L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 36 L'Italo-Americano Five Italian whites for the great outdoors I n the last edition of L'Italo- Americano, we met five Ita- lian red wines for the great outdoors. In what is essen- tially Part Two, we continue the conversation here to focus on five whites. I have included the original introduction for your reading convenience. I lay out loden-green woolen trousers and shirt, purchased at a second-hand shop. In the corner of the room, carbon fiber hiking poles stand ready. Backpack: alpine cheese, mountain bread, prosciutto di San Daniele, mineral water, one of Italy's high altitude wines. Word of the day: Up. Up, until the trees are below and the view opens to 50 clear miles in every direction. Sunny now. Stop: time for lunch. In his book A Moveable Feast, writer Ernest Hemingway said of paintings in the Luxembourg Museum, "… all the paintings were sharpened and clearer and more beautiful if you were belly- empty, hollow-hungry." Similarly, the combination of fresh outdoor air and an empty belly can add an unforgettable level of deliciousness to a simple rucksack lunch featuring Italy's alpine cheese and wine. When pairing wine with alpine cheeses you want to stick close to young, fruity reds or dry whites. The regions of Alto Adige, Lom- bardia and Valle d'Aosta offer excellent options for both. One of Valle d'Aosta's oldest varieties, Prie Blanc is grown in mountain top vineyards that are among the highest in Europe. In fact, Prie Blanc is cultivated at altitudes inhospitable to phylloxe- ra, thus ungrafted vines are still used for production. The variety is responsible for one of Italy's most delicious white wines, Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle. Light-bodied and fresh, with deli- cious acidity, the wine is aroma- tic, offering delicate scents of alpine flowers and herbs. Prie Blanc's naturally high acidity makes it a great choice for washing down all that cheese, especially fondue. Entrust your- self to producers Cave Mont Blanc or Ermes Pavese. The German-sounding Mul- ler-Thurgau is a hybrid white grape variety created by Swiss researcher Hermann Muller – not surprisingly of the canton Thur- gau – by crossing Riesling and Madeleine Royal. Muller-Thur- gau finds a wonderful expression in Trentino-Alto Adige. The variety seems to thrive in steep, stony, high altitude sites. Muller- Thurgau produces soft, semi-aro- matic wines of good complexity and refinement, delicately scen- ted of apple, peach, apricot, and mountain flowers, with hints of sage, thyme, citrus and brown spice. You'll want to seek out Muller-Thurgau wines from the Valle Isarco subzone of Alto Adige DOC or Valle Cembra subzone of Trentino DOC. Recommended producers include Abbazia di Novacella, Caldaro, Santa Maddalena and Tiefen- brunner. Named after the German poet- physician Justinus Kerner, Kerner is another grape variety of Ger- man crossing, a hybrid of Trollin- ger and Riesling. Kerner, too, does exceedingly well in Alto Adige which accounts for 98% of its Italian plantings. Kerner wines are often redolent of apple, peach, melon and citrus fruit fra- grances, with notes of warm spice and can be reminiscent of Rie- sling. Compared to Muller-Thur- gau, Kerner has a bit more aci- dity, though less than Riesling, which provides balance to the wine's opulence. Recommended producers include Abbazia di Novacella, Castelfeder, Kofe- rerhof. Sylvaner is a variety of Austrian origin that, in Italy, is cultivated primarily in Alto Adi- ge's Isarco Valley. The relatively high altitude helps contribute to wines with a nervy acidity, a refreshing counterpoint to their full, elegant body. Kerner wines echo a certain earthiness that I associate with autumn, and a "steely-ness" which I find bra- cing. Sylvaner tastes and aromas include apple, honey, tropical fruit, and notes of savory herb. Producers to seek out include Abbazia di Novacella, Kuenhof, Pacherhof. Gewurztraminer, also known in Italy as Traminer Aromatico, is an aromatic grape variety with a wide range of distinctive aro- matics. Its perfume can include notes of lychee, mandarin oran- ge, tropical fruit, as well as warm brown spice like cloves, cinna- mon, and delicate notes of rose. Gewurztraminer can also have surprisingly high levels of alcohol, upwards of 14%. In the mouth, the wines have a sati- sfying fatness and viscosity. The best examples bring it all into balance with the right level of acidity. Producers to try include Abbazia di Novacella, Castelfe- der, Franz Haas, Tiefenbrunner. To be outdoors getting good exercise, feeling, as Hemingway put it, "belly empty," sure has a way of making Mother Nature sharper, clearer, even more beau- tiful. Its effect on the deliciou- sness of my rucksack lunch washed down with one of Italy's alpine wines doesn't exactly suf- fer much either. Tasting Note Kofererhof Kerner Panoramic palate of scents/tastes, lime, orange cream- sicle, honey and mint. In the empty glass, subtle hints of gin- ger linger on. Generous structure and ample body. Harmonic and focused, with a long, flavor-filled finish. WINE NEWS TRENDS PROFILES JOEL MACK THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2017 Choose Blanc de Morgex, Muller-Thurgau and Sylvaner Italian white whines from the Alps are a fantastic option for a picnic

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