Italy

• Abruzzo
• Alto Adige
• Apulia
• Basilicata
• Calabria
• Campagna
• Emilia-Romagna
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• Liguria
• Lombardia
  • Franciacorta
• Marche
• Molise
• Piedmont (Piemonte)
• Sicily
  • Mt. Etna
• Trentino-Alto Adige
• Tuscany
  • Brunello di Montalcino
  • Chianti
• Umbria
• Valle d'Aosta
• Veneto
  • Prosecco
  • Soave
• Sardinia

This is made from a single vineyard of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  Gianni Masciarelli and Marina Cvetic are a husband and wife team in southern Italy (she is from Serbia).  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, some black cherries, smoke and thyme.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has some depth and complexity.  Flavors of cherries with thyme and anise.  A bit of char.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  Lasagna or a Beef Ragu would work well.  Drink over the next five to eight ye

Great showing.  This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Aglianico from Campagna in Italy.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and a bit flat.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, dried cherries, herbal notes, forest floor and spice.  Complex.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is complex.  Lots of fresh cherries and black cherries with some tobacco, leather and spice.  Long finish.  This is close to or at peak.  It drinks nicely on its own and will work well with many foods.  Roasted poultry should work well.  Drink over the ne

This is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Tuscany.  At age twenty it is fully mature and seemingly at peak.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries,  dried cherries, spice, forest floor and char.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Tannins are resolved.  On the palate, this has some complexity.  Fresh and dried cherries, tobacco, forest floor and char.  Good finish.  This is better with food.  It would work well with a nice plate of pasta.  Drink up.

Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight asphalt, slight rose and iron.  Medium bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, this is tight but opens in the glass.  Cherries with some asphalt and minerals.  Deep.  This is just entering its drinking window and should be there for another eight to twelve years.  Nice on its own but better with food.  A plate of truffle pasta would be perfect.  

An interesting wine made from 100% Nascetta grapes.  The grapes are macerated for six days on their skins before being fermented (off the skins).  The result is a deep golden color.  Clear and bright.  The nose is light but shows nice minerality along with a touch of lemon peel.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, the lemon peel and minerality come thru.  This won't get better so drink up.  It will be better with food.  A nice wine to go with a Quiche.  

This is made from the Teroldegao grape in northeastern Italy.  The wine is purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, spice and slight anise.  Full bodied.   Medium tannins.  Excellent acidity and balance.  Lively.  On the palate, this is deep, young and delicious.  Flavors of black cherries, some black currants with spice and slight char.  long finish.  This will still mature a bit but no harm drinking it now.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  Great on its own, but better with food.  This would work well with game dishes.  

It is always a real treat to drink this wine.  The price has gone up quite a bit in recent years but for the quality, it is still fairly priced.  One hundred percent Sangiovese from Tuscany.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is powerful with black cherries, cherries, sandalwood, black olives and spice.  Full bodied.  Still very firm tannins.  On the palate, this is showing some early maturity with flavors of black cherries, cherries, tea leaves and spice.  Long finish.  This still has another ten to fifteen years on it for well stored bottles.  Delicious on its own, this would

This is from an Island located south west of Sicily.  Although part of Italy, it is actually closer to Africa (Tunisia).  It is a fascinating dessert wine. Made from Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) grapes.  Amber in color with some golden hues.  The nose is great with canned peaches, apricots and candied oranges.  Viscous.  On the palate, this is sweet but not cloying.  Delicious.  Enough acidity to carry the fruit.  Also a touch of honey.  Long finish.  Great on its own, this would work well with Biscotti or shortbread.  Fun.

This is the entry level wine of Paternoster, one of the top producers in the "arch of the boot".  Although this is showing some age, their top bottlings are still quite young as Aglianico is a grape that ages quite well.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, wild thyme and char.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this seems fully mature.  Cherry and dried cherry fruit.  Moderate finish.  It needs some food.  A great choice for mid-week Pizza.  Drink up.

This is a really interesting white wine from southern Italy.  It is 100% Fiano grapes.  They are vinified in buried amphora lined with beeswax with their skins.  They are then aged for a time in wood barrels before being bottled.  Light golden in color with a touch of deeper hues.  The nose is different with dried flowers, some earthiness, and a bit of lemony notes.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a round mouthfeel but good acidity.  Lemony notes with a bit of funk.  Long finish.  This would be excellent with most fresh seafoods.  As for ageing, it should go another few ye