Last month I had the chance to attend the Dalla Terra spring producer tour here in Raleigh, NC. More than 20 producers from Italy poured at The Longleaf Hotel & Lounge’s patio. I’ll be honest–I didn’t get to stop at every producer, so instead of talking about each one, I want to talk about the event overall and highlight a few of the producers and some of the wines that stood out to me along the way.
Overall the event was amazing. Setting aside that they couldn’t have asked for nicer weather to host an outdoor wine event, the event included producers from all over Italy pouring wines of every style; including some that I don’t normally associate with Italy.
To be sure, there were plenty of bottles of Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio being poured–the 2023 and 2022 Pinot Grigios from Terra Alpina both stood out to me for both being refreshing and having mineral notes that sang on a warm May day–but I also got to try Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, and several amazing Vermouths that are going to be perfect as aperitifs as the weather continues to get hot.
Speaking of Vermouths, I enjoyed talking with Elena Penna Currado Vietti of Elena Spirits. Her family has been making wine and spirits in Italy for generations, but their current line of Vermouths was truly amazing. While you could certainly use them to make cocktails, the Vermouth di Torino Rosso BB21 is a stunning example of a vermouth that can stand independently. Garnet in color, with aromas of spice and vanilla and flavors of spice, cola, and a touch of bitter on the finish. Just serve this over ice before or after dinner.
Next to Elena was Almare Spritz from the Veneto region. Made using Glera grapes (the same grapes used to make Prosecco), the 3 spritzes offered were ideal for a warm day. The Classico Spritz had an Aperol expression, with bitter botanical notes. The Hugo Spritz was floral, light, and refreshing; the perfect pool wine, according to my notes. The Pompelmo Rosa Spritz was refreshing with grapefruit and citrus notes.
Shifting to something a little more traditional, Vietti wines gave me the chance to try some grapes I was familiar with, along with several I’d never heard of. Hailing from the Piemonte region, highlights for me included the 2024 Roero Arneis DOCG, with floral notes and a hint of mineral. Made with 100% Arneis, which was a new grape for me, it was done in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation.
On the more familiar side, the 2020 “Castiglione” Barolo DOCG, made with 100% Nebbiolo, showed a lovely brick color, intense flavors of dried fruit, and a dry finish that begged for food, but wasn’t “too” dry either.
The other producer that really bears mentioning (and this isn’t a slight on the others because there were so many good ones) is Inama. From the Veneto region, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked up to their table and saw they were pouring Carmenere. The 2022 “Carmenere Piu” Veneto Rosso IGT was juicy, spicy, and with just a hint of pepper. A blend of 85% Carmenere and 15% Merlot, it’s easily the wine I was least expecting that evening, and the one that I was thinking about the most the next day.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the 2023 Vin Soave Classico DOC from Inama as well. Made with 100% Garganega, it was floral, mineral, and at 11.5% alc/vol, it’s an easy sipper that I would happily keep several bottles of on hand for the hot and humid North Carolina summer.
I want to say a huge thanks to Dalla Terra for the invite to this event; it was amazing and I only wish that I’d had more time to be able to chat with more of the producers. The breadth of the wine that they’re representing is amazing, and it has me even more excited for my trip to Italy this September (and yes, my wife and I have adjusted some of our planned excursions after this event to make sure we get out to some wineries).
