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Castello di Grumello Medera & Casoncelli #ItalianFWT

 

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Camilla from Culinary Cam has invited the Italian Food Wine Travel writing group to explore the vast world of indigenous Italian grapes this March. You can read her invitation here. Of all the major wine players in the world, Italy has almost* more indigenous varieties than anyone else with over 500 officially identified grapes so there’s a lot to explore!

Join us for a live Threads chat on March 9 at 11 am EST/8 am PST where participating bloggers and others interested in the subject will connect and chat. You can definitely still join the blog event if you’re not available for the chat.

Despite my love of Italian wine and a currently well-heeled wine room, I wasn’t feeling super inspired. Until, that is, a recent trip to Bergamo in Lombardia. My first visit to the region, I fell in love. With the city, the food, the many many churches, and all the wine. One of the problems with traveling alone is ordering wine. There aren’t always many interesting things by the glass so, I inevitably ordered bottles for myself. Every single restaurant, the waiter insisted on pausing a beat, looking at me, and saying: “you know that’s a bottle, right.” Son, did I not just say: vorrei una bottiglia…You don’t know my skillz. Bring me the bottle.

Anyway, while in Bergamo, during an afternoon trip to a nearby winery, I found my information for this month’s #ItalianFWT event!

Castello di Grumello and Valcalepio

If you’re in Bergamo and, like me, don’t drive but want to visit a winery, Castello di Grumello is a great option. Located in the heart of Valcalepio, the winery can be easily reached via the regional train. A few stops to Grumello then a short 10 minute walk and you reach the castle, originally built as a military fortress in 1200 BC. Today, the manor house and chapel built in the 1700s include relics from the past including the tower with Guelph battlements, the Knights’ hall, and the wine cellars.

Most of Castello di Grumellos wines are produced under the Valcalepio DOC which was established in 1976. The DOC covers white Chardonnay blends (with Pinot Bianco and/or Pinot Grigio), red Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blends, and sweet red passitos with Moscato di Scanzo and/or Moscato. This area of Lombardy also includes the Bergamasca IGT established in 1995. The IGT covers the low alpine foothills surrounding Bergamo and stretches to the northern end of Lake Iseo and to the hillside parish of Sotto Il Monte Giovanni XXIII in the west. White, rosato, and red wines can be made under the IGT with any of the allowable grapes for Lombardia. 

Castello di Grumello Medera, 2021

The Castello di Grumello Medera falls under the Bergamasca IGT. A 100% varietal wine made from the rare, regional grape, Merera. Merera (historically and regionally known as Medera) is a late-ripening grape with thick skins, resistant to both powdery mildew and botrytis. Not a great deal more information can be found about this grape as cultivation is quite small…in fact, the less than half hectare plot at Grumello is the only commercial planting.

The grapes grow at about 200 meters elevation in marly-limestone soils on an east-facing incline. In the winery, grapes get de-stemmed, fermented in open vats with eight days maceration and two daily punch-downs. Malolactic conversion happens in stainless steel tanks as does the ageing. Castello di Grumello produces fewer than 2000 bottles of this wine. 

A medium, clear ruby in the glass, the Medera evinced spicy aromas of both black and white pepper, with dried Bing cherry. A silky palate with low tannin, medium acidity, and moderate alcohol (12.5%), it was easy to drink and quite enjoyable with the foods.

Bergamasco is not just the name of the IGT, it’s a word that describes anything typical to the region, like casoncelli. Think of casoncelli as a long raviolo, filled with (usually) pork and breadcrumbs and dressed simply with melted butter, bacon, fried sage, and  Grana Padano.

Bergamo is also home to a number of cheeses including 9 DOPs and several cheeses that haven’t quite made it to the DOP level yet: 

 

• Bitto DOP
• Grana Padana DOP
• Formai de Mut dell’Alta Valle Brembana
• Provolone Valpadana DOP
• Quartirolo Lombardo DOP
• Salva Cremasco DOP
• Strachítunt DOP
• Taleggio DOP
• Gorgonzola DOP
• Branzi

Naturally several of those came home with me!

Keep the good times rolling with more indigenous Italian grapes!

Don’t forget to check out what the others in the #ItalianFWT group are sharing this month!

• An Umbrian Grape with Greek Origins: Cantina Roccafiore Grechetto di Todi Fiordalis + Pesce alla Ghiotta by Culinary Cam
• BI.VI.SI.: Revitalizing Sicily’s native, ancient vines for forgotten flavors like Frappato by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley
• Brachetto: A Piemontese Grape Meant for Food! by Keep the Peas
• Castello di Grumello Medera & Casoncelli by The Quirky Cork
• Ciliegiolo, Great Wines for Spring by Avvinare
• Durella – Native vine of the Lessini Mountains that Sparkles by Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Pasta, Wine, and a Cookbook Review by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pizza Wine! Fresh, Fruity, and Made from Native Italian Grapes by My Full Wine Glass
• Sicilian Wine Grapes: Grillo and Frappato by Cooking Chat
• Sicily’s Zibibbo Grape with Fish Cakes by Vino Travels
• Unlock the Beauty of Mexican Wines: The Fusion of Italian Indigenous Grapes by Our Good Life

*Of course being me, I just have to plug Turkish wines. Italy has almost more indigenous grapes than any other country, but still lags far behind Turkey. We have over 1400 grapes with nearly 900 of them (so far!) identified as being both genetically unique, and endemic to Turkey.