The annual ‘Grande’ Italian wine tasting at the Landmark hotel in London organised by the prominent wine magazine Decanter today didn’t stay in a shade of its sister event held in November.
With 300 fine wines to taste it wasn’t a humble demonstration of the product beloved by many Italians who proudly share their passion for the liquid of gods – wine.
Decanter Italian Fine Wine Encounter 2010 ticket
From Piedmont to Sicily, you could meet 80 Italian top wine makers and compare their various wines.
Not always the best known enchanted your palate. Often even the producers themselves disclosed their personal affection for one of the lesser known wines.
For me as woman was encouraging to hear from some male wine connoisseurs as well as from the producers themselves the avowed ratings of Moscatos. Yes, I mean that delicious sweat wine made from muscat grapes with decently low levels of alcohol celebrated by many light drinkers.
Moscato is one of these wines which many people who aren’t keen on wine still relish. It isn’t punchy at all and with its floral honeyed taste it is not only refreshing but also a ‘healthier’ and lighter variety of a desert wine if not a dessert itself.
Moscatio d’Asti is perhaps a king, but there are many gripping moscatos in other Italian regions. You can go as far as to Sicily and appreciate the diversity of this sweat treat.
My favourite though still is Nivole, Moscato d’Asti DOCG from Michele Chiarlo which was recommended to me by by my friend from Asti. After tasting it again together with other competing moscatos I was assured that this one wok my heart. Moreover, it is easy to get in the UK. I usually get it at Whole Foods at High Street Kensigton. It is quite inexpensive – around  £7 per bottle.
There were many icons to taste but I must admit that I am quite biased towards Gavi. This area (also a town) in Piedmont produces the most enchanting white wines. To name just some producers with a lovely Gavi: Batasiolo, Batasiolo, Batasiolo, and others.
I visited Sicily last summer and fell in love with their (even sometimes quite high in alcohol) wines. Planeta is one of the newer producers, but no doubt one of the best ones with the nicest staff. I like most of their wines, but this time I tasted their  red Burdese Sicily IGT 2006 and was awestruck by its perfect balance while enjoying the black currants in the body.
I think I wrote too much about my personal indulgences on this year’s Italian Fine Wine Encounter. I wish you were there and tasted it on your own tongue and filled your mouth with the Italian vino bianco, rosso and perhaps some sparkling prosecco.
Don’t cry though. The Decanter organises three Fine Wine Encounters every year and you can at least have a read about each of them on their web site if my report wasn’t satisfying enough.
If you have any queries though, do not hesitate to write me. I am more than ready for your curious questions.