Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023 - 52

➤Tasca
d'Almerita
➤Abbazia di
Novacella
ALTO ADIGE
WINEMAKER:
Celestino Lucin
FOUNDED: 1142
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
70,000 cases
ACRES OF VINEYARDS
OWNED: 250
# OF VALUE RECS: 6
AVG VALUE SCORE: 88.7
TOP SCORE: 91
AVG PRICE: $22
Abbazia di Novacella
USA, Sausalito, CA
With more than
eight centuries
of winemaking
experience under
their belts, you'd
expect the team at
Abbazia di Novacella
to be playing in an
old-timers' game,
but their wines are
as crisp and agile as
ever. The 2021 Valle
Isarco Kerner, a cross
between riesling and
schiava, is one of the
great summertime
whites for its fresh
fl oral scents and soſt
peach and mandarin
fl avors-light enough
to keep sipping over
nine full innings.
➤Donnachiara
CAMPANIA
WINEMAKERS:
Riccardo Cotarella,
Alessio Gaiaschi
FOUNDED: 2005
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
21,000 cases
ACRES OF VINEYARDS
OWNED: 50
FARMING CERTIFICATION:
Bioagricert
# OF VALUE RECS: 4
AVG VALUE SCORE: 87.8
TOP SCORE: 90
MHW, Manhasset NY
In a League of Their
Own when it comes
to Campanian value
wines, this familyrun
winery has felt
the infl uence of
three generations
of women, from
namesake Donna
Chiara Mazzarelli
Petitto to her
granddaughter,
Chiara Petitto,
and now Chiara's
daughter and
current CEO, Ilaria
Petitto. Their white
wines off er true
regional character
at aff ordable prices,
but the 2022 Fiano
di Avellino Empatia
elevates the variety
to the major leagues,
staying light on its
feet while showing
excellent depth and
density.
SICILY
HEAD WINEMAKER:
Laura Orsi
FOUNDED: 1830
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
225,000 cases
ACRES OF VINEYARDS
OWNED: 1,171
FARMING
CERTIFICATIONS: B Corp
and SOStain
# OF VALUE RECS: 7
AVG VALUE SCORE: 89
TOP SCORE: 91
AVG PRICE: $20
Trinchero Family Es -
tates, St. Helena, CA
Tasca is that utility
fi elder that excels in
any position, making
wine up and
down the price scale
from fi ve diff erent
regions of Sicily.
The 2019 Lamùri,
their balanced and
fragrant nero d'Avola
comes from the
high hills of Tenuta
Regaleali, in the
heart of the island.
It's the everyday
player that's never
fl ashy but always on.
As is the 2021 Grillo
from Fondazione
Whitaker Mozia,
both tied at 91
points.
➤Adami
VALDOBBIADENE,
VENETO
WINEMAKER:
Franco Adami
FOUNDED: 1933
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
69,000 cases
ACRES OF VINEYARDS
OWNED: 30
VALUE HITS: 7
AVG SCORE: 90.7
AVG PRICE: $21
TOP SCORE: 93
Dalla Terra, Napa, CA
Attention to detail
and laser-focus on
vineyards makes
Adami the Prosecco
of choice for serious
wine pros. You can't
lose with any of the
Adami family's seven
sparkling wines,
from the bone-dry,
bottle-fermented
Sui Lieviti Col Fondo
2021 to the rich
and fruity Vigneto
Giardino Rive di
Col ber taldo 2020
(both scored 93
points). But whether
you're heading to
the beach or the
ballpark, it's hard
to beat journeyman
Bosco di Gica that
slides in at $19.
Vila, a crisp sparkler
blending alvarinho
and loureiro.
➤Quinta
da Lixa
VINHO VERDE
WINEMAKER:
Carlos Teixeira
FOUNDED: 1986
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
625,000
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 365
VALUE HITS: 6
AVG SCORE: 88.8
AVG PRICE: $14
TOP SCORE: 93
Red Wolf,
Washington, DC
Long-time growers
in Vila Cova da
Lixa, the Mereilles
family upped their
game, hiring star
oenologist Carlos
Teixeira and buying
up vineyard land
in the early 2000s
to feed the new
stadium-sized winery
they'd recently
completed. Teixeira
delivers clean,
refreshing estategrown
whites-and
a vinhão red-for
less than a souvenir
cup of beer. And he
knocked it out of the
park with his 2021
Minho Morgado da
➤Cramele
Recas
TRANSYLVANIA/BANAT
WINEMAKERS:
Hartley Smithers,
Nora Iriarte
FOUNDED: 1948
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
2.8 million cases
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 2,500
VALUE HITS: 4
AVG SCORE: 85.3
AVG PRICE: $9.50
TOP SCORE: 87
Tri-Vin, New
Rochelle, NY
Though the
Romanian
provenance might
at fi rst put you out
to sea, this massive
winery's varietal
bottlings are a
surprise walk-on
sensation-clean,
typical and tasty.
You'd be hardpressed
to fi nd a
better ROI here,
with all of their
recommendations
retailing at $10 or
under, like the 2020
I Am Sauvignon
Blanc.
52
WINE & SPIR IT S
SUMMER 2023
Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023

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