I was recently on a in a pilgrimage to Rome. It was my first time to the city, but I have been to Italy before. We were staying at an old monastery called Villa Palazzola. It is on the shore of Lake Abano, as is Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's Summer House. This information proved useful, when I got left behind at the Catacombs and couldn't remember where I was staying. After a bus and Metro ride, I caught a taxi and did my best to explain to the driver where I was staying, using his stearing wheel as the lake. Laugh, i nearly did.....
We did get to see the Pope too, but that is another story.
I am writing about the wine we were plied with at Villa Palazzola. The karaffes were brought out in abbundance at meal times.
The wine had no label, but I rightly guessed that the white was Frascati. The last time I drank this, was twenty two years ago, when I was Duty-Manager of an Italian restaurant in London. Now, I was being given the oppertunity to re-visit a wine, that if I am honest, I had writen off.
The Villa served fresh pasta every night, as a starter, the wine complimenting it perfectly. I remembered it being the favoured wine of the Romans. I also recalled that it was 70% Malvasia grape and 30% Trebbiano. The colour is generally refered to, as reflections of polished brass.
The taste came across as being quite meaty, the wine was not served as chilled as one would have liked. However, there were slightly soar apples and pears in there,held togeather with citrus peel and almonds. The sauces were creamy,so the wine didn't need to be. It was very young, say 2011, but very good.
I don't understand why the Romans used to water it down.
The red is next.
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