The name Ecco Domani has become almost synonymous for quality Italian wines, and so it is.
It seems almost ludicrous to talk about Ecco Domani's commitment to quality and to producing fine wine for the money, when everything that is advertised today is touting the same thing; but in this case, it is a statement that can be believed and trusted.
The secret is in the picking and choosing of the grapes. Ecco Domani winemakers know the districts in Italy where the grapes for specific varieties grow best and concentrate on those areas. They then contract for grapes and husband them throughout the growing period right up to the harvest so they can be certain that they are getting the best of the best.
Ecco Domani 2011 IGT Delle Venezie Moscato ($14) There is a civil war going on in full force in Italy. There are no battles in this civil war and definitely no casualties; it is a war of grape-growing locations and figuring out which grapes make the best moscato, those of the east coast or the west?
Everybody and their brother knows of the famed Moscato d’Asti from the western hills, but there are also superb moscato grapes grown in the eastern districts of Friuli and Veneto, where the grapes are blessed with the cool Adriatic breezes and the winds coming off the Alps to the north. It is from these east coast grapes that the Ecco Domani winemakers select the grapes for their moscato wine.
The Ecco Domani 2011 IGT Delle Venezie Moscato is, like all moscato wines, sweet, but it is not sugary sweet. The sweetness comes naturally from the grapes, as does the almost overwhelming aroma of orange blossoms and honey that carry on to the flavor and then continue on to an incredibly long finish.
This is the perfect wine for outdoor dining, as it can beautifully accompany almost anything from the mildest of salads to the strong flavors of barbecue. This is definitely not a wine to miss.
Ecco Domani 2010 Merlot ($12)The Ecco Domani 2011 Merlot is a high mountain grown grape variety that beats the normal odds for quality grape from a hot climate, in this case Sicily. While Sicily may be considered to have a climate much too hot to grow quality grapes, there are vineyards high in the mountains of that island that are cool enough to beat the odds and produce exceptional merlot grapes.
The Ecco Domani 2010 Merlot is made without any oak aging, allowing the natural flavors of the grapes to control the direction the wine will take.
This wine displays a bold ripe cherry and blackberry aroma, and flavor with a background of a fascinating earthy taste. This earthy component adds another layer of character and complexity to the wine.
The wine finishes in a burst of fruit flavors that linger in the mouth for an unusually long time. This wine is a real winner and an interesting departure from similar varieties.
Ecco Domani 2011 Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie ($12)The La Venezie district is about as far north as one can go and still remain in Italy.
The Ecco Domani 2011 Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie is composed of 88.5 percent pinot grigio grapes, with an additional 11.5 percent in chardonnay grapes to soften the acid that naturally occurs in the pinot grigio grapes and also to expand the fresh fruit flavor.
This almost colorless wine is very smooth and silky with a big and expansive aroma of peaches, apples, summer flowers and honey. The flavors, too, are equally expansive, stressing citrus and pineapple with hints of peach and spice. The fruity finish of this wine stays in the mouth long after it has been swallowed.
Try this wine with chicken dishes, as well as with traditional seafood and pastas.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and helps manage ArticlesOnWine.com with his wife, Sheila. He can be reached at frojhe@suddenlink.net.
