Archive for the ‘Italian Wine’ Category
Varietal: 100% Pinot Grigio
Region: Italy
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: A reasonably priced white wine with a crisp, clean taste. With its subtle fruit flavors, this wine can be enjoyed with rich holiday meals and allows your guests to enjoy the delicious tastes of the many flavors of the holidays.
My Review: I got this, along with a few other samples, right before the holidays but only just recently got a chance to get into them. It’s been a hectic beginning to 2012. That being said, because of the hectic nature of the start of my year, some wine has been called for and my wife and I recently popped open this bottle to go with some chicken.
When I was first getting into wine a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio was one of my go-to white wines. They tended to be approachable and weren’t overly sweet or overly complex for my developing palate. As my tastes evolved I moved away from how much of it I drank, not because I found them distasteful but because I was A) busy experimenting with other grapes, and B) I found I appreciated a bit more complexity to my wines. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by the 2010 Barone Fini Pinot Grigio.
Varietal: 90% Garganega; 10% Trebbiano di Soave
Region: Soave – Italy
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Pale straw in color with aromas of flowers and pear. Medium-bodied, harmonious, and balanced with hints of lemon and acacia honey. Pair with antipasto, risottos, seafood, and pizza.
My Review: Having already tried the first Soave that was sent to me, I didn’t want to wait too long before trying the other so that I could see the difference in them, so when my wife and I recently put together a dinner of calamari and sauteed shrimp, opening up the bottle sounded like a good idea.
Varietal: 100% Gargenega
Region: Soave – Italy
Cost: $13 (SRP)
My Review: When I was first approached about reviewing a pair of wines from the Soave region of Italy I jumped at the chance, in part because it was a region that I was fairly unfamiliar with and I’m always looking to try something new, and also because Italian wines were what first got me into wine, so the country as a whole as always had a spot in my heart.
Well, the end of summer isn’t that far away, so when I was recently sent a mixed case of summer white wines, it seemed a shame to sit on them and try to go through them each individually as I would have quickly run out of summer by the time I was able to get to them all. With that in mind I invited some friends over, opened up all the wines, and tasted them all at once, because let’s be honest, that’s what summer’s really all about. Here’s what I thought.
The first one I tasted was the 2010 La Fiera Pinot Grigio (SRP $8). I got mostly apples on both the nose and the palate with a nice lingering finish with just the right amount of acid. There was a slight hint of sweetness to my palate, but for being the first one I tried, it was a good start and it’s a good value for these kinds of parties.
Next up were two from Tiamo. First was the Tiamo Prosecco (SRP $15) which had a hint of citrus on the nose with medium sized bubbles and a slight bit of yeast on the palate and a mix of crisp fruit. This was definitely not a super-dry Prosecco and it was quickly consumed by my friends.
Varietal: Prosecco (100% Glera grapes)
Region: Italy
Cost: $9-$12
Winemaker’s Notes: Light and refreshing with a nose that shows hints of white peach, grapefruit, and honey-dew melon. The fine effervescence gives way to creamy flavors of ripe lemons and refined citrus notes with a toasted brioche finish. Medium froth, our Prosecco is reminiscent of lemon meringue pie. Pair with gorgonzola crostini and prosciutto wrapped melon.
My Review: Bubbles are one of those things I find in my fridge more and more often. It’s not that I’d had anything against sparkling wines in the past, just that I hadn’t made a point of keeping them on hand. However, a few really good experiences with sparkling wines, and a good friend that drinks them almost exclusively, has lead to me at least always perusing the sparkling aisle at whatever wine shop at happen to be in.
On a recent trip to a new grocery store with my wife, I came across an end-cap featuring a smattering of Cupcake Vineyards wines. I’d tried (and reviewed) several of them, but was interested to see they had recently added a Prosecco to their offerings. Not one to pass on something to write about, I grabbed a bottle to be enjoyed later. Later just happened to be last night.
Varietal: 100% Falanghina
Region: Italy
Cost: $10
Winemaker’s Notes: Pale yellow color with a greenish shimmer. Aromas and flavors of tiny white flowers, fruit, “limongella” apple, tropical lime, and a clean balanced taste and finish. Pairs well with seafood, chicken, or creamy pasta dishes.
My Review: I will admit that before this bottle showed up, I was completely unfamiliar with the Falanghina grape. I had never heard of it, never seen it on a shelf, and actually had to check the tasting sheet included with the wine to make sure that Falanghina was the grape and not some branding on the wine. Read the rest of this entry »
