Encore: Piccolo back on Basignani shelves

Always like to hear the stories about how wines that aren't named after a grape or region are named. Generally there's a good story there to tell, and that's the case with Piccolo, produced by Basignani Winery in Sparks, Md., about a 12-minute ride off I-83 just north of Towson.

I'm planning to use that as one of the featured wines in Vintages, something I've started writing for In Central Pennsylvania magazine, which is published by the Patriot-News of Harrisburg.

Piccolo is a medium-bodied 50-50 red blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon that's heavy on fruit and light on tannins. It could handle any type of meat dish, and also partner quite well with anything pasta. Had it down at Basignani during the eye-popping post-picking lunch that Lynne puts on, and you couldn't have asked for anything nicer to go with the lasagna and complementary dishes she served. Gotta also like the cost, at $11.75.

Asked Lynne by e-mail how the wine got its name and got an answer along with a bit of a history lesson.

"Originally we made this wine about 8 years ago, because we had a really bad vintage (1996) and didn't want to sell our Cabernet as Cabernet because of the reputation that we had built up with that wine," she wrote. "So we decided to 'declassify' the wine, sell it cheaper, and come up with a different name. At the time Boordy had a wine they called 'Petit Cabernet,' meaning a lighter Cabernet, of course, actually meaning 'little' Cabernet. We decided to 'borrow' the name from them, but use the Italian version of little, which is 'piccolo.' We made several vintages of Piccolo over the years. It actually developed quite a following. We haven't made it for several years, but Bert decided to release one this year. We already had a ready public that was familiar with it and would be thrilled to see it again. Probably more information than you wanted or needed, but there it is. In short, it means 'Little' Cabernet."

Another Christmas: Harvest at Basignani

Dust covers some more than 100-year-old bottles in the winery (right); the harvesters sit down to food and plenty of drink, including wine, beer and water; the table laden with homemade goods.

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I can remember going to pick down at Basignani Vineyards five or six years ago and we'd pretty much have the vines to ourselves; maybe eight to 10 of us would show up as volunteers to pick and then we'd retire to the Basignani patio for lunch.

Those were the days. This morning's harvest, which lasted fewer than three hours because of the turnout, drew 50 people. Fifty, all thanks to word of mouth and the Internet. And they capped it at 50, as they they did next week's pick, which is expected to be the final one for this season. We filled the lugs with Chancellor and Chambourcin, working under a clear sky and amid more bees than I've seen in that vineyard in my last couple of harvests. They didn't really bother anyone, but their buzzing and the conversation of all those people served as the audio backdrop.

Once we were finished, Lynne prepared the kind of lunch one happily travels 40 minutes to sample: lasagne, sweet and hot sausage, lunch meat, bread, peppers, olives and I believe an apple/nut cake for dessert. Finally had a chance to taste (OK, more than taste, since I had several glasses) the 2007 Piccolo, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Delicious, and priced right at $11.75; this was an excellent companion with what we had for lunch. It's neither overly oaked high in alcohol content (12.6 percent), so you could take this along to your favorite BYOB and try anything from burgers to pizza to pasta. And that 2007 vintage is the key. You see any '07 vintages in Maryland or Pennsylvania, buy them. That was this decade's best vintage across the region and one worth stocking up on.

As for this vintage, it might be the toughest to tame since 2003 or '04 because of all the rain. Someone I talked to at the winery noted most of those 2004 wines came up short, except for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Maybe that's what's ahead here, but I'm getting ahead of things. Still plenty of work to be done in the fields yet.

Monndancer seeking volunteers for harvest

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If you live in York or Lancaster and looking for an opportunity to be part of a harvest (the closest I'll ever get to owning a vineyard), give Jim Miller a call at Moondancer Vineyards & Winery in Wrightsville, Pa. They possess one of the most scenic vineyards in the region with a mix of grapes that go into their line of wines. Unlike some vineyards that schedule pickings for a specific day and time (such as tomorrow morning at Basignani Winery in Sparks, Md., where I plan to be with clippers in hand), Moondancer works on the premise that you call and leave your contact information with the folks there. As Miller sees breaks in his schedule and the weather to get out in the vineyard and pick, he'll get in touch with the volunteers and welcome them out to join him and his crew.

There is nothing like heading into the vineyards to pick grapes -- I call it my Christmas Day, this being the fourth or fifth time I've gone down to pick at Basignani -- and the weather over the next week to 10 days looks favorable in terms of sunny days and comfortable temperatures. So, if you're interested, give Moondancer a call at 717.252.9463.

Basignani, by the way, has enough pickers for tomorrow and the other Saturday mornings this month. Volunteers, once hard to find, are far more plentiful these days as more and more folks learn about wine and local wineries.