The Wine Academic

Type: Sparkling Wine (75% Pinot Noir 25% Chardonnay)
Producer: Rotari
Place: Trento, Italy
Cost: $12

I bought this at a wine tasting tonight at The Wine Cellar in Vestavia. I’ve never heard of Rotari before, tried a wine from Trento, and I’m on an Italian wine kick, so I thought it would be a good purchase. I ate it with some homemade pizza tonight, and really enjoyed it. The color had a pinkish hue, but is not considered a rose’. Bubbles are basically non-existant in the glass even though it is made in the traditional Champagne Method. The nose had lemon and green apple overtones and baked bread aromas which probably had to do with the 24 months the wine spent “sur lie” or on its dead yeast cells. The wine had a better mouthfeel, with the bubbles opening up a little more and doing what a good traditional Champagne should do…clear the palate. It was softer than most Champagne’s I’ve tasted, something I attribute to lower acidity in the still wine and the larger proportion of Pinot Noir. In my opinion this is a great wine for what it’s designed to be. It’s nothing special, but it doesn’t take a special chunk out of your wallet. I’ll probalby buy it again, but I might get Zardetto Prosecco instead when I’m looking for something sparkling and from Italy.

Final Grade: 8.5/10