This is based on samples provided by the winery or organization acting on their behalf.

 

 

N.V. Bolla Prosecco Extra Dry

N.V. Bolla Sparkling Rosé Extra Dry

2013 Vigne Regali (Banfi) Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale

 

 

 

Overview:

These wines, while not produced by Banfi, were imported into the United States by the company.  Banfi is the importer/distributor of over 30 different labels from around the world.  While the majority of these labels are from Italy, they also work with wineries in Australia, Chile, Spain and even a couple of American wineries.

 

These samples arrived just in time to accompany me on a vacation to South Carolina.  I looked forward to trying them in the warm South Carolina evenings before dinner.

 

 

 

About the company:

Banfi is a private concern, founded in New York in 1919 by John Mariani, Sr. and today owned and operated by his grandchildren.  The company is focused on the production and import of wine.

 

Banfi Vintners is the sole U.S. importer of the Mariani family’s internationally renowned wine estates in Italy: Castello Banfi of Montalcino, Tuscany, and Banfi Piemonte of Strevi, Piedmont.  Banfi also imports the wines of several other producers, including category leaders Bolla, Cecchi, Florio, Fontana Candida, Placido, Riunite, and Sartori from Italy, Concha y Toro and Emiliana from Chile, and Trivento from Argentina, Wisdom & Warter Sherries from Spain and Stone’s Ginger wine from England.  The company has ranked as North America’s leading wine importer for more than three decades.

 

Banfi’s success has enabled the company to play a broad philanthropic role through the Banfi Foundation.  The Foundation provided seed money to help Catholic Relief Services build a technical school and an orphanage as well as an 800-unit housing project in Potenza, Italy, where thousands were left homeless after a devastating earthquake in the early 1980s.  It also generously endows select charities and universities around the world, and sponsors annual scholastic tours to study the food and wine culture of Italy.

 

Banfi is led today by two grandchildren of the founder: James Mariani and Cristina Mariani-May, who share the title of co-CEO.  Their fathers, Chairman Emeritus Dr. John F. Mariani and President Emeritus Harry F. Mariani, continue as active counsel to the executive committee and are members of the firm’s advisory board. Banfi’s world headquarters is a 60-room Elizabethan manor located on a 127-acre estate and vineyard in Old Brookville, New York.

 

 

 

Here is the line up for this tasting:

 

 

 

N.V. Bolla Prosecco Extra Dry – SRP $13

This sparkling wine is made from 100% Glera grapes which were formerly known as Prosecco.  The grapes were grown in mixed clay vineyards in Treviso which is north of Venice.  The grapes were both hand and machine harvested.  The grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks.

 

This wine has 11% alcohol by volume and 13 g/l of residual sugar.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light yellow to straw color.  The enjoyable nose has apples, pears, lime zest, chalky minerals, some nuttiness and a hint of fresh baked bread.  This has a light body with small persistent bubbles and just a hint of lingering sweetness.  This is crisp and clean on the palate with nice length on the finish with lingering minerals and almonds to go with the fruit and nice sweetness.  This is an easy to drink, value priced sparkling wine.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

N.V. Bolla Sparkling Rosé Extra Dry – SRP $13

This sparkling wine is made from a blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Raboso.  The grapes are from hillside vineyards in Trevigiano.

 

The grapes are gently crushed and pressed then quickly separated from the pumice to avoid imparting too much color on the young must.  After the first temperature controlled fermentation, the base wine undergoes a second fermentation in closed pressure tanks for the “prise de mousse,” resulting in a fully-sparkling wine.

 

This wine has 11% alcohol by volume.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright pink to salmon color.  The appealing nose has cherries, strawberries, minerals, citrus zest and orange blossoms.  The wine has a light body with loads of small bubbles, crisp acidity and some light lingering sweetness.  On the palate tart cherries, minerals and citrus zest hit first with a touch of spice coming in on the back end.  This has decent length with some lingering sweetness.  This would be a crowd pleaser of an easy drinker on a warm afternoon.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Vigne Regali (Banfi) Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale – SRP $20

This red sparkling wine is made from 100% Brachetto grapes from Acqui Terme, Piedmont, Italy.

 

For this wine the grapes are fermented with brief contact with the skins.  Following fermentation the wine is filtered and stored 32°F.   Refermentation is in stainless-steel vats, after which the wine is bottled immediately.

 

This sparkler has 7% alcohol by volume and should be served chilled.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light, transparent red color.  The fresh and fruity nose has candied cherries, strawberries, subtle earthiness and rose water.  This has a light body with nice acidity and a fair amount of residual sweetness.  The wine pours with a nice mousse and the pinpoint bubbles are relentless.  On the palate the sweet fruit grabs your attention and refuses to let go.  The finish has decent length and again is totally fruit driven.  This is an off dry to sweet sparkling wine that would be a hit at a party where the wine is not the center of attention or as an after dinner sipper with friends beside a platter of dark chocolate.   Between the acidity and the persistent bubbles this easily avoids becoming cloyingly sweet.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

Closing Thoughts

This tasting provided a very nice variety of sparkling wines.  The two from Bolla would be perfect to sip on a warm afternoon, as an aperitif or with lighter foods.  The Rosa Regale provides more sweetness and could serve as a lighter dessert wine with a platter of cheese or dark chocolate.

 

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

This is based on a winery supplied sample.

 

2012 Vigne Regali (Banfi) Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale

 

The Winery

In 1979, John and Harry Mariani, family proprietors of Banfi Vintners, acquired a mid-18th century winery, known as Bruzzone, revitalized it and renamed the facility Vigne Regali.  Here, with the same detailed care as a century ago, our skilled winemakers produce “Rosa Regale” Brachetto d’Acqui D.O.C.G.  This rare Brachetto, a semi-dry, red sparkling wine cherished by the courts of Europe over two centuries ago, owes its reincarnation to Banfi.

 

Rosa Regale is created in one of Italy’s smallest production zones, the Brachetto d’Acqui Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, commonly referred to as DOCG.  It is crafted from 100% Brachetto grapes grown exclusively at the La Rosa Vineyard in the town of Acqui Terme located in the Piedmont region of Italy.  The label features a single red rose, representing the wines origin from this single vineyard La Rosa estate.

 

Rosa Regale has a delicate bouquet of rose petals and offers sensuous flavors of fresh raspberries and strawberries. Its effervescence is softer than that of champagne, yet it yields a persistent and delicate pink froth.  Its lively garnet color makes other sparklers pale in comparison.  Served chilled and with a low alcohol content, it serves as the perfect partner throughout the entire meal, beginning as an elegant aperitif, moving to a savory appetizer and ending with a sweet dessert. No wine pairs better with chocolate than Rosa Regale.  The bright fresh berry flavors complement the sweet velvet of the chocolate.  Rosa Regale is a seductive red sparkler that turns any occasion into a celebration.

 

According to popular tradition, the wine was greatly appreciated by, and was the preferred beverage of one of the most famous characters of the Italian comedy in masks, Gioan d’laduja or Giovanni of the jug.  The figure is said to have drawn inspiration for his bubbly high spirits from this fizzy red wine with a fragrant foam.

 

Legend also has it that both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony presented Cleopatra with several gourds of Brachetto.  The empress then had her lovers drink the wine in order to unleash their passion.

 

Rosa Regale is produced using the Charmat process or Metodo Italiano (Italian Method).  This method forces the second fermentation to happen in large stainless steel tanks prior to bottling, rather than in the bottle like the traditional méthod champenoise.  This process is best used on sparkling wines that are meant to be enjoyed young and relatively fresh.

 

 

 

2012 Banfi Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale

The wine is a light, transparent red color.  The fresh and fruity nose has candied cherries, strawberries, subtle earthiness and rose water.  This has a light body with nice acidity and a fair amount of residual sweetness.  The wine pours with a nice mousse and the pinpoint bubbles are relentless.  On the palate the sweet fruit grabs your attention and refuses to let go.  The finish has decent length and again is totally fruit driven.  This is an off dry to sweet sparkling wine that would be a hit at a party where the wine is not the center of attention or as an after dinner sipper with friends beside a platter of dark chocolate.   Between the acidity and the persistent bubbles this easily avoids becoming cloyingly sweet.  (86 pts)

 

Conclusion:

This light bodied and sweet sipper is perfect for a small gathering of friends or to sip on the patio or deck on a warm evening.  With its low 7% alcohol, a second (or third) glass is not out of the question.  The general average price for this wine is around $20, but I see it being available via wine-searcher.com for as low as $15.

 

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2013 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!