I enjoy trying a new wine made from a grape I wasn't aware existed.  One of our December Wine 101 membership pack wines was made from Foja Tonda (a local name) for the Casetta grape, hailing from Northern Italy.    I checked my Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy for some information, and found three brief references: one for the region,Vallagarina, one for the producer, Armani, and one for the grape, Casetta.  

The Vallagarina area is north of Verona (setting for Shakespeare's' Romeo and Juliet).  Verona lies where the Italian boot meets the rest of the European continent.  This is way North Italy, a land better known for white wines like Germany.  One thinks cooler temperatures in a mountainous area would prevent red grapes from ripening properly.  According to Vino Italiano, a warm, drying breeze off a local lake (Garda) heats up valley in that area, and it can get quite hot in the summer.

The Armani web site indicates that the family has been in the wine business for 400 years, and this product line (Albino Armani) has it's central winery headquarters in Dolce up the old E45 from Verona.  They rescued this grape variety from near extinction even though it had been cultivated in the area for ages.  It just wasn't as attractive to the outside markets.

Vino Italiano states that Armani is a make of unusual wines.  Well, neither Foja Tonda or Casetta are not household words unless you spent a lot of time studying Italian wines.  Casetta is described as "dark, thick-skinned red with bitter cherry notes."  

After a little research, I was anxious to taste the Foja Tonda .  I opened it and immediately poured a little in my glass.  The color, according to tasting notes is dark magenta.  I still have much to learn about matching colors to wine, so I'll accept magenta.  I got some dark fruit and a little acid bite on the finish from the my first taste.  I corked it up and sampled it again the next day.  Now it opened up.  I caught some black cherry, sweet tobacco and a little pepper or spice, and the acidic bite was gone.  This nose and flavor continued to develop in the glass as I sat and watched the Cowboys kick some Eagle buttocks.  You will also catch a hint of sweetness as there is a small percentage of residual sugar here.  I'm thinking a nice burger would go well with this wine.  

Wine and Spirits gave Foja Tonda a 90 point rating.  It's a great wine to sit down with, relax and enjoy.  Don't forget to let it breath for a couple hours, and you won't be disappointed.