WINE OF THE WEEK - 2016 Fontanafredda Eremo Langhe Rosso

I was captured by the beauty of a bottle this week. It’s ok, I can admit it. But it goes deeper than you might think ;-)

It’s true, I like a pretty bottle. Doesn’t everyone? They look great on the shelf, great on the picnic or dinner table and entice you to enjoy what is in the bottle. It’s a win-win situation if you ask me.

But the thing is - it take more than a pretty bottle to make me buy a wine (in the first instance) or recommend it (the ultimate goal of my wine driven adventures!). To really get me to buy and recommend, the wine on the inside of the bottle needs to be good.

Now sometimes, when I don’t know anything about a producer or a particular wine, a pretty bottle could be the clincher in my decision-making. But not usually. Often, I want to know that the wine will be good too.

If you’re familiar with the vast and complex world of Italian wines already, you might recognize the iconic stripes on this week’s wine label. They belong to a very famous and highly regarded producer, one that I particularly fancy when it comes to seeking out high acid, well-priced quality wines from Northern Italy. More on that in a moment!

If you’re new to this blog, or haven’t read about Wine Wednesday picks before, be sure to read this blog post where I outline my approach to my weekly Wine Wednesday picks. The focus of this weekly feature is generally to share delicious and affordable wines that are widely available and generally within the reach of most consumers.

Now I’d be remiss not to point out that because I’m located in Ontario, Canada, I buy my wines for the Wine of the Week feature from the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario). For the convenience of readers who are located in Ontario, I always provide the LCBO Product Number, and a direct link to the LCBO website, in my reviews.  

However, the wines I pick are generally widely available in most major markets and online too. So if you like what you read, you should be able to find the wine wherever you like to shop.  

And with that, let’s get into this week’s pick!

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2016 Fontanafredda Eremo Langhe Rosso

This week’s wine comes from the Piedmont region of Italy. It’s an area that is well known for its wines, which are largely available in international markets.

What does this wine cost?

$19.95/bottle - a very reasonable price for the quality and “slurpability” of this wine.

Where does this wine come from?

This wine comes from the Piedmont region in North-West Italy. For the avid wine-drinking reader, a good point of reference to keep in mind when it comes to Piedmont is to remember that this is where the incredibly highly regarded Barolo and Barbaresco wines originate. Piedmont is also the home of the famous light and fruity sparkling wine, Moscato d’Asti.

Piedmont is undoubtedly a world leader when it comes to quality wines, and even more so when it comes to quality Italian wines. Sitting nestled between the Western Alps to one side and the Appeninne mountains to the other, with a wonderful cool climate that is perfect for viticulture, Piedmont contains the most DOCGs (i.e. the highest-quality appellations in the Italian appellation system) in the entire country.

It is worth noting that Piedmont is a very large region and contains many, many sub-regions within it. This wine comes from Langhe, a very highly regarded area for Nebbiolo.

Why is this wine unique?

Aside from the fact that this wine comes from a producer with a cool backstory (see below), I think this wine is unique because it is a blend of two of the most important grape varieties grown in Piedmont, namely Nebbiolo and Barbera. Prized for different reasons, when brought together in a blend, these grape varietals really sing and produce a wine that is both complex but also very approachable.

Who makes this wine?

Fontanafredda is a very large and important estate in the Langhe region of Piedmont, in Northwest Italy.  

With a storied history that dates back to 1858 and involves Italy’s first King, Vittorio Emanuele II, this producer is most well known today for being owned by the business partners behind the stylish and chic Eataly concept stores around the world.  A quick walk around an Eataly location’s wine shop quickly reveals a stunning and impressive array of Fontanafredda wines in all of their many incarnations!

In addition, since the 2018 harvest, Fontanafredda is the largest certified organic winery in Piedmont, with 120 acres of certified organic farming land. Click here to learn more about Fontanafredda if you’re interested!

A few Wine Geek “essential facts” about the wine (feel free to skip this if you don’t care about detailed wine-making information!):

Variety - 60% Barbera/40% Nebbiolo

Soil Type - Blue-gray calcareous marl

ABV - 13%

Residual Sugar - 3 g/L

My tasting notes:

Garnet with a slim orange rim (from the Nebbiolo), this wine has a very intense bouquet and mouthwatering, ripe acidity. It is the acidity that makes it so perfect for a range of foods, especially anything with spice, fat or acidity (think tomato sauces). However, coupled with the acidity, there is also a pleasant minerality that is reminiscent of wet stones, thereby giving the wine some complexity. In addition, there is an abundant bouquet of cherries, raspberries, red plums, red currants, rose petals and wet earth….the flavours go on and on and keep revealing themselves as more air hits the wine!

Aging potential:

I wouldn’t bother aging this wine. It is ready to drink now. However, it does have the potential to age for 2-3 years in my view.

Recommendations to Wineitupanotch:

Pair this wine with pizza, pasta with a tomato-based sauce, chicken, charcuterie and aged cheese.

Wineitupanotch Wine Score: 91 points

This wine is a delicious addition to most any meal that requires acidity from the wine pairing. It has the richness and complexity to fool many people into thinking it is much more expensive than it actually is! I highly recommend it!

If you’re located in Ontario, and wish to purchase this wine, you can find it at the LCBO under Product #454041 .

FINAL VERDICT:

Don’t just buy one. You’ll regret it! This is a great wine to have around for every day, mid-week meals with family and loved ones.

If you’ve tried this wine already, or decide to pick it up and try it after reading this post, I’d love to hear from you and hear what you think of it! Please do drop me a line.

Until next time, wishing you love, light and of course - good wine! :)

Cheers!

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