Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wine and Passion, Without the Added Sulfites
Kath and Giovanni Petretta of Santo Stefano Winemaking Club are passionate people.
Giovanni grew up watching his grandfathers make wine in his home village of Santo Stefano in Avellino, Italy.
Following a devastating earthquake in Santo Stefano in 1980, Giovanni and his family moved to the United States.
Nowadays you can find Giovanni Petretta and his wife, Kath, in New York's Hudson valley. At their winery they help winelovers create their own barrel of wine.
They have a wonderfully old school approach to their natural winemaking. The grapes are mostly organic and shipped from California as quickly as possible after picking.
The wines are made without any added sulfites. Wines without any added sulfites should be kept in a cool and dark place.
Families and friends are encouraged to get their hands dirty and become involved in the winemaking process, all under Giovanni's experienced supervision and guidance.
The following summer their wine is bottled and ready for pickup by the group that made it with Giovanni. They also host Wild Game Dinners and Jazz Nights throughout the year that members are welcome to attend.
It all sounds deliciously civilized.
I tasted the Santo Stefano Vino Patrino red blend 2006. It is a blend of Cabernet, Petite Syrah and Merlot.
The wine was a dense purple color, due to the Petite Syrah I suspect. Rich, juicy cherry aromas mingle with a nice meatiness. There were notes of licorice and blackberries on the palate.
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3 comments:
Love the fact that you add such great backstory to these wines. Very entertaining reads. Bravo!
It's a good thing, that the fermentation produces its own sulfites. Of course not a lot, but I guess it should be enough to store the bottled wines for a couple of weeks. How long does it take, until the wines get an oxidized character?
I know, Geisenheim has made a white wine with no added sulfites, but it is made under CO2 pressure and bottled under CO2 atmosphere. It always works, as long as you don't det the oxygen into the product. Sulfites is the Antioxidant for wine!
Cheers
Patrick
Yes, I lean towards using limited sulfites in most cases. Sulfite free wines can certainly last longer than two weeks if stored properly but nevertheless are not always reliable.
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