David’s ‘Everyday Italian Wine’ – 42
Each Friday, David Brenner of Villasfor2 in Abruzzo selects a delicious, top-value 'Everyday Italian Wine' for you to enjoy at home – or on your Abruzzo vacation !
Vino Novello 2008. Cantine Tollo and Miglianico
November in Abruzzo is a good month. We get our first taste of the year's new olive oil – emerald green and peppery; the sweet chestnuts are are gathered in sackfuls for roasting on open wood and charcoal fires; and best of all, around the middle of the month, all the local cantine release their Vino Novello.
What exactly is Vino Novello ? In Abruzzo, it's the first September pickings of the red Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grape, with wine not produced by crushing the grapes as normal, but by a process known as carbonic maceration, using whole, uncrushed grapes, which produces intensely fruity wine, low in tannins. It's not a wine for keeping. In Abruzzo, the last bottles of Vino Novello will have all been drunk by January.
Maybe you remember the hysteria – and the hysterical prices – that used to surround the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau in the UK ? The arrival of Abruzzo's Vino Novello isn't a similar exercise in one-upmanship to see who can be the first to buy a bottle, but rather a cause for intense interest and speculation – what's it going to be like ?
The 2008 vintage wasn't easy. Hail just as the fruit was setting on the vines in early June; then some rain during the harvest in September – but if anyone could overcome these problems and make good Vino Novello, it had to be our two top local producers Cantina Tollo and Cantina Miglianico. But I hadn't expected their two wines to be so very different…
At first sight, Cantina Tollo's vino novello looked more like cherryade than red wine – very pale in comparison to the rich, plummy red that was in the Cantina Miglianico glass. On first appearances then – one-up to Miglianico. 
Then a little sniff of what was in the two glasses. From Tollo, a clear, clean, vibrant fruitiness that I couldn't wait to drink; from Miglianico – well, not a very great deal really. All rather muted.
So it all came down to the taste. Tollo's wine more than lived-up to its promise in the glass and was absolutely delicious – the real essence of what a top Vino Novello should taste like. Soft, fruity, quaffable – and without a hint of tannin.
Not so Miglianico's novello. This a much heavier wine than Tollo's; indistinct and surprisingly tannic and without that absolute piercing clarity of flavours that's the trademark of these early-release wines. It's not unpleasant – but as a Vino Novello, it's not that great either. Shame really, as last year's Cantina Miglianico novello was an absolute belter – the best of the bunch by a mile
Just for the fun of it, I took a leaf out of the Beaujolais Nouveau book and gave both these wines a couple of hours in the fridge. The Tollo was again superb – and I can't decide whether I prefer it cool or at room temperature. The Miglianico was simply muddy. But there's always next year…
At A Glance…
- This week's featured wines: Vino Novello
- Vintage: 2008
- Producers: Cantina Tollo; Cantina Miglianico
- Designation: IGT (both)
- Grape: 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (both)
- Strength: 12.5% (both)
- Closure: Plastic cork (both)
- These bottles cost: €2.49 (both) – as part of a special local vino novello promotion !
Click on the images in the text for larger images – and if you like Italian wine, why not check out last week 'Everyday Italian Wine' and bookmark this site for future weekly posts !
Next week: Our first review of a wine from Molise – the region beyond Abruzzo's southern border. We taste a white from the area's best producer and discover if it's a wine you'll enjoy at home – and on your Villasfor2 Abruzzo vacation !
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