Limoncello, grappa add some spirit to diverse wine list at Fiore Winery

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Some glimpses of the Fiori landscape: clockwise from top, the bottles of grappa for sale at $25/bottle, one of Fiore's stills, and the dining room in the process of being set up for a reception.

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Paid a visit to Fiore Winery and Distillery in Pylesville, Md., on Sunday. It's one of the oldest in the region, dating back to an opening in 1986. It's around 10 miles from the Pennsylvania-Maryland line, easy accessible via several back-woods scenic roads from York and Lancaster to the north and Baltimore to the south. Probably about 20 minutes, give or take a couple, off the Shrewsbury exit of I-83.

My only disappointment was not getting to meet Mike Fiore, the owner/winemaker and someone I've talked to several times on the phone.

Tastings are $2 per person for a flight of six wines, and a vast majority of them were opened. There were a few exceptions: the Prosecco wasn't; neither was the Caronte, a special blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that's made only in years where the winemaker feels he's had an optimal season. 2007 was as good a season as it gets, and that's the vintage he's selling now for $25.99/bottle, one I brought home and will rest in the cellar for the next 5 to 10 years. Fiore began making and selling limoncello this year, that distinctive chilled Italian liquor that's magic on the tummy after a multi-course meal. He's charging $3 for a taste, partly to bring in some income to purchase a new still. I attached a photo of one of his old stills that sits in the corner of a building that also houses several of his holding tanks on another part of the property.

Fiore -- a member of the Piedmont Wine Trail -- sells more than 25 dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sparkling wines in addition to the limoncello and grappa, a far more potent Italian "digestive" elixir.

It grows all of the grapes for its red wines on the property, in addition to Chardonnay grapes that you can see from the driveway that leads to the tasting room. The 2007 vintage of those grapes made an award-winning batch of juice that was recognized as a gold-medal winner and best of class for white wine at the recently announced 2009 Governor's Cup competition.

That black-topped roadway that leads into the winery off Maryland Route 136 was a busy entrance during the middle part of Sunday afternoon, as the third wedding of the weekend at the winery was just wrapping up and heading into Fiore's dining area for the reception.

Fiore soon to release grappa, limoncello

News you can use from Fiore Winery in Pylesville, Md.?

Well, you can start with the Pinot Grigio that Fiore is bottling for the second year, a dry white that won three medals for its debut in 2008. Fiore said by phone Friday that it’s a wine he likes, and that he’s satisfied with the source of those grapes, Quail Vineyard in Westminster. The tasting notes on his Web site describe it as medium-bodied with clean aromas and flavors that are complex, with nuts, minerals, white flowers and citrus, with a crisp acidity. Served ideally around 45 degrees, according to the site, it pairs well with seafood, light pastas and prosciutto.

That’s not the only reason he likes the Pinot Grigio grape. Fiore said the skins from the grape make a fantastic grappa, essentially an Italian brandy. “It’s very, very smooth,” he said.

Fiore said that he plans to release about a thousand 200 ml bottles of both grappa and limoncello, a lemon liquor. Both are awaiting approval of the labels for the respective bottles. “I was hoping to get [that done] by Easter,” he said, “but it doesn’t look like it now.”

Those who have had a taste, including a colleague who flew east from California to attend a marketing seminar in Ohio last week, have given Fiore a big thumbs up. “She went nuts over it,” he said. “Said it was the best she’s ever had.”

He’ll see how both new products do in this initial release and, if the response is acceptable, produce more over the coming years.

Meanwhile, his reserve Chambourcin and reserve Cabernet Sauvingon continue to get good reviews, both a bargain at $16.95/bottle.

For the first time since 2003, he said, he has released a wine called Caronte. The blend features 60 percent Sangiovese, 30 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a wine that requires an exceptional year, and 2007 fit that characteristic. It’s described on his side as full to medium bodied with lingering flavors and aromas of cherry, polished red plum and berry, along with smoky notes of mushrooms. Ideal food partners include chicken, red meat, fish, lamb, pork, heavy pasta dishes, stews and well-aged cheeses.