Jeff’s pick: a Pinot Noir from the Italian Alps
When it comes to Pinot Noir, we immediately think of Burgundy, where the grape variety is used to make some of the most famous wines in the world. Next comes California: the Russian River Valley and the Central Coast, where winemakers have developed a “modern” expression of this grape, often concentrated and highly alcoholic.
Few Pinot Noir lovers would look to the Italian Dolomite Alps where German is still spoken today. In fact, Pinot Noir has been grown there for more than three centuries and at the height of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (which controlled the South Tyrol region of Italy until the Unification of Italy in the 1860s), the “Pinot Nero” produced there was served at the dinner tables of the Austrian nobility and in the finest cafés and restaurants of Vienna.
With growing sites at 400-450 meters above sea level, the historic Caldaro winery is able to deliver wines with beautiful freshness and crisp acidity, stunning berry and red fruit and impressive tannic structure.
But don’t look for a fruit bomb with 17% alcohol here: this wine is old school, with a balanced 12.5-13% alcohol, super food friendly the way we like it at Vino Vino.
