1093 Seven Locks Road | Potomac, MD 20854; tel: +1 (301) 545-0966; www.amicimieiristorante.com
PS: Since the publication of this review Amici Miei has changed its address to 6 North Washington Street, Rockville, MD; tel. (301) 545-0966
By J.P.
Tasting Bites has recently reviewed Amici Miei and promised to address, at a later time, wine tasting events that this restaurant regularly promotes. We cover here two events: one held in February, 2014, with wines from the Umbria region; the other from May, 2014, with wines from three different regions along the Adriatic coast (Emilia-Romagna, Marche, and Molise), as well from the Calabria region in southern Italy. Calabria forms the "toe" of the boot-shaped Italian Peninsula, and lies between the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian Sea.
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| Italy Wine Regions Credit: Wikipedia |
When you talk about Italian wines, these are not regions that would come to mind, but it was exciting to explore what they might have to offer. In her comprehensive The Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil starts the chapter on Italian wines saying that grapevines “are Italy’s version of the American lawn”, and goes on informing that in 2001 there were 900,000 registered vineyards throughout Italy’s twenty regions, with more than one thousand documented grape varieties. Despite the variety of regions, if someone is asked to mention an Italian wine, chances are that the response will be a wine from Tuscany or Piedmont. Tuscany is home for the traditional Chianti, as well as, the Brunello di Montalcino, and the Super Tuscans (e.g., Sassicaia, and Tignanello), while Piedmont has, among many other top wines, the acclaimed Barolo.
These wine tastings at Amici Miei usually present five or six wines, accompanied by small hors d’oeuvres. The price is very reasonable (about $25) because the importer bringing the wine has the opportunity to sell extra bottles to the guests. These bottles are not immediately available and, once you place an order, it will still take a few weeks for you to be able to pick them up at some wine store in the area.
The tasting of Umbria wines was held on a Monday at 6:30 PM (President's Day holiday). Umbria is a small region in the middle of Italy, just east of Tuscany. The function took place in the back part of the Amici Miei dining room, which is separated by a curtain from the main dining area. Most places were taken and the promotion was certainly successful. A representative from Siema Wine Imports was the host.
Before sitting at the table, we were offered an Orvieto, Villa d', 2012. Orvieto is Umbria’s best known wine, produced around the medieval hill town of the same name. The Villa d’ is specially handcrafted for Siema Wines by a little boutique estate just outside the town. It is a blend of Grechetto, Procanico (Trebbiano), and Malvasia.
We then started a flight of five wines, accompanied by five appetizers:
(i) Orvieto Classico, Abboccato, 2012, Barbi
Orvieto wine is generally dry, but the characterization “abboccato” means that this is a semi-sweet wine. Barbi is a winery founded in 1932 by Enzo Barbi, with the estate located in Baschi and the commercial headquarters in Roncadelle, not related to the Fattoria dei Barbi, in Montalcino, Tuscany.
(ii) Vitiano, Rosato,2012
Produced by the Falesco winery, this wine is an Umbria IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) made of Merlot 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30%, Sangiovese 30%, Aleatico 10%.
The next three wines were all from Fattoria Colsanto, located in Bevagna (Perugia) and run by Valneo and Tonino Livon. A representative of the winery (Maurizio Dalmasson) joined our host from Siema Wine Imports for the presentation of the wines. He emphasized the key role played by Sagrantino grapes in the winemaking of the region.
(iii) Ruris, Colsanto, 2010 (Sangiovese, Merlot, Sagrantino);
(iv) Rosso di Montefalco, Colsanto (Sangiovese, Sagrantino);
(v) Sagrantino di Montefalco, Colsanto, 2009.
The Sagrantino di Montefalco is one of the two DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) of the Umbria region; the other is also a red wine, the Torgiano Rosso Riserva. The Sagrantino di Montefalco is a very powerful wine but the Wine Spectator described the 2009 Colsanto Sagrantino di Montefalco as “Light for a Sagrantino” and identified “layers of tannins, incense, tobacco, plum and smoke”. The Wine Spectator rating of this wine was 88.
In the end, as a bonus, we were offered a tasting of Il Ruspo, 2009, an Umbria IGT, 100% Sangiovese, also produced by Barbi.
Overall, it was a good experience; none of the wines was outstanding, but they were all good, with higher marks for the reds and, in particular, for the Sagrantino di Montefalco.
The tasting of wines from regions on the Adriatic coast of Italy plus the Calabria was held in the same setting and also had a good attendance. Surprisingly, it did not start with an Italian wine. We were offered first a white wine from the Italian winemaker Bastianich, made100% from Malvasia Bianca grapes and produced in the Istrian peninsula of Croatia.
This was followed by two white wines and three red wines. The white wines were:
(i) Falanghina, Terre Degli Osci, IGT
This is 100% Falanghina, a grape used for white wines and also known as Falanghina Greco. This wine is produced by Claudio Cipressi, a winemaker based in San Felice del Molise, in the Molise region.
(ii) Pallio di San Floriano,Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, DOC, Classico Superiore, 2010
This is 100% Verdicchio, a grape grown primarily in the Marche region. The name Verdicchio derives from verde (or "green") and refers to the slight green/yellow hue that wines made from this grape can have. This wine is produced by Monte Schiavo, a winery located in Maiolati Spontini, province of Ancona, in the Marche region.
(iii) Chiarli, Lambrusco
Lambrusco is a grape variety used to make a red wine that Italians refer to as a “frizzante”. It is slightly fizzy, but not quite sparkling to be called a “spumante”. It is mainly produced in the Emilia-Romagna region. Lambruscos can be dry or sweet. The Lambrusco that we had was sweet and categorized as “Rosso dell’Emilia IGT”. It is produced by Chiarli, a traditional winery located in Modena, Emilia Romagna.
(iv) Macchiarossa, Tintilia, DOC, 2008
This wine is 100% Tintilia, a red wine grape variety that is grown in the Molise region. It is also produced by Claudio Cipressi and is categorized as DOC.
(v) Savuto, Odoardi
Savuto, which is the name of a river and valley in the Calabria region, is also the name of a red DOC wine. It is a blend of several grapes and is required to include at least 35% of Gaglioppo. Other red varieties used in making Savuto include Greco Nero, Nerello Cappuccio, Magliocco Canino, and Sangiovese. The Savuto that we had is produced by Gregorio Odoardi, in Cosenza in the Calabria region.
Again, overall it was a rewarding experience. The Lambrusco was more of a curiosity and the last two reds, in particular the Tintilia, were the most interesting wines of the lot.
With the wines we were offered a variety of hors d´oeuvres, but as they were just small bites, after both wine tastings, we still sat at the restaurant for an appetizer or pasta.
In the two occasions, dinner for two, including the wine tasting, food at the restaurant, tax, and tips, added up to about $100.
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