1. CONTI DI BUSCARETO (Le Marche)
 This relatively new winery in the Marche region does what the region is best known for: Verdicchio di Castelli Jesi (white), Lacrima di Morro d’Alba and DOC Conero Rosso (red). Verdicchio is the most popular white grape from Marche and some delicious wines come from this winery:
1. Amazzaconte Selection Verdicchio DOC 2007 is made from old vines 25-40 years. Select grapes harvested late but not Late Harvest are used with a very low yield to give a concentrated, aromatic and flavourful wine which was bottled in 2008 and is still evolving. The medium bodied, straw yellow coloured wine darker than their entry level Verdicchio would be a connoisseur’s delight- slightly higher costs notwithstanding.
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2. Lacrima di Morro d’Alba 2007
Italy is known for its exotic indigenous grape varieties. Lacrima is a varietal that grows in Marche region but almost became as extinct as the Indian tiger before it was revived by a local producer about 15 years ago and is now getting more acreage. You either love or hate this varietal-there is no middle ground.
I love the flavour of this wine due to soft tannins which are not intrusively bitter, making the wine possibly a delicious match for Indian vegetarian foods as well. The floral flavour is not everyone’s cup of tea-oops, the glass of wine- but rose lovers would find the floral aromas carrying onto the palate very refreshing and soothing. Slightly spicy tinge adds to the charm. Whether the wine will travel well is uncertain.
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3. The winery also produces a DOC Rosso Piceno that I had tasted during my visit to the region last October but did not taste here. A blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese, this wine is also a delicious, spicy food wine with firm tannins and good structure.
For more details visit www.contidibuscareto.com or write to info@contidibuscareto.com
2. CASTELLO DI MONDANELLA (Siena, Tuscany)
 The small estate in a historical farm in the province of Siena, producing about 60,000 bottles, offers value for money Chianti Torri Docg 2006.
But I was truly impressed with the Poggio A Aiole 2005. It is made from 100% Canaiolo, a Chianti grape normally used in the blend. The ruby red coloured medium bodied wine had ample cherry bouquets with spicy undertones. Very pleasing, well balanced wine in which the lively flavour is abundant and persistent.
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The Castello also produces wines with international grapes-like 100% Merlot based Poggio Montino and the Cabernet Sauvignon fermented Le Voliere. It also produces a pure Sangiovese variant as well.
A 200 room Agri-turismo with apartments costing €100-120 and suitable for 2-4 persons, makes it a very inviting proposition for those who plan to visit Italy and want to enjoy the Spa treatments as it is located in Rapolano Terme, known for sulphur springs, which is located halfway between Arezzo and Siena.
For more info visit www.modanella.com or write to Gabriella Cerretti at info@modanella.com
3. AZ. AG. GIACOMO MARENGO DI EMILIO MARENGO
(Arezzo, Tuscany and La Morra Piedmont)
 This was one of the best wineries at the show offering mostly delicious wines. The producer, Dott. Emilio Marengo is also a winemaker working with another Piedmontese cult wine maker Roberto Voerzio in La Morra where they jointly produce a small quantity of modern style Barolo that is ripe and ready to drink young, say 5-6 years after the vintage. (the Cerequio Barolo retails for over $200)
The same style and devotion to quality has transcended into the quality of wines in Emilio’s Tuscan estate in Monte San Savino, a hilly town between Arezzo and Siena, where he produces 140,000 bottles (about 12,000 cases)
Cuvee Santa Anna 2007 is an interesting white blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit concentration of the medium bodied, light golden, brilliant wine shows its fruity and crisp character with a complex nose. ‘This is the only white wine which you can drink after the red wine without losing its personality, perhaps due to the organic process we use, says Dott. Emilio Marengo. Rating 
Poggio delle Pilette Chianti Docg is an excellent example of how a fine wine producer can offer a quaffable product at an affordable price. Rating 
Castello di Rapale is an organically produced Chianti made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo that come from 70 year-old vineyards and offers a good value-for-money quality Chianti. Rating 
La Commenda Chianti Riserva 2001 is a well-balanced and harmonious wine with excellent berry flavours and soft, rounded tannins with a persistent end. Canaiolo has been replaced with Cabernet. Though slightly expensive, it is appropriately priced. Rating 
Stroncoli IGT Toscana from Tenuta del Fondatore is a Super Tuscan with a blend of 80% Cabernet and 20% Sangiovese. It has intense perfume and velvety tannins with full mouthfeel and a long end. The only jarring note seems to be higher alcohole level than all their other wines-14.5%. Rating
Other wines tasted were the juicy and luscious Elena 2003 (80% Merlot, 20% Sangiovese) which the women love without knowing that it always wins silver medals in most competitions; the label painted by the famous Italian painter Lorenzo Reda who uses red wine to paint might be inviting for them too. (Rating ). Patrizia IGT Pinot Noir was less impressive though (Rating ) and appears to be priced high for what the competition has to offer .
The two wines from the Piedmont collection- Fontanazza Barolo 2003 (Rating  ) and Armiré Langhe Rosso DOC (Rating ) were both delicious and well worth tasting- and drinking with food. The price could be a deterrent, for India.
Marengo also has many apartments to rent at the farmhouse-even for weddings. So, if you or any of your rich friends are looking for a hatke wedding, check out http://www.marengo-farmhouse.com for details or write to Marengo@tin.it.
4. LE BATTISTELLE (Soave, Veneto)
 During my visit to Veneto almost two years ago, I had tasted the white wines from this small producer from Soave, owned and run by the young, sincere and hard working Gelmino and Cristina Bosco. They make 3 labels-in small quantities in the Soave Classico region and the quality is very good to outstanding.
Monksei Soave Classico DOC 2007 A very easy drinking, crisp and fruity wine which is good for 2-3 years is a good value for money low alcohol (12%) wine that the Maharashtra residents would also be able to afford to drink -though not daily. (Rating  )
Sacripante Soave Classsico DOC 2006 is slightly more concentrated, fresh, vivacious wine with a touch of minerality giving it complexity. Though more expensive than the entry level Monksei, it offers a great value too. (Rating )
Battistelle Soave Classico 2006 is a single vineyard wine with more concentrated Garganega fruit. It has been aged in oak which makes it age-worthy for several years, a fact that may not be appreciated by many restaurateurs. (Rating )
Soave has been a well known wine in India for several years but it is Soave Classico that generally produces better quality due to the terroir in the region and stricter production rules and better price-quality ratio may be achieved by these wines.
Sacripante Soave scores the best, according to me followed by the value-for-money Moksei although I would love to have the Battistelle if I could get it duty free in the otherwise 190-420% high tax regime environ in India. Monksei would make it a perfect retail wine.
I am vain or Cristina is a diplomat (or both), because she told me this is exactly how I had commented at the tasting organised by the Consorzio in 2007- and I believe her!
Visit www.lebattistelle.com or write to lebattistelle@newsos.it
5. PODERE LA CASTILLACIA (San Gimignano, Tuscany)
 Run by the couple, Simona Orsini and Alessandro Tofani in San Gimignano it is noteworthy for it is using the biodynamic process right from the beginning, though a new winery.
Though the appellation allows for 9000 bottles/hA they limit the production to 4000b/ hA giving a concentrated fruit that shows in the complex flavours and aromas.
1. Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2007- Made from the Vernaccia grapes for which San Gimignano is so well-known internationally, it is a fruity, crisp and mineral flavoured harmonious wine with a Chablis-like touch on the palate with a slight after-taste of bitter almonds. The wine has a life of about 3 years.
The only problem is that the price is slightly on the expensive side, due to the higher process costs as Alessandro explains.
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2. Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2006 The light straw coloured wine has even better and more concentrated flavours. It evolves for 12 months in the bottle before being released. At the same price as 2007, it is better value for money.
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3. Rosé 2008 Made from Sangiovese, the medium bodied pink has nice rose pink colour and is only mildly lightly tannic. The strawberry touch in the flavour that persists makes it a very palatable wine and that too at a reasonable price.
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4. The red wine Chianti Colli Sinesi with 100% Sangiovese was adequate but failed to impress.
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For more info visit www.lacastillacia.it or write to info@lacastillacia.it
6. FATTORIA SANTA VITTORIA (Arezzo, Tuscany)
This local winery, situated just 20 kms South of Arezzo makes interesting wines including Vin Santo and Vendemmia Tardiva. Specialising in red IGT Toscano wines, many of its wines are exciting though experimental and inviting for those looking at excitement and adventure.
Visit www.fattoriasantavittoria.com or write to contact@fattoriasantavittoria.com
Several other prominent wineries at the show included the Tuscan Il Borro Estate owned by the fashion czar Ferruccio Ferragamo and being looked after by his son Salvatore and Valle d’Olmo producing fancy labels using Swarovski crystals for the Diadema label that has won awards at the India Wine Challenge in 2007 and 2008.
More on them in a later edition of delWine.
Subhash Arora |