| ays article is about a wonderful delicate and tart | | | | Vineyards. |
| grape varietal Vermentino (pronounced | | | | Vermentino is growing in popularity among vineyard |
| ver-mehn-TEE-noh), once again from Italy. | | | | managers due to the grape being a powerful crop, |
| The best known Italian Vermentino comes from | | | | resilient to low rainfall, and normally ripens towards |
| northern Italy and the island of Sardinia. Vermentino is | | | | the center of the harvest cycle. |
| also the most highly harvested white grape on this | | | | Wines produced from Vermentino tend to be a pale |
| island of Corsica, where high altitude and balmy | | | | straw hue and seemingly low in alcohol. The wines |
| climate vineyards make more full-bodied wines with | | | | are generally firm, dry and have a pronounced |
| heady floral fragrances. Some say that Vermentino is | | | | minerality. Tastes of green apple and lime are normal. |
| most likely related to the Malvasia grape. | | | | The wines crispness creates a delicious |
| Today we will discuss an additional one of these | | | | accompaniment to fresh seafood, oysters on the half |
| newly emerging Italian varietals within the Temecula | | | | shell or grilled Mediterranean vegetables. |
| Valley Wine Country. Vermentino is not commonly | | | | Here in the Temecula Valley, Vermentino is attainable |
| grown in the U.S.. The first vineyard supplier that | | | | in short supply as an estate wine at Cougar Vineyard |
| gave us the cuttings to be spliced to root stock is | | | | & Winery found at 39870 De Portola Road. The |
| planted in Paso Robles at the Tablas Creek Winery. | | | | grapes are head pruned as well as cordon trained. |
| Tablas Creek exported several cuttings from Italy | | | | This wine is 100% varietal and finished extremely dry |
| and placed them into quarantine at the USDA depot | | | | with hints of lemongrass. This winery resides on the |
| in Geneva, New York. In 1993, they were declared | | | | De Portola Wine Trail of Temecula Wine Country. |
| virus free and released to Tablas Creek. The cuttings | | | | Cougar Vineyard & Winery has harvested {3 year |
| are sold through nurseries, like NovaVine in Santa | | | | old vines on the winery property in Temecula Wine |
| Rosa who has exclusive rights to plant and sell their | | | | Country. Also panting Vermentino in Temecula Wine |
| Tablas Creek Vineyard Selections (TCVS), to | | | | Country is a brand new harvested vineyard found at |
| vineyards throughout the U.S.. In fact, one of the | | | | Ponte Family Estate. They are situated at 35053 |
| bottles of wine that President Omaha gave to the | | | | Rancho California Road in Temecula Wine Country. |
| Italian President Napolitano currently was a U.S. grown | | | | Locate this varietal at Pontes tasting room menu in |
| Vermentino. Specifically the wine that was given as a | | | | several years. Cougar Vineyard & Winery and Ponte |
| gift was from a Vermentino vineyard in North | | | | Family Estate are both members of the Temecula |
| Carolinas Yadkin Valley harvested by Raffaldini | | | | Valley Winegrowers Association. |