How about a nice $15 Chianti Classico?

There's nothing better than some mild Italian sausage, ground turkey, chopped seasoned tomatos, lots of onion, garlic, and I like red peppers - over pasta. Of course it's best with some rich and medium weight Italian red wine.

I made that pasta combination tonight and opened a bottle of Straccali 2006 Chianti Classico. Chianti is almost always the entry point for most of us into Italian red wines. It's a bigger flavor but pairs really well with about any red sauce pasta dish.

This winery has been around along time dating back to 1925. It's situated in the key Chianti region of Italy between Florence and Siena. Most Chianti or Chianti Classico is primarily Sangiovese. This wine is 90 percent of the classic Italian grape with a 10 percent blend of Merlot and Canaiolo.

It's a big full-flavored, medium bodied wine. It has a rich nose of dark fruit, it's a bit tart, but pairs really well with food.

And I like this wine a lot for the $12-$15 price point. I picked this up at Cork & Cracker's Fishers' store.

This makes a nice comparison to the Italian I opened earlier this week. This wine was definitely a little bigger wine than the Caldora, but it is a different grape. You can read about the other Italian I wrote about here.

Overall, a good choice if you like a nice big Sangiovese flavor at this price point!

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