Bracco Wines
By Louis Luzzo
Photos courtesy of Bracco Wines
Started just three years ago, Lorraine Bracco's Bracco Wines produces a short list of wines that include seven reds and a white all produced from Italian grapes Lorraine selects herself.
She explained to me when she decided to do this, she did not want this to be "just another celebrity sticking their name on a label." She toured the regions of Italy herself, learning the wine making business from the ground up.(pun intended) While she lamented that it was a little more labor intensive than she realized, it certainly is a labor of love. After all, her daughter Margaux is named for a bottle of Chateau Margaux. Need I say more?
While traveling through Italy, she learned all the necessities of making good wine. From the nutrients and types of soil, through the fermentation of the grapes, to the barreling, she educated herself on the processes and is now involved in every aspect of her company. She tastes all the wines, and also meets with the distributors and the retailers. When we spoke back in May, she explained to me that she has 8 or 9 boutique type vinyards that she selected from her extensive search and tour of Italian wineries, but was also in the process of looking for and buying her own vinyard. 
Check out my interview with her from the Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival in this month's "On the Red Carpet" where I taste some of the wines and chat with her about her career.
The Wines
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Pinot GrigioThe wine is produced from 100% Pinot Grigio grapes grown in the area of delle Venezia in the Italian Alps. Fruit forward with a pale straw color, it has an intensly fruity nose and is perfectly paired with poultry, fish or used as an aperitif.
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Chianti ClassicoThis elegant wine, with its fruit up-front, is reminicent of plums or black cherries. Grown in the most prestigious region of Tuscany, it is aged in Slovenian Oak barrels for one year, creating a superior structure that allows this wine to cellar wonderfully.
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Chanti Classico ReservaThis is an estate bottled wine from the village of Panzano. It is an intense wine with deep color and spicy aromas and has a long, smooth finish. It is aged in French Oak for 12 months then Slovenian Oak for another 4. Only produced in extremely good years, its distribution is limited to 10,000 bottles in the United States. Great with a good steak or dishes including rich sauces.
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Brunello di MontalcinoMontalcino is a small Tuscan hill village south of Sienna where this great wine is produced. The Brunello grape variety is, in fact, a clone of the classic grape of Tuscany, the Sangiovese, and is known as the Sangiovese Grosso. Produced exclusively for Lorraine by Giavanni Ciacci, it is kept in wood for 4 years, then kept in the bottle another 6 months. Velvet to the taste with a deep rich texture, it should be decanted at least 24 hours before serving at 66 degrees. Great with roasts and game, this wine will cellar well for up to 50 years.
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BaroloKept in the barrel for at least 3 years, Lorraine suggests that you cellar this wine for at least 3-5 years before drinking. This particular Barolo is made by a blending of the grapes from 3 select vinyards and has outstanding characteristics of Moorish Black Cherries. Best enjoyed with red meats.
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Primitivo Grown in the area of Puglia, Lorraine's Primitivo is a very special wine because it is produced solely from old vines that are trained in the traditional Alberello (little bush) system. The grapes are handpicked and aged for 1 year and then put in the bottles for another 3 months. This particular wine has a certain spiciness that Lorraine feels distiguishes it from all others.
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Produced in the towns of Fumane and Pedemonte in Veneto, this vinyard combines 50% Corvina, 25% Moilinara and 25% Rondinella and Rossinella grapes. A very unique processing method called appasimento is applied to the grapes. This is a method whereby the grapes are allowed to dry in order to concentrate the sugars and flavors. The color is deep red with a very rich slightly sweet finish that is quite long on the palate. This is another limited edition wine with only 10,000 bottles distributed to the United States
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Montelpuciano
Produced in Abruzzo, this wine has a deep purple color tending toward garnet and has a pleasing vinous nose. Dry, it has intense aromas and a soft elegant finish. In Italy, it was traditionally enjoyed with a soup made with diced thistles, turkey livers, pork meatballs and eggs then cooked in a turkey broth and seasoned with sheeps milk cheese. It was then served cool.
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Wow! I'm off to the kitchen. Now where did I put my thistles? An impressive list of wines from a very delightful lady whose passion for Good Food, Good Wine and Good Living has made her and her wines a natural choice for this month's Passport to Wines.
Ciao,
Luigi
