Were Dreams (now it is just wine!)

Has it really been November since I last posted?

No excuses, other than I was having too much fun over Christmas and New Year. Welcome 2010.

Let's start the new year with an Italian white wine from Friuli-Venezia that captures my heart: Jermann's Were Dreams, or the full title - Were Dreams (now it is just wine!).

I can hear the tut-tutting already. What a silly name for a wine! And yet, and yet... it's precisely the playful silliness that makes me love it even more. What does he mean? All those grapes were dreams and now it just wine... I once had high ideals and now it's all mundane reality? Or even... philosophize as much you like about the stuff, but it's meant to be drunk and enjoyed.

Whatever the name means, Jermann can afford to have the last laugh: he is one of the masters of the N-E Italian region. And it is his light-touch that give his white wines a depth of minerality and subtle sophistication to make a bottle the most entertaining dinner guest.

His Were Dreams is no exception. However, don't expect much small talk here. It's definitely for those who love big oak in their Chardonnay (and you know who you are!). After a few hours you will find a core of minerality - like his other famous wines, Vintage Tunina and Capo Martino - but it emerges from a dramatic flourish of oak, fruit and wildflower.

People will often complain about the price (it can sit at the £30-50 mark), so I will say this: compare quality to quality (which always seems to be conveniently forgotten when comparing two different regions with different currencies) and you'll find them very comparable to similarly-priced White Burgundy.

Aside from all the economic nonsense, this is one of the great white wines of the world. Precisely because it inspires dreams and a smile. And as I keep trying to remind myself at some more serious tastings recently: you've got to lighten up, now, it is just wine....!

Link: Jermann di Silvio Jermann website