ROBERT JOHNSON AND THE D.O.C.G.

Robert Johnson and the DOCG wines from Italy: What the hell do these things have in common? The number 29. That’s how I am going to remember the 29 DOCG wines of Italy. Robert Johnson, arguably the greatest blues guitarist of all time, wrote only 29 songs before he died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 27 in 1938. “Crossroad Blues” could equate to the Franciocorta wines of the Lombardy region, and “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day” could be Moscato d’Asti. I could designate “Hellhounds On My Trail” as Carmignano, and “Come On In My Kitchen” as “Sagrantino dei Montefalco.” I am just being arbitrary, but I think it’s a pretty effective way for my musically-dominated mind to work for this upcoming test.

For those of you that don’t know what DOCG means or even stands for, the DOCG designation on Italian wines simply delineates the highest quality levels available. This means that wines that are DOCG-designate are the best of the best. There are 29 wines that have been ceritified DOCG (which stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Grantita or “controlled and guaranteed origin”):

From Piedmont: 1) Barbaresco, 2) Barolo, 3) Brachetto d’Acqui, 4) Gattinara, 5) Gavi, 6) Ghemme, 7) Moscato d’Asti;

From Lombardy: 8) Franciacorta, 9) Valtellina Superiore, 10) Sforzato (Sfursat);

From Veneto: 11) Bardolino Superiore, 12) Recioto di Soave, 13) Soave Superiore;

From Friuli-Venezia Giulia: 14) Ramandolo;

From Emilia-Romagna: 15) Albana di Romagna;

From Tuscany: 16) Brunello di Montalcino, 17) Carmignano (red only), 18) Chianti, 19) Chianti Classico, 20) Vernaccia di San Gimignano, 21) Vino Nobile di Montepulciano;

From Umbria: 22) Sagrantino di Montefalco, 23) Torgiano Rosso Riserva;

From Campania: 24) Taurasi, 25) Greco di Tufo, 26) Fiano di Avellino;

From Sardinia: 27) Vermentino di Gallura;

From Abruzzo: 28) Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane;

And from Marches: 29) Vernaccia di Serrapetrona;

The wines of Italy are a complicated topic to cover. Believe me I know. Italian wines are my truest passion, and I have a hard time with them. There are at least 2000 grape varieties used in Italy to make wine, and there is 1 winery for every 1000 Italian citizens – that’s a lot of wineries per capita. Hopefully though, I can load up all of Robert Johnson’s tunes on my MP3 and on the way to Atlanta and my test next week, I will be one step closer to passing.