The fourth white wine we sampled on April
13th in the tasting group after the Sancerre, Chablis, Grüner
Veltliner, and Albariño
was a Pinot Grigio from Italy.
The
Ermacora
Winery
The
Ermacora winery is a family business. In
1922 the first vines of Ermacora were planted on the hilly land
of Ipplis in the
northeastern corner of Italy in the Denominazione
di
origine Controllata (D.O.C.)
Colli Orientali of Friuli, not far from the Slovenian border. The
soil consists of calcareous clay, marlstone and sandstone. The grapes are
harvested by hand and they use traditional vinification methods.
The
name Ermacora has roots in the history of the ancient Romans. Ermacora was in
fact the name of the first bishop of Aquileia, who lived around the middle of
the third century and it was the Romans who constructed the historical bridge
on the Natisone River, along the antiquated route that still today leads to
Ipplis. It is in this village of Lombard origin that Dario and Luciano Ermacora
operate their winery.[1]
The
Grape
Pinot Grigio is the same grape as Pinot
Gris (Alsace) and Grauburgunder
(Germany) and yet I have found that if you were to taste these side-by-side
they would seem more like distant cousins. The climate, soils and styles of
winemaking of these regions are too dissimilar which is reflected in the wine.
One of the most helpful resources for
studying wine and preparing for exams is the web site of the Guild of
Sommeliers (www.guildsomm.com) which
provides useful maps, study guides and typical profiles for the most well-known
grape varieties that may appear on a Sommelier exam. One way of studying wine
is to write your own notes for a wine and then compare them to the profile provided
on the web site. While nobody can tell you what you smell and taste in a wine
as such perceptions are very subjective, there are characteristics that are
commonly found in wines. According to the Guild the following is a typical
profile for an Italian Pinot Grigio:
Typical Descriptors and Structure for
Italian Pinot Grigio
(basic commercial examples)
(basic commercial examples)
- Visual: Pale Straw with Hints of Green (possibly with slight copper and pink tones), Moderate Concentration
- Aromas/Flavors: Moderate Intensity
- Fruit: Citrus (Lemon), Tree Fruit (Red and Yellow Apple), Creamy Stone Fruit (White Peach, Nectarine), Melon
- Floral: White and Yellow Flowers
- Herbal: Watercress/Arugula
- Other: Peanut Shell, Lager Yeast/Stale Beer
- Earth: Moderate to Moderate Plus Minerality, Stone/Chalk, Ashen Notes, Saline
- Oak: None
- Structure: Dry, Moderate Body, Moderate Plus Acidity, Moderate Alcohol, Slight Phenolic Bitterness
The
Wine
Now compare the above descriptors with my
tasting notes and see how many show up in the wine’s profile (indicated in
bold):
The 2012 Ermacora Colli Orientaili Del
Fruili Pinot Grigio is a clear white wine, straw-lemon in color with moderate
concentration and medium+ viscosity. On the nose it has subtle aromas of lemon pith, blanched almonds, peach skins, dried white flowers, and a very distinctive waft of peanut shell. On the palate is quite
different with flavors of bitter oranges, creamy
stone fruits, cantaloupe, lemon tart
candies, and a hint of chalk with no signs of oak. It is dry with medium+ acidity, medium body
and moderate length bitter finish of
persistent bitter oranges.
The key indicators in my mind that this
wine was a typical example of an Italian Pinot Grigio are the stone fruits (peach, peach skins), the peanut shell, and the
bitter notes, particularly in the finish. Many of the other descriptors are also found in other white wines.
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