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| Mountain
Democrat - Friday 7, 2001 |
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Alzante
Wines
The day after I got back from San Diego, I attended wines,
which are produces by brothers Rick and Patrick Quarry. The
party was held at Nicolino Trattoria Italiana in Cameron Park,
where the wines were paired with excellent food.
The
wines from Alzante, which is Italian for uplifting or upraised,
were all from the 1998 vintage, made from grapes grown in
the Sierra Foothills and are three wonderful Italian varietals:
Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, and Sangiovese In making these wines,
they produced a new style of Tuscan blends with a smooth finish
and tantalizing aroma that will complement any meal or occasion.
The wines are in limited in supply and are presently only
available on the Internet at Alzante.net.
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| Sacramento
Bee |
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| Alzante
Wines
Richard Quarry, owner of Rick's Custom Meats in Shingle Springs,
knows his cuts of venison, lamb, beef and the the like, and
he knows that red wines - Italian red wines especially - almost
invariably offer the best match for such meat.
Not
surprisingly, therefore, Quarry and his brother Patrick specialize
in Italian reds for their new label, Alzante, Italian for
"uplifting".
The
Quarrys don't have a winery, but Hugh Chappelle, former winemaker
in El Dorado County, made their first batch of wines, including
a newly released 1998 Sierra Foothills Dolcetto($18) whose
rich cherry fruitiness and intriguing smokeless should go
far toward bringing long-over-due recognition to this Italian
Grape
Alzante
wines will be sold primarily at restaurants, though bottles
also can be ordered through www.alzante.net.
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Sacramento
Magazine - December 2001 |
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Going
Into the Wine Business
Brothers, Patrick and Rick Quarry are friends of mine who love
wine. Rick is a butcher who does catering for foothills wineries,
and Patrick works for a large telecommunications company in Sacramento.
They wanted to create their own label with the hopes of having a
winery when they retire
To make wine you need a few things. The first is know-how. The
Quarry's got that from Rick's roommate, a wimemaker at a foothills
winery. Next, you need a grape source, someone who grows the grapes
you want and is will to sell you small quantities. This is not as
easy as it sounds. The Quarry's wanted to specialize in Italian
grape varieties. There are not a lot of those planted locally, but
then, the brothers didn't need a lot: five tons, enough for about
500 cases. They got them from a grower in Amador County.
They chose the name "Alzante Vineyards". Finally, they
designed and printed up labels and got government approval. After
more months and money than you want to know about, the Quarry's
released their wines to the public. If you have never tried these
Italian grapes, this would be a good time.
Tasting notes
1998 Dolcetto Sierra Foothills, $18 - Soft
finish with a firm texture.
1998 Nebbiolo Sierra Foothills, $22 - Surprisingly
complex wine with a sweet cherry or rose-petel nose.
1998 Sangiovese Sierra Foothills, $24 - Medium
bodied red with a rich leather aroma. Good Flavors
For more information call: (530) 622-5324 |
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