Wine & Tasting notes from Cinque Terre Walk & Wine Tour,

June 8-12, 2006

Amy’s notes:

I recently got back from another great trip in Liguria. We ate, drank and hiked our way across the Cinque Terre, clocking in approx 5 miles a day on mountail trails and several (or more) bottles of wine a day! Check out my notes and some photos from the trip.

 

Day 1 –  June 8th

Via dell'Amore

Our Via dell’Amore hike from Vernazza with lunch at Enoteca Dau Cila in Riomaggiore was awsome! The raw seafood and anchovies (especially the ones with pear and Parmigiano Reggiano!) were delicious!! After lunch we had an unforgettable visit with local winemaker Walter de Battè in his cellar and tasted his amazing Cinque Terre Bianco and Sciacchetrà.

Wines we tasted that day included:

Luciano Capellini Cinque Terre Bianco, 2004

Grapes: Bosco + Albarola + Vermentino

We thought this was an interesting expression of cold maceration on the skins. Nice intense golden color and good mineral backbone.

B.F (bonanini-fellegara)Cinque Terre Bianco, 2004

Grapes: Bosco + Albarola + Vermentino

This one started with a bit of an “eggy” but the stink blew away soon enough and Craig and I thought it was nice. Good, balanced acidity.

Monticello Vermentino Colli di Luni, 2005

Grapes: Vermentino

Beautiful crisp and delicious Vermentino from Sarzana (Colli di Luni, inter-regional DOC with Liguria and Tuscany). The kind of wine you could down 3 bottles of before you know what hit you.

Walter de Battè Cinque Terre Bianco, 2004

Grapes: Bosco

Beautiful Cinque Terre with blend of cold maceration + fermentation on the skins. Awsome white with the body of a red, the way only Walter can do.

Walter de Battè Schiacchetrà

Grapes: Bosco

What words can render justice to this masterpiece? I’m still thinking about that wine… herbs and spices, candied friut, prunes and nuts, raisins, honey… sweet yet not syrupy, crisp on the palate and incredibly persistent, leaves you with 1 major sentiment: More please!!

 

Day 2 –  June 9th

Monterosso to Vernazza

A great morning hiking took us From Monterosso to Vernazza along high mountain-top trails. Gorgeous views coming down into Vernazza and a well earned lunch in the Piazza followed. After a mixed seafood appetizer I moved on to home-made Trofie al Pesto made in the local style with green beens and potatoes boiled along with the pasta. Ohhh and the Pesto by the way... so delicious! You just can't get anything like it anywhere else in the world! We washed all this down with:

Lunae Etichetta Grigia Vermentino dei Colli di Luni, 2005

Grapes: Vermentino

Again a wonderful expression of Vermentino, packed with fresh fruit and citrus with crisp and lively acidity.

For dinner that night we went to one of Monterosso's best seafood restaurants. The meal was delicious and the prize went to our Antipasto - a delicate crepe filled with seafood and served with sweet Tropea onions. We downed these two bottles with dinner:

Russiz Superiore Col Disorè

http://www.russizsuperiore.it/

Grapes: Tocai Friulano + Ribolla Gialla with small percentages of Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon Blanc

A bit warm on the alcohol and I expected more acidity.

Avignonesi Desiderio, Cortona Merlot DOC, 1999

http://www.avignonesi.it

Merlot 85% + Cabernet Sauvignon 15% - 28-30 months aging in small french oak.

Incredible expression of Merlot in Tuscany! One of my all time favorite international style Tuscan’s and from one of the region’s best estates. The wine was a bit penalized by the pairing with baked fish and roasted potatoes, but we wanted to give it a try!

 

Day 3 –  June 10th

Volastra walk & wine

The best wine lover's hike ever! We spent the whole morning hiking through the incredible vineyard terraces. We got some good exercise climbing up there and then enjoyed the awesome views and got to know the vines, spending serious time with them and checking out the stage of flowering of the various varieties. We had the most incredible lunch of the whole trip in a tiny village en route where we tasted local anchovies as well as the restaurant's signature dish, which is a local dish from Genova, literally a mountain of seafood! The whole meal was beautifully paired with wines from the Cinque Terre. Amazing!!!

Check out the Cappun Magru!

Cooperative Agricola delle Cinque Terre Costa dà Posa di Volastra Cinque Terre Bianco, 2005

Bosco 60% + Albarola 25% + Vermentino 15%

Beautiful expression of Cinque Terre Bianco from the sub-zone of Costa dà Posa, the vineyards that stretch between Corniglia and Manarola, near the village of Volastra. Good crisp acidity and bright friuts, no maceration on the skins.

Forlini Capellini Cinque Terre Bianco

Bosco + Albarola + Vermentino

One of Cinque Terre’s oldest private wineries (tiny). Nice expression of Modern style Cinque Terre Bianco.

Buranco Cinque Terre Bianco, 2005

http://www.buranco.info/

Wow! Best Cinque Terre next to Walter de Battè. Beautiful balance between body and acidity/minerality. 24 hour cold maceration followed by aging on the lees with Battonage. Tiny family run winery located in Monterosso.

Vie di Romans Piere Sauvignon Blanc 2003

http://www.viediromans.it

Friuli Venezia-Giulia single vineyard Sauvignon from one of the region’s most famous wineries. 14.5% alcohol.

Antinori Cervaro della Sala Chardonnay dell’Umbria 1999

80% Chardonnay, 20% Grechetto

One of Italy’s most famous whites, this wonderful international style Chardonnay is made by the Antinoris at their Umbria estate of Castello della Sala. Fermented and aged in small french oak barriques, sur lie for 5 months. The wood is definitely there but all the delcious ripe friut and tropical aromas come through. Good acidity to balance the body.

 

Day 4 - June 11th

Punta Mesco

This is another one of my favorite Cinque Terre hikes along lush mountain trails with great views over the ocean. We gave ourselves a rest and had salad for lunch on the beach in Levanto.

 

Day 5 - June 12th

Portovenere

In the morning we caught a ferry to beautiful Portovenere. The summer weather had really arrived and the cruise was spectacular. After exploring Portovenere we caught a Venetian water taxi to the island of Palmaria where we once again commenced an eating and drinking fest with endless fresh seafood appetizers followed by a Trofie al Pesto and Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare. All washed down nicely with the Hofstatter Gewurztraminer, that left us so full and happy I had a hard time navigating in Pisa....

Hofstatter Gewurztraminer, 2004

http://www.hofstatter.com/

I must admit that this Gewurtz from Alto Adige may just be my favorite wine of the whole trip! The aromatic qualities of rich tropical fruits and spice were bright and intense while not overwhelming. On the palate it was an explosion of fruity deliciousness perfectly balanced by crisp acidity and savory minerality. Yes, the alcohol was again 14.5% but this time it was nicely hidden by the perfect balance of the wine. More please!!