Simply Italian: A Master Class in Wines from Italy

As someone who loves to taste wine and learn all I can, I was very excited to be invited to the Simply Italian Great Wines Tour held at Eataly in Los Angeles last month. A day full of master classes led be renown wine experts and sommeliers, surrounded by fellow wine lovers, in a favorite restaurant. Who would say no?

Traffic was a beast, but I expected that in advance. I left the house around 635am, knowing I’d be sitting in the worst of LA traffic. I love where I live, but the ‘burbs aren’t necessarily where wine experiences are hosted; most are in the Los Angeles area, and some are in Temecula wine country, and of course, in central and northern California wine country. Worth the drive? Definitely.

What exactly is a master class? It’s an in-depth wine education event focused on a particular region, grape, winemaking process, vintage, or type of wine. They are typically led by a sommelier or another kind of leader in the wine industry. Most include wine tasting in addition to pertinent details, including geography, regional regulations, how the wine is made, and where it is available. Some also cover wine pairing.

Master classes are attended by a wide variety of people: wine professionals of all levels, wine buyers for restaurants or stores, wineries looking to promote their wines, wine makers, importers/distributors, wine writers (both independent/freelance and writers for websites or magazines), media and marketers, and sometimes, just people who love wine, though that’s less common at industry events.

Simply Italian: A Master Class in Wines from Italy

Simply Italian was hosted by IEM/IEEM in a classroom on the first floor of the Eataly at the Westfield Century City Mall. (I arrived at 9:35 — exactly three hours after I backed out of the driveway.) The schedule was jam-packed of wine education. Below is the official agenda.

10:00AM – 11:00AM “Federdoc traceability and regulation of Italian DOC wines: focus on Frascati” presented by Federdoc.

11:30AM – 1:00PM “From Colli Morici to Lambrusco Mantovano: excellence and authenticty of Mantova lands Consorzio Vini Mantovani” presented by Consorzio Vini Mantovani,Diego Meraviglia President and Director of Education of North American Sommelier Association and Alessandra Bergamini.

From 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m., Simply Italian attendees will experience the walk-around wine tasting.

3:30PM – 4:30PM “Delle Venezie D.O.C. a wonderful journey into the World of Pinot Grigio” presented by Consorzio Tutela Vini DOC delle Venezie and Diego Meraviglia.

Let’s start with a breakdown of session number one, with sessions two and three coming up later in separate posts. Too much information for one post! Chances are, you’ll find there is so much more to Italian wines than you’d ever considered…and you may just want to book a trip to some of these regions to really linger amongst the beautiful rolling hills to enjoy fine Italian wines in their original environment.

“Federdoc traceability and regulation of Italian DOC wines: focus on Frascati” presented by Federdoc.

Wines we tried:

• Flo’, Frascati D.O.C. 2024 – Cantina Imperatori: 8000 bottles of this organic wine are produced annually. Grapes are grown in volcanic soil full of minerals, always ending up as notable in the wines. (A volcano is still active!) There are 36 producing wineries in Frascati, where the sea breeze is important for the vineyards to thrive. This wine is fresh and savory, with intense notes of dried fruit, almonds, and white peach. It’s easy to match with typical Italian food and is also ideal for aperitifs. Fruity and floral, slight sweetness, I enjoyed this one.
• De Notari – Corinzio, Frascati Superiore D.O.C.G. 2024 – Cantine San Marco: This blend is produced in much higher batches, coming in at 12.5% alcohol content. It’s lighter in color than the Imperatori, with a lighter aroma yet more acidic. I found it to be very balanced, yet dry and savory, with a fruity finish.
• Heredio, Frascati Superiore D.O.C.G. 2024 – Casale Vallechiesa: This white wine has a very obvious aroma of papaya, the kind that can be off-putting if you’re not familiar with the why. (Think Sauvignon Blanc.) On the nose, you’ll pick up citrus and floral, along with plum and apple, and on the palate, the notes are much milder, but you’ll possibly pick up some grassy notes with a citrus finish.
• Villafranca, Frascait Superiore D.O.C.G. 2024 – Cantina Villafranca: This brighter yellow wine has flowery and fruity aromas and fresh fruit on the palate, with notes of honey. This is a higher alcohol wine, at 13.5%, making it excellent as an aperitif. There are only around 7000 bottles produced per year, and its unique blend is one you need to try. (Malvasia Puntinata 45%, Malvasia di Candia 35%, Trebbiano Toscano 10%, Bonvino 5%, and Grechetto 5%.)
• Vigneto Filonardi, Frascati Superiore D.O.C.G. Riserva 2023 – Villa Simone: This is another brighter straw yellow wine with intense fragrances of ripe fruit and spices, at 13% alcohol content. Notes of minerality with continued fruit finish. This is one of those versatile whites, pairing with a lot of different options, but fish and cheeses are popular choices. Aromas of fruit and spice make this an easy drinker.
• Vigna Casal Montani, Frascati Superiore D.O.C.G. Riserva 2022 – Evangelisti: This very bright white is 14% alcohol, with a strong minerality and very intense flavor, with spicy notes. Aromas of fruit, peaches, and apricots, which you may pick up when tasting. Great as a first-course wine, especially with fish.

New to what D.O.C.G. is? It’s the top of the pyramid of Italian wines, standing for “Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin,” otherwise referred to as P.D.O., wine with protected designation of origin. Next level down is P.G.I., or wine with protected geographical location, and the bottom two layers are generic wine, one with grape and/or vintage. The top two layers are wines with indication of origin, and the bottom has no indication of origin. The labels of Italian wines are a wealth of knowledge about the wine, and learning how to read them, or any wine label, can really help with enjoyment of the wine. If you find you particularly like one, labels can help you find similar wines or learn how to source it. (Ever get a gift of a wine but then have no idea where to get more bottles? Labels are everything!) This all is a long version of saying there are regulations that are taken seriously, so you know, as the consumer and wine lover, that you are getting quality wine made by wine makers who adhere to those regulations.

Now, a little bit about the Frascati region. It’s Iocated in the Colli Albani, south east of Rome, with woods in the upper parts, and vineyards in the lower. The landscape evolved into its current form due to volcano eruptions of the Lazio volcano, which of course contributes to the shape of the land in addition to the volcanic soil. The soils all vary slightly, which results in very different versions of wine, so no two will be alike, even if it’s the same grape. The climate is Mediterranean, and the grapes ripen fully in September and October.

Frascati wines can be found in dry, sweet, and sparkling varietals, with 74 different labels between DOC and DOCG, all of which must have the year they were bottled, with the exception being the sparkling wine.

This portion was led by the charismatic Luca Grippo, who you can find on Instagram at @Lugrippo. (He does a lot of wine influencing and he’s very engaging! Go give him a watch.)

A couple of answers to questions I frequently get asked in regards to wine tasting, writing, and master classes:

1. How do I drink this much wine and not start to feel it? How does one drive home after? We learn to spit! We can’t drink all the wine of every taste we get or we wouldn’t make it through the day. (Well, maybe some can — but I can’t, so I did learn to spit into a plastic cup off to the side of our tasting setting.) I also make sure I don’t get into my car right after. For example, at the end of this day, I wandered the mall and had a healthy black rice bowl before I got on the road.
2. What’s it like drinking wine so early in the morning? It’s actually easy! (Is that bad or good? I don’t know!) I have protein before I start drinking anything, because I do consume some of it. I make sure I don’t have an empty stomach, and I drink a lot of water.
3. Do I drink wine every day? I think I get this one the most! No, I do not. As much as I love wine, I still practice moderation. I also just don’t always want to drink it, but I do currently have about 200+ bottles in my wine refrigerator and wine cabinet at home. (And yes, I share with my friends when they come over! I also like to take wine as hostess gifts or just to share with people at gatherings.) I do like a good bourbon now and then, too, if I’m enjoying a cocktail.

If you’re a wine lover, or you write about wine, I highly recommend both taking any classes you can, and trying more Italian wines. Currently, only one of the wines we tried in this class have a United States distributor as of when the class was held, but hopefully by the end of the day, where everyone networks and participates in the walk-around wine tasting, they all found importers or stores and/or restaurants to carry their wines.

Stay tuned for part two, where I’ll talk about the second master class, and part 3, where we’ll dive deep into Pinot Grigios, a common choice for basic whites but so much more complex and interesting!