Viaggio del Vino
May 16 @ 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
$90 – $115
After two years, the PWS is having another great Italian wine event. You are invited to join us for a wine journey across Italy. Our “Viaggio del Vino” will take us to Tuscany, Veneto, Piedmont, Lombardy and Umbria.
Piemonte (Piedmont) means the “foot of the Mountain.” It is located in Northwestern Italy. The Piedmont portion of our wine journey will take us to Gavi, home to the Cortese grape. This is a native varietal to this area. Our wine selection is a Gavi di Gavi DOCG. The Gavi region produces great white wine. However, the very best comes from the immediate area surrounding the town of Gavi. This wine is known as Gavi di Gavi or Gavi of Gavi. The Italian wine authorities have given this wine a DOCG classification, the highest in Italian wine. Our winery is Bersano, one of the most respected producers in Piedmont.
We will also travel to Lombardia (Lombardy) in Northern Italy. One of the best areas for producing white wine in this region is along the southern shore of Lake Garda. This appellation is Lugana DOC. The native grape here is Turbiana. Our wine is 100% Turbiana produced by family owned Ca dei Frati, one of the oldest wineries in Lugana. This wine is different. It’s intriguing and very enjoyable.
Traveling south, we make our way to Umbria, located just east of Tuscany. This is the heart of Central Italy. The elevations here make for some very nice white wines. We will have two whites poured from this region. One will be the ever-popular Vermentino. This varietal is known for its crisp acidity and distinctive lemon flavor. Our second white is made from a native grape of Umbria, Grechetto. This grape isn’t widely known outside of Umbria. You probably have never heard of it let alone tasted it. But you will at this PWS event.
Our red wine portion of this event will take us back up north to Piedmont. We will have an Alba based Barbera. This grape is native to Piedmont but it is grown throughout Northern Italy and even California. The grape makes an excellent “food wine” due to its high acidity and low tannins. This wine loves mushrooms so we will be pairing a Hilton mushroom dish with it.
We will then go to Central Italy to Tuscany, home to some of the most loved red wines in the world. A fabulous “Super Tuscan” will be poured. Some wine critics have said that “Tuscany was made for growing Cabernet Sauvignon.” You will be apt to agree after you sip this magnificent wine.
Next, we head north to Veneto, home to Venice and Verona. We will be making an interesting comparison between two wines that are different but closely related. Our first wine from this area will be a Ripasso which means “repassing.” This is a wine from Valpolicella, near Verona, that is vinified in the fall but a few months later is poured over the skins and pulp of a previous Amarone fermentation. This “repassing” incites a secondary fermentation infusing the wine with a hint of the spicy, glycerol kick of Amarone. It is often referred to as a “baby Amarone.”
Our next wine is from the same area as the previous wine. But this one is the premier wine of the Veneto. It is an Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG. This wine is made from native grapes of Veneto: Corvina Veronese, Corvinone and Rondinella. Due to its quality, this wine is often referred to as an “Icon Wine.”
For our last wine, we travel south, back to Tuscany. It is a Chianti Classico DOCG. This estate is located close to Sienna. It is owned by the Frescobaldi family, which has been making fine wine in Tuscany for over 700 years. This wine is 100% Sangiovese, a grape native to Tuscany.
After tasting nine wines from five different regions (states in Italy) and pairing them with three Italian inspired small plates, we will conclude our wine journey. Ciao!
Join us at the Hilton Harrisburg on Friday, May 16 at 7p.m. for Viaggio del Vino. Be sure to buy your seats early. You do not want to get shut out of this special event!
Please inform us of any food sensitivities early by emailing the Treasurer.
You may purchase reservations on the Shoppe Page of this website.
Members—$95
Patrons—$90
Nonmembers—$115
