Italian Festival Wine Tasting

The winery Basilisco, since its start in the early 1990's, aimed at the highest quality both in the vineyards and in the winemaking. It became in this short time a pearl in the Southern Italian scene. Then in 2011 Feudi di San Gregorio, the leading winery in the South of Italy, and specifically in the Vulture region, decided to start a project reclaiming its ancient tuff stone caves in the “Shesh”, the historic Park of cellars of Barile. This commitment was animated by the firm belief in the uniqueness of this exceptional viticulture area. It was a natural and obvious choice to purchase the Basilisco winery with its beautiful tuff stone cellars and its prime vineyards in the historical heart of the Aglianico del Vulture area. Viviana Malafarina is the “face and the soul” of Basilisco: she manages all the aspects of the winery and work with huge passion in the cellar guided by Pierpaolo Sirch who is also responsible for the vineyards. The Teodosio Aglianico is ruby red in color with violet purple hints. Soft fruit aromas follow with a prevalence of plum and morello cherry. Well-balanced, full-bodied, and persistent with a lingering finish, we tasted and positively loved this Aglianico. 

This white blend from Sicily is super fresh, lively and charming with aromas and flavors of sea breezes, citrus, apricot skin and flowers. We met the owner of Santa Tresa who also produces Purato wines and the wines were all so good it was hard to only buy a few! Organic, eco-friendly, vegan and authentically Sicilian, this wine is packaged with recycled glass and cardboard, it is carbon neutral and simply delizioso! Serve with fresh fish, white meats, fresh salads, cheeses, salumi, green olives and more!   

The Brancher estate is owned by the Ronfini family, and the winemaker is Mariano Pancot. With 15 hectares under vine, Brancher produces only 120,000 bottles per year in the region of Veneto. A landscape of unique beauty, with vineyards upon gentle hills, it is here, in the traditional Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco region, that Brancher wines take form. This charming territory renowned for Prosecco is rich in historical attractions and striking landscapes with steep, sun-drenched slopes that make vine growers work very hard. 70% of the grapes for this Prosecco come from very old, complex 50 year old vines, and all of the grapes are hand picked in the beginning of September. The first vintage was 1996, and today the production is 35,000 bottles (less than 3000 cases which is very very small especially for Prosecco. This is not a mass-produced commercial version of this popular sparkler). Also to achieve the highest quality, Brancher is very attentive regarding vinification techniques using the latest equipment with cold temperatures to maintain the freshness of their sparkling wines. Moreover to keep the wine clean and natural, Brancher does not use sulphur dioxide in the first stages of production. 

Look for an inviting straw yellow color with greenish reflections. The perlage is fine with long lasting bubbles. On the nose it is intense and flowery, revealing its freshness with citrus sensations together with more complex hints of ripe pear and melon. On the palate it is elegant and delicately aromatic with a good structure. A wonderful refreshing sip, perfectly balanced between acidity and fleshy fruity sensations.