The Good Wine Guru » pasta

Codirosso Chianti 2008

George — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:00:30 +0000

Varietal: Chianti
Region: Italy
Cost: $8

Medium dark color with notes of cherry on the nose with berry on the palate. Soft tannins pair well with pastas and meats.

Recommendations: Given as how Chianti is my first love of red wine, I was excited to open up this bottle, and finally got the opportunity this past weekend. Paired with a meal of Giada’s Lasagna Rolls (which my wife adds sausage to and I recommend anybody making this meal do as well), the cherry, berry, and slight earthiness of the wine came out great.

Unlike several Chiantis I’ve had in the past, this one was really easy on the tannins which made it really enjoyable even after the meal was finished. While this certainly isn’t a life-altering Chianti, at $8 it’s easily one of the best values I’ve come across in quite a while, and definitely worth giving a try if you’re looking for a good red table wine to keep around the house.

Special thanks to Wine & Beer Westpark for supplying the wine for this review.

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese 2008

George — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:00:23 +0000

Varietal: Sanviovese
Region: Italy
Cost: $10

Violets, berries, spices and leather on the nose of this garnet colored wine with flavors of ripe fruit that pair with pizza, pasta, and grilled meats.

Recommendations: I grabbed this bottle of wine at a local store because, quite frankly, the price point was too good to pass on for a Sangiovese that had been highly rated by The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator in previous years. Also, as Chianti is my first love of red wine, I have a hard time walking away from any Sangiovese.

Paired with a meal of pasta with red sauce and ground Italian sausage, the dryness of this wine was a perfect compliment. A bit of ripe fruit on the palate does take the edge off the wine, making it enjoyable well after the meal is gone (my mark of a good wine), and the price means you can pick this wine up in bulk to keep around for any occasion.

If you’re not a fan of dry wines, you might want to pass on this one, but if you are a fan of Chianti or any dry wine, or are looking to get into them, this is absolutely one you should pick up – easily one of the best values I’ve found for any red wine.

Friends.Red Sonoma County Red Wine

George — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:00:15 +0000

Varietal: Blended Red Wine (Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc)
Region: California – Sonoma – USA
Cost: $19.50

Deep purple coloring with aromas of berry fruits. Blueberry, blackberry, chocolate, vanilla, and smooth oak are found on the palate. Pair this medium-bodied wine with pasta, ravioli, pork barbecue, meatloaf, and even moderately spiced Middle Eastern food.

Recommendations: Taking a cue from the name, I shared this bottle with my wife and a friend of ours over a meal of cheese and meat pizza. This proved to be wise as the high alcohol content (14.2%/vol) needed the sauciness of the pizza to cut down the alcohol finish and make the wine much smoother and enjoyable.

The blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Franc was very enjoyable, with some pepper coming through, along with ripe berry. The deep purple color was impressive, and reminded me once again that the Cabernet Franc they grow in California is much different than what we grow in Virginia (where I live).

I certainly enjoyed this wine, and would recommend it so long as you’re enjoying it with a saucier meal such as pizza or pasta – the kind of meal that makes you want to invite family and friends over for a big meal – to cut the alcohol on the finish.

Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine.

Smoking Loon Pinot Noir

George — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:00:08 +0000

Varietal: Pinot Noir
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10

Deep garnet coloring with a slight floral aroma. Smooth on the palate with flavors of ripe fruit. Pair with pasta, steak, or well seasoned salmon.

Recommondations: I picked this up because it’s from California and my wife and I are going to California on vacation in just a few days. I’ve had Smoking Loon wines before, but had yet to try their Pinot Noir. The color on it was very nice – not too dark, but certainly not light. The aromas were mostly alcohol, but I did get a bit of a floral scent coming through. The flavors were smooth, with fruit flavors being the most prominent, though certainly not overwhelming in the way that some California reds can be, and lead into alcohol finish.

Paired with a meal of pasta bolognese, the alcohol on this medium-bodied wine wasn’t quite as overwhelming as it could have been, but it was still noticeable. While I certainly didn’t dislike this wine, I found that it wasn’t as enjoyable as the Mirassou Pinot Noir (also from California) that costs just about the same.

If you can’t find Mirassou, the Smoking Loon is a good supplement, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a choice. The price point might make this an attractive buy, but you can do better for the same price.

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin

George — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:00:35 +0000

Varietal: Zinfandel
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10

Deep purple in color with an abundance of fruit on the nose. Subtle flavors with plum being the most prominent and a hint of pepper and alcohol on the finish. Pairs with BBQ, pizza, and pasta.

Recommendations: I had seen Gnarly Head on various store shelve and never picked it up, but my wife and I decided on this as we thought a Zinfandel sounded good, and the price was too good to pass on. Aromas of fresh fruit were prevalent on the nose, but not on the palate, where the flavors were subtle, with hints of plum.

A pepper finish had just a slight bit of alcohol, a very small bite considering the wine is 14.5% by volume. Paired with a pizza, this was a perfect wine. If you’re looking for something with a bit more pepper you might want to pass on this, but for a nice middle of the road Zinfandel to pair with a simple dinner, you really can’t miss with the Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel – especially for the price.

Find Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel Here

Toscolo Chianti

George — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:00:59 +0000

Varietal: Chianti
Region: Italy
Cost: $10

Ruby coloring with a smooth taste of fruit and just a hint of tannins at the end. Pair with pasta, pizza, roasted meat.

Recommendations: The wife and I picked this up while having dinner at Verde the other night as they were out of the Sauvignon Blanc we wanted, and this would pair well. I should preface this by saying, for anybody that hasn’t read this blog before, that I am a fan of Chianti. It’s probably the first wine that I really fell in love with and was certainly my introduction into red wines.

Now, all that being said, the Toscolo Chianti was not, by my standard, a Chianti. That’s not to say that it wasn’t made with the Sangiovese grape, but if the bottle hadn’t said Chianti on it, I would have thought it was something else. I honestly thought it had been labeled wrong and was actually a Tempranillo.

I’m not saying it wasn’t good with our meal of paninis and chips, but it just wasn’t what I was expecting. That being said, at $10, it’s not a complete waste – I wouldn’t pay more for it though. If you’re curious I’d say try it, but otherwise you can find a better Chianti for about the same price.

Lo Tengo Malbec

George — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:00:18 +0000

Varietal: Malbec
Region: Argentina
Cost: $12

Dark coloring with a nose of ripe fruit. Ripe fruit at the beginning with a smooth finish featuring just a touch of tannins. Will pair well with red meat, red sauce, or pizza.

Recommendations: I’ll be the first to admit that my wife and I picked up this bottle because of the label. Hologram style label will change depending on how you look at it, but you’ll quickly forget about it after you’ve started drinking this smooth red.

Paired with a meal of pasta with red sauce and meatballs, the smoothness of the wine did an excellent job of cutting through the acidity of the tomato sauce. I imagine this would have paired really well with a good steak, and almost lament that I didn’t get the chance to enjoy it with one.

If you’re already a fan of Malbecs, the Lo Tengo is worth checking out for the label alone, and if you’ve never had Malbec before, this is a great one to start with. Definitely worth the money and I recommend you try it.

Borra Vineyards Fusion Red

George — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:00:58 +0000

Varietal: Syrah (78%), Petite Sirah (9%), Alaconte Bouchet (7%), Zinfandel (6%)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $21

A deep purple blended wine with rich fruit flavors that follows aromas of black fruit, berries, and plum. Pairs with pizza, pasta, roasted meats, and wild game.

Recommendations: If you haven’t figured it out by now, the first part of this blog is what the vineyard says, and this part is what I say. Here, the vineyard and I disagree. While I did get a bit of fruit on the nose, it was pretty much buried by the heavy aroma of alcohol that I got from this wine, which is probably because it has nearly 15% alcohol by volume.

The wine itself is a bit more enjoyable…until you swallow. While Borra claims their Fusion Red has soft tannins, I must disagree, or at least say that the alcohol makes the finish much more rough than they would lead you to believe, which is fine if that’s what you prefer, but I was expecting something smoother having read the description of the wine (as I always do) before opening the bottle.

Usually a fan of blended Syrah/Shiraz and Zinfandel, I had really high hopes for this wine that it did not, unfortunately, live up to. Perhaps if I had paired this wine with a juicy steak or a pasta dish instead of pizza it would have been smoother, but I suspect the food wouldn’t have changed much of the finish on this wine. If you prefer a rough finish to your wine and a heavy aroma of alcohol, then this is for you, but if you’re like me and prefer something a bit smoother, especially when that’s what you’re lead to believe you’ll be having, then you should probably pass on this wine.

Special thanks go out to the International Wine of the Month Club.

Volteo Tempranillo

George — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:00:47 +0000

Varietal: Tempranillo
Region: Spain
Cost: $13

Purple coloring with aromas of ripened fruit. Fresh, light, and fruity on the palate, this will pair well with most food, including fancier food such as elaborate pasta dishes, or with hamburgers and BBQ.

Recommendations: I picked this up on a recommendation from John, my wine guy, and was pleased by the results. A bit of alcohol on the nose doesn’t completely mask the aromas of ripened fruit. A fairly fruit forward tempranillo, this will be a great pairing with just about anything, including whatever you cook on the grill, or while watching TV on a Sunday with the wife (which is what I did).

One neat feature about this bottle is that, much like Coors Light is doing, they’ve placed a ring around the logo on the label that turns blue when the bottle is at the correct temperature for drinking, a nice feature that can take the guess-work out of what the correct temperature to serve a bottle is.

For the price this is definitely a Tempranillo worth trying out, if for no other reason than the novelty of the color-changing ring. With less alcohol on the nose than a lot of other ones, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one as much as I did.

2007 Gabbiano Chianti

George — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:36 +0000

Varietal: Chianti
Region: Italy
Cost: $8.99

Slightly dry red wine that will hit you on the back of the tongue. Slight cherry flavors and good tannins on the finish make this a good red for pasta, pizza, or red meat.

Recommendations: I’m a sucker for chianti, and Gabbiano is one that I always find myself returning to. On an evening by myself, I paired this chianti with a pasta dish. The dryness of the wine was a nice compliment to the sauciness of the meal.

For the price, Gabbiano is great in that it’s a consistently good chianti. While I’m certain you can find a better chianti, you’ll be hard pressed to find one for this price that will consistently impress. For a dinner of pasta or pizza this is worth keeping on hand.