September 7, 2023: Laura’s Favorite Wine
This is a guest post by our fantastic associate, Laura!
Having been in the industry since 2019, I’ve been serving wine at Kalasi Cellars since July 2022. Since my first visit, which was my interview, I was wowed by what I tasted. I had never been given a tasting as part of my interview before and was impressed by the ability to try the wines that I would be serving and selling. This tasting set the stage for my enthusiasm and passion for Kalasi wines.
Nikhila Narra Davis, co-owner with husband Greg Davis, is viticulturist and winemaker. Their journey from grape to glass is a fascinating one and worth a visit to the Kalasi Cellars Tasting Room to hear from one of our team members along with a tasting. With focus on quality and infused with culture, we celebrate Nikhila’s Indian heritage in all that we do.
Kalasi Cellar’s first vintage year was 2017. As part of this vintage, Re d’Italia was created. Re d’Italia is a blend of three grapes of Italian origin, Sangiovese, Sagrantino and Teroldego. Of the three, Teroldego is the least known varietal. It’s grown primarily in the northeastern region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol, Italy. Nikhila has the honor of being the first to plant Teroldego in Texas and to make it a single varietal wine.
Teroldogo’s role in Re d’Italia is to provide color as it is a very inky-purple fruit. As a bonus, it gives body and structure to the blend, making it a beautifully flavorful wine that is bold and perfectly balanced.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that Re d’Italia is a special wine for us for reasons other than its appearance or taste. It honors the Italian heritage of co-owner Greg Davis as his great-grandfather sailed across the sea in a ship called Re d’Italia when he immigrated to the USA.
As you may have already guessed, Re d’Italia is my favorite of all the Kalasi wines. It was from the day I first had a taste and remains so to this day. I suspect my co-workers are tired of hearing me tell all our visitors that it is my favorite. Truth be told, I take secret joy in hearing customers tell me it is their favorite also or leave with a bottle or two! If you haven’t yet tried it, please visit us at the Kalasi Cellars Tasting Room in Fredericksburg and give it a try! Tell them Laura sent you!
