Fruttaio Ca’Rizzieri 2015

Whilst most Nebbiolo wines are associated with the wine regions in Piedmont, and indeed a good 80% of Nebbiolo wine cultivation is done here, the neighbouring region of Lombardia also cultivates some 10% of Nebbiolo annual production.

The third wine from the Nebbiolo Wine Tasting held by the Club de Vinos Madrid at the DOC Enoteca Italiana Wine Bar is from the DOCG Sfursat di Valtellina in the Lombardía region. Under their rules the red wines must be made from at least 90% Nebbiolo, which apparently is known locally as Chiavennasca, contain a minimum alcohol level of 14% and be aged for at least 20 months of which 12 months must be in the barrel.

This red wine from the Giuseppe Rainoldi winery is one of their top quality wines made only in years of outstanding vintage and from the best grapes. It is produced in a similar way to Amarone wines in that the grapes are left to dry for two months before being fermented and then matured in new oak barrels for 16 to 18 months, then left to age for a further 12 months in the bottle in a cool dark cellar.

I have only recently been introduced to wines made from dried grapes but already I’m an ardent fan. I love them. This wine is no exception, it’s great!.

It has a light to medium intensity garnet colour with a medium plus scent of heavenly dried fruit. You can also sense the high alcohol levels.

A dry, acidic wine but more balanced tannins than the other Nebbiolo wines. It has a medium body and a decent finish. Although it is a dry wine the flavour of dried fruits makes it taste sweet and the body allows it to fill your mouth. However the acidity stops it from being sickly and leaves a refreshing sensation.

Yummy, yummy 😋.