IWFS Berkshire - An Italian Experience 2008
A group of Berkshire members spent an October wine and food weekend in Veneto tasting some of the wonderful wines of the area including Valpolicella, Custoza, and Soave and the superb derivatives, Amarone and Recioto.Blue skies and temperatures in the mid twenties - "the best week of the last 3 months" commented the locals. How could the 17 members of the IWFS Berkshire Branch have been so lucky during their trip in early October 2008 to sample the wines of the Veneto region around Lake Garda?, However fortunate, it certainly made the experience all the more enjoyable!
Organised by Colin & Dayle Mair, who have been visitors to this region for the last 12 years, we stayed in the small town of Torri del Benaco on the eastern shore of the lake, just north of Garda and Bardolino. Torri itself is compact with a small harbour and a carefully restored Scaligeri castle, although it is not one of the major stopping-off points for tourists.
Our base at the Hotel Al Caminetto, run by the Consolini Family, was well located 100 metres from the lakeside and 5 minutes walk from the town centre and harbour-side cafes of Torri. The hotel has 16 rooms and offers comfortable accommodation with off-road parking and prices ensuring value-for-money. A major attraction is their wine list, put together by Marcello, which includes many of the best local wine producers.
Whilst some members arrived early and visited a few local vineyards, Marcello had organised with his suppliers a programme of four visits over two days - and a minibus to take us.
Day 1 Saturday 11th October
Our first visit was to Cavalchina where Luciano Piona welcomed us and gave us an interesting tour of the winery before settling into their brand new, very large tasting room - with stunning views across the valley on two sides. Here we tasted Custoza, two types of rose: a Bardolino Chiaretto and an unusual red/orange coloured Feniletto. This last had similarities to a light red with a distinctive spicy back of mouth appeal. We then tasted a 2007 Bardolino, a Corvina 2006 and finished with a 2004 Falcone. This wine was voted 2nd best wine in Italy by Decanter in 1989 and is the only one suitable for laying down.An hour's stop at Barghetto, where the water appears to run under the whole village, allowed us to see local sights and take in some lunch. There were at least two wedding parties progressing along the bridges with multiple photographers in tow - clearly a local beauty spot!
The afternoon was spent enthralled by the enthusiasm of Fabio Zenato at Valerio Zenato. Fabio is a 3rd generation winemaker and his production is "mostly" organic, using as little mechanical assistance as possible. He sys that he "Tries to conserve what is brought in from the fields". His Lugana and Bardolino wines were excellent but it was his Benedictus 2007, made from Trebbianno, which took the top spot for us. His mother produced home made salami and spinach & ricotta pie to go with the breadsticks and fresh parmigiano, all of which were absolutely right for tasting with the wines.
Day 2 Sunday 12th October
Our second day saw us heading into the hills of Valpolicella to Ca' La Bionda and Alessandro Castellani. Valpolicella Classico can only be made in the 5 villages and 3 valleys that make up this area to the south east of the lake. Alessandro, a 4th generation winemaker, uses his own new and innovative ideas such as conical fermentation vessels to ensure the increasing quality of his VP, his Amarone and Reciotto. We spent an hour talking with him about his approach - "the soil lives" claims Alessandro - before we ever got near a wine glass. Again fresh parmigiano and breadsticks enhanced the tasting experience.The afternoon took us past the delightful town of Soave, where a chocolate festival was in full swing - we couldn't get near the stalls - to the magnificent hillside site of Balestri Valda. Laura, daughter of the winemaker and in charge of marketing, met us and conducted a tasting of Soave Spumante, Soave Classicos, a red made from Cabernet Sauvignon and a Reciotto. Again a family business, the whole operation is managed with Laura, her Father and just two employees.
The choice for dinner at Al Caminetto was always from local dishes. Those that stood out included the beef, marinaded for a month under olive oil and spices then sliced and served grilled with zucchini in cheese sauce or, later, sliced very thinly and served as carpaccio for the starter. Simple dishes such as spaghetti in ginger sauce were delicious, as was the lake trout, covered with parmesan and thin strips of zucchini, and baked. We began to understand the Italian habit of creating local cuisine which perfectly complements the local wines.
Our short visit to Veneto has uncovered many excellent and improving wines driven by young winemakers with new ideas and a local cuisine which indicates the great potential for gourmet discovery across this exciting country. As we left, the hotel was closing for the winter and Marcello was off to help friends with the Olive Oil harvest and pressing.
(Chris Graham)