Ep. 2110 Carignano and Cesanese by Jodie Hellman | Italian Grape Geek

The wine has changed and evolved over centuries and remains a staple in the lazio region. In fact, approximately ninety six percent of Chase and AZ wines are produced in lazio. Welcome to the Italian Great Geek podcast. Join us as we explore personal stories of travel and tasting with Italy's must know grape for idols. Chart your own course with my Italian Great Geek journal, your personal tasting companion to accompany the series. Available now on Amazon with thanks to Clangelo and partners for their generous support with this project. Hello, and welcome. You're listening to the Italian GrapeGeek with Jody Helman. And today, we're going to talk about Chezonese and Carignano. I currently work in Las Vegas as the manager for the Southwest region for Michael Corso selections, an importer of Fine French wines, but I am also an Italian wine Ambassador and I passed the course in twenty twenty three in verona and also, help with, Italian restaurants throughout Las Vegas in consulting with their wine lists. So today, we are talking about Kareniano. We'll start there. So while there is Kareniano found in Sicily and Latio, Sardinia is the area where you will find this grape thriving, and the best examples come from the southwest part of the island in the Carignano Del sousas DLC. This is a place of stunning beauty. Spectacular pristine beaches, a dramatic cliff lined coast and crystal blue water off the long sandy beaches. This area was founded by the Phoenicians who refer to it as Soki. And eventually morphed into what we know today as the solstice. The DOC, Caranano Del solstice, was introduced in June of nineteen ninety seven in Sardinia. The Appalachian includes red and rose wines produced with Carignano, and you may also find them labeled as reserva, superiority, novello, or Pasito. This area produces about eighty seven percent of the Carignano wines on the island. The Carignano Del solstice reserva wines are aged for two years with a minimum of six months in bottle of which three months which is three months longer than the basic DOC before release. The Rossella novello types are eleven percent alcohol and strength in comparison to two twelve point five for the others. For the pacito style, the grapes must be dried naturally and pressed between October tenth and March thirty first following the harvest. The pacito must age for a minimum of nine months and that starts from May first after the harvesting. And three months of that must be in the bottle with a minimum alcohol content of sixteen percent by volume. Let's talk about the grape itself. In the vineyard, the best are grown in the traditional, albirello Latino method. This is a head training fruiting method where the vines become compact rounded in structure or a bushy looking vine. It's very suitable for hot dry climates. The bunches themselves are semi compact to compact medium in size with a pyramidal shape. The berries are medium and oval, dark blue in color, and can be found with lots of blue. This grape is vigorous and can produce very high yields. It's also susceptible to audio. It's late budding and late ripening. Plus it needs heat to reach its optimal ripeness. Another reason why Sardinia's warm and dry climate is perfect. Shallow sandy soils or clay sandy soils are best for the planting. Some other names you might find for Carignano are Uva Despanya, Masuelo, samso, or Carignon. In the glass, the wine is bright ruby in color. Sometimes you will find a touch of purple, aromas of dark fruits such as black plums, currants and mulberry are also present on, present on the palate along with licorice herbs, black pepper, and tobacco. It's medium bodied with tannins that are soft in velvety, and can be medium plus to high in acidity. When looking to find a bottle of to enjoy, seek out the wines from Arjiolis, Mesa, Cantina Santati, or Sardis Poctor. And Chasanese. Despite its popularity and long history in Italy, the scrape is not as well known outside of the country. It's been revered by popes and loyalty of the past. And it is only a matter of time before more people around the world just begin to embrace these wines. The history of Chase and Ace wines can be traced back to ancient Rome, where it is very popular among the elite. The wine has changed and evolved over centuries and remains a staple in the lazio region. In fact, approximately ninety six percent of Chase and AZ wines are produced in Latio. And it's considered one of the most interesting grape varieties of the region. There is a small amount found in the Marquay of Russo and umbria. There are two distinct varieties. Jason is a commune. And Chasenese Adiafile. Chasenese Adiafile is considered the superior of the two so much so that has its own DOC. Chasenese Adiafile, DOC. This DOC requires a minimum of ninety percent chasanese grapes in the wine, but most examples are produced as a one hundred percent chasanese. In the vineyard, the chasanese community has the larger berries of the two. The bunches are medium in size and compact. They are winged and pyramidal in shape. Verries themselves are medium small and round. Black and bluish in color and have a good amount of blue. They require a long growing season and lots of sunshine as it is a late ripening grape. It is not particularly vigorous and can be difficult to work with. It's typically planted on hillsides with well draining soil and trained on the geos system, which helps control the yields and the quality. Deep ruby red in color and complex and layered on the nose and palate, There are red fruits of cranberry, pomegranate, red plum and cassis, with a floral note of red roses. A touch of white pepper, sweet baking spices, and licorice also lingers. It is medium in body and acidity, and it is not a massive lt wine, which makes it a very versatile food line. This pairs well with braised rabbit or Oxtail. And even pasta dishes. Some benchmark producers to seek out would be Casale de Giglio, Tara Antique, and Domiano Kioli. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, email ifm, and more. Don't get to subscribe and rate the show. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment, production, and publication costs. Until next time,