It’s been a while since you’ve seen me. I think I have a good excuse! Mr Joy of Wine and myself decided to put our house up for sale, and after meeting with a realtor on April 6, we set off doing the little things (and a few VERY big things too…) to make our house more appealing to potential buyers. On May 21 the sign went up and two weeks later, it was officially sold! Three weeks after that we packed up and moved our house into a rental townhouse unit closer to where both of us work. I do know I had some nice bottles of wine during that time (and also shared some with others), but with the life busy-ness I often just forget to post!

Now that we’re mostly settled, I’m glad to be back in the groove with the #ItalianFWT and this month’s theme of Ramato wines, a hugely popular, trendy style of Pinot Grigio made by using some skin contact to obtain that ramato (copper) colour of the wine.

Where I live, we have no monopoly, and there are a LOT of pinot grigios. So much so, that it tends to get overwhelming for the consumer. True story:  when I started at my current job, we had over 30 different pinot grigi on the shelf. Seriously? That’s 25 too many if you ask me and if it was ramato, it most definitely stood out! The Tenuta di Corte Giacobbe Pinot Grigio Ramato, happens to be one of the best selling pinot grigios in the entire province. For my friend who imports this wine, it’s his best selling and indeed his bread and butter. It’s so good, we keep stacks of it available!

The Dal Cero family is now three generations of properties and winemaking with sites in the Cortona region of Tuscany, Soave, and Valpolicella. If you see labels of Dal Cero, Tenuta di Corte Giocobbe or Tenuta Montecchiesi, it’s all owned by the Dal Cero family whose ancestral home is in Soave.

It’s a family affair with siblings Davide managing the vineyards and winemaking, Francesca takes care of exports, and Nico looks after the Italian market. If I may be so bold:  this family does not make a bad bottle of wine! Their pinot grigio ramato is likely one of their most exported wines.

I’ve tried many ramato style wines, but I always come back to this one, because the aromatics and flavours punch it well above its competitors, and great quality at its price point. Immediately upon pulling the cork, the aromas of peach waft out of the bottle. This wine is hugely aromatic! Pour into a glass and the peaches morph into mango, tangerine and some bitter Italian herbs. The acidity was super zingy which always makes it a great match with any food, but my simple meal of grilled sauteed vegetables and a loaded hamburger – one of my favourite summertime meals, accentuated the Italian herbs from the nose onto the palate. Happy Canada Day from me and a great start to a summer of fantastic patio wines!  

I hope you’ll join us tomorrow for the Twitter chat and read these other great posts from my collegues at #ItalianFWT:

• Another BIPOC Celebrity Wine that I’m anxious to share with you by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Bibimbap and Pinot Gris Ramato, Sort Of by The Quirky Cork
• Fregola Sarda Con Gamberi + a Vertical Tasting of the 2017 and 2019 Attems Ramato Pinot Grigio by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Old World vs. New World Ramato by Somm’s Table 
• Ramato: Taking Rosè to the Next Level by Vino Travels
• Ramato, The Copper Colored “Orange” Wines of Italy by Wine Predator
• Ramato Wine, A Fresh Look at an Italian Tradition by Savor the Harvest
• Santa Margherita: My Favorite Pinot Grigio by Our Good Life
• This Summer Drink Pink With Pinot Grigio by The Wine Chef

Salute and Happy Summer!