VinItaly Day One, by Mike Unsworth

I’m not a big fan of air travel at all, however with the company of Neb with whom it is almost impossible to get a word in edgeways, the time went swiftly and we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the Alps and Lake Garda as we headed down into Verona. We were visiting VinItaly, one of the biggest wine fairs there is, in the search of new and exciting additions to our portfolio and to see our current growers to taste new vintages and new wines.

De Stefani was our first stop.  Alessandro is always cheerful and justifiably proud of his wines. For me the Prosecco Zero Gran Cuvee is my favourite, not to be confused with Zero as in dosage, it is in fact in the stainless steel tanks at 0 degrees rested on the lees for a period of time. The result is a wine with wonderful expression, bags of flavour and freshness. Whilst the residual sugar is 14 grams, the wine is by no means sweet and the gently dry finish is a delight. 

Alessandro

Onto our next meeting with Simčič. While technically from Slovenia, Simčič is situated on the Italian border with half their 16 acres in Italy's Collio region and the other half in Slovenia's Goriska Brda. Without doubt Marjan is like a pop star in the wine world, constantly shaking hands with appreciative advocates of his fantastic individual wines. My favourite wine of his is the Teodor 2006, admittedly a bit of a “marmite” wine (you love it or hate it) and blend of Sauvignonasse, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, very minerally with hints of the old barrels it is aged in, the length and complexity is astounding.

Marjan

A couple of new potentials followed and we then grabbed a dreadful lunch in one of the catering tents (why don’t they try harder with the food!!)

Onto Torrevento with Francesco a real gentleman who is always happy to help us and genuinely tirelessly give us the best prices for their outstanding wines. The Vigna Pedale Castel Del Monte Riserva 2007 is a classic illustration of this but more wines to follow...watch this space!

We enjoyed dinner in the evening with Marjan and his delightful wife Valerija who also handles the office as marketing for Simčič. The food was to say the least individual rather like their wines, and Neb and Marjan tucked into giant raw prawns. Now I like Sushi and Oysters…. but these, whilst I tried one, are not for the faint hearted! A few beers and off to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Written by Mike Unsworth, Regional Trade Sales