the day was the Ribolla Gialla from Monviert Winery in the north-eastern region of Friuli (no photo again, link to the wine here). Its flavour? Imagine a handful of almonds sizzling on a slab of flint, then you sprinkle a twist of sage on top. Absolutely one of a kind.
