Most of all, I was impressed by the nobility and longevity of the wines. In almost every wine there was a hard core, Sicilian determination that aimed to survive against all adverse expectations. Each time I taste a new vintage, I find the same character. If you’re looking for fruit-driven, easy wines, move along. These aren’t those wines. The wines of Tenuta Regaleali are thoughtful, even pensive, wines of integrity that require “listening to” to fully appreciate.
Read MoreMarco Felluga 2014 Bianco Collio Molamatta: Named for its physical location, this is a true Super Friulian blend composed of 40% Pinot Bianco, 40% Tocai Friulano and 20% Ribolla Gialla. This striking blend delivers great harmony, not speaking of a particular grape variety but nodding toward fine terroir and good craftsmanship.
Read MoreEnrico Serafino is a well-established house in Piemonte’s Roero. In fact, it is the oldest continually operating winery there. That’s not for nothing.
Read MoreThe Adami family has been making single vineyard wines for 85 years. That’s remarkable considering that the region is known for its blended wines. Moreover only a decade into production, founder Abele Adami realized the superiority of hillside vineyards. It’s been all about the hills, or the “rive” in Italian, ever since.
My number one take away from this tasting is how remarkably finessed the impression of the bubbles are in all of the wines.
Read MoreDonnafugata 2016 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Floramundi: This wine smells of warm, red clay soils or even a hot, terracotta pizza oven. It also smells of old, wooden spice racks and dried tomatoes. The taste is every bit as savory.
Read MoreThis perky young thing is surprisingly forward on the nose and palate. It’s downright energizing to drink this!
Read MoreThe best wines of this tasting confirm what I’ve said for just over a half decade: I believe Sicily is a region on the rise to being one of the top quality producers (it has long been a top volume producer of Italy), if it isn’t already.
Read MoreTrentodoc bubbly is on a mission to have its metodo classico wines perceived as the best in Italy. The tip-top of this category of wines is crisp and bitingly dry – in an appealing way. They are also layered with flavor.
Read MoreAbout 12 years ago, I vividly remember tasting a non-Friulian, Italian white under $20 that was head turning. It was a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. I was taken aback as non-Friulian Italian whites didn’t usually excite me. Yes, there were some exceptions, but for the rest, I largely clumped Italian whites together as “high acid and lightly bitter, lemony and nutty.”
Read MoreSelvapiana is a winery dedicated not only to Chianti Rufina but also to family. The Giuntini family is less than a decade away from owning the winery for 200 years.
Read MoreOn the first night, I was surprised to find that this was an unremarkable set of wines. The next night, however, the wines began to expand in the glass and show more verve. If you can’t bear to wait, give them an aggressive splash decanting a few hours before serving them. In their current state, these Piedmont bottlings are definitely wines for a table laden with hearty fare.
Read MoreOlianas 2016 Vermentino di Sardegna: Star-bright and dark yellow, this wine has an open and inviting nose. It smells of peach skin, heather and Green Chartreuse.
Read MoreRocca Sveva 2015 Soave Castelcerino: YES! This is a delightfully full-flavored wine with oodles of lemony acidity balancing the creamy, custardy palate. The beautifully scented nose starts with heather and anise then veers into Canary melon, Meyer lemon, pomelo and mirabelle plums on the rather weighty (for Soave) palate.
Read MoreDeep ruby in color with a black cherry core, this Amarone’s succulent attack quickly turns brooding on the palate. It layers on flavors of cassis, black raisins and shriveling figs, meat, peat and salumi.
Read MoreThe family-run Michele Chiarlo has been harvesting native Piemontese grape varieties for over sixty years. Today, Stefano and Alberto, the sons of Michele, run the winery. I taste the Chiarlo wines from time to time, admittedly mostly at industry tastings. So, I appreciated this opportunity to “work through” a bottle of the family’s Barbera over a leisurely dinner.
Read MoreI love wines from Alto Adige. Lodged between the rest of Italy and Austria - with a sliver of its borders against Switzerland, the region’s producers craft wines with Italian exuberance and Austrian precision. Moreover, the dynamics of the Alpine duo of chilly temperatures and sunshine taste delicious in the glass.
Read MoreI adore Vermentino (aka Rolle, Pigato and Favorita) for its floral nose scented with honeysuckle, yellow pears and sometimes star fruit. While I’ve tasted it in its many forms for a long time, my keen interest began only about six years ago, as I noticed that many places other than Tuscany, Sardegna, Corsica and the Languedoc were making Vermentino.
Read MoreWhoa! This youthful Nebbiolo packs a powerful punch. It is as vibrantly driven with red currant and dried red cranberry fruit as much as it is by punchy tannins and invigorating acidity. Its perfume is heady with dried rose petals and anise.
Read MoreCantina Riff Progetto Lageder 2016 Pinot Grigio: Light and lively, this refined and flavorful Pinot Grigio smells of Key Lime lime zest and tastes of cracked white peppercorns and white grapefruit.
Read MoreProsecco recently has seen a tidal wave of change at every quality level. The popularity of the DOC wines has driven global markets for sparkling wines in recent years, making even Champagne sweat.
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