by Patrick Ogle
Someone recommended that I decant the San Salvatore Pian di Stio Fiano (2013) for a long time before drinking--something I
rarely do (nothing against it but I like to taste a wine as it changes) I had a sip right out of the bottle and it isn't something you will recoil from--but it is sharp and not terribly palatable. Follow the "decant" advice and let it sit for at least an hour and a half.
A better idea with this might be to NOT drink it for a little while; give it some time before opening the bottle at all.
After a few hours of air that sharp bite is gone from this fiano and you are left with a smoother wine with a sleek minerality and almost saline characteristic. There is a lemony flavor here mixed with some other light citrus tastes. But there is more than citrus here. I honestly have a hard time pinning it down; one minute I think pear or some sort of Gala type apple but there is something not quite right about that. It is as fun a wine to analyze as it is to drink, even if you don't come to all the firm conclusions you might like. There is certainly a tannic feel here but, of course, white wine tannins are much less apparent than in a red wine. There is also a hint of something like woodiness here--even though this wine is aged in stainless steel.
Earlier we wrote about the Jurancon wine, Cuvee Marie, and how it changed substantially after opening. This wine might change even more drastically. It moves from something you might not want to drink to something delicious in a couple of hours. This shares that characteristic.
The fiano grape is considered one of the most "noble" of the white Italian varietals. Its history possibly goes back to Roman times. One reason this grape is less grown than others is that it produces small grapes and therefore less juice.
Thank goodness there was a rennaissance for fiano. This bottle is 500 ml and it goes for over $20 so expect to pay for this wine! This particular bottle isn't even among the more highly thought of versions of fiano.
Someone recommended that I decant the San Salvatore Pian di Stio Fiano (2013) for a long time before drinking--something I
rarely do (nothing against it but I like to taste a wine as it changes) I had a sip right out of the bottle and it isn't something you will recoil from--but it is sharp and not terribly palatable. Follow the "decant" advice and let it sit for at least an hour and a half.
A better idea with this might be to NOT drink it for a little while; give it some time before opening the bottle at all.
After a few hours of air that sharp bite is gone from this fiano and you are left with a smoother wine with a sleek minerality and almost saline characteristic. There is a lemony flavor here mixed with some other light citrus tastes. But there is more than citrus here. I honestly have a hard time pinning it down; one minute I think pear or some sort of Gala type apple but there is something not quite right about that. It is as fun a wine to analyze as it is to drink, even if you don't come to all the firm conclusions you might like. There is certainly a tannic feel here but, of course, white wine tannins are much less apparent than in a red wine. There is also a hint of something like woodiness here--even though this wine is aged in stainless steel.
Earlier we wrote about the Jurancon wine, Cuvee Marie, and how it changed substantially after opening. This wine might change even more drastically. It moves from something you might not want to drink to something delicious in a couple of hours. This shares that characteristic.
The fiano grape is considered one of the most "noble" of the white Italian varietals. Its history possibly goes back to Roman times. One reason this grape is less grown than others is that it produces small grapes and therefore less juice.
Thank goodness there was a rennaissance for fiano. This bottle is 500 ml and it goes for over $20 so expect to pay for this wine! This particular bottle isn't even among the more highly thought of versions of fiano.
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