Like so much of Italy is about its history, so are its wines. Within the hills of Terrossa, within the Veneto region of Italy, very close to Verona, Fattori vines have brought forth some of the best grapes for white wine production. Antonio Fattori, born in 1888, began to plant vines in the hills of Terrossa, but when he returned from the First World War, his vines were destroyed by phylloxera, the pest most feared by vineyard owners. Starting again, the vines grew to be cared for by Antonio’s son, and now the next Antonio in the wine-making chain has created wines that excel.
Dining on oyster and haddock in a mango sauce, I cracked open a bottle of Runcaris DOC Soave Classico, which retails around $11 a bottle. This wine is made with the most common light-skinned grapes of Italy --- the garganega, coming from 25-year-old vines with grapes harvested in late September and fermented in stainless steel vats. The color is of straw with some greenish reflections that explain the mineral nose that also offers citrus and sage fragrances. On the palate, expect the right amount of finish and a fresh, mineral taste with citrus accents. The pairing of oysters to Runcaris proved perfect.
Next, a bottle of Fattori Roncha Bianco del Veneto IGT ($19) was opened to pair with brie cheese and French bread, as well as dinner of scallops sautéed in sesame oil. The taste of this wine was simply exquisite – its buttery blend of garganega, of which 5 out of 50 percent of this grape was dried for 5-6 months, was blended with pinot grigio, trebbiano di Soave and durella. It worked like magic in blending. The wine label is an actual map of the vineyard’s region and is a collector’s bottle, in my humble opinion. I shall keep this bottle for display. Aside from the beauty of the label and straw yellow of the wine, the aroma brought forth notes of baked pear, honeydew melon and jasmine. The flavor, mineral and crisp, crisp, crisp, offered a perfect complexity of fruits and sweet spices.
I am now a fan of Fattori wines, and cannot wait to try more!
Visit www.FattoriWines.com for more information.
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