Discover the Vip Experience at Cantina Il Poggio!

 

One of the best experiences you can have here, at Cantina Il Poggio, is undoubtedly the Vip Experience, and the happy and carefree smiles of this couple can confirm it for you.

 

Let the show begin!

 

The Parmigianino

The curtain rises with Parmigianino, an Extra-Brut italian spumante, 100% Malvasia Aromatica di Candia, a marvelous product that, with its fine bubbles and hints of yellow peach, sets the stage for a tasting of 9 wine glasses with 9 gastronomic pairings. There will be a final retro-nasal effect reminiscent of sage, and then, at each tasting, every guest enriches Parmigianino with the name of a yellow flower (e.g., Chamomile or Dandelion) or a white flower. During the Malvasia Fear, I renamed this grape variety, the grape of the Mediterranean Sea, and I must say that simply calling it that was incredibly successful.

 

La Vedovona

Next is La Vedovona, with its herbaceous aroma, like a hayfield, reminiscent of Malvasia from the past; it surprises the palate of those who love those wines of yesteryear. A bottle-refermented wine, aged for 10 months on the lees, left us impatient all summer, but not her, she didn’t want to leave yet, she didn’t want to express her sharp and fizzy character just yet. One day, though, Mattia tried to open a bottle, I didn’t have much confidence, but the cork popped, and even our marketing manager nearly got blinded 🤣

 

Il Gelasio

Gelasio? From Cangelasio, Gelasio in Greek means smiling. And believe me, this macerated Malvasia, with its 14.5% alcohol, will make you smile, indeed! Six months in an acacia barrel give it back the softness and roundness that were taken from it during the aggressive maceration process. I always say that this wine is like a woman, delicate and highly aromatic on the outside (on the nose), but sharp, arrogant, and classy on the inside (on the palate). A wine like a woman, designed for women.

 

La Vedova Nera

We continue with La Vedova Nera, and it’s almost time to say goodbye to her, but if you visit us in October, there might still be a drop left (unless Fil and Mattia drink it all 🤣) An alcoholic grapefruit juice sensation. A refreshing kind of beverage, with a very nice acidity. And if you pair it with Parma ham, what can I say? A food&wine magic. Also, a double fermentation for her because one wasn’t enough, but she was less capricious than La Vedovona and was ready by April.

 

Il Salsese

And now it’s his turn, the family’s wine, the wine of Salsomaggiore, the wine for a summer day when, after a long and exhausting day in the fields, you just want a piece of cheese, a slice of salami, and a nice sparkling red wine to cleanse your palate. Il Salsese isn’t even a distant cousin of Lambrusco, if that’s what worries you: it’s a great blend of Barbera (which provides acidity and freshness), Bonarda (grapes full of intense red fruit flavors, like plum but not fully ripe yet), and Merlot (which adds elegance and body). I can already see myself in the countryside house, on the patio, sitting, watching the sunset after helping Grandma Franca weed the garden, enjoying Il Salsese.

 

Otium

 

Did someone say barbecue? Well, if you’ve invited everyone, did you remember to invite Otium? He’s the real star of the party, a table set for a party, and Otium 2019 will surely be the last to arrive! But you know, the beautiful ones arrive last.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which represent the internationality and frenzy, perfectly complemented by Barbera and Bonarda from the hills of Salso, a symbol of slow and mindful living.

 

Poggio

 

And the moment has come, ladies and gentlemen, for him, the masterpiece, Il Poggio (especially the 2017 vintage, a splendid year from a viticultural perspective). It’s meant to be savored on Christmas Eve, in your leather armchair, with your cigar (or dark chocolate) and a roaring fire. A large glass that can release all its beauty and creaminess. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the ones from the lake, those vines that are 53 years old, producing few but small and highly concentrated berries. All of this, together with Barbera and 1% of Bonarda, which is left to dry in the sun in small crates for the entire month of October and then added, berry by berry, by Adriano and Brian, into the must.

Something unexpected happens on the nose, an explosion of an overripe plum (remember, the plum?), which opens the door to the imagination of what you’ll find on the palate. But I don’t want to dwell too long on Poggio; you have to taste it, experience the scent of the 2019 vintage that recalls leather, in contrast to the 2017 that is pure black wild cherry.

 

Pensiero

 

The show comes to an end with Pensiero, a late harvest (the grapes dry on the vine) of Malvasia Aromatica di Candia, vines with advanced age as well (but we don’t ask women their age, right?), the owner’s favorite. A passito kind of wine that ferments directly in wood and matures for a year in these French oak tonneaux barrels, the only ones where we let the natural yeast win, it’s like sticking your nose into a classic Christmas italian panettone.

That candied fruit, those toasted pine nuts, those sultana raisins, that dried apricot, those dried figs, that caramel, in sweet company with a perfect sbrisolona (a typical italian dessert from Emilia). Or why not, with some blue french cheeses, because this passito is not cloying at all. Pensiero delights and surprises even those who usually don’t like dessert wines. Can you blame them?

And after this oenological and sommelieristic (yes, perhaps that’s a neologism) triumph, I hope I have taken you here with your imagination and that you will be a part of the Vip Experience at Cantina Il Poggio. If you’re concerned that 9 wines might be too much, especially if you have to drive, click here, we’re taking care of it! 😉

However, I’ve just noticed that I haven’t told you about the foodies parings, have I?

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