Per Angusta Ad Augusta

A peculiar title for a wine blog ? That’s right !! The reason for this however, is that ‘Per Augusta Ad Augusta’ is the motto of the wine house named “IL Polenzo” in Italy whose wines (amongst many others) I got an opportunity to taste recently, and it means through trial to triumph

Tastings were conducted as part of a ‘Wine Masterclass’ by Mr Roberto Felluga (who owns the ‘Marco Felluga Winery’ near Venice) by the Italics Wine Club, at New Delhi.

The event which was supported by the Delhi Wine Club, saw an array of wines from all across Italy, tasted by a diverse and cosmopolitan gathering of wine enthusiasts.

Amongst the variety of wines, I write about one which I particularly liked and that is the ‘Porpora Rosso’ – a red wine produced by ‘IL Polenzo estate‘ at the Marche region in central Italy.

Interestingly, Marche (pronounced Mar-kay) is an IGT wine region and is located on the eastern side of central Italy. It is sandwiched between the Adriatic Sea on east and the Apennine mountains towards West.

Location of Marche in Central Italy (pic courtesy – Google maps)

It thus experiences both – warm winds from the sea and the cooling effect of mountains. In addition it also benefits from balancing effect of the rivers flowing through the area. All this coupled with a rich clay & limestone rich soil results in some excellent wines. And although the region is best known for its renowned ‘Verdicchio’ – a white wine, but it also gives some quality red ones.

Further, unlike any demarcated wine region in Italy like a DOC/DOCG, an IGT region is relatively liberal in terms of restrictions on wine making. This aspect is favourably exploited by winemakers in Marche IGT to produce some high quality albeit unique wines by using innovative blends and techniques.

Porpora Rosso is one such IGT wine, and is a blend of Merlot and Montepulciano varietals (you would notice the non-traditional blend). It is fermented in Vitrified Cement Vats (unique again) and aged in French & Slovanian oak barrels/barriques for one year. The wine is further refined in bottle for another one year.

All above, coupled with sincere wine making by the producer results in an excellent wine with enticing deep purple hues, smooth and rounded tannins, refreshing acidity, rich mouth feel and lingering finish.

A special mention is deserved by the array of Italian cold cuts on the table which paired extremely well with the wines thereby greatly enhancing the wine experience.