Did I mention what a big Nerd I am? I love sitting in a classroom letting somebody teach me something. I feel like a big sponge, just absorbing information. Needless to say I am enjoying my course with the Italian Sommelier Association (AIS). It’s truly been an Italian Wine Geekfest of Epic Proportions, especially when somebody broke out the Gaglioppo!
Last weekend I found a new region to become obssesed with… Calabria! We tasted a 2008 Ciro’ Classico from A’ Vita. This wine is 100% Gaglioppo. The wine was pale purple, with a delicate and earthy nose of blackberries, middle-eastern spices and salty sea air. I detected a hint of cardamom as the wine opened up in my glass- definitely exotic! Calabria… a region to watch and one I intend to learn more about as soon as possible.
Image of the vineyards on A’ Vita’s property.
Calabria is home to hundreds of undiscovered native wine grapes. Hopefully the growing interest in encouraging and protecting Italian wine traditions will bolster the region’s efforts to catalogue and understand them all. If the A Vita’ Ciro’ is an indication, the potential for Calabrese wine is truly unlimited. Bravo!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rk1pfJBvBSM]
Play the video above to hear Francesco de Franco pronounce the word “Gaglioppo”. From Jeremy Parzen’s Italian Grape Name and Appellation Project.