Can one page of advertising tell you that something new is happening in the Italian wine world? Yes, it can. Especially if it’s a page of advertising by Vinitaly, the most important annual fair for Italian wine.
If you look at Vinitaly’s website, you’ll still see the image of a wave of wine contouring into the shape of a glass.
The wave of wine is red. It isn’t strange, because usually people think of red wine when they think of wine.
In the last few years, Vinitaly’s ad started to show two different waves, one red and one yellow.
In the latest issue of Wine Spectator, I happened to see the ad page for Vinitaly 2015.
I was astonished by it. The waves have become three. The first one is red, the second is a yellow one, the third is pink.
Pink! This is the news! Rosé wines – rosé! – have appeared in the Vinitaly advertising!
Believe me, this ad page is no small thing.
Don’t think that having a pink wave together with the red and yellow waves is “natural.” In fact it was impossible to think it, even a few years ago.
The page means that rosé wines have gained the same dignity of the reds and the whites.
Finally, rosé will no longer be considered a half-blood wine. It will no longer be considered an inferior race.
This is a great satisfaction for rosé lovers. I am a rosé lover, and this news is pure joy.
Now for my top five Italian rosé wines, from South to North:
Apulia: Azienda Monaci, Salento Rosato Girofle (the grape is Negroamaro). Elegant and luscious. Flowers. Crispy red fruits. Spices.
Sicily: Calcagno, Etna Arcuria Rosato. (the grape is Nerello Mascalese and a hint of Nerello Cappuccio.) A vulcanic rosé. Mineral and fruity.
Abruzzo: Masciarelli, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Villa Gemma (the grape is Montepulciano). Ripe small red fruits. Refreshing and rich.
Tuscany: La Piana, Toscana Aleatico Rosa della Piana (the grape is Aleatico). It comes from Capraia, one the seven islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. Salty and spicy.
Veneto: Albino Piona, Bardolino Chiaretto. Corvina and Rondinella are the main red grapes of Verona. This is their rosé version. Crispy, refreshing and fruity.
