After having dinner with Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy a couple of weeks ago, I thought I should read one of their books cover-to-cover and I picked the right one...Italian Wine for Dummies, a true insider's guide to Italian wine. Ed and Mary go to Italy at least twice a year and in this excellent book give anyone who is interested in Italian wine something to think about. For me, the first thing is reading about Italian whites. I'm constantly surprised by the quality level and value of whites from Piedmont, Tuscany, Aldo Adige, and Northeastern Italy, home to Bianco de Custoza.
An Italian wine label like this one takes some careful study. At first glance, you may think that Remo Farina is either the region or the grape varietal if you don't know that Bianco de Custoza is actually a D.O.C. region and named for a little town around Lago di Garda (Lake Garda). The grapes used are usually Trebbiano Toscano, Garganega, and Tocai Friulano. For this bottling, the rundown is: Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Fernanda, Riesling Italico, Chardonnay and Sauvignon (blanc).
Remo Farina 2006 Bianco de Custoza
The scent on this wine is all about wet river stones (though less stony than than a cinqueterre or falanghina), banana peel, and apples. In the mouth, a touch of Chardonnay rounds it out. This has both good frutiness and minerality to be an excellent all-around Italian white for food. I served this with Pasta Con Branzino (Sea Bass) with tomatoes and capers. Great value and recommended.
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