Marzemino - Mozart’s Favorite

With the nearly dizzying diversity of grape varieities in this world, and the REAL desire over the last 5 to 10 years of the drinking public to branch out beyond the borders of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay, I thought it might be interesting to profile some of the more interesting minor wine grape varieties.

So, this is the first installment of what I hope will be a series of profiles on grapes and wines that don’t follow the “crowd” in terms of flavors, textures, colors, places of origin, etc. but rather offer a new view on what a fine wine can be - wines that will challenge and hopefully intrigue and even excite. Look at these pieces as an incitement to leave your eonological comfort zone, and hopefully expand the range of sensations that the vine can offer.

Today’s subject is MARZEMINO. This is the name of a grape and most often the name that will appear on the label if the grape appears in the bottle (there are some exceptions, but more on that below). The Marzemino grape hails from the general area of northeastern Italy, ranging from the lake region in Lombardia in the west, to the western edges of Friuli in the east with the variety’s “heartland” being found in Trentino and to a lesser extent, Veneto. There are even some indications that the variety may have once been cultivated as far south as Tuscany, and that it may have even been a component in Chianti!

Marzemino is a late ripening variety which in part has encouraged its obscurity since fully ripening ANY sort of grape in the far north of Italy can be a fair challenge. In addition, the variety is also quite susceptible to fungal infestations which again, in the fairly wet conditions of the grape’s homeland in northestern Italy, can make cultivation of the variety a bit of a challenge.

Marzemino is not a a heavy wine, but it is very flavorful, “spunky” even. It’s color tends to a bright purple color rather than the red or brick tones of many other wines. Marzemino is more acidic than tannic in character with a medium weight body, but with a very good intensity. Marzemino often is said to smell of wild berries, violets, and asian plums.

The latest DNA profiling has shown the variety to be a relative of its Trentino brethren LAGREIN and TEROLDEGO (profiles pending!) which nearly proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the variety is native to northeastern Italy. As mentioned above, most Marzemino is bottled as a varietal (single grape variety) wine, so the name “Marzemino” nearly always appears on the label, though in the Garda Rosso DOC, Marzemino always plays an important role in the blend, it rarely appears on the label.

Marzemino’s “claim to fame” (if it can be said to be famous in ANY way) is that it was said to be Mozart’s favorite wine grape. So much so that Don Giovanni’s librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, wrote the name of the wine into the opera - I believe the Don himself sings something to the effect of “…pour the wine, an excellent Marzemino” or something similar…

Marzemino pairs very well with big-flavored medium to soft paste cheeses, stewed chicken and rabbit, grilled pork dishes, and any dish containing mushrooms.

Here are the two Marzemino wines we’re currently stocking. If you pick up a bottle or two, I’d love you to post your tasting notes as comments below! Buon Appetito!

TOM CIOCCO

Albino Armani Marzemino 2005

Battistotti Marzemino 2004