This week we head back into obscure wine grapes and regions with Greco di Tufo. There is still some warm weather left so don’t break out your sweaters and cabs just yet. We have one more crisp summer weather wine to talk about.
Greco di Tufo wine is made from the Greco grape and it’s ancestor is thought to have been brought to Southern Italy by the ancient Greeks. Although the grape variety is permitted in blends in several DOCs in southern Italy, it shines in the Greco di Tufo DOCG in Compania. Therefore our focus this week is the Greco di Tufo DOCG region.
This week we discuss:
- History of the Greco grape
- Why is the Greco grape so confusing?
- Where is Greco di Tufo and why is it so special?
- Flavor characteristics of Greco di Tufo wine
Wine Recommendations
Terredora di Paolo Loggia della Serra Greco di Tufo 2014 – priced around $20. With an intense nose of minerals, floral, and fresh fennel, this wine has flavors of lemon, pear, minerals, apples with a long grassy finish. It’s light bodied and has medium plus almost high acidity. This wine is crisp, light and very fruity and thanks to it fruitiness it tricks your brain into thinking it’s sweet but it’s a dry wine. We thought it was complex with layers of flavors that are really fresh and clean.
Donnachiara Montefalcione Greco di Tufo 2016 – priced around $14. This wine has a strong nose of pear, pineapple with some minerality. Like the previous wine, it has medium plus acidity and a light body with flavors of lemon, flowers and a light minerality. We loved the smell of this wine, beautiful wine served cold on a warm day. It’s crisp, light, think of these wines as a more complex alternative to Pinot Grigio.