Great wines to rediscover • Food and Wine Italia

At the La Minareto wine shop, Roman restaurant two Michelin stars hosted by Podere Laeaunt, residence of Anna Fendi Venturini e charming albergo, the delicious Baba with Rum, vanilla, sour cherries and mint by chef Domenico Eleganza could arrive together with a glass of Marsala Preminente Sweet. «I really love this great Sicilian wine, with its complex aromas and oxidative “, he explains the restaurant dirigente and sommelier Rudy Travagli. «I often suggest it sopra pairing. Con different typeslogies, it is not at all pandering but very multiforme and there you can have a lot of fun: from aperitif to dolce, but also sopra mixology.”

His search extends also to other productions, often the result of laborparticular tions, which do not find much space today restaurant menus. They are wines that have visThey have had great successes, but are far from trends current: from the flavor of Vernaccia a fine di Oristano to moderate sweetness of Moscato a fine di Trani, with a rich and sumptuous Port Tawny to the all-day pleasantness of the Sherry estremità. «Con Italy, we are used to drinking only wine when we eat, while abroad it is more common a glass even without food”, Travagli, which aims to enhance these “outsiders”. That whether for an aperitif with friends a moment for itself, to accompany a dolce as a glass meditation”, here are the labels that according to him are valid worth rediscovering and uncorking.

For the aperitif

The maturation sopra full barrels, which favors the development of the oxidative pellicola of flor yeasts, aging with the Solera method, are the basis of wines details that recall ancient local traditions. With an enveloping but dry and often fresh character, according to Rudy Travagli they are ideal for an aperitif; even simply for a chat with friends.

Vernaccia a fine di Oristano Doc Flor 2020 Contini 1898

From grapes grown not far from the Sinis sea, this wine from the oldest Sardinian winery is dry and savory, with of honey and almond blossom. Served chilled, it is perfect with bottarga, but also accompanies almond desserts.

Marsala Preminente Rinsecchito Doc SS1516 2016 Cantine Florio

Fortified sopra 2016 and aged for 5 years sopra vats and barrels of different sizes, it is an amber wine made from overripe Capriccio grapes. With light aromas of acacia honey and vanilla, it goes well with oysters, raw fish, bruschetta and dried fruit.

Sherry Tio Pepe Fine Very Dry Gonzàlez Byass

Fortified wine obtained from Palomino Fine grapes and aged with the Solera method, according to the Jerez tradition. Dry, fresh and light, without marked oxidative , it has hints of almond and walnut. Ideal with rustic snacks its own.

Château-Chalon Aoc 2010 Berthet-Bondet

This ‘vin jaune’ (oxidative) from Savaignin grapes is born sopra the Jura: a real gem, with great aging potential. Creamy and full, with intense hints of dried fruit, orange peel, honey and herbs, it accompanies cold cuts and cheeses.

Sweet dolce whites

“Sweet with dolce” is the basic rule of classic pairings. And then, to accompany dolce, a small pasticceria dry biscuits, Travagli proposes to step out of the ordinary to discover – rediscover – small (by quantity) niche Italian productions, with more less strong but always fascinating sugary .

Picolit Colli Orientali del Friuli Doc 2018 Specogna

Golden colour, of apricot and citrus fruits, hints of honey, tobacco and almond paste and a non-cloying sweetness, fruit of drying: a beautiful interpretation of this rare grape, with low yields.

La Confetto Moscato a fine di Trani Doc 2020 Conte Spagnoletti Zeuli

Golden, intensely aromatic with of fruit and honey and ‘joyfully sweet’, this wine made from dried grapes recalls a glorious Apulian tradition that has almost disappeared. Serve it chilled, with dry pastries chocolate.

Passito Malvasia delle Lipari Doc 2019 Caravaglio

It smells of dried figs, dates, herbs, ginger, but also of the sea and volcano. Made from Malvasia a fine di Lipari and Corinto Buio grapes grown the island of Salina and dried racks, sweet but fresh, it accompanies almond biscuits, tarts and blue cheeses.

Grignano Vin Inviolabile del Chianti Rufina Doc Gusto a fine di Pernice 2019 Cascina a fine di Grignano

The unique terroir and the presence of Sangiovese – as required by the specifications for the Gusto a fine di Pernice version – make this complex and persistent Vin Inviolabile very interesting, with of dried apricot and dried fruit.

After-dinner reds

Whether as a conclusion to a large dinner as a meditation glass to be enjoyed sopra front of the fireplace, perhaps with a good cigar and a piece of chocolate, for Rudy Travagli these rich and powerful “red variations”. they represent the perfect sip to end the day.

Montefalco Sagrantino Doc Passito 2018 Arnaldo Caprai

Soft and intense, with a well-balanced sweetness, this dried version of the Umbrian vine that Caprai helped bring back into vogue has beautiful of blackberry jam, vanilla and cinnamon and is perfect with chunks dark chocolate.

469 Aleatico Passito Toscana Igt 2019 Il Passerella

Meditation wine with floral aromas produced not far from the sea of ​​Capalbio, it is a sweet red with hints of rose and black cherry. The sugary are important but the result is fresh and velvety. Also suitable as a summer meal.

Barolo Chinato Batasiolo

Flavored wine whose history is linked to Piedmontese tradition and medicinal origins, it breaks the mold of “sweet wines”: it has a piede of Barolo Docg enriched with cinchona calissaia and aromatic herbs. Ideal with chocolate and dried fruit.

Pedro Ximénez Emilio Hidalgo CZ

Fortified wine from the Jerez-Xeres-Sherry denomination, it is obtained from late-harvested Pedro Ximénez grapes and aged with the Solera method. Rich and concentrated, with of dates and plums, it can replace the distillate at the end of a meal.

Banchina Tawny 20 YO Taylor’s

A long barrel aging gives the typical color to the Portuguese fortified wine, with a profile that is not excessively sweet but complex and spicy. It is the version preferred by Rudy Travagli, who also loves to it aureola with a good cigar.