California Goes Italian
Americans seem to be in a perpetual state of carbo-loading. We’re obsessed with pasta and pizza, anything Italian. (Can you say espresso?)
Naturally, it follows that we would become enamored of the distinctive wines of Italy - the bright, sassy pinot grigio and the lean, steely gavi, the robust reds such as barbera and nebbiolo.
Stateside, vintners are starting to pick up on that interest. You may have heard of a new breed of vino popping up in California. Trendoids have dubbed this fad “Cal-Ital,” or “spaghetti Westerns.”
Very clever.
What you should know is that some of these wines - the domestic sangiovese, nebbiolo and barbera, even chardonnay done in an Italian style - are generally food friendly. They tend to be lively and fruity, not weighed down with the complexities contributed by lengthy aging in oak barrels, a traditional method used in producing the French classics.
It’s hard to say who kicked off this Italian fever. Venerable vintners such as Sebastiani and Louis Martini have been cranking out barbera for nearly 100 years. (The first vinifera grapes planted in California were Italian.) Some contend zinfandel is an Italian varietal, a version of the primitivo grape from Italy. And, of course, zin is incredibly hot right now.
However, one producer claims to have gotten the jump on the Cal-Ital movement, planting nebbiolo way back in 1981. The latest releases of impressive reds from Martin Brothers suggests the vines have matured nicely. (The best wines, most agree, come from older vines.)
Tom Martin, one of the owners of Martin Brothers, actually has a Spokane connection. It was when he was a student at Gonzaga University’s Florence program in the ‘60s that he fell in love with Italian food and wine.
On April Fool’s Day in 1981, he made a pact with his siblings to start the Paso Robles winery. Paso Robles is in south central California, north of Santa Barbara, and is home to an increasing number of big-name wineries. (Ever heard of Meridian? That popular chardonnay producer is in Paso Robles.)
In a recent tasting of Martin Brothers wines, a 1993 nebbiolo ($11), ‘92 reserve nebbiolo vecchio ($20) and a ‘93 gemelli ($25) were uniformly impressive. These hearty reds had concentrated, knockout fruit flavors - hints of blackberry and plum - with a touch of smokiness.
A distinctively Italian winemaking technique surely added to the wines’ intense flavor. For the nebbiolo, a portion of the blend was made with grapes that had been air-dried or “raisined” to concentrate the sugars. That’s the way the famous, almost port-like amarone wines are made in Italy.
The gemelli (which translates as twins) is a blend of nebbiolo from the Paso Robles vineyards in California and wine made from grapes grown in Alba, Italy - truly, a wine with an international pedigree. Aside from being a neat trick, it’s a stunning wine. Unfortunately, production was extremely limited, so it’s tough to find.
I was also impressed with a pair of whites from Martin Brothers: a pinot grigio ($14) and a dramatically different chardonnay ($12). The chard is aged in Italian chestnut barrels, which adds a pleasant rosiny taste to the wines’ finish. The fruit is allowed to shine through. Both whites are delightfully clean and fresh tasting.
While Martin Brothers wines are not readily available in this area, they’re not impossible to get. Ask your wine merchant about special-ordering them out of Seattle. Or contact the winery directly at 805-238-2520.
Other, more commonly found examples of Cal-Ital wines include the barberas from Sebastiani and Louis Martini and sangiovese from Seghesio, Atlas Peak, Shafer, Cambria and Estancia wineries.
In the Northwest, there are a few producers warming up to Italian varietals. Tefft Cellars makes a non-vintage chianti as well as a sweet nebbiolo and a sparkling nebbiolo. Kirkland restaurateur Peter Dow makes a couple of wines from Italian varietals grown in the Yakima Valley, but I’ve always found his Cavatappi wines underwhelming and overpriced.
In Spokane, Caterina Winery makes an Italian-style red it calls vino da tavola from lemberger grapes. It’s a light, fruity wine with a slight kick. A good pasta wine.
Caterina winemaker Mike Scott said he hopes to make the winery’s first sangiovese before the turn of the century. The grapes were planted just this year.
“We’re betting that the interest in Italian wines isn’t just a passing fancy,” he said.
And, what catchy moniker would Scott attach to Italian varietals from this state?
“How about Wash-Tuscan?” he said.
Very clever.
Awards time
Spokane wineries made a good showing at the Pacific Northwest Wine and Food Festival last month in Seattle.
The competition is fairly stiff at this annual event, with entries from Oregon and Washington, so any medal is considered more prestigious than the run-of-the-mill, county fair-type judging.
Worden’s ‘94 claret from its Cascade Collection distinguished itself with a silver medal, the youngest red to be awarded a silver.
Arbor Crest picked up bronze medals for its ‘93 cabernet-merlot and its ‘92 cameo reserve merlot.
Caterina won a bronze for its ‘92 cab and Mountain Dome was awarded a bronze for its non-vintage brut rose.
Only nine gold medals were given. Considered worthy of such an honor were the ‘93 Andrew Will merlot, the ‘91 Barnard Griffin cabernet, the ‘92 cab from Camaraderie Cellars, Chateau Ste. Michelle’s ‘93 merlot, the ‘94 pinot noir from Firesteed, Hedges Cellars’ reserve mountain red, the ‘91 lemberger from Oakwood Cellars and two wines from Silvan Ridge in Oregon - a ‘93 unfiltered chardonnay and ‘94 semi-sparkling early muscat.
Squish, splat, stomp
One of my favorite episodes of “I Love Lucy” is when the kooky redhead is in Italy and ends up pressing grapes the old-fashioned way - with her feet - all the while twisting her face into anguished angles.
They won’t make faces like Lucy, but it will still be fun to watch the participants in the annual Grandview Grape Stomp on Saturday in the Washington wine country.
There will be more than 30 teams competing in the daylong contest to see which group of feet can extract the most juice from the grapes.
There will also be live music, a classic car show, kid games and specialty foods.
The event runs from noon until 6 p.m. at the Grandview County Park. For information, contact the Grandview Chamber of Commerce at (509) 882-2100.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Leslie Kelly The Spokesman-Review