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Italian wines at The Wine Cafe, Hay St., Fayetteville, NC

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JC (NC)

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Italian wines at The Wine Cafe, Hay St., Fayetteville, NC

by JC (NC) » Thu Jun 20, 2013 4:38 pm

This was a paid class/tasting with an expert on Italian wines on June 6th. We had some appetizers to eat with the wines. We first had Andreola Prosecco Brut. I didn't take any notes on it.

Then we sampled the 2012 ALOVINI GRECO LE RALLE (Greco is the grape variety) I.G.T. Basilicata, Italy. The presenter suggested pairing this with seafood, dishes with tomato sauce such as lasagne, grilled meat, sausage and peppers, Mozzarella cheese. This was a rounded, mild white wine with gentle fruit and some minerals. I found it quite pleasant but CellarTracker ratings (only a few posted) tend to be quite low where I might rate it in the high 80's. It was priced at $16.99.

One of the reds was the 2010 AZIENDA AGRICOLA l'ARMANGIA SOPRA BERRUTI BARBERA d'ASTI priced at $18.99. This had a deep berry nose (raspberry perhaps), dark crimson color, semi-opaque and was leggy on the sides of the glass. It has a lingering finish. Well structured with very soft tannins. I would give it in the 88-90 point range; Richard Jennings gave it 90 points. I purchased four bottles, planning to include two in a future church fundraiser and consume two myself. The presenter said that the producer considers himself split between being a modernist and a traditionalist producer. He destems clusters and performs a green harvest during the growing season. It undergoes 14 days of fermentation.

Another red wine was the ALOVINI AGLIANICO LE RALLE priced at $17.99. This had some noticeable tannin and would age well. It spent nine months in French oak. Aglianico is a Greek grape that has a history going back to the Seventh Cenury B.C. I found a lifted note on the nose--not quite what I expected from this grape. There was also a touch of tobacco or leather. Somewhat tannic finish. I liked it but I think I have had other Aglianico that I prefered to this. I didn't note the vintage.

We had a 2009 LA QUERCE I.G.T. (Super Tuscan) priced at $42.99. I didn't see the label so may not have full identifying information. The winery is about eight kilometers from Florence. It produces 4000 bottles of this wine which came in at 15% alcohol by volume. A purple-red color; semi-opaque. Sangiovese nose. Rich and ripe tasting.

The final wine was a 2004 CANTINA DEL PINO BARBARESCO from the Nebbiolo grape, priced at $54.99. (I noticed the average price is quite a bit lower on some of these as displayed on CellarTracker. I think the market in North Carolina is generally higher than some parts of USA). This wine had a mahagony/umber shade with some transparency. It had some layers and complexity. The winery produced 12,000 bottles. It spends 22 months in new French Oak and 24 months in bottle before release. I was not in love with the nose on this wine, but I did enjoy it on the palate.
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Dale Williams

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Re: Italian wines at The Wine Cafe, Hay St., Fayetteville, NC

by Dale Williams » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:07 pm

JC (NC) wrote:2012 ALOVINI GRECO LE RALLE (Greco is the grape variety) I.G.T. Basilicata, Italy. The presenter suggested pairing this with seafood, dishes with tomato sauce such as lasagne, grilled meat, sausage and peppers, Mozzarella cheese. This was a rounded, mild white wine with gentle fruit.


Nice notes. But this kinda thing drives me crazy (the presenter, not you). A mild round white wine that pairs well with seafood, tomato sauce, grilled meat, sausage and peppers, mozz? I think people underestimate white wines with tomato sauces, but to me mild and round are not postives for that match. I just think that most wines that pair well with seafood are not equally adept with grilled meat.
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Re: Italian wines at The Wine Cafe, Hay St., Fayetteville, NC

by JC (NC) » Fri Jun 21, 2013 11:59 am

Dale, in rereading this I am wondering if I didn't get my notes mixed up at the time. I agree with you that the seafood pairing is the more likely suggestion and maybe the talk of tomato sauce and grilled meats referred to the first red that we had.

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