Each Saturday, David Brenner of Villasfor2 in Abruzzo selects a delicious, top-value 'Everyday Italian Wine' for you to try at home - or enjoy in your Abruzzo villa !

Frascati Superiore. 2006. Fontana Candida
When you're in Abruzzo, the house white will be Trebbiano; when you're in Umbria, it'll be Orvieto; when you're in Le Marche, it'll be Verdicchio; when you're in Rome, it'll be Frascati. And if you're lucky, it'll be as good as this. 

Frascati's one of those wines that suffers hugely from its popularity. Over-produced, under-performing, limp, insipid and as exciting as flat lemonade. Or worse still - thin, mean and sharp. But this is Frascati as it should be. Luscious, dripping with fruit, yet dry as a sun-bleached bone.

Take confidence in the producer - Fontana Candida are one of the very, very best producers of Frascati; in fact their single-vineyard Santa Teresa can fairly claim to be just about the best Frascati you can get your hands on. So to find a bottle of Frascati carrying their label at under €4 - and with the 'Superiore' tag that ensures  just a touch more strength (which it needs) and little more ageing - it's an absolute no-brainer. This wine's a winner right down the line.

Here we have a blend of three slightly differing grapes: Trebbiano Toscano; Malvasia di Candia; and Malvasia del Lazio. The latter two provide the softness that's instantly apparent in this wine; the former, a little backbone and steel.

Take a sniff. The instant reaction you'll get is a huge waft of elderflowers. Now take a mouthful and it's like someone's grabbed a big bunch of grapes out of the fridge and just squeezed them into a glass for you. Big, luscious fruit with hints of peaches and apricots. But very dry. An utterly beguiling combination.

This is a perfect dessert wine for people who don't normally like dessert wines. It just begs to be sipped while you nibble a perfect strawberry tart, with buttery, crisp pastry. In fact, anything with fruit and pastry will be a sublime match here.

Go a little further. While some whites have that acidic bite that's perfect for cutting through rich, creamy dishes, this Frascati's dryness is the perfect foil for sweeter food and I have a hunch it'd be a pretty decent partner too for Thai, Chinese and Indian food.

At A Glance…

• This week's featured wine: Frascati Superiore
• Vintage: 2006
• Producer: Fontana Candida
• Designation: DOC
• Grape: Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia di Candia, Malvasia del Lazio blend
• Strength: 12.5%
• Closure: Cork
• This bottle cost: €3.88

Fontana Candida

Celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2008, Fontana Candida are based in Monteporzio Catone, just a couple of miles outside the town of Frascati itself in the Colli Albani to the south-east of Rome. 

Though they've a couple of good reds on their list, it's really as a Frascati producer that Fontana Candida stand out. I've already mentioned the superlative Santa Teresa - look out too for Luna Mater, Terre dei Grifi and Cannellino - all variations on the Frascati theme; all with subtly different blends; all extremely good. Less easy to find - but worth the hunt - is an utterly beguiling Chardonnay/Prosecco sparkler.

Click on the pictures in the text for larger images - and if you like Italian wine, why not check out last week's 'Everyday Italian Wine' and bookmark this site for future weekly posts.

Next week: By popular demand, a Valpolicella Classico - from the heart of the production region near Verona for you to enjoy at home - or in your Abruzzo villa !

Abruzzo villa, Everyday Italian Wine, Frascati

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 10th, 2008 at 1:20 am and is filed under David's 'Everyday Italian Wine', Eating and Drinking, Vineyards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.