A Wine Lunch at Ristorante Pαlαzzo Ducαle dellα Montαgnolα with Camillo Montori

The second stop on the Abruzzo wine tour was for a tasting of the wines of Azienda Agricola Camillo Montori over lunch at Ristorante Pαlαzzo Ducαle dellα Montαgnolα. Our host was owner Camillo Montori who toured us around his 15th century castle which has, over time, been a wine estate, a convent and is now a restaurant and event center.

Among the estate's artifacts are the original well, a16th century winemaking room and a stone olive oil press. Camillo Montori has great passion for the Abruzzo region, he loves its architecture, its art and its history, he feels all of these things have contributed to its wine and food culture.

After the tour, we went into the restaurant for the wine tasting served with some classic Abruzzo pairings. Our lunch started with prosciutto and cheese served with the Fonte Cupa Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 2017, an easy drinking white wine with red apple notes made from the region's most important indigenous white grape.

The Fonte Cupa Colli Aprutini Pecorino 2017 was also served with the first course, it was crisp and fruity with a citrus and mineral-laced finish. Pecorino is both the name of the grape as well as the name of the local cheese. Legend has it that the grape was a favored delicacy of the local sheep population, hence the name. While both were refreshing, I took a second pour of the more lively Pecorino.

Our second course was Le Virtù, a minestrone-like soup, which is the May Day specialty in Abruzzo. This traditional soup has 49 different ingredients and takes seven pots to make it. The Fonte Cupa Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo 2017 was the first wine poured to go with the soup. This Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo is a darkly hued rosé made from 100% Montepulciano grapes, it was fresh and vibrant with red cherry aromas and flavors and a hint of earthy undergrowth in the lingering finish.

We were also poured the Camilo Montori Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2016 with the soup, it was a deep, full bodied red with mixed red berry aromas and flavors and a slightly astringent finish. Both were delicious wines though I did prefer the Cerasuolo with the soup.

For our final savory course to pair with two more of the red wines, we were served bacon wrapped pork medallions with potatoes. Our wine pairings with this were the Fonte Cupa Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2013 and the Fonte Cupa Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane Riserva 2011. Both of these reds were rich and concentrated with velvety tannins and a persistent finish. The Riserva was more multifaceted in its aroma and flavor profile, both were delicious with the pork.

We wrapped up our meal with a little something sweet to go with our coffee. The Abruzzo wine tour needed to get back on the road. Camillo Montori was a wonderful host who makes delicious easy drinking, food friendly wines, all of the above are recommended.

If you are looking for a restaurant or event space in Abruzzo, be sure to check out Ristorante Pαlαzzo Ducαle dellα Montαgnolα.

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

"The Zen of Zin" Tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks

On Friday evening, my husband and I attended the Zinfandel wine tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks. My husband gets totally pumped up for any and all things Zinfandel but what I found really intriguing in the line up of wines were the aged offerings. Brent Sloan, managing partner at Houston's premier wine storage facility Nos Caves Vin, had provided Fleming's with four 18 year old bottlings and one 17 year old bottling from his collection of some of his favorites. I found this interesting because 1. I don't believe that I have ever had an 18 year old Zinfandel before this evening and 2. From various wine classes, I had always heard that at best Zinfandel had very limited aging ability. So, I was definitely excited to give these wines a taste. There were also an additional five younger Zinfandel wines that are some of Fleming's best sellers. The entire tasting line up for the evening included: 2009 Orin Swift Saldo - California 2007 Schulz "Lampyridae Vin

Wine Life - Houston

Search This Blog