Posts Tagged ‘ripe berries’
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Cabernet Franc)
Region: Sicily
Cost: $43
Dark red color with aromas of wild berry, black cherry, leather, earth, and mineral. Palate carries over the flavors with the addition of spice and balsamic notes. Pairs well with meaty pasta, meats, and some cheeses.
Recommendations: This bottle was given as a gift to me, and I have to say it was pretty enjoyable. I had been holding off on opening it until I could pair it with something Italian in nature, and I finally got around to it last Friday. My wife decided to make these lasagna rolls that are stuffed with Italian sausage and ricotta cheese, then topped with red sauce and mozzarella and thrown in the oven to bake. Very tasty.
As for the wine itself, the dark color was appealing in the glass, and the aromas of berry and black cherry with a hint of earth were enticing. On the palate, I continued to get black cherry, and a bit of the spice did come through at the finish for me. Nice tannins on the finish made it a great pairing with the lasagna rolls. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Red Blend
Region: Italy
Cost: $20
Deep purple coloring with aromas of roses, violets, and woodlands. Red and black fruits on the palate, with hints of truffle and chocolate. Pair with veal, hearty soups, hard cheeses such as Parmesan or Pecorino, lamb, Osso Bucco.
Recommendations: I’ve been sitting on this bottle for a few weeks since receiving it just before Thanksgiving waiting to pair it with some steaks that have been sitting in my fridge waiting to be cooked. I was so glad that I did. I’m a fan of dry red wines, and the Canneto Rosso did not disappoint.
Tons of earthiness on the nose lead into a very dry wine that still managed to exhibit flavors of ripe berries. Although the wine has a high alcohol content (14%/vol), it doesn’t show either on the nose or on the palate, a huge selling point for me.
Paired with a well seasoned steak, the dryness of the wine was a great compliment to the juiciness of the meat, and the earthiness on the nose mixed well with the herbs I used on the steak (rosemary is my friend). While this wine is a bit expensive to use as an everyday table wine, it’s certainly in that vein and if you’re looking for a fancier table wine, this is certainly what you’re looking for. Definitely worth grabbing.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine.
Varietal: Grenache/Syrah
Region: France
Cost: $19.50
Aromas of ripe berries, black fruits, and white pepper with hints of herbs and spice. Smooth on the palate with a tannic finish that pairs well with steak, fried chicken, pork, bbq, hamburgers, and pizza. Easy to enjoy now or in another year or two.
Recommendations: I was excited when I got this bottle as I’m a fan of both of these varietals, and seeing them blended made me want to open up the bottle as soon as it was delivered to me. I found the aromas to be subtle, but certainly caught the pepper and herbs.
The wine itself was very smooth, and for as dark as it was in the glass, I found it to be much lighter on the palate than I was expecting, while still giving off the earthiness that I find is typical of French wine. The one thing that surprised me is that the finish of the wine had a bit of alcohol to it, which is surprising considering the wine is only 12.5% by volume – certainly not high.
Paired with a New York Strip and baked potato, the alcohol finish was easy masked and the earthiness of the wine was a great match to the juiciness of the red meat. While I certainly don’t drink a lot of French wine, I really enjoyed this one and would certainly recommend it – especially if you’re a fan of Grenache of Syrah.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine.
