Slow Wine from Piedmont: Cantalupo, Icardi, Mossio

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Cantalupo, Icardi, Mossio, three producers that were presented when Slow Wine, the wine part of the Slow Food movement, came to Sweden. Slow Wine wants to bring forward some of Italy’s best wine producers and help them to spread the fame of Italian wines worldwide. BKWine’s reporter Tobias Karlsson reports.

Earlier this year a number of Italian wine makers came to Sweden to present their wines in conjunction with Slow Wine. Slow Wine is a wine magazine which has a slightly different focus than most. It describes it as follows:

“The Slow Wine Guide critiques wine through the perspective of the Slow Food philosophy, believing That wine, just as with food, must be good, clean, and fair – not just good. In this regard, we give ample space and prominence to small-scale winemakers who are using traditional techniques, working with respect for the environment and terroir, and Safeguarding the incredible biodiversity of grape varieties that are part of Italy’s heritage.”

Read all the articles in the three-part series on Piedmont’s wines:

Vineyards on hills in Barolo, Piedmont
Vineyards on hills in Barolo, Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

They select a number of wineries that they particularly like and go on a promotional tour around the world together. 2016 was the first time they came to Sweden and Stockholm. The stop in Sweden was planned in collaboration with the Vini del Piemonte and therefore there is a focus on wines from Piedmont. I was there but did not taste everything. Instead of presenting it as a long list of tasting notes I have chosen to make it into a mini-series of articles and thus get the opportunity to tell you more about the wineries. This is the first part.

The wines could get three different classifications:

Slow Wines, which, besides excellent sensory characteristics, manage to distil the character of their terroir, history and environment in the glass.”

Great Wines, which possess the absolute sensory quality.”

Everyday Wines, bottles at the standard price level that present excellent value for money.”

The Alfieri wine cellar in Piedmont
A wine cellar in Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

Antichi Vigneti Di Cantalupo

The vineyard is owned by the Arlunno family located in Ghemme in the northern part of Piedmont. In total they have 34 hectares of vineyards. 80% is Nebbiolo, or Spanna as it is known locally. All handling of the grapes is done manually, from trellising to harvest. The family has made wine for many generations and they have been in the region since around the 1500s. However, wine production in a more serious shape and form is relatively new to them. It was only in 1977 that Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo started and the family became quality oriented winemakers.

The wines tasted were:

Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo Agamium 2008: The wine had a fairly light nose where dominated by dark berries. The wine also had a nice floral tone. Light and elegant at the start with a well-balanced finish. Light fruit with hints of strawberry. 87 p.

Cantalupo Ghemme 2008: A little more discrete than the wine above. There was some fruit and with a little time dark tones emerged, such as liquorice and tar. Quite dominant tannins. Some sweet fruit at the end. 85 p.

“Slow Wine”:

Ghemme Collis Carellae 2009: The first thing I thought of when I smelled it was barn-yard. After that came light tones of strawberry and raspberry. The wine seemed a little bit lacking in body and had medium-strong tannins and a rather short finish. 83 p.

Vineyard landscape in Barolo, Piedmont
Vineyard landscape in Barolo, Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

Azienda Agricola Icardi

Pierino started to make wine already in the early 60’s and today the work is continued by his son and daughter Claudio and Mariagrazia. Claudio is the winemaker and is a proponent of biodynamic farming. The farm is now certified organic. Mariagrazia is responsible for sales and spends much of the year traveling. The winery is located in Castiglione Tinella on the border between the Langhe and Monferrato. In total they have 50 ha of vineyards plus 15 hectares of forest. 80% of production is exported.

Icardi Pafoj Bianco 2014. A blend of Chardonnay (40%) and Sauvignon Blanc (60%) fermented in stainless steel. The wine is fresh and light. There is a lot of fruit and some floral notes. Despite the high proportion of sauvignon blanc the wine is not overly aromatic. 84 p.

Dadelio Bianco 2014. Biodynamic. High acidity. Very fresh. Honey, melon, flowers. 83 p.

Barbera d’Asti Nui Sui 2012. Dark liquorice and not too tannic. The wine is medium-bodied with a fine finish. The acidity is well balanced and the wine in the mid-range. The wine ends with a long aftertaste of blackberry. 84 p.

“Slow Wine”:

Barbaresco Montubert 2012. A full-bodied and fine wine that at the same time is quite light. There is a lot of fruit balanced by good acidity at the end. Very long finish. The tannins solidly present without being too heavy. 87 p.

Barolo Parej 2011. Fruitier, and slightly darker berries than in the Barbaresco. Very present, grainy tannins and distinct acidity. Long mineraly finish. Three years in new oak. Black currant and blackberry. 88 p.

Vineyards on hills in Barolo, Piedmont
Vineyards on hills in Barolo, Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

Cantina Mossio

The Mossio family has a clear focus on Dolcetto and the family has been running the vineyard for 3 generations. Although the Dolcetto gets much attention the do also make other wines such as barbera and nebbiolo. They had brought three Dolcetto wines.

”Everyday wines”:

Dolcetto d’Alba Piano delli Perdoni 2014. Quiet and calm wine. Very dark finish. Hint of glycerol. Light, fruity and modest acidity. 85 p.

Dolcetto d’Alba Bricco Caramelli 2014. 60 years old vines. Some burned/smoky notes. Dark berries, blackberries and pretty strong tannins. Very enjoyable wine. Dark but not tart. 87 p.

Dolcetto d’Alba Superior Gamus 2013. Dark berries. More sweet fruit than the wines above. A year in oak, aromas of liquorice and blackcurrant. Some hints of alcohol and with fairly solid tannins. 88 p.

Keep your eyes open for the next part of the mini-series.

Tobias Karlsson writes on BKWine Magazine on wine tastings with wine merchants and importers.

[box type=”info” style=”rounded” border=”full”]Piedmont has a very wide range of wines, not only the world famous Barolos and Barbarescos. Come on a wine tour to Piedmont and discover all these exciting wines and the good food, with BKWine.

Travel to the world’s wine regions with experts on wine and the specialist on wine tours.

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Vineyards in Barolo, Piedmont
Vineyards in Barolo, Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography
An old cellar with big oak barrels, botti, in Barolo, Piedmont
An old cellar with big oak barrels, botti, in Barolo, Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

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