See our site -- new producers, new regions, new nectars of the gods

It's up!  The expanded Domenico Selections website!

We've added five producers in three new regions.  The new ones are in Green.

In each instance the process to "interview" and negotiate with a producer takes months (even years), and we spend many a soul-searching hour discussing the pros and cons of each winery and its products.  (Forgive me, Polly Pure, but wines ARE products that must find buyers, plural, in the marketplace, or no one eats dinner.  And you don't get all your freebies at tastings and on winery escapades.)

A few highlights of the new selections:

* Freisa, mon amour.  I love this grape and Cascina Gilli's way with it.  

* Ripasso?  You never had it so good, brother, you never had it so good. See Villa Monteleone.  (It's a little Harold MacMillan humour.  By the way, he is a distant kinsman of mine.  So very very distant.)

* Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  You know the wine bottle with the cute little twig on it?  Forget about it.  See Costantini.

* You think you know Mustilli?  In Campania?  You don't know Mustilli, pal -- you really need to keep up.

* Too many Aglianicos?  Not once you've tasted these Aglianicos from Musto Carlmelitano.  This is what I believe is called a Ground Floor Opportunity.  (Remember what happened to those who hesitated and doubted before the Wine Spectator scored our I Stefanini Soaves so high?  Those poor fools.  Out of the allocation.)  Don't say I didn't warn you. Per esempio...

search for wine by type, grape or region	PRODUCERS FROM BASILICATA: Musto-Carmelitano BACK TO REGIONS PAGE Musto-Carmelitano family, Elisabetta and her brother at right, her father and uncle at left This is an extraordinary story. Twenty years ago Uncle Giuseppe declared that his 8-year-old great-niece Elisabetta would inherit the property he had painstakingly acquired since his return from years as a POW in Australia. Elisabetta took the call seriously, and she has devoted herself ever since to the stewardship of the family’s lands – and the development of a serious winery. Betty has been running the show since she was in her teens. Some of her vineyards are made up of 90+ year old vines, while she has put together other parcels of land with vines that are "merely" 40 or so years old, and others that are quite new. She is out to make the best Aglianico possible in her prime part of the Vùlture appellation. We’re thrilled to offer her first export vintage, two crus that speak eloquently of the hard beauty of the land and of her determination to live up to the honor and responsibility she was given. We tasted these wines, looked at one another and agreed: "This could be the start of something big." Aglianico Vineyards   THE WINES Serra del Prete 2007 Pian del Moro 2007 Azienda Agricola Musto-Carmelitano Elisabetta Maschito (PZ)

PRODUCERS FROM PIEDMONT Cascina Gilli PRODUCERS FROM VENETO I Stefanini Villa Monteleone PRODUCERS FROM TUSCANY Piandibugnano Schiaccionaia PRODUCERS FROM ABRUZZO Costantini PRODUCERS FROM PUGLIA Mazzone PRODUCERS FROM CAMPANIA Angelarosa Boccella Mustilli Reale Terra Di Vento PRODUCERS FROM BASILICATA Musto-Carmelitano We searched high and low for these new producers, always aware of the basic requirement to source good wine, full of regional and varietal character and at an attractive price.   In these hard economic times, it's why the start-up (or up-start) Domenico Selections has begun its life prospering while others are taking a hit. By the way, it's no accident that we are still weighted toward the South.  Campania and Basilicata, for example, still offer relatively low prices next to Tuscany and Piedmont, and their wines are not only better- priced, they're far more typical of their terroirs that many of the "blasonati" (ballyhooed) wines of the northerly regions.

  

Comments

[David J]

Terry, I read someplace- stop me if you've heard this already- ;^)- that Falanghina derives its name from the 'falanga' which is the support beam for non-vigorous vines-- Falanghina was the first grape that was deemed worthy of the effort of planting with external support...?

[Strappo]

I have heard the supposed derivation of the name. The supposition that it was the first to be worthy of external support is far-fetched, since vines have been supported this way for millennia (the original Greek word for Italy, Oenotria, is said to stand for "land of grape vines supported by stakes") -- and it's hard to imagine that one local grape was sufficient cause for said effect.

[David J]

In defense of said etymological theory, I will alude to three possible earliest viticultural practices:
1) wildcrafting grapes from naturally climbing vines
2) harvesting from vigorous sub-varieties, which led to cultivating unsupported, untrellised head-pruning
3) polyculture, where the less vigorous, climbing vines are wrapped around a suitable, secondary (primary?) tree crop

[Strappo]

Still, there's nothing of wooden STAKES here, is there?

[David J]

Erm, well-- my point, precisely--?

[David J]

I actually tweeted Randall Grahm about any historical knowledge or information he might have on this issue, & we agreed pretty much off the bat Sean Thackrey may be the one person with a well-read library of texts on early viticulture to consult with, should I want to follow up on the topic for whatever personal & perverse motivations I may harbor...not a bad pretext for contacting Mr. Thackrey, I dare say...