Recently we opened a bottle of Giuseppe Quintarelli’s 2012 Secco Ca’ del Merlo. Where and when we had this wine is incidental. This blog entry is about becoming familiar with a wine maker and his wines, and a having a feeling of returning home to a place welcoming you with open arms every time you enjoy a bottle.

The Ca’ del Merlo is a typical Veneto blend of Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Sauvignon Bianco, Chardonnay, and Saorin. The scent of the wine is white flowers and faint honeydew. The taste is beautifully rich with the entry of the Chardonnay, pears and other yellow fruit, and a lovely mineral finish with a bit of grassiness from the Sauvignon Bianco. A delightful mixture of the different grapes, and perfect with anything from pork to caramelized onions to seafood. A perfect accompaniment to the meal that we enjoyed that evening.

Every time we open a bottle of Quintarelli, we remember back to our first introduction to the wine. We had our first bottle of Quintarelli when we visited the Veneto region about eight years ago. I had read about the “Maestro del Veneto”, the great Italian winemaker who produced such phenomenal wines. We set out from our hotel in Verona to visit the Valpolicella area and potentially find this vintner.

We stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant and had a bottle of Quintarelli’s 1999 Valpolicella. We fell in love - what an amazing introduction to the Maestro’s wines. An incredible scent, luscious flavors, and such great complexity. We HAD to find the vineyard and purchase more!

Our very first bottle of Quintarelli. We kept the empty bottle!

Off we set in search of the town of Negrar, following the written directions from our hostess at the hotel. But the instructions got us only so far, and then we were lost in the tiny center of Negrar. Unlike most vineyards in the United States, smaller Italian vineyards did not put signs out to announce their presence. So there we were, so close, but yet so far. So Ernie gets a brilliant idea - ask for directions!

We stopped in what looked to be a small strip mall (or at least the Italian version of one - we were wrong!). Out of one of the buildings came a grizzled, hunchbacked, plaster-covered gentleman with one eye closed. Not seeing anyone else around, Ernie decided to ask him for directions. In his best high school Italian (Lord help us!), he asked, “Dove e casa di Quintarelli?” (No, this is not correct Italian for those of you who are translating.) Our elderly gentleman squinted both eyes, scratched his head (raising a cloud of plaster dust), and said “Quintarelli, Quintarelli…” And then he blurted, in lightning-fast Italian, “Sinestra, destre, destre, blah blah… grande bianco casa.” We said “Grazie”, sat back in the car, looked at each other, and scratched our own heads saying, “Well, that was helpful.” But then Ernie’s high school Italian teacher prevailed, as he remembered that “sinestra” means left, and “destre” means right! So, we ascertained the basic direction of the house (following what the hostess had written on our instructions). And then the final phrase - the “grande bianco casa.” Hmm, could it be - out our windshield, across a large vineyard, up a hill, there was a large, white house. Could it be the Casa di Quintarelli?

Off we set going right, left, left again. And then we stopped in front of a stone pillared gate entering to a lovely long driveway lined with olive trees. No sign anywhere. So, Ernie being the daring person that he is, we turned into the driveway and started towards the house. (I, meanwhile, was having a heart attack that we were violating someone’s property and would be carted off to prison.) A young man was working in one of the olive trees, so Ernie stopped and asked (in broken Italian) if this was the Quintarelli house. The young man answered in perfect English that yes, we had found our destination! Go up to the house, and he would meet us there in a moment.

So, we parked the car, got out, and took several photos of the gorgeous surroundings. And laughed quite hard when we saw the “strip mall” where we had talked to the elderly man.

Looking down at the village of Negrar. More Quintarelli vineyards are in the photo on my "About Me" page.

And to our great delight, Mr. Quintarelli came out of the house, along with a daughter and other clients. While we did not spend much time with him, we did get to meet him and shake his hand.

The "grande bianco casa" of Quintarelli.

The young man then escorted us to the cellar of the house, which was like entering an adult Disneyland for those who cherish wine. It turns out that he was one of Mr. Quintarelli’s grandsons, so he was very familiar with the entire winemaking process. Per his request, we cannot publish any photos of him, as he was concerned about his appearance in front of visitors since he had been working in the olive trees! He told us about the rows of 10,000 litre barrels, how “little workers” have to crawl into the barrels to scrape them to freshen the tannins for the next batch of wine. He told us how the winery was started by his great-grandfather, Giuseppe Quintarelli’s father. He told us how most of the workers were family members or long-time family friends. In fact, one of Mr. Quintarelli’s daughters hand-writes the labels, then they are mass-produced and glued on by the workers.

We tasted six different wines that delightful day (and my notes from the tasting):

Bianco Secco 2006, an aperitif
Primo Fiore 2004, a dinner wine
Rosso del Bepi 1999, a wine made in the style of an Amarone; however the wine did not “pass the test” for an Amarone, so it was a “basic” red wine for late dinner or cheeses and “meditation”.
Amarone del Valpolicella 1998, OMG! Wonderful, for meditation and cheeses.
Alzero 1998, an amazing blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for after-dinner (the grandson suggested having with chocolate!)
Recioto del Valpolicella 1995, a dessert wine, sweet but not too sweet. This is a more traditional wine in Veneto history.

And then came time to purchase - and the grandson informed us they took only cash! So, off Ernie set, faster than a speeding bullet, to the car and then down to the town to raid all available cash machines, each at a different banco. After all, the machines only allowed one to extract about 300 Euros per withdrawal, and we were going beyond that. Like Flash from the DC Comic books, Ernie got enough money from three different machines, then returned to the Quintarelli house. There he found me comfortably ensconced with the Quintarelli grandson, throughly enjoying the discussion and the wine, absolutely deciding that this was a seminal day.

We paid for the wine, all the while being chastised that we did not have an insulated wine carrier. After all, if it had been warmer, he would not have allowed us to carry the wine and potentially ruin it in the heat of the car. And for the remainder of our trip, I babied that wine, carrying it into the hotel before any other luggage to ensure that it stayed good.

And so now, every time we open a bottle of Quintarelli, we think back on that cherished memory and smile about the squinty-eyed gentleman who pointed us in the right direction and also the lovely winemaker and his delightful grandson who taught us so much. Ernie’s quote from then - “What a beautiful day!”

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants import Quintarelli wine now - they have a great write-up about Mr. Quintarelli, who passed away a few years ago. Chelsea Wine Vault in Manhattan carries a number of types.If you ever have a chance to splurge and partake of a bottle of any Quintarelli, do so. You will definitely be tasting the product of a genius - the Maestro.