Tasty reads

Women's Wine Who says that wine must always be chosen by him?

March 7, 2016

International Women’s Day is approaching and this year the wine for the celebrations is going to be selected by us women. We are more prepared than ever to amaze companions, friends and waiters, convinced that the choice of wine is an exclusively male duty.

Yes, because to celebrate and toast to better, we the girls of Langhe.net have decided to give all of us women a brief tutorial on the wines that are best appreciated by our highly sophisticated palate.

And who could help us to realize this task better than our friend Lorenzo Tablino? With his expert advice we will certainly select the wine that will make this a great evening and many others to follow.

What to choose

Vin da fumra

Photo credit: Hugh

The wines that are best suited to us ladies are soft, delicate, fine and elegant, with a preference for those that are more balanced, with a good relationship between the extract and alcohol. No then to “strong” and overbearing wines.

Below you will find a short wine guide, with special focus on the most common ones within our territory and, of course, some outside of our hills.

Dolcetto

Certainly the wine drunk the most in the Langhe, may be misleading because of its name: it is not, in fact, a sweet wine but a table wine, with a ruby red-violet color and a dry and harmonious taste.

The advice is to choose the one produced in the area of Alba (Treiso, Santa Rosalia, Madonna di Como zone) because it is softer and more balanced compared to Dogliani DOCG that instead has a richer extract and more alcohol.

Barbera

Although the Astigiano area, between the Tanaro and Tiglione, is considered the magic triangle of Barbera (it is there that the powerful, structured, acidic and colored Barbera was born), those of Cuneo are most loved by women because they have particularly pronounced characteristics of fineness, elegance and femininity.

The more delicate Barbera are those of the town of Alba and surroundings, in the Roero, those of the area to the left of the Tanaro and those of Serralunga and La Morra. In these areas, the wine is softer and less alcoholic.

These differences are given by the different types of terrain: in the province of Cuneo, the land is richer in limestone compared to the Asti area.

Moscato

The Moscato appreciated by some famous Piedmontese women of the nineteenth century, among whom was the Countess of Castiglione Falletto, considered among the most beautiful and fascinose dame of the era, and the Bella Rosin of Fontana Fredda, first lover and then wife of the King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II.

It is not a coincidence that the sweet wine is particularly appreciated by ladies and gentlemen: the aromas of the grape, linked to sugars, make it particularly pleasant and typically feminine.

There are notes of fruit and flowers (jasmine, mimosa, apricot, peach) and, on tasting it you enjoy its soft, sweet and persistent taste..

Passito

The passito, from Brachetto, Moscato and Malvasia, is an aromatic, intense, sweet and velvety wine. These characteristics are even more accentuated than those of the Moscato.

Are these sweets not enough? Then we recommend you look at “others” and try the foreign wines. Between the Nordic Riesling, you can bet on the sweetest Trockenbeerenauslese or go to France and enjoy Sauternes and Barsac.

Pelaverga

Less known than other wines of the Langhe, the Pelaverga is certainly not to be underestimated. Indeed, it will seduce you.

It is a wine that is agreeable and balanced, a ruby red color with a low alcohol content and a spicy character.

It may accompany the whole meal: from starter to dessert.

Spumante

From the 17th century, Sparkling Wine, with its bubbles, is a symbol of seduction, transgression and savoir vivre.

A classic is Champagne, but in order not to fall into the trivial ensure that the label there has the abbreviation RM (récoltant-manipulant) a good product quality seal.

Other great sparkling wines are the Franciacorta, l’Alta Langa sparkling wines of the Oltrepò Pavese. And let’s not forget the Nebbiolo Spumante and l’Arneis Sparkling Wine.

If the evening ends with a dessert, Asti Spumante Dolce will make you appreciate it more and will prove to be a good social drink.

Barbaresco

With the Nebbiolo grapes, Barolo and Barbaresco are produced: two noble wines that are the protagonists of the Langhe.

We may consider the Barolo wine masculine, because it is tannic, powerful and has strong alcohol.

On the other hand, you can say Barbaresco, which has more feminine tastes: balanced, perfumed, pleasing and seductive, will gladden our spirit.

The difference between Barolo and Barbaresco is given by several factors:

  • Altitude: Barbaresco is located lower than Barolo, consequently with less insolation at these hills, the grapes will be less sugary then the wine will have a lower alcohol content compared to the Barolo;
  • Soil: The Barbaresco soil, even if in minimal amounts, is less calcareous and clayey compared to the soil of Barolo;
  • Micro-climate: the closeness of the Tanaro plays an important role on the final result of the Barbaresco.

Happy Toasting!

Brindisi

Photo credit: Ken Whytock

Now all you have to do is show off your knowledge and, above all, prove how true this information is by tasting some of these wines, perhaps together with some friends during the day on March 8th.

And if you want to celebrate while remaining at home, you can have a look at the selection of women’s favourite five wines.

Do you have other advice or suggestions? We would be glad to hear from you: Please send a comment!