welcome fall

Ruggeri, ‘Santo Stefano’, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene….one the really cool, interesting facets of learning the history of Italian wine is how interconnected families and vineyards are in fortifying quality and tradition. For instance, the Bisol family is synonymous with having the largest estate vineyards and land in the prosecco area, now upgraded status of DOCG! So, even though Ruggeri is another famous prosecco label, it is also owned by the Bisol family, just under a separate label and also considered one of the grandest in the Veneto. The Bisol estate focuses almost exclusively on Prosecco, the iconic Italian sparkling wine produced on the hillsides of Veneto. This estate is just over 50 hectares, which is enormous for the tiny prosecco area where most vineyards average around 3 hectares..Prosecco may also be linked to the Pucino grape of Roman times, which is thought to be the case. “The Prosecco grape cluster, elongated and lightly packed with long thin stalks sustaining the lightly sun-kissed grapes, is itself as delicate and elegant as the wine it produces. It is harvested late, in October, together with small quantities of the Verdisa and Perera grape which are equally represented in the vineyard and important for their acidity and aroma respectively.”



Bisol Timeline……

The Ruggeri winery was established in 1950 by Giustino Bisol, whose family boasts a deeply rooted, centuries-old tradition in viticulture in the Valdobbiadene area.
The place-name Case Bisoi (that is the Houses of the Bisols) is to be found on the oldest maps of the area, in the heart of the zone now known as Cartizze and once called Chartice or Gardizze. It is here, according to property/tax assessment documents in the public archives, that the Bisol family has been cultivating vines since 1542.
In the 1800s Eliseo Bisol left further documentary evidence of his activity as a distiller. Around 1920, his son Luigi Bisol, an oenologist, built a winery in Montebelluna. In 1950, Luigi's son Giustino Bisol established the Ruggeri winery in S. Stefano di Valdobbiadene to produce and promote the semi-sparkling Prosecco and Cartizze wines. In 1993 the winery was relocated to new, large and ergonomically-designed premises.
The Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin) grape is grown in the northern part of the Marca Trevigiana in a zone extending from Colle Umberto to Valdobbiadene, the ancient zone of Valduplavensis, “...where the vine blossoms eternally...” (St.Venantius Fortunatus 535-603 AD).
Valdobbiadene is indisputably one of the most interesting vine-growing areas in terms of quality and indeed its vineyards have always produced the most prestigious and fragrant Prosecco.
The presence of many old and sometimes very old vines contributes to raising the quality of the Valdobbiadene vineyards. Thanks to its considerable root system, an old Prosecco vine, which may be defined as “the memory of the region”, successfully copes with the varied climate so typical of the Valdobbiadene hills, thereby ensuring constantly high quality in all sorts of soil and weather conditions.


Umani Ronchi, ‘Plenio’, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Marche- with this special order, we were able to reduce the price by almost half and be able to pour it by the glass at SPQR. The quality and richness is perfect for the fall flavors we are starting to offer and the cooler weather.. Umani Ronchi is a pretty large outfit but, their top quality wines are not. This is the Riserva from Umani Ronchi, which made it’s debut in 1995. The word Plenio is related to the Latin word, Plenum, which refers to a full and complex character. During the 18 months of ageing, six are spent in bottle, one year in large tonneau. Flavors are bitter almond, ripe golden delicious apples, honey, aniseed and a rich wine with balanced with firm structure from the higher vineyards …..



Fratelli Alessandria, Pelaverga, Verduno, Piemonte- hailing from the mountaintop and exclusive hometown of Pelaverga, Verduno, the Alesandria brothers only produce 5000 cases on 14 hectares per year and are a 5th generation wine producing family. A small portion of that is actually Pelaverga. They are highly regarded for their cru Barolo bottlings. This Pelaverga is medium bodied, black and white pepper and tangy, sharp fruits like cranberry and raspberry, this is a classic style of Pelaverga.



Colternzio Lagrein, Gries, Alto Adige – one of the reasons this wine is great quality and value is that, like most wines of the Alto Adige, it is from the cooperative, made from grapes from the Grieser vineyard, in the Bolzano Basin. Alto Adige is the only region in Italy, where the government doesn’t run cooperatives, it is run by the people. It smells of black cherry and stewed black plums, with a slightly medicinal edge along with some spice and cedar from the barrels along with dry tobacco and forest-floor notes.



Nicolis, ‘Seccal’, Valpolicella Ripasso Classico, DOC, Veneto- grape blend breakdown is Corvina 70% - Rondinella 20% - Molinara 5% - Croatina 5% … The grapes for this wine are from the ‘Seccal’ vineyard on the Nicolis estate. Ripasso is the second fermentation name I like to refer to as a ‘Baby Amarone’, which adds a boldness of flavor along with fruits that have higher alcohol thus are slightly sweet flavor. I think this is a great choice for people looking for a hand-crafted, romantic wine that is very decadent and rich in complexity. Red ruby, color, generous, warming, wet leaf, mushroom, prune, black cherry notes and dry finish even though the mid-palate is slightly sweet from the secondary fermentation as well.







Bressan, Schioppettino, Friuli – one of the worls’d few to produce wine from Schippettino, also known as Ribolla Nera. This grape originated from the Rozasso abbey in the Colli Orientalli of Friuli. There is a blackberry, herbal and black pepper quality to this wine. The slow and steady vilification process makes this a really special bottle to offer guests. The calcerous soil shows in the iron notes of the wine reflected in a leathery, bloody element often associated with nebbiolo. The Schioppettino is a red grape grown predominately in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Also known as the Ribolla Nera, Schioppettino literally means “gunshot” or “little crack”. Records show that red wine made from the Schioppettino was used at marriage ceremonies back to 1282. The grape was nearly lost to extinction thanks mostly to the phylloxera epidemic. Only



Here are winemaking notes….serious natural winemaker who also makes a verduzzo secco Wine Making: Grapes are de-stalked and brought to must by way of soft-pressing; extremely long maceration with principal fermentation along with the grape skins, refrigerated with well water at a controlled temperature not exceeding 25C (77F). After racking, the wine undergoes an ulterior 35 days of fermentation. The wine is then stored in stainless steel tanks, followed by aging for at least 2 more years in 2000 liter oak casks. After bottling, groups of 500 bottles are placed in large chests, which are then stored in a temperature controlled warehouse for additional aging.

Le Montecchia, ‘Forzate’, Raboso, IGT, Veneto- the grapes of this wine are Raboso Pave and Raboso Veronese. This wine, which is native to the Veneto, is harvested at the end of October. In the past, its grapes were hung in the kitchenand, on account of their resistant skin, could be eaten until Easter. The wines are left to dry partially on the vine and then cold-soaked fermented on skins for over two weeks. This is a round..medium-full bodied wine with baking spices, marascha cherries and walnut husk kind of flavor.. Raboso is known for its heavy tannins and high acid..not quite as extreme as teroldego but, in the same vein. Raboso Veronese produces greater yields and is more widely planted. Raboso del Piave, also known as Friularo or Friulara, produces a more austere wine than does the Raboso Veronese grape. It is not very common to see a wine from 100 percent Raboso. WE’ve seen it in the Col di Salici Rosato for instance in the past.



Terre del Gioa, Marzemino, Trento - the Armani family has been producing wine on all sides of the Adige River for centuries. They actually produce wine in Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli today. Their deep roots to the past have kept them dedicated to the traditional vines of these areas. The Marzemino is something we find really fits with our style and food and SPQR since we opened. It’s smooth, fruity, medium-bodied and very strawberry, violet and delicate in its red fruit flavors. There is a certain wildness that you get from it as though the grapes were foraged alongside some fresh herbs and berries…that slight brambly character. Marzemino Gentile is one of the most interesting grape varieties of Trentino. Known as the Mozart wine (as mentioned in Don Giovanni) is typical of the area of Ala and Rovereto where the soil has a characteristic basaltic rocks and therefore full of manganese.



Umani Ronchi, ‘Cùmaro’, Rosso Conero, Marche – not only is this wine one of the most important wines in the story of Umani Ronchi, it is always slated in tre bicchierri as a Rosso Conero leader year after year. Along with the Plenio, the price reduction of the preorder allowed us to offer it at a great price for one of Italy’s greats. It was created in the mid eighties to celebrate the Montepulciano variety of vine, and the Conero area close to the sea with highly calcareous soils. The name Cùmaro is a tribute to Mount Conero, komaros in Greek, which means ‘arbutus’: an evergreen shrub which grows freely in its woodlands. Since 2004 the wine has been entitled to the appellation “DOCG (Guaranteed and Controlled Denomination of Origin) Conero Riserva”.Variety 100% Montepulciano

First year of production 1985….Flavors have black plum, red currants, dark chocolate, vanilla, leather and slight smoky quality from the high mineralogy of the soil.