We received a bottle from an unidentified donor and are unable to find any information on it. Is it a wine that can be aged for sometime or is it advisable to drink it in the near term? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. Gerry
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
The wine you have, which I personally do not know, comes from vineyards around the hamlet of Oriolo dei Fichi, near Faenza in Emilia-Romagna (north central Italy). Ancarani is the producer, and they have a range of wines bearing proprietary names and rather unusual labeling. Many grapes are cultivated, of which Sangiovese is probably the most widely planted; there are also unusual indigenous ones. The controlled denomination (DOC) of Colli di Faenza permits a blend of varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon in the "rosso" or red version. Mamante is apparently a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon which has been given a fairly long period of skin contact and aging in stainless steel tanks only rather than wood barrels. Given an alcohol content of around 14% and the cellar treatment, the wine is likely to be fairly full-bodied with the emphasis on fruit characteristics. My guess is that it will probably be best for near- or mid-term drinking - in other words, not for the long haul in a cellar. That, at least, would be the safest advice without having tasted the wine myself.
