Here are the notes from our final review tuesday. A summary of what we've learned.
Italian wine is classified in a pyramid system. At the top is DOCG (denomination Origin Control Guaranteed) with the most regulations and limit in production. DOCG came into practice in 1979. DOC (Denomination Origin Control) is next and was started in 1963. Third is IGT with the fewer regulations and was created in 1992. At the bottom (but not bad wine) is vino di tavola, or table wine. Italian wine was not regulated until the 60's and was not considered to be of high quality.
Wine appreciation.
Visual. By looking at a glass of wine you can tell color, limpidity, fluidity (alchohol level) and if sparkling effervesence. Color can tell you climate the grapes were grown in, age, grape variety and vinification techniques.
Olfactory. Intensity in the smell is a measure of quantity persistence is a measure of quality. Swirl, sniff then strong sniff. Taste the wine with your nose. There are aromas. 1st is grape variety 2nd fermentation process 3rd tertiary aromas which are the flavors (flour, fruit etc...)
Gustative.
Tasting stages: Attack, middle palate, finish. Finish is the aftertaste. First attack is the first 5 seconds. Middle palate is the next 10 seconds. Finish is the aftertaste. Sence of taste: bitterness on the back of tongue acidic on sides sweet on front of tongue salty behind sweet. Kinds of acid in wines: tartaric:hardness, malic:sour apples, citric:sharp lemony, lactic:milky tartness, succinic: salty bitterness, acetic:acidic.
Sence of touch when tasting.
Texture:from sharp to smooth, soft, well rounded
Astringency: Tannins from red, acidity from whites
Temperature: Temperature and ethyl alchohol
Body: Sense of weight and structure of wine
Prinkle: In sparkling wines
Vinification: How wine is made.
Quality of wine comes mostly from the quality of the grapes used. Quality of the grape comes from their variety, weather, soil and time of harvest. The combination of these factors is called terroir.
Wine is an alchoholic grape juice. Sugars + yeast = alchohol and carbondioxide. The sugars and yeast are in the grapes. Yeast is in skin of the grapes.
During primary fermentation yeasts feed on sugars in the must ( crushed grape mix) and multiply producing carbon dioxide and alchohol.
The temperature during fermentation efects the taste of the wine and speed of fermentation.
For every gram of sugar converted about 1/2 gram of alchohol is produced. To produce 12% alchohol wine the must should be 24% sugar.
Harvesting.
First step in wine production. Done mechanically or by hand. Harvest time decided by level of sugars and tannins, acidity and weather.
1st fermentation.
Red wines.
Must is transfered to containers to ferment. Temperatures reach as high as 86* F. Skins are left in contact with juice (that part is called maceration). This process extracts from the skins the polyphenols that give the wine its color and assure its longevity in addition to providing the aromatic substances that make the boquet. The wine is de-vatted and separated from the pressings. It is drawn off into tanks where a second fermentation takes place. This second fermentation is called malo-lactic fermentation and aggressive malic acid is turned into softer lactic acid. To secure a limpid beverage the wine is raked numerous times in the next few months. Some wines are aged in barriques (a type of oak barrel) which adds flavor.
White wines.
White or red grapes are processed with a quick crushing and transfered to the press to avoid contact with the skins (where the color comes from) Temperature is lower in fermentation than with reds. Only one fermentation takes place.
Rose` wines.
The dark skins are left in contact with the juice just long enough to extract the colors that the winemakes desires. The must is then pressed and fermentation continues as in white wine.
Misc info.
Containers can be stainless steel, large wooden containers or small wooden barrels. The small wooden barrels hold about 60 gallons and are always handmade. Flavors from containers are: stainless steel makes a light to medium weight wine. Clean , fresh, crisp style. Aromatic fruit flavors.
Small wooden barrells: Usually fuller, richer style. More rounded, complex, multi dimentional.
Sparkling wines
Two main methods: Champenoise method and Charmat methos.
Champenoise/ Metodo classico
Assembling: Grapes ( not too ripe to retain high acidity ) go for the alchoholic fermentation and are blended in an individual cuvee` which may include different vintages.
Tirage: The basic wine is bottled (with a metal cap) and the liquer di tirage is added (cane sugar and yeasts)
Refermation: The yeasts transform the sugar into 1 or 2 degrees of alchohol as carbon dioxide builds up to a pressure of 5-6 atmospheres
Aging on the lees: Now the wine has to age on the lees for about 2 years. The absence of oxygen consumed in the refermentation lets the wine develope a natural stability.
Riddling: once the aging is completed the spend yeast must be removed. The bottles are placed face down at 45* in some A frames known as pupitres then agitated and twisted for a few weeks, gradually declined in the A frames until the deposit rests against the cap of the bottles.
Removing the sediment: Degorgement. In the past done by hand, the neck of the bottle is dipped in a chilled solution, freezing the deposit. Set up with the cap off the gas in the bottle expells the frozen deposit.
Topping up: Now the bottle must be topped immediately with a cork. The champenoise spumante recieves a dosage (liquer di expedition) Different dosages, different classifications.
Production takes about 20 months.
Charmat method.
Same as other method except stored in stainless steel containers and unwanted material taken out with a filter. Takes about 4-5 months to produce.
REGIONS
Northern Italy
Four areas: Valle d Aesta, Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria.
Because of different topography each area produces different wine.
General characteristics: Reds: North West: Great, important, complex, long aged wines. Brilliant red colors. Elegant and very persistent wines.
Whites:North East: Highly acidic, fresh and crispy flavors. Pale in color, fruity in flavor.
Piedmont: Produces many of the most important Italian red wines. Typical grapes are: Red: Nebbiolo grape which makes Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco (makes many more but those are 2 of the best). Region also makes a great white moscato.
Lombardy: Typical grape: Red: Nebbiolo which makes Valtellino DOC. White: Chardonnay and Pino. (Also makes Francia Corta DOCG sparkling wines.
North Easter region of The Northern area is known as Tre Venetzia. Typical grape variety: Friuli Giulia, Trentino alto adige.
TUSCAN DOCG wines
Greatest percentage of DOCG wines come from Tuscany (where I am!)
Reds(some, all DOCG): Chianti, Chianti Classico, Nobile di Motepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano.
Only one white DOCG in Tuscany: Vernaccia Di S. Gimignano.
Grape Variety: Sangiovese (Ive actually gotten to eat these off the vine a few times and they are great) is the main grape. Others used are: caniolo, colorino and international grapes such as cab sav, merlot. Wines in this region must be made with at least 75% Sangiovese.
New Vineyard must wait 4 years after planting to begin production.
Southern Italy
Regions: Compagnia, Apulia, Basilicate, Calabria.
Climate: Some areas very hot.
Characteristics: Reds: Great intensity, fruity, concentrated, rustic, less elegant style, dip in color, high alchohol.
Whites: Great intensity, good, not so high acidity, usually golden yellow, high alchohol.
Stand out wines: Tavarsi DOCG, Castel del Monte DOC.
Usual grape: Aglianico.
ITALIAN ISLANDS
Sardinia's best wine: Vermentino di Gallura (one of only 4 Italian DOCG white wines)
Red grapes: Connonao, Carigiano, Nebbiolo
White grapes: vermentino, moscato.
Sicily: Great production, great quality. Creates many desert wines: Marsala, moscato and passito which is made with Nebbiolo grape.
Red grapes: Nero d'avola, cerasuolo, internationals.
White grapes: Moscato, marsala, inzolia, alcano.
Here is a review of italian wines I found at:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.edining.ca/pictures/Chianti%2520Classico.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.edining.ca/viewarticle.asp%3FID%3D262&h=300&w=300&sz=48&hl=en&start=15&sig2=kG5XbtWhfRFveBT2zTirrw&um=1&tbnid=esr3kI8ZPNk_mM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=116&eid=H4JYR8GeKqeO-ALMzbzgCg&prev=
talian Wines
Italian wines are usually ranked among the best wines in the world. The demand for Italian wines is so high that this small country produces around 8 billion bottles of wine each year. But the growing number has not resulted in deterioration in quality, as most Italian wine producers are known for their strict quality control.
The history of Italian wine dates back around four thousand years. Perhaps, what has helped Italian wine stay ahead of its competitors is the fact that Italy has more local grape varieties than any other country on earth. Italian wine is considered unique due to rich blend of diverse wine cultures that exist in various wine regions in the country. There are certain general qualities of Italian wine which make it stand out in the crowded wine market.
It is better to take Italian wines with food, as they have relatively high acidity levels. Italian wine bottles are full of earthy aromas and regional flavor. This is also known as ""earthiness"". It helps make an Italian wine complement the food, not compete with it. Most Italian wines are not heavy. They are moderate in nature, though there are some heavy wines, too.
A number of grape varieties that do not grow in other parts of the world are grown in Italy. These varieties are used for producing wines which have unmatched taste.
Italian wines are available in a wide range of prices. Some of them are very expensive, but many of them are easily affordable. A number of Italian wine stores sell these wines online. Most popular department stores also sell Italian wine bottles from different parts of the world. It is better to buy Italian wine from an authorized store, as many ordinary wines are also sold as "Italian wine" in the market.
Italian Wine provides detailed information on Italian Wine, Italian Wine Regions, Italian Red Wines, Italian White Wines and more. Italian Wine is affiliated with French White Wines.
Commonly known as Italian reds, Italian red wines are world famous. As compared to red wines produced in other parts of the world, they stand apart due to their tarter taste, higher acidity, and aroma.Unlike French wines, Italian red wines are not named after the grapes used for making them; instead they are named after regions in which they are produced. Italian red wine makers use different varieties of grapes. Many of these varieties are not available in any other part of the world.
Due to their sharper taste, Italian red wines are not preferred for simple sipping, but a bottle of red wine is a perfect companion during a meal. Valpolicella, Chianti, Barolo and Merlot are some of the best-known red wines. Valpolicella is named after a famous wine-producing region in Italy. There are three different varieties of grapes-- Rondinella, Corvina and Molinara--which are blended together to produce excellent red wine in this region. Valpolicella is a relatively lighter wine. Chianti, on the other hand, is considered to be a perfect companion of an Italian meal. It is produced in a region of the same name.
Barolo is another impressive red wine produced in the region having the same name. Unlike Chianti and Valpolicella, Barolo is made from a single variety of grape called Nebbiolo. It takes around ten years for Barolo to age perfectly. A perfectly aged Barolo has a distinct aroma of roses, raspberries and earth.
If you prefer a simple Italian wine, Merlot could do the trick. The region of Tuscany also produces a number of great Italian red wines. Some Italian red wines could cost you a fortune, but many of them are quite affordable. Italian red wines can be purchased from online stores, exclusive outlets or any of the stores which stock them.
We didnt have a map so we took a taxi (only the 3rd time ive been in a car since Aug 27th and it felt weird) for only 5 Euro to the city center where the "Field of Miracles" was. Its always shocking but surprisingly common in Italy to be driving or walking down a street and BAM there will be one of the most beautiful or awesome buildings you've ever see. 
The field of miracles was a large open area with very green grass. to the left of where we came in was the round baptistry, in the middle was an impressive Duomo ( Not like our Florentine Duomo tho) and closest to us was the tower. Around the outside of the field was a cobblestone street, shiny from the rain. Outside of that was a line of little market stalls selling tourist goodies and post cards. The corner we came in from was city buildings and the other 3/4
surrounded by a medium height red brick wall. From our angle the tower didnt have much of a lean to it but was still beautiful and larger than I had expected. Layered like a wedding cake with columns all around it would be important architecture even if it wasnt leaning, especially considering that it was built over 800 years ago. Moving to the left towards the baptistry the lean became more a
