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Arnaldo Caprai Grecante with Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad #ItalianFWT

 

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As the Italian Food Wine Travel group continues its exploration of Italian wines this year, Katarina from Grapevine Adventures has invited us to look at wines from Umbria and Lazio. You can see her preview of the event here.

We’ll be chatting about Umbria and Lazio on Twitter on Saturday June 3 at 11 AM EST. Even if you haven’t written a blog post about it, join us by following the #ItalianFWT hashtag!

I chose to feature a wine from Umbira. A couple cool facts about this region to get us started!:

1. It’s the only landlocked region in central/southern Italy
2. An important producer of black truffles
3. It’s the hilliest region in the country
4. The only region in Italy that regularly achieves botrytis (specifically in Orvieto)

Umbria and Colli Martani DOC

I haven’t yet had the pleasure of visiting Umbria, but it sounds like a must for the wine lover. Although, I suppose, which region isn’t a must for the wine lover? Unlike some regions that are more for red wine lovers or more for white wine lovers, Umbria’s production is about half and half so there’s something here for everyone!

Sangiovese dominates red wine production, but Umbria’s real red wine specialty uses the grape Sagrantino, native to Montefalco. There’s a lot happening on the white side of things, especially as the lion’s share of Orvieto lies in Umrbia (with a tiny portion in Lazio). Trebbiano Toscano and the Grechettos (di Orvieto and di Todi) make up the bulk of white grape plantings. 

My wine came from the Colli Martani DOC which, on the map that I borrowed from Wine Tourism.com is the wee little yellow-ish splotch more or less in the center of the map. Despite being such a small DOC, a wide range of wine comes out of Colli Martani. 

The main grapes here are Grechetto, Sangiovese, and Trebbiano Toscano. Wine styles can be along the spumante (fully sparkling), bianco (white blends), rosso (red blends), riserva (I’ll let you figure out that one), and varietal wines. It is, however, particularly well-known for its varietal Grechetto wines. And that is what I chose. 

Arnaldo Caprai Grecante

Colli Martani DOC, 2019

I was so excited when I bought this wine. Not only does my Italian Wine Scholar book talk about the Arnaldo Caprai winery (for good reason as you’ll find out), but this wine is specifically named as an example of Grechetto. 

Because for so long, people did not realize there was a difference between Grechettos di Orvieto and di Todi, they got interplanted. Still today, wine labeled “Grechetto” can be either grape or a blend of both. Now, the Arnaldo Caprai website does not specify, but my Italian Wine Scholar book indicated that varietal Grechetto wines are more than likely Grechetto di Todi. Insert shrug emoji. Whichever one it was, it was a 100% of it, fermented in stainless steel where it sat for three months before bottling. 

It poured a very pretty, brilliant lemon.  Aromas of citrus fruit, unripe peaches, flowers, and green almonds lifted from the glass. A burst of bright acidity hit the tongue then melted like a lemon drop as the wine moved through the mouth with some peachiness peeking out from behind the citrus and flowers. Medium-bodied with 13.5% alcohol, medium acidity, and a decent finish. 

When trying to think of how to pair this, all the references I saw said seafood. Despite Umbria’s being a landlocked region! In the end, I went with a nice spring salad built with avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and grilled shrimp. Not bad not bad. I soaked the onions a bit to help draw out some of their strength…methinks I could have soaked them a but more but overall, not bad!

Keep on learning about Abruzzo and Umbria!

• Andrea from The Quirky Cork shares “Arnaldo Caprai Grecante with Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad”
• Camilla from Culinary Cam focuses on “From Lazio with Love – Bellone and Bruschette – an Ancient Grape & a Simple Appetizer”
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Enjoying the Food and Wine of Umbria”
• Susannah from Avvinare features “Cesanese del Piglio- A Bright Future”
• Jennifer from Vino Travels shares “Trebbiano Spoletino: Not all Trebbiano are the same”
• Katarina from Grapevine Adventures features “Rekindling Tradition: Five Producers Unite to Revive Orvieto DOC’s Native Grapes”

Please Help Turkey and Syria!

Turkey and Syria are still in desperate need of help after the horrific earthquakes that have decimated large areas of Turkey’s south east and northern Syria, please consider donating to one of the relief efforts if you are able:

• Animal rights organization Haytap is helping animals affected by the earthquake, and displaced people who need a place to stay with their pets. Other animal-focused groups such as Dört Ayaklı Şehir (Four-Legged City) and Work Animals Rescue Foundation, are also helping farm animals, street animals, and pets.
• Donate to civil society groups working on the ground to provide immediate relief and medium- to long-term recovery to survivors via UK-based Turkey Mozaik Foundation or US-based Turkish Philanthropy Funds. 
• Donate to the volunteer response being carried out in Turkey by the trusted, independent NGOs İhtiyaç Haritası (Needs Map) or Ahbap.  
• Hayata Destek (Support to Life), is a Turkish NGO experienced in providing humanitarian relief and working with underserved communities. 
• World Central Kitchen provides funds and food to those still living in tents in the affected areas. 
• To support rescue efforts in Syria, donate to White Helmets and SAMS. 
• Field Ready Türk‎iye (Sahaya Hazır İnovasyon Derneği) is a team of engineers working in Gaziantep, Turkey, and northwest Syria who make cheap, low-tech airbags for search and rescue from buildings which have collapsed. “If we move fast they can make more,” a good friend who previously worked with the team writes. “The workshops in Syria also have vast experience of fixing essential medical equipment, and making insulated shelters – both greatly needed right now”