By Alexis Blaha
ROME, Dec. 5 — It's December, vino novello season.
Vino novello is Italian for “New Wine.” Novello is bright red or violet in
color and boasts a fruity taste. Elements of fresh cherry, banana,
strawberry, raspberry, and naturally grape are savored on the palate
in one sip of this seasonal wine.
The average price of a bottle
of vino novello from Lazio is €4-6, with the most expensive bottle priced at €10.
The novello is best known for its luminous fruity consistency,
low alcohol content -- about 11 percent -- and its low price
This year's hot, dry weather lead to a decrease in the annual grape harvest. According to Italian press agency ANSA, winemakers called 2007 a year to remember for having the earliest and leanest wine grape harvest in the past 30 years.
Vino novello grapes were picked
about 20 days ahead of schedule as grapes matured earlier this season. Italy produced a little over 14 million bottles
of novello this year compared to the 15.6 million bottles produced in
the country last year. Despite the low volume, the quality is high, producers said.
“Vino novello is consistent
in taste from year to year. People seem to be pleased with this
seasonal product. I haven’t sold a large amount so far this
year but as the holidays approach I will be selling plenty of novello”
says Biagio Ursitti, who works at Vine Oillo on Via Della Scala.
Novello is the product of a unique fermentation process different from the longer-aging red wine varieties. The grapes are enclosed in large barrels, and pumped with CO2. Fermentation takes place when yeast from the grapes combines with pulp searching for water and oxygen. Novello production lasts about 20 days.
Although the wine is available
for purchase through March, tradition says vino novello is best consumed
before the first extreme cold, which occurs in late December.
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