The Wines…

Gambero Rosso is an Italian food and wine magazine and publishing group founded in 1986^.. Its name literally translates as “red prawn” and comes from a tavern in Pinocchio where the Fox and the Cat dine. It considered one of Italy’s top wine publications. It reviews tens of thousands of wine each year throughout Italy with less than 5% receiving a three glass or Tre Bicchieri top rating.

The Gambero Rosso wine ratings in Vini d’Italia are built up on the number of glasses “bicchieri” awarded to a wine, which is indicated in the wine guide with a number of stylized glasses next to the wine’s name. Only 5% of the wines rated receive the  highest rating three glasses or “Tre Bicchieri” award , and the wine guide only includes wines which are seen by the editors as “above average”. The ratings are based upon blind tasting by independent experts. The guide is edited in Italian, English and German language. Three glasses indicate “extraordinary wines”.

With the help of our longtime friend Robert Fatica we have been able to secure eleven Tre Bicchieri wines. Four years ago Robert spoke to us about having a wine dinner to feature these beautiful Italian wines and we said YES! This dinner always take place on Palm Sunday.

Hosana, Hosana!

Robert owned Primo Vino in Cleveland’s Little Italy for over 35 years and each year he would host a Tre Bicchieri wine event at his restaurant. Robert closed Primo Vino several years ago and now sells the Italian wine he so loves for Wines LLC. Robert has traveled extensively throughout Italy and will be a perfect guide for this tasting.

As mentioned the dinner will feature eleven Tre Bicchieri wines matched with a six-course dinner from Chef John D’Amico.

As mentioned the dinner will feature eleven Tre Bicchieri wines matched with a six-course dinner from Chef John D’Amico.

Lambrusco “Grasparossa Di Castelvetro”, Vini Del Re,  Emilia-Romano, Italy, NV

The classic “Vini del Re” from Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro is wonderfully round, full-bodied, and crisp with a fruity explosion of ripe red fruit. Persistent to the palate, fresh and enveloping. Suitable for any occasion, very open and approachable with a wide variety of dishes and styles of cuisine.

Vini del Re is crafted by the Settecani Cellar that was founded in 1923. They were 48 farmers who founded the Cantina Settecani in 1923, today they have grown to 200. They all share a vision that has shaped this great winery for decades thanks to their passionate work. A winery in the heart of Lambrusco Grasparossa’s territory, located in the hamlet of Settecani.

Sauvignon “Zuc di Volpe”, Volpe Pasini,  Venezia Giulia IGT, Italy, 2022

Sauvignon Zuc di Volpe, 2008 It is very light and fresh aperitif characteristic pale yellow color with a perfect harmony between the expression of the varietal characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc and soft, elegant taste. Ageing potential wine Sauvignon Zook di Volpeis at least 5-7 years.

Zuc di Volpe(which means “top of the hill”) – is a line of wines, which started to produce in 1990. For the production of these wines using grapes from a single vineyard Zook and exclusively in the best years. Young wines of this collection, as a rule, from red to dark red in color, which over the years, “ages” to fully saturated, ruby ​​and maroon tones, changing as taste and aroma.

Volpe Pasini farm is located in the heart of Colli Orientali del Friuli, which is the oldest in North-East Italy. The farm consists of a manor house, which was built in 1596, as well as other complex of buildings that surround the villa. The area of ​​the estate is more than 20 thousand square meters, which are located more park and vineyard Ribolla, which resembles the true vocation of the company. The first document that refers to the production of wine this farm dating back to the 17th century and by the 20th century farm Volpe Pasini was one of the best wine houses that produce exceptional wine.

Pecorino “Giocheremo Con i Fiori” , Torre dei Beati, Abruzzo, Italy, 2023

Recently recovered in our territory, the Pecorino is a low yield native variety with a big enological value, that is deserving wine lovers’ attention. Obtained through repeated pickings harvest and a traditional, not intrusive vinification, this version is aimed at expressing the Pecorino fundamental characteristics, exalting, with no excess, the fresh and not banal aromatic complexity and the particular tasting profile, where alcohol, acidity and minerality are well present in perfect balance.

Melon, lychee, citrus rind. Torre Dei Beati Giocheremo con i Fiori is tailor-made for a day under Fausto Albanesi’s beloved beach umbrella, facing the tranquil Adriatic. All the wines at Torre dei Beati are certified organic, lovingly tended by Fausto, his wife Adrianna, and one old farmer dude, way up in the Apennines. A beautiful place to farm. Perfect for making taut, light, terroir-laden white wines.

Barbera D Asti  La Luna E Falo Vite Colte, Piedmont, Italy, 2021

Deep ruby red. Rich and deep bouquet, with a complex balance of violet, liquorice and vanilla notes. The palate is crisp and dry, with a subtle background of vanilla and wild berries, which carries through to its lingering finish.

Vite Colte is a grower-owned cooperative headquartered in Barolo, Italy, a village in the Province of Cuneo within the UNESCO Protected Wine Heritage region of Piedmont. It is about 50 kilometers southeast of Turin.

Vite Colte means “the art of cultivating the vine.” Membership totals 180 winegrowers who cultivate 300 hectares of vineyard. The cooperative was founded in the 1980s as Terre da Vino and renamed ViteColte in 2016. The group strives for consistent quality stemming from innovation blended with experience, tradition, and passion.

Barbaresco “Riserva” Montestefano, Produttori del Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy, 2019

“Combining power, intensity, class and great fruit, Produttori’s 2019 Montestefano Riserva is a phenomenal wine and a quintessential expression of this fantastic cru. It opens with heady aromas of new leather, Alpine herb, pressed rose, ripe dark-skinned berry and forest floor. It has the most Barolo-like structure of all the firm’s crus, delivering ripe Morello cherry, succulent raspberry, licorice and tobacco alongside a network of firm tannins that are more reminiscent of Serralunga than Barbaresco. A magnificent wine, with incredible aging potential. Drink: 2031–2049. Abv: 14.5%. (Jan 2024)”

Chianti Classico Riserva, Nittardi, Tuscany, Italy, 2019

This 2019 is mainly Sangiovese with 3% of Merlot blended in. It is an intense dark red, has a nose of blueberry, dark cherry, ripe blackberry and garrigue with notes of exotic spices. Medium palate with elegant tannins and excellent freshness. Outstanding texture, remarkable fine grained tannins with a long & persisting finish.                                                                                                                

Nittardi is an organic boutique winery situated in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, on the boundary between the provinces of Siena and Florence. Robert Parker, James Suckling, Decanter and Gambero Rosso have all given Nittardi the highest praise for its wines. As homage to the artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, whom the property belonged in the 16th century, a unique combination of art and wine is still cultivated here today.The Vineyards of Nittardi represent the heart of the estate and produce elegant and refined grapes year after year. Their Villa Rosa Vineyards are located close to the beautiful hamlet of San Quirico, south of Castellina in Chianti, most of the vineyards are over 50 years old. The Mongibello delle Mandorlaie Vineyards in Maremma are south of Scansano and close to Montiano, only eight kilometers from the seaside. All vineyards are certified organic.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano “I Quadri”, Bindella, Tuscany, Italy, 2019

 Bindella’s I Quadri is selected from the estate’s 20-year-old Santa Maria vineyard. Boasting white calcareous clay soil, it gives a deeply coloured wine with full-throttled fruit. Ageing in French oak tonneaux adds a lashing of vanilla and cedar to fresh wild cherry notes. The palate is balanced in its proportions, with crunchy acidity lifting the plump, well-padded core. While overall supple, some dry, grainy tannins sneak in on the finish.

Primitivo “Senatore”, Coppi, Puglia, Italy, 2017

This elegant red starts off with lifted tones of cherry and blackberry on the nose, dotted with hints of tilled earth and violet. It’s polished yet firm on the palate, giving a solid frame for tones of crushed gravel and orange peel to shine against the berry fruit. It’s accessible now, but should hold well through 2025. 

Senatore is Primitivo Gioia del Colle produced on the top of the hill. The label of Senatore is referred to the altimetric map of Gioia del Colle mountain and the red circles represent the top of the hill where Senatore grapes are cultivated.Senatore is a Primitivo wit a fantastic complexity elegance thanks to the acidity due to the altitude of the estate.

“Selvarossa” Salice Salentino Riserva DOP, Cantine Due Palme, Puglia, Italy, 2020

“An extreme wine right from the nose: dark, played on warm tones of cherry jam and dried fruit, with some light notes of vanilla and liquorice. Thick and full-bodied, dense and full, in the mouth it releases structure and power. But the ending is soft, poetic

Selvarossa Riserva is a true Salento wine: tough and untamed, but under its armour it hides the sweet and welcoming heart of its land. In order to create a wine like this, in addition to the best soils, the selected vineyards, the hard work along the rows and the skilful work in the cellar, true heart is needed. The heart of those who love their work and their land, and the passion that can be felt in the Selvarossa of Cantine Due Palme. Cantine Due Palme is a cooperative company that today brings together more than 1000 vintners, who together control 2500 hectares of vineyards distributed in the provinces of Brindisi Taranto and Lecce. The dream of Angelo Maci, descendant of a family of winemakers, was to create an important reality that would produce quality wines and bring the Salento wine culture to the world. The project took shape 27 years ago with the first nucleus of 15 members who have never stopped since, ever more determined to be protagonists in the land of wine.Might you be interested in the 1.5L Magnum from Selvarossa Riserva Due Palme?

Perricone “Ribeca”, Firriato, Trapani Valley, Sicily, Italy, 2019

The Ribeca Sicilia Rosso IGT comes from Casa Vinicola Firriato, a leading Sicilian winery founded in 1985 and dedicated to rediscovering autochthonous grape varieties. With a focus on sustainable farming and terroir-focused wines, Firriato impressively expresses the diversity of Sicily with the ribeca, pressed from the rare Perricone grape and aged in French barriques.

Ribeca is the fruit of multiple decades of work recovering the relic vine of Perricone, from which Firriato has selected their own clone. The company has always believed in the quality of this vine variety that comes from the Sicilian wine-producing tradition, which is grown on the Pianoro Cuddìa Estate. This area has extremely windy and dry soil and climate conditions, and is where Perricone has found the ideal conditions for bringing out all its character. Firriato’s clone construes all the varietal characteristics of this once diffuse vine that has now all but vanished. The character of this variety is manifested in its notably elegant flavour, while Pianoro Cuddìa’s microclimate favours the development of the grapes’ aromatic complexity and intense but refined fragrances.    

Vi de Visciola “Cherry” Fortified Wine, Vignamato, Marché, Italy, NV

Fresh wild cherry aromas and flavors, sweet but offers great acidity. Well-balanced with a great finish.

Fortified Wine : Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commandaria wine, and the aromatised wine vermouth.

Marche, Italy: Italian or (MAR kay) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. The name of the region derives from the plural name of marca, originally referring to the medieval March of Ancona and nearby marches of Camerino and Fermo.

The region is located in the Central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany to the west, Umbria to the southwest, Abruzzo and Lazio to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east.

Visciola: Made in a centuries-old Marche tradition of making dessert wine with cherries. The production is actually quite complicated, as two varieties of cherries are processed separately with half of them being dried in the sun for 40 days. Grape wine from the current vintage is used as a base wine, but the fermented cherries are not pressed. Rather, a ripasso process is employed with some wine from the previous vintage. Sour cherries are then also utilized with residual sweetness retained. The resulting dessert wine has a potent sour cherry profile with a balancing tartness in the Italian tradition.”

The wild cherries, Viscole, come exclusively from the Marche region and are selected when over-ripe.  After the harvest of the wild cherries the cherry stones are removed but the wild cherries are never pressed.  The first step is the fermentation of the wild cherries in sugar. The cherries ferment under the sun for 40 days in large 25 liter bottles.  The cherries are stirred daily. In September, during the harvest of the Lacraima di Morro d’Alba grapes, the second step begins.  When the fermentation of the Lacrima di Morro d’Alba starts, the syrup of the cherries is mixed into the must of the Lacrima. The wine stays in fermentation with the cherries for four to five weeks. At the end of this second fermentation a small part of the Lacraima di Morro d’Alba wine with the syrup is place in wooden barrels for 12 months.   After 16 months, the unfiltered and un-clarified products are then rejoined during the bottling, with a hint of Wild Cherry wine syrup to complete its harmony.