Sangiovese is the wine that most wine critics cite to be the best in all of Italy.

Whether or not it is the best is entirely up to you, but it’s one of those wines to know and perhaps try, at least once in your life.

WineMaking

Traditionally, the wine goes through an extended maceration period where color and flavor are extracted from the skins. Following fermentation the wine is then aged in oak. Traditionally, the wines are aged 3 years or more “in botte“—large Slavonian oak casks that impart little oak flavor and generally produce more austere wines.

The normale bottles are released on the market 50 months after harvest and the riserva are released a year afterward. The current aging requirements were established in 1998 and dictate that Brunellos are to be aged in oak for 2 years and at least 4 months in a bottle before release.

Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy’s most famous and prestigious wines.

The wine is typically garnet in color with aromas of red and black fruit with underlying vanilla and spice, and perhaps a hint of earthiness.

Brunello di Montalcino wine is made exclusively from Sangiovese Grosso grapes,  Its name here translates roughly as ‘little dark one’. The use of this synonym and its inclusion in the name of the wine was part of a clear strategy to differentiate the wine from Chianti.

The first recordings of red wines from Montalcino date back to the early 14th Century. However, the all-Sangiovese Brunello di Montalcino style we know today did not emerge until the 1870s, just after the creation of a single Italian state. Its evolution was due in no small part to the efforts of Ferruccio Biondi-Santi, whose name lives on in one of Montalcino’s finest estates.

A soldier in Garibaldi’s army, Biondi-Santi returned home from the Garibaldi campaigns to manage the Fattoria del Greppo estate for his grandfather. It was here that he developed some novel winemaking techniques which would revolutionize wine styles

FRUIT FLAVORS (berries, fruit, citrus)Lemon, Apple, Pear, Pineapple, Jackfruit, Passionfruit, Peach, Fig

OTHER (herb, spice, flower, mineral, earth, other)Apple Blossom, Lemon Zest, Citrus Peel, Celery leaf, Beeswax, Lemon balm, Honeysuckle, Wet flint rocks, Saline Solution, Vanilla Bean, Almond, Jasmine

OAK FLAVORS (flavors added with oak aging)Vanilla, Baked Tart, Butter, Pie Crust, Caramelized Sugar, Creme Brulee, Dill, Coconut, Praline

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol: 13%

Volume: 750ml

Description:   A fruity wine with mixed white flowers, banana and pineapple in the nose. It has a straw yellow color
with greenish reflection and a fruity taste.

Food Pairing:  Pairs well with shellfish, seafood, and feta cheese stuffed olives; hummus, Fiori di Zucca
(squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta), anchovies, and herbs.

CHARDONNAY SERVING TEMPERATURE Unoaked: 48 ºF (9 ºC)
Oaked: 54 ºF (12 ºC)

ACIDITY Medium Low (oaked warm climate) – Medium-High (unoaked cool climate)

The Perfect all-around Italian “food wine”

100% Montepulciano, aged one year in oak for depth, velvety smoothness and character. A Touch of Vanilla, cocoa, dark fruit, and blackberry.

Food matches for Montepulciano include:

• Roasted veal stuffed with spinach
• Deep-dish pizza
• Beef satay

Montepulciano is a red wine grape variety grown widely in central Italy, most notably its eastern Abruzzo

Globally appreciated for their soft flavors, strong color, and gentle tannins, Montepulciano wines are typically best consumed in their youth and with food.

The deep purple juice of Montepulciano grapes is used in varying proportions to produce wines under roughly 50 of Italy’s DOC and DOCG titles. Although sometimes used on its own, it also responds well to blending with other varieties, most successfully Sangiovese.

At the turn of the new century, Montepulciano was Italy’s second most planted red wine variety, just behind Sangiovese and marginally ahead of Barbera. Its popularity is to both the approachable style of the wines it produces, and because the variety gives reliably high yields.

The most famous Montepulciano wines come from the east coast of Italy, specifically the Abruzzo region. Here, vast volumes of Montepulciano are produced on the low hills and flatlands around the Adriatic coast and marketed under the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC title.

Abruzzo’s finest examples of Montepulciano come from the region’s north, in the Colline

Negroamaro is valued for its deep color, medium-full tannins, and dark berry fruit flavors.

The variety can also add earthen tones that can cross over into slightly medicinal flavors. It is mildly aromatic and can produce complex wines that show characteristics of ground brown spices such as clove, cinnamon, and allspice.

Food matches for Negroamaro include:

• Braised wild boar shanks
• Lamb rogan josh
• Spaghetti and meatballs

Negroamaro is a dark-skinned grape variety that has been associated with the Puglia region in southern Italy for at least 1500 years.

The name Pecorino means “little sheep” and is perhaps more widely associated with Pecorino cheese, which is made from ewes’ milk and is entirely unrelated, save for its etymological link.

The grape is so-called supposedly because it was a favorite treat for flocks of sheep driven to lower pastures. Pecorino cheese is, coincidentally, a surprisingly good food match for Pecorino wine.

Food matches for Pecorino include:

• Pecorino cheese and walnut bread
• Steamed white fish with ginger
• Chicken thighs with roasted red pepper and onion

Pecorino is a light-skinned wine grape used in Italy’s eastern coastal regions, particularly in Marche and Abruzzo.

A classic Pecorino-based wine is dry and minerally, straw-yellow in color, and has an elegantly floral bouquet of acacia and jasmine, sometimes spiced with a faint hint of licorice.

The variety has a long, complicated and all-too-common history. It has been cultivated in the Marche region for hundreds of years but low yields saw it replaced by more-productive grape varieties like Trebbiano.

By the mid-20th Century, Pecorino was thought extinct. In the 1980s, a local producer researching native varieties investigated a rumor of some forgotten vines in an overgrown vineyard.

Cuttings were taken and propagated and eventually grew enough grapes to make very good wine in the early 1990s. Since then, the variety’s plantings have grown exponentially, and Pecorino is grown in Marche, Abruzzo, Umbria, and Tuscany.

Pecorino offers high acidity as well as high sugar content, making it very useful in the winery. The sugar translates into reasonably high alcohol, but the acidity helps to balance this, ensuring the wines are still crisp and fresh.

It does particularly well at higher altitudes where there is a good exposure to sunlight and cooling breezes.

This sparkling white wine, made following the Charmat method, with Passerina grapes grown in Abruzzo by the Carrisi family

It is an enchanting sparkling, with a very elegant nose with floral notes and a delicate palate with soft bubbles, perfect as an aperitif but also pairs shellfish and raw fish dishes

Grape/Blend:  Passerina

Food Suggestion: Shellfish, Crab, and Lobster

Wine Style: Sparkling – Fresh and Youthful

Passerina- ‘The little sparrow’

There is a lovely story surrounding the naming of this variety, which I was told from an older winemaker in the Italian, Abruzzo region.

Passerina is a genus of birds in the cardinal family and in Italian ‘sparrow’ translates as ‘Passero’. As the tale goes the Passerina grape variety is the sparrows’ favourite tipple and therefore the name stuck.

THE GRAPES CHARACTERISTICS

At its best, the grape can produce a fantastic fresh style of white wine, reminiscent of Pinot Grigio but a great alternative.  The grape can be used in a variety of styles. Producing crisp, clean white wines, delicate sparkling wines and occasionally passito versions. Passito, or straw wine, is made by a process of drying the grapes on straw mats in order to concentrate the flavours and sugars in the grapes by evaporating the water.

The typical flavours in the still white wines are floral and fruity. The fruit element revolves around stone fruits such as peach and nectarine, there are also citrusy notes that add freshness to the wine.

Well balanced, crisp, fresh, floral and fruit led wine.

The grape is also used on the western side of Italy particularly in Lazio. Here the wines tend to be more rich and creamy in style.

A refreshing Pinot Grigio full of green apple and citrus notes with a zesty finish. Fresh and fruity this a crowd-pleasing vibrant Italian white wine.

Our wine experts think this Northern Italy Pinot Grigio wine would be a match made in heaven with these dishes

Food matches for Pinot Grigio include:

Goat cheese, rocket & walnut salad
Crispy garlic and chili prawns
Grilled green-lipped mussels

Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for Pinot Gris, a white mutation of the Pinot family. It shares its genetic fingerprint with Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and several other varieties.

The term Pinot Grigio has become strongly associated with light-bodied wines produced in great quantities, particularly in northern Italy.

The wines are most commonly described as dry white wines with relatively high acidity. These characteristics are complemented by aromas of lemon, lime, green apple, and blossoms.

This “every day” Grigio Italian style is achieved firstly by harvesting the grapes relatively early. This is done in an attempt to retain as much fresh acidity as possible. Otherwise, the variety is naturally quite low in acidity. In a hot summer, the picking date is particularly important.

Early harvests can also have a clear impact on color. As Pinot Gris/Grigio ripens it can take on a pinkish color. Wines made from riper grapes can be much more golden.

Food matches for Primitivo wines include:

• Puglian spit-roasted lamb
• Beetroot curry (thel-dala)
• Wine-stewed lentils with smoked bacon

Color:  particularly pleasing copper-colored wine Bouquet:  pleasantly rounded

Taste:  pleasant round and balanced flavor, persistent ripe fruit

Serve: tastes best when served at 10˚ to 12˚ C or 50˚– 54˚ F

Primitivo is a dark-skinned grape known for producing inky, tannic wines.

A classic Primitivo wine is high in both alcohol and tannins, intensely flavored and deeply colored. A certain bitterness is often found in Primitivo which, combined with its mouth-puckering tannins, means that it needs a few years in either bottle or barrel.

Primitivo has endured something of a rollercoaster ride in the past few decades. In the 1990s, the variety was at its lowest ebb for a long time. The EU’s vine pull schemes had seen thousands of acres of Primitivo vines ripped out of the ground.

Being relatively difficult to manage in the vineyard, Primitivo suffered worse than many other varieties.

But across the Atlantic Zinfandel was booming, which doubtless contributed to Primitivo’s new lease of life. The new-look Primitivo that soon began to emerge was no longer just a blending variety, it was now the historic grape behind southern Italy’s flagship wines.

Platone is opaque ruby red that smelled discretely of vanilla, red fruit jam, and ripe cherries. A warm welcome that was prolonged by an intense taste of hot red fruit, cherries, chocolate, and coffee.

Well-structured with still active tannins, a nice acidity, and lots of personalities that had a slowly fading spin-off in the long spicy finish.

A taste of old, rural Southern Italy!

Awards: Decanter World Wine Awards, 2011: Bronze

Produced in the historic area of Montalcino (Siena) at an elevation of about 450 m above sea level

Bouquet: clean and flowery with distinctive notes of violets
Flavor: full, velvety and with good structure
Serving Temperature: 18-20°C
Gastronomy: grilled meats, read meats and game

VINIFICATION
Produced with a blend of Montepulciano grapes for 70% and Sangiovese for the remaining 30%. The vineyards are near Ascoli Piceno, in the municipality of Castano. They date back to 1994 and are found on calcareous clay soils exposed to the south west raised with the guyot method. 300 plants per hectare with a yield of 100 quintals/hectare.

The vinification takes place with maceration on the skins for eight days in traditional winemakers using the delestage technique. Aging takes place in medium toasted French barriques, 1/3 new, 1/3 second passage and 1/3 third passage.

Aging of 12 months in barrique and further three months in bottle before being put on sale. Il Cardinale is a relatively recent company, born in 2006 as a crowning achievement of a ten-year passion of the Quitadamo family born already in the seventies in which the family was already dedicated to the production and marketing of grapes through a shop owned in Lombardy.

Finally, since 2006, the production and marketing of the wine produced from their vineyards has begun. Today, it is a certified organic company that places respect for the environment as a sine qua non condition. It boasts an ideal cellar meeting point between tradition and innovation equipped with the most modern technologies.

The Cantine il Crinale have 50 hectares cultivated with the typical vines of the Marche, Passerina, Pecorino and Trebbiano for the whites, Sangiovese and Montepulciano for the reds. In 2008 in Venice they were awarded the Leon d’Oro for entrepreneurship.

Re Nero invented the name obtained by anagramming the name of one of the members of the winery, responsible for production, Mr. Armando Neroni.

The association of the name of the wine with the word “black” is recurrent, nor have we tasted others of “black” wines, of which we invite you to read or reread the reviews, such as Cavicchioli’s Lambrusco Fiero Nero, Greco Nero from Cantine Lavorata or the fun Pilu Niuru Classic Salento Igp Taurosso.

Black, dark, unknown, like the value of a wine chosen randomly on the shelf. In this case, as for all our reviews, we reveal the value: an excellent intrinsic value, but above all an excellent quality/price ratio for what turns out to be an excellent expression of this wine from the Marche region.

TASTING
In the glass, Rosso Piceno Superiore Doc Re Nero presents a deep ruby ​​red color, limpid and not very transparent, “black” in a certain sense. Of dense fluidity, on the olfactory examination it is intense and complex with hints of dried flowers, ripe fruit and jam, spices and vanilla notes.

Perfumes that all return to the palate where a wine of character is confirmed. Full-bodied, warm, with its 13.5% alcohol by volume. Round, dry, with good taste freshness, it is slightly sapid. The tannins are not scratchy, they are moderate although noticeable.

Elegant, clean, dry. The finish of persistence with licorice aroma. It is not a trivial wine, on the contrary. If you like barricaded wines, try it, if you love Rosso Piceno this is right for you. The combination with Rosso Piceno food also depends on the degree of maturation of the wine.

A greater maturation, with consequent greater softness and balance makes it suitable for more tasty and structured dishes to create harmony between the richness of taste of the food and the wine itself.

Excellent the combination with dishes based on truffles or flavored with wild fennel, with meat sauces, grilled meats, beef, pork and sheep, with game, boiled and stewed meats. But Rosso Piceno Superiore Doc Re Nero is also perfect with aged cheeses such as pecorino and parmesan.

Try it with gorgonzola, maybe with walnuts or with the famous mixed fried Ascoli. It should be served at 18 degrees in large glasses, open at least thirty minutes before tasting it in order to fully enjoy the organoleptic characteristics.

Full-bodied well balanced ripe fruit. Best Italian wine for value. Delicious Smooth and bold with plenty of fruit, tannins, and a bit of spice.

grape varietals: 70% Montepulciano, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot

vineyard location: march, Italy

bottle aging: 6  months

Alcohol content: 14,5%

color: ruby red color of medium intensity.

aroma: the scent of ripe black cherry, with hints of chocolate and hints of vanilla and licorice.

 palate: intense body, balanced tannin structure that remains intact for a long time.

food pairing notes pasta dishes, roasts and cheeses.

serving temperature: 18/°C / 64.4°F

It is matured in small oak barrels. Its character reflects it’s genuine origin in the Marche region and it is particularly well suited with roasted meats and sharp cheeses.

The ruby red color of medium intensity. the scent of ripe black cherry, with hints of chocolate and hints of vanilla and licorice. intense body, balanced tannin structure that remains intact for a long time.

Our wine experts think this Southern Italy Primitivo wine would be a match made in heaven with these dishes. Bon appétit!

Primitivo is a dark-skinned grape known for producing inky, tannic wines, particularly Primitivo di Manduria and its naturally sweet Dolce Naturale variant.

A classic Primitivo wine is high in both alcohol and tannins, intensely flavored and deeply colored. In Manduria, the fortified liquoroso variants often reach an ABV of 18%, which is dulled to 14% in the table wines.

A certain bitterness is often found in Primitivo which, combined with its mouth-puckering tannins, means that it needs a few years in either bottle or barrel.

Nice straw yellow color, the bouquet is mild and quite pleasant. Mostly dry but slight sweetness on the aftertaste.

An ideal white wine for seafood dishes. This is made by the Carrisi family estate and is bottled unoaked in order to emphasize the freshness of the Trebbiano grape which shows great acidity and a mineral structure alongside fresh fruit character.

High yielding white wine grape variety, originated in the South-Eastern Italian Adriatic Sea. Beautiful, Romantic, and expressive. The nose shows ripe citrus and white flowers and the palette is full and crisp.

A well-balanced wine for immediate drinking served chilled an aperitif or to accompany fish, shellfish and white meats. Great Choice to Pair with the Mediterranean and Asian Cuisine.

Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore – A Fab Food Wine

VINIFICATION

The grapes are hand picked, crushed, and fermented, thus, preserving its fresh and young character. The grapes then undergo a cold pre-fermentation for approximately five days; total contact with the skins is maintained for about 20 days. By the time the skins are drawn off, the highly aromatic wine has obtained excellent color and structure. It is placed in cold storage for four months before undergoing the “ripasso” process, which entails fermenting the wine on Amarone must for a period of 20 days, resulting in increased color, aroma, body, and fruit flavor.

Once the wine is prepared for aging, it matures for 18 months in casks and barrels, which adds complexity, structure and refinement. Afterwards it undergoes an additional month in the bottle before release.

The wine is made in the Ripasso style where the wine is fermented with the leftover dried grape skins from the production of Amarone. It is then aged for 8 months in oak barriques and has 9.8 g/L of residual sugar.

Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore begins with a pleasing aroma of blackberry, plum, and spice with a bit of a raisiny note and a touch of vanilla. Tasting reveals a medium-bodied, smooth, and easy to drink wine that went wonderfully with our meat lovers pizza. A round mouthfeel, sweet red fruit tinged with spice and soft tannins lead into the dry, lingering finish.

As mentioned above, this wine is made in the Ripasso style, a process that has become quite popular in Valpolicella wines.

Typically grapes are dried for many weeks allowing the sugars to concentrate and become more powerful. These dried grapes are used to make Amarone wines but then the leftover grape pomace is effectively recycled by re-fermenting it with standard Valpolicella wine.

The goal is to add depth and complexity to a wine that is normally quite light-bodied (think Beaujolais Nouveau). To get the Superiore designation like today’s wine, the wine must also be aged at least one year.

COLOR
Intense ruby brightened by purple reflections

BOUQUET
Ample and remarkably complex with vinous tones; well-defined scents of cherries, mature plum, fig with notes of violet and dried tobacco against a tenuous background of dark chocolate

PALATE
Dry on the palate with a fine and harmonious balance, great strength, and a sturdy body; reveals stewed wild berries, smoking tobacco, and exotic spices, leads to plush and moderate tannins; demonstrates persistence and complexity on the palate

FOOD PAIRINGS
Perfect match for roasted meats and pasta with garlic sauce

SERVING TEMPERATURE
61°F – 64°F

ALCOHOL LEVEL
14%

BOTTLE SIZE
750 mL