Boutique Wines :
For a few years now, I have happily watched and experienced Nashville’s growing hip food scene and ever increasing availability of boutique wines from just about anywhere in the world. Local restaurants that feature local artisan foods are popping up everywhere. This is what defines our area and its uniqueness.
Boutique wines are high quality wines that are produced from small wineries in limited amounts and are of consistent quality and of great value. Nashville is lucky to have several boutique wine distributors. They also define their specific area of where they are produced.
100 % Italiano,Inc is a local wine distributor located in Nashville.They specialize in providing us with boutique Italian wines of high quality,indigenous and rare grapes.
Becoming increasingly captivated by their unique,delicious and approachable wines, I wanted to share these unique wine finds so you too can enjoy!
This week, the WINE to FIND is SIIR which is 100% Aglianico Del Vulture. (vull-TORE-ay). This means the grape-Aglianico-is from the region of Vulture in the southern region of Italy known as Basilicata. This is one of the two regions that this grape is grown in Southern Italy, the other being the Campania Region.
The grape “ah-lee-ON-eekoh” Aglianico is a bold and powerful red wine of this area.
My Wine Find for this week:
SIIR is produced and estate bottled at the vineyards in San Martino,Italy.
The name SIIR means FATHER,in Lucanian,the dialect spoken in Basilicata.
What a perfect name for the grape that rules this area!
The hot climate and rich ancient volcanic and clay soils of the Vulture,Basilicata Region of Southern Italy produce rich,deeply-colored wine with firm tannins,smooth and rich texture with aromas and flavors of dark fruit and blackberries,dark chocolate,expresso,minerals and leather.This reflects the uniqueness of the soils in the region and makes it a perfect region for growing the grape Aglianico.
All in the Family:
Lorenzo Piccin, the winemaker, is 23 years old! Along with his family Fabrizio,Cecilia and their parents, there is a combined pure effort that contributes to the success of the winery and family business. Their belief is that all you need to produce a great wine is to produce healthy grapes and bring this ripe grapes at the right time for production.
The vines are organically grown and the yeasts are indigenous to the area making the unique characteristics of this grape hard to reproduce anywhere else. Vulture,the region within the Basilicata Region, is the area where Aglianico Del Vulture is best grown and was awarded the only DOCG in the Basilicata area in 2011. This is the only grape allowed to grow in this area.
PAIRINGS:
SIIR is an extremely friendly food-pairing wine. Pairing up this wine with my some of my favorite foods was fun. The intense dark fruits of blackberries and plums and its firm tannins,unique earthiness and long finish were a perfect match for my Pan-Seared Lamb Chops with Sage,Lemon and Garlic. The lively minerality and earthy coffee and leather aroma as well as the firm tannins highlighted the earthiness of the lamb and fresh sage with fresh lemon juice.
This delightfully bold and earthy wine stands up to the boldness of lamb and Rigatoni with Spicy Arrabiata Pasta sauce and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. You definitely want a bold wine to pair with this menu instead of wines with delicate tannins and fruit.
Red pepper flakes,intense red sauce,sun-dried tomatoes and bright green peas all tossed with flavorful olive oil is a family favorite and a perfect easy go-to dish for this delightfully food friendly Italian wine. Oven-fired pizza with artichokes and eggplants and rich red sauces with lasagna or chicken parmesan would be other food pairing ideas.
My friends at 100% Italiano Rock! Viviana,Andrea,Maria Pia and Brian are fabulous people. All are fabulous cooks and I have been lucky enough to share wine and food with them on several occasions.
If you want to know more about this wine and other wines distributed by 100% Italiano please contact them through their website.
You can find this wine at Red Dog,Grand Cru,The Wine Shoppe at Greenhills and Brinkmann’s Wine and Spirits in the Nashville area.
Next time you dine at JJ’s Wine Bar,
City House Restaurant or Margot Cafe and Bar, three hip wining and dining establishments in Nashville, enjoy a glass of SIIR with your meal.
CIAO for NOW!
Haven’t had an Aglianico in a while…I’ll have to try to find this one! Your lamb chops are a great idea for this time of year as well. Thanks for the suggestions.
great article! really nice pictures! Good job Lisa.
you are completely right this wine is fantastic and yes SIIR is an extremely friendly food-pairing wine. Salute!