Over a zoom with two thirty-something brothers from the new Ventiventi winery, Andrea and Riccardo Razzaboni, I recently tasted several styles of their wine made with Lambrusco di Sorbara grapes from the DOC region of the same name, north of the city of Modena. There are eight varieties of Lambrusco grapes, three of which have their own DOC classifications in Emilia-Romagna.

WHAT IS LAMBRUSCO?

Lambrusco is a red sparkling wine, which makes it a fun alternative whether it appears in your glass in a pale rosé-style hue, or in a colorful, deep red-pink. And when it’s poured, it froths pink, too. Interestingly, all the color comes from the grape skins, not the interior pulp, which is not red.

Lambrusco was originally made in a frizzante style, which means it was lightly sparkling, technically with lower atmospheres of pressure. Now it can be made with low or higher atmospheres of pressure, as described on the label.

This wine had a long tradition of being a locally-consumed, rustic-style wine, often served at farmers’ tables in a thick, white porcelain bowl. Now the wine has grown up, and it is being made with several different methods: traditional charmat or Martinotti (pressurized tanks); classic (champagne-style) with a second fermentation in the bottle; and ancestrale, which means single fermentation in the bottle, as the “ancestors” made it—also referred to as pét-nat.

VENTIVENTI

If you’ve grown up in the US, the word “venti” conjures up the image of a large-size coffee. In fact, in Italian the word means “twenty” and the year 2020 is the first year this winery released wines. Ventiventi was established by the Razzaboni family: three brothers and their parents. Riccardo Razzaboni relates that his parents both have a passion for wine, which they passed along to their sons. Together, they purchased a promising plot of land in 2014 and planted grapevines on it the following year. By 2021 they had a full hospitality center at the winery [see first image above].

Totaling 70 hectares (173 acres), their land now has 30 hectares (74 acres) of vineyards on it, and olive trees as well. Because of the soil’s 45% clay content—desirable for these grapes—they also had to build a drainage system. They make wine only from their own grapes, which are organically certified. They are currently also working toward Italian sustainability certification. The winery uses photovoltaic systems, drip irrigation, and a recovery system for chemical elements used in vineyard treatments, in order not to disperse them into the soil or the air.

WINES

It’s not quite the Wild West in this region, but now that so many wineries are producing Lambrusco sparkling wines of all styles, it’s best to read the label carefully before selecting a bottle. Or not: take a chance you might discover something unexpectedly wonderful. Here’s my take on a few of the Ventiventi wines.

Metodo Classico Rosé, Ventiventi’s flagship wine, is a pale apricot wine made in the classic method, aged for fifty months before release. It has delicate stone fruit-skin and berry notes, along with a saline and mineral character.

La·Vie Lambrusco Rosso di Modena DOC is a charmat-method spumante wine. About 70% of the wine is created as a rosé would be, with minimal skin contact, and the finished wine is light red in color. Not taking itself too seriously, the wine has a traditional sparkling wine cork closure with wire cage but no foil capsule over it.

Happy Selvaggio Ancestrale is my favorite of the three wine–the most fun wine to drink and to look at. The wine is a medium pink color. And the wine bottles carry twelve different labels which were created in partnership with a group of developmentally disabled young people who also came to harvest the grapes. While slightly floral, the wine’s flavors and aromas also hold red fruit and grapefruit notes. A fresh and enjoyable sparkler.

According to co-owner Paolo Librandi, the Librandi family’s drive toward environmental responsibility has begun to play out relatively recently. This is worth watching because of Librandi’s position in the region, and because, though they produce wine mainly from their estate vineyards, they do partner with other grape growers for certain wines.

The Librandi family’s wine estates are certified sustainable by Equalitas. They have started using regenerative agriculture “to maintain the integrity of their land,” says Paolo. They bottle their wines in lighter glass now. Their center for wine grape research works to protect traditional regional grape varieties from the past, and to analyze the future potential of grape varieties.

To combat climate change, the Librandi family has begun to grow some of their vines in the ancient, low, compact albarello [small tree] shape; not all are vertically trellised on wires as in most modern vineyards. In between rows, they plant cover crops “to create better soil porosity” in order to take advantage of whatever rainfall there is in the Mediterranean climate on this southeastern tip of the Italian mainland.

If you’ve heard of Calabria, it has probably been as a place people emigrated from; it tends not to be a place that attracts tourism, despite its Mediterranean coastline and forested national parks. Calabria has historically been a relatively poor region, where people kept to themselves, making do mainly by subsistence farming, some fishing along the coast and hunting in the inland areas. [See Book Note below.]

HISTORY

But we’re here to talk about wine—though it doesn’t hurt to have a little context. Such as also knowing that wine has been made here since the Greeks first occupied this region in the eighth century BC, specifically to produce wine.

However, unlike other provinces of Italy, in the intervening centuries Calabria has not been well known for wine production outside the region. Partly because of its traditional tendency toward independence and self-reliance, and partly because basically all the wine made here was consumed within the region. And Paolo says this is still common in Calabria; they haven’t seen the huge contraction in wine consumption that has recently become common in many areas of the world.

I have written about the history of Librandi before—how the family took small, brave steps, starting with acquiring a winery to bottle their own wines in the 1950s, when other families simply made wine for their own households. Their culinary heritage was (and continues to be) that red or rosé wine is an integral part of the meal.

WINES

The Librandi family’s first small winery was eventually so successful that a few decades later they took another innovative step, hiring the first consulting winemaker in Calabria to improve their vineyard and wine quality. They began winning awards for their wines, which opened markets in other countries—even though the grapes they used were indigenous varieties like the red gaglioppo and the white Greco bianco.

To widen their wines’ appeal, by the 1990s the Librandis had begun growing international varieties like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The wine that put them on the radar of consumers around the world is the red Gravello, made with both international and indigenous grapes: 60% gaglioppo and 40% cabernet sauvignon. It received its first, prestigious Tre Bicchieri award in 1994 for the 1989 vintage, with more vintage awards following.

Other (less expensive) Librandi wines made with blends of international and native grapes have also been selling well. Like the extremely popular white Critone I recently sampled, which is 90% chardonnay and 10% sauvignon blanc–a versatile white wine made to pair with foods.

While the Librandis produce wines in several sub-regions of Calabria, their heart is in the Cirò DOC region. This summer I also had a chance to try several of their significant Cirò DOC wines made with indigenous grapes. For example Grego bianco grapes are made into the crisp, zingy Cirò DOC Bianco [white]. The Segno Librandi Cirò DOC Rosato [rosé] is made from gaglioppo.

On a recent zoom, Paolo Librandi said that he doesn’t want his rosé to be known as a “baby red” but I think that’s exactly what it is—and this hearty bronze-pink wine should be celebrated as carrying on its job of pairing with the region’s traditional rustic foods.

Another flagship wine is the smooth, red Duca Sanfelice Cirò DOC Riserva: 100% gaglioppo grapes. The lush sprinkling of stars on the label shows the locations of the 42 vineyards they buy grapes from—which make up 50% of this blend. To show their partners optimal growing techniques, the Librandis have taken these growers to visit vineyards in various other European wine regions. The result is a rich, approachable red wine, that will also age for many years in the bottle.

Book Note: Calabria’s wildness and self-sufficiency has a dramatic appeal, illustrated in two unforgettable novels by contemporary author Juliet Grames: The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna and The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia.

Years ago, the first time I visited, they took our media group on a horseback walk through the local hills. I was petrified. But the horse—and the people—were kind, calming me so I could look around and appreciate the land that had been home to this family for so many decades. To the Wentes, being on horseback was often a normal part of their day; during Prohibition they diversified their business, expanding into cattle ranching and other agricultural ventures, while continuing to legally produce wine for sacramental and medicinal purposes.

This March, I met with 5^th generation viticulturalist Niki Wente, a youthful thirty-something who is tall (like all Wentes), thin, dark and lively. She impressed me with her own commitment to continuing the Wente dedication to maintaining water access and sustainable farming in this region of California. The family has played an active role in solving these issues since the 1930s.

Both Niki’s father and grandfather worked on the landmark South Bay [San Francisco] Aqueduct project beginning in the 1950s. Since 1987 the family worked on creating wat is now the Tri-Valley Conservancy; their environmental stewardship embraces maintaining agricultural land and creating parks and open spaces—which includes bike trail easements on Wente land. Wente Vineyards have been California Sustainable Winegrowers since 2010, one of the first to be certified; Niki Wente is currently a board member of this alliance.

To taste some of the Wente wines, Niki and I met up on the terrace of the restaurant at the entrance to their property. The Grill is centered in sprawling, quintessentially Californian patios that border the barbeque and picnic section, adjacent to the open-air concert area. The hills in back lead into their Greg Norman-designed golf course; it is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary tucked in among native grasslands, woodlands and vineyards—so close, as I recall, that you can snatch a few grapes off the vines during harvest season.

Though Wente Family Vineyards owns vineyards in other California regions, Livermore remains their headquarters and they’ve made it as family friendly as possible, especially in the outdoor spaces. In terms of the wines, distribution is not balanced through the US. On the West Coast, Wente wines are ubiquitous, while on the East Coast we see them more in restaurants than in wine shops.

WINE REVIEWS

For my tasting, Niki showed me a range of wines available through the wine club and at the winery. Frankly, these were more interesting than most of the retail wines I sampled later. There are a variety of wine tasting experiences at the Wente, with flights starting at a quite reasonable $40. In fact, most of the wines I sampled were also reasonably priced at $35-$50/bottle at the winery, though the nth Degree wines are higher.

We began with the 2025 Niki’s Rosé, a wine made with pinot noir grapes from vineyards in Arroyo Seco in Monterey, further down the coast of California, which they have owned since 1962. The wine has a light floral aroma, and flavors ranging from peach to berry to melon, with appealing fresh acidity that deftly balances the fruit.

Of the newer line of sparkling wines, the 2019 (current vintage) Brut Reserve Sparkling is made with 100% of their famous chardonnay. It has a super-fresh aroma, mild fruit, and nice sharp edges on the end palate and in the finish. The reserve is only made in exceptional vintages. Niki suggested pairings of caviar or fried chicken. (Unfortunately, I was tasting mid-morning and neither were available from the kitchen that hour, but I would endorse this concept.)

One wine I was especially interested to sample, is the 2024 Wente Clone Chardonnay, because the grapes are sourced from two vineyards first planted with the famed Wente clone in 1908. The wine has bright fruit in a restrained style with some oak apparent in the finish; not an overblown “California Chardonnay.”

The 2023 Wente Family Vineyard Cabernet Franc has a tinge of cherry fruit, yet it also has a buttery earthiness, with a hint of dry mountain herbs and fine tannins. Cabernet franc has been grown by the Wentes in Livermore since the early 1900s, though it was not made into a single-variety wine until a few decades go.

To finish, we had a taste of a wine from the nth Degree line which was debuted in 2002 by Niki’s cousin Karl. The 2022 nth Degree Cabernet Sauvignon (limited allocation) is real showcase wine, with attractive blackberry fruit and lovely balance.

I’m at Castello di Meleto, an estate so deeply embedded in this part of Tuscany that the Chianti River, which gives the region its name, runs through the property. Today the castle is the headquarters for a winery surrounded by vineyards with an excellent osteria and several different lodging possibilities: rooms, villas and apartments. The castle is in the Gaiole sub-region of Chianti Classico, an area known for fresh, vibrant wines, roughly equidistant from Florence and Siena.

At Castello di Meleto, each wine and vineyard has its own story, which visitors can learn about during a range of winetastings, as well as tours of the vineyards, the castle and its grounds. The majority of Castello di Meleto’s wine is exported (up to 85%); the US is the top market, along with Australia, South Korea and several Far Eastern countries.

Though this estate is at least 770 years old, it’s thoroughly modern-facing today, with its own wine club. I was surprised to learn about the extent of the international hospitality (yes, weddings, too) at this property; however the experience I had at Castello di Meleto felt authentically Italian—and I’ve been spending time in Italy since I was a child.

Before we get to the wines, I’d like to mention my satisfying lunch and dinner with samplings of local, Tuscan dishes such as the classic ribollita bread soup; fusilli with parmesan cheese, scattered with pine nuts from the coast of Tuscany; pici with fresh cherry tomatoes and a locally-grown vegetable called aglione which is sort of a cross between garlic and leeks (I’ve seen it called both), garnished with fried capers; fusilli with a sauce of shredded, stewed chicken, nice on a chilly spring night.

For dessert after dinner, I had an apple tarte, chosen perhaps because Meleto reminded me of the Italian word for apple (mela). It was accompanied by small glass of the estate’s grappa, with woody (possibly appley?) cinnamon notes from its barrique ageing. Note: Castello di Meleto also produces its own gin.

THE WINES

Tales of the historic castello and its vineyards were woven through the wine tasting—places I could picture because I’d visited them the day before, a tour I highly recommend. Castello di Meleto produces a range of wines, several excellent, modern Chianti Classico wines, some at the highest Gran Selezione level. They also make wines with other classifications, such as IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica), which allows a producer more freedom in production methods and in using specified regional grapes in single variety or blended wines.

My winetasting opened with a glass of sparkling wine, a favorite European welcoming tradition. This was the Borgo Colto Alle Bolle Spumante Brut Rosé. The name means “harvested for the bubbles.” Castello di Meleto grapes are used, but it’s produced Conegliano in Veneto, where they perfected the charmat method to make prosecco. However, this is not a prosecco, it’s a 50-50 blend of sangiovese and pinot noir, lively on the tongue and an interesting golden copper color in the glass.

Next, we sampled the 2020 Castello di Meleto Gamboi IGT Toscana Rosso, a deep red, aromatic wine made with 100% malvasia nero. This historic grape is so rare and so demanding to grow, that of the 500-odd wineries in this region, only ten or fifteen cultivate it. One estate field was turned into a vineyard and planted with malvasia nero about thirty years ago. Before that, from the Middle Ages until the latter part of the 20^th century, the field was used to pasture bulls for breeding oxen. Camboi is the shortened version of Campo dei Buoi, the field of oxen.

The 2020 Vigna Casi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG is made with selected parcels of Sangiovese grapes from the Casi vineyard. The micro-climate in this vineyard is tempered by surrounding forested land. Some of the vines are bush-trained, an ancient form of growing grapevines literally as small bushes, not supported by wire trellises as in the modern era. With its cherry and black fruit flavors, a vegetal touch and noticeable tannins on the finish, this is a wine for long ageing.

Trebbio is a relatively new wine for Castello di Meleto, produced only since 2018. The 2020 Vigna Trebbio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG is made with sangiovese grapes from a vineyard where there are also two historically-important grapes traditionally used in Chianti wines: ciliegiolo and colorino. Castello di Meleto is committed to maintaining them for the sake of biodiversity, though they are currently used much less than in the past. This wine is refined and minerally, with mature red fruit and tannins that blossom on the end-palate.

For me, the standout wine of the tasting was the 2020 Vigna Poggiarso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG. The grapes are harvested from a vineyard of albarese and galestro soils, rich with limestone and minerals, retaining summer heat at night. The fruit is bright, though the wine on the whole feels dry, augmented by touches of minerality and herbs. The wine is full, focused and well balanced.

By Don Sonderling

I met Daniel and Georges Daou not long after they moved to Paso Robles, purchased
property in the Adelaida District, and began planning to build a world-class winery.
Our first few tastings took place in a double-wide trailer on their property while vineyards
were being planted and construction of the Tasting Room atop Daou Mountain began.

Over many glasses of wine, Daniel and George shared their incredible story of survival,
determination, and, most of all, family, having emigrated from their native Lebanon
during the Lebanese civil war to France and then to the United States.
Our conversations always focused on Cabernet Sauvignon, Daniel’s passion for the
grape, and the elite wine it could produce in Paso Robles. During one such
conversation, Daniel said his goal was to make a Cabernet Sauvignon that would stand
alongside any other California Cab and show that Paso Robles was not only a world-
class wine region, but also one with terroir and weather capable of growing and
producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux grapes.

In Honor of our Father

Daou’s elegant tasting room opened in 2011. By then, my wife, several friends, and I
had become friends with Daniel, and we were invited to visit Daou Mountain for a
special tasting. This wasn’t meant to be a tasting for wine experts or critics, but an event
for people who simply enjoy sharing wine and friendship. We were, however, asked to
bring a 2010 bottle of top-tier cabernet from “another California area,” since this was
going to be a blind tasting against their new, soon-to-be-released flagship cabernet
sauvignon: Soul of a Lion.

This was the wine meant to make a statement. More importantly, this is the wine that
Daniel and Georges were so passionate about it because it was more than an homage to
their father; it was their story and their father’s story, in a bottle. As Daniel describes
Soul of a Lion, it was named “to honor their father, Joseph, a man of immense strength
and courage. They believed their father embodied the ‘king of the jungle,’ facing life’s
hardships, particularly while leading his family through war-torn Lebanon, with a resilient
spirit that inspired his sons’ winemaking dream.”

Soul of a Lion

This April, the 2023 Soul of a Lion, the fourteenth vintage of Daou Vineyards’ well-
established luxury wine, was introduced at a pre-release presentation at TAO Asian Bistro in Los Angeles, California. The first pre-release tour presentation was held in mid-
February, in Paso Robles at Daou Mountain.
Daou’s General Manager and senior winemaker, Jose Alberto Moreira dos Santos,
attended this special event and discussed the wine, aging, the 2023 vintage (which was
awarded 99 points by Tasting Panel Magazine), and Daou’s history, both personally and
professionally.

During the evening, those in attendance were treated not only to elegant food-and-wine
pairings featuring the 2023 vintage but also had the opportunity to compare library
vintages, specifically from 2017 through 2021, alongside the current 2023 release. It’s
going to be quite exciting for wine enthusiasts to see and taste the development of the
2023 vintage, especially as this vintage has been described as one of the finest in many
years.

Having the opportunity at this event to taste several vintages put an exclamation point
on the Soul of a Lion experience. In addition to sampling these wines, it was educational
to literally “taste the difference” between the vintages, which emphasizes not only the
effects of time and vintage but also how well Daou’s Soul of a Lion ages.
Soul of a Lion is not only a Paso Robles luxury Cabernet Sauvignon but also an
homage to Daniel and Georges’ father. What better Father’s Day gift than honoring your
own father? Buy a bottle to enjoy at your Father’s Day meal, and another to give him in
his honor. A special wine for a special person in your life: Soul of a Lion. Cheers to your
father and to his health!

…and a side note:
The blind tasting referred to above, which friends and I participated in, comparing 10
other wines against Soul of a Lion (same vintage, just a different area), was fun and
educational, filled with laughter and discussion during and after the tasting, with
everyone having time to share their impressions as the tasting went on. We all “graded”
the wines, certainly not in the way an expert reviewer would, but as we, just people who
really enjoy wine, would. Soul of a Lion scored the highest.
For additional information about the 2023 Soul of a Lion and to visit Daou Mountain to
experience the Daou brothers’ dream, please visit their website:
WWW.DAOUVINEYARDS.COM Cheers!

Don Sonderling l Freelance Writer

LIVE SIP WRITE

WSET2 | Internation Food, Wine, Travel Writers Association

LA Wine Writers

Cell: 818.321.1554   IG @dsonderling 

I had stayed at the Romer Neighborhood Hotel in Waikiki and loved how the ambiance embraced the surrounding neighborhood, recreating true island cocktails, leis from an array of fresh flowers and foods adored by island locals. Although one Waikiki Romer focused on adults and the other families, they are both solid hotels with plenty of amenities.

Romer is a fairly new, small brand and I was dying to try a hip hotel in an area of New York called Hell’s Kitchen. Little did I know that this hotel was the absolute perfect location for everything we wanted to do in New York, including being a block from the subway station on 8th Avenue where we exited after our JFK flight landed.

The Romer is hip and understated wiith an expansive yet cosy lobby perfect for having a coffee, reading a book, or catching up on emails. There’s a simple coffee shop and a speakeasy bar called So and So’s off the lobby but what really blew me away was our 10th floor room that was big enough but not huge, and perfectly furnished with a king size bed and a green velvet settee, plenty of cool mid-century lighting, lots of charging opps and a giant window facing West with a killer view any time of day. The bed is ultra-comfortable, but what matters in New York is the view, the comfort, the amenities, and, above all, the quiet.

The Romer knows how to do it. The rooms are quiet; a total respite from the sirens and unending noise throughout the City. We slept so well, and because of the killer location, the Romer became a place we could go back to throughout the day for a bit of peace or a chance to reboot and refresh.

We loved our stay there and the Romer does not lie; it really is a part of the neighborhood and the ‘hood around 8th Avenue and West 51st. This is plop in the middle of the theatre district with the mania of Times Square. We saw five shows in four days and walked to all of them as well as the Christie’s auction preview at Rockefeller Center. The Museum of Modern Art is right there as well and, what really counts, is the array of both casual and elegant restaurants throughout Hell’s Kitchen, including Pick-a-Bagel, Dig Inn, Red Poke, Serafina, and Le Tout Va Bien around the corner and their $45 pre-theatre prix fixe French dinner – a total bargain.

, 

Romer Neighborhood Hotel, Hell’s Kitchen, is a true find in Manhattan. That rare quiet retreat in the center of everything with a hip vibe, international clientele and, basically, everything that you need at your fingertips – or at least within a couple blocks. Did I mention the Whole Foods next door?

Romer Hell’s Kitchen 

8th Avenue between W. 51st and 52nd.

Natural wines change all the time, evolving in the glass, in the bottle, and from vintage to vintage.

You never know what natural wines you’ll find at your local shop.

You never know what your next sip will be like.

And that’s what fascinates people.

Though there are many definitions of natural wine, it’s simplest to consider natural wine is wine made with the least amount of intervention in growing and winemaking. Think naturally grown grapes, hand-harvested, pressed, fermented, bottled—and generally consumed not too long afterward.

In her new book How To Drink Natural Wine, author Rachel Signer does a very good job of enlightening us about what natural wine is, how it’s made, who makes it.

She also helpfully covers another important topic: where to drink it. The surroundings may be different from a traditional wine bar or restaurant. Signer explains “a natural wine bar might have a state-of-the-art turntable sound system and serve expensive oysters, but there’s no dress code, and the glassware is simple all-purpose.”

Rather than write from any one country-specific point of view, Signer showcases an international cross-section of natural wine producers, distributors and appreciators. The book contains four sections: What is Natural Wine; From Grape to Glass; Choosing, Pouring, Enjoying; Going Deeper. Each section has ten or twelve sub-sections, clearly labeled. The structure of the book allows readers to dive deep into the entire subject—vineyards, climate, terroir, production and ageing—or simply peruse areas of interest, a few pages at a time.

I’m fascinated by the concept of being able to taste wines today that are as similar as possible to those produced a century or more ago.

However, I also happen to be a fan of modern wines, an appreciator of certain developments that have become common in the last 50 years such as wine cellar hygiene and temperature-controlled fermentation and ageing. Other new technologies including additives such as acidification, color amplification, preservatives, or processes like alcohol “adjustment”, not so much.

While there is a furiously devoted international band of natural wine makers and appreciators, this is a relatively small percentage of wine drinkers. “Natural wine” is not available everywhere, it is produced in small amounts, and often misunderstood by wine drinkers, even devotees of the category. Signer is trying to change this.

Signer is an avowed proponent of natural wines, in all their different styles. She even produces them herself—which I read about in her engrossing, coming-of-age-in-wine tale, You Had Me at Pét-Nat: A Natural Wine-Soaked Memoir.

As a proponent of natural wine, she encourages readers to immerse themselves in this world. But she’s not immune to possible down-sides, advising us that “the gamble is part of the pleasure.”

And all this is what makes reviewing natural wines so challenging for international wine writers.