Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 129 CHICAGO photos by Rebecca Peplinski Leicht greeted the packed Union League Club room in Chicago, noting the upbeat mood: "We know we're in trouble when we go through all twelve bottles of Prosecco [at breakfast]. It's gonna be a great day!" CAC mid-session in Chicago at the historic Union League Club. Beyond the Pale: Traditions and Innovations in Italian Rosé through the Winemaker's Eyes The five Italian rosés, or rosatos, presented—vinified from both native and international grape varieties—made the case for year-around consumption of pink wines. Alberto Lazzarino was the first to add a bit of pink to the cream-colored hall with a review of the age-worthy Banfi Piemonte 2012 Cuvée Aurora Rosé, a 100 percent Pinot Noir. Said Lazzarino, "This is a metodo classico, which means it's been fermented in a bottle. The Alta Langa DOC requires that cultivation of these grapes start at a minimum of 200 meters above sea level. Our grapes are grown up to even 550 meters above sea level. Why is this important? Because a fundamental part of a sparkling wine especially is acidity." The term chiaretto is used when rosé wines are made in certain DOCs. Andrea Sartori's Sartori di Verona 2016 Bardolino Chiaretto comes from the village of Bardolino. Says Sartori, "The grapes perform in a totally different way because of the microclimate of Lake Garda and the soil composition. We rack off the liquid from the fermenter just in time to get this level of color, and then the rest of the grapes will become regular [red] Bardolino. This wine fits the whole lifestyle of Lake Garda: light cuisine, happy times and happy days." In sampling the Banfi Tuscany 2016 Centine Rosé, Gabriele Pazzaglia noted, "You're sipping a wine that's fresh, but you're not giving up anything in terms of structure, which comes from our soils, which are heavier than [those of] the other regions in this tasting. Sangiovese makes up the structural base, then there are small, equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot." While enjoying the Cerulli Spinozzi 2016 Cerasuolo, the class learned that until 2010 the rosés of Abruzzo were recognized only as part of the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC. "But now Cerasuolo is a proper DOC," explained Cerulli. "If you take a big bunch of Montepulciano in your hands and squeeze it, the juice is already pink. This is one of the most tinc - torial grapes in Europe. It's impossible to make white Somms of Chicago competing in the blind tasting competition. Gabriele Pazzaglia speaks of the brooding, coveted wine from his home town, Montalcino. Andrea Sartori of Sartori di Verona and Lars Leicht in the background against a pink sea of rosato.