Behind the Cork™ - Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva

Masciarelli (Mass-shee-ah-RELL-ee) Winery is located in the Abruzzo region of Italy on the eastern coast, just east of Rome on the Adriatic Sea. It was established in 1981 from the entrepreneurial intuition of Gianni Masciarelli. Today, Miriam Masciarelli (Gianni’s daughter) works with her mother, Marina Cvetić Masciarelli, to run this fabulous family winery that now has 22 labels and seven product lines all sourced from 60 vineyards in all four provinces of Abruzzo. One of their product lines, Marina Cvetić, was named by Gianni in honor is his wife.

2019 Marina Cvetić Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva ($38)

This wine is produced from 100% Montepulciano grapes that were harvested from four top “cru” vineyards ranging between 435-1,200 feet in altitude. The fruit from each vineyard was fermented and macerated separately. It was aged 12 months in French barrels of first-use before being bottled. It then underwent further aging in the bottle.

Marina Cvetić Montepulciano is deep ruby red in color. On the nose it has medium notes of red and dark fruit, including dark cherry, along with herbal notes and hints of oak. On the palate, this full-bodied wine is rich and complex with red fruit flavors, dried fruit, some spicy notes, cocoa, and black pepper. It has a medium-long finish.

Masciarelli’s Marina Cvetić Montepulciano is yet another delicious example of the great wines coming from the Abruzzo region of Italy and featured as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Masciarelli Winery

Are You Observing a Dry January? Ever Wonder? Is Non-Alcoholic Wine a Good Alternative?

Photo by Corina Rainer on Unsplash

As mentioned last time, non-alcoholic wine is actually is ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It then undergoes processes to remove all or part of the alcohol. But, the lingering question remains - Is non-alcoholic wine any good? Especially is you are trying to observe a Dry January.

Non-alcoholic, or Alcohol-free, wines can taste like regular wine in many ways. They go through the same fermentation process as regular wine, so they can have flavors, aromas, tannin, tastes and mouthfeel just like regular wine.

But, to be called a non-alcoholic or alcohol-free wine, it must contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). So, whereas a 5-ounce glass of red wine is typically 12 percent to 15 percent alcohol by volume and about 125 calories, a 5-ounce glass of non-alcoholic red wine is 0.5 percent alcohol by volume and about 30 to 35 calories.

This is a great alternative for a Dry January. But, there are some drawbacks. By removing the alcohol from wine, there are key traits that are also removed.

First, most of the aromas in wine come from the surface of the wine to your nose by evaporating alcohol. That’s why you’ll often see someone swirl their wine glass - it yields more aromas. But, when the alcohol is removed from wine, the aromas no longer have their primary delivery method. And, remember, while your tongue can only perceive sweet, salty and sour, your nose is how you distinguish all the thousands of various flavors. So, no alcohol means it's harder for the aromas to reach your nose.

Secondly, a quality wine is considered to be “balanced” when its elements are harmonious and no single element dominates. These elements include acidity and tannins as well as sweetness (residual sugar), fruit and alcohol. Without alcohol, wines can become too sweet, too acidic or too fruity. And, the lack of alcohol can change the ‘mouthfeel’ such that it will be different than a wine that contains alcohol.

Non-alcoholic wine can taste like wine in a lot of ways. Some have a good balance of acidity, while others are fruit-forward. Non-alcoholic sparkling wines and white wines often get the closest to tasting and feeling like drinking wines that contain alcohol.

So, here’s to non-alcoholic wines as part of a Dry January. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Villa Gemma Cerasuolo D'Abruzzo Superiore

Masciarelli (Mass-shee-ah-RELL-ee) Winery is located in the Abruzzo region of Italy on the eastern coast, just east of Rome on the Adriatic Sea. It was established in 1981 from the entrepreneurial intuition of Gianni Masciarelli. Today, Miriam Masciarelli (Gianni’s daughter) works with her mother, Marina Cvetić Masciarelli, to run this fabulous family winery that now has 22 labels and seven product lines all sourced from 60 vineyards in all four provinces of Abruzzo. One of their product lines, Villa Gemma, honors the modest family home where Gianni Masciarelli was born.

2022 Villa Gemma Cerasuolo D'Abruzzo Superiore ($24)

This wine is produced from 100% Montepulciano but is made as a rosé. But instead of calling it a rosé, they call it a Cerasuolo, meaning ‘cherry-colored.’ And, indeed, this wine is a beautiful cherry color.

This Cerasuolo shows how well suited the Montepulciano grape is for a rosé. The grapes are grown in eight vineyards, harvested in crates, destemmed and remain on the skins for 12 hours, followed by fermentation in stainless steel. It remained on lees for three months prior to bottling.

The use of Montepulciano grapes that remain on skins for such a brief period and then on lees, produces an excellent wine. You may not be a rosé fan, but this Cerasuolo will win you over! With notes of cherry and strawberry on the nose, it has wonderful candied-cherry flavors with medium acidity and a light finish. It is medium-full bodied, 14% ABV and dry.

This is a super wine that isn’t your typical rosé - it’s a Cerasuolo! And, at this price, it’s a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Masciarelli Winery

Are You Observing a Dry January? Try Non-Alcoholic Wines for a Change

Embarking on a “Dry January” involves voluntarily abstaining from alcohol consumption for the entire month of January. This practice has gained popularity as a New Year's resolution, with individuals opting for a temporary break from drinking to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, reassess their relationship with alcohol, and experience various physical and mental benefits. Whether driven by health goals, curiosity, or a desire for self-reflection, this month-long commitment has become a widespread phenomenon, creating a community that encourages individuals to reevaluate the role of alcohol in their lives.

So, if you are going for a “Dry January", have you considered non-alcoholic wines as an alternative? They’ve been around for years.

But, you may have wondered:

  • “What exactly is non-alcoholic wine?”

  • “How is it made?”

  • “Is it any good?”

First, let’s look at non-alcoholic wine. It actually is ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It can have similar flavors to wine, just without the alcohol. Although, non-alcoholic wine may still contain a very small amount of alcohol. So, check the label - it will tell you the exact amount of alcohol that it contains.

Now, let’s take a brief look at how non-alcoholic wine made. As stated previously, it starts with "‘real’ wine made from fermented grapes. Then it goes through one of two processes to remove the alcohol. One method is called vacuum distillation where the wine is heated to temperatures where the alcohol begins to evaporate. This temperature is below the boiling point of the wine but, because the boiling point of alcohol is lower than water, the alcohol ‘boils’ off and is pulled away in a vacuum chamber.

The other method is reverse osmosis. This process uses an extremely fine filter that only allows the water and the alcohol to pass through. The filter catches all the fine grape particles that give the wine its color, its tannin and its flavors. The mixture of water and alcohol is then distilled to remove the alcohol. The left-over water is then recombined with the grape solids to form a non-alcoholic wine.

The same processes are used for “low calorie” or low-alcohol wines except they don’t remove all the alcohol.

So, we get to the final question “Is non-alcoholic wine any good?” Well, as you might have guessed, it’s not the same as “real” wine but it does have a lot of similarities. We’ll discuss this a bit more next time. Until then, Stay Dry! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - White Wines from Masciarelli Winery in Abruzzo

Masciarelli (Mass-shee-ah-RELL-ee) Winery is located in the Abruzzo region of Italy on the eastern coast, just east of Rome on the Adriatic Sea. It was established in 1981 from the entrepreneurial intuition of Gianni Masciarelli. Today, Miriam Masciarelli (Gianni’s daughter) works with her mother, Marina Cvetić Masciarelli, to run this fabulous family winery that now has 22 labels and seven product lines all sourced from 60 vineyards in all four provinces of Abruzzo. Two of the product lines featured here are Villa Gemma, honoring the modest family home where Gianni was born, and the Marina Cvetic line that Gianni named for his wife.

2022 Villa Gemma Abruzzo Bianco ($24)

This wine is produced from a blend of 50% Trebbiano Abruzzese, 30% Pecorino, and 20% Cococciola from four vineyards. Trebbiano Abruzzese delivers wines that can be simultaneously floral and fruity. Native Cococciola adds lime-like acidity and herbal notes, while Pecorino adds minerality and a fruit/floral balance.

Fermentation of the various grape varieties was conducted separately in low-temperature stainless steel tanks, followed by blending and bottling.

This Villa Gemma Abruzzo Bianco is pale straw in color. On the nose it nice aromas of citrus and pineapple with subtle herbal hints. On the palate, this medium-light-bodied wine is bright, with green apple flavors, good acidity and mineral notes.

2020 Marina Cvetic Trebbiano d’ Abruzzo Reserva ($60)

This wine is produced from 100% Trebbiano Abruzzese from two vineyards.

Fermentation took place in French oak barrels, both initial and malolactic conversion. After aging 12 months on lees, in new French barrels, the wine spent 12 months in the bottle before distribution. 

This Marina Cvetic Trebbiano d’ Abruzzo Reserva is pale gold in color with greenish highlights. On the nose it has very delicate fruit aromas and herbal hints along with notes from the oak influence. On the palate, this medium-light bodied wine has flavors of green apple and lemon along with oaky notes and yeast from the aging on lees. It finishes soft and smooth.

Both of these white wines from Masciarelli winery are delicious examples of the great wines coming from the Abruzzo region of Italy and featured as the Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Samples Provided by Masciarelli Winery