Italian winemaker Antonio Sangueneti hosts a wine tasting in Fort Lauderdale
Last night, The Naked Grape Wine Bar at Wilton Manors hosted Italian winemaker Antonio Sangueneti from Tuscany. Mr. Sangueneti served six vintages of limited production. I’m not a fan of Italian wines per se, they are a bit tannic for me. So I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to objectively write and get excited about all these Small Vineyards wines, let alone confront the winemaker himself.
Never, never, never judge a wine by its label or varietal or name, every bottle and winemaker is different. Period. Now I know this, but it was a blatant wake-up call for me last night. The first three wines we tried were whites, Trevisol Prosecco ($18) I loved it! This Prosecco is light, flirty and fun. At $18, it’s affordable and definitely drinkable every day (Antonio says so!) (I bought a bottle and of course it’s signed!)
The second sample was Tre Donne Roero (3 sisters) Arneis ($20). This is known as a white Barolo. It’s clean and refreshing with a very different short finish than its red counterpart which is definitely bolder. For those who like pinot grigio, this is definitely a wonderful alternative.
The last and third ‘White’ is Antonio Sangueneti Vincero ($17). This wine is a blend of Vermentino, Malvasia and Chardonnay. A very easy and close wine, in my opinion similar to Tre Donne Roero Arneis. So I told Antonio that this wine is so easy and drinkable, not complex, he could drink it like water. And his response: “So what’s the problem with that?” Okay, yes. What’s the problem with that? Mr. Sangueneti went on to explain to me that Italians drink wine with food and eat food with wine at all meals except breakfast, it is a complementary respect that goes both ways. This wine, the Vincero, in my opinion, is definitely the weekend brunch wine to ‘drink’ from 10:30 am with a delicious Basil-Proscuitto Strata.
And now we turn to the Reds. The first is the Antonio Sangueneti Nessun Dorma ($24). Nessun Dorma means “no one must sleep”, it is an aria from the final act of Puccini’s opera Turandot. It is sung by the unknown prince, who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold princess. Any man who wishes to marry Turandot must first answer his three riddles; if he fails, he will be beheaded, and like all magnificent opera this is where the tragedy begins….but not for this wine, it is anything but an operatic tragedy.
This lovely ‘Red’ is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Syrah. This is what Super Tuscans are made of, a harmonious blend of some of Tuscany’s prized varietals. This wine is elegant and bright with just enough audacity to turn heads. The longer it sits, the more it looks like velvet, one can sip and savor this Super Tuscan to the last drop and this is the only tragedy, an empty bottle of Antonio Sangueneti Nessun Dorma. I have my bottle signed and will cherish it along with the wine for a long time.
The second Red is Antonio Sangueneti Rosso Montepulciano ($22). This is the classic ‘little brother’ of Vino Nobile. This Rosso is a dynamic blend of Sangiovese and Merlot and is all about very fruity plums and cherries and like the Nessun Dorma, the more it breathes, the more silky it becomes. And my second bottle of silk sits patiently in my bottle rack waiting to be opened!
And finally, the Antonio Sangueneti Caruso, this wine is simply described as a “Super Italian”. He is an Amarone baby who meets the Super Tuscan baby and the Sicilian Nero d’Avola. Now take a sip of that and see what happens!
All of these super fabulous wines are small production wines, meaning only 400-700 cases are made and distributed worldwide. They are imported by Small Vineyards in Seattle, Washington. Small Vineyards looks for excellent Italian wines from small vineyards. Most importers would never think twice about these wines, regardless of quality, because there isn’t enough to make a brand, but Small Vineyards sees it differently. As an importer, Small Vineyards understands that they are the bridge that brings the wine, stories and passion of small families of Italian winemakers to the United States.
Wonderful wines from Antonio Sangueneti, Trevisol and Tre Donne are available at the Naked Grape Wine Bar for retail purchase to take home or enjoy at the wine bar. Prices range from $17 to $24, a bargain! for wines of such high quality. To sample some of these wines, there’s an Italian Wine Flight this weekend at The Naked Grape Wine Bar $20/4 wines and a complimentary Italian cheese plate. I highly recommend you run and grab your bottle or two or three and experience for yourself just how magnificent small-production, boutique Italian wines can be, and this is coming from a former non-Italian wine lover.