Wine School-Italian White Wines, March 27, 2013

Wines

Bergaglio Fornaci Gavi 2011

Color:  Pale yellow with hint of green
Nose:  Floral notes with a hint of citrus
Mouth:  Light, crisp and acidic. A bit of green apple with a long finish and touch of mineral
Price:  $16.99 Wine Merchant, Clayton, MO

Pairings:

Parmesan Cheese:  The Parmesan was too powerful for this wine, it overpowered the finish.
Aged Goat Cheese:  This cheese was a better match, it enhanced the fruit flavors.
Dill Havarti Cheese:  The wine and cheese paired nicely, and by the way, all three of us love this cheese!!
Tomato Bruschetta:  This was a lovely match, it definitely brought out the fruit in the wine. This would be a great appetizer pairing for summer.
Tuscan Vegetable Pizza:  Great match!
Fettuccine with Genovese Basil Pesto:  This matching was a toss up. Overall it wasn't a favorite but Beth thought it enhanced the finish. Mary Jo felt there was too much acidity.
Bissinger's Kreta Olive Oil Truffles:  As anticipated this was a great match!! It should be known that all three of us love this delicious treat.
Conclusion:  Enjoyable wine overall. It is a nice wine to enjoy alone, as well as with appetizers or a light summer meal.

Michele Chiarlo Roverto Gavi di Gavi 2011

Color:  Pale, yellow-green
Nose:  Fresh fruit with a hint of floral and yeast
Mouth:  Mineral on the finish with a hint of bitterness.
Price:  $18 WTSO/Wine Till Sold Out-online

Pairings:

Parmesan Cheese:  This wine stood up better to the cheese than the first Gavi, but the cheese still tended to overpower the wine.
Aged Goat Cheese:  Mineral aspect in the wine stood out when paired with this cheese. It was an okay pairing but nothing to write home about.
Dill Havarti Cheese:  This was a lovely match. It gave the wine an elegance that wasn't there before.
Tomato Bruschetta:  This was a nice match, but we liked the first wine with the bruschetta even more.
Tuscan Vegetable Pizza:  Overall it was worked, not an out of this world pairing though.
Fettuccine with Genovese Basil Pesto:  A nice pairing, really enhanced the crispness of this wine.
Bissinger's Kreta Olive Oil Truffles:  As much as we love this chocolate, it was a bit disappointing with this particular wine.
Conclusion:  The finish on this wine is a winner! It was exceptional with the Havarti Dill Cheese. We all agree it pair nicely with seafood.

Toscola Vernaccia di San Gimignono 2011

Color:  Straw yellow
Nose:  Fresh earthiness with a touch of sage.
Mouth:  Lovely, long finish with crisp acidity.
Price:  $13.99 Whole Foods

Pairings:

Parmesan Cheese:  This cheese was just too much for these wines.
Aged Goat Cheese:  Not a match at all.
Dill Havarti Cheese:  Very nice match. It made the fruit up front really pop. Lisa also noted the minerality in wine was more noticeable. 
Tomato Bruschetta:  Complimented each other nicely. Another summertime pairing.
Tuscan Vegetable Pizza:  The almond finish on this wine was very apparent when paired together. This is a winner.
Fettuccine with Genovese Basil Pesto:  Paired well together. Lisa and Mary Jo especially enjoyed this match.
Bissinger's Kreta Olive Oil Truffles:  Nice match, but nothing can beat the first wine with these truffles.
Conclusion:  An enjoyable wine alone. Perfect for the warmer summer days that will be here shortly. Paired nicely with the majority of the food, and a reasonable price.

Final Thoughts:

Beth - With a winter that doesn't want to end, it was nice to spend an evening with white wines, dreaming of warm summer evenings. It is amazing how many different wines there are out there to explore and learn about. Any of these three Italian wines would be a good change of pace for Sauvignon Blanc drinkers. Close your eyes as you savor one of these wines and you may be transported to an Italian sidewalk cafe. My favorite wine of the evening was the Toscolo Vernaccia di San Gimignano, although all of the wines were enjoyable. This wine is refreshing alone, and was especially lovely with the light fare we sampled this evening. This is a bright, crisp wine with a great finish.

Lisa- Compairing all Italian whites was a fun way to bring on spring!  Although my favorite whites are Sauvignon Blancs, these would be a great substitute.  I think I leaned toward the Castellari Bergaglio as maybe the favorite but the other two were right behind.  I think my favorite pairing of the night had to be Bissinger's Kreta Olive Oil Truffles with this particular wine-yum :)!  What really struck me was the lack of nose on the Gavi de Gavi!  Maybe my smeller was off but I couldn't hardly get anything off that one.  Overall for pairings, who can go wrong with pizza and Italian wines.  So looking forward to more whites by the pool.

Mary Jo - This class made me even MORE ready for spring and summer!  These wines were very interesting, especially when you think about them in comparison to other whites such as chardonnays!  I found these also to be close to a sauvignon blanc, which inspired us to do a comparison with an Italian white and a sauv blanc!  The Bergaglio was wonderful paired with the Havarti dill and the tomato bruschetta and I loved it with the truffles!  The Gavi di Gavi was also great with Havarti dill and the Toscolo Vernaccia di San Gimignano was also wonderful with the bruschetta and the Fettucine.  These were great wines, but it was sometimes difficult to detect the aroma!  I agree with Beth that the Toscolo Vernaccia di San Gimignano was my favorite of the evening!  Bring on spring!