The Date and Time: Tuesday September 4, 2018 11AM to 3PM
The Event: Wine Luncheon with Sandro Bottega
The Venue: Biagio Ristorante
The Target Audience: wine writers
The Availability/Catalogue: there are many wines in the portfolio, and they will be on-stream in due course. Most of what we tasted was not generally available in Ontario, but could be obtained through the offices of Noble Estates, Bottega's agent.
The Quote/Background: Sandro Bottega gave an enthusiastic, passionate guide to his plots in the region that makes Prosecco (and his plots in Tuscany and other Italian regions). Throughout his career since 1983 he has made vast use of organic principles in the crafting of Prosecco. Every single bottle in all of his Prosecco ranges is vintage dated. All Prosecco has a modest shelf life of about 5 years if cellared properly. This was evident in the vertical tasting of Il Vino dei Poeti Prosecco DOC Brut. The 2013 was slightly oxidized but the mousse was full and thus reminiscent of well-aged Champagne. Personally, I loved it. The 2016 had evolved very well, and would be my personal choice from off the shelf (look closely for the vintage year). His latest project is making vodka from grapes.
The Wines:
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Bottega Il Vino dei Poeti Prosecco DOC Brut 2013 n/a
-Bottega Il Vino dei Poeti Prosecco DOC Brut 2016 +897702 $15 LCBO
-Bottega Gold Prosecco +621458 $27.95 Vintages
-Bottega Acino d'Oro Chianti Classico VTG 2015
-Bottega Ancestral Sparkling wine 2017 – unfiltered cloudiness because it is not disgorged. Yummy bone dry character, but a little goes a long way.
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Bottega Il Vino dei Poeti Prosecco DOC Brut 2014 n/a
-Bottega Il Vino dei Poeti Prosecco DOC Brut 2017 +897702 $15 – bottled May 11 2018
-Bottega Il Vino dei Poeti Prosecco DOC Rose 2017 +277202 $15
-Bottega Valpolicella Ripasso VTG 2016 – availability?
-Bottega Amarone 2014 – availability?
-Il Vino Dell' Amore Petal Moscato +588780 $14 LCBO
The Food: we had a full scale luncheon with small plates. First up were appetizers of cod, polenta, and ricotta tarts (accompanied by Bottega Gold) at a reception. Seated, we had plated stuzzichini (sundried tomatos, ricotta stuffed puff pastry, potato skin marcapone with bottarga) and Il Vino dei Poeti 2017 with its delicious fruitiness. The antipasto was prosciutto and black figs with Bottega Balsamic reduction and Il Vino dei Poeti Rose 2017. The primo was pasta alla puttanesca with Bottega Acino d'Oro Chianti Classico VTG 2015. The cheese platter was Blu 61, Parmigiano, and Pecorino (Bottega Valpolicella Ripasso VTG 2016 and Bottega Amarone 2014). Dolce was fresh berries marinated in Moscato and washed down with Il Vino Dell' Amore Petal Moscato. I took my biscotti home and also passed on the espresso. Near the end we all had access to his new Gin Bacur (+476309, $39.95) made with Italian botanicals from Veneto (sage), Tuscany (juniper), Sicily (lemon zest), and water from the Italian Alps.
Liqueurs included Limoncello, Bottega Nero (chocolate), and Pistachio – plus Grappa Sandro Bottega Club (+478156, $30.45). Not tasted (unfortunately) were his Vermouth Bianco (using pinot grigio as base) and Vermouth Rosso (merlot base) plus 30 botanicals.
The Downside: we started late due to projector issues
The Upside: a chance to hear Sandro and learn about the sustainable and organic practices of the company.
The Contact Person: sandrobottega@bottegaspa.com; spuritt@sympatico.ca
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 92
Chimo! www.deantudor.com
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