Spring 2023 Offer #3: I Borboni

I Borboni - Asprinio Spumante Brut NV

Bottom Line - I Borboni's Asprinio Spumante is a richly flavored, top-value sparkling wine made in Lusciano, Campania, about 25 minutes north of downtown Naples. It shows an inviting and complex flavor profile alongside laser-sharp minerality. Drinking this wine might make you feel a bit like you live in Italy – while a few bottles are sold in northern Europe, you can’t find it anywhere else in North America.

My notes: “Lemon, white flowers, honey on the nose. Lively, with subtle effervescence, and lots of grip on the palate; there’s a touch of creamy richness and sneaky flavor depth. Terrific sparkler for all occasions!”

I Borboni - 2021 Vite Maritata Asprinio

Bonus Wine - The 2021 Vite Maritata is a vibrant, muscular still white wine that shows a defined bright citrus fruit character. It’s based on the same grape, Asprinio, as today's primary wine, the Spumante Brut. Together, the two wines underscore the potential and promise of Asprinio, one of Italy’s most compelling native grape varieties.

My notes: “Aromas of bright orange with smoky earth, mediterranean herbs. Concentrated lemon, almond, and sea salt on the palate; light tannic structure, lots of body; no oak influence. A Campania original!”

*This 2021 Vite Maritata Asprinio won a prestigious Wine Hunter Award at the Merano Wine Festival in 2022.

To order, just click the one of the links above and follow the prompts. Keep reading for more in-depth information on I Borboni and these two wines.

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Wine friends,

I Borboni is a name that pays tribute to those known in Italian as the Bourbons, the “glorious population” who lived under the House of Bourbon during southern Italy’s 18-19th century golden age. The name has nothing to do with American whiskey. It’s also not a call for the return of the Bourbon monarchy!

Lindsay Gabbard of Rimessa Roscioli brought today’s wine, the Spumante Brut, to an Open Tuesday gathering early last year. Ever since, I can’t stop buying it. This has become my go-to sparkling wine to pair with everything from Chinese to stinky cheese and french fries. It also shines as an aperitivo. There is simply no better value in the Italian sparkling wine market than this I Borboni Spumante Brut.

Check out this video of the gnarly old Asprinio vines at I Borboni:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/547176034110862/?s=single_unit

The first wine ever produced under the “I Borboni” label in 1982 was an Asprinio Spumante Brut. This small estate owned by the Numeroso family specializes in Asprinio-based wines. 

Asprinio has the same DNA as fellow Campania native grape Greco, but the two varieties have different flavor profiles. Asprinio-based wines typically have a more tart acidity and brighter citrus fruit notes than Greco.

Here is I Borboni on the map: I Borboni - Asprinio di Aversa. The U.S. Naval Support Activity in Gricignano di Aversa is about 6 kilometers from I Borboni.

Food pairing: 

Open Tuesday founding member Doug Hengel paired the Spumante Brut with a seafood risotto over the holidays and remarked that it was “Very Good!” If you know Doug even a little, you know that’s high praise.

According to I Borboni, ideal pairings with the Spumante Brut are seafood dishes, raw shellfish, fried foods, and mozzarella di bufala. For the Vite Maritata, try matching it with fried vegetables or dishes marinated in lemon. 

Both of today's wines are 12 percent alcohol by volume. I’m thinking that means you can sip heavily for most of the evening!

I Borboni - Asprinio Spumante Brut

12% ABV

I Borboni - 2021 Vite Maritata Asprinio

12% ABV

To order, just click one of the links above and follow the prompts.

Happy Tuesday,

Chris

If you have any questions or feedback, please email us: [email protected].  

How it works: 

After clicking one of the links above, you’ll be able to request 1-12 bottles. Actually, that’s all you have to do!

About a week later, when we close the offer, you’ll get an email confirming how many bottles we allocated to your account. We will charge you when the wines are allocated.

We’ll do our best to allocate all the bottles you request. But when there are more requests than bottles available, we’ll allocate one bottle to all requesting members before allocating a second bottle to anyone. We want as many members as possible to try these wines.

This is the third offer of our spring 2023 season. 

Through February and March, we are sending offers on Thursday and Sunday, with a recap of the past week’s offers on Tuesday.

We ship in increments of 12. With 18 offers this season, there should be plenty of chances to get to 12, 24, or 36. If you don’t have an increment of 12 at the end of the fall season offers, we can hold your wines until the next offer season – fall 2023.

Wines offered in the spring will ship in April for $5 per bottle (if you have an increment of 12.) This is about the same as the price to ship coast-to-coast within the U.S. – but our wines come directly from Italy.

Once your payment method is on file, you can make future requests with just a few clicks from the offer email. If you don’t have a card on file, you can add one during your first order. Your personal financial information is protected by Stripe.

Chris MacLean

Rob Genova

Open Tuesday Wines S.r.l.s.

Via Augusto Anfossi 19, 20135 Milano - Italy