Ep. 1840 Freisa, Lagrein, Mammolo by Cynthia Chaplin | Italian Grape Geek

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Frases the second grape I'll be talking about phrases from Piamante and its name comes from the old Latin word Frisia, which means strawberry aromas and flavor. First. Fraza has an interesting background too. It's an offspring of Nebiola, the grape used for Barolo and barbaresco. Historically, Fraza was very popular because it's easy to grow, very productive and disease resistant. It fell out of favor with growers as the popularity of barola wines increased, and growers chose to replant Fraser with Nebula. As the value of native grapes became more recognized, growers have begun returning to planting Friza. The best sites for the grape are near Kei, where the vineyards have sandy soil. Fraser is a late ripening grape, so it needs a longer growing season to fully mature, and it's usually not harvested until October. I love the wines phrase it makes because they have similar characteristics to Nebula wines, but a lightness and brightness all their own. The wines are pale ruby with a light body and those lovely sense of strawberry, as we said. But the best versions can have aromas from rose and tobacco and violets as well. Like Naviolo, phrases fairly tannic with high acidity, but the flavors on the palate tend more towards fresh crunchy strawberries and sour cherries. If the tannins are not fully ripe, the wines can be on the bitter side. But when they're fully ripe, Fraser can produce wines that are worthy of some aging. Most of the wine is still, but there is a fritsante or a fizzy style produced which uses carbon dioxide to neutralize the tannins on the pallet. Some versions are also slightly off dry using a small amount of residual sugar to balance the tannins and the acidity. But in general, temperature control and skillful use of oak has helped create fraser wines with more restrained tannins and acidity. It's worth looking out for fraser wines due to their flexibility and freshness showing characteristics we've come to expect from Nebulaolo, but in a less complex, more accessible and a affordable format. Some great phrasal wines to try come from vietti, Casina gili, Stella and La Montanieto. Due to the good acidic spine, the tannic structure and the fresh fruit flavors, phrases very adaptable to lots of dishes. Obviously choices are lasagna or baked meatballs, but phrases also a good match for cheese fondue, slow roasted chicken, and eggplant parmesan. Are you enjoying this podcast? Don't forget to visit our YouTube channel, mama jumbo shrimp, for fascinating videos covering Stevie Kim and her travels across Italy and beyond, meeting winemakers, eating local food, and taking in the scenery. Now, back to the show. Hello again. Cynthia Chaplin here back again to talk to you about Mamelo. Mamelo is the fourth grape I'll be talking about. This grape gets its name from the Italian word, Mamela, which is the word for wild violets found in Tuscany and their violet color. As you probably already guessed, Mamelo is a lovely blue purple grape and it grows in Tuscany. Most often, Mamelo is a great blending partner for San Giovanni, especially in the Vino Nobola de Montepulciano blends. It's a very ancient variety well established in Tuscany, and we can tell it's been here for a very long time because it has many different bio types, which are almost never separated in the vineyards. I'm always so interested in these old grapes as especially the ones that are used in blends and don't really ever get to be center stage. So I look for them when I'm traveling or tasting at events and even just perusing the shelves of wine stores all over Italy. Mamalo is also interesting to the history of tuscan vines since it is probably related to both Chiliergello and sangiovese. I've tried Fino Nobelady Montipulciano wines that have Mamelo in the blend, and it definitely gives a floral note of violets to the wine. But I had the chance to try a one hundred percent Mamelo wine from Villa Calcinai, not long ago, at a bio organic wine fair. It was a pretty pale ruby color with a very floral nose, absolutely full of violets. And I caught purple wisteria in there too. Very light bodied. It was almost like a very grown up kind of rose with lovely notes of black cherry and raspberry. The high acidity and low tan and make it a perfect summer red, it could even be served chilled. For me, it was a very flexible wine in terms of pairing. It could easily go with seafood like mussels and even sushi or salmon sashimi. Probably delicious with a good cheeseburger and obviously perfect with the wonderful salumi from Tuscany. Unfortunately, I'm not sure this wine is available outside of it So I'd recommend looking for Vino Nobile di Montipulciano wines like those from Macha Leria Desi dei dei which are up to fifteen percent Mamelo in the blend. Hello, again, Cynthia Chaplin here back again to talk to you about La Gryne. Lagrain is the third grape I'll be talking about. It is one of the most important red grapes in Trentino and Alto Adrije in the far northeast of Italy. Lagrain most likely got its name from the place it originated, the Valagarina in Trentino. Where there are records of the grape going all the way back to the fifteen hundreds. La Grane needs a long warm season to ripen fully, which makes the area around Bolzano in Trentino perfect for this grape. Bolzano has a special microclimate that often makes it hotter than palermo in Sicily during summer months. When fully ripe, Lagraine has tannins and structure that are very similar to cabernet sauvignon. The wines are deep ruby with a purple hue and they offer a full body with aromas and flavors of violets, plums, wild red and black berries, cassis, and sweet baking spices like Nutmeg and clove. I met my first La Graine ten years ago at a tasting with a small producer called Peter Ejarama, his wine, Kristan, wowed me with its intense flavor and gorgeous well integrated tannins that were helped along by ten months of aging in a combination of large oak and barique. The story of Peter's grandmother for who the wine was named Working in the cellar was just as heartwarming as the wine. I also love the Rosay version of Lagraine, which is called Cretzer or Dunkal in Trentino Alto Adi Jay. It has a medium body, a tanning grip on the palette good acidity and a very seductive fruity nose. La Grane became one of the wines I really love to teach and present. Not only because everyone falls in love with the wines, but also because the grape has an interesting heritage. It's directly related to TerralDego and probably Martsemino, Kiava genteel and Pino Nero as well. La Grain has a following outside of Italy too, and producers like Cantina Rotagliana and Poller and Sandi exported all over the world. Definitely worth looking for in good wine shops. Because of the power Legrine puts into the wines it makes, I would suggest pairing it with hearty dishes like Osabuco, spec, beef or game stews, polenta with sauteed mushrooms, or pasta carbonara. It also goes very nicely with a good aged cheese. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Emilai FM, and more. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show. If enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment, production, and publication costs. Until next time, Chiching.