MIPTC #32 - Massimago Zurlie

Guess who's baaack? Yes, it's your favorite punny wine newsletter!

I'm so sorry for leaving you hanging for a month like that without warning, but when there's too much on one's plate, one's gotta prioritize - and prioritizing wine over... parenting clearly would have been an interesting choice worthy of deeper analysis (and therapy, most likely)

So yeah, if you don't know already, my wife and I had the joy of welcoming our second born to the world in early February, and our family and hearts now feel fuller than ever. She's SO CUTE it is almost unbearable, and you would understand if you could meet her that 98% of my free time is now spent gazing at her perfection. 

To be perfectly honest, though, putting this on pause for a while was as much of a time thing as a health thing. As we know, newborns come hand in hand with massive sleep deprivation, and I spent the last month feeling so much like a zombie that the last thing I wanted was to dull my mind some more with alcohol. Despite my hedonic and intellectual love for wine, drinking just didn't feel right for the last month - so I just stopped. I definitely saw health benefits over time and would recommend the exercise to anybody looking for a change of pace, as it brought me a fresh perspective on how to treat my body and mind. Now that I'm back into it, I'll probably drink even less than I already did (I had a no-alcohol-during-the-week rule and might make it a just-Saturday-night thing moving forward... but at least that means I'll get enough content for y'all!)

OK - enough with the intro and apologies. Let's talk about what we're having today! God, I missed this. 

Ok, so our treat to kick off the weekend today is a vini rifermentati in bottiglia, which is a loose appellation used in Italy meaning literally "wine refermented in the bottle." This means that while it is not technically a full-fledged sparkling wine, it has just a bit of fizz to it. 

Basically, these are wines that undergo a second fermentation inside the bottle after they have been bottled. How, you ask? It's actually pretty simple. After the wine has been bottled, a small amount of yeast and sugar is added to the bottle. The yeast eats the sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as byproducts. Because the bottle is sealed, the carbon dioxide can't escape and becomes trapped in the wine, creating those lovely bubbles. Of course, this can get dangerous since the cycle can repeat until the bottle explodes, so this still needs to be carefully monitored to avoid a big fat mess.

And why would we do this? Well, when done right, it can add complexity and depth to an otherwise simple wine. The second fermentation can create new flavours and aromas, and can also give the wine a fizzy, refreshing quality.  Another reason is that it can be a more natural way of making sparkling wine. Instead of adding carbon dioxide (the stuff that makes it bubbly) artificially, as is often done with cheap sparklers, vini rifermentati in bottiglia allow the carbon dioxide to naturally build up in the bottle. Au naturaaaal, basically.

As you can tell, this is really about the process. There is therefore no formal criteria regarding varietals or geography to make Vini rifermentati in bottiglia, which can, in turn, be found all over the world. It really is merry-go-lucky simple stuff meant to be enjoyed profusely in fine company - and especially when the Spring sun comes shining! 

OK - now to the tasting part, shall we?

The Skinny

• From: Italy

• Varietals: Cabernet-sauvignon 85 %, Merlot 10 %, Syrah 5 %

• Price: $28,85 CAD (for 500ml)

• Feature: Organic

Tasting Notes

On the nose, this will surprise most folks at first, as you can still get the yeasty undertone coming from the refermentation. As soon as you crack it open, you get a bit of a sourdough whiff that might not please everybody, but it dissipates quite quickly so not faults there. Once aired a bit, you get quite a complex landscape of wildflowers and red berries, rose petals, and grapefruit zest. Very charming and understated at the same time.

this is basically like being pied with the best blueberry pie you've ever smelled. The blueberry core is definitely very present, but there's also room for great stuff like Earl Grey tea, warm spices like cinnamon and clove, as well as dried lavender and cedar.

On the palate, this feels like you just licked a lightning bolt. This is tonic, gripping and attention-grabbing in a take-no-prisoner kind of way. Big acidity with a slight touch of bitterness giving way to a hugely refreshing streak of minerality. Aromas of small tart berries carry through in style, and the little bubbly tingle wraps this altogether quite masterfully. The finish is nothing to write home about, but the acidity will make you go for another sip in no time. Alcohol at 11% also carries through the nonchalant, easygoing vibe.

Cutting To The Chase: Does It Please The Cork?

This is a killer poolside apéritif, y'all. Might be a little on the tart side for some, but if you enjoy your bubbly extra brut or zéro dosage, odds are you will really like this (as I did). For what it's worth, I got a whole case and plan on having it be a mainstay at all the pool parties I'll necessarily be throwing once this polar vortex is over. The 500ml format also makes it just right to enjoy in a duo, which is a nice touch as well. 

Cork Score: 3.5/5*

***

*Here's the lowdown on the scores, by the way. Essentially, I don't believe in 100-point scales for things as subjective as wine. Simply put, I just don't think one can credibly justify a 1% or even a 10% increment between two wines. I therefore choose to go a bit more basic. Here's how I break it down:

• 1/5: Seriously faulty, terrible, undrinkable;

• 2/5: Flawed and/or of bad quality. This is the type of stuff you should probably cook with and not drink;

• 3/5: Decent. This is where most entries will end up. These wines are clean and well-balanced, but not particularly memorable and/or exceptional. They are recommendable, but not an experience per se;

• 4/5: Exceptional. I sadly drink few wines that get this rating, but my purpose is to drink more. This denotes a memorable bottle that brought up some kind of emotion in me. This left a mark, and odds are I am now busy recommending it to everybody I know;

• 5/5: Perfect. I think I have probably tasted less than 5 bottles that would have qualified for a 5/5 in my entire life. This denotes an absolutely incredible wine that will imprint a definite memory for years to come - a true experience in itself.