Spring Wines from Italy
MAY 2026
Umberto Cesari - Emilia-Romagna
From northernmost Italy near the Dolomite Mountains to the southern island of Sicily and Mount Etna – with a stop in Emilia-Romagna in central Italy – here are 3 wines that are perfect for warmer weather and spring meals. Hope you enjoy. We're stoked to have sourced these wines for you!
2-BOTTLE CLUB
Landesweingut Laimburg
Südtirol-Alto Adige
Your first wine comes from the Laimburg Provincial Winery (Landesweingut Laimburg), located in the village of Vadena in Italy's northernmost region of Südtirol (in German) - Alto Adige (in Italian), just south of the Italian Alps. Südtirol was a part of Austria until the end of World War I and enjoys a bi-cultural heritage with strong Austrian influences in this mountainous Italian region.
The Autonomous Province of Bolzano owns the winery. It is the official estate winery of the province and "as part of the Laimburg Research Centre, it serves as a model company for viticulture, focusing on research and regional wine production." The estate is comprised of about 20 hectares of vineyards located throughout the region, testing how grapes grow in vineyards with different slopes, soils and altitudes. –winery notes.
Landesweingut Laimburg 2021 Musis Weißburgunder
Südtirol-Alto Adige, Italy • Reg $26.99 | Mixed Case $21.59
100% Weißburgunder = Pinot Bianco in Italian. Clay, rocky soils with wildflowers & apple on the nose. Luscious body. Absolutely wonderful acidity. Flavors of pear, apple, citrus with dried pineapple on the long finish. It’s what makes this wine! Pairings? So many. Südtirol = speck, sausages, knödel. PNW = seafood, grilled salmon, Dungeness crab. Drink now.
Umberto Cesari
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna, north of Tuscany, is known for Lambrusco, the deep-red, dry bubbly that has gotten some traction in the Seattle market in the last couple years. The region is one of Italy's most prosperous with a strong economic combination of industry & agriculture and a culture of excellent local foods – Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma ham, local pastas tortellini & tagliatelle, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale which is from the town of Modena... and, of course, wine.
Founded in 1964 with 20 hectares half an hour southeast of Bologna, today Umberto Cesari has twelve farms and two production sites with production focused on the local white grape Albana and Sangiovese Riserva as well as a host of international grapes.
Umberto Cesari 2022 Sangiovese Riserva
Emilia-Romagna, Italy • Reg $33.99 | Mixed Case $27.19
Sangiovese Riserva (= minimum aging of 2 years before release). Violets, red & dark plums, earth, leather on the nose. Fruitier than Tuscan Sangiovese, but with depth. Flavors add in blackberries, blueberries, note of sandalwood. Fuller-bodied. Acidity is subtle, but hangs on through the finish with notes of cocoa. Jens: this wine is perfectly made. Emilia-Romagna's answer to Tuscany!
The winery suggests the following pairing from their chef, Diego Martinelli: Tagliolini pasta, butter & fresh thyme sauce with black Norcia truffle. Here’s their recipe:
Ingredients for 4 person: 400 g. fresh tagliolini pasta, 80 g. unsalted butter, 1 thyme bunch, 20 g. black truffle, salt.
Method: Cook the tagliolini in salted boiling water. In the meantime melt the butter in a pan and when it starts to sizzle, add the picked thyme. Let infuse over low heat for a few minutes and then add a good ladle of the water in which the pasta is being cooked. Bring to boil, season to taste and add the pasta once it is ready. Add if necessary some more liquid, keep in mind that egg based pasta absorbs more liquid than regular “dry” one. Portion in serving plates and grate the fresh truffle over it, serve immediately!
3-BOTTLE CLUB
Mount Etna
Sicily
Mount Etna, a volcano located on the eastern coast of Sicily, is famous for its 1) regular eruptions (it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Europe's most active volcano) and 2) the rich, fertile, volcanic soils around Etna which support orchards, vineyards and other agriculture.
In 2007, Tasca d’Almerita (a winery in northcentral Sicily) invested in a property they named Cantina Tascante, located on the north side of Etna. They grow the indigenous red grapes Nerello Mascalese & Nerello Cappuccio and the white grape Carricante, which thrive in Etna's volcanic soils.
Tenuta Tascante 2022 Etna Rosso • Sicily, Italy • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
100% Nerello Mascalese = the native red grape of Mount Etna. Brilliant nose of red cherries, pomegranate, earthy notes, with soft herbal notes. Soft acidity. Lighter in body. Flavors add in red currant, minerals from the volcanic soil. Vibrant. Wonderful food wine: pizza, shrimp with tomatoes over polenta. In Sicily, you might enjoy this with tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, mushroom risotto, or grilled vegetables. Estate olives pictured below.
Umbert Cesari - barrel room
A Note from Jens:
Who doesn't want a spring wine tour of Italy? I hope you love these wines as much as we do. Could we pick a favorite? I don't think so. Each wine is such a wonderful example of its land and culture.
Your wine club pick-up tasting is always the 2nd Saturday of the month. We host this tasting so that you can taste and learn about your wines before enjoying them at home.
You can also taste the Portalis EXPLORES club wines at the tasting. May's theme is Loire Valley (France), featuring a Muscadet & a Cabernet Franc from Chinon.
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop
If you are here because you’re curious about our wine clubs: Here’s more general info & online sign-up. You can also peruse the last 12 months of both clubs to get a feel for the themes we pick and the wines we showcase: Portalis EXPLORES (our everyday wine club) & Portalis FLAGSHIP (our signature club).