tannic structure and colour on the wine. The grapes come from the Valpolicella Classica region s best hillside vineyards,

Transcription

1 pages 2/3 vendemmia 2014 masi nel mondo: nuove mete l irlanda festeggia 25 anni con masi page 4 masi nectar su air dolomiti protagonisti al polar music prize page 5 al festival con un brindisi in rosa tra i migliori rosé in uk page 6 la ricetta: tortelli con cuore morbido di burrata su crudaiola mediterranea news october /2014 follow us on wine experience follow us on THREE GLASSES FOR AMARONE RISERVA 2009 Gambero Rosso s guide, Vini d Italia 2015, gives Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) to Masi Riserva di Costasera Amarone Always at the top of international competitions, in Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate above all, this Amarone Riserva is a prestigious cuvée of Costasera Amarone Classico. The grapes are given a longer appassimento and longer ageing in fine wooden casks, and besides the traditional Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes, the blend also includes Oseleta, the indigenous grape rediscovered by Masi in the 80s which is used to confer extra tannic structure and colour on the wine. The grapes come from the Valpolicella Classica region s best hillside vineyards, facing Lake Garda and the sunset. This means they benefit from light reflected from the water and the naturally mild climate of the area, which helps them to achieve perfect ripeness. The resulting wine has an intense nose of fruit preserved in spirit, bitter cherries and spiciness. Fullbodied with freshness deriving from firm acidity and good structure from the tannins, softened, however, by the grape appassimento process masinews october 2014 page 1/6

2 HARVEST 2014 masi technical group bulletin 09/19/ is a complex year from the climatic point of view, with extremely high average rainfall in the months of July and August, much more so than in the last 80 years. This meant that we had to intervene quickly in the vineyards to prevent fungal attacks, but always in environmentally sustainable ways. Fortunately, the abnormally low average temperatures of the last two months, keeping everything fresh, was a great help in this sense. As far as white-skinned grapes are concerned, the Pinot Grigio harvest in Friuli, used for the production of Masianco, and the Pinot Grigio and Traminer harvests in Trentino have now just come to an end. White and white-with-copper-reflection grapes have excellent acidity this year and a rich aromatic profile. Significant outbreaks of millerandage (resulting in uneven sizes of berries on a bunch) meant that harvesting had to be very selective. The red-skinned varieties have now finished the ripening process in Valpolicella, Friuli, Trentino and Tuscany and are now completely ready. The good day-to-night temperature swings and the lack of high temperatures in the day are leading to strong violet colours in the grapes. The Refosco harvest in Friuli began on 10th September; some of the grapes will undergo appassimento and some will be vinified freshly in the production process for Rosa dei Masi. Picking of Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo grapes began in the first week of September in our organically-run vineyards in Tuscany; fortunately, no particular problems were encountered and no remedial treatments were needed. The Sangiovese grapes, on the other hand, are now fully ripe and picking will begin in the week of 22 September. In Valpolicella, harvesting began on 15 September in restricted foothill zones with the collection of widely-spaced bunches of grapes suitable for appassimento. Grapes used for Masi Amarone Classico wines will be harvested starting in the week of 22 September. Since the weather has not been kind in recent weeks before the harvest either, we are unable to hide the fact that we are extremely worried. Much care will be needed in grape selection to weed out the bunches affected by botrytis and the bunches that have not ripened uniformly. The quality and condition of the grapes will decide their use. Currently, our thinking is that this might not be a year for our historic cru wines - Campolongo di Torbe, Mazzano and Mezzanella, and that grapes that would otherwise have been used for their production might now be used to aid the quality of Costasera masinews october 2014 page 2/6

3 MASI IN THE WORLD: NEW MARKETS Masi has been firmly on international markets for many years, with exports accounting for 92% of its turnover, but our distribution channels have now stretched to markets that once would have been thought of as almost inaccessible, for example: Mongolia, Ghana, Belarus, Paraguay and Azerbaijan, where our top-of-the-range wines have started to be distributed in recent months. The Masi brand is distributed in 98 countries. As is to be expected, the greatest demand is for the Masi classics, Amarone particularly, but wines such as Campofiorin and its family Brolo Campofiorin Oro, Masianco and Rosa dei Masi are also much appreciated, as are the château wines coming from the historic Serego Alighieri estates in Valpolicella and historic Bossi Fedrigotti estates in Trentino IRELAND CELEBRATES 25 YEARS WITH MASI We have recently celebrated 25 years of Masi on the Irish market, a great friend of ours and full of great connoisseurs of our wines. Right from the beginning this niche but highly educated and quality-orientated market has ordered our top-of-the-range wines, such as Campofiorin and Costasera. Average wine consumption has now reached 14 litres per head per year and the country shows increased interest in the consumption of wine both at home and outside. Masi and Findlater are proud to have contributed to this trend, having engaged in communications about the real culture of wine just as much as business over the last 25 years. This was the aspect that was highlighted by the Italian Ambassador in Dublin, His Excellency Giovanni Adorni Braccesi Chiassi, when he honoured us with his presence during the evening s celebrations for our anniversary. Today, with Masi s help as the major contribution, the Veneto is the leading Italian region to be represented on the Irish wine market, starting with Amarone, then the doublefermentation wines and Valpolicella Classico, followed by Pinot Grigio and Prosecco: these are the Italian wines that are best known and most in demand in Ireland Ivan Harrow, Sales Specialist FWS; Kristan Burness, Owner Fiorentina Restaurant, Dublin; Noel Tymlin, Education & Development Manager FWS; Sandro Boscaini, President of Masi Agricola masinews october 2014 page 3/6

4 MASI NECTAR on AIR DOLOMITI Once again, Masi wines are to be found on flights run by Air Dolomiti, the Lufthansa partner airline. With autumn close by, one of our speciality wines can be found on board: the double fermentation Nectar Campofiorin 2010, a special cuvée of the famous Campofiorin, labelled in the same unmistakable style. Together with Nectar Costasera, Nectar Campofiorin is inspired by Masi s Costasera Amarone Classico but contains a greater percentage of Corvina grapes for greater fruitiness, smoothness and pleasure. These are our special wines for the Duty Free Travel & Transportation channels. Here Masi plays a leading role among Italian brands with a strong presence on the market, both in Europe and on other continents TAKING PART IN THE POLAR MUSIC PRIZE Few days ago we were at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm to give winners of the Polar Music Prize 2014 a present of Masi Amarone. The Nobel Prize for Music was attended, by tradition, by the Swedish royal family, and we gave bottles of Costasera Amarone 2009, specially serigraphed in gold for the occasion by Nason and Moretti, master glassmakers in Venice, to the evening s winners: Chuck Berry and Peter Sellers! Costasera had also been chosen for the gala dinner that was attended by the royals, VIPs, and dignitaries present for the event. Masi is delighted to be numbered as one of the leading players for the Polar Music Prize evening with its wine. Sweden is a great friend to our Amarone, which we first introduced to the country through the Systembolagets in monopoly in the 1980s. The link between the people of Sweden and Masi wines that began on that occasion is confirmed by the Polar Music Prize evening masinews october 2014 page 4/6

5 A TOAST OF ROSÉ WINE AT THE FESTIVAL This year we are making a celebratory toast at the Women s Fiction Festival! This literary festival en rose is held in the splendid setting of the Sassi of Matera between September. There are going to be some outstanding guests there and we re going to be at several of the events with bottles of Rosa dei Masi, our rosé wine made with semi-dried grapes. Here s the programme of coming appointments: Masi has always been delighted to support women-only initiatives with its fruity, elegant rosé wine. To learn more about Masi s recent involvement with Telefono Rosa, click the link Masi in pink. ONE OF THE 10 BEST ROSÉS IN UK Rosa dei Masi is one of the 10 best rosé wines ( range) on the UK market, according to the Global Masters Rosé competition published by the authoritative title The Drinks Business. Fresh and with pronounced complexity, Masi s rosé wine is made from Refosco grapes grown on the Stra del Milione vineyards in Friuli. A percentage of the grapes is given light appassimento before vinification, which softens the character of the variety, giving the wine elegance and fresh acidity. This new competition for rosé wines, part of the celebrated Global Masters series dedicated to various international varieties, saw about 100 rosé wines from all over the world judged by Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers in a blind tasting masinews october 2014 page 5/6

6 Tortelli filled with soft burrata and dressed with chopped Mediterranean crudités served with ROSA DEI MASI Ingredients For the pasta: 500 g flour type 00 5 eggs 2 tbs olive oil For the pasta filling: 300 g Burrata 100 g Grana Padano Majoran Salt and pepper For the dressing: 500 g vine tomatoes 1 shallot (scallion) 1 bunch basil 1 bunch rocketa Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt and pepper Preparation For the filling: Mix together the stracciatella, grated Grana, marjoram and egg, with a pinch of salt and pepper. For the pasta: In a bowl, mix flour and egg together with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Use a rolling pin to stretch out a thin sheet of pasta, and using a roller wheel, cut into 8cm squares. Place a small amount of filling in the centre of each square and fold the pasta parcels into a triangle, making sure the edges stick together well. Stretch the long side of each triangle between the thumb and index finger of both hands; using your right hand, wrap the extended pasta parcel round the index finger of your left hand and stick the two ends together. Repeat, until the ingredients are finished. For the dressing: Wash the tomatoes and dunk briefly into boiling water; peel them, chop them in half, and clean out the seeds and excess liquid. Chop the tomatoes into 0.5 cm cubes and place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and leave to drain of any liquid for 10 minutes. Peel and chop the shallot finely. Wash the basil and the rocket and pull off the leaves. Mix the tomatoes and shallot in a bowl with the rocket leaves and torn basil; season with salt and pepper and dress with oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the ingredients to blend their flavours together for one hour. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add salt and simmer the tortelli. Cook the pasta al dente, dress with the raw vegetable sauce and serve with a garnish of fresh basil and rocket leaves, as desired. Recipe presented at Masi in Pink by chef Vitangelo Galluzzi in Villa Serego Alighieri (Valpolicella, Italy) Masinews 08/2014. News October In-house publication by Masi Communications. Editorial: Cristina Valenza, Angela Franceschini Dora Stopazzolo Masi Agricola S.p.A. Tel Fax masi@masi.it masinews october 2014 page 6/6