Italy Focus: Zonin of Veneto

I have always had a soft spot for Zonin wines ever since I first had the pleasure of tasting their Ripasso which was an experience that opened my eyes to the potential of Italian wines. I had always (and still do) think that Italian wines and its geography are pretty hard to understand but that first sip of wine almost a decade ago inspired me to learn more about, firstly Veneto the home of Zonin and subsequently other regions of this vast winemaking country.

Zonin itself is a brand but is also the owner of other wineries around Italy with their headquarters in Veneto. They own 10 estates/ wineries including Castello del Poggio in Asti, Castello d’Albola in Tuscany, Altemura in Puglia and Principi di Butera in Sicily – so you can see they are spread around the entire country. In fact, they are one of the largest family owned wineries in Europe and, having been founded in 1821, are currently being managed by the 8^th generation of the Zonin family.

“In every vintage, in every glass, our family’s passion is to make authentic Italian wines for those who share our love of good food and good company” – Gianni Zonin.

I have often heard the words “no one in Italy drinks Pinot Grigio”, mainly from Italians themselves which is surprising as the Pinot Grigio from Zonin’s Tenuta Ca’ Bolani is really very good and a nice wine as an aperitif or summer salad wine. I am led to believe though that these days there is a small renaissance for Pinot Grigio within Italy and in fact, export director Alessandro Guerrini tells me this is very much the case and that Pinot Grigio sales on the whole have been increasing steadily.

Being able to make wines all across the country allows them to showcase the varietals as they are meant to be seen and their sparkling wine, Prosecco DOC Special Cuvee is lovely. Crisp and extremely fruity, this is a great representation of Prosecco, a wine that is seeing staggering yearly increases in sales as people’s tastes have adapted from the bone dry and rather expensive champagnes to a more fruity and less expansive Prosecco – just avoid the draught prosecco’s as they are not a good example of how it should be.

Alessandro himself is a really top bloke and a great spokesman for the company. As we taste the Chianti Riserva from Castello d’Albola he tells me of the passion and commitment that winemaker Alessandro Gallo puts into each bottle (I did not ask about his name being the same as that rather large American producer as it’s only just hit me now!). The wine itself is 95 per cent Sangiovese and 5 per cent Canaiolo and is very approachable and goes nicely with food as one would expect from a Chianti.

My love for Tuscany has somewhat diminished over the last few years and I really don’t know why. Top producers from the region make some great wines and for some reason I have been singing the praises of indigenous Italian grapes and shunning super Tuscans. Then I tasted a superb one (I’m not saying which one!) and my head was straightened out and I got my ‘open-mindedness’ back! Suffice to say, I truly believe that the wines in the mid-price bracket of super Tuscans offer a lot more value for money than the big name ones.

Castello d’Albola’s Acciaiolo super Tuscan is a proper wine and goes really nicely with a big fat steak! I know this because this is what Alessandro and I had for lunch at Hong Kong's spectacular Aqua Roma! It’s a 65 per cent Sangiovese with 35 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and is elegant but masculine at the same time. That is, the palate is smooth and velvety, but it’s not a lightweight wine and packs a little punch!

We rounded off the lunch with the Castello del Poggio Moscato d’Asti, a style of wine I am going to writing a lot about this year as it’s low in alcohol and a perfect wine for the summer – just wait until after Ching Ming, a traditional Chinese holiday that also traditionally harks the unofficial beginning of beach season – well, at least the lifeguards are back on duty! – and there will be many beach and boat trip parties that will include wines in this style.

Although I do not believe that sweet wines should be paired with sweet food, we did have both a vanilla cream caramel custard and a cheese platter with the wine and the cheese and the wine were a lot of fun to pair together. The crème caramel was lovely, but only adds more sweetness to the palate which is unnecessary when you have such a delicate, sweet sparkling wine such as Moscato d’Asti.

The Zonin company has put their mark on Italian wine making and through their use of different grapes in different terroirs around Italy make a delightfully diverse range of wines to suit all and any occasions from parties, to aperitifs, to wines that really compliment one’s meal. Definitely worth a try next time you are looking for a good Italian wine to make dinner with a loved one or group of friends something special.

Zonin wines are available in Hong Kong from Castello del Vino in Wan Chai. To see more of their wines go to www.castellodelvino.com.hk and although you cannot buy on line, you can contact them at info@castellodelvino.com.hk or just pop into the shop and buy them right there: Ground floor, 12 Anton Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (Tel: 2555 8946)