Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/807384
april 2017 / the tasting panel / 67 Would you tell us a little about your family's heritage? Rhonda Carano: Don and I are both second-generation Italian-Americans, where wine is as important as food is on the table. Ferrari-Carano was born out of our love for food, wine, family and friends. The winery is named in part after Don's paternal grandmother, Emelia Ferrari. After a trip to Italy visiting relatives, we toured the Alexander Valley wine country and fell in love with the area. Hence, we bought our Home Ranch back in 1979, and here we are 38 years later owning 24 vineyards, which are all certified sustainable, in six appellations. What was the inspiration for the Spirit of Italy line? When did you begin making them? RC: It truly seemed natural for us to grow Sangiovese grapes and make Siena. Our first Siena was made in 1990, right at the time the Sangiovese/Cabernet blends became popular in California. Actually, this year, 2017, we will be releasing our 2015 Siena, which will be our 25th anni- versary. The 2015 Siena label will highlight that fact in its upcoming release. We thought it would be nice to offer a white Italian-style wine that would complement Siena. Our first Pinot Grigio release was in 2005. I am particularly fond of our new 2016 release. Adding to this theme of the "Spirit of Italy," we just released a brand-new wine, the delicious Dry Sangiovese Rosé. I know you are passionate about wine and food pairing. Would you describe your ideal pairing for the three wines? RC: There are so many choices with these versatile wines, and since we're in the "Spirit of Italy" mood, let's start with the Dry Sangiovese Rosé paired with melon and prosciutto; the Pinot Grigio with fettuccine with spring asparagus and smoked salmon; Siena with a classic pizza Margherita or traditional spaghetti Bolognese. Buon appetito! Upon learning the rich history behind these distinctive wines, it seemed the natural next step was to investigate how they have come to fruition. I asked for enlightenment from Winemaker Sarah Quider on the envisaged style of the wines for the Spirit of Italy. What is your approach to making the Spirit of Italy wines, in particular the Pinot Grigio? Do you apply more traditional techniques, or do you use a similar approach as for your California wines? Sarah Quider: Our Pinot Grigio vineyards are hand-picked in the early morning and then gently whole cluster–pressed to retain the brightness of the varietal, as well as not to pick up too much color and harsh tannins. We then put the juice through a nice long cold fermentation to capture the essence of the vineyard sites while avoiding malolactic fermentation. Once the wine is finished, we stir the wine in tank on the lees to gain as much weight from the lees as possible before bottling. This is one of the few wines we make that never sees any oak, so this is different than most California wines. How do you think the Italian varieties perform in Sonoma County in comparison to in Italy? SQ: The Sangiovese grapes for our Siena blend are grown in the Alexander Valley, which tends to be a warm grape- growing area. This leads to lower acidity levels because the grapes respire the malic acids out of the skins. Sangiovese in general is a high-acid grape variety, so it seems to be a nicely balanced variety for this area. What was the inspiration behind the rosé? SQ: Sangiovese has wonderful bright acidity and is an ideal grape variety for rosé. It has wonderful aromas and flavors of cherries, pomegranates and cranberries, so the grape variety was just asking us to make a rosé with it. Rhonda Carano, shown here with husband Don, offers insightful explanations of family roots and food pairing. Winemaker Sarah Quider shares her expertise on Sonoma County and Italian grape varieties. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERRARI-CARANO PHOTO COURTESY OF FERRARI-CARANO