This Saturday we’ll be hopping from the far north of Italy in Trentino to the far south of Sicily with a few stops in between.  The wines are as diverse as the countryside that produces them.  Come join us. 

2014 Noelia Ricci IGT Bianco Forli Bro $18
93% Trebbiano Romagna’s typical clone, 7% Pagadebit
Trebbiano cultivated on the sloping hills that look out at the Adriatic Sea and vinified with the skins of Pagadebit grapes. This delicious white wine exposes the nose to delicate fruit, lemon zest, floral, and citrus notes. The palate is graced with flavors of pear, lemon, citrus, and slight herbal notes. Nicely balanced with a crisp medium finish.12% alcohol by volume.
 
2015 Tenuta La Pergola Monferrato Rosso “Il Gocetto”   $12
75% Brachetto, 25% Barbera
This unusual Piedmont red  is made by Alessandra Bodda at Tenuta La Pergola from a total of 1.6 hectare parcel. “Il Goccetto” is Italian for “A little nip”. It is from a single vintage, but Vino Rosso can’t have the vintage on the label.  The principal grape is Brachetto, and check out the exuberant perfume it bestows: a heady, ample fragrance of juicy ripe cherry and flowers seems to leap out of the glass. A bit of Barbera adds some flesh and bright acidity. 
 
2013 Noelia Ricci, Sangiovese Superiore Romagna, Il Sangiovese  $18
Noelia Ricci focus has been to showcase Sangiovese in the best possible light with minimal wine making intervention.  From the best performing vineyards in the estate, managed by Noelia’s grandson, Marco, the entry level Sangiovese showcases a wasp indicating that it has a fiery personality that should be drunk young   Delicious and refined aromas of raspberry and pomegranate. This wine sees no oak but still maintains a subtle herbaciousness with crisp minerality. 
 
2013  De Vescovi Ulzbach Teroldigo Rotaliano $18
The Vescovi family has been tending vines and farming apple orchards in the Piana Rotaliana area of Trentino since the 18th century.  Teroldego is the regions finest native red wine grape, to produce robust, richly colored reds with a layered bouquet of crushed blackcurrants.  This medium-body wine has the aromas of dark berry fruit, on the nose with floral and mineral hints which continue onto the palate.
 
2014 Cos, Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico DOCG $40
60% Nero d’Avola, 40% Frappato di Vittoria
COS was founded in 1980 by three friends.  They have 36 ha of vineyards of calcareous and silica based clay tufa soils in the farthest southwest tip of Sicily in Vittoria. The wine comes from 25-year-old vines in red soil formed of limestone silica sands, organically farmed, spontaneously fermented on the skins and aged in glazed cement tanks for Frappato and Oak botti for Nero d’Avola together they are blended to form the Cerasuolo a medium-body wine that obtains the floral and perfumed notes from the Frappato and a robust structure and flavor from the Nero d’Avola.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2 until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5.