Random Wine Notes

Question 1

Which wine in the $50-$60 is good for someone who likes dry Riesling or Kerner?

Answer 1

Lugana I Frati
Ca’ Dei Frati
$56
Lombardia

Question 2

What is the varietal in Lugana?

Answer 2

Turbiana

AKA Trebbiano di Lugana (although not the same grape as regular Trebbiano)

Question 3

Where is Erbaluce di Caluso ‘Misobolo’ from?

Answer 3

Peidmonte

The wine maker is Cieck

Question 4

What is the Syrah from Fontodi called?

Answer 4

Syrah ‘Case Via’

$158

Question 5

Which Super Tuscan contains Syrah?

Answer 5

Bolgheri ‘Promis’
Gaja Ca’Marcanda
Syrah, Sangovese, and Merlot
$95

Question 6

Which wine from Veneto is made by a small producer with geeky fans?

Answer 6

Veneto Rosso Kairos
from Zyme
Blend of 4 whites and 11 reds

Question 7

What is a good alternative to Fratelli Alessandria Barolo?

Answer 7

Roero Riserva ‘Valmaggiore’ from Cascina Chicco

$95

Question 8

Which mature Barbaresco is in the $150 range?

Answer 8

Pertinace

Question 9

Which Barolo is underpriced in the $150 range?

Answer 9

Oddero
$155
Traditional complex and dry Barolo

Question 10

Name 3 Chiantis on the list

Answer 10

Fontodi Chianti Classico $84
Campriano Chianti Classico $62
Riecine Chianti Classico Riserva $115
Volpaia Chainti Classico

Question 11

Which winery produces both Solaia and Tignanello?

Answer 11

Antinori

Question 12

Which winery produces ‘Le Pergole Torte’, one of the first super Tuscans?

Answer 12

Montevertine

Question 13

How does Emidio Pepe age his wines?

Answer 13

In glass lined tanks.

When a wine is ordered, it’s decanted and then returned to the bottle with a new cork before being sent out.

Question 14

Name 3 Brunellos on the list

Answer 14

Caparzo $90
Collemattoni $130
'Rennina' Gaja-PSR $358
Sesti $175
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 'Case Basse' Soldera $750
Valdicava $260

Question 15

Where the name Roero come from?

Answer 15

A family of bankers and traders who were prominent in the political life of Asti and dominated this area (Cuneo, in Piedmont) in the Middle Ages.

Question 16

In Piedmont, what river divides Roero from Langhe?

Answer 16

The Tanaro River

Question 17

What bounds Roero on the North East?

Answer 17

Monferrato

Question 18

What bounds Roero on the North West?

Answer 18

The Province of Turin

Question 19

What is considered the capital of the Langhe region of Piedmont?

Answer 19

Alba

Question 20

What are the main varietals of the Roero region?

Answer 20

Arneis

Nebbiolo

Question 21

What does the designation “Roero” mean for a red wine?

Answer 21

The name “Roero” lacking any further specification is reserved for red wines made from 95-98% Nebbiolo grapes with the addition of 2%–5% of Arneis.

Question 22

What are the aging requirements of Roero Riserva?

Answer 22

32 months total aging

At least 6 months in wood

Question 23

Which Roero Riserva wine is on the list?

Answer 23

Roero Riserva ‘Valmaggiore’ from Cascina Chicco

$95

Question 24

What spurred demand for table wine in Italy in the early 1900s?

Answer 24

The demand for table wine grew as people increasingly abandoned farming to work in the newly born factories.
Prior to industrialization, many families grew grapes and made their own wine.

Question 25

Who runs the Vallana winery?

Answer 25

Giuseppina Vallana

The Gattinara Cuvee Bernardo is named for her father.

Question 26

In what year did Giuseppe Mascarello (1830-1902) begin the family winemaking business?

Answer 26

1881 in Monforte d’Alba

Question 27

In what year did Giuseppe Mascarello’s son, Murizio, by a farm in the Monprivato area of Castiglione Falletto?

Answer 27

1904

Question 28

When did Giuseppe Mascarello (1897 - 1983) replant his Monprivato Barolo with his father’s Nebbiolo Michet clone?

Answer 28

1963

Question 29

Who makes wine in the Mascarello tradition now?

Answer 29

Mauro Mascarello

He made his first wine in 1968

Question 30

In what year did Mauro Mascarello first make Monprivato Barolo using only grapes from Monprivato?

Answer 30

1970

Question 31

Describe the Monprivato vineyard site

Answer 31

Approximately 15 acres in size on a soutwest-facing slope in Castiglione Falletto, Monprivato’s chalky and gray marl soils offer textbook conditions for Nebbiolo.

Question 32

What does the ‘aspect’ of a vineyard denote?

Answer 32

A vineyard’s aspect refers to the direction that the slope faces (e.g., east, southeast, etc.). Aspect affects the angle that the sunlight hits the vineyard and thus its total heat balance. Aspect is more important in higher latitudes where radiation is weaker, due to the angle of the sun, and light interception may be limiting to growth.

Question 33

What are the warmer aspects?

Answer 33

Southern and Western

Question 34

What are the cooler aspects?

Answer 34

Northern and Eastern

Question 35

What is a benefit of an eastern facing vineyard?

Answer 35

Access to the morning sun, which dries the dew on the vines

Question 36

Which kind of wines benefit from a western facing vineyard?

Answer 36

Western-facing slopes are a popular choice for late-maturing varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, promoting fruit ripening in the waning heat and daylight of fall.