VARIETY Merlot and Cabernet
PRODUCTION AREA Sarego, Vicenza
YIELD PER HECTARE 6.000-7.000 liters
FARMING SYSTEM Guyot with 7000 grapevines per hectare
HARVEST Handpicked in cases.
WINEMAKING PROCESS
For two-thirds of the grapes: cru-shing and fermentation in stain-less steel tanks, at a controlled temperature, for about 20 days. For the other third, slight drying in the fruit-room, crushing and blend of the two components to trigger a second fermentation. Hence the name Due (Two).
AGING Partly in tonneaux and partly in oak barrels.
ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS Garnet red color. Fruited scents with hints of cherry, small fruits of hues. In the mouth it is full and tannins.
WINE PAIRINGS First courses with meat sauces, grilled or roasted red meat, poultry, mildly seasoned cheese.
PRODUCTION 30,000 bottles (750ml)
ALCOHOLIC PERCENTAGE 13%
SERVING TEMPERATURE 16-18°C
NOTE on Italian Wine: Pick up a bottle of Italian wine and you’re likely to see one of these designations somewhere on the label. What exactly to these letters stand for and what do they mean?
In the second half of the 20th century, Italy decided to establish a series of laws to safeguard the quality and authenticity of their wine.
These safeguards take the form of protected zones where growers and producers must adhere to strict regulations in order to be certified by these laws. The laws also govern things like the type of grapes used, the alcohol content, and how long the wine is aged.
Certification falls into three categories of decreasing strictness: DOCG, DOC, and IGT.
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG): Seeing this on the label of your wine bottle means that the wine producers followed the strictest regulations possible to make that wine. The wine was tested a committee that then guarantees the geographic authenticity of the wine and its quality. There are currently only a handful of Italian wines that qualify for DOCG status.
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC): DOC wines are much more commonly found. The rules governing quality and authenticity are still very strict, but they’re a little more generous than those for DOCG status. For instance, the geographic zone might be a little bigger or the rules about what kind of grapes might be a little more relaxed.
Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT): This designation was created a little after the DOC and DOCG designations in order to accommodate growers who couldn’t meet all the DOC or DOCG regulations for one reason or another but were still producing great wines.