“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”
I was fortunate to be invited to lunch this week with
Italian winemakers Andrea Sartori and Franco Bernabei who create the wines of Sartori di Verona. Over lunch they discussed their philosophy of
winemaking and shared 7 of their lovely wines.
The Sartori family has been making wine for 4 generations,
and Franco Bernabei has been a consulting winemaker with Sartori di Verona for
11 years. They want their wines to reflect
the character of the grapes as well as the uniqueness of the region (its terroir). They minimize the use of pesticides and
fertilizers to keep the soil healthy and produce high quality fruit. Bernabei says that when you drink the wine “you
should feel like you’re chewing a grape.”
They focus on elegance and balance, and it shows in their wine!
The biggest surprise for me was the Pinot Grigio. I’m usually not a fan of these, since many of
them have so little flavor. Not this
one! This is quite possibly the best
Pinot Grigio I’ve ever had. It retains
its crisp freshness while having a lot of juicy fruit on the palate. So yummy. (Update: I'm told the Pinot Grigio is available at certain HEB locations in the Houston area.)
The most unusual wine we tasted, called “Ferdi,” is made
from dried Garganega grapes and fermented on the skins (very unusual for a white). The inspiration for this wine was to make a
“white Amarone.” Amarones are made from
dried grapes and very concentrated in flavor.
As a result, Ferdi is a full-bodied white wine that can hold its own
when paired with heavier foods that would normally require a red wine. This is a “super white” – a white wine that
can do nearly everything a red can. And
it’s delicious.
The only wine we tasted that I know for certain is available
in Houston is the Sartori Amarone della Valpolicella. Amarones can be overpowering because of their
intensity and sometimes high alcohol; they often need to breathe for a long
time or to be served with very hearty food.
This one was rich in flavor, but easy to drink. It maintained its fresh, crisp fruitiness
along with the signature earthy flavors of an Amarone. Spec’s in Houston sells the 2008 vintage for
$42. It is also available by the glass
or bottle at Sorrento Ristorante on Westheimer just east of Montrose.
drying grapes for Amarone
We also tasted a Pinot Noir, a Valpolicella, and 2 other
Amarones. All the wines had a lovely balance
of fresh fruit and earthiness, with good acidity. These are incredibly tasty wines, food-friendly,
and a great value for the price. If you
run across a Sartori wine, get it! I don’t
think you’ll be disappointed. And if I
learn more about where to get them I will post the information here.
Here are the details on all the wines we tasted:
