Sometimes you just accidentally stumble onto a wine that is so delicious it knocks your socks off. Then you are told it is an exclusive! Oh no, tell me it can’t be. Well you’re right it can’t be. Thanks to a little sleuthing I have found the perfect wine to pair with not just authentic Italian dishes but with possibilities for so many more.
I was a bit surprised to discover the label was completely in Italian. That would be unexpected for a listed wine so I wasn’t surprised when I thought it was an exclusive to the restaurant, Bar Corso.
But, as I say, I am so glad that a little sleuthing resulted in success. So enough chatter, here is the wine I am highly recommending:
Cantina de Venosa Verbo – Aglianico del Vulture
Variety of grape: 100% Aglianico del vulture
Type of production: rows
Age of vineyards : 10 – 20 years
Production per Hectare : 7 – 9 tons
Altitude of vineyards: 400- 550 metres
Grape harvest period: from the 10th to the 30th October
Zone of Production : the north eastern part of Potenza characterized by the production of D.O.C. Aglianico del Vulture that includes the territory of 15 towns in particular Venosa, City of Orazio.
Grape harvest method: selection of grapes and picked in the first hours in the morning and transported immediately to the wine factory.
Vinification: vinification in small fermenters and skin maturation at a controlled temperature from 23° to 26° C, completion of the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks.
Refinement: in oak barrels for about 12 months
Organoleptic characteristics and technical comments: good structured and modern wine that has:
Colour intense ruby red with a few bright red reflexes .
Bouquet vinous with a delicate current scent, moderately spicey.
Taste dry sapid and persistent, very pleasant in its armony.
Gastronomic combination and serving temperature: classical wine for roasts, typical mediteranean first courses, game and matured cheeses.
Serving temperature from 16° to 18° C.
VERBO Aglianico del Vulture triumphs at the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2023, winning the GOLD Medal.
Luscious scents of rich, ripe fruit tease the nose. So many compelling aromas; blackberries, dark cherries, leather and cranberry. Later an Italian plum comes to mind with rosemary and scents of a strawberry milkshake, stewed rhubarb and a hint of red candy.
Absolutely heavenly, deep and rich, mellow and also complex. The palate follows the nose with rich, velvety smoothness. Initially it is almost as if there are no tannins at all, but with a few more sips they make themselves known, but subtle and light. It was the perfect compliment to the dish of braised lamb shank and broccolini.
This wine is rich, complex with a wonderful depth. A medium to dense body. Superbly brimming with ripe fruits and cherry jam. Simply, so good. The price, a very pleasant surprise, excellent value for those looking for a heavy bodied wine that pairs beautifully with classic Italian and equally well with a Roast beef dinner and all the trimmings. Enjoy!
A Jak’s Liquor exclusive at $27.99
Cantina de Venosa
Full of history and art, Venosa boasts a culture widely spread around and much appreciated, the culture of a wine par excellence, named Aglianico.
A wine with an intense ruby red colour and garnet hints , delicate blackcurrant fruits bouquet, an unmistakable and harmonious flavour which have fascinated important men in the past, such as Charles d’Angiò and Pope Paolo III Farnese as well as wine conoisseurs all over the world. This is Aglianico del Vulture, a D.O.C. wine with more than 2000 years of history which represents the perfect marriage between the rich structure of a volcanic soil (Aglianico is in fact the volcano on the soil of which most of the Aglianico grapes are grown) and the lucky exposure of the gentle Venosa hills. Venosa, a smiling town, rich of history and art, and proud for the many monuments dating back to Roman times, still to be admired.
Here, in Venosa, there is one of the most renowned wine businesses of Southern Italy: CANTINA DI VENOSA. Founded in 1957 by 27 promoting members , thanks to the will, the perseverance, the capability to associate of this vine-growers group, Cantina di Venosa nowadays is an association of 400 members with about 800 hectars of vineyards, most of which in the Venosa Commune , the largest producer of Aglianico grapes, in the Vulture area.
Aglianico del Vulture would have been introduced in Italy by the Greeks, when Cuma was founded or a little bit later, whilst the change of Hellenica name into Hellanica and afterwards into Aglianico must be attributed to the end of XV century , when the Aragona’s power dominated in Naples Reign.The delicacy and exquisite style that you notice both from the bouquet and from its scent, distinguish the grape that you can pick from vineyards grown on the hilly soil of Vulture, all important factors that have contributed Aglianico del Vulture to become a D.O.C. wine.
Wine notes, history (edited) and bottle shot courtesy of the winery. My notes (in bold italics) Images: MyVanCity. I enjoyed this wine while attending Vancouver Cocktail Week at Bar Corso.
