Vino Italiano

On Friday evening, June 24 at 7:00 pm at the Hilton Harrisburg, we will experience a special event featuring nine carefully selected wines from Italy. We will be pouring four white wines and five red wines representing nine different wine appellations from seven different Italian regions (states). Our wine tour of Italy will cover Piedmont and Veneto in the north, Tuscany in central Italy and Campania, Molise and Sicily in southern Italy. We will also have a beautiful wine from Sardinia that kind of defies the easy geographical labeling of the rest of Italy.

One thing that is easy to say about Sardinia is that it’s a perfect place to grow its preferred wine grapes. Our wine from this island will be a Vermentino.  Most Italians will tell you the very best Vermentino comes from Sardinia…and this one is delicious. It is a crisp white with a tantalizing taste of lemon.

We will be pouring an Arneis from Piedmont. This is a smooth and flavorful white from a native grape of the region produced by Damilano. region produced by Damilano. They are a prestigious, family-owned winery that we were fortunate to visit. Their wines are fantastic!

Sicily is Italy’s largest region (state) in both population and land area. It has more vineyard land than any other region. Our white from Sicily is 100% Carricante. This grape produces a lively, crisp wine with lots of minerality; not surprising considering Sicily’s volcanic soil.

Our last white is a beautiful and very interesting wine from Campania east of Naples. It is made entirely from Coda di Volpe. The translation is Tail of the Fox. That is the grape. I’m wondering how many of you have ever had that wine?! Well, you will experience it at this event!

Our first red in the lineup is a very nice Nero d’Avola from Sicily. It is Sicily’s most prominent native grape. This wine is deep and rich with black-fruit flavors and a hint of exotic spice.

Our next red is from Molise. How many of you have ever heard of Molise…probably not too many, let alone taste wine from there. This is a nice little gem. It is 85% Montepulciano. This is a red grape that grows mainly along the east coast of Italy. But it doesn’t grow near the City of Montepulciano. Go figure.

Of course, we couldn’t have an Italian wine event without having reds from Tuscany. We have two. If we have two reds from Tuscany, then one has to be a super Tuscan…and it is. It is Toscana Rosso from Altesino. My wife and I had an opportunity to taste this wine at the winery.

We really loved it. It has a Sangiovese base, 80%, with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. Sangiovese is the noble grape of Tuscany but both Cab Sauvignon and Merlot grow very well here and their acreage is increasing.

We go back to northern Italy for our next red. It is from Zenato in Veneto located in northeastern Italy. It is a wine you don’t see very often. It is 100% Corvina. While Corvina is the leading grape of Veneto, it is virtually always included in a blend with Rondinella and Molinara, also sometimes with Oseleta.  Zenato is a leading winery in Veneto and this is one of their best wines. It is very expensive but worth every penny.

Our last wine is from Tuscany. It is a Chianti Classico DOCG from the heart of the greater Chianti area. This wine is 100% Sangiovese made by Castello di Bossi. This estate has been producing wine since the ninth century AD. It is located in the southern section of the Classico appellation near Siena. The grapes for this wine are from a single vineyard, Bossi. The grapes are grown at an elevation of 1,155 feet with a southwestern exposure facing Siena.

This will be the ONLY PWS Italian wine event for the year. You will not want to miss this exceptional tasting. Join us for an evening enjoying some of the finest wines Italy has to offer. We will also have a selection of fine cheeses and Hilton baguettes.

100% COVID 19 vaccination proof with follow-up 14-day waiting period completion is required to confirm event reservations.   All CDC and PA DOH distancing and safety precautions as well as the Hilton Harrisburg’s practices and policies will be followed as we are their guests.

Tables of 4 persons each may be reserved via communication in your online reservation notes or to the Treasurers.  Click here to reserve seats online.  Hope to see you there.

Member Reservation—$60

Patron Reservation—$55

Nonmember Reservation—$70