Author: Dirk Chan
Our online feature this week is the Torre Zambra Idi di Marzo Rosso (Abruzzi, Italy) – $15.99, regularly $19.99.
In 1910, grandpa Vincenzo set off for Naples in his dogcart. He was going to finalize negotiations for the purchase of a plot of about 20 hectares of land, set around a lookout tower. The land belonged to the Zambra family, and the tower, named after them, was known as “Torre Zambra”. On that parcel grandpa Vincenzo planted his first Montepulciano and Trebbiano vine and grew them for about 30 years, until they were destroyed during the Second World War, leaving the family in poverty.
During the War Laurentino De Cerchio, Vincenzo’s son-in-law, was captured by the Nazi army and imprisoned in Germany; he succeeded in returning to Villamagna only in 1947. Back to the small village he took over the farm and began his constant activity of wine grower, re-planting the old vines destroyed and starting to build the winery. And that’s how, in 1961, the first “Torre Zambra” harvest was bottled. Today, they are one of the most historic Abruzzo wineries.
Our feature this week is their Marzo Rosso – this great little blend of 80% Montepulciano and 20% Malbec with ruby red with bright reflections. On the nose, intense notes of black currants mix with wild blackberries. In the mouth there is a perfect correspondence to the olfactory taste with a slightly spicy finish. It pairs with cold cuts, fresh cheeses and both white and red meat. This is a supple and round red to be enjoyed as an everyday drinker.
Torre Zambra Idi di Marzo Rosso (Abruzzi, Italy) – $15.99 (regularly $19.99)