Something to Wine About: 2020 Suhru Teroldego

It’s always fun and exciting to sample unfamiliar varietals. In the case of the 2020 Suhru Teroldego, it’s not only fun and exciting, but also delicious. Almost 98% of teroldego is produced in Italy. It’s produced in the northern part of the country, mostly in the mountainous Trentino wine region. But there is some teroldego grown much closer to home, right here on Long Island’s East End. And the wine produced by this grape is scrumptious.

The 2020 Surhu Teroldego is a lusciously soft yet delectably fruity wine. Teroldego has been compared by some to a zinfandel-type wine because of its spicy fruit notes and soft tannins, but upon DNA examination, it is a parent grape of syrah.

According to Suhru Wines winemaker Russell Hearn, “Southold Cellars produced two vintages of wine at Premium Wine Group where I first saw this varietal made. We have enjoyed drinking wines from the Alto Adige region personally over the years, so when this vineyard changed hands and became available to lease, it made obvious sense to produce it in 2019 and again from the 2020 vintage. Teroldego is dark, lush and has very supple tannins, well-suited to poultry and stronger fish from our waters.”

This wine can also easily pair with red meats and red pasta dishes, as well as dark chocolate. The notes of raspberry, cherry and anise make this a most pleasant after-dinner sipping wine.

The 2020 Suhro Teroldego is aged eight months in 50% American and 50% French oak to enhance its mouth feel. French oak is known to impart more of a silky mouth feel, and American oak is said to impart a creamier feel. Both work beautifully to gently soften this wine.

The 2020 Suhro Teroldego retails for $30.

To learn more about Suhru Wines, visit suhruwines.com.