July 4th Weekend Wine Sale

Take 20% off these six summer wines — they’re the perfect way to celebrate this Independence Day weekend!

Clic Bianco 2006 Ronco dei Tassi
A fantastic value from one of Friuli’s top winemakers, Clic Bianco is 100% Friulano (formerly Tocai Friulano) vinified in stainless steel. Clic was first produced for sale in Adriatic beach resorts where fish come first on the holiday table.

Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Ronco dei Tassi
Fabio Coser knows how to coax as much as he can out of his Sauvignon Blanc without wounding the wine with excessive gooseberry or tropical fruit character. His stainless-steel-vinified version, fabulously expressive with great aromatic character and lively acidity is a cocktail-hour favorite.

Canavese Rosato Rubiconda 2007 Orsolani
Gian Luigi Orsolani blends Barbera, Nebbiolo and Uva Rara in this fresh, fragrant Piemontese rosé. The blend, typical of Canavese, produces a wine with enough structure and acidity to stand up to July 4th BBQ favorites like ribs, burgers and grilled chicken.

Schiava Bischofsleiten 2007 Castel Sallegg
This light red, made of the Alto Adige favorite Schiava and named for a vineyard planted in the 19th century by the Bishop of Trento is ideal for spending a summer Saturday afternoon in the park with friends. Its moderate acidity, soft tannins and relatively low alcohol can be enjoyed with or without food.

Grignolino d’Asti 2007 Luca Ferraris
Piedmont’s Grignolino d’Asti DOC is often overshadowed by some of the region’s more celebrated denominations. Its name derives from “grignole”, which in local dialect refers to the unusually large number of grape seeds. Today the variety is being resurrected by fine young producers such as Luca Ferraris, whose Grignolino d’Asti goes well with young cheese and raw meat.

Starsa Rosso 2006 Tenuta del Portale
From famed Aglianico expert Donato D’Angelo, Starsa Rosso is 100% Aglianico vinified and aged in stainless steel. We love this medium-bodied red with grilled sausage or barbecued brisket. Starsa Rosso represents great value from one of Italy’s most talented winemakers.

Summer Wine Sale
20% off!
Standard case discount does not apply.
Not valid with any other offer.

Vino
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016

For more information call (212) 725-6516 or visit our website, vinositeshop.com.

Happy July 4th!
Vino, I Trulli and Centovini will be closed this Friday, July 4th. We’d like to wish all our friends and customers a happy Independence Day, and we look forward to seeing you again very soon!

Oddero Barolo is back

Oddero’s Barolo is made from Nebbiolo sourced from two vineyards, Santa Maria Bricco Chiesa in La Morra and Bricco Fiasco in Castiglione Falleto. The grapes are vinified seperately, undergoing 20-days maceration in stainless steel, and are aged for 30 months in casks of various size and age. The resulting wines are blended in the spring and bottled in late-summer, after which they are aged in the bottle for a further 6 months before release. This wine, from the excellent 2004 vintage, is typical of Oddero’s best Barolo; traditionally-styled with more roses than tar and, as is the case with many wines from La Morra, plenty of ripe, supple tannin.

The picturesque vineyards of Oddero overlooking the hills of the Langhe.

On the hills surrounding the picturesque town of La Morra lies a sea of nebbiolo vines, from which are produced some of Piemonte’s finest wines. On some of the sunniest sites in these Langhe hills are vineyards that have belonged to the Oddero family for centuries. Their wine, originally sold in casks and demijohns, was first bottled in 1878, a time when very few producers could bear the expense of selling in quantities less than bulk. Now, 150 years later, the company is run by Mariacristina and Mariavittoria, the daughters of Giacomo Oddero, a man whose innovation and enterprise helped make the family name synonymous with Barolo, ensuring its place in the Italian cultural conscience.

Sisters Mariacristina and Mariavittoria are just the latest generation in a long line of Oddero producers.

Indeed, in December 1986 legendary Italian sports journalist Gianni Brera, in his column “L’Accademia di Brera“, which once appeared in Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper, made reference to Oddero’s Barolo in answering a reader’s question about Hemingway. “Ernest drank Valpolicella because he was around Venice,” he wrote. “In those days the Oddero brothers of La Morra couldn’t get their wines to him. But if he’d known Oddero Barolo he wouldn’t have turned to the hard liquor which ultimately killed him.”

Now Oddero Barolo is back on the U.S. market, and we are thrilled to announce its arrival at Vino. To celebrate , we are offering the excellent 2004 vintage at an equally remarkable price.

Barolo 2004 Oddero
$40.50 (10%-off regular price)

Click here to purchase online!

Standard case discount does not apply with this offer.
No same-day delivery.

Vino
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016

For more information call (212) 725-6516 or visit our website, vinositeshop.com.

Arrivederci Azzurri

All over: The front page of this morning's La Gazzetta dello Sport tells the whole story of Italy's exit from Euro 2008.

Italy’s national soccer team went crashing out of Euro 2008 last night, losing out to Spain 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out, at the end of a closely fought quarter-final in Vienna. The game finished goalless after extra-time, and once again the curse of the dreaded spot-kicks proved to be Italy’s downfall. Spain will now face Russia in the semi-final. Let’s raise a glass to the unlucky Azzurri, and for those of you wishing to drown your sorrows, remember Italy is still Campioni del Mondo!

Taste Ruché by Luca Ferraris

One of the most exciting young producers to emerge from Piemonte in recent years, Luca Ferraris’ vineyard is located in Castagnole Monferrato, a comune in the province of Asti. It is home to the variety Ruché and the D.O.C. Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato. Some of Ferraris’ production is vinified and aged within the town’s castle walls, in an ancient vault purchased by the young producer’s great-grandfather. This network of chambers is dominated by a narrow central room which calls “Il Salotto del Ruché“ or, “The Ruché Parlour”. It is here that medieval history and modern technology combine to further Piemonte’s winemaking tradition.

Within the ancient vaulted walls of the "Salotto del Ruché", Luca Ferraris samples his Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato.

The Luca Ferraris wines have just arrived at Vino, and this afternoon our weekly tasting will feature the fine wines of this young producer, who this week is also celebrating the birth of his first daughter, Ilaria. In honor of both these new arrivals, Vino is offering these three Luca Ferraris wines at a special 10% discounted price.

Chiara and Luca Ferraris welcome the latest addition to their happy family, the piccola Ilaria.

Barbera d’Asti
Grignolino d’Asti
Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato

10%-off regular price
Standard case discount does not apply with this offer.

FREE Luca Ferraris Tasting
Friday, June 27, 5:30pm

Vino
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016

For more information call (212) 725-6516 or visit our website, vinosite.com.

Josko Gravner: Friulan Wine Innovator

Josko Gravner poses next to his giant clay amphorae, which he has trucked from Georgia (Tblisi, not Atlanta).

For over 30 years Josko Gravner has been arguably Friuli’s most esteemed and influential winemaker, producing whites to rival those made anywhere in Italy. A renowned pioneer in wine innovation, Gravner has always also been one step ahead of his competitors. Just as soon as he had perfected stainless steel fermentation and temperature control technology in the 1970s, he rejected this approach in favor of barrique fermentation. But he still wasn’t content.

In the late-’90s, Gravner decided that technology and chemicals couldn’t possibly improve on a natural product. He began fermenting his wines in giant terracotta amphorae (pictured above), which he lined with beeswax and buried in the ground in a custom-built stone-wall cellar. Now, each amphora is brought by truck from Georgia (in the former USSR, where they are still commonly in use), to his estate in Oslavia, near the Slovenian border. The resulting white wines drink more like reds: deeply flavorful, dark in color and tannic. This new technique was a leap too far even for some of his most ardent supporters, but Gravner remained convinced he was producing a better wine, and has since begun to win over both the most discerning critics and wine-lovers.

Bianco Breg Anfora 2002
A blend of Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling Italico grapes, the Breg Anfora (Italian for “amphora”) offers a notable flavor and rare depth, and was awarded 92 points in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
$89

Ribolla Gialla 2001
Ribolla Gialla is one of Friuli’s oldest indigenous varieties — some of the grapes used came from vines planted as far back as 1915. 2001 is the first Ribolla Gialla vintage using the amphora method.
$89

Standard case discount does not apply with this offer.
No same-day delivery.

Vino
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016

For more information call (212) 725-6516 or visit our website, vinositeshop.com.

Award-winning whites

Summer officially begins this Saturday and to cap off a week of celebrating the season Vino’s Friday tasting will feature three Tre Bicchieri-winning whites from three producers who make white wine their focus. (Those of you who still insist that white wine is intrinsically inferior to red will be welcomed and encouraged.) These are well-crafted wines that have been recognized by Gambero Rosso’s Italian Wines as excellent expressions of place and varietal character.

Latour Civitella 2004 Sergio Mottura
Sergio Mottura is an expert producer of Grechetto, the white variety best known as a component in the Orvieto blend. Mottura’s cantina is on the Lazio side of the Orvieto zone and fruit for La Tour Civitella is sourced from some of the best vineyards in one of Central Italy’s best-known winemaking regions.

Fosarin 2006 Ronco dei Tassi
In Fabio Coser’s flagship cuvée, barrel-fermented Pinot Bianco is blended with stainless-steel-vinified Tocai Friulano and Malvasia Istriana to produce a medium-to-full-bodied white with a creamy palate and luscious acidity.

Ribolla Gialla Anfora 2001 Gravner
Josko Gravner is, essentially, a one-man movement. His dedication to biodynamic viticulture, non-interventionist winemaking and the maturing of wine in subterranean ceramic amphorae has become the stuff of legend. Gravner himself however is not one to rest on past triumph, as he continually strives to coax as much aromatic nuance and tactile complexity out of his prized fruit.

FREE Award-Winning Whites Tasting
Friday, June 20, 5:30pm

Vino
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016

For more information call (212) 725-6516 or visit our website, www.vinosite.com.

Deltetto Arneis Roero in Wall Street Journal

Deltetto’s Roero Arneis S. Michele is featured in the online version of the Wall Street Journal, wsj.com, today. In an article entitled “Wine Like Grandma Used To Be“, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher discuss the piedmontese grape Arneis, and partake in a blind tasting, in which the aforementioned Deltetto wine is listed as a favorite: “Great with food, Arneis brings your nonna to mid, even if you’re not Italian.”

Roero Arneis S.Michele 2006 Deltetto is currently available at Vino.

Barolo Boscareto 2003 Ferdinando Principiano

The elegantly-named Ferdinando Principiano inspects production of his Barolo.

The Ferdinando Principiano estate in Monforte d’Alba, Piemonte, has been in the family for roughly a hundred years. The winery itself was founded in the 1950s by Americo Principiano, but it wasn’t until the 21st century that his son, Ferdinando (pictured in his cellar above), began to reconsider the company’s winemaking philosophy for the new millenium. Removing all chemicals from the vinification process, today Ferdinando uses only natural yeasts and ferments the wines without temperature control — an approach which adheres closely to nature and the Langhe’s wine-producing tradition.

The estate comprises of four vineyards, each planted according to the variety’s optimum location. This Barolo Boscareto 2003 is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes, plucked from fifty-year old vines covering five hectares, and named after the Boscareto zone near Serralunga d’Alba.

In awarding this Barolo a hefty 91 points, Antonio Galloni of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate says, “Ferdinando Principiano is among the young producers whose style is still very much in a phase of discovery. His 2003 Barolo Boscareto is a successful wine, yet beginning with the 2004 vintage Principiano has adopted dramatically lower yields and eliminated the use of new French oak. It will be interesting to see how the wines progress over the following years.”

Barolo Boscareto 2003 Principiano Ferdinando
$45 a bottle
Click here to purchase

Standard case discount does not apply with this offer.
No same-day delivery.

Vino
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016

For more information call (212) 725-6516 or visit our website.

Cool summer

Refreshing, chilled wines are the ideal way to stay cool this summer (or any summer).

With summer now officially upon us, there’s no better time to cool down with a fine selection of refreshing summer wines. On June 18, join Italian wine expert Jim Hutchinson in discovering the lighter side to Italy’s wine culture, with Vinoteca’s Summer Wines class.

Italian winemakers throughout the peninsula have long been producing delicious alternatives to the country’s traditional rich, tannic reds. Lambrusco, Vermentino, Schiava, Lagrein Rosé, Gragnano, and metodo classico Erbaluce are just some of Italy’s wines which are best enjoyed in the warmest of weather.

On a warm day Nancy loves a good rosé.

Summer Wines is our final class of the Spring season, but there will be more intriguing and entertaining wine classes at Vinoteca after the summer.

Summer Wines
with Jim Hutchinson, DWS
Wednesday, June 18, 6:30pm
$75

Vinoteca
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016

For more information on these and upcoming classes, call (212) 725-6516 or visit our website.

(Requisite disclaimer: Nancy Sinatra will not be appearing. But we hear she loves a glass of chilled Schiava.)

Beat the heat

Temperatures may be rising, but Vino always stays cool. This Friday sample some of Vino’s most refreshing summer wines, as chosen by our experts. They’re the perfect way to prepare for another warm weekend.

A Taj 2006 Cascina Castlèt

Lagrein Rosato “Nives” 2007 Castel Sallegg

Lambrusco Rosato 2007 Lini

Lacrima di Morro d’Alba 2006 Mancinelli

FREE Summer Wines Tasting
Friday, June 13, 5:30pm

Vino
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016

For more information call (212) 725-6516 or visit our website.