That was Vinitaly 2018: Vino, vino, vino…

While people all over the world are busy running all sorts of marathons, I've just finished my annual wine marathon: Vinitaly! I spent two days in the Tuscany Hall at the "International Wine and Spirits Exhibition," which is the biggest wine fair in the industry. I tasted lots of wines, caught up with many old friends, and also got to know new wineries, new people, and their wines.

Today, I'm going to start my report from the end for a change – with my conclusion about Vinitaly! Overall, it was two intense yet productive days where I tasted tons of wines. To sum it up: every single wine I got to try had its own unique taste, its own aroma profile, its own character – even within the same vintages. And I think that's a huge plus! Because it shows me that the wineries aren't just "tweaking" their wines to taste the same every year – which some customers might actually prefer. Instead, it really highlights that the winemakers are simply trying to get the best out of what nature gives them, year after year. Of course, that's easier in some vintages and harder in others. But it's honest craftsmanship – and you can taste it. Beyond that, there weren't any huge, standout surprises for me, which just goes to show that the overall quality level is super high.

Basically, this year's Vinitaly visit really confirmed for me the amazing selection you can find on www.NinaInChianti.com, and it confirmed the high quality of my wines. And yes:

Verona Fiere

Sunday, April 15, 2018: An hour in line for the best taste

My Vinitaly started bright and early on Sunday with an hour (!) of waiting in line. But as a long-time Vinitaly pro, I'd already factored in that delay and was right on time for my 10 AM appointment with Michael Schmelzer, the owner of Monte Bernardi. When you taste the current vintages, you can really feel Michael's passion for Sangiovese in particular and for winemaking in general. Exciting and convincing wines! After that, it was off to Gagliole – an appointment that gave me a great overview of their new vintages. And there's a new wine in Gagliole's lineup: The Gallule – a 100% Sangiovese that grows on the terraced slopes right at Gagliole in Castellina in Chianti. A beautiful wine! Though there are only about 1,600 bottles of it – a few of which will, of course, be in my shop soon… Plus, Gagliole's labels got a redesign. The result: Super elegant – just like the wines themselves. Every year, a must-do for me at Vinitaly: visiting the Consorzio Chianti Classico stand. The agenda included a blind tasting of the 2015 and 2016 Chianti Classico vintages. Spoiler alert: 2016 is a super-duper good vintage – which was already clear from the Chianti Classico Collection. And 2015 is also highly recommended! My first day at the fair ended with a visit to the Fontodi stand and a tasting of the new vintages of Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Sorbo, and Flaccianello – all very impressive, as always.

Monday, April 16, 2018: New day, new wine!

My Monday kicked off with a detour to the Panzano stand, where I got to chat with lots of winemakers, including Vicky Schmitt-Vitali from Le Fonti and Monia Piccini from Il Palagio di Panzano, and of course, taste some wines. New on my wine radar: Tenuta Casanuove winery, which was bought by a French owner in 2015. The wines they've been making since the 2015 vintage – a Chianti Classico and an IGT – are definitely worth checking out, or rather, tasting! It's certainly a winery I'll be keeping an eye on here in Panzano. After that, I popped over to Le Cinciole to taste their new vintages. I was super happy to find that Le Cinciole – as always – has its very own unique style, which really shines through in the new vintages. Next up were the Poggerino winery – these wines will be in the shop soon – Casaloste, which has been a regular part of my shop's selection for a while now, and of course, Rignana. Cosimo Gericke, owner of the Fattoria di Rignana, presented his 2015 Riserva and 2015 Gran Selezione at his stand. You can really look forward to some amazing wines there. But for now, it's a case of "please wait," as these wines won't be released until autumn. Then I kicked off the second tasting round at the Consorzio Chianti Classico stand – focusing on Riserva and Gran Selezione. This included Riserva 2015 and 2014, plus some 2013 Gran Selezione. And then something really caught my eye: Villa Cigliano. This is a winery near San Casciano. They have two wines, a Chianti Classico and a Riserva, which I'd already tasted at the Chianti Classico Collection, and they stood out to me again during the blind tasting. Exciting wines, exciting winery! Last but not least, I treated myself to a preview of San Marcellino 2014 and Geremia 2015 at Rocca di Montegrossi. All I can say is: fantastic! Marco Ricasoli Firidolfi is doing brilliant work.