The Cellar: Try Something New – Try Lagrein

Friday, April 17, 2015

Steffen Rasch, GoLocalWorcester Wine Writer

This week we will be featuring two wines made from a grape variety called Lagrein. While relatively new to our local wine markets, wines made from Lagrein are by no stretch ‘new’ in southern Europe. In fact, these richly flavored and deeply colored red wines have been produced for more than 500 years. The following are reviews of two delicious, locally available examples.

Recent advances with DNA mapping have enabled scientists to pinpoint Lagrein’s exact origins. Historically both the Greeks and the Italians have claimed the grape their own. While the Greeks argued that the grape was named after the ancient city of Lagaria, the Italians insisted that the grape was native to north of their country - more specifically the region of Trentino-Alto Adige and the town of Val Lagarina. After having determined that the grape variety Teroldego is one of Lagrein’s parents it is safe to say that the grape variety is in fact native to Italy’s Alpine northwest.

More than 95% of all Lagrein based wines are produced in Italy; either under the ‘Trentino’ or the ‘Alto-Adige’ appellations with very small amounts of Lagrein being vinified outside of Italy. The grape is not easy to grow. It is very temperamental and sensitive to climatic changes. This sometimes leads to an irregular crop, meaning a wine made from grapes of varying ripeness. While wine nerds love this added complexity, others might be turned off by the pronounced acidity and /or harsh, bordering astringent, tannic structure. In recent years winemakers have begun to address these irregularities with increased care at harvest and increased use of oak aging. Lagrein are almost full-bodied wines with plenty of fruit ranging from red to blue and dark purple depending on the growing season.

Both of this week’s featured wines are from the 13.000 acre Alto-Adige appellation. This week’s first example is the readily available $17ish 2013 Lagrein from Elena Walch. The grapes are sourced from a couple different vineyards in towns of Tramin and Caldaro which are located 6 miles. After having been blended together the wine underwent alcoholic fermentation inside stainless steel tanks. Then wine was then transferred to large 2500+ gallon, 100+ year old oak vats where the wine matured for more than a year. The Elena Walch is the fresher, juicier example boasting an almost ‘sweet and sour’ like fruit profile with noticeable but soft tannins and a spicy rusticity on the finish that lingers for quite a while.

At $35 per bottle, on the other hand, the 2012 Lagrein from Franz Hass is more deeply colored. It is also more full-bodied with richer, darker fruits and bigger – not harsher - tannins. This wine is extremely soft for its variety – a real ‘new world’ example. The grapes were de-stemmed prior to being pressed and pump-overs during maceration was limited – all to prevent too many tannins to be imparted into the wine. After fermentation the wine was then aged in oak barrels for 15 months. Hass’ Lagrein has a broader and richer dark fruit profile, yet it shares Walch’s finishing spicy rusticity - a characteristic that is very typical of this variety.

While noticeably different, both wines are absolutely delicious - fantastic by themselves but particularly good with food. Pinot Noir lovers might really love the elegance and freshness of the Walch, while Cabernet lovers will appreciate the richness and full-bodiedness of the Hass. Two great wines.

Cheers,

Steffen Rasch is a Certified Sommelier and Specialist of Wine. Feel free to email him at [email protected] with any wine-related question or learn about wine in person by signing up for one of his tastings through the Providence Wine Academy.

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