Wine
The taste of Italy
London-based wine merchant Vinum held a tasting of Italian wines at its London HQ featuring 50 producers from across the country. Richard Williams reports
Vinum has been successful in the past at placing wines with British Airways, Jamie Oliver, and Marks & Spencer. Peter Nixson, sales manager for Vinum, said that he has recently put forward a number of Italian wines to SAS for their First and Business.
One current airline supplier is the Santa Barbara winery in the Marche, just to the east of Umbria in Central Italy. It is not big, but has a reputation for quality. Its Stefano Antonucci Verdicchio Castelli Jesi DOC Classico has been on British Airways First Class for two years running. British Airways took the 2009
aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. It has been on BA Clubworld since February. The fruitiness of the grape
and the character of the oak create an interesting tension between new and old flavours. This is a more versatile wine than their Barolo, and is designed to work with risotto, pasta, meat or cheese,
"Italian wine has a
marketing advantage, as nearly every
country in the world has an Italian restaurant"
vintage last year and has just put the 2010 vintage on board.
Roberto Rotatori, of Santa Barbara, said that the wine was complex but versatile, and so ideal for the airline. It is fruity and easy-drinking, having been fermented in steel casks and then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. The Terre da Vino winery in Piedmont also supplies British Airways with a wine. This is their Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOCG La Luna e I Falo, which is 100% Barbera grapes
Pictured: The experts get down to work at Vinum's wine tasting of products from 50 Italian wineries
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WWW.ONBOARDHOSPITALITY.COM
especially goats’ cheese. Roberto
Cane, representing the winery, said that it was perfect with the local
dish of hand- chopped veal tartare with extra virgin olive oil and
white truffles – which sounds delicious but is unlikely to be appearing on any airline menu soon!
Roberto believes Italian wine has a marketing advantage as most countries have Italian restaurants, so it is relatively easy to place wines with restaurateurs. However, Piedmontese, like Tuscan wines, are seen to be expensive, so it can be tough to get into other outlets such as supermarkets.
He's had more success with airlines, supplying Lufthansa
and Cathay Pacific. Wines at the tasting listed in the tender to SAS included the
white Custoza DOC from Cavalchina winery in Veneto. This is a blend of 40% Garganega, 30% Fernanda, and 30% Trebbiano and Trebbianello. It is rather overshadowed by the character of its big brother Amedeo Custoza Superiore DOC, which has the same grape varieties. The grapes for the Superiore are specially selected and frozen before being pressed, and the wine is left on its lees for a longer time, which intensifies the flavour.
Cavalchina also has a new
venture into Valpolicella from the Torre d’Orti in Marcellise. Also part of the SAS tender is Verona Rosso IGT, which is 65% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella and 15% Merlot. This is a meaty Valpolicella, deriving its depth of flavour from the Merlot grapes which are passito – meaning left to ferment on their own for three months after picking. It has been aged for nearly a year in oak.
www.cavalchina.com
www.vinisantabarbara.it www.terredavino.it
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