It
is the last valley in the land of Ciociaria, bordering the Abruzzo National
Park.
This charming land, rich
in vegetation and water, extends along the road running from Sora to Cassino,
and is surrounded by the mountain range called " the Mainarde”
The extreme point of the
valley - more than 500 meters above sea level - reaches very cold temperatures
during the winter ; among the coldest in Italy.
The valley has a good
ventilation and sun exposure.
During some periods of the
year, the smell of the sea drifts in front the nearby Tyrrhenian coast, adding
to the poetry of this pristine environment.
It is the ideal place to
plant some grape varietals of good quality!
In
recent years, new wineries have sprung up in the area. Previously, until a few
decades ago, vine cultivation was practiced only by hand by local farmers.
Some traditional
winemaking families in this valley have tickled the interest of newcomers and
in collaboration have created an interesting product which expresses the
"terroir" and tradition handed down from father to son for centuries.
It
is a wine with high organoleptic properties, which releases emotion and
feelings of deep satisfaction.
The wine shows in deep
ruby color, tending towards garnet as it ages.
Bringing the glass to the
nose, it soon becomes clear that this wine has a complex olfactory pyramid.
The distinctive aromas of
this wine are those of green grass, red fruit, rose hips, and Mediterranean
flavors.
In some wines from the
most prestigious wineries, you can feel the scent balanced with pepper,
eucalyptus and undergrowth.
While in the wines left to
rest in wood, tertiary aromas of leather, chocolate, pepper, tobacco, cinnamon,
and cloves are present
At first sip, the wine
confirms the perceived olfactory notes.
On the palate it is fresh
in the overall structure, quite tannic and quite mineral.
In the best wines, the
"reserve", you can pick up the notes of tar, dried flowers and red
fruit in alcohol
It is a wine that is dry,
warm, and with a soft body.
In the most advanced
products, the wise hand of the winemaker has improved greatly the intensity of
scents, persistence and overall quality of the wine, which, in many cases,
still needs to grow to face a market saturated with Cabernet in medium / low
quality.
In
recent years, the enologist and university professor, Riccardo Cotarella, came
to this valley to teach his winemaking technologies that have made his cellar
"Falesco" famous.
His hand is unmistakable!
You immediately feel the
softness and roundness of the structure and body of the wine which he designed
and built.
These factors are not
present in the other products that I've tasted; they were still too faithfully
cling to tradition stiffer vinification of this wine.
These latter products have
sharper features, more disruptive in their secondary aromas and expression of
the tannins; peculiarities of specific varieties which maintains the tradition
of the wine produced in this valley for centuries.
The younger generation of
winemakers, with the experience of their fathers, added technique and advanced
oenology methodologies, to refine and enhance the organoleptic characteristic that
expresses the vine.
The territory alone with
its extreme temperature, strengthens the presence of polyphenols, and give the
skin the fragrance typical of these particular grapes.
In the cellar, they
practice cooling the wort for removal of impurities and wait for the harvest of
the grapes that ripen later.
In this way, the different
varieties are able to reach, in unison, the right balance between technical
maturation, phenolic ripening and maturing aromatic.
At
this point the wort is one. Fermentation begins!
Twelve municipalities (*)
situated around Atina form the DOC, recognized in April 1999.
It is definitely a wine to
be considered for pairing with the typical
Ciociaria's products, and even more so with those in the same
"Comino Valley."
Spicy meat, lasagne,
parmigiana, mature cheeses, cannellini beans of Atina DOP seasoned with raw
extra virgin olive oil.
These are my pairing preferences with this wine, but it is
a wine that can be served with all meals, if you want.
Today,
in the Comino Valley, there are many wineries and all deserve your visit for
wine tasting.
You will be sure to find
quality products, genuine and refined, and welcoming places rich in tradition
and culture
Raise your glass!
Donato Val di Comino, Vicalvi, Casalattico, Casalvieri, Settefrati.
Bartolomeo Roberto Lepori
Association of Journalists - Rome
Card no. 137270
Professional Sommelier A.I.S.
Italian Sommelier Association
Card no. 112666
E-mail: roberto.lepori @ me.com
roberto.lepori @ goldtv.it
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