Among all the great wines I tasted seven weeks ago at ViniItaly, the world’s largest wine trade fair in Verona, one of the standouts was an inexpensive rosé wine from southern Italy called, simply, Rosænovæ from Terredora Di Paolo.
Arnie Millan scoping out the best Italian wine deals
This rosato is the perfect Summer wine, outstanding with a wide variety of foods especially grilled meats and barbeque.
This spring I tasted a sample of this Italian rosé as it had not yet been released. Our local distributor had not committed to order any. So smitten was I by this superbly delicious and refreshing wine that I committed to a huge quantity in order to ensure we would get the wine upon release. And it will sell for only $14.99/bottle!
Antonio Galloni, the Wine Advocate’s Italian reviewer, described the Terredora Rosænovæ (an earlier vintage) thus:
“The 2009 Rosanovae Rosato (Aglianico) is one of the most interesting rosés I tasted this year. Dried roses, berries, spices, minerals and licorice are some of the notes that emerge from this ethereal, deceptively medium-bodied wine. Aglianico is best-known as the grape used for Taurasi, one of Italy’s most powerful reds, but here it shows great promise as a unique, totally beguiling rosé.”
Of the 2010 vintage, Galloni states,
“…it hovers on the palate with exquisite finesse and elegance. It is a delicate, understated wine that impresses for its balance and sheer class. I loved it.”
Now we have the even better 2011 vintage which has just been released so there are no formal reviews as yet.
Terredora Dipaolo is one of Southern Italy’s greatest producers. They are a family-owned and run winery based in Campania, dedicated to producing wines from historic indigenous grapes and only from their estate vineyards – no purchased fruit.
The Rosænovæ is made from 100% Aglianico, perhaps Southern Italy’s most noble and ancient red grape. Aglianico makes Campania’s greatest age-worthy reds but here, with the Rosænovæ, the result is a crisp, dry, thirst-quenching salmon-colored Rosé with wonderful complexity of flavor.
Arnie wine tasting in Italy 2012
Please let me know if I can set aside some bottles or a case for you. We expect this wine to arrive by this week.
Cheers!
Terredora Dipaolo 2011 Rosænovæ Rosato $14.99/bottle or $161.89/case
[...] Red, white and blue maybe traditional colors for the 4th of July but pink rocks a BBQ. We got a killer assortment of rose wines from subtle, dry Provencale styles to big, juicy, sweeter rose wines that can hold their own, even bold BBQ sauces. They don’t talk about watermelon notes on a rose for no reason, pair it with watermelon, mint, feta salad and you will know why! If you want some old world flair at your American party, don’t forget Arnie’s Rosé pick Terredora Dipaolo [...]