2005 Giuseppe Fanti Portico Rosso

December 30, 2008 | In WINE REVIEWS | 3 Comments

Hard to find, but easy to love, this wine speaks volumes about the state of the wine market in America. Teroldego, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, and Merlot, and a beautiful expression of mountain viticulture; aromatic and juicy with a stunning, ethereal minerality, loads of lively acidity and brisk sweet tannins- perfect for hearty cuisines. Giuseppe Fanti’s Portico Rosso is all those things, and haply if you can’t find it,Teroldego is showing up in shops and on wine lists all over, from simple juicy quaffers to beguiling wines of real character. Yep, its a great time to be a wine-drinker in America; our hats are off to those that respect us enough to import and distribute these formerly obscure gems.

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  1. UnCorker-
    I”m here from Italy for 14 years, and it is so that now we can get great Italian wines formerly never here. I see this wine in restaurants and wonder if you know what stores might have it?

    Comment by Silvio — December 30, 2008 #

  2. Fanti’s Portico Rosso is made of Teroldego, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The vines are grown in the Eastern hills of the Adige valley some kilometres north of Trento, definitely not in the Dolomite mountains. Moreover, “Portico Rosso” is the name of the wine, not a DOC. The area has the IGT “Vigneti delli Dolomiti”, which is – admittedly – a bit misleading.

    Visiting the Fantis is always very nice; they do not have many visitors and are very friendly. If you are in the area Pojer & Sandri is worth a visit as well: good white wines and outstanding grappa (particularly the Grappa Mueller Thurgau).

    I had the 2004 Portico Rosso yesterday evening: dark colour, cherries, blackberries, leather, a bit of a good Havanna cigar, velvety tannins, full-bodied. 89-90 points. Drink now and until 2012.

    Comment by mixalhs — January 28, 2009 #

  3. An UnCorker apology- G. Fanti does not in fact even grow lagrein- and a more then casual glance at the bottle shows it as an IGT- not a tiny DOC, we will curb our enthusiasms and try to be more measured in response to wines we love… though the vintage we reviewed was the 2005, not the 2004, and surely the 89-90 points would be misleading re: this wine- the Portico Rosso is a wine of great character and personality, applying scores to it is to rob it of that-
    And Mixalhs, you are not going to try to tell me that Pojer & Sandri’s Rosso Faye doesn’t include lagrein, are you?

    Comment by theuncor — February 4, 2009 #

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