Forgotten? – Carpe Vino

Wines that have seemed to lost their places in the world

Over the years, many wines that were very popular at one time, seemed to have lost their place in the current world of wines. Some of those wines were really exciting wines and I hated to see them dissapear, others, fell off because there were so many other good wines that took their places. Still, a bit of nostalgia here, anyone from the 1970s will remember all of these wines.

Frascati This wine is an Italian white wine

named after the town of Frascati, located 25 km southeast of Rome, in Lazio, Italy. It has been made into three types of wines. Dry, Sweet and Sparkling. The Sparkling version to me was the most exciting. This wine is dry and crisp, with a hint of fresh apples and pears. There is just enough effervescence to make you think its a sparkling wine. Unfortunately, somewhere around 2000, export laws became very strict, especially in terms of any wine that had some level of carbonation. Thus, the Frasactis shipped to the United States, were still. That did take away from the fresh enjoyment of a crisp, semi-sparkling wine with touches of apples and pears.

Ovrveitto is an Italian wine region located in Umbria and Lazio, centered on the comune of Orvieto. It is primarily known for its white wines made from a blend of mostly Grechetto and Trebbiano, which is sold under the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) Orvieto and Orvieto Classico. This is a classic dry Italian white wine. Light in body, not a lot of flavours going on with these wines. They can range from a straw color to a pale golden hue.

Lacryma Christi meaning the Tears of Christ. This Neapolitan type of wine is produced on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius in Campania, Italy. This white wine is made from the Verdeca and Coda di Volpe. This wine captures the flavor and complex tones that volcanic soil can impart to a dry white wine. Thus this zesty full flavored wine springs from the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius. From its bright golden color to its long lusty finish. The wine is dry with a good amount of minerals, with zesty lemon overtones and a taste of the sea.

Lacryma Christi Red is made from Piedirosso and Sciascinoso grapes.
Since this wine is made from the same region as their whites, the volcanic soil plays a major role in the structure of this wine. Its dark ruby red, with tons of plums and cherry noses. The bouquet also includes some spice and pepper along with a mineral overtone. This is a very full, firm soft bodied wine. The tannins are generally on the firm, but milder side, making it easy drinking. If anything, I found these reds to be almost too soft, I would want more, more tannins, more dryness, just more.

Mateus Rose This is a throw back to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s Before roses became popular, several rose wines from Portugal hit and flooded the American market. It is a young fruitful salmon colored wine that is about the easiest wine to drink you can imagine. Honestly, the actual tasting notes , I’ve abandoned, but instead my memories all of Candle filled Mateus bottles!

Lancers Rose This fell along the same lines as the Mateus Rose. The major difference was that the early Lancer’s Roses, always had a slight sparkle to them making them so much more enjoyable. It was like a poor man’s champagne. But alas, come the 21st century and export laws clamped down on wines with any level of carbonation. So, for the most part any Lancer’s rose was a stiil wine.

Ruiniute Lambrusco is made in Emilia-Romagna, which is in the central part of Italy lying south of the Veneto and north of Tuscany. Back in the 1970’s, Italy was famous for some sparkling wines. The infamous Asti-Spumante and Lambrusco was one of them.
Lambrusco is the name of a grape varietal. It is a prolific grape that produces good if not spectacular wines. The early Lambruscos from Italy were almost always very sweet, juicy, jammy with lots of ripened fruit. Today, where you can find some Lambruscos, they tend to be on he drier side and even white ones made.

Blue Nun Liebfraumilch (Mother’s Milk)

Made 100% from the Riesling grape. Nose Aromas of tropical fruit, particularly pineapple. The taste is a combination of bright fresh fruits, with hints of white peach and a soft cool finish.

Andre Cold Duck America’s fascination with French champagne continued to grow in the 1970s. But the price and the fact that they were bone dry, sort of kept the American market from purchasing those. So, Andre, created a number of sparkling wines, the most popular was Cold Duck. The Taste?
Sweet, sweet, full of all fruit and very very

The Chianti Straw Basket Anyone going to Italian restaurants in the 1970s and 1980s, will remember seeing the Chianti wine in a straw bottle. I remember that you could not get any other Chianti, they all came in these straw bottles. They disappeared for while, and today, the only brand I can find is Opici. The wine itself, while saying it was Chianti, was nothing more than a very dry light and uneventful wine. BUT it went great with pizza and most Italian food from Naples.