Carmelo's Restaurant

Wine

Italian wines have a taste and character all their own which is attributed to Italy's many different grape varieties, the soil and climatic conditions and the various production techniques that have evolved since the Greeks brought wine to Italy 3,000 years ago.

Twenty different regions produce wines, some from a single grape and others from a blend of two or more varieties. There are actually almost one thousand different grape varieties in Italy which are impossible to duplicate elsewhere. Carmelo's wine list provides a map outlining each of the twenty regions with a description of their specialties.

PIEDMONT Red White

The North-West Section is largely a green and ruggedly mountain zone with flatlands entwined throughout. This region is famous for wines made from three grapes - Nebbiolo, Barbera (red) and Moscato (white). Nebbiolo grape wines include Barolo, the best known, a big wins unmatched for its scent & flavor, Barbaresco, slightly softer and Gattinara, elegant & rounded.

VENETO Red White

North-East zone is influenced by Austria and Germany in culture. This region produces grapes on high sloping mountain sides as well as on the valley floors. Veneto is found in the flatlands of the Piave Valley, north of Venice, and produces full, characterful wines with a ripe depth of fruit.

CAMPANIA Red White

It's name, taken from the volcanic plains beyond Naples, located in the South region of Italy. It is home to the BEST known dry Greco, and well known producer, Mastroberardino.

TUSCANY Red White

Located in the centre of Italy, set in the mountainous beauty, where olive trees, vines, and sweetly scented cypress trees, populate the hillside. The air is magnified and the light brilliantly vivid, a reminder that these hills were once home to the likes of Michelangelo and Leonardo di Vinci. Where the Sangiovese grape flourishes, and is the foundation for the renown Chianti.

SICILIA Red White

Italy has two major islands, (Sicily & Sardina) that are large enough to have developed their own culture, very strikingly different from the other, with a great wealth of raw materials waiting to be transformed into wines of quality. Sicily produces more white wine than red wine. Some of the great glories of the islands are produced from harnessing the sun's heat using two main grape varieties, Malvasia & Moscato. Their perfume is retained, accentuated and amplified, simply by the unique method of drying.

TRENTINO - ALTO ADIGE White

Located in the North-East zone where the mountains dominate over the rich valley. Trentino is found on the valley floor and gentler slopes, with a pleasing mixture of Germanic influence and Italian flair. It is the source of Italy's best, real Reisling.

LATIUM White

From the region of Rome, white Frascati is known internationally. Strong and fragrant with a flavor of golden grape skins. It is made in both a dry and "abboccato" style. Frascati is the only Castelli Romani wines still made among the Roman castles in the Alban hills southeast of Rome.

EMILIA - ROMAGNA White

Emilia-Romagna is unique in the upper section. It virtually bisects Italy, stretching from the Lugurian/Piedmonte border in the west to the Adriatic Coast in the East. Its rich soil is virtually flat in the terrain of the Po Valley. Though it shares certain grape varieties with both Tuscany and the regions to the north, it has managed to establish enough of an individual identity to be considered a separate zone. It is best know for it's "Lambrusco."

MARCHES White

In the Adriatic coastal region, the Verdicchio grape, packaged in amphora-shaped bottles, is an admirably, dry white wine, known wherever Italian food is served. Not to be outdone, the native Sangiovese and Montepulciano grapes vie for supremacy and marry beautifully in many different wines.

UMBRIA White

From one of the smallest regions, comes a great white wine, Orvieto. The home of production is perched on massive rocks out of which are carved the cellars where the wine matures more naturally. Orvieto is made in a dry & "abboccato" (semi-sweet) style. The "abboccato" is the area's pride - light and delicate.

ABRUZZO & MOLISE White

Centre section-Abrusso, is located in the highest point of the Apennines while Molise is found neighboring to the South. The rugged terrain is home to the Montepulciano grape. It produces a highly appealing and delicious wine of great generously. The white Trebbiano grape lays claim to Italy's most widely planted white grape.