Pasqua Vigneti / Cecilia Beretta - "Soraie" red blend [Italy]

I don't think I've reviewed too many Italian wines for this blog. Like France, Italy has far too many wines to exhaustively try and many oenologists dedicate their lives to the study and appreciation of Italian wines. And there are a couple of Italian wines that seem to be most popular, or at least most common. When I was in Italy with my father, I think our dinner reds were generally Chianti and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. But, of course, there are plenty of others that are worth trying, and I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't give them a try!

Today's is one such blend. It's called "Soraie" by winery Pasqua Vigneti E Cantine S.P.A., under the trade label Cecilia Beretta. 

The wine, made near Venice in the northern Italian province of Veneto, is made using a technique called appassimento, which allows the grapes to dry naturally for a bit before starting the winemaking process. This allows the grapes to ripen first, which changes the flavor and the amount of sugar in the grapes. The appassimento technique is used often; Amarone is a very popular wine made in this style.

According to today's bottle, this wine is made from vines grown at the highest altitude of the vineyard; it contains the following grape proportions:

• 40% Merlot
• 30% Corvina (an Italian varietal also known as Cruina or Corvina Veronese)
• 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 10% Croatina (another Italian grape, often grown in Lombary and Emilia-Romagna regions)

My research indicates the two Italian grapes mentioned above are often parts of blends, especially Croatina, which is indicated as a common part of Amarone blends. Interesting! I've never had those, but I have had Merlot and Cab Sauv...and my knowledge of Merlot, and given the weight of Merlot in this blend (especially given it's a northeastern Italian Merlot) I have a feeling it's going to be soft and easy-drinking; contrast to a more aggressive red like a a Pinot Noir, perhaps, or even a Zinfandel.

Initially, it's bright and soft, even a bit thin, but develops into bright cherry and strawberry flavors that form the body of the wine. Not a lot of alcohol or tannic flavors in there. There's a lingering finish of fruit with some nice sugary sweetness. Texture-wise, I found this to be smooth and silky with not a lot of objectionable qualities. Overall, sweeter and lighter than I expected, although very pleasing. 

These kinds of wine are called "fruit-forward" or "fruit-driven." The ripeness of a grape can be a strong indicator of a fruit-forward wine; so it's no surprise then that grapes partially-ripened before being made into wine would yield a very sweet and fruity wine. The softness of the wine, i.e. the lack of tannins and low acidity, makes it an easy drinker and suitable for both pairing with food and with drinking on its own; food-wise, I've served it with dishes like cumin-crusted pork with blood orange & fig reduction; also with pan-fried lemon chicken with mushrooms and roasted green beans (pictured below) and I imagine it would go great with any Italian dish with white sauce (here I'm thinking, maybe my homemade goat cheese alfredo.) At $8.99, it's very affordable and a good buy, especially to have on hand in case you're looking for a nice red to pair with dinner.