GreatGrub - Italian wine

Bologna, "Braida", Brachetto d'Aqui", Piemonte, 2006

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:52:09 +0000

This light sparkling red wine from Piedmont is made from the red Brachetto grape near the town of Aqui. At only 5% or so alcohol, it is very light, elegant, juicy, and very easy to swallow. Even the …

Tomasso Bussola, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, "BG", Veneto, 2002

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:46:28 +0000

Amarone is made from dried grapes from the Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinare varietals, and this bottling was left to macerate on the skins for a full 60 days. This creates a very big, heavy, almost …

Antonelli, Sagrantino di Montefalco, Umbria, 2003

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:39:29 +0000

Sagrantino is a very “under the radar” DOCG wine, partly because it is very small, and fairly expensive. It’s made from 100% Sagantino near Montefalco, and usually is a huge wine. …

Giacomo Conterno, "Cascina Francia", Barolo, Piemonte, 1998

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:36:56 +0000

If I had my wish, almost everything I drank would have upwards of 10 years on it already. I love the bouquet, perfume, and mellow aspect that comes with wines with a little age on them. This was no …

Il Feuduccio di Santa Maria d'Orsi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Abruzzo, 2001

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:35:08 +0000

A lesser known wine, this is slowly gaining ground in imports to the U.S. Montepulciano is the grape (not to be confused with the town and wine with the same moniker). This is one of the more …

Coldisole, Brunello di Montalcino, Toscana, 2001

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:31:30 +0000

Brunello is one of the great Italian wines, and is also located in Tuscany. It too is made from sangiovese, although it’s a different clone from the sangiovese grape used in Chianti. 2001 was a …

Fontodi, Chianti Classico, Toscana, 2005

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:28:44 +0000

Finally, a name we can all pronounce! This is a great producer and a classic Chianti. It possessed just about everything I would expect and want from a Chianti: lots of varietal sangiovese …

Valle dell'Acate, Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico, Sicilia, 2005

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:23:31 +0000

Cerasuolo means something like “cherry colored”, which this wine has plenty of. In the nose there is lots of pure red fresh cherry notes, and a hint of spice & pepper. In the mouth it …

Villa Bucci, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva, Le Marche, 2003

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:14:42 +0000

OK, it’s a mouthful to say, but worth it—if you’re studying Italian. Le Marche is known for Verdicchio, classico means it’s from the original, best part of the appellation, …

Ermacora, Tocai-Fruilano, Friuli-Giulia, 2006

drizzle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:07:35 +0000

Tocai-Friulano is drunk day-in, day-out in Friuli, and is one of the native grapes of the region. Although it can be a bit simple, it can also have great character. This one was very aromatic, and …