An All-Time Favorite Value Wine

I've been drinking Santa Cristina Sangiovese for a number of years. It never fails to disappoint. And it is a mass-produced wine.

The wine is made by the Antinori family from Florence, Italy. The family has made wine for 26 generations. No, that's not a typo. I knew they were one of Italy's oldest wine producers but didn't realize the family history dated back that far until I did some research. There are several interesting videos about the family on YouTube. Start with this short video and you'll see more in the related video windows.

They make 300,000 to 400,000 cases of Santa Cristina every year which normally scares me away. But I've never had a bad bottle. They first produced this wine in the 1940s but have made a few changes through the years. Perhaps the biggest of those changes came in 1994 when they added 10 percent Merlot to the Sangiovese. It softened the wine. The glass I had Saturday night had hints of cherry and herb. It's medium bodied with a moderately smooth finish. Still, there is enough heft to this wine and some acidity to hold up nicely to food.

The wine "experts" generally tend to praise this consistent Italian gem. And the best part is the price point. You will find it in wine shops and the big discount stores with wine selections in the $9-$12 range.

If you have not moved beyond the Lambrusco, this is a good introduction to better wine. If you're a regular wine drinker, you'll be surprised at the structure of this inexpensive bottle.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Missing Link Zin Missing A Lot

Early on, if you're a serious wine drinker, you learn not to buy wines with cute bottles, cute names, or some gimmick. I've lived by that rule. But every now and then, the marketers get me.

Saturday I bought a bottle of Missing Link Zinfandel. It was under $10 and very clever.

The back of the bottle reads as follows:

"You've evolved as a wine drinker. You're past monkeying around with entry level wines, but you're not about to ape over those insanely expensive "cult" wines either. Well, stand up straight and stop dragging those nuckles ..."

You get the idea. I opened it tonight and it smelled funny, but not like it had gone bad. The taste was thin ... and weird. Good Zin has a big fruit forward blast and a peppery finish. Even thin zin has some of the same characteristics. This had none of those things. It was sorta bad, but not awful - I drank some and poured the rest out - probably a couple of glasses.

The wine was a 2007 from the Lodi area in California.

So remember the rules - avoid the gimmicky wines! No cats, dogs, poetry, nor movie stars, weird shaped bottles or catchy names. Clearly some of these wineries spend more on marketing and packaging than they do the wine!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Please Note Some Blog Changes

A quick note to regular visitors to Grape Sense - A Glass Half Full.

I'm really getting into this and decided my columns and periodic musings need some order. I have created a separate blog (see Grape Sense in left column) for just the newspaper columns. I will use this space to write about the wines I'm drinking and my wine ruminations.

Grape Sense will be just the newspaper column. That helps me out when introducing the column to new newspapers. And if you missed one earlier, they should be much easier to browse through now!

It was exciting for me to know Seymour and Terre Haute started the column last week. It was even more exciting to get an email from a distant relative of the Bogle family still living in Jackson county. Bogle makes a decent supermarket brand.

I was thrilled to get three emails from the Terre Haute region. One reader wanted some Indiana winery advice and the other some wine suggestions. The third was a "wine guy" for Beasler's Market which has a nice wine and beer selection. I exchanged a couple of e-mails with a great guy who helps manage their wine selection. I plan on making a Saturday visit soon.

But I do appreciate the feedback. Keep the email coming! And, (a plug) if the newspaper column is running in your community let the editor know you appreciate it!

Thanks - Howard

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Nothing Quite as Tasty as a Nice Chianti Classico

For most wine lovers like me, it's all about a great wine at a great price!

I opened a bottle of Chianti Classico Friday night that really fits that bill. Brancaia Chianti Classico (2003) was one of nicest inexpensive Italian wines I've opened in awhile.

Hats off to the folks at Cork and Cracker in Indianapolis who recommended this super value wine at $14.99.

This is 100 percent Sangiovese that is silky smooth that was aged 18 months in French Oak. What I like about it is how it held up to food. Many of the Chianti's are fruity and easy to drink, but disappear when paired with food of strong flavor.

This wine was very smooth on the palate with enough punch on the back side with smooth tannins and the French Oak aging to hold its own.

A bit of education here. There is Chianti and Chianti Classico. Remember that Italian and French wines are named by the region. It's pretty simple, Chianti is a major Italian wine area based largely on the Sangiovese grape. Classico is an area within the Chianti region.

This was a super bottle of wine for the price. I made some kicked up pasta and it paired up perfectly.

This is not a mass produced wine either, just 4,500 cases. And, it got an 88 from Wine Spectator. If you're near Cork and Cracker, by the old Glendale Mall in Indy, stop in and pick up a bottle. I'm sure you'd see it elsewhere too.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com