Conte Loredan Gasparini “Falconera” Colli Trevigiani Merlot (IGT) 2013, 13%, €18.95 Karwig Wines
This Merlot is from the Montello region, 50 kms north of Venice, where the Count used to hunt with his hawks (hence the wine’s name).
With medium tannins and good acidity, you’ll find it pairs well with many foods. It has spent 18 months in oak (25 and 50 hectolitre barrels). And, “a little secret” from the vineyard is that they add in 10% Malbec from the same fields.
With medium tannins and good acidity, you’ll find it pairs well with many foods. It has spent 18 months in oak (25 and 50 hectolitre barrels). And, “a little secret” from the vineyard is that they add in 10% Malbec from the same fields.
Mid ruby is the colour. There are intense scents of cherry and berry, plus vanilla from the oak. On the palate, it is fresh and fruity, light and bright, with delicate spice notes, a pleasing acidity and a long mellow finish.
Many of us would not immediately associate Merlot with Italian wine (though it has some history in this area - see last para) but this is a very convincing effort and Very Highly Recommended.
Many of us would not immediately associate Merlot with Italian wine (though it has some history in this area - see last para) but this is a very convincing effort and Very Highly Recommended.
Count Loredan Gasparini wasn't just a hunter. In the the 1960s, he was responsible for the “celebrity” wine Riserva Capa di Stato, first made in 1964 and still produced today.
According to the Modern History of Italian Wine, this celebrity owed its name to the fact that it was served to heads of state visiting Venice. They loved it and international newspapers included it in shortlists of the world’s great wines. The wine, like our Falconera, came from the Montello area where Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec are grown from old clones.
Luigi Righetti Campo Tordi Corvina Veneto (IGT) 2016, 12.5%, €13.95 Karwig Wine
Mid ruby is the colour here. Aromas of ripe red fruit, slight spice. Fruit and spice on the palate too; it is mid-bodied, a light touch of tannins, balancing acidity of course! Very quaffable everyday wine I was thinking but it’s a bit more than that. Certainly has the second glass appeal and Highly Recommended.
Corvina may not be one of the big names in grapes mainly because it is usually blended in its home area which is the north of Italy. It is the cornerstone of Valpolicella and Bardolino and the major contributor to the blend that gives Italy’s most famous dried grape wines, Amarone and Recioto.
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