Final Project for the 2014 Honors Seminar “Art, Architecture, and Engineering: The Roman Experience”

WINE:ONE OF ROME’S GREATEST PLEASURES

Very simply put, wine is simply an alcoholic drink made by fermenting the juice of fruits or berries. More specifically, wine is the product of the total or partial alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes, whether or not crushed, or of grape must.

WHAT IS WINE?

WATER ALCOHOL

Besides water, alcohol is the main component of wine. The alcoholic strength of wine often varies from 8%-15% alcohol by volume.

Fun fact: Dry wines are sweeter if they are higher in alcohol content GRAPES

The grape’s fl avor varies according to how & where it was grown ACIDS

The 3 main acids in wine: Tartaric ----- grape juice constituent; most abundant; neutral tasting Malic ------ grape juice constituent Lactic ------ produced during alcohol fermentation

Acids act as a preservative to help the wine stay fresh and age properly TANNINS

Come from grape skins. Because white wine is usually fermented without the skin, tannins are much more signifi cant in red wines

SUGARS A wine is considered to be dry if all the sugars have been converted to alcohol

COLOR Most grape wines are colorless. Red wine’s color comes from the anthocyanins extracted

from the grape skins during the wine-making process Fun fact: As wines age, the color changes

Red wines change from a ruby/purple to a softer brick red & eventually brown White wines tend to get darker with age, changing from a water white to a golden color

WHAT IS WINE MADE OF?

The main difference between the production of red and white wine is that red wine is made by fermenting the juice in contact with grape’s skins and flesh, whereas white wine is made by fermenting just the juice after the grape’s skins and flesh have been removed in the press.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RED AND WHITE WINE?

In Italy, dinner is a special occasion meant to be spent with family and friends. Italian dinners can range from 2-3 hours even. During the 8 days we were in Rome, I made a goal to try a diff erent kind of red wine with every dinner. By doing this, I was able to immerse myself into one of Rome’s most common customs: wine drinking. Even though all of the wine in Italy was delicious, I have picked out my top 4 wines for research and discussion. They include: Red Fragolin ----------------------- Antonini Ceresa Nuova Stella Falernus --------- Vino Rosso Morellino di Scansano -------- Poggio Ameno Falesco -------------------------------- 2012 ‘Tellus’ Syrah

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MY TOP 4

ANTONINI CERESA’S

RED FRAGOLIN

Red Fragolin is a red sparkling wine with aromas, strawberry juice, and sugar. It has a ruby color with a sweet and pleasant taste. The characteristic that sets this wine apart from others on the trip was it’s intense scent of strawberry.

With 8.0% alcohol content, it is served best at 5-6 degrees Celsius.

Recommendation: Keep in a dry and cool place that is far from light and heat sources.

RED FRAGOLIN

The story behind this wine is quite an amusing one. A few of us were having lunch beside the Pantheon. About halfway through the main course, our server brought us all wine even though none of us had ordered any. He stated they were “on the house.” To our surprise, on our way out the door they handed us a free bottle of wine which we all drank the following night.

THE STORY BEHIND THIS WINE

Product description does not state the main ingredients nor how long the shelf life is. http://

www.antoniniceresa.it/prodotti.asp?lang=en&c=Vini&s=Fragolin&p=Fragolin-Rosso

HOW IS IT MADE?

If you would like to order it online it would be 8 euros.

However, the restaurant beside the Pantheon that we received this free bottle of wine at had this wine on sale for 15 euros.

Americans can get this bottle of wine on eBay and would just have to pay the additional shipping costs. The website for that is: http://www.ebay.de/itm/like/150722991078?clk_rvr_id=651117257729&item=150722991078&lgeo=1&vectorid=229487

Recommendation: Keep in a dry and cool place that is far from light and heat sources.

WHERE CAN YOU GET IT?

NUOVA STELLA FALERNUS’S

VINO ROSSO

This is a type of red wine with a slightly dry taste. The back of this wine bottle states translates to English as “red wine with intense full-bodied and well-structured. It goes well especially with dishes of meat. It is recommended that at room temperature”

This bottle of wine as 12% alcohol content and is served in 375 mL bottle.

Recommendation: Serve at 15 degrees Celsius or 59 degrees Fahrenheit. This can be achieved by opening the wine and putting it into the fridge 15 minutes before serving it.

VINO ROSSO

By the end of our first day in Rome most of us had been awake for over 48 hours. Therefore, we did not offi cially “celebrate” being in Rome until our second night there. A few of us ordered our own small 375 mL bottles of wine. After two long days of touring both ancient and modern Rome, this wine hit the spot.

THE STORY BEHIND THIS WINE

We bought this wine at the Trattoria Nuova Stella restaurant. The waiter recommended that they were known for their vino rosso wine. Although the internet did not say how we could get this wine here in America, the internet did state that the restaurant’s address is Via Daniele Manin, 54, Rome, Italy.

WHERE CAN YOU GET IT?

MORELLINO DI SCANSANO’S

POGGIO AMENO

With a fresh ruby color, this wine has a fresh aroma of raspberries, cherries, plums, purple, mint, and blends of other spices to complete the taste. The description states this this wine “readily gives an impression of glycerol-tannin and fresh pads. Net closes on cherry feelings. From chicken on a spit.”

According to a diff erent website at https://www.vivino.com/wineries/angelo-bianchi/wines/poggio-ameno-morellino-di-scansano-2012, it states that this type of white is best suitable for meat (preferably beef, veal, pork, or game including deer or venison).

With 13% alcohol content, it is best served cold at 16-18 degrees Celsius.

POGGIO AMENO

Towards the middle of our trip, we had dinner on at a causal restaurant outdoors on the sidewalk. Although we split this wine between about 4 people, we still all got a taste of this delicious wine.

THE STORY BEHIND THIS WINE

This wine is manufactured by Angel White in Tuscany, Italy.

The description states that it’s “variety” consists of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Celiegiolo, and 5% Alicante.

HOW IS IT MADE?

If one wished to get this wine in Italy, it would be approximately 7.50 euros according to http://www.bernabei.it/vino/morellino-di-scansano-poggio-ameno-2013~976~.htm.

WHERE CAN YOU GET IT?

FALESCO’S 2012

‘TELLUS’ SYRAH

Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape and is one of the world’s most diverse and successful grape varieties. Syrah wine can display myriad dark-fruit flavors including blackcurrant and licorice.

Fun fact: In Australia, Syrah is known as Shiraz, and is regarded as the country’s national grape.

SYRAH

We had this type of wine on one of our last nights there. Since this wine was drank on our second last night there, it has a special place in my heart that makes me recall the memories that were made that day.

THE STORY BEHIND THIS WINE

This wine is produced under the Lazio IGT. Lazio produces red, white, and rose colored wines that may be sparkling, sweet, or try. Lazio is a region in central Italy, and home to the ancient capital city of Rome. Like many other Italian wine regions, Lazio’s vine heritage is ancient.

HOW IS IT MADE?

According to http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-41057-2012-falesco-tellus-syrah-lazio-igt-italy, this wine can be bought online anywhere from $9-$19 in American dollars with the average being $12 for a 750 mL bottle.

WHERE CAN YOU GET IT?