Ep. 342 Jumbo Shrimp Guide | Frequently Asked Questions

The Italian wine podcast presents the jumbo shrimp guide to Italian wine, a new book for curious wine lovers, narrated in weekly installments. Join us on our journey to Italian wine. Hello, and welcome to another installment of the jumbo shrimp guide to Italian wine presented by the Italian wine podcast. As always, my name is Joy Livingston, your narrator for this series. The jumbo shrimp guide to Italian wine is intended as a quick lighthearted crash course on Italian wine. The material a great opportunity for serious wine scholars to refresh on the basics or to use as a reference. At the same time, we hope to bring new fans of Italian wine up to speed. If you're wondering how to get a copy of the book, the kindle version is available on Amazon, and the paperback is available from positive press dot net. We'll also send you a complimentary paperback copy if you donate any amount to the Italian wine podcast while supplies last. Find details at Italian wine podcast dot com or on our social media channels. Our topic this week is fun, frequently asked questions. So pour yourself a glass, sit back, relax, and join this journey through Italian wine. Fun frequently asked questions. We reached out to our friends and colleagues working in the wine retail and hospitality sector to see what questions they most commonly faced when selling Italian wine. This is what they told us, and these were the answers we gave to help them with their customers. What is a super tuscan and what makes it super? Supertasking wines are those from a particular area of Tuscany near Bolgari that have historically focused on making wines using so called international varieties such as Merlo, Cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc rather than San Jose. These wines were designed to provide a native answer to the popular and expensive wines from Bordeaux. As they fell outside of the local doc and docG guidelines, They could only be labeled as IGT or Vino Databola. And yet their quality and popularity meant they commanded prices that were often much higher than their dock counterparts. Hence, they became known as Super Tuscans. Some of these wines have now been granted doc recognition, but their original name has stuck, and so they will forever be the super wines of Tuscany. Why does this prosecco say it's extra dry, but it's actually sweeter than the other one? As if Italian names and labels weren't already confusing enough, Let's consider their labeling of sweetness levels for sparkling wines. Probably the most useful thing to understand is that the Italians label truly dry wines those with less than six grams of residual sugar per liter as root. This is what you're looking for if you'd like dry wine. Wines labeled as extra root are actually those with a little bit of sugar retained during the fermentation. These are not truly sweet wines but tend to have a softer texture and hint of sweetness, perhaps even more ripeness of fruit flavors. Whilst many people avoid these styles fearing they will be sickly and not enjoyable, we urge you to try them. They are utterly delicious aperitivo wines. Why is this white wine called orange? Orange wines are wines made from white grape varieties, but with red wine making techniques. The alcoholic fermentation occurs with full skin contact. This concentrates the color making it more orange than yellow. Often these wines also experience oxidative aging in containers like amphoras, large clay pots, and this accentuates the orange hint. Even if the words orange wine are internationally used it is more correct to call these wines skin contact fermented white wine. In Italy, you can find these wines all over the peninsula, but they are more traditional in the northeast area, in particular. Is this cera swallow a rosier or a red wine? Well, the truth is it could be both. Cera swallow is a term that comes from cherry in Italian. And is used for both bread and Rosay wines. However, there are two wines that officially take this name. The first is cera swallow da brusso. This is a rose wine made from Monteputiano grapes in the region of Abruzzo. They can be deeply colored, but dry wines with bright red berry flavors and a gentle texture. The other is Cera swallow de Victoria. These are red wines from Sicily made with a blend of Frapato and nerodabola grapes. They can both have a clear strawberry aroma. And a lovely savory tomato leaf character also. Another aspect they share is that they are both, of course, equally delicious. Isproseco and Caba made in the same way? No. There aren't. Cava is made with a traditional method, so the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. Prosecco is traditionally made with the tank method, Martinotti or Charmat. And are characterized by intense primary and secondary fruit aromas. Typical for this method. Kava is usually made with a shorter maturation period in the bottle, so the yeast and aging aromas you might expect don't have time to develop. While Cava is more floral and citrusy, prosecco is more fruity with typical apple and pear aromas, particularly intense in the traditional area of corneliano and Volobiadene, DOCG. There are some prosecco called col fondo, which see some lees aging in the bottle. And indeed, some that are made in the metodaux classical style, but they are not very common as it's the fruity aromatic character that most producers believe show off this style best. We'll let you decide. And finally, the question everyone asks, but no one can truly answer. How do I match an Italian wine to food? That's a tricky one, and even the Italians disagree about this all the time. But a good rule of thumb is to think about the cuisine of the region where the wine has come from. For example, Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna is a great choice for the mortadella or tortellini that are synonymous with the region. Nero da bola is lovely when enjoyed with tomato dishes as there are many of these found in the area of Sicily near Pacchino where the famous cherry tomatoes are grown. Vermentino often finds its home growing near the sea and can be a nice choice for seafood dishes. But there really is no right answers to this question. We recommend that you simply enjoy your wine with good food and good company. Wines to try. Guignolino wines made from Grignolino were once highly prized by Pemontece, nobility, and even commanded similar prices to The name derives from a word in the dialect which means grimace. Alternatively, the word means pips, alluding to the greater number of pips it has in comparison with other great varieties. Usually, it is dry and still with no oak. However, some producers are experimenting with barrel aging. Found mainly in and Piamonte doc Grignolino. Tasting note. Very pale red, almost pink in color, often with a garnet or orange hue. Color is difficult to extract, but longer macerations result in bitter astringent tannins. Gerignolino charms with perfumed aromas such as sour red cherry, red currant, iris, rosehip, and white pepper. On the palate, crunchy acid and mouth scrubbing, high tannins frame sinewy rather than rich fruit. Guerrigno is always light in body and typically very moderate in alcohol. Neuro Dábola. Nero Dábola is the modern better known name for the grape that locals often refer to as Calabrioze. It is adapted well to Sicily's various territories over the centuries and can be found as incredibly expressive wines, helped by its ability to cope with salty soils and maintain acidity even in warm conditions. Keep your eyes out for the wines of pacino, a grand crew area that can present delicious savory tomato leaf aromas. Tasting note. In recent times, Nero Davala wines have been seen as a jack of all trades with many varying styles available. Those true to the variety have aromas of black plums and dark red cherry, bright acidity, and a saline streak. Others are marked by the use of new oak. Its classic blending partner is Frapanto in the production of Cera Swaddario DOCG. Uva D'Traya. Now the third most planted red in Pulia, Uva D'Traya is enormous in Monovarietal bottlings and blends are due to an overall renewed interest in Italy's native grapes. The term is a new synonym, one that only started being used at the beginning of the twenty first century already in common use, but its official name is still Uva Ditraya. Like Primitivo, it ripens unevenly, takes a long time to ripen completely and is subject to sunburn. However, it's worth battling these issues as the result is quite delicious. Tasting note. Uva Ditroya offers nuances of red chair red currants, black pepper, tobacco, and underbrush. It is medium in weight with high yet refined tannins and is often used to bring freshness and finesse to blends with primitivo, negro amaro, and you call. Thank you for listening to this installment of the jumbo shrimp guide to Italian wine. We'll see you again next Thursday and remember, the kindle version of the book is available on Amazon and the paperback is available from positive press dot net. You can also get a complimentary paperback copy by donating any amount to the Italian wine podcast while supplies last. Find Italian wine podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Our Twitter handle is at ita wine podcast and check out at mama jumbo shrimp two two two on TikTok. This has been the jumbo shrimp guide to Italian wine presented by the Italian podcasts, and a once listened to the Italian wine story. Join us next week as we continue our narrative journey.