james suckling praises masi s italo-argentine fine wines

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Edith Nicholson
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pages 2/3 campofiorin and international press page 4 masi at vinovip cortina masi and music: two days at palmesus

experience follow us on twitter: @MrAmaroneMasi james suckling praises masi s italo-argentine fine wines 94 92 90 The

Argentina with excellent scores for wines from Tenuta Masi Tupungato in Argentina: Corbec 2012 (94/), Passo Doble

In Mendoza, Masi has found the ideal environmental and cultural conditions to use techniques and grape varieties from

Masi Tupungato wines are the highly original result of using leading Venetian and Argentinian grapes together.

(using the Appassimento method), which concentrates aromas and perfumes in the grapes and makes for the production of

James Suckling s tasting notes are as follows: Corbec 2012 (94/ pts) Licorice, stone and berry character on the nose

A blend of corvina and malbec. Masi is getting right now! Drink or hold.

1 pages 2/3 campofiorin and international press page 4 masi at vinovip cortina masi and music: two days at palmesus page 5 passione caracciola, wine and vintage motorcars news august /2017 follow us on wine experience follow us on james suckling praises masi s italo-argentine fine wines The leading American wine critic, James Suckling, has recently published his report The many, diverse wonders of Argentina with excellent scores for wines from Tenuta Masi Tupungato in Argentina: Corbec 2012 (94/), Passo Doble 2015 (92/), and Passo Blanco 2016 (90/). In Mendoza, Masi has found the ideal environmental and cultural conditions to use techniques and grape varieties from the Venetian regions to make organic wines with full respect for the local flora and fauna. Masi Tupungato wines are the highly original result of using leading Venetian and Argentinian grapes together. After harvest a significant percentage of grapes are set aside to dry in the drying rooms during the winter months (using the Appassimento method), which concentrates aromas and perfumes in the grapes and makes for the production of top quality wines. James Suckling s tasting notes are as follows: Corbec 2012 (94/ pts) Licorice, stone and berry character on the nose follows through to a full body and round and savory fruit. Firm and polished undertone. Fantastic. A blend of corvina and malbec. Masi is getting right now! Drink or hold. Passo Doble 2015 (92/ pts) Loads of blackberry, spice and licorice aromas follow through to a full body and soft and silky tannins. Long and flavorful. A blend of malbec and corvina. So cool. Get this. Screw cap. Drink now. Passo Blanco 2016 (90/ pts). Bright and fruity with sliced apples and some peaches. Medium body, vivid acidity and an energetic finish. Very lively. Drink now masinews august 2017 page 1/5

campofiorin and international press The grapes laid out on bamboo racks seem alive, turning on their bunches like dark worms.

This is what three months of time-lapse photography will show you of the ancient process of appassimento (grape drying).

The Veronese hills enjoy a regular play of winds from Lake Garda and the Adige valley, which facilitates the drying of grapes in specially constructed attics, barns and

Serendipitous symbiosis of vine variety and site or the result of centuries of careful selection?

The international press is showing great interest in the historic wine, Campofiorin, in its 50 th Anniversary.

Their smooth flavours recall bitter cherries with both the cherry and the bitterness increasing in intensity as you move up the scale of grandeur.

) Wines made with grapes that are dried for the full three months, by contrast, are not simply stronger and darker but acquire compelling yet disconcerting asperities

2 campofiorin and international press The grapes laid out on bamboo racks seem alive, turning on their bunches like dark worms. Each berry eases back from its neighbour before it shrivels and grows ever more juiceless. Finally they fall still, static, raisined. This is what three months of time-lapse photography will show you of the ancient process of appassimento (grape drying). It has been a speciality of Italy s Veneto region for almost 1,500 years, first described in the early 6th century by Cassiodorus, a civil servant of Theoderic the Great. The Veronese hills enjoy a regular play of winds from Lake Garda and the Adige valley, which facilitates the drying of grapes in specially constructed attics, barns and lofts. The local indigenous grapes (especially Corvina) only reveal their full potential when treated in this way. Serendipitous symbiosis of vine variety and site or the result of centuries of careful selection? No one knows but locals certainly make the most of what they ve been gifted, with a suite of intricate, complex wine styles based on different levels of grape drying and varying winemaking strategies. Valpolicella is the name of this family of wines and the simplest ones are made without any drying of grapes: pale, fresh rose-reds which, lightly chilled, seem perfectly The international press is showing great interest in the historic wine, Campofiorin, in its 50 th Anniversary. Herewith what Andrew Jefford recently wrote about it on the Financial Times calibrated for summer thirst. Their smooth flavours recall bitter cherries with both the cherry and the bitterness increasing in intensity as you move up the scale of grandeur. (Cherry is a regional leitmotif here: the vineyards share the hills with cherry orchards and, in former times, wines were stored in barrels made of cherry wood.) Wines made with grapes that are dried for the full three months, by contrast, are not simply stronger and darker but acquire compelling yet disconcerting asperities which might evoke mushrooms, smoke, cinders, salt or tar, while the cherry sweetness amplifies out towards chocolate, orange peel and walnut. Grippy tannins gather and impress. Dry versions are called Amarone, a word that in Italian conjures both bulk and bitterness. There are also sweeter, prettier, less heady alternatives called Recioto: these retain their fruit spectrum more completely, so don t taste in any way confronting or troubling, as a great Amarone so often does. Much of the action in recent years, meanwhile, has come with a series of median styles and no little controversy, too. From 1964 onwards, leading Veneto producer Sandro Boscaini of Masi produced (and trademarked) a style masinews august 2017 page 2/5

3 campofiorin and international press called Ripasso for Masi s Campofiorin. This involved the maceration of ordinary Valpolicella over the skin and pip residues of Amarone, thereby imbuing it with a little extra perfume, sinew and austere grandeur. Boscaini later became dissatisfied with the technique, likening the process to that of using a tea bag twice, and surrendered the trademark to general use in It was adopted as an official term by local authorities in 2010, and since then there has been an explosion in the production of Ripasso, which now eclipses that of Valpolicella (27.6 million bottles of the former compared with 18.2 million bottles of the latter in 2016). Purists lament the fact that the refreshing, light and lively Valpolicella Classico a wine that might suit those whose palates are attuned to red burgundy, for example seems to have been forgotten in the stampede towards dried-grape styles. Many serious producers now avoid the use of the Ripasso name and technique altogether for their median wines, preferring (as Masi has since 1983 for Campofiorin) to incorporate a percentage of dried grapes or use those dried for a less lengthy period than for Amarone. Dal Forno s extraordinary Valpolicella (nothing this painstaking family produces could ever be described as ordinary ) is made purely from grapes dried for a month and a half rather than three. Allegrini uses a percentage of dried grapes for its Palazzo della Torre, while the single vineyard La Grola and tiny production, pure Corvina La Poja eschew any use at all. Almost all the wines of Giuseppe Quintarelli, the patient regional master who died in early 2012 but whose family continue his work in a spirit of devoted fidelity, contain significant percentages of dried grapes. This matters because it is with the median styles that the Veneto competes most squarely with the gastronomic appeal of wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco and Chianti. Thirst-quenching Valpolicella at least as most make it seems too light for much main-course service, while Amarone and Recioto are best tackled with cheese or nuts or, indeed, in isolation, the better to appreciate their drama. Observers note that more and more Valpolicella grapes are being dried every year, often misguidedly: the process cannot miraculously transform poor-quality grapes into propitious ones. The risk is that standards will slip for both Ripasso and Amarone, with less expensive Amarone ceasing to be the rare meditation wine that is its highest vocation, and becoming merely a stronger and sometimes sulkier incarnation of the median styles. To use dried grapes in winemaking is, unless great pains are taken with every stage of the process, to flirt with danger; oxidation, brettanomyces spoilage and excessive volatile acidity are all risks. Are we making a fine wine, or are we running a big business? asks Masi s Sandro Boscaini (though this publicly listed company is hardly a minnow itself). At the moment, we are running a big business, he claims, alleging that Amarone has consequently become a commodity wine. The local authorities are aware of the danger of a slide downmarket for Amarone and Ripasso, and reduced the permitted percentage of grapes that can be dried for Amarone from 50 per cent to 40 per cent for the 2016 Valpolicella harvest. Success in the wine world often comes at a price but in 40 years, Valpolicella has transformed itself from industrial party-fuel to a much-admired Italian fine-wine classic. It s not difficult for consumers to beware of suspiciously cheap examples of exalted styles. A bigger challenge, in truth, is trying to understand the complex ranges of leading producers; Valpolicella is many times more complicated than Bordeaux. Uniquely haunting aromas and flavours, though, reward the persistent masinews august 2017 page 3/5

masi at vinovip cortina We couldn t miss out on the two days at high altitude of VinoVip Cortina, the

Among the various events, we participated in the much sought-after Eagles Tasting at the Faloria Refuge in

Campofiorin 2014, Toar 2013 and Riserva di Costasera 2011.

was there too, speaking in the seminar Communicating Complexity and talking about how to make messages about

Afterwards, he said VinoVip Cortina is something we never want to miss, a memorable experience for those in

and the art of good living are presented at the highest levels in Italy.

resort at Kristiansand and hosting more than 30,000 music lovers every year.

4 masi at vinovip cortina We couldn t miss out on the two days at high altitude of VinoVip Cortina, the eleventh edition of the spectacular event organised biennially by the magazine Civiltà del Bere. Among the various events, we participated in the much sought-after Eagles Tasting at the Faloria Refuge in the heart of the Dolomites which sees trade and wine lovers meet to taste leading wines, including Campofiorin 2014, Toar 2013 and Riserva di Costasera Raffaele Boscaini, Marketing director and representative of the seventh generation of the Boscaini family, was there too, speaking in the seminar Communicating Complexity and talking about how to make messages about wine for wine lovers simpler and more direct. Afterwards, he said VinoVip Cortina is something we never want to miss, a memorable experience for those in the trade and wine lovers from all over the world, living in this breathtaking setting where gastronomy, wine and the art of good living are presented at the highest levels in Italy. masi and music: two days at palmesus Enjoying the sun and the music, Masi too was pleased to take part in the Palmesus Festival this year. It s the biggest seaside music festival in Scandinavia, held in the beautiful setting of the Bystranda beach resort at Kristiansand and hosting more than 30,000 music lovers every year. Making the music swing and livening up the festival was our sparkling Moxxé. Refreshing and fruit-driven with the unmistakable bouquet of semi-dried Verduzzo, this wine was the delight of VIP events in the evening and young people of all ages, from all over the world. The 2018 allocation is already sold out; so we have great hopes for our sparkling wines in the next vintage! masinews august 2017 page 4/5

passione caracciola, wine and vintage motorcars Masi wines were on

to 1980) named after one of the greatest drivers of the last century,

58 cars took part, many of them Mercedes, but there were also cars by

rally route that took in some of the most important places in Carracciola

As well as being a competitive car event, Passione Caracciola is also a

was there showing Masianco 2016, Bonacosta 2015, Campofiorin 2014 and

passionate participants, values which the Passione Caracciola rally and

5 passione caracciola, wine and vintage motorcars Masi wines were on display at Passione Caracciola, an performance rally for vintage cars (up to 1980) named after one of the greatest drivers of the last century, Rudolf Caracciola. 58 cars took part, many of them Mercedes, but there were also cars by Porsche, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and many other historic makes on a rally route that took in some of the most important places in Carracciola s life. As well as being a competitive car event, Passione Caracciola is also a chance to swap experiences and a moment of bonhomie, which was why Masi was there showing Masianco 2016, Bonacosta 2015, Campofiorin 2014 and Costasera 2012 in a tasting at one of the rally stops, Kulm Hotel in Arosa. Once again our winery was chosen to exhibit at a famous event with very passionate participants, values which the Passione Caracciola rally and Masi hold in common Masinews 7/2017. News August In-house publication by Masi Communications. Editorial: Cristina Valenza, Angela Franceschini Dora Stopazzolo Masi Agricola S.p.A. Tel Fax masi@masi.it masinews august 2017 page 5/5

page 2 masi agricola is listed passo doble 2012 wins award from selection

page 2 masi agricola is listed passo doble 2012 wins award from selection pages 3/4 masi green: picnic in the vineyards #campofiorin50: win the instagram competition page 5 the recipe: sweet roasted veg