Wine Focus for February 2017: Wines of Italy

Here is a DOCG appellation new to me... Montecucco. I spotted a Sangiovese downtown last night so splurged out $24 for this Sangiovese. Here is some info , good write up in my opinion.

http://www.campinuovi.com/2013/03/decan ... ontecucco/

A new one to me too. From the Decanter article it sounds worth seeking out. I wonder if, for those without a lot of local expertise, these wines are easy to differentiate from those from Montalcino, Chianti Classico, etc

Well, I am going to open this evening as I watch for some coyotes that want to get at the chickens next door!!

2013 TENUTA LE CALCINAIE VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO. Labeled as 12.5% abv. Opened Feb. 9th. On my trip to Tuscany in 2011, we stayed at a hotel in San Gimignano so I tried some Vernaccia white wines then. This is a nice one but it is not a grape variety that really excites me. The fruit note may be suggestive of pear. I just don't have a lot to say about it. I will be switching to a red Italian tonight, opening a Aglianico and having it with steak tomorrow.

I have almost no Italians in the cellar, and I know little about them. Rather than a month devoted to Italian wines, you could do a month on each region., and have a few left over. And I suspect that I wouldn't be the only one to benefit.

Although I might have a few bottles. Lets see ...... maybe a bottle of Ruffino Riserva Ducale and maybe a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco.
I guess I could make some osso buco with the Barbaresco and drink the Ruffino. That should work out, shouldn't it?

I have almost no Italians in the cellar, and I know little about them. Rather than a month devoted to Italian wines, you could do a month on each region., and have a few left over. And I suspect that I wouldn't be the only one to benefit.

Although I might have a few bottles. Lets see ...... maybe a bottle of Ruffino Riserva Ducale and maybe a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco.
I guess I could make some osso buco with the Barbaresco and drink the Ruffino. That should work out, shouldn't it?

Neil, I too would feel much more comfortable concentrating on a region and feel that the whole of Italy is to diffuse a subject for a Focus. I made my feelings known at the outset and was overruled .

As to your second paragraph, it sounds as if you are thinking of using your Barabresco as a cooking wine and accompanying it with the Ruffino . Surely not? A good Barbaresco can be sublime.

Neil, as Tim says we did indeed discuss specific regions but the powers to be overruled us. From time to time, a few have us have started an Open Mike where a certain wine,grape, region whatever is discussed. It has usually been enlightening and informative and is easy to set up.
Another good idea for discussion is "Lets talk such a wine or grape" or "The So and so Thread". The Grenache Thread that I initiated on the UK forum is still going strong after 3 months!!

Neil: While the Riserva Ducale Oro is a longtime favorite of mine, the Gaja Barbaresco is best suited for drinking, not for cooking,,Gaja's wines are often magnificent or, as Tim said, sublime

[Jenise]

Neil: While the Riserva Ducale Oro is a longtime favorite of mine, the Gaja Barbaresco is best suited for drinking, not for cooking,,Gaja's wines are often magnificent or, as Tim said, sublime

When I read Neil's line, I laughed out loud. I'm sure that was a tongue-in-cheek jest.

[Robin Garr]

When I read Neil's line, I laughed out loud. I'm sure that was a tongue-in-cheek jest.

I didn't need a smiley to recognize that!

I tend to take things literally and not look for hidden meanings, especially from a poster whose sense of humor is unknown to me..Haven't been sucked in like that ..on this board..since the days of Stu Yaniger

Barbera and Dolcetto used to be workhorse grapes for producing simple quaffing wines to complement Piedmont's "noble" wines like Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara made from Nebbiolo. However, in the last generation, producers have become much more ambitious with these grapes not always with happy results. Here is a Barbera which IMO shows some modernity but does not go over the top.

Last night we came in quite late and Germaine simply took an unmarked pack out of the deep freeze. It turned out to be a Bolognese so an Italian was the natural pairing. Most Chianti would have been even better because of their higher acidity but this one worked well. I reproduce the TN which I wrote when I opened an earlier bottle.

2014 Pico Maccario Barbera d'Asti Lavignone - Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti (9/13/2016)
When I entered my purchase into CT, I was disconcerted to see some negative posts, but I am glad to report that I like this wine's rather unusual flavour profile. Deep colour, expressive nose, medium plus bodied showing rich red and dark fruit with a touch of raisin, spice and an odd but attractive, for me, overlay as if the wine had been poured into a glass which had traces of Campari orange. Add to that enough smooth acidity for balance and some firmness and mild bitterness on the finish and there is a lot to like. A far cry from the rustic, rather acidic but cheerful Barberas of a generation ago. Good wine and good QPR at c.€9.

[Robin Garr]

Best wine-in-a-box (TetraPak, not bag-in-box) I've ever tasted ...

Montebernardi 2014 "Fuoristrada Off Road" Rosso Toscano Sangiovese ($14.99/1 liter)

This certified organic wine comes in a recyclable coated red-cardboard 'TetraPak" box roughly the size and shape of a wine bottle. It pours dark reddish-purple, shading to a clear garnet edge. The aromas bespeak Tuscan Sangiovese with fresh and ripe cherry fruit, dried cherries and subtle spice. Fresh and tart, red and black berries and zippy, food-friendly acidity and 13.5% alcohol in a palate-cleansing flavor that lingers, adding a touch of tannic astringency in the finish. If you're prejudiced against wines that come from a box, taste this one "blind" and prepare to have your attitude adjusted. Excellent value. U.S. importer: One Green Liter LLC, Boynton Beach, Fla. (Feb. 21, 2017)

FOOD MATCH: It made a decent match with a dish of asparagus and scrambled eggs with a cheesy sauce, but it might find its best use with pizza, tomato-sauced pasta or burgers and steaks.

WHEN TO DRINK: Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not yet persuaded by Tetra Paks for cellaring. Buy it, enjoy it, buy some more.

VALUE:
It took a special $11.90 markdown sale for my local price to match the average U.S. retail on Wine-Searcher.com, but for a full liter, this wine would still be a fine value in the middle to upper teens.

WEB LINK
Here's a fact sheet about Fuorostrada's TetraPak wines.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for Montebernardi "Fuoristrada Off Road" Rosso Toscano Sangiovese on Wine-Searcher.com.

[Robin Garr]

Il Viziato NV "The Spoiled One" Vino Rosso ($9.99)

An offbeat blend of 80 percent Sangiovese from Chianti Classico near Panzano in Tuscany with 20 percent Nero d'Avola from Sicily, this wine is made by an unusual technique: drying some of the grapes separately before introducing them back into the fermenting mix, concentrating the natural grape sugars for a more intense wine, although it still comes in at a moderate 13 percent alcohol. There is a note of dried cherries in the aroma, dancing with distinct though subtle scents of licorice and dried herbs. Full, juicy fruit flavors follow the nose, rather full body shaped up by zippy, mouth-watering acidity and astringent tannins, with tart dried fruit lingering in the finish. U.S. importer: Empson (U.S.A.) Inc., Alexandria, Va. (Feb. 23, 2017)

FOOD MATCH: It made a natural match with an old-school bowl of spaghetti with a simply, gently spicy tomato sauce. It would be fine, too, with beef or grilled poultry or cheese.

WHEN TO DRINK: I don't see it as a cellar keeper, but its acidic balance and tannins suggest that there'd be no harm in keeping it for a few years under good cellar conditions.

VALUE:
It's hard to beat a balanced, food-friendly Italian red for a penny under 10 bucks.

WEB LINK
Here's the importer's fact sheet on Il Viziato "The Spoiled One."

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Wine-Searcher.com lists only a few vendors for Il Viziato NV "The Spoiled One" Vino Rosso, but it's worth a look if you're near one of these shops or can have them ship to you.

However, distributor Empson (U.S.A.) offers this handy online tool to find retailers that carry their portfolio in every U.S. state.

[Jenise]

BoxWine.jpg

$26 for a three liter box. And it's GOOD. Not just good for wine in a box or good for under $9/liter, it's good. You can serve this to any of your Italian wine loving friends and they'd never know it didn't come in a 750 ml bottle for $20-something. It had good body, good acidity and good barbera character. I bought it while searching for values for an upcoming neighborhood tasting, and I'm going to go back and buy the remaining bottle, er, BOX, for our next camping trip!