Native Wine Grapes of Italy by D & #39;Agata Ian

Author:D & #39;Agata, Ian
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780520272262
Publisher: University of California Press

Which Wines to Choose and Why

The best DOC wines are Freisa d’Asti, but also good are Langhe Freisa and Piemonte Freisa. It can also be used in blends such as Langhe Rosso, or DOC wines from Valle d’Aosta, Veneto (Breganze Rosso), and Tuscany (San Colombano). It is most often either a still or a sparkling wine, though there is also a lovely, but hard to find, Chiaretto di Freisa, a rosé.

I believe Freisa can give magnificent wines, which shouldn’t be surprising, considering it is a very close relative of Nebbiolo. However, the wine is neither pitch black nor soft and fleshy; it’s often made in a fizzy style, and fizzy red wines are anathema to many modern wine drinkers. Its perfume, though, is haunting and complex, its crisp strawberry and sour red-cherry flavors memorable. In fact, Freisa wines have fragrances and freshness that other varieties can’t match, and locals appreciate its high acidity and tannic bite, both useful when matching wines to foods in need of robust palate-cleansing acidity. Thanks to its wealth in tannins, Freisa wines actually age well, though few wine lovers ever think of cellaring them.

If Freisa wines have a problem, it is that they can be bitter, as the grape variety packs potentially brutal tannins. For this reason, producers got into the habit of leaving some residual sugar to counterbalance this bitterness. But some (including Aldo Conterno) don’t care for this solution, preferring to make slightly sparkling versions, in the belief that the carbon dioxide helps neutralize, to a degree, the wine’s tannic mouthfeel. Most importantly, recent studies by Caudana, Rolle, and Gerbi (2009) have shown that to make the best possible wine with Freisa very ripe grapes are key, so that the polyphenols in the pips (Freisa’s are particularly bitter) are maximally ripe. Leaving Freisa on the vine a little longer than expected is less of a risk with this variety than it might be with other varieties due to its thick skin; furthermore, slightly late harvests help decrease the malic acid concentration, which in Freisa is always high and responsible for the high-acid mouthfeel (not always appreciated by consumers). These same researchers have shown that the finished wine has especially high concentrations of geraniol (which explains the strong rose aroma), 3-oxo-alpha-ionol (tobacco), and dihydro-beta-ionone (violet). Luca Balbiano of the Balbiano estate (producer of excellent Freisa di Chieri) is bullish about the wine’s future prospects: “Undoubtedly, production volumes are down, and almost all the wine guides and magazines have ignored our sparkling and dry wines, but we persevere, in the knowledge that we have an excellent product to sell.” Enrica Gastaldi of La Borgarella adds: “I think similarities between Freisa and Nebbiolo are not stressed enough, and they should be, since the two are relatives. It might help people focus on our grape and wine more.”

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