A Great Way to Develop an Interest in Italian Wines

One of the fears of doling out advice as I do in my every-other-week newspaper column is a sense of responsibility. I really have this desire to help people enjoy better wine.

So when I suggest a particular wine or a particular grape, I do try to consider it carefully.

There aren't many folks who haven't had some sort of red italian wine with some pasta - even if you're not a wine drinker. Many of us, me included, started with Riunite Lambrusco from the grocery store. Riunite got me started drinking wine. And if it wasn't that for you, it was probably white zinfindal. The path to wine appreciation starts with very humble origins indeed.

Lambrusco dates back to Roman times in Italy. It's an old and noble grape that today is best known for it's cheap supermarket product, though it can be used - and is - to make other wines.

But we are all more serious about our wines now, right; so we are looking for something a bit more sophisticated. I'd recommend a Dolcetto wine. This evening I opened a nice bottle of Dolcetto D' Alba and enjoyed it with some dynamite pasta.

The wine was a 2005 from the San Guilio region. San Guilio is an island in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. This particular wine, (I couldn't find a picture of the label) was a very nice, easy to drink, and enjoyable. Dolcetto means "little sweet one," but the wine is a dry wine that goes great with pasta, pizza, or similar foods.

It is easy to drink and that's the key. Italian wines can be big, bold, acidic and challenging for the average wine drinker. That's why I think a Dolcetto D' Alba is a great introduction to Italian wines.

The wines also fall easily into the category of under $20. You can find them in almost any wine store. Good ones are often no more than $9-$12. So here is a case where I'm recommending a grape. It will get you into the wonderful Old World style wines of Italy.

Graduation ceremonies include Barolos and Brunellos! I'll write about those one of these days too! I wish they came in under $20 but those are much bigger and much more expensive bottles of juice!

And since this blog is supposed to complement my wine newspaper column, I should throw in a quick explanation. Note I didn't offer the name of the particular bottle I had this evening. It's not important. When I write about old world wines, it's largely about Europe. And with France and Italy, in particular, wines are known for the region and much less the name of the producer.

So with that next pasta dish, try a Dolcetto D' Alba. They're easy to find. I think you'll like it.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Merry Christmas to My Loyal Readers!

A very Merry Christmas from Grape Sense!

Howard Hewitt
Crawfordsville, Indiana

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Another Malbec from Agrentina with Interesting Notes

More on Malbec. Is there a theme?

I opened a bottle of 2007 Zuccardi Malbec tonight that was really an interesting wine. Now, what do I mean by interesting? I tend to use that a lot.

To me 'interesting' is a good thing. Interesting means there are things going on when you get a mouthful of this purple-black wine. An interesting wine requires you to slow down, think bout the wine as you drink it, and see how it changes over the course of a class or two.

This Mendoza region malbec wasn't as smooth as some of the more recent ones I've written about here, but it had some complexity.

Now a confession, I'm not real good at the "nose of currant, hint of mint" sort of things you read in wine publications and in wine shops. But, I keep working at it. I check out the nose and taste the wine and try to identify some things then look at the notes on the bottle to see if I'm even close to what the winemaker wrote.

I'm getting better. This wine wasn't as fruity to me as some Malbecs but it was fairly bold. I thought of blackberries and maybe even the earthy flavor of good chocolate. Imagine my surprise when a little research suggested hints of blackberry, raspberry, currant and chocolate. I'll take getting close.

I've known a couple of people who talk about 'chewy' wines - big flavors, a good balance of tannins and acidity - chewy! I'm not sure I still fully understand that description, but if I do - I'd suggest the Zuccardi is chewy!

My first instinct is this might be a better wine next year. It is a 2007 so its a very young wine.

I might not suggest it as your first Malbec. But it pairs up nice with food, partly because of the bigger flavor. I had it with chili and it was quite good.

I bought this bottle at Cork-N-Cracker in Indianapolis for $13.95 ... a good price based on researching the wine.

So bottom line, if you see Zuccardi in a wine shop and you like Malbecs, this would be one to pick up and try!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

A Consistently Great Italian Value Wine

It's hard to find a Tuscan wine that gets nearly universal praise and only costs around $10.

Monte Antico's Tuscana is such a wine. I first found this wine in a small shop 5-6 years ago. I frequently buy it today. You'll find it anywhere from $8.95 to $12.95 at shops everywhere. The Italian producer makes about 100,000 cases annually and they seem to make great juice with each vintage.

The inexpensive blend has 5% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 85% of the great Italian grape Sangiovese. Sangiovese is the base for most red Italian blends. You can also buy many great, inexpensive bottles of 100% Sangiovese at many shops.

The 2004 Monte Antico is just a very easy-to-drink wine. For those who's Italian Red wine experience starts with things like the Riunite at the market, here as an easy step up financially for a great companion to any Italian dish. You get the fruit of the Sangiovese with the Cab and Merlot making it a well-rounded, enjoyable glass with food. It's very smooth and goes great with pasta, pizza, or meat.

I'd call it medium bodied, at best. Wine drinkers who like big Cabs, Zins, or Syrah will find this a bit boring. But I have never grown tired of this fine little wine.

Again, you'll find it everywhere. If you are just getting into wine - this one is a great buy, a great wine. Wine Spectator gave this little gem an 87 for its 2004 bottle.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com