Women In Wine: Susanna Crociani From Crociani Winery in Montepulciano

February 8, 2010

I have been meaning to write about Susanna Crociani since we first met at Vinitaly 2007. In the interest of transparency, I want to point out that I have spent considerable amounts of time with her and we are good friends. In fact, Susanna was just staying with me for the past week during Vino 2010 and we were speaking together on a panel regarding Social Media on Wednesday together with Alder Yarrow of Vinography, Doug Cook, Head of search at Twitter and founder of Able Grape, Steve Raye of Brand Action and Anthony Dias Blue.

Susanna spoke at length about her experiences writing her wine blog which she began in 2006. To view the panel, please click here.

I have been tasting and drinking Susanna’s wines for about three years now and think they are terrific. My favorite is her Vin Santo. We just opened a bottle of the 1999 at dinner on Friday. It didn’t disappoint and was filled with dried nuts, honey and caramel. I am in the mood for Susanna’s Vin Santo at the end of a meal. Many people tasted her wine during the Grand Tasting on Friday so I think that someone else can give more extensive tasting notes on her wines. Instead, I wanted to share a conversation that we had about Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Wine has been made in Montepulciano for 2500 years starting with the Etruscan King Porsenna. Throughout the centuries it has been a favorite of illustrious men including two American statesmen, Thomas Jefferson and Vian Buren.

The Consorzio for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano was created in 1965 and it became a DOCG wine or Denominazione d’orgine controllata e garantita in 1980, long before many other famous wines. Most of the vineyards are located at between 250 and 600 meters above sea level. Vino Nobile spends at least one year aging in wood and another in the bottle before it is released into the market. Many producers put it into oak barrels for a longer period of time. In order to have the denomination, Riserva on the label, the wine must spend three years aging with at least six months in the bottle.

“Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has a marketing problem because it is squeezed between Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico,” Susanna said in our chat. “We are also making the wrong choices.”

“Look at the new legislation. Now you are allowed to add 30% of any grape to the blend while 70% must be Sangiovese Grosso. This is a huge problem because the wines aren’t comparable if everyone uses different grapes and you are taking away our tradition. What we have is a strong tradition and that is what we should be promoting,” She added.

Previously the wine was supposed to have 70% Prugnolo Gentile, at most 20% Canaiolo Nero or 20% other grapes with only 10% white grapes allowed.

Alessandro Baricco, a noted Italian writer coined the phrase Hollywood wines for wines that try to hide their identity or use lots of make up. According to Susanna, Vino Nobile doesn’t need make-up but needs more attention.

When I asked about collaboration between producers, Susanna said that there was a considerable amount of fragmentation and not as much collaboration as she would like. However, she sounded a note of optimism stating that there seems to be some movement towards working together.

This is also the case and is necessary because Tuscany doesn’t have the same appeal as it once did. “We all have to work towards relaunching Tuscany as a region, its wines and its food. I have noticed happily that the Italian Trade Commission is working hard to help facilitate this as are the local authorities such as the Camera di Commercio di Siena and the PromoSiena,” Susanna added.

“There have been many initiatives both in the province of Siena and abroad. The Camera di Commercio helped sponsor numerous producers which enabled them to come to the event in NYC, otherwise it would have been very difficult. They also sponsored the innovative panel on Social Media at the VINO2010 event which seemed to be a success,” she added.

Reflecting on her 2007 Vino Nobile, Susanna noted that is was an excellent year and the wine was fuller bodied and more intense than in 2006 and 2008 with a deeper color. “This wine can age 10 to 15 years easily,” She added. The 2007 bottling was her first without her dear brother Giorgio who passed away in May 2007 at the too young age of 50. Susanna has dedicated a wine to Giorgio called Il Segreto di Giorgio. She refuses to say what’s in the wine and smiles enigmatically when I press her.

She also has a wine dedicated to her father, Arnaldo, which isn’t sold in the United States, at least not yet. I love that wine and drink it happily everytime I visit her at her Agritourism farm called Le Cantastorie look forward to going back soon, maybe after Vinitaly 2010, if I am lucky.

Leave a Comment » | Italian regions, Italian wineries, Memorable Events, Travel, Women in Wine, italy, wines | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

Social Media Panel at Vino 2010

February 4, 2010

Tomorrow I am participating with Alder Yarrow of Vinography, Steve Raye of Brand Action Team, Doug Cook of Able Grape, and Susanna Crociani of Crociani Winery in Montepulciano in a panel discussion on social media. The session is moderated by Anthony Dias Blue of Tasting Panel, Bluelife Style and other projects. There are going to be live feeds where people can tweet and ask questions I believe. We will see how it evolves.

I was excited to meet the other panelists whom I didn’t know. The world seems to be getting smaller and smaller. While we can now communicate in many ways, sometimes it is still nice to see someone in person after having read their writing for years. It promises to be an diverse group of people. I will do follow up after conference.

Leave a Comment » | wines | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

Not Just Gaglioppo Anymore – Calabria With A Vengeance

February 3, 2010

I just went to a great seminar as part of Vino 2010 on wines from Calabria. The title said it would be about Gaglioppo as a grape and showcase wines made from it. This was a limited description because we were treated to great wines made from indigenous varieties such as Greco Nero, Magliocco, Malvasia Nera, Lacryma Nera and others. I will write a long post this weekend but I thought the wines were great. My favorite may have been one by Ippolito because it was more elegant than the others in terms of its sensorial profile but it was also a 1997. Exciting wines are coming out of Calabria and I am looking forward to tasting more. Attilio Scienza, a noted professor gave a fantastic introduction and Alfonso’s moderating techniques were impeccable….Bravo. More later.

1 Comment | wines | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

Vino 2010- Italian Wines Galore

February 1, 2010

Italian wine week has almost started and I am sure it will be a fun and busy week for journalists, bloggers, producers, importers, restaurateurs and consumers. While the week is largely for the trade, a separate Shop & Dine program has been set up in numerous shops and restaurants throughout the city. On Thursday, February 4 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, consumers can also attend the third annual SensofWine event organized by Luca Maroni together with local partner, Alta Cucina. To buy tickets you can go to the Alta Cucina Store.

My Italian wine week has already started as my friend wine producer Susanna Crociani has come to stay with me. I will be doing a podcast with her and Terence Hughes of Domenico Selections later this week. I have signed up for numerous seminars and am really excited to see some friends coming to town. Dave of Wine Openers and Alfonso Cevola will be here as well. I look forward to Alfonso’s session on Gaglioppo.

So many wines and so little time I think will be the way I feel at the end of this week but for now, I am excited to once again delve into the world of Italian wines for days on end. It’s sort of like a pre-training for Vinitaly 2010 in April.

I will be participating in a seminar on Social Media together with Susanna and other notable guests on Thursday morning. Thursday is also the day of the Italian Wine Masters Tasting organized by Melanie Young.

I am sure the week will be interesting and informative. By Saturday I will endeavor to stop tasting wines for a few days but inevitably, I will begin again. It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it….

1 Comment | Italian wineries, italy, wines | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

Aging Wines- Dom and the Somm, A Wine Podcast With Terence Hughes of Domenico Selections

January 29, 2010

It has been a very long time coming but here is a podcast that I did late last year with Terence Hughes of Domenico Selections on aging wines Dom and the som Sorry Terry that it has taken me so long to edit this.

This project is a work in progress. The next podcasts will be more visually appealing and hopefully a tad shorter but here’s our latest edition. Aging wines is a very interesting and exhaustive topic. We have attempted to give our impressions and some ideas about what to consider when aging a wine.

On another note, I am giving a class on wine writing tomorrow at Mediabistro if anyone is thinking about what to do on a beautiful Saturday afternoon but one that will be too cold to stay outdoors, come on down…..

2 Comments | wines | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

Raise A Glass To Authors & Historians, Tasting With the Big Guns

January 28, 2010

I have been accused of being somewhat morbid I’ll admit. It’s the newshound in me that constantly searches for information and reads everything. I read the obituaries all the time. Today’s news brought with it sad tidings of the loss of three men of letters and much more. Howard Zinn, a much loved activist and historian who I wrote about last year has died as has J.D. Salinger, author of everyone’s favorite book, Catcher in the Rye. Another real New York chronicler, Louis Auchincloss also passed away today. While not members of my family certainly, all were people in my adult consciousness who bettered our society and will be missed. A toast is in order to celebrate the lives of great men.

On a cheerier note, I was privileged to participate in a tasting yesterday with several Master of Wine students (I am not an MW student) led my Stephen Skelton, an MW who graciously hosted the tasting. Once again, I was impressed with the depth of knowledge and dedication that people exhibited. The MW program is certainly a quantum leap beyond the Diploma program I completed in July 2008. I had been told that by numerous people but yesterday’s tasting was a real confirmation. It also confirmed to me how fascinating the world of wine is, once again, and how much more there is to learn and explore. I was excited to see that none of my initial fascination has worn off despite these 13 years of study.

Leave a Comment » | wines | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

Is Wine By The Glass The Best Option? Not Always Clear What Is In The Glass

January 26, 2010

I often order wines by the glass when I go out. Why? Certainly you pay more than you should for a wine by the glass, likely the entire cost of the bottle to the restaurant or even more than the cost of the bottle. That said sometimes I want just a glass of something or I want to try a different wine than the person/people I am with, and sometimes I think the price by the bottle is outrageous.

Unfortunately what I have noticed with greater frequency is that even at established restaurants, wine bars and music venues in New York City, bartenders think that if you order wine by the glass you don’t care what you drink. Over the weekend, I went to a music venue which purports to be much more than that and was served a wine by the glass that I didn’t order.

The bartender probably figured that I wouldn’t notice the difference. When I mentioned it to the waitress, she graciously apologized and comped me a glass of wine which she poured at my table. However, I am sure she didn’t complain to the bar.

Why I am writing about this? I know first hand that this practice happens all over the city, maybe all over every city, and I can understand why as well. That’s not the point though is it. This is much like the brunello scandal on a small scale. Many people knew that Brunello was made with grapes other than Sangiovese but ignored the practice because it was common knowledge. The American customer however who was paying a fortune for Brunello complained loudly that they wanted only Sangiovese in the glass. We know what happened there but the point is something else. If you pay for one thing, people shouldn’t switch what is in the glass thinking that you won’t notice.

As a wine writer, blogger and publicist, I also think this is terrible for brands and that producers should speak up. Say I order a wine by the glass from a producer and the bartender switches the wine because he/she needs to finish something they already have open. If I hate the wine and then write about it, that damages the image of the wine in the eyes of the consumer. Even if I don’t write about wine but just consume it, if you give me a wine I didn’t order and perhaps don’t like, then you’ve just cost the wine producer a client.

This long rant is essentially just a call to have restaurateurs and their bartenders be more aware that the customer needs to be served what they have ordered. These practices only go on with the knowledge of the owners so it is up and down the line that this needs to be addressed. I will not go back to that music venue again and if I do, I will inform the sommelier, also someone I know, what the is going on there, assuming that they are unaware of what happens when they aren’t present. This is totally unacceptable and should be called out in my view.

2 Comments | Restaurants, Wine Bars, wines | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

Haiti, Wordsworth, Donate What You Can

January 15, 2010

This is a wine blog but I don’t feel like writing about wine today but rather urging people to donate whatever little or a lot of money that they can to the disaster relief in Haiti. I bear watching the news about what is happening and that feeling of impotence in the face of a disaster of such proportions.

My ever loving dad mentioned this poem to me by Wordsworth and I thought I would post it. The last stanza reflects that while Toussaint will likely die in prison, his legacy will live on and people won’t forget him or the country he created. Let’s heed that call and not forget Haiti.

To Toussaint L’Ouverture

By William Wordsworth

(1770–1850)

Toussaint, the most unhappy man of men

Whether the whistling Rustic tend his plough

Within thy hearing, or thy head be now

Pillowed in some deep dungeon’s earless den;

O Miserable Chieftain! Where and when

Wilt thou find Patience? Yet die not; do thou

Wear rather in thy bonds a cheerful brow:

Though fallen thyself, never to rise again,

Live, and take comfort. Thou hast left behind

Powers that will work for thee; air, earth, and skies;

There’s not a breathing of the common wind

That will forget thee; thou hast great allies;

Thy friends are exultations, agonies,

And love, and man’s unconquerable mind.

1 Comment | wines | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

South African Wines – An Area To Watch

January 11, 2010

South Africa has been on my mind a lot over the course of the past few months. At the Society of Wine Educator’s conference this summer, Wines of South Africa did a big promotion for the organization and I was impressed with the wines and the materials. I remember very clearly the day that Nelson Mandela was freed and I was excited to think of how much the country had changed. I wrote this article for The Gourmet Retailer which was just published yesterday.

South Africa has gone through numerous changes in the past 20 years. Nelson Mandela was freed 19 years ago; peaceful democratic elections were held in 1994 and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission went a long way toward healing wounds post-apartheid; and South Africa has become a vibrant democracy with a lively tourist industry.

South Africa has been courting tourists for many years, primarily pushing its host of flora and fauna as the prime attraction. Things have changed, though, and South African food and wine have become a real draw. 2010 is expected to see even more change as South Africa hosts the first World Cup Soccer tournament in Africa.

Winemaking is not new to South Africa. The country has been producing wines since 1659. The year 2009 represented the 350th anniversary of the country’s winemaking tradition.

To read the rest of this article, please go to Gourmet Retailer’s website.

Leave a Comment » | South Africa | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

Italian Indigenous Varieties: Barbera- A New Friend

January 6, 2010

I used to be a Barbera snob. I wouldn’t drink it. I thought it was too acidic without being serious. Many people I know in Italy still feel this way about Barbera. Luckily I realized the error of my ways a few years ago and am now a very happy drinker of this Piedmontese wine.

Barbera, long a grape that has been overlooked or at least underrated, is making real headway in the United States marketplace this year. The reasons are multifaceted. Key to this renewed focus on Barbera is the continuing global recession. Barbera on the whole is more economical than wines made with Nebbiolo such as Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara. Additionally, better quality Barbera is now widely available and there are more styles to choose from too. Add to this the fact that Barbera with its high acidity makes it a great food wine and you have a winning combination.

Barbera is also capable of much greater yields than Nebbiolo and has softer tannins than Nebbiolo and thus can be consumed earlier although really good Barbera can also be longlived.

Barbera grows in a number of regions in Italy including Piedmont, Lombardy, and Emilia Romagna. It is also planted in some of the southern regions but to a lesser degree. The grape’s popularity is such that it is also grown in California, in Argentina and in Australia where it was brought years ago by Italian immigrants.

Barbera is Italy’s second most cultivated grape (after Sangiovese). Barbera flourishs when the climate is warm but not too hot and in chalky, clay soils which abound in Italy. Documents mention the Barbera grape as far back as 1246 and 1277. These documents were found in Casale Monferrato in Piedmont.

To read the rest of this article, please go to Alta Cucina.

2 Comments | Italian indigenous Grape Varieties, Italian regions, italy, wines | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Susannah

« Previous Entries