Attending the Lamont’s Sunday Tapas on the 1st of September, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that all the wines were Italian. I love the diversity of Italian wines but sometimes the wine world can be confusion. It’s not just that the wine labels don’t tell you the grape variety but that you need to remember which grape is from which region. For example, Chianti and Brunello are made with the Sangiovese grape. Barbaresco is made with the grape variety Nebbiolo.

Nebbiolo is found in Piedmont where it is well known in the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. The grapes make wonderful wine for cellaring  from 5- 10 years. As the wine develops, aromas of rose, cherries, liquorice and soft silky tannins become more noticeable.

Piedmont is also famous for growing another grape variety; Barbera which makes medium-bodied reds with aromas of cherry and spice and refreshing acidity.

Sangiovese is found throughout central Italy and is famous in Tuscany especially for the dominance it plays in Chianti. The grape is responsible for cheaper wines to the more complex and famous wines of  Brunello di Montalcino.

There are four denominations in the Italian wine industry. These are Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC), Indicazione di Geografica Tipica (IGT)  and Vino da Tavola. DOCG is the highest level of qualification and those growers who label their wines as DOCG need to adhere to strict regulations which cover yield, permitted grape varieties, viticulture techniques and alcohol levels.

DOC is similar to what the French call Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC). Within a DOC/AOC there are strict regulations on the permitted grape types, where they can be grown, the maximum yields, harvesting techniques and many other factors.

Indicazione di Geografica Tipica (IGT) and Vino da Tavola fall under the table wine category. The wines at the IGT classification do not meet the necessary requirements given to wines of DOC and DOCG status. Some people view IGT as the equivalent to the French vin de pays designation. However it has to be noted that some of the great wines of today are IGT – most notably the Super Tuscans  such as Sassicaia and Tignanello. So you don’t have to produce wine in a higher classification for it to be a well made and highly regarded wine.

The lowest classification is Vino da Tavola. This consists of table wines with the least number of regulations. The main requirement is that the wines need to have been made somewhere in Italy in order to be recognised as ‘Vino da Tavola.’

We tasted the following wines:
Adria Vetriano Prosecco NV on arrival. Made from the Glera grape  from the north of Venice and Treviso, this is refreshing sparkling wine with aromas of apples, coupled with high acidity. Really good value at $17.15.

2011 La Battistina Gavi DOCG with the buffalo mozzarella, tapenade fingers. Gavi is made from the Cortese grape from the south west of the Piedmont area. A very dry and refreshing wine with pineapple aromas  – sometimes it can offer complex flavours and for tonight it went very well with buffalo mozzarella! For $22.45 I was pleasantly suprised and bought a bottle to take home for a reduced $19.10 for the bottle. Someone told me ‘custard vanilla’ and I agree!

2010 Piazzo Langhe Nebbiolo ($24.65) alongside the 2010 Frascole Chianti Rufina ($29.50) with the eggplant, roast tomato soup. Barbera and Sangiovese are almost equal in their plantings in Italy. It is famous for its high acidity which has made it work so well in warmer climates. Barbera is found in Piedmont and Lombardy. Outside of Italy you’ll find it in Slovenia, Argentina, California and Australia (Mornington Peninsula and Mudgee). The nose of the Piazzo Barbera D’Alba offfers cherries and berries with a hint of almond. Perfumed on the palate with noticeable slightly grippy tannins along with bitter cherries, I enjoyed the comparies on the 2010 Frascole Chianti Rufina which was a bit more complex on the nose with spice and cherries, fruit cake, hint of herbal notes, dusty and refreshing high acidity on the palate coupled with ripe fruit and notes of bitter cherries.

2010 Piazzo Barbaresco (($47.50) with the 2009 Piazzo Barolo DOCG ($57.35) with the roast chicken, nutmeg. Nebbiolo is the grape variety made from wines in these areas. It was wonderful to try the same vintage and grape variety but different classifications and years next to each other. I found the 2010 Piazzo Barbaresco much more approchable with the 2009 Piazzo Barolo DOCG  more complex with heightened flavours and a depth to it that worked very well with the roast chicken and nutmeg.

2011 Il Cascionne ‘Rive’ Barbera ($31.70) compared to the 2007 Il Cascinone ‘D’Annona’ Barbera D’Asti Superiore ($43.80) with osso bucco, gremolata. Both made from the same grape variety but different years and different vineyards, I enjoyed noticing the differences between the two wines.

Then for dessert we had the Piazzo Moscato d’Asti 2011 ($27.70) with Lamont’s house made ‘Cherry Ripe.’ There’s so much going on in this wine and tasting it at the end of the night doesn’t do it justice. Wonderful floata notes on the nose follow through on the palate with a balanced acidity and sweetness that matches the Cherry Ripe perfectly.

Delicious!