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

Teroldego Rotaliano. 2006. Mezzacorona
With the temperature here in Abruzzo now starting to nudge into the 80s on a regular daily basis, the search is on for a hot-weather red that isn't going to make you feel like you've been coshed after a couple of glasses. This isn't the season - at least not during daylight hours - for some hefty red weighing in at 14% or so, but for something lighter and fruitier that can maybe stand an hour or so in the refrigerator and go perfectly with that long lunch on a shady, sun-dappled terrace. This'll do nicely.

Made entirely from the heritage Teroldego grape, this wine comes from the Trentino area, which is about as far north in Italy as you can get before disappearing into the Dolomites.

And its pedigree is unimpeachable. Mezzacorona are one of Italy's oldest, biggest and best producers of varietals and their reputation's just been gilded by the award of "Cantina dell'Anno 2008" from the prestigious 'Vino Almanacco'. And according to the equally respected 'Italian Wines', "…Marco Donati (Mezzacorona's chief wine-maker) is one of the finest interpreters of Toreldego Rotaliano."

In short, here's a winery that knows its stuff inside-out and they've crammed all that know-how inside this bottle for you to enjoy. Take a sip. Lovely fresh, red, ripe summer fruit. Dry finish, faintly bitter on the tongue. Cooling it down a little seems to bring out that wonderful juicy fruitiness even more.

The perfect accompaniment ? A little antipasti; perhaps a few char-grilled lamb cutlets; some cheese - a young Abruzzese peccorino or casciotto; fresh fruit - peaches and cherries would be nice; and a plate of home-made cantuccini. Then an espresso and maybe just a tiny and very cold glass of ratafia. Just add yourself to the picture to round it all off.

At A Glance…

• This week's featured wine: Teroldego Rotaliano
• Vintage: 2006
• Producer: Mezzacorona
• Designation: DOC
• Grape: 100% Teroldego
• Strength: 12.5%
• Closure: Plastic cork
• This bottle cost: €4.55

Mezzacorona
No doubting that Mezzacorona are among the kings of Italian varietals. Outside Italy - and in restaurants - you're perhaps more likely to come across these under the 'Castel Firmian' brand-name. Same wines. Different label. For something a bit special, go for the top-of-the-range Teroldego Nos Riserva, which gets three years in wood followed by a year in the bottle pre-release. The Mezzacorona website - in English - will tell you even more.

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: a perhaps surprising selection that you might not normally consider trying at home - or on your Abruzzo vacation. Lambrusco. Yes. Really.

Abruzzo vacation, Everyday Italian Wine, Teroldego Rotaliano

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 31st, 2008 at 4:25 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.