Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine

Monte Taburno

Summer reflection. Those things you do when you feel autumn at your heels…

Sitting at an outdoor café in the sleep Riviera town of Chiavari, I find myself before a lovely, crisp glass of Falanghina. We all know Falanghina, of course, but the lure for me was Taburna – that massive mountain, home to the Sabine women and the place my maternal grandfather was born –  the Caudina valley. I discovered these roots not many years ago, when I took my teenage son on a heritage voyage. I found out that this area is now a ‘hot new’ winemaking region just last year when I met Paolo Cotroneo, owner of La Rivolta. Che sorpresa!

So when the aperitivo came and I asked to see the bottle, it was with glee that I found it was Paolo’s own vintage!

Fattoria La Rivolta is one of those little points of excellence, having conquered Bibenda’s 5 Grappoli prize last year, and again this year with the Aglianico del Taburno DOCG Riserva 2011.

Can I say how much I respect people like Paolo who put all their passion for their territory and the product they produce into every bottle? This man is a pharmacist but devotes himself to exhalting the aromas of that mysterious and rich land that is the Taburno.

As you can see, Paolo proclaims his philosophy on the bottle: recuperating the memory of a place can take place through the flavors of the land. And yes, this wine is organic.

This weekend at Rome’s Cavalieri Hilton is the annual Bibenda 5 Grappoli dinner…. Keep your eyes peeled for our report!
Cin-cin!