Haunted Legends of Abruzzo by Vasyl Velykanskiy
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EN
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Boris Buliga
Valentini, Pepe and Praesidium.
There are winemakers whose wines you eagerly want to try, but something always gets in the way (mostly the price, of course). My story with Emidio Pepe goes like this: I had only tasted their relatively recent releases, which didn't impress me much. Meanwhile, those around me would nod knowingly, saying, "Well, this wine is only six years old. Give it another 5-6 years, and it will be perfect. It's too early to drink it now!" And though the older vintages sit on the shelves, their prices are quite daunting. So, it's great that there are adventurous people (hello, Vasyl) who organise tastings designed to definitively answer specific questions while broadening our horizons. Valentini had been on my radar for a while, but Praesidium was a completely new name to me (and I'm not ashamed to admit it).
Thus, in the subdued atmosphere of Lo bar, a small group of us had the chance to taste wines from three distinguished winemakers, stars from different provinces of Abruzzo.
| Wine | Place | rms Average score calculated using the root mean square method, reflecting the collective assessment of a wine by participants. | wavg Weighted average score for the wine, where each participant's rating is adjusted for their wine assessment expertise. | sdev Standard deviation measures the controversy of a wine's reception. A lower value signifies greater consensus among participants. | fav Count of participants who selected this wine as their evening's favourite. | out Number of participants who identified this wine as their least favourite of the evening. | price Price of the wine, if available. | volume Volume of the bottle in litres. | QPR Quality-price ratio, indicating value for money. A higher number denotes better value. Available when price is known. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥉 3rd | 4.0004 | 4.0000 | 0.0033 | 0 | 0 | UAH 800.00 | 0.75 L | 1.0820 | |
| 🏅 5th | 3.8341 | 3.7877 | 0.0056 | 0 | 0 | UAH 1,215.00 | 0.75 L | 0.5739 | |
| 🥇 1st | 4.1946 | 4.3667 | 0.0947 | 3 | 0 | UAH 6,500.00 | 0.75 L | 0.8139 | |
| 🏅 6th | 3.8942 | 3.7193 | 0.0847 | 1 | 0 | – | 0.75 L | – | |
| 🏅 4th | 4.0189 | 3.9702 | 0.0181 | 0 | 0 | UAH 5,800.00 | 0.75 L | 0.3783 | |
| 🥈 2nd | 4.2858 | 4.2193 | 0.0214 | 2 | 0 | UAH 3,075.00 | 0.75 L | 0.8672 |
Loimer Brut Rosé Reserve NV
- Region
- Austria » Niederösterreich
- Type
- rose traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Loimer
- Vintage
- NV
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Zweigelt
- Alcohol
- 12
- Volume
- 750 mL
This wine secured the 🥉 3rd place in our wine tasting lineup.
A welcoming that we tasted blind. One of the attendees managed to guess producer.
Praesidium Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Superiore 2018
- Region
- Italy » Abruzzo » Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC
- Type
- rose still, dry
- Producer
- Praesidium
- Vintage
- 2018
- Grapes
- Montepulciano
- Alcohol
- 14
- Volume
- 750 mL
This wine secured the 🏅 5th place in our wine tasting lineup.
This rosé is produced entirely from Montepulciano grapes, harvested from 60-year-old vines situated 400 metres above sea level in soils with a high clay content and abundant white calcareous stones. The grapes are picked at the ripeness level typical for red wine production. They undergo a four-day maceration period, followed by extended ageing in stainless steel vats to maintain freshness and develop complexity.
Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2014
- Region
- Italy » Abruzzo » Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC
- Type
- white still, dry
- Producer
- Valentini
- Vintage
- 2014
- Grapes
- Trebbiano
- Alcohol
- 12
- Volume
- 750 mL
This wine secured the 🥇 1st place in our wine tasting lineup.
This wine is made exclusively from Trebbiano grapes, sourced from vines that are 70 years old and located at an altitude of 550 metres in soils composed of calcareous clay. It undergoes spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts, without any temperature control or filtration. The ageing process takes place over 12 months in old oak barrels ranging from 50 to 70 hectolitres, contributing to its unique character.
Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2009
- Region
- Italy » Abruzzo » Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC
- Type
- white still, dry
- Producer
- Emidio Pepe
- Vintage
- 2009
- Grapes
- Trebbiano
- Alcohol
- 12
- Volume
- 750 mL
This wine secured the 🏅 6th place in our wine tasting lineup.
This wine is produced solely from Trebbiano grapes, harvested from vines that are over 40 years old and located at an elevation of 240 metres in clay-rich soils. The grapes are foot-pressed and fermented with native yeasts, followed by a 15-month ageing process in glass-lined concrete tanks. It is bottled unfiltered and unfined. Additionally, older vintages undergo hand decanting and are recorked when an order is placed.
Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva 2009
- Region
- Italy » Abruzzo » Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Emidio Pepe
- Vintage
- 2009
- Grapes
- Montepulciano, Montepulciano
- Alcohol
- 13.5
- Volume
- 750 mL
This wine secured the 🏅 4th place in our wine tasting lineup.
This wine is crafted entirely from Montepulciano grapes, coming from vines older than 40 years and grown at 240 metres above sea level in clay-rich soils. The grapes are hand-destemmed and undergo fermentation with native yeasts. The ageing process extends for two years in glass-lined concrete tanks. This wine is presented unfiltered and unfined. For older vintages, each bottle is hand-decanted and recorked once an order is received.
Praesidium Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva 2009
- Region
- Italy » Abruzzo » Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Praesidium
- Vintage
- 2009
- Grapes
- Montepulciano
- Alcohol
- 14
- Volume
- 750 mL
This wine secured the 🥈 2nd place in our wine tasting lineup.
This wine is made entirely from Montepulciano grapes harvested from 60-year-old vines located at an altitude of 400 metres in soils abundant in clay and white calcareous stones. It undergoes spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks with a maceration period of approximately 12 days. The maturation process lasts around 24 months, taking place in both Slavonian and French oak barrels. Following this, the wine is refined in the bottle for about 6 months before release.
Raw scores
| Wine | Dmytro L | Vasyl V | Alessio | Anya I | Mykola T | Boris B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.00 | 4.10 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 3.90 | |
| 3.90 | 3.80 | 3.70 | 3.90 | 3.90 | 3.80 | |
| 4.10 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 3.90 | 3.70 | 4.40 | |
| 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.40 | 4.30 | 4.10 | 3.80 | |
| 3.90 | 4.00 | 3.90 | 4.20 | 4.20 | 3.90 | |
| 4.50 | 4.30 | 4.00 | 4.30 | 4.30 | 4.30 |