On Monday, I spent some time talking about Piper-Heidsieck. My thanks to Eric who sent me an image of a beautiful vintage poster of a Piper-Heidsieck bottle. It’s so appropriate considering Mad Men is set in the world of advertising. This print ad is from 1953, displaying the 1949 vintage. The bottle is appears identical to the one Pete opened in Sunday’s episode. If indeed it was a 1949 vintage, I have no doubt it cost our fictional character a fair amount of his fictional 1960s dollars. I bet it tasted pretty darned good though.

One item I’d like to point out about the above ad is that the bubbly is poured into a regular wine glass and not a champagne flute. Now, maybe the good folks at Piper-Heidsieck can shed some light on that choice for me. In fact, the classic tulip shaped champagne flute was in wide use by the 1930s. However, a lot of people were still using the champagne coupe, from the late 1800s. (A myth states the coupe was molded from the breast of Marie Antoinette.) In fact, in 2009, we found the characters of Mad Men enjoying some Veuve Clicquot in coupes.

To end on a note of utter whimsy, you’ll notice there is a miniature circus, including a rather talented giraffe, taking over the ad. Piper-Heidsieck is a Champagne House that’s always been slightly unconventional, even when everything was conventional in the 1940s and ’50s. In 2008 they embraced their inner Lewis Carroll and released an upside-down bottle designed by Viktor & Rolf. If you were feeling exravagant, you might also pick up an upside down ice bucket and flutes.

Cheers!

Screen capture, AMC TV’s Mad Men, 2012

In last night’s Mad Men, I was given a lot of options. I could write about cocktails, about Canadian Club, Jack Daniel’s, Stoli, or even Chivas Regal. But near the end, I was given the perfect opportunity to wax on a bit about my favorite beverage of all … champagne.

Near the 40 minute mark, Pete is announcing the Mohawk Airlines win and deftly putting down Roger, all while opening a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck champagne. I can’t zoom in far enough without going blurry, so I can’t tell you whether it’s a vintage year or not. So let’s start with a quick refresher on champagne itself.

There are a lot of tasty sparkling wines out there, including cava and just good ol’ sparkling wine. It’s not uncommon for these to be made using the age old Champenois process. However, in order to be called “champagne,” it needs to come from the Champagne region of France, no matter how many bubbles are racing to the top.

Via IntrepidDreamer.com

Champagne is divided into vintage and non-vintage (NV) wine. NV Champagnes are the most common and often include grapes from 3 or more harvests.  Every so often, a vintage is so remarkable that the winemaker will declare it a vintage year. Remember that while one House may declare a vintage, another may not. Vintage and NV wines are at the discretion of the winemaker.

Bubbly is made from any one or more of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier grapes. It also comes in several different styles that you’ll see on the label. Blanc de blancs means that the wine was produced from all white grapes. In Champagne, this means the wine is 100% chardonnay. Blanc de noirs means the champagne is produced from pinot noir, pinot meunier, or a blend of the two.

You should also pay attention to the sweetness levels, denoted by French terms on the label. Extra Brut is usually very dry champagne, whereas Brut is dry, but may still be a bit rich on the finish. Extra-Sec and Sec are usually medium dry wines and Demi-Sec is usually the sweetest style you’ll find on the market.

To tie it all back into our episode, let’s talk a little about Piper-Heidsieck. Piper-Heidsieck is in the Reims region of Champagne and has been around since 1785. Now one of the largest Champagne Houses, it started as the house of Heidsieck with Florens-Louis Heidsieck at the helm. Florens-Louis passed away in 1828 and his nephew Christian took over, with help from his cousin, Henri Piper. The House didn’t become a hyphenate until 10 years later, when Christian died. Cousin Henri took this chance to marry the newly widowed wife of Christian (oh yes!) and the house of Piper-Heidsieck was created.

Piper-Heidsieck has had some fun over the years, but in 2009 they really attracted my attention with Le Ritual  - a collaboration with Christian Louboutin. Really, shoes and champagne … of course I noticed this.

Le Rituel is a box set containing a glass stiletto, complete with signature red sole, and a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck. The collaboration was in homage to an odd period in the 1880s when there was an strange and decadent high-society “ritual” of drinking from women’s shoes.

Cheers!

Last night I went on the Queen City Under Ground Tour from American Legacy Tours and I was amazed. I’ve been on at least three of their tours and every time I go I learn something new about the greater Cincinnati area. This tour was focused on the Over the Rhine area where there were over 163 saloons, beer gardens, theatres, and breweries were on Vine St. in the late 1800s. The breweries would store and make their beer underground the buildings in these huge tunnels/rooms (the rooms are the sub and sub-sub basements). Some of the tunnels/rooms I was standing in were at least 20 feet high, it was amazing. They had tunnels that were underneath the streets that go in between the barreling and bottling buildings and onto other buildings.

Pictured: One of the tunnels underneath the Guild Haus on Vine Street. This was one of the barrel tunnels underneath the Barreling room.

Did you know that Cincinnati drank over two and a half times more beer than the national limit in the late 1800s? That’s a lot of beer! Besides seeing the underground breweries and historical buildings we saw where the new Christian Moerlein brewery will be located. There was a tunnel that was boarded up from the one building that led into the Christian Moerlein brewery but we didn’t get to see that tunnel. The future home of the Christian Moerlein Brewery was once the Malt and Lager house of the Kaufman Brewery that was one of the breweries during the late 1800s.  Christian Moerlein Brewery was the only Cincinnati beer from that time that was exported internationally.

The tour was a great history lesson and shows how much Over the Rhine have developed in the last decade.  Please note that the tour is a walking tour and to get to the tunnels you will have to go down a few flights of steps. The tour runs till the end of November every Saturday and Sunday. Please check their website for more information.

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“The difficulty of securing a cherry resting at the bottom of a cocktail glass without resorting to boorish antics obnoxious to people accustomed to polite social usages is so well known as to have become a matter of public comment and jest.”

–Jay Sindler

In his three-page patent copy, Jay Sindler used the cherry to describe how necessary his new invention, the Swizzle Stick, was, but legend has it the idea was sparked by an olive.

It was February 1934, a few months after Prohibition had ended. Sindler, an employee of the Converse Rubber Company and an avid inventor, sat contemplating his martini at the Boston Ritz Carlton’s bar one night, faced with the challenge of removing his olive without dipping his fingers into his gin. I like to think Sindler was on his second or third martini when it all came together.  He envisioned a small spear with a paddle-like handle, imprinted with an establishment’s name like a miniature billboard.  It would be something the patrons could take home, cheaper than a book of printed matches and cheaper still than the cost of vanishing ashtrays and cocktail glasses. Sindler’s patent, number 1,991,871, was granted on February 19, 1935.

Polite society caught on to Sindler’s invention and his new company Spir-it was off to a promising start.

There was some competition, however. With Repeal, all the great glass companies began to manufacture bar ware. Stirring rods once used by 1920’s Flappers were now mass-produced. Unlike the swizzle stick, glass swizzles didn’t have a pointed spear for fruit garnishes and were costly to silk-screen with a hotel logo. Some glass companies had the novel idea of inserting a tube of paper with advertising copy into a glass rod and sealing the end like a message in a bottle, but costly and impractical, this didn’t last.  Today this type of hollow (and easily broken) stirrer is one of the most sought after by collectors. Other attractive materials include Bakelite and Catalin.

Major developments in plastic manufacturing came along with World War II. By the 1950’s swizzle sticks came in an incredible array of shapes and colors and served as inexpensive advertisements for clubs, casinos, restaurants and airlines. All establishments had a custom swizzle stick even if they made do with the cheaper, stock version; a straight, tapered rod with a paddle signboard imprinted with a tavern’s logo.

Into the 1960′s and the Space Age, there was a boom in the electronics industries calling for precision plastic parts which led to new technologies in thermosetting plastic injection molding. The period from the late 1950’s throughout the 1960’s was a Golden Age for signature swizzle sticks.

Swizzle Sticks from Michelle's Own Collection

Drinks served on TWA flights sported a red propeller swizzle. At Trader Vic’s, a Hawaiian outrigger canoe paddle with a Tiki God handle graced the drinks at the venerable bar. The Thunderbird Hotel and Swim Club in Miami Beach featured a Flying Thunderbird on top of it’s swizzle with the name in large script over the shaft. Playboy’s signature bunny-head sat atop their swizzles which, for some reason, were extra long. Many people saved the Playboy swizzle if they ever came across it. In fact, most of us have a few swizzle sticks saved somewhere. Taking a swizzle as a memento was encouraged. They were a promotional calling card or a remembrance of a wonderful trip or night on the town and they disappeared from nightclubs and hotel bars as fast as they were set out.

The swizzle sticks’ popularity didn’t last forever, or even very far into the 1970′s. For example, during the Carter years, the White House was dry. It was beer and wine only at State functions, no doubt the reason why Jimmy was a one term President. When he derided the “fifty dollar martini lunch” for businessmen, former House Speaker Jim Wright (D-TX), replied, “If the Good Lord hadn’t intended us to have a three martini lunch, then why do you suppose He put all those olive trees in the Holy Land?”

Inventor Jay Sindler would have agreed.

©

SIDE BAR

Check out clubs such as the International Swizzle Stick Collectors Association (ISSCA), www.swizzlesticks-issca.com.

ISSCA President Ray Hoare and thousands of collectors world-wide, sociologists and anthropologists agree that these miniature, pop-culture icons give us an inside look at the past and are a valued collectable worth saving for future generations. And besides, they can still be used to stir your favorite drink.

If you’re looking for swizzles for your next party ask your parents, they probably have a box full somewhere. Or you can purchase swizzle sticks from the company started by Jay Sindler, they’re still in business. Spirit Foodservice, Inc has a fantastic web site with eco-friendly and biodegradable options. Marketing Manager Rachel Pantely tells us that swizzles are hotter than ever with the increased interest in retro cocktails.  www.spiritfoodservice.com

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Stephen Visakay is author of Vintage Bar Ware (Collector Books 1997) and has written for antique, collectible, and trade magazines. His cocktail shaker exhibition, “Shaken, Not Stirred, Cocktail Shakers and Design” has been featured in museums nationwide, including The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, The Louisiana State Museum, and The Milwaukee Art Museum.  Contact: visakay@optonline.net

Maddy Lederman is a writer and a filmmaker. maddyfilms@hotmail.com

Photo from AMCtv.com

The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago on February 29 (Leap Year), 1960 and was a success from the moment the doors were opened. The Playboy Club was a classy (no kidding) place that Newsweek eventually called “Disneyland for adults.” Early entertainers in that first Playboy Club included before-they-were-famous Aretha Franklin and Barbara Streisand.

Photo by O'Rourke at explayboybunnies.com, from Playboy June 1965

The Playboy Club eventually expanded to include more than 40 clubs and resorts. In Cincinnati, our own Playboy Club opened in September, 1964. It was located at 35 East 7th Street (current address of The Lodge Bar) and was in business for 19 years. Headliners in our own Club included Henny Youngman, Red Foxx, and Flip Wilson. You might have even heard Bootsy Collins performing in the lounge. From what I’ve read, the best years were between 1964 and 1976. In 1976, the Playboy Club concept moved from classy joint to more of a disco club and continued to change with the times. Our local club closed its doors in September, 1983.

I collect swizzle sticks and there are several Playboy sticks in my collection that I can only assume came from my parents. I called my Mom this morning and, to my surprise, my parents had a membership to the Cincinnati Playboy Club.  My Mom won the membership from a radio station contest around 1975. Mom says she always enjoyed the club because “it had a great atmosphere. You would take an elevator up, as it wasn’t on the ground floor, and then just step into the club.”  She remembers plush surroundings, with couch areas for conversation. Apparently my parents went to the club and restaurant quite often. I tried to find out what they used to drink. Mom thinks she drank something with vodka in it that tasted like lemonade.

Playboy Bunnies were by far the most famous part of the Clubs. Bunnies underwent strict training and weigh-ins. They also had to be able to identify 143 types of liquor and garnish over 20 cocktails. Bunnies were not allowed to date or mingle with the customers and, on the part of the customers, touching a Bunny was forbidden. A move I’ve always loved is the Bunny Dip. It’s a graceful way of bending slightly backwards to deliver and pickup drinks without bursting out of the Bunny Bustier. Something I always loved is that Playboy Bunnies were curvy girls, which was attractive back in the 60s. Famous bunnies include Deborah Harry (Blondie), Sherilyn Fenn, and Lauren Hutton.

In 2006, the Playboy Club reopened in (where else?) Las Vegas at The Palms. Some friends and I visited the Club in 2009 and I loved it. It’s classy and lush, with plenty of couches and a rich gold and red decor. One entire wall is digitized, displaying randomized images of Playboy magazine covers throughout the years. The Bunny costumes are still classy and the Bunnies still do the Bunny Dip.

Playboy Club, Las Vegas 2009

The Club is near the top of the Palms tower and overlooks all of Las Vegas. You can take a private escalator up to Moon, the nightclub with a retractable roof and always-open patio section. Personally, I preferred the Playboy club though – classy cocktails and an environment where I could chat with my friends. If you ever go, cover can run up to $40 on a weekend night. When we went (a Thursday, I believe), the guys each paid a $20 cover and I’m pretty sure the girls were all free.

Playboy Club, Las Vegas 2009

Perhaps the reason I love Mad Men is the same reason I’m fascinated with the Playboy Club. It’s a piece of history where women weren’t a size 2, bars were classy and encouraged cocktails and conversation, and the clothes were amazing. Could I live back then? No. I’m far too independent. I probably relate the most to Faye on Mad Men. But I love the chance to relax in the 60s now and then.

Don will drink anything in the whiskey spectrum, I swear. It doesn’t matter if it’s low-end whiskey or high-end scotch. I tried my best to get a good look at the bottle he drank with Lane. Across the Internets, speculation is that it’s a bottle of scotch, most likely 30-year old Macallan.

I don’t know the first thing about scotch, so I turned to my scotch-drinking husband. According to Kevin, Macallan is a Highland scotch, so there isn’t as much peat as a scotch from Islay. (Islay scotch makes my house smell like a swamp.) Macallan is a nice and smooth whiskey, still available today at a very high price point. Believe it or not, you can read more about scotch on our site: Jameson, Laphroaig, and Johnnie Walker.

Don also doesn’t discriminate against beer. Both in the comedy club and in the bar with Anna, beer was the libation of choice. I know Budweiser was the preferred beer on this show last season, but I’m not sure what they’re drinking this season – whatever is on draft, I suppose.

While Anheuser-Busch was still the number 1 brewer in the ’60s, there were a lot more regional beers. Locally, you could easily find things like Hudepohl, Schoenling, and Wiedemann. Schlitz was big in Indiana, National Bohemian in Baltimore, Narragansett in New England, and so on. Since then, it is more the craft beers that have become regional, although there are still a few (such as Yuengling and Fat Tire) that hold tight to their regions.

As for the show, well, I think they are seriously focusing on character development this season. It’s definitely darker and slower in season 4, but I’m okay with that. I would like to see a little more of what is happening with Betty, and a lot more of what is happening with Joan and Peggy. There were no creepy children in this episode. In fact, the thing I found the creepiest? As soon as they introduced Anna’s niece, I knew Don would hit on her.

What did you think of episode 3?

Top and bottom photos from the
AMC Mad Men Season 4 Photo Gallery

There was much celebrating on Dec 5, 1933, as seen in this fantastic newsreel:

You now have another reason to officially celebrate today. Get out there and drink some wine!

Recently, there was a small amount of hubbub over the fact that Cincinnati somehow ended up #10 on Forbes Magazine's list of Hardest Drinking Cities.

At first glance, our sales would confirm that. The Ohio Division of Liquor Control released stats yesterday that show a 5% increase from the previous year's sales of spirits greater than 21% alcohol / 42 proof, for a sales figure of $729.9 million.  According to the Business Courier,

That's a lot of scotch, vodka, and other spirits. It does not take into account beer and wine (unlike the Forbes Magazine survey). It also doesn't take into account the out-of-state liquor sales. While that is really only relevant to southern Ohio, a good deal of dollars are exchanged by Ohioans heading to the liquor stores on Kentucky side of the river.

Image by Lincoln-Log via Creative Commons

Or so the story goes. Wired Magazine points out that this fortuitous accident was supposed to have happened exactly 316 years ago today. On Aug 4, 1693, Dom Pérignon invented champagne.

Except he didn't. The story is most likely the result of some brilliant marketing campaigns throughout the years, including the "drinking the stars" line, which dates back to an advertisement in the 1800s.

In reality, Dom Pérignon was a Benedictine monk who entered the order at the age of 19. He resided  at the Abbey of Hautvillers near the town of Épernay (within Champagne, France), where he served as cellarmaster. He was charged by his superiors to get rid of the bubbles in the wine, but was unable to do so. Instead he made great advances in perfecting the method of champagne creation.

Champagne undergoes two fermentations. After the first, traditional fermentation and bottling, yeast and a bit of rock sugar are added to the bottle. The bottle, now sealed with a cap, ages for a minimum of 1.5 years. Once the bottle has reached maturity, remuage occurs. During remuage, the bottles are slowly turned almost upside down so that the residual yeast ends up in the neck of the bottle. The bottle necks are then quick-frozen and the cap removed. The pressure in the bottle forces out the ice containing the residue and the bottle is quickly corked to maintain the carbon dioxide. Several houses will add a dosage (sugar syrup) at this point to maintain the level of liquid within the bottle. 
The bottles are corked and caged, and often aged for a few months to many years before they are released to the market.

Back in Dom Pérignon's day, cellars would lose around 20% of their wine to exploding bottles, as the pressure from the bubbles would be just too much. It was Dom Pérignon's advancements that helped bring about the champagne we know today.

I love that champagne is such a wonderful beverage, inspiring myths about its creation and songs about its invention. So happy mythical birthday, champagne. You wear 300+ well.

Welcome back, it’s Kevin Keith, your friendly neighborhood
wino from Liquor Direct, back with more Italian primer – this time we
take a brisk walk through the Italian wine landscape, starting at the top of
the boot, with the tiny region of the Valle d’Aosta.

Image Credit

Valle d’Aosta is
the smallest of the Italian wine regions, bordering Switzerland to the north,
France to the west, and Piedmont to the south and east.  An ancient growing region, grapes have
been cultivated since the Roman days, with around 22 varieties authorized for
growing, including Picotener (the local name for Nebbiolo), Neyret, Vien de
Nus, Fumin, Mayolet, Prie Route, Petit Rouge, Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Gamay,
Dolcetto and Syrah for the reds, and Moscato Bianco (also called Moscat de
Chambave), Pinot Grigio (also known as Malvoisie), Blanc de Morgex, Prie Blanc,
Muller-Thurgau, Chardonnay and Petit Arvine.  There are no DOCG wines from this area.

Piedmont means
“at the foot of the mountains.” 
This region is by far one of the most recognized regions in Italy.  It is the second largest region and has
the most DOC wines (over 40) and DOCG wines (7).  Most of the production of wine originates in the heart of
Piedmont, the Po River Valley. 
Here you will find Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Moscato
d’Asti.  The first three I
mentioned are all made with the Nebbiolo grape, and the last mentioned is from
the ancient Muscat grape.  Dolcetto
and Barbera are also widely planted red varieties, as well as Freisa,
Grignolino and Brachetto.  The most
popular white grape is the Cortese, used for the DOCG wine, Gavi.  Arneis (nicknamed the “white Barolo”)
and Erbaluce di Caluso are also grown. 
Another important wine product produced here is Vermouth, made with at
least 70% wine, and fortified and flavored with various roots, spices, herbs
and wood – this is what is known as an “Aromatic” wine.

Lombardy sits in
the semi-circle created by the Alps that enclose Italy to the north.  The mountainous north and the flat Po
River Valley in the south define the topography of the growing regions, which
are divided into three:  the
Valtellina in the North, the Oltrepo Pavese in the southwest, and the
Franciacorta in the east. 
Nebbiolo, known locally as Chiavennasca, is the primary red grape grown
in the Valtellina.  The Oltrepo
Pavese is known primarily for Pinot Nero. 
And the greatest sparkling wines from Italy come from the Franciacorta,
and is derived from Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and/or Pinot Nero.

The Trentino-Alto
Adige is the northernmost wine region in Italy, bordering Austria and
Switerland.  It is divided into two
parts, the Trentino and the Alto Adige. 
Vineyards are planted on terraces or light well-drained alluvial soils
and clay.  Alto Adige is known for
Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, and the red grape
Teroldego.  Trentino boasts primarily
whites as well, with Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato Giallo, Muller-Thurgau, Pinot
Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling Italica, Riesling Renano, Sylvaner Verde,
Chardonnay, Traminer and Veltner, with red grapes such as Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Lagrein, Malvasia Nero, Merlot, Pinot Nero, Schiava
Gentile, Lambrusco, Marzemino and Teroldego.  Friuli-Venezia Giulia
borders the Veneto to the west, Slovenia to the east and Austria to the
north.  This region has been
relatively anonymous until the 1960s, when modern winemaking techniques were
introduced, despite there being a large volume of wine produced in the
area.  There is 1 DOCG (Ramandolo)
and 9 DOC wines in this area, with primarily grape varieties such as Cabernet
Sauvignon, Pinot Nero, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc being
cultivated.  Local varieties such
as Refosco, Verduzzo, Tocai and Picolit are also cultivated, and making a
resurgence.  Veneto is located in NE Italy, along the Alps to the Adriatic Sea,
bordering Austria and the Trentino-Alto Adige.  Veneto is the third largest wine producing region (behind
Apulia and Sicily).  The most
cultivated grape varieties in this area include white grapes Garganega,
Prosecco, Tocai, Verduzzo, Trebbiano di Soave, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and
Pinot Bianco, and reds like Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara, Raboso, Negrara,
Merlot, Pinot Nero and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The most significant wines are the 3 DOCG wines (Recioto di
Soave, Soave Superiore and Bardolino Superiore) and the 22 DOC wines (including
Amarone, Valpolicella, Bardolino, Soave, Lugana, and Prosecco di
Conegliano).  Ripasso is a traditional technique that introduces a secondary
fermentation to Valpolicella on Amarone lees, usually drying out the grapes and
pouring the Valpolicella juice over the top. 

Liguria is often
called the Italian Riviera, found just beneath Piedmont along the Mediterranean
coast.  Many grapes are grown here,
including Ciliegiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Merlot, Cabernet
Franc, Rossese, and Alicante, along with white grapes Albarolo, Bianchetta,
Bosco, Pigato, Vermentino, Moscato Bianco, Albana, Greco Malvasia and
Trebbiano.  There are 6 DOC wines,
yet no DOCG.  Emilia-Romagna borders the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Tuscan
Apennines to the South, the Ligurian Apennines to the west and the Po River to
the north.  It is one of the
largest wine producing areas and is divided into the western Emilia and the
eastern Romagna, with the city of Bologna right in the middle.  The first white DOCG – Albana di
Romagna – is found here, made from the Albana grape.  Also grown here are Pagadebit (known in
Apulia as Bombino Bianco), Sangiovese and Cagnina (related to the Refosco grape
of Friuli).

Tuscany is the
most prestigious and recognizable region in Italy, with the region serving as
the epicenter for a great many changes in Italian wine law, including the
inclusion of non-traditional grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah
and Chardonnay in blends traditionally thought of as native Italian grapes
only.  The primary grape variety is
the Sangiovese, with its clones comprising the most noteworthy wines of the
region – Brunello di Montalcino (the Brunello clone), Vino Nobile di
Montepulciano (Prugnolo), and clonal types in Morellino di Scansano,
Carmignano, Chianti and Chianti Classico. 
There are at least 650 different clones of Sangiovese in Montalcino
alone, and these same grapes planted in Chianti produce completely different
wines.  Some other varietals
cultivated in Tuscany are Canaiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah,
Merlot, Vernaccia, Mammolo, Malvasia Bianca, Trebbiano, Pulcinculo (Grechetto
Bianco), Vernaccia, and Malvasia del Chianti.

Marches resides
along the Adriatic coast, and is one-third covered with rolling hills, with the
rest being covered by mountains. 
There are 12 DOC wines here and 1 DOCG.  The primary grapes are Montepulciano (this grape should not
be confused with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano of Tuscany, which is made
from the Sangiovese clone of Prugnolo), Verdicchio, Sangiovese, Vernaccia,
Pinot Bianco, Ciliegiolo and Trebbiano. 
Umbria is the only region
which is completely landlocked.  It
is home to the DOC wine Orvieto, made from Trebbiano and Malvasia, and two DOCG
wines – the Sagrantino di Montefalco, made primarily from the indigenous
Sagrantino grape, and Torigano Rosso Riserva, a blend of Sangiovese and
Canaiolo Nero primarily.  Latium is a very historic region, residing
around the capital of Rome.  The
most renowned wines of this area are Frascati, and Est! Est! Est!, both white
wines made from Trebbiano and Malvasia, as well as reds made of
Montepulciano.  Abruzzo has undergone a wine revival of
sorts, elevating it to the sixth largest wine producing region in Italy despite
it specializing in just two DOC wines – white Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
(made from Trebbiano) and the red, made from Montepulciano.  Grape varieties planted recently
included Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling Italica, Riesling Renano,
Sylvaner Verde, Traminer Aromatico, Tocai, Vetliner, Pinot Nero, Merlot,
Dolcetto and Malbec.  Molise is small by even Italian
standards, and borders Abruzzo to the north, Latium and Campania to the west,
Apulia to the south and the Adriatic to the east.  Only two DOCs come from this region, Biferno and Pentro di
Isernia, both producing red, white and rose wines.

Apulia is reputed
to have produced wine since 2000 B.C. 
It is one of Italy’s largest wine producing regions and is undergoing a
winemaking revival of its own. 
Over 80% of the wines from Apulia (also called Puglia) are red,
including the Primitivo, Negroamaro, Uva di Troia, Bombino Nero, Sangiovese,
barbera, Aleatico and Malvasia Nero grapes.  White grapes include Verdeca, Bianco d’Alessano, Bombino
Bianco, Malvasia Bianco and Trebbiano. 
The major DOC wines are Salice Salentino, Castel del Monte, Copertino,
and Primitivo di Manduria.

Campania boasts
the historic cities of Naples, Avellino and Salerno, as well as the ruins of
Pompeii and Herculaneum, and of course Mount Vesuvius.  The rich and fertile volcanic soil
makes this warm-weather macroclimate ideal for grape growing.  The principal grapes found here are
Aglianico, Aleatico, Barbera, Piedirosso and Sciascinoso for the reds, and
Biancolella, Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, Malvasia, Verdeca, and Trebbiano
for the whites.  Taurasi DOCG is
the most famous of the reds, and is often referred to as the “Barolo of the
South.”  Basilicata is one of Italy’s most mountainous wine regions, and is
formed by the southern extension of the Apennines.  The only DOC is the Aglianico del Vulture, made from
Aglianico grapes grown on the slopes of Monte Vulture, an ancient volcano.  Other grapes grown in Basilicata are
Sangiovese, Uva di Troia, Montepulciano, Barbera, Malvasia Bianco, Moscato,
Fiano, Santa Sofia and Bombino Bianco. 
Calabria is almost entirely
mountainous or hilly, with the mesoclimates within the region varied from
subzone to subzone.  There are 8
DOC wines, mostly producing red or rose wines.  Some of the grapes produced here are Gaglioppo, Greco Nero,
Nerello Cappuccio, Nerello Mascalese, Guarnaccia, Greco Bianco and
Moscato.  The most noted DOC wine,
Ciro, comes from the Gaglioppo grape, and has been produced there for several
thousand years.

The island of Sicily
lies to the southeast of Calabria, and is one of Italy’s largest wine producing
regions.  The DOCs include the
Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Enta, Malvasia delle Lipari and Moscato di Pantelleria,
as well as Marsala, a fortified wine that resembles a Port, and is done both
sweet and dry.  Grapes include Nero
d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Cataratto Bianco, Verdello, Inzolia, as well as
Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The island of Sardinia
is home to 18 DOC wines and 1 DOCG, the Vermentino di Gallura.  Other grapes such as Cannonau (Grenache),
Monica, Carignan, Vernaccia, Vermentino, Moscato, Nuragus and Malvasia are
grown here.  Viticulture was
believed to have been introduced either by the Spaniards in the 14^th
Century, or perhaps much earlier, by the Phoenicians sailing from Lebanon 5000
years ago.

From this extremely brief overview, you can suddenly
understand that there is a heckuva lot more going on in Italy than just Chianti
and Pinot Grigio.  Much more than
this small “primer” (information derived from the Society of Wine Educators
Study Guide) can provide.  For more
about Italian wine, visit Italian
Made or our good friends at the Italian wine blogs Montalcino Report,
On The Wine Trail in Italy and Mondosapore.

Hope this has been a bit of help for anyone wanting to learn
more about Italian wine, and thank you Michelle and Kevin for letting me hijack
their Thursday blog posts for a spell.  Come visit
me at http://underthegrapetree.blogspot.com
as well. 

Cheers,

Kevin Keith (aka K2)