Tenuta di Salviano

One of the main reasons for traveling to Verona every spring and attending Vin Italy is the exposure I get to Italian wines. Unfortunately, owning an Italian Restaurant in Southern Maine is a blessing and a curse. The blessing is we’re a half mile from the beach, overlooking the Rachel Carson wildlife preserve, and we’re only an hour and fifteen minutes from Boston. We basically get the best of both worlds. The curse is, we’re in Southern Maine and our allocation for Italian wines is at best minimal.

One of my Wine Distributors called me recently to inform me that the latest release for the Super Tuscan “Ornellaia” arrived and that the allocation for the State of Maine was one single six-pack. ( Which of course, I purchased ) We work hard to give our customers a great Italian Wine List to choose from when they dine at Varano’s. To be honest, when I get news like this, it’s disheartening. I only write this, so that as consumers, you can appreciate the effort restaurants in Maine go through in order to provide their guests with a nice wine list. We are always playing catch-up when it comes to securing nice wines for our lists.

This brings me to a winery called Tenuta di Salviano. Located in Umbria on Lake Corbara. When I was in Italy this past spring, I was fortunate to have lunch with Piero Incisa della Rochetta, the nephew of the owner of Sassicaia. He is currently aiding his uncle running the winery, along with his own ventures. His mother owns Tenuta di Salviano and along with her sons produces some incredible wines. I was fortunate to taste these while dining at Vin Italy. One of the wines we tasted was called Turlo. This wine is a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet and 20% Merlot. I just introduce this wine to Varano’s as our wine of the month for September. I was fortunate to purchase the last six cases of Turlo from my distributor. We’ve already sold almost two cases and the first week isn’t even over yet. If you’ve never had the distinct pleasure of trying Sassicai, or one of their other properties wines. This is a great opportunity to try a world class wine with one of the best pedigrees in Italy. Unfortunately, when we run out, I don’t know if or when we’ll be able to get more. I see more and more people coming in to Varano’s to try our wine feature of the month. We’ve had a great string of winners. I’m already working on next month’s selection. Remember, nothing beats a great meal with great company and great wine. enjoy.