Terodego nights

Foradori 2008 Teroldego Rotaliano (Trentino) – Day one: absent nose, fine textural mince. Day two: hard-as-nails tannin with dried/burnt flower aromatics, blackened core, seething finish. Day three: lovely, proto-expressive nose of crushed flowers absolutely coated in fine-grained dirt, barely-juice-able wild fruit, and pomace. The wine does make day four, but not because it was incapable of doing so. (5/11)

Bullock

Pojer e Sandri Traminer Grappa (Trentino) – Sweaty and fetid, but in a “good” way that’s actually more or less expected from this grape, I think. Very rough-and-tumble, rolling earthy aromatics and decaying flowers around in a constant swirl, and so forceful in this motion that a sense of the grappa’s alcoholic heat is nearly absent. (11/10)

Nader

Armani 2009 Corvara Pinot Grigio Valdadige (Trentino) – Decent straddling of the line between insipid plonk and something more mineral-driven and interesting. And there’s really not much more to be said about it. (5/10)

Wizard

Pojer e Sandri Vigneti delle Dolomiti “Merlino” (Trentino) – Fortified lagrein. Intriguing. More high-toned and powdery than most fortified reds, which could well be a function of latitude, and whirling a bit under a heady sensation of crushed purple flowers. Good, mostly, but it doesn’t quite achieve the spicy richness of its more southerly brethren. Not that I’d expect it to. (12/09)

Follow your nosiola

Pojer & Sandri 2006 Nosiola (Trentino) – Very fragrant, but not lurid like muscat; it’s a perfume that seduces rather than assaults. And there’s an edgy, tactile zing that reminds me of txakolina in its more aggressive form. An exclamation point of a wine. (12/08)

"Dego" red

Foradori 1997 Teroldego Rotaliano (Trentino) – Dark blackberry, raspberry, and boysenberry with a bit of brett. Toothy and medium-bodied, with a fair wallop of acidity. More interesting than excellent, though it’s definitely good. (9/08)

Rosi cheeks

Rosi 2004 Marzemino “Riserva” (Trentino) – Difficult, and by that I don’t mean to criticize the wine. But it’s difficult. Angular yet muscular (not quite wiry; more like a Romanian gymnast), it broods in darkness and sullen faux-apathy, seemingly uncaring as to its performance. But it lingers, hanging around to – at last – give a hint of aromatic fruit, of earth, of graphite, of mountain blossoms. All the elements seem in balance, but there’s nothing of coherence or approachability to be found. Obviously, it requires time. It’s not very enjoyable now. (8/08)

The nosiolas have it

Nosiola (Trentino) – Intensely perfumed, though (oddly) more so on the palate than on the nose, with a limestone foundation and a tapering finish. (10/07)

Reznortino

Vivallis 2007 Pinot Grigio (Trentino) – Crisp, dry, and powdery. Melon, ripe Granny Smith apple. Simple, pure fruit. Absolutely not complex in any way. (2/08)

The nosiola knows

Vivallis 2007 Nosiola (Trentino) – Floral, with very good acidity. Fun, clean, and sandy. Again, very simple. (2/08)

Radio aromatico

Vivallis 2007 Traminer Aromatico (Trentino) – Light aroma, only the faintest suggestion of spice, and overt crispness. Uninteresting. (2/08)

Going against lagrein

Vivallis 2007 Lagrein (Trentino) – Dirt and tar. Exceedingly underripe. Horrid. (2/08)

Cammi Granato

Foradori 2002 “Granato” Vigneti delle Dolomiti (Trentino) – Good but slightly spiky acidity, strawberry seeds, and clean. Nicely balanced. Short, but with a classic feel. Still, I can’t help but think there should be more here. (2/07)

Keep a Vinaia on you

Vinaia 2005 Pinot Noir (Trentino) – Boring, flat strawberry residue. Uninteresting. (2/07)

Go Bulldogs!

Gonzaga 2001 “San Leonardo” (Trentino) – Ripe tannin, leather, tobacco, green leaves, green pepper, and blackberry dust. In other words, Bordeaux. It’s good enough, but loses credit for being of another place, rather than its own. (2/07)

Eternal Salvaneltion

Castel Noarna 2005 Vigneti delle Dolomiti “Salvanel” (Trentino) – One of those rare blends where it’s immediately obvious that there’s more than one grape at work; there’s a spicy (slightly oak-infused, but in a very pleasant way) fatness, a frothy, wintry whiteness, an elegant mélange of flowers, and a fine core of zingy white fruit, all of which seem to be brought to the mix by the component grapes (which are: chardonnay, riesling, traminer, sauvignon blanc, and nosiola). (1/08)

Nosiola-cancelling headphones

Lavis “Bolognani” 2006 Nosiola (Trentino) – Viognier’s rustic cousin, with all the intensely floral aromatics but slightly less class, and more balancing acidity than you’ll usually find in a viognier. There’s also a drying, papery exterior that somehow seems to work in this wine. Intriguing and very good, but not particularly complex. (9/07)