Italian Sparklers Hitting US Shores for the First Time
Visiting Eros Zanon’s vineyards and winery making natural pet nat style sparkling wines.
In our recent foraging for new wines and olive oils for you to try, we’ve come across a number of sparkling wines from small producers never before in the US market. We really go out of our way to seek out small production farmer-artisan wines which have never touched US soil. This makes our portfolio of sustainably made hidden gems really unique.
We just received a container ‘off the boat’ from Italy which has lots of delicious, interesting new finds. And many of them are bubbles. We want to whet your appetite and give you an exclusive look into what’s in store. (Note: we’ll be throwing around a lot of sparkling wine terms in this article. For a primer, check out this article.)
The First Time This Grape is Ever in the US
Tasting Eros Zanon’s Boschera Traditional Method Natural Sparkling Wine on the lees.
Our founder, Sheila Donohue, was at dinner 5 years ago at a friend’s house in Italy when someone brought a bottle of Boschera sparkling wine. She was intrigued: she never heard of this wine, which is a monovarietal made from the Boschera grape, and found it complex yet easy to drink with a unique herbal character. She looked up the producer, Eros Zanon, and called him to find out more. Boschera is a grape grown in Veneto where they also cultivate glera for Prosecco, but it’s a super small production with only about 20 acres of vineyards in the world. In fact, looking up in Ian D’Agata’s ‘bible’ ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’, he only gives it a brief mention since there is so little production and not much is known about it. But Eros back then was not interested in exporting his wine. That happens a lot with small producers. They make such small quantities of delicious wine that sell out via word-of-mouth. In fact, some of the small production wines we import from Italy don’t even make it to wine stores and restaurants in Italy!
But Sheila would not give up. Finally, last year when she and colleague Jacqueline Mitchell went to visit Eros in his vineyard and winery, he caved in! Now, we have his Boschera on its way to our US warehouse!
Eros recognizes the complexity and structure of the Boschera grape, which is more significant compared to the ubiquitous Glera grape cultivated all around the area to make Prosecco. While all of his wines are sparkling and refermented in the bottle on the lees without disgourging, Eros decides to keep his Boschera refermenting in the bottle on its lees for at least 3 years. And since it is not disgourged, the wine in the bottle continues to evolve. This results in a wine that has the complexity of a champagne style method but with the nattiness of an unfiltered Pet Nat. It is truly unique! You gotta try it!
A new Prosecco Pet Nat too
Eros Zanon’s Pet Nat Prosecco made with native yeast fermentation.
If you recall, last year we imported for the first time Col del Balt - Sanzovo’s delicious Proseccos from Valdobbiadene. One of them is a Prosecco Pet Nat, Codolà, which has been flying off the shelves. (To read up on this wine style check out this article.) So, since Eros Zanon also makes a Prosecco Pet Nat made with native yeast fermentation, we decided to give that a go too. We like to carry different wines which have the same grape but come from different places so you can compare and contrast. While Col del Balt - Sanzovo is in Valdobbiadene, Eros’ glera (Prosecco) vineyard is north and at a higher elevation and with calcereous soil, an area which in ancient times was under the sea. Having different locations and terroir allows you to compare and contrast the 2 Prosecco Pet Nats. They’re both dry, fruity and saline but with different nuances that you have to explore for yourself. And great thirst-quenching, low alcohol sparkler for warmer days coming up.
An Alternative Champagne Style Wine
Sandro de Bruno’s 36 month and 60 month Traditional Method Sparkling Wines made from the Durella grape.
As much as we love Champagne, there is almost more intrigue about a wine made in the Champagne method but made with a different grape, other than the usual chardonnay, pinot noir, etc. In Veneto, south west of the Prosecco wine region not far from Verona grows a native grape called Durella. It is known for high acidity which is a required attribute in high quality sparkling wines. Sandro de Bruno, the name of both the esate winery and the winery owner, makes a variety of still wines, although his ‘pet project’ is his classic method, or Champagne style, sparkling wines made with the Durella grape that is cultivated on hilly volcanic soil. While the grape is Durella, the sparkling wine’s appellation is Lessini Durello, often called by its short name Durello (leave it to the Italians to confuse us between the grape name Durella vs the wine’s name Durello!) Sandro de Bruno makes 2 Durello Traditional Method sparkling wines:
one aged for 36 months in the bottle on the lees before disgourgement
Guess what: both wines got rated 95 points by Wine Enthusiast!… AND these wines have never been in the US before and, along with the other delicious sparklers mentioned in this article, they are due to arrive any day now to our warehouse for Americans to enjoy, far and wide!
A Moscato d’Asti to Die For
Andrea Ivaldi’s delicious Moscato d’Asti.
There are a lot of Moscato fans in the US, and many Americans identify Moscato as a sweet wine. As such, it is often put in a ‘box’ in which you are either a Moscato lover or you avoid Moscato at all costs. Moscato has been victim of its own success, like Lambrusco as well, as we recounted in this article. Asti Spumante was the thing in the 70’s and 80s’, as baby boomers and some Gen X’s would remember commercials about Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante. Asti Spumante is a DOCG Italian wine appellation made from the Moscato Bianco grape in the Asti area of Piedmont, hence its name. Moscato is a family of grapes, considered one of the oldest in the worlds which are aromatic, given them a lot of appeal, especially when made as a sweeter wine. Moscato d’Asti is another DOCG Italian wine appellation made from the Moscato Bianco grape in the Asti area, also sparkling and sweet, but considered to be a higher quality than Asti Spumante.
We were on a mission this winter to find a really good Moscato d’Asti, meaning one with high acidity to balance the sweetness. We were fortunate to come across Ivaldi estate winery, a three generation old family winery in Nizza Monferrato, in the Asti province of Piedmont, just north of the Langhe. Andrea, the 3rd generation, showed us his vineyards and winery, and once we sat down to taste his wines, we were impressed with all of them.
His Moscato d’Asti had such a pretty and complex nose that we just kept smelling, not wanting to ‘waste’ the euphoria our nose was experiencing by tasting it. Then when tasting, we were shocked: we absolutely loved this Moscato d’Asti with such delicious fruit and chamomile flavors but with the right amount of acidity to make it balanced with a clean finish.
Andrea Ivaldi’s wines have never been in the US market, so his delicious Moscato d’Asti is making its US debut along with his delicious Barberas and these following 2 amazing sparklers.
A Brachetto d’Acqui with Tannins
Andrea Ivaldi’s structured Bracetto d’Acqui aromatic, sweet red sparkling wine.
Brachetto d’Acqui, another DOCG appellation of sweet sparkling wines in the Asti area of Piedmont also suffers from a stigma. While a popular wine in the US, it is often snubbed down upon because it is sweet and considered a wine that is not for serious wine-drinkers. But like our hunt for a really good Moscato D’Asti, we were determined to find a Brachetto d’Acqui that even ‘serious’ wine-drinkers would like. And Kah-bing! When Andrea Ivaldi was describing his Brachetto d’Acqui just before we tasted it, our eyes perked up when he said that he macerates it for 5 days. So it’s a tannic Brachetto d’Acqui sweet sparkling red wine! It’s made from the aromatic Brachetto grape which has naturally high tannins which give this sweet wine structure, while the aromatics give it personality. Think rose, the flower! It’s a delight!
A ‘New’ ‘Old’ Champagne Style ltalian Wine
Andrea Ivaldi’s wine namesake: a crisp and complex Alta Langa Traditional Method Sparkling Wine
Thanks to the calcereous soil of Andrea Ivaldi’s vineyards, all of his wines have structure with a mineral backbone. Same goes for his wines made from his Chardonnay vineyards. When his area came out with the Alta Langa appellation for classic method sparkling wines made with Chardonnay, he jumped at the opportunity to make a champenois style sparkler. Alta Langa is a ‘newcomer’ DOCG appellation for Italian metodo classico sparkling wines, established in 2011, compared to Franciacorta DOCG which was established in 1995. Yet, according to the consortium, it is “a small appellation with a very long history: it was the first traditional method wine to be made in Italy, during the mid-19th century, in the “Underground Cathedrals” recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage.”
And, boy, when you taste Andrea’s Alta Langa vintage Chardonnay Classic Method Sparkling Wine, aged 30 months while refermenting in the bottle, you get why this is another really cool find! This delicious sparkling wine, like the others in this article, is arriving to US shores, literally, for the first time! For those of you in Long Beach, California look out for the container! It will be coming up the coast to our warehouse in Ventura, CA any day now.
Pre-order all of these unique sparkling wines today! Remember to add-on this champagne stopper to your order - it’s the best one out there!
Be the First to Try These in the USA! Get Them Now!
A 100% glera grape white sparkling wine made with native yeast fermentation, this natural wine vintage “prosecco” is from vineyards in the old part of Valdobbiadene, made also in the historic tradition of the ancestral style, or Pet Nat, as it is bottle fermented on the lees. A light color, giving an early hint to its bright acidity, the bouquet of citrus and lemon flowers bursts forth in the glass once it opens. When tasting this ancestral method natural wine, apricots and persistent bubbles create a sparkling wine that is enjoyable with brunch, aperitivos , get-togethers, you name it.
The circle and dot logo represents both the human existence and evolution, as well as winemaker Eros Zanon’s personal view of his vineyards, a dot of small-production boutique quality in the larger circle of large-production Proseccos.
This is an unfiltered sparkling wine made similar to the champagne style from a rare grape called Boschera, native to Veneto, Italy where there is less than 20 acres in the world! We were the first to import this grape into the US!
Compared to the Prosecco grape (Glera), Boschera is more complex, and in fact this wine has been aged for over 3 years in the bottle on the lees.
With 2 days of skin contact giving it a deep yellow color, this native yeast fermented natural wine is then refermented with its native lees and then undisgorged, so it is unfiltered and continues to age on the lees too, allowing it to become more complex over time.
You can say it is a vintage & aged ancestral method, or Pet Nat style, also called Col Fondo in Italian since it is on its lees. It has herbal, nutty and yeasty aromas and savory taste with a long saline finish. Pairs with many foods & throughout the meal, from appetizers to main course.
With a persistent perlage, a bright gold color lights up the glass as complex exotic fruits and citrus aromas burst forth. Tasting, it is a dry wine with a delicate balance of acidity and sapidity keep you sipping and enjoying until the last drop.
The volcanic soil of the Sandro de Bruno vineyards lend well to this ancient, yet up and coming grape known as Durella. With a thick skin rich in polyphenols, they expertly craft this grape in a sparkling wine using a classic Champagne method. A zero dosage, for 36 months the wine rests on the lees before dégorgement and it then rests again.
It is markedly less intense than its 60 month aged and 100 month aged counterparts, creating a great entry point to the durello grape. You can try all three of these wines for yourself in the Durello Flight Set!
Tastes Like: Limes and Green Apples
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Sustainable Winery | Volcanic Soil | Bottle Fermented | Champagne Style
Fun Facts: - “Linear and polished” is how Kerin O’Keefe in this Wine Enthusiast review describes this 95 point wine.
This Extra Brut Champagne style sparkling wine captivates the senses with complex flavors of lemons, delicate caramel, and underlying notes of apple, stone, and citrus pith.
It is a full-bodied sparkling wine, with a deep golden color and a marked minerality of flint and sapidity. The thick-skinned Durella grape thrives with long aging, and this wine’s 60-month on the lees aging delivers a fine, persistent perlage and a beautifully creamy texture on the palate.
It is markedly more intense than its 36 month aged counterpart, but less so than the 100 month aged counterpart, cutting a nice middle road between the two. You can try all three of these wines for yourself in the Durello Flight Set!
Tastes Like: Lemon cake and lemon pith
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Sustainable Winery | Volcanic Soil | Bottle Fermented | Champagne Style
Fun Facts: - As noted by Kerin O'Keefe of Wine Enthusiast for a past vintage, this wine presents a "smooth dry and delicious" profile with a bright acidity, resulting in a persistent and evolving experience with every sip.
- Crafted by the winemaker of Sandro de Bruno on high-altitude volcanic soils, near the romantic city of Verona.
Who doesn’t like chamomile and honey? That’s what this wine reminds you of! It’s a Moscato d’Asti that appeals both to sweet wine lovers and dry wine drinkers wanting a moment with a touch of sweetness.
The name of this wine, Ros du Su, means ‘Rays of Sunlight’ in Piemontese dialect where this Moscato d’Asti comes from. Looking at its bright, golden-yellow color, it is easy to understand the inspiration for this name.
In the glass, the aromatic qualities of moscato are the first noticeable aromas, but underneath subtle and persistent notes of honey and acacia and chamomile flowers come forth creating a complex bouquet. Tasting, the sweetness of the residual sugars are well balanced with freshness and sapidity. A pleasant wine that keeps you sipping, it pairs well with desserts, but is every bit as enjoyable alone in contemplation.
A certified sustainable winery, Ivaldipractices regenerative farming.
“Can we make Brachetto popular, please?” is how VinePair headlines why this artisanal, aromatic red sweet sparkling wine, just recently imported by us first time to the USA, made it to VinePair’s list of 13 Best Sweet Wines.
An aromatic grape, brachetto, creates a pleasantly slightly sparkling sweet red wine, with delicate rose flower and strawberry notes and strawberry and hibiscus taste. ‘Susbel’, in the local Piemontese dialect of Ivaldi in the Monferrato, refers to the location of the vineyard of this Brachetto d’Acqui, where the sun is bright and well exposed.
Left four days in contact with the skins and fermented with native yeast, this natural wine has a bright and clear light red color, dotted with fine effervescent bubbles. Sipping, the immediate impact is indeed sweet, yet with enough acidity and a hint of tannins to create a harmonious and balanced wine that keeps you coming back for more.
Wonderful to serve slightly chilled to sip with friends in the backyard on a hot summer day, or to serve with fruity desserts. Try pairing it with cheese, like with Humboldt Fog goat cheese - it goes incredibly well. It can also pair with charcuterie. Made with native yeast fermentation and has a residual sugar of 120 g/l.
A certified sustainable winery, Ivaldi Dario practices regenerative farming.
This Alta Langa Spumante, or an Italian sparkling wine, is an Extra Brut, with flavors of bread crust, caramel and candied fruit, with great acidity and salinity, a hint of sage and a long mineral finish.
Made following the traditional Champagne method, it ages on the lees for 30 months in the bottle. Alta Langa is a newer DOCG that is steeped in history and is an up-an-comer amongst Italian traditional method sparkling wines.
This vintage wine is from vineyards at 200 meters that are harvested slightly late to give the wine more structure. A Blanc de Blancs made from 100% chardonnay grapes, fine and persistent bubbles are present with an inviting straw yellow perlage.
Tastes Like: Bread crust, caramel, and candied fruit.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Winery | Biodynamic | Bottle fermented | Champagne Style
Fun Facts: - This wine is named for the current winemaker, Andrea Ivaldi, the 4th generation of his family to make wine, and the first to make a sparkling wine.
- A certified sustainable winery, Ivaldi practices regenerative farming.