custoza corte gardoni 2007
ByNamed for the town that hosted one of the epic battles of the Italian Risorgimento, this is a fruity, serene, food-friendly wine produced with the same blend of grapes grown for Soave, dominated by the local Garganega, with the addition of the rare Trebbianello.
The rich aromatics and mildly spicy finish are excellent counterpoint to delicate fish dishes as well as substantial pasta and white meat.
Regional History
The ancients believed Venetians were directly descended from the survivors of the Fall of Troy. Like the Trojans they were tremendous artisans, and their agricultural ability was particularly admired. More likely they came from the vast Diaspora of peoples out of the Carpathian Mountains around 1500 BC.
It was homage to these people that prompted the Romans to name the Tenth Imperial Region after them: the Veneti. Pliny, Virgil, Suetonius and Martial all refer to Reticum and Acinaticum, the direct ancestors of modern Veronese wine.
West of the city of Verona, on the coast of Lake Garda, you find Custoza, on a series of gentle hills of maritime origin. The wines here are aromatic and crisp and redolent of straw and nuts, with an undercurrent of clamshell-like minerality.
Regional Foods
Veneto touches the Adriatic Sea at Venice and runs north through the Dolomites to the Austrian border. Its southern and western limits are the large alluvial plain formed by the Garda basin and the valley north of the Po River.
This tremendous variety of landscape has provided Veneto with an equally varied cuisine: seafood from both Lake Garda and the Adriatic; game, mushrooms and mountain herbs from the Dolomites; the Po Valley provides the best vegetables of Northeastern Italy as well as its two staples: corn and rice.
Polenta was introduced in the 17th century and was prepared in much the same way as other grain flours that preceded it. It can be plain, grilled or fried; paired with meats, game and fish.
Rice, introduced by the Venetian traders as early as 1400, is the inspiration for as many as forty different risottos. Rice is also prepared with fish and vegetables. One of the fonder pairings of rice and vegetables is, Risi e Bisi, or rice and fresh young peas.
© 2008 Moore Brothers Wine Company