Day 4, Vinitaly

Tramin, Italy - This town lies smack in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy, the home, at least the historic home, of Gerwurtztraminer, the spicy white grape and wine that gives so much delight at so little cost. It's late and I've arrived after spending most of the day purposefully wandering the aisles of VinItaly with Susannah Gold, author of the delightful blog avvinare. Was it the weather or the economy that kept crowds down at VinItaly? VinItaly seemed a bit less crowded this year, although less crowded is a relative term when it comes to Italy's largest wine fair. Still, the Sunday morning rush never seemed to start until late in the day, and even then it wasn't as big as expected. "It's early, Sunday morning is always slow," Susanna Crociani of Azienda Agricole Crociana advised on our first stop. Susanna Crociana of Montepulciano and her delightful wines Susanna Crociani's winery and agriturismo is in Montepulciano, that southeastern region of Tuscany about where the "knee" of the Italian boot might be found, if you look with an imagination. Among the eight wines she makes are an elegant Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG and Rosso di Montepulciano DOC, both blends of 90 percent Prugnolo Gentile, (a clone of the Sangiovese grape that dates back at least to the 18th century), 15 percent Canaiolo Nero and 10 percent Mammolo, the differences being the respective aging times demanded by the DOCG and DOC regulations. She's carrying on a family winemaking tradition that began with her great-grandfather and over the generations was handed to her grandfather, her father and her brother. But life is not without its mysteries, and only a couple of years after her father Arnaldo died, last year Susanna's brother Giorgio died unexpectedly and she took the winery and the business. "I'm a one-woman show," she said with a sweet laugh, one not without a bit of sadness."I used to write a blog, too, but now I'm just too busy for that." She said Montepulciano "is one of the oldest wines in Italy you can find reference to in books. We're right in the middle (of famous wine-making regions), with Chianti on one side and Brunello on the other." She also blends Rosso d'Arnaldo, named for her father, that include 70 percent Sangiovese, 10 percent Canaiolo Nero, 10 percent Mammolo, and 5 percent each of Malvasia and Colorino. And then there's her "il Segreto di Giorgio," this wine based on a "secret" barrel she discovered last year in the family cellar. "I asked Giorgio what was in it and he said it was a secret," she recalled. "Then, two weeks later he died. I was looking at the barrel and decided to make Giorgio's wine. He never told me what was in the barrel so I called it 'The Secret of Giorgio.'" She eventually discerned what the barrel contained and each year will make another batch of Giorgio's secret wine. It's a delightful red with round tannins and the bright fruit of Sangiovese (hey, this is Tuscany, remember?) but don't ask the exact blend. "I can't share Giorgio's secret," Susanna steadfastly maintains. And she's looking for a U.S. importer, if anyone wants to take the chance on some delightfully satisfying wines made with the tradition of Montepulciano and a lot of family love.