Ciao Tutti!
As the holiday song says, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, for at Piazza Italian Market this weekend, we will be offering three tastings for your consideration to accompany your holiday feasts. For a bubbly, we offer the Bosco Di Gica Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Sparkling Wine Brut DOCG 2025 ($27.75, ABV 11%) from the Adami vineyard in Colbertaldo di Vidor, Valdobbiadene, Italy. For a white wine, we offer the Colli Tortonesi DOC “Timorasso” 2023 from the La Spinetta winery in Castagnole Delle Lanze near Asti in Piemonte. For the red wine, we offer the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019 ($75.95,14% ABV) from Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Casato Prime Donne winery in Montalcino.
Bosco Di Gica: What is a holiday without a bubbly? “Bosco di Gica” translates as “ancient forest” in homage to the historic site of the winemaker’s family. The winery was founded in the 1920’s by Adele Adami when he bought the natural amphitheater shaped vineyard from Count Balbi Valier and the winery is now managed by the third generation of Armando and Franco.
Bosco Di Gica’s predominant grape is Glera, with a small (3-7%) of Chardonnay and is vinified using the Charmat Method, in which the second fermentation process occurs in a stainless steel tank instead of the bottle. This new Prosecco for Piazza has become quite popular for its fresh, crisp character, notes of orchard fruit (apple, peach) and white flowers (acacia, wisteria) with a savory, mineral finish.
Colli Tortonese DOC Timoresso: This wine’s distinctive label depicting the Durer print of a rhinoceros will be quite familiar to Piazza devotees of the winery’s Sangiovese and Rose’ in Piazza’s collection. The winery was founded by Giuseppe and Lidia Rivetti in the 1960’s and their children share management of the winery that is located in the hills of Piemonte.
Timorasso is an ancient indigenous grape of Piemonte with delicate citrus and floral notes, great structure and a long, vibrant finish. Timorasso is considered to be one of Italy’s unique and interesting white wines; legend has it that Leonardo di Vinci was a fan. When he attended Isabella di Aragona’s wedding, his gifts to her were Montebore cheese and a bottle of Timorasso wine, which was then considered to be the perfect pairing for the cheese.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: Winemaker Donatella founded her two wineries, Casato Prime Donne and Fattoria del Colle in 2000 on land that had been in her family since the 16th century. One of her grandfathers was a pioneer in the Montalcino denomination and she learned his lessons well. She quickly rose to prominence and added the Fattoria del Colle Country Inn with a restaurant, cooking school, gardens and a fitness center. Her honors include being awarded the 2003 Oscar Bibenda Prize for wine producers, followed by the International Vinitaly award in 2012.
Her Casato Prime Donne is the first Italian winery to be staffed entirely by women and has earned international fame. It is devoted solely to the production of Brunello with 17 of the 40 hectares planted with Sangiovese for the production and aging of both Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino wines.
Brunello is my choice for Christmas so I could rhapsodize about Brunello ad nauseum! If you haven’t yet tasted it, get ready for a taste sensation of fruits (blackberry, black cherry, plum and raspberry), floral notes (cloves, vanilla, violets) with firm tannins and a full body-nectar for the gods!
Come join me for our special Holiday Tasting on Friday from noon to 5:45 and Saturday from noon to 4:45
Cin Cin!
Jenn
Piazza Italian Market is located in the Talbot Town Shopping Center at 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD
Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.
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