We tried these three last week:
10. Cana'sFeast Chinato d'Erbetti Vino Digestivo (17.4%) NV: Med.some browning color; very strong barky/
beet root quite herbal very earthy/dusty/Kansas root cellar very complex nose; lightly sweet bit austere/
earthy/dusty some tannic/bitey strong beet root/barky/herbal slight alcoholic very exotic flavor; very
long/lingering slightly sweet earthy/dusty strong beet root/barky/herbal some tannic/hard finish; a bit
on the hard/austere side but very exotic/interesting. $49.50
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11. bebe Chinato Vermouth Aromatic Wine (Aged 8 yrs in oak barrell; 29 cs bttld in 2016; 16.5%) HarringtonWines
NV: Dark very slight browning color; more bright floral/Nebb very spicy slight orangey/cardamon slight tobaccoy/
earthy quite spicy complex high-toned nose; rather dry/hard/austere some floral/Nebb/earthy/dusty bright complex/
exotic flavor w/ ample hard tannins; very long/lingering earthy/dusty light floral/Nebb rather dry/austere finish
w/ ample hard tannins; lovely exotic high-toned nose but a bit austere/hurtey on the palate and could use a bit
more RS; beautiful stuff. $35.00/500ml
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12. BelColle Verduno BaroloChinato Vino Aromatizzato (16%) NV: Med.color w/ some browning; strong sugary/grape
concentrate/brown sugar bit barkey light medicinal/quinine rather grapey/floral slight sweaty tennis shoe/
adhesive bandage very complex/exotic nose; quite sweet tannic brown sugar/grape concentrate bit hot/alcoholic
some floral/Nebb/tarry/pungent light barky/quinine/bit medicinal slight earthy flavor w/ light tannins; very
long/lingering grapey/grape concentrate/brown sugar quite sweet slight Nebb/floral/tarry some medicinal/quinine/
barky/herbal finish w/ light tannins; a bit atypical of BaroloChinato in that it not as barky/quinine/medicinal
as most; one of the better BaroloChinatos I've had; quite exotic/complex. $47.00/500ml (EVN)
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More stupid thoughts from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Chinato: Barolo Chinato is one of the larger genre of Italian Amaro, which is a subset of Vermouths. It's made
by infusing alcohol w/ various herbs/spices/botanicals/fruits. This is than added to a base DOCG Barolo wine and
then sweetened w/ a sugar solution. In the case of BaroloChinato, quinine is usually the dominate flavor, which
makes for a very bitter beverage, hence the sweetening. It is very much an aquired taste. I find it tastes a
lot like the wretched Buckley's Cough Medicine my Mother forced on me. Chinato is, I find, one of the few drinks
that can stand up to a pairing w/ chocolate. There is a new book entiteled "Amaro" out that is an outstanding
read on this subject. It's a genre of beverage that should be more appreciated.
Chinato is not a drink that's going to make much inroads into the US wine industry. Only made by a few folks
who have an appreciation for the original BaroloChinato and want to see what they can make. The my knowledge, the
Harrington and the Cana'sFeast are the only two being made in the USofA.
Of these three, I slightly preferred the BelColle, probably because of the higher RS. The bebe and Cana'sFeast
were more tannic/austere on the palate. But I thought they both nailed BaroloChinato pretty darned good.
Tom