The Maestri Vignaoili, or “Master Winemakers,” is a group of wine making families in Italy who have joined together based on their shared outlooks on wine production, each showcasing the distinct flavors and styles from their respective regions.  All the member wineries are independent and family owned and operated, and focuses on producing small batches of high quality wines made in traditional styles.

Meeting with this group of fine winemakers in Chicago and tasting through the wines was an quite an experience. The room was a little cold, given that the tasting was during the polar vortex, but it was still an amazing opportunity to taste some great wines. Marco Sebellico, who facilitated the seminar, was late in typical European fashion, which made the day even more interesting. He was charismatic, funny, and made attendees believe that winemaking really could come from the soul.

A great show, all in all.  Here are the wines that we tasted:

Dal Din Spumanti                                                                                                      Veneto

Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Vidoro  Crisp and clean, with fruit forwardness, melon skin, with a quick fading finish

Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Floral and dry, super crisp, 100% prosecco

Massimo Pastura – Cascina La Ghersa                                                             Piedmont

Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Timian 2009  Pale gold color, with some rim variation, full and rich complexity, good acid, a little lacking in fruit, but good aging potential

Barbera d’Asti Sup. Vignassa 2010 Dark ruby color, with very little rim variation, smoked meat, minerality and great acid, and some clay soil which gives it a beautiful nose

Bario Stroppiana                                                                                                   Piedmont

Barolo Gabutti Bussia 2010 Young vineyard, color of rust, amazing acid and minerality, round tannins, with spice and berry

Barolo San Giacomo 2010 52 year-old vines, full tannins and minerality, perfect for long term aging, the finish is bone dry, finish lasts forever

Rubinelli Vajol                                                                                                           Veneto

Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. 2009 Blue rim variation, dried fruit, dirt, soil, and clay, but surprisingly juice

Valpolicella Cl. 2012 Perfect color of dark purple, bright and fresh acid, with soft baked fruit

Fattoria di Rodano                                                                                                  Tuscany

Chianti Cl. Ris. 2007

Chianti Cl. 2008

Terralsole                                                                                                                 Tuscany

Brunello di Montalcino Ris. 2007 Milk chocolate, with creamy tannins, berry forward, full and bright, with dark fruit on the pallet

Brunello di Montalcino 2008 Meant to age, very bright, full tannins, forest floor on the nose

Guado al Melo                                                                                                         Tuscany

Toscana Rosso Jassarte 2006 Soft and dried fruit, very nice

Guado al Melo Bianco 2011 Wow!  Beautiful bright fruit, green apple, made in the old world style

Trappolini                                                                                                                      Lazio

Lazio Rosso Paterno 2010 Ruby color, perfect fruit balance, raspberry, and excellently structured  tannins

Lazio Grechetto 2012 Soft, pale straw color, citrus notes, clean and crisp

Conti Malacari                                                                                                          Marche

Conero Ris. Grigiano 2008 Funky socks, augusta, lush berry, this is an awesome monte pulciano

Rosso Conero Villa Malacari 2009 Good tannins, with a fruity structure

Cantine del Notaio                                                                                                Basilicata

Aglianico del Vulture La Firma 2010 This wine is closed down.  Very little fruit, but some floral and spice notes

Basilicata Rosso L’Atto 2012 Wheat, cherry, raspberry, milk chocolate, very jammy

Ferreri & Bianco                                                                                                           Sicily

Sicilia Nero d’Avola 2012 Roasted game, gamey, smoky, not very giving on the fruit

Sicilia Catarratto Brasi 2011 Some white floral notes, lemon peel, crisp and almost clear

Check them out below and be on the lookout for their handcrafted wines…

http://maestrivignaioli.com/

KEEP IN MIND that scores are not the only way to determine a product’s worth.  As the old adage goes “if you like it, drink it!”

100 point scale

Nose=25 Points   Body=25 Points    Balance=25 Points Finish= 25 Points

                                 Total =100 Points

95-100 exceptional – highly recommended

89-94 superior quality –distinctive, recommended

80-88 good value – definitely worth trying

70-79 nothing special but try it

69- Or below may lack balance, and character but don’t let it stop you from trying a bottle

Nose:  Look for the aromatic notes that tell you the story of each bottle, and even each sip.  Scent tells the life story of the liquid

Body:  Texture, how it feels in the mouth, and richness

Finish:  How the flavors fade away on your tongue and how it feels going down

Balance:  How complex the flavors are, and how the balance of acid, alcohol, and sweetness combine to make a great sip

Color:  This is a much bigger deal with wine than it is with spirits. It can indicate age, complexity, and quality.

Recently I spoke with Rebecca Robinson who is the Executive Director of ZAP which stands for Zinfandel Advocates and Producers a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the Zinfandel Grape. My Kind of organization.

They specialize in getting people educated and excited about Zinfandel by showing the unique history of the grape that made California.

Rebecca was especially excited to tell me all about the Zinfandel Experience, which I am sadly miss by one week.

The event is all about education, passion and drinking an abundance of Zins.

The All New 2014 ZINFANDEL EXPERIENCE

January 23 – 25

NEW LOCATION & FORMAT

The Presidio and Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco

The schedule includes trade only tastings, winemaker dinners, pairing classes, tasting tracts and flights. All about Zinfandel, all and all not a bad way to spend a few days.

The winemaker dinner includes, Braised Oyster Mushroom Risotto and Slow Cooked NY Strip and Short Rib I am guessing paired with some amazing Zins.

Now those reading this, if you have the same love of Zinfandel that I do, please go to the link below…Join and become an advocate.

http://www.zinfandel.org/

Santé