Milan: 2 Orange Wines & 1 Great Bar to discover
Benvenuti a Milano!
The movement to return to natural wines in Europe was born in France and Italy, and has since expanded with developments in Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Spain. We took a Pax Romana outing to Milan, a great city to indulge in delicious food and wine from all over Italy. We visited the first and oldest natural wine bar in the city, Vinoir. Nestled on one of the canals in Naviglia, this high-end bar or enoteca launched in 2011, expanding in 2016. They offer delicious apéritivi, cheeses and freshly prepared hot dishes as well. The expert staff are one-half tour guides to this terra incognita supporting your discovery of new horizons, one-half poet laureate’s telling the tales of the winemakers and their oenological adventures and expressions.
A must visit wine bar if you are in Milan. Vinoir, Ripa di Porta Ticinese 93b, 20143 Milano. +39 02 39811202. Not in Milan? They even have a web shop!
What we tasted:
Altomare, from Azienda Agricola Barraco, Marsala, Sicily (2020), 100% Grillo. Antonino Barraco’s vineyards are by the ocean. One feel the freshness and the salty air in the wine. I’m fascinated that he prepared the grillo grapes in 4 different- but all natural vinification processes, and then blended them to achieve this incredible result. 25% is prepared with deliberate oxidation like wine from the Jura, which gives the wine a great edge. 2020 was the 3rd year of production of this grillo in 4 ways concept
Rock & Roll Scale: 4 of 5
Color: Unfiltered golden orange. 13% alcohol.
Nose: Orange blossom, walnuts, dried raisin, marzipan.
Taste: Intense and multi leveled, burst of bright crisp acidity
Middle: Smoothness, light oxidation like a vin jaune from the French Jura, aromas of
Finish: Salty, slightly mineral, coppery
It paired exceptionally well with a blue cheese from Auvergne and a St-Felicien.
We also Discovered:
Uis Blancis by Denis Montanar (2021) from Udine, Friuli.
A second Italian natural wine maker I discovered on this trip to Italy was Denis Montanar. He has perhaps the most transparent label we have ever seen of a winemaker. It makes a new era of consumer communication. Every question you might have had about the production of the wine - but never dared to ask - is presented here. From the number of bottles, to the altitude of the vineyard, the soil composition, the year the vines were planted, the winemaking method, and the method of pruning (guyot bilateral if you are curious) is included. Cheers to Mr. Montanar!
Varietals: Blend of Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, Verduzzo
Rock & Roll Scale: 4 of 5
Color: Unfiltered deep golden yellow, unfiltered
Nose: Intense warm citrus, honey, pear
Taste: Well balanced, quite vivacious. Aromas of dried apricot and honey. Excellent persistence.
