There’s a lot of talk these days about wine being made in the vineyard, that good wine comes from the best quality grapes. The buzz about biodynamic and organic has gone mainstream, resulting in a shift in winemaking techniques over the past few decades. For many producers, organic wine growing is actually a salute to the past. Azienda Vitivinicola Ciù Ciù (pronounced choo choo), an Italian winery located in the Le Marche region in Central Italy, has embraced earth-friendly principles since its beginnings in 1970. Now they are taking it a step further, producing vegan wines as well that actually taste good.
The award-winning, family-owned and operated Ciù Ciù winery produces over a dozen wines from Le Marche’s indigenous varietals, alongside a few international grapes as well. Sparkling and white wines that channel the Pecorino and Passerina grape, a rosé and red wines that express the Marche through its Montepulciano and Sangiovese fruit, the depth of flavor and quality shines through these wines. Certified organic, Ciù Ciù crafts their wines without any animal by-products, such as egg whites and gelatin that are traditionally used to fine, or clarify the wines. Fining is often an important step, one that removes solid impurities and reduces tannin in red wines. Instead Ciù Ciù uses the vegan choices of bentonite, a type of clay, or activated charcoal, earning the winery the “Vegetarian Vegan Quality” label for their bottles, one of only ten certified producers in Italy. Currently all Ciù Ciù wines made since 2014 are strictly vegan.
The vineyards, over 150 hectares, dot the rolling Piceno Hills, protected by the Apennine Mountains to the west, the clusters basking in the mild climate moderated by the Adriatic Sea breezes from the east. Here, Ciù Ciù’s commitment to organic takes root, healthy grapes grown without chemical fertilizers or herbicides. A modern state-of-the-art winery brings out the best of the clusters, using a mixture of steel tanks and oak barrels to ferment and age the wines.
The award-winning, family-owned and operated Ciù Ciù winery produces over a dozen wines from Le Marche’s indigenous varietals, alongside a few international grapes as well. Sparkling and white wines that channel the Pecorino and Passerina grape, a rosé and red wines that express the Marche through its Montepulciano and Sangiovese fruit, the depth of flavor and quality shines through these wines. Certified organic, Ciù Ciù crafts their wines without any animal by-products, such as egg whites and gelatin that are traditionally used to fine, or clarify the wines. Fining is often an important step, one that removes solid impurities and reduces tannin in red wines. Instead Ciù Ciù uses the vegan choices of bentonite, a type of clay, or activated charcoal, earning the winery the “Vegetarian Vegan Quality” label for their bottles, one of only ten certified producers in Italy. Currently all Ciù Ciù wines made since 2014 are strictly vegan.
The vineyards, over 150 hectares, dot the rolling Piceno Hills, protected by the Apennine Mountains to the west, the clusters basking in the mild climate moderated by the Adriatic Sea breezes from the east. Here, Ciù Ciù’s commitment to organic takes root, healthy grapes grown without chemical fertilizers or herbicides. A modern state-of-the-art winery brings out the best of the clusters, using a mixture of steel tanks and oak barrels to ferment and age the wines.
|
|
The Ciù Ciù “Merlettaie” Offida Pecorino DOCG 2015 (SRP $18.99), 100% Pecorino, is an easy drinking white wine, not very aromatic, but certainly has a more grassy herbal character on the nose. Medium in body with 14% ABV, balanced in acidity, mineral and lightly textured, it has notes of juicy pear, ripe lemon, a hint of almond, and vanilla tones from oak barrel fermentation and aging. Pecorino is thought to be an old grape varietal, recently resurrected from the brink of extinction, abandoned in the past by growers who looked to varietals that were more robust in production. And, yes, there may be a bit of confusion, when you say Pecorino, most people think of the cheese. “Pecora” means sheep in Italian, and legend has it that the wine was dubbed Pecorino since sheep really enjoyed eating the grapes on their journey from pasture to pasture.
|
|
The Ciù Ciù “Gotico” Rosso Piceno Superiore DOP 2013 (SRP $21.99), 70% Montepulciano and 30% Sangiovese, is a yummy red blend, plummy and velvety, full-bodied and balanced with its tingly undercurrent of acidity. This blend definitely channels the characteristics of the varietals, the high percentage of Montepulciano makes for a plump wine, with ripe tannins and lower acidity. High-toned red fruit accents from the Sangiovese float on a smooth, viscous body, with sweet spice rounding out its charms. This is a really delicious wine, good by the glass or with food.
|
|
The Ciù Ciù “Bacchus” Piceno DOP 2015 (SRP $13.99), 50% Sangiovese and 50% Montepulciano, is a sturdier red wine, with a decidedly Sangiovese flavor profile of sour cherry, earth, and tea leaf. Medium-full bodied, with tannic overtones, this wine blossoms after decanting, at least an hour to truly appreciate the fruit character. It’s leaner, with lightly spiced berry fruit, probably better with food.
These Ciù Ciù wines are worthy of discovery, blending tradition with innovation, they embody quality and modern sensibility, and offer great value for everyday drinking.
These Ciù Ciù wines are worthy of discovery, blending tradition with innovation, they embody quality and modern sensibility, and offer great value for everyday drinking.