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Cal-Ital refers to Italian varietals grown in California and is the new buzzword among some winemakers.
California's wine country was largely built on Italian-American grape
growers, like Sam & Vicki Sebastiani of Viansa Winery, specializing
in Italian varietals.
To learn of the intricacies of Italian wines, Viansa Winery offers a
few Italian varietals worth tasting, along with some tips on how to
pair them with foods for a complete epicurean experience.
* Sangiovese: A versatile wine, adaptable to many different foods, from
pizza to hearty minestrone. "Piccolo" Sangiovese is a medium-bodied
wine with a bouquet of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and a
hint of smoky tar to a plum-like flavorful finish.
"Thalia" Sangiovese is a complex, full-bodied wine blended with 80
percent Sangiovese, 16 percent Merlot, 4 percent Cabernet Sauvignon,
and less than 1 percent Cabernet Franc. Aged for 15 months in oak
barrels, "Thalia" is recommended to be decanted for an hour before
serving with selections like veal or grilled duck breasts with cherry
chutney.
* Barbera: Viansa's blend of 93 percent Barbera and 7 percent Nebbiolo,
the "Augusto" Barbera has flavors of cherries, raspberries and
strawberries. It's the perfect wine with cheese and salami. It also
pairs well with lamb and rabbit.
* Nebbiolo: With distinctive aromas of strawberries, roses, mint and
tar, this red wine is an ideal choice for dishes featuring the earthy
flavors of mushrooms and truffles.
* Vernaccia: Viansa is one of the few producers of Vernaccia in the
United States. This white wine is famous to the Tuscan region of Italy.
It displays flavors of star fruit, mild melons and a crisp acid finish,
along with flavors of pineapple, banana, hints of pear, dried fruit and
creamy butterscotch, making it perfect to sip by itself.
* Pinot Grigio: Harvested from Viansa's Sonoma Valley Estate, the 2004
"Vittoria" Pinot Grigio has light flavors of apricots, pears and green
apples with hints of orange, lingering hazelnut and macadamia flavors.
This wine pairs nicely with shellfish, white fish, chicken and veal.
* Tocai Friulano: A new white wine for Viansa boasting aromas of
apricot, guava, pineapple and glazed nuts. Viansa pressed whole
clusters of fruit and fermented the wine in stainless steel in order to
preserve the bright fruit flavors. This new wine is the perfect
companion for shellfish like oysters and mussels.
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