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Falanghina encore
Use a new word three times, and it's yours for life, the teachers say, which sounds simple enough until you try to figure a good way to work a word like "eleemosynary" into everyday conversation.
Accordingly, let's take another taste of Falanghina, a Southern Italian grape obscure enough that - despite my long interest in, and affection for, the wines of Italy - I encountered it in the glass for the first time only this year. Following up on the Villa Carafa 2003 Falanghina I reported in the Aug. 31 Wine Advisor and the Feudi San Gregorio 2002 Falanghina (April 6), last night I returned to Falanghina for a third tasting, hoping to make it my own. This one was made by Ocone, the family name of the producer Azienda del Monte, located near Benevento. A 2004, it was the youngest and freshest Falanghina I've tried, and it represents the third major Falanghina growing region, Taburno; the others were from Campi Flegrei and Sannio, respectively. It was also the least expensive of the three, at $11 (the others sold in the middle teens). Both its youth and its low-end price may have been reflected in its nature, which was pleasant, crisp and refreshing but lacked the minerality and slightly oxidative richness of the other Falanghinas. Or perhaps this was a question of its youth ... it seems that with wine, if not with words, it sometimes takes more than three tastes to fully master a new one. But you knew that, didn't you?
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Ocone 2004 Taburno Falanghina ($11)
This is a clear, pale straw-color wine with a slight greenish hue. Fresh white fruit and delicate floral notes come to gether in a pleasant aroma, but it lacks the pleasant oxidative character that I've found in many Southern Italian whites, perhaps attesting to its relative youth. Medium in body, it offers an attractive balance of forward if rather simple white fruit and fresh acidity. A cleansing food wine, if not one for deep contemplation. U.S. importer: Scoperta Importing Co., Cleveland Heights, Ohio (Sept. 8, 2005) FOOD MATCH: Falanghina is a natural with delicate veal, seafood and fish dishes; less traditionally, it was fine with a light Asian meal of veggie shiu mai and edamame. VALUE: Not overpriced at $11. WHEN TO DRINK: Its freshness makes it pleasant and approachable now, although I'm going to stash one away to see whether it develops additional richness and complexity. Watch for a follow-up report in a year or two.
PRONUNCIATION:
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Katrina fund-raiser: Thanks for your generous support Last Friday, I turned over the Wine Advisor's pulpit to my wine-loving pal Dale Williams to announce a call for donations to appropriate organizations helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, along with a donation of several fine wines from his collection as sweepstakes prizes to serve as a slight additional incentive for support. I'm delighted to report that Wine Advisor readers and Wine Lovers' forum participants have responded with great generosity: A half-dozen of you offered additional gifts of fine wines to bolster the sweepstakes, and well over 100 readers have made contributions totaling well over $10,000 in funds. Today we're starting to wrap up this weeklong effort with one last call for donations. Over this weekend, we'll randomly select numbers and notify the lucky participants who'll win such vinous goodies as a three-bottle "vertical" of mature Chateaun Meyney, a J.L. Chave Hermitage, a 1982 Chateau Latour, a 1985 Chateau Lafite, and much more. If you haven't joined in this effort yet, I urge you to consider joining in, whether you're inspired by the possibility of winning an excellent wine or whether you simply feel that it's right to dig down and throw a few bucks into the hat to help the people who have suffered from this major natural disaster.
We're encouraging contributions through Network for Good, a reputable organization that acts as a clearinghouse for online contributions to quality nonprofit organizations in many areas of need. A list of more than 100 worthy Katrina-related organizations will be found online at
For full information on making your contribution and entering the sweepstakes, click to this Wine Lovers' Discussion Group forum announcement:
SUBSCRIBE: Administrivia To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, or for any other administrative matters, please use the individualized hotlink found at the end of your E-mail edition. If this is not practical, contact me by E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com, including the exact E-mail address that you used when you subscribed, so I can find your record. We do not use our E-mail list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail address to anyone. I welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. To contact me, please send E-mail to wine@wineloverspage.com All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.
Friday, Sept. 9, 2005
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