Liz and David’s Wine List

Wines We’ll Serve

For Aperitivo at the House

Scammacca del Murgo, Brut Spumante Metodo Classico

A true blanc de noirs, made in the methode champenoise by the first winemakers on Mt. Etna to decide that such a thing was not only possible, but perfect, in the shadow of that fearsome and storied mountain. This is our favorite Italian sparkler - a vintage offering of 100% Nerello Mascalese, the red grape of Etna and a doppelgänger of Pinot Noir in the glass. In this no-skin-contact white expression, however, the red fruit and earth of Nerello are replaced with a suggestion of white flowers and stone fruit which play beautifully against crisp minerality and a bit of warm brioche from the lees aging. Like a Sicilian sunrise, this wine is a celebration and is made for celebrations - raise your glass and toast the happy couple!

Vigneto Saetti, Lambrusco dell'Emilia "RossoViola"

This is not your grandparents' Lambrusco. Lightly frizzante, dry as a bone, crisp, and redolent with violets, herbs, and fresh red currants, it is a bold and rustic complement to the almost genteel Murgo (drink this one second, mind you). Produced entirely by hand by Luciano Saetti and his daughter - down to attaching the locally-made fabric label - this wine is a true labor of love. The Saetti family uses a version of the Champagne method here as well ("rifermentazione in bottiglia" in Italian) which in this case leaves a portion of the lees behind to add to the texture and flavor of the wine. There are no chemicals - not even sulfur - added to the vines or the wine. It is pure. And it is pure joy, like the lovely occasion that has brought us together today. Psst - bonus points if you find and decipher the hidden message under the crown cap.

Terrevive, Lambrusco Salamino Rosato Sui Lieviti "PerFranco"

A second Lambrusco, you ask? It's still summertime, so hell yes, we say! Produced from an ancient native biotype of Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, this gorgeous copper-colored sparkler explodes with bracing acidity, green apple, preserved lemon, and a saline minerality, with added body and complexity from fermenting with and aging on indigenous yeasts. Terrevive is a biodynamic permaculture farm just outside Modena where things are done the way they have always been in Italy - low tech and with exquisite care - to make what the owner, Gianluca, calls "pure living wine."

On the Table - Your Tasting Flight

Bianco: Ciro Picariello, Fiano di Avellino "Ciro 906"

Though prized by the ancient Romans and, without a doubt, Italy's best white grape, Fiano was rescued from genetic oblivion only a scant fifty years ago. Most consider Ciro Picariello's 906 to be the best and most ageworthy example of Fiano, which means that you are drinking the best Italian white wine in existence. Ciro's '906' is from a single vineyard, higher in altitude than his other plots, and he only produces it in colder vintages to keep the wine fresh enough to balance the fuller body. Juicy golden apple, lemon curd, and minerality on the palate, with depth and elegance added by lees and extended bottle aging. Ciro is dedicated to minimal intervention, allowing the grapes to spontaneously ferment and leaving his wines unfiltered and unfined. Hard to find and in danger of disappearing entirely as the climate continues to warm, close your eyes and savor it.

Macerato: Andrea Occhipinti, Procanico "Sottobanco"

Rare as hen's teeth, Andrea's Sottobanco is made from the Procanico grape, a biotype of Trebbiano Toscano native to the area around Lake Bolsena in northern Lazio. Andrea, an incredible artisan winemaker whose kindness and humility belie the fact that his wines are served on the Orient Express, macerates this white wine on the skins, providing structure, body, color, and complexity to a grape that, in less deft hands, can be monotone and uninspiring. Instead, the palate explodes with mountain flowers, fresh stone fruit, and clotted cream, underlain by a flinty streak. Enjoy the evolution of this wine on the palate as it moves into a finish, slow and low, and the fruit evolves towards winter melon, ginger, and honey. A true "vino da meditazione".

Rosso: Fatalone, Primitivo Riserva "Gioia del Colle"

Fatalone is the nickname of the Petrera family of winemakers, taken after a forebear who was known to be incredibly seductive, or in Italian, a fatalone. Incredibly seductive as well is Fatalone's Primitivo Riserva. This Primitivo, the ancient progenitor of the genetically-identical but phenotypically diverse Zinfandel, is not the typical flabby fruit bomb that you might expect, however. Higher elevation and calcareous soils, along with biodynamic practices and spontaneous fermentation, produce a refinement and freshness lacking in most Primitivo wines from Puglia. Aged in large Slavonian oak botti and soothed by music therapy (no lie) during gentle aging, the fruit - bruised brambleberry, black plum, and ripe black cherry - remains front and center. The supple tannin and persistent acidity give this wine a rare balance and make it the perfect partner for that gorgeous brisket on your plate.

In case you wanted to bring more wine…

All the wines below are lovingly made by artisan producers using native Italian grapes in their historical terroir. Supporting these winemakers not only preserves a viticultural legacy, but also a way of life under threat from globalization, homogenization, regulation, and industry. If you would like to dive deeper into the wonderful world of real Italian wine, contact us at offthebeatencask@gmail.com for information about events and custom group trips to Italy.

Spumante

Progetto Sete, “Bomba”, 100% Ottonese, Lazio

Ferrando, Erbaluce di Caluso Spumante Brut Metodo Classico, 100% Erbaluce, Piemonte

I Borboni, Metodo Classico “Cripto”, 100% Aspirinio Bianco, Campania

Palazzo Tronconi, Spumante Rosato “Giziello”, 100% Lecinaro, Lazio

Bianco

Collestefano, Verdicchio di Matelica, 100% Verdicchio, Le Marche

La Torretta, “Torretta”, Malvasia-Trebbiano, Lazio

Ermes Pavese, Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle, 100% Prie Blanc, Valle d’Aosta

La Visciola, Passerina del Frusinate “Donna Rosa” , 100% Passerina, Lazio

Macerato (Orange)

L'Acino, “Chora Bianco”, 100% Mantonico, Calabria

Marabino, “Muscatedda”, 100% Moscato Bianco, Sicilia

Foradori, Manzoni Bianco “Fontanasanta”, 100% Manzoni Bianco, Trentino

Azienda Agricola COS, “Ramí”, Inzolia-Grecanico, Sicilia

Rosato

Tiberio, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, 100% Montepulciano, Abruzzo

Fatalone, Primitivo “Teres”, 100% Primitivo, Puglia

'A Vita, Cirò Rosato, 100% Gaglioppo, Calabria

Gismondi, Rosato “Chiaretto”, Sangiovese-Malvasia, Campania

Rosso

Nusserhof, Südtirol Lagrein Riserva, 100% Lagrein, Alto Adige

Maria Ernesta Berucci, Cesanese del Piglio “L’Onda”, 100% Cesanese, Lazio

Elena Fucci, Aglianico del Vulture “Titolo”, 100% Aglianico, Basilicata

Arianna Occhipinti, Terre Siciliane Rosso “SP68”, Frappato-Nero d’Avola, Sicilia

Dolce

Donnafugata, Passito Di Pantelleria “Ben Ryé”, 100% Zibibbo, Sicilia

Volpaia, Vinsanto del Chianti Classico, Trebbiano-Malvasia, Toscana

Principe Pallavicini, Malvasia “Stillato”, 100% Malvasia, Lazio

Marco De Bartoli, “Vecchio Samperi Perpetuo”, Grillo-Catarratto, Sicilia

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