2021 GREAT WINES OF ITALY MASTERCLASSES

THE TASTE OF ITALY: GREATNESS AND DIVERSITY

Nov 10, 2021 (Wednesday); 5 P.M. – 6 P.M.

@ James Suckling Wine Central

11 wines to taste / HK$588 per person

Join this special wine tasting masterclass and roundtable conversation hosted and presented by the JamesSuckling.com tasting team.

Come explore the variety and diversity of Italian wines. If some regions are more popular than others, Italy offers truly unique wines in many different regions. From the northern terroirs of Alto Adige, this mountainous region located right under Austria and Lombardy, home of some of the finest Italian sparkling to aromatic whites from Friuli, the island wines from Sardegna or the outstanding red wines from Lazio and Campania, Italy has a variety of grapes and styles that are worth digging into.

Bellavista Franciacorta Teatro alla Scala Brut 2016 – 95 pts

LOMBARDY – Terrific aromas of bread dough, lemon and dried apple with some strawberry, following through to a full body with a dense and almost oily palate. Lemon curd and brioche, too, as well as fresh almonds. Citrusy and biscuity at the end. Layered texture.

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Kaltern Pinot Bianco Alto Adige Quintessenz 2019 – 93 pts

ALTO ADIGE – Dense, focused pinot package here with loads of fresh citrus and mineral character that is nicely focused on the medium-to-full palate, thanks to a tight framework of bright minerals and acidity that provide forward drive and length. Intensifies into a thin bead of citrus fruit and mineral that doesn’t want to stop. Super.

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Schiopetto Friulano Collio Mario Schiopetto M 2019 – 97 pts

FRIULI – VENEZIA GIULIA – Lots of peach-pit, stone, sliced-apple, acacia and citrus aromas follow through to a full body with lovely polish and intensity. Lots of flint and stone. Very intense and steely. Gun metal. Dry finish. Delicious now, but will age very well in the future. Be patient. Needs two or three years to show its true self.

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Suavia Soave Classico Monte Carbonare 2019 – 96 pts

VENETO – Incredible melange of fruit on the nose here. Layered with lip-smackingly fresh, exotic fruit up front and a dense bed of sweeter fruit and mineral underneath. The intensity doesn’t let off for minutes.

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Vite Colte Barolo del Comune di Barolo Essenze 2017 – 93 pts

PIEDMONT – Ripe plums with berries, walnuts, leather and hints of spice. It’s full-bodied with round, chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Solid.

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Capezzana Carmignano Trefiano Riserva 2016 – 93 pts

TUSCANY – A pretty pumped-up Carmignano with lots of ripe fruit and new wood, yet there’s underlying seriousness to the full body and intensity with a long, flavorful finish.

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Podernuovo a Palazzone Toscana Argirio 2016 – 94 pts

TUSCANY – A red with blueberry and raspberry character, as well as black olive. Full body. Flavorful finish. Shows polish and seriousness, as always.

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Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 2014 – 93 pts

TUSCANY – There’s underlying, subtle fruit to this with fresh citrus undertones. Focused and fine. Medium-bodied, linear and bright and a beautiful finish. Drink and enjoy.

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Villa Saletta Toscana 980AD 2016 – 94 pts

TUSCANY – This is very fresh and bright with very pretty herbs, wet earth and crushed spice. Full to medium body, fine tannins and a crisp finish.

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Donnachiara Taurasi Riserva 2017 – 95 pts

CAMPAGNIA – Subtle and complete. A firm, polished tannin structure and a long, flavorful finish. Hints of chocolate and spice. Nice freshness to the depth.

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Pala Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva 2017 – 93 pts

SARDINIA – Well-structured palate with bright fruit and firm, spice-coated tannins that combine to give a long, clean and flavorful finish.

Altesino / ALTO ADIGE

Established in 1972, Altesino is one of the benchmarks of single-vineyard Brunello di Montalcino. The estate leads the way with exceptionally balanced and structured Brunello. Altesino wines stand in contrast to most Brunellos, which are blended from grapes harvested across the small region. Its single-vineyard wonder, Montosoli, consistently rates as one of Montalcino’s leading wines, and one of Italy’s best reds.

Cantine Kaltern / ALTO ADIGE

Cantina Kaltern is a historical cooperative winery representing a whole village and its vintners. With its 2018 vintage, Kaltern became the first Italian wine producer and first cooperative to be awarded FAIR’N GREEN’s Certificate for Sustainable Viticulture.

Schiopetto / FRIULI

A true standard-bearer of Friuli wine located in the rolling hills of Capriva del Friuli, Schiopetto is one of the oldest estates in Collio. It owes its fame to the late pioneer Mario Schiopetto, who ushered in a new era of Italian wine in the latter part of the 1960s by utilizing modern technology in the winemaking process.

Suavia / VENETO

The Tessari family has lived and worked on the land comprising the Suavia estate since the 19th century. Today sisters Meri, Valentina and Alessandra Tessari run the winery in Fitta, in the very heart of the volcanic hills of the Soave Classico, the highest and most historical part of this ancient denomination.

Bellavista / LOMBARDIA

The Moretti family began making sparkling wines in northern Italy’s Franciacorta region in the late 1970s. It did not take long for their winery, Bellavista, to become a leading producer of the sparkling style; some even proclaim them as the country’s best, rivaling the top names in Champagne.

Vite Colte / PIEMONTE

The enterprising project that is Vite Colte enables dedicated grape-growing families of Piedmont to see a portion of their labours brought to bottle under their own terms. These small plots, totalling 300 hectares, have been converting to organic farming. Varietals run the gamut from arneis and erbaluce to sauvignon blanc and nebbiolo, and wines offer good value, particularly the well-crafted Barolos.

Capezzana / TOSCANA

Wine jars and tasting cups found in Etruscan tombs date to approximately 1000 BC, showing that vines have been cultivated in Carmignano since pre-Roman times. Capezzana is dated to 804 AD and was bought by the Contini Bonacossi family in 1922. Capezzana is still a family business today and the last two generations of the family have been responsible for making beautifully crafted wines at all price points.

Podernuovo a Palazzone / TOSCANA

Podernuovo a Palazzone, founded by Giovanni Bulgari, is a Tuscan winery where high-quality wine production, environmental responsibility and beautiful landscapes come together. Giovanni Bulgari, well known for the family’s outstanding jewelery production, has dedicated himself to Podernuovo a Palazzone since early 2000.

Villa Saletta / TOSCANA

Taking over this huge, historic estate with a winery at Montanelli in central Tuscany – Villa Saletta was mentioned in diocese archives in 980 AD – the current owners have been painstakingly restoring its former glory.

Famiglia Cotarella / LAZIO

The Cotarella brothers, Renzo and Riccardo, whose careers have known no bounds, founded the Falesco winery in Montefiascone in 1979. Located between Lake Bolsena in Lazio and Orvieto in Umbria, the Cotarella family vineyards have proven that these two central Italy regions can make outstanding wines. The pure merlot Montiano has a global following. Expanding their focus on Central Italy, the family purchased Winery Le Macioche in Montalcino, Tuscany, in 2017.

Donnachiara / CAMPANIA

The finesse and balance exhibited by the Donnachiara wines of Avellino has made them among James’s favorites in the Campania region. Donnachiara has been crafting wines for more than 150 years, but it was the Petitto family who established the modern winery that you can see today.

Pala / SARDEGNA

Rooted in Serdiana in southern Sardinia since 1950, the Pala winery is a four-generation success story. Native grapes predominate in six stretches of vineyards totaling 110 hectares and are farmed organically.

This masterclass tasting at James Suckling Wine Central is part of Great Wines of Italy 2021 Grand Tasting & Masterclass Program throughout November – a series of curated tasting events featuring close to 100 of Italy’s greatest producers and their top-scoring wines. Check out the full line-up of all masterclass tastings and other programs during the tasting month at: www.jamessuckling.com/event/great-wines-italy-hongkong-2021

Book your ticket now to reserve your seat!

For question or enquiries, contact us at eventsAsia@jamessuckling.com or via phone at 2539 7999.