THEY ARE THE THIRD GENERATION to lead Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine, the winery named for their family and started in Italy’s Veneto region in 1925. And they are determined to make their wines as well-known in the United States as they are in their home country. The winery produces about 1.5 million cases of wine each year, much of which it exports to 50 countries. Since taking over control of Pasqua in 2014, the members of the third generation have worked to put a fresh face on Pasqua wines in America.
Tasting the wines at a luncheon with two of the third generation, brothers Alessandro and Riccardo, I asked why the first two Pasqua wines served carry the sub-label Romeo & Juliet Passione Sentimento. “Because Verona is in the Veneto, and so many people who come to Verona want to see Juliet’s balcony,” Riccardo said. The tale of Romeo and Juliet is considered a most romantic story, and indeed, a house with a balcony in Verona claims to be Juliet’s home and the inspiration for Shakespeare. Today it inspires thousands of visitors to leave love notes at the site. Whether it was Juliet’s balcony or, more likely, wasn’t, the two wines we tasted under that label were excellent and well-priced. The Romeo & Juliet Passione Sentimento Bianco Veneto 2017 ($16) proved a charming, flavorful wine, made of the Garganega grape with hints of peach and other beguiling flavors and a lingering finish — a perfect aperitif. The Romeo & Juliet Passione Sentimento Rosso Veneto 2016 ($16), a blend of 40 percent Merlot plus Corvino and Croatina, tasted spicy, graceful, berryish and round.
Famiglia Pasqua Amarone Della Valpolicella 2013 ($46), particularly dark-shaded, presented a full-bodied wine with hints of leather in its deep, rich taste. And Mai Dire Mai Valpolicella 2013 ($46) was especially forward and full-flavored, in all, an excellent wine. We finished with Mai Dire Mai Amarone Della Valpolicella 2011 ($100), an opulent, well-structured wine with a fascinating complexity.
Clearly, the third generation of Pasqua is on the right track.
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