Category: Uncategorized
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2021 Principe Pallavicini Frascati [Rating: 3/5 | $14]
What wine do Romans (present and ancient) drink? It’s not a fancy wine from far away. Romans – just like people from most cities in Italy – drink locally. In Rome, people at home or at a Trattoria (typical inexpensive restaurant) mostly drink wines from the Castelli region, which is right outside Rome. Frascati is…
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2020 Mauro Molino “Di Martina” Rosso [Rating: 3/5 | $14]
This producer, Mauro Molino, is from the Langhe region in Piedmont and makes a lot of good, value-driven wines. The most notorious are probably their different Barolo bottlings. This is their entry-level red wine, meant for everyday consumption. It is a blend mainly of Barbera and Merlot. These two grape varieties (especially Merlot) tend to…
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2022 C.V.N.E. Rioja Rosado [Rating: 4/5 | $16]
I recently reviewed another wine (the review is here) from the same producer, C.V.N.E., which makes great wines from Rioja, in Spain. I will not repeat my praises for this producer, but I will say again that if you see one of these wines, it is a safe bet and a great value to buy.…
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2020 Vietti Perbacco Langhe Nebbiolo [Rating: 3/5 | $27]
Vietti is a reference producer in the Piedmont Langhe region of Italy. Every wine they make is good, and they produce the whole range from inexpensive Barbera and Dolcetto that cost around $15 all the way to top-notch single-vinyard Barolos that retail more than $200 per bottle. So if you find this producer on the…
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2021 Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica [Rating: 4/5 | $18]
For France (and many other countries) two white wines are worth remembering because they fill up the display sections in stores: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. For Italy, there are a lot of white grape varieties, but one that is worth remembering is definitely Verdicchio. Verdicchio is a white grape that makes age-worthy, aromatic, high-acidity wines.…
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2018 C.V.N.E. Vina Real Rioja Crianza [Rating: 3/5 | $17]
When I don’t drink Italian wines, I tend to drink Spanish wines, particularly Rioja. They come in red, rose’, and whites, and they are all great values. Rioja reds tend to be predominantly made from Tempranillo grape, a typical red variety of this area of Spain. Many Rioja tend to have some oak, but not…
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2018 Capezzana “Villa di Capezzana” Carmignano [Rating: 5/5 | $28]
Carmignano is a very small wine appellation in Tuscany. Its wine is made mainly (about 80%) with Sangiovese grape (again, just like Chianti Classico and Brunello, for example) but here they also blend in about 20% of other international varieties, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Cabernet Franc. This blending has been going on for hundreds…
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2019 Rodano Chianti Classico [Rating: 4/5 | $19]
Wine and cheese? This bottle has both. This is one of my favorite – and affordable (at $16 – $19) – Chianti Classicos. (Yes, as you can see, I taste and review a lot of them). It is characterized by being an explosive wine. It’s full body, packed with plums and strawberry jam aromas, and…
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2020 Paitin Langhe Nebbiolo “Starda” [Rating: 4/5 | $20]
This wine is made from another of my favorite grape varieties: Nebbiolo. This grape makes some of the most heralded, complex, and age worthy wines: Barolo and Barbaresco. These wines cost north of $40, and – unlike some Cabernet Sauvignons – are not too oaky (or oaky at all) nor fruit bombs. Instead, they are…
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2020 Sergio Mottura Poggio della Costa Grechetto [Rating: 3/5 | $18]
This wine is a bit more difficult to find in the United States, but it is made by arguably the leading producer in Italy of Grechetto, a native wine variety in central Italy. If you always drink Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and you want to try something different – but not too different –…
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