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Richmond Wine Stock

There are three reasons to love Italy: wines from the north, wines from the south and the fact that it's inhabited by men with eyes that look like melted chocolate chips.

Most of us are familiar with Chiantis from Toscana and Barolos from Piemonte and have favorite producers from these regions. I am fond of  Fontodi Chianti Classico and Viette Barolos and fortunately can find these two producers in Richmond easily. But, they aren't cheap. Not like wines from the south, the infamous "boot wines" from Puglia , or Campania , where primitivo (relative to zinfandel) and aglianico (Eye-ahn-nico) are grown.

Nebbiolo, sangiovese : In a country shaped like a Manolo Blahnik puddle jumper, the varietals grown above the thigh get the most play. Order a Barolo in an Italian restaurant and receive instant "atta-boys," especially if the wine was bottled during Berlusconi's first jab at Prime Minister, but expect a triple digit check. Or scan the shelves for Chianti -- impossible to mismatch with marinara. One is rarely disappointed with the northerly stalwarts, but sometimes you crave a little strange. On a recent visit to the local wine shop's IT section, Cantine Grotta Del Sol, Aglianico di Campania, 2005, was the southern stranger.

Perhaps the aglianico grape was introduced to the Campania region of southern Italy by the Greeks. Lore has it that the legendary Greek warrior Diomedes settled in Benevento, the sub-region this particular aglianico is from, after the Trojan War. Today, aglianico is emerging as an inexpensive choice for cellaring, challenging the more well-known wines from Piemonte. Aglianico producers would like their wines from Campania to come to the wine lover's mind as an alternative to the Langhe, a DOCG for Barolo.

Here's why: These two regions, Benevento and Barolo , share similar soil profiles; volcanic tufa, polka-dotted with moisture from underground springs.

What they don't share is kindred pricing. Aglianicos range from $15 to $80.00 a bottle, with the higher priced bottles aged at least 10 years. Older aglianicos are a rarity in local wine shops, but the inexpensive, youthful ones are available. Pricier aglianicos could be left unopened until reaching their seventh birthday, making them the perfect bottles for the pinched, patient, and curious.

2005 Cantine Grotta Del Sol, Aglianico di Campania

Hairy, muscular, type-A Italian. Over-pulled espresso, without the nuance of crema. Just poured black-top style tannins, which bury the blackberry and cherries I know are lurking in the bottle. A rough-hewn, yet defined, squid-ink colored wine that needs to relax a bit to contend with nebbiolo.

At about $15.00, this is a bottle to experiment with aging a few years.

 

And, an aglianico by the glass:

Served at Azzurro in the River Road Shopping Center , the 2003 Vigne Irpine Aglianico Giubilo is chockablock with cherry, cassis, spicebox and black tea aromas; supple and ready-to-drink with rustic, house-made mozzarella with proscuitto and peppers.

 

Upcoming Wine Events:

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

 

Thursday, August 21, J Emerson, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

5716 Grove Ave., (804) 285-8011

Wines From the South of France             

2007 Domaine de la Mordoree, Lirac, White Rhone Wine

2006 Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup, Coteaux du Languedoc  

2005 Mas Amiel, "Notre Terre", Cotes Du Roussillon

2002 Chateau Pradeaux, Bandol Rouge

 

Thursday, August 21st, The Wine Market, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

11367 Nuckols Road, (804) 747-5550

Cal-Ital and the Rhone Rangers

07 Terrazzo Bianco Verdicchio/Trebbiano

NV Sacred Stone Master's Red Field Blend

05 Starry Night Adara Rhone-Style Blend

05 Pietra Santa Pinot Noir

 

Thursday, August 21 River City Cellars, 5 to 7 p.m.

2931 W. Cary St., (804) 355-1375

Beer Tasting

 

Thursday, August 21, Grapes and Barley, 6 p.m. until …      

4356 S Laburnum Ave, (804) 222-8809

Genealogy: A Family Tree with Naima Akers

food and wine paired with family tree workshop

cost $10

 

Down the Road:

Vegetarian Wine Dinner at Edible Garden, Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m. , call for details (804) 784-2011

Have a wine or beer event?  Please let us know in the comments sections.