The great Tuscan wines – including Brunello, Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti and Vernaccia – will be quoted on January 28 at the bag of wine in New York on the occasion of ‘English Wine Week’, the exhibition of Italian wine is planned for Boston, New York and Miami January 24-30. He does know Promosiena, stressing in a note that the event will be ”’a test especially for the opening of the market”. This event”- said the chairman of Promosiena, Massimo Terrosi – and ‘an important verification of availability’ to a positive report from the American market with our companies, and an incentive to anticipate a new future development of exports in this continent”. During the event, the production of wines, organized information from, sara ‘with meetings, seminars and tastings.

I wrote a poem inspired by that, from the point of view of having tried wine for the first time.
.

I.

Curious eyes
Trembling fingers
Glass lifted
I linger

Sniff, sniff
Mmmm…
Aaahhh…

To which the grape-red sea replies:
‘I know. I know.
Now, drink me’.
.

II.

First sip
and the world goes quiet
baited breath
Will she?
Won’t she?
Will she?
Won’t she?
.

III.

My tongue surrenders,
reports a smile to my lips…

This Cheshire cat
is a milk lover
– no longer!

.
My invitation to you is to write your own poem or story about your first glass of Italian wine (or any other wine, for that matter). (p.s. your poem doesn’t have to rhyme).

Now, you don’t have to remember what your first time was like. I don’t remember, but I wrote it as I would have liked it to have been.

And even if you do remember, feel free to embellish it with your own imagination. The world didn’t really go quiet when I tried my first glass, but I have the poetic license to make it so! You do, too.

Wine names sound so beautiful, don’t you think? And the histories behind some of them are so interesting. And with so many people who consume and appreciate Italian wine, I’m surprised there aren’t more poems out there!

So join me. Create. Have fun. It’s not about being a great writer – it doesn’t have to be perfect – in fact, let it not be! It’s just about exploring your imagination and expressing yourself.

If you do give it a go and choose to share what you’ve written, I’d be happy to read it. Send an email to thenamepoet (at) gmail (dot) com

Ciao!

(img by: batrace)

Thanks to that, you know that:

1. Brunello di Montalcino is a dark red wine made from the Brunello grape (a variety of the Sangiovese grape), and that ‘Brunello’ means ‘little dark one’.

2. It is produced in Montalcino, a small Tuscan village.

3. It was first created by a man named Clement Santi in the mid 19^th century.

4. It’s regarded as one of the most expensive wines (and considered to be the best) in Italy. Oh yes.

5. The wine must be made from 100% unadulterated Brunello grapes. Nothing less.

6. Because it is high in tannins, it has a longer shelf life (and gets even better with age).

7. Though the Blondi-Santi family remained the sole producers of this wine for quite some time, this changed and there are now over 200 winemakers who are allowed to produce it. This is still quite exclusive when compared with other wines.

8. Brunello wine cannot be sold until 50 months (just over 4 years) after the grapes used to make it were harvested. Out of that time, it must have been aged for at least 2 years in oak and at least 4 months in a bottle.

9. A cheaper and lighter alternative to the Brunello di Montalcino is Rosso di Montalcino. The best selection of Brunello grapes are used in the former, and the rest (which are still very good quality) go into producing the latter. Rosso wine can be aged for less time – a year – before it can be sold.

(img by: dags1974)

1) The ‘Greve in Chianti’ wine festival:

Greve in Chianti is situated south of Florence, just 10 minutes away from the 2nd wine festival below.

The Greve-in-Chianti festival takes place in the 2nd week in September and most of the wines showcased there are Chianti Classico.

To sample the different wines being offered, you first have to buy a glass (which you get to keep), and then you’re free to sample any of the wines (or as many of them as you think you can possibly handle!).

It’s been said by some that that particular wine festival is known to run out of glasses each year. Though I certainly don’t believe this to be true, it is a beneficial untruth that I’m sure can only add to the festival’s popularity!

2) The Vino al Vino wine festival

The smaller and more intimate Vino al Vino wine festival is held a week later (the 3rd week of September) in Panzano in Chianti, a charming hilltop town situated between Florence and Siena from where you can see the beautiful Tuscan vineyards.

Vino al Vino means ‘wine to wine’ and is quite aptly titled as there are many wines displayed by the local wine makers for your sampling delight.

The event, held in the town’s main square, is also always accompanied by lots of music, entertainment, food and generally a really great festive atmosphere.

September is waiting! Have you earmarked your diary yet?!

Sassicaia wine is one of the darlings of Tuscany. Located in Bolgheri, the word ‘Sassicaia’ means ‘a place full of stones’ in reference to how hilly this part of Italy is.

This red wine is made from a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon grapes (85%) and a small amount of Cabernet Franc grapes (15%). It tastes strong, warm, dry and smooth on the palate and has a heady, elegant smell.

Sassicaia is another Italian wine with a very interesting (but more recent) history. The brainchild of Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, it didn’t occur to many that French variety grapes could be grown on Italian soil. But grow they did, and quite successfully too.

Mario’s love and interest in wine was probably influenced by two things: his grandfather, Leopoldo Incisa, was an insatiable collector of a wide range of vines from local as well as foreign places. Also, Mario had formerly studied in Pisa in the 1920s. Combine the two, and it’s no surprise he had the vision (and courage) to apply such radical ideas to the art of winemaking. He dreamt of producing a ‘noble’ wine akin to Bordeaux wine, and that he did.

Initially, any Sassicaia wine produced was enjoyed privately within the confines of the estate. However, in 1968, it made a commercial venture out of the estate and into the wine market. It went on to be the first Italian wine to gain a successful foothold abroad as well as, in 1994, being the first wine estate to gain a DOC.

On average, the wine has a longevity of 30 years, a feat attributed to Mario’s handiwork as he moved his wine cellars to a temperature-controlled area, used stainless steel vats instead of wooden ones for fermentation, and also used French oak barrels for aging.

Mario may have passed away in 1983, but through his son, Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, the legacy of this world-renowned and respected wine continues.