Weekly Saturday Tasting

Wines of Southern Italy
with special guest Laurence O. Vuelta

Saturday, October 21st
1:00 - 3:00

Wines from southern Italy have historically been overlooked in favor of the better-known and popular wine regions of northern Italy - mainly Tuscany, Piedmont and the Veneto. However, southern Italy has a rich winemaking heritage and is considered by many as the birthplace of Italian wines. With its warm Mediterranean climate, rich volcanic soil and abundance of ancient native grape varieties, vineyards have dotted southern Italy’s landscape for thousands of years and its wines were much prized by the ancient Greeks and Romans. However, for most of the 20th century, southern Italy’s wine industry languished in obscurity amid a sea of mediocre plonk. While southern Italy didn't lack for wine, the vast majority of it was consumed locally or used as a blending wine. But even in those difficult years there were some quality-oriented winemakers in southern Italy that kept the region’s winemaking heritage alive by turning out top-quality wines utilizing the region’s unique native varieties. These producers were in the vanguard of a renaissance in southern Italian winemaking. Other producers in southern Italy gradually began adopting advanced cultivation and winemaking procedures with the goal of making their wines more attractive in larger, more competitive markets. While some experimented with "international" varieties to good effect, others integrated modern techniques and technologies with traditional practices and use of native grape varieties. In the process, they began turning out wines that were modern yet distinctly southern in character. Today, southern Italy is, arguably, Italy’s most exciting and dynamic winemaking region. With an added emphasis on quality, wines from southern Italy are increasingly receiving much critical acclaim and can compete with wines from more popular areas of Italy that carry loftier price tags.

We will be guided through Southern Italy this Saturday by the one and only Dr. LOV - Laurence O. Vuelta of Sunrise Wines. Laurence is well known by most of our regulars, and has been one of our longest and most ardent supporters here at Hope Valley Wine & Beverage. He'll take us on a wine journey ranging from vineyards in Campagnia just outside of Naples, into the mountainous Basilicata region, down to Calabria in the toe and Puglia in the heel of the boot of Italy. Tasting with Laurence is always as fun as it is informative, and you don't want to miss this great event!

Le Masciare Greco di Tufo
Greco di Tufo DOCG, Campania, Italy, 2021

Sterpáro Rosé
Basilicata IGT, Italy, 2022

'A Vita 'il Rosso'
Calabria IGT, Italy, 2019

Alvi 'il Rosso' Aglianico
Aglianico del Vulture DOC, Basilicata, Italy, 2019

Teatro Latino Primitivo
Puglia IGP, Italy, 2021