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 100% Aglianico from southern Italy.  Amazingly, the grapes are not harvested until November but the vineyards are at 1300 feet.  They are also ungrafted!  The wine is ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, anise, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is deep.  Dark cherries, cherries and black licorice.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  Osso Bucco would be classic but it went great with vegan "Italian Sausage" as well.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.   

This is Sangiovese from Tuscany.  Gorgeous wine.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, some black cherries, spice, tea leaves and slight worn leather.  Full bodied.  Strong acidity.  Light to  medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Complex and layered.  Flavors of cherries, forest floor and char.  Long finish.  This begs to be drunk with food.  Pasta with a nice meat sauce and some cheese and bread would be perfect.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This one had gotten lost in the cellar and I wondered how it held up.  Quite well I would say.  Past prime, but not by that much.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, dried flowers, spice and some char.  Medium bodied.  Nice balance.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is certainly drinking well.  Some depth.  Flavors of cherries, black cherries with some char.  Long finish.  This is better with a touch of food, but very good.  Fully mature.  Drink up if you have any but based on this bottle, it should go another five to ten.  This would  be great w

This comes in a very attractive package with a mushroom cork and wired cage.  There is no vintage noticeable although the Lot number starts with L23.  7%abv.  Silvery/green/gold in color with a thick mousse of medium sized bubbles.  The nose has pineapple, some papaya and minerality.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is sweet.  Refreshing.  Long finish.  This is a nice wine to start an evening or a lovely way to finish a meal perhaps with some shortbread or other plain cookie.  Drink now.  

This is a blend of 60% Frappato and 40% Syrah from Sicily.  Violet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has raspberries, black cherries and char.  Medium bodied.  Silky texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has big fruit; raspberries and black raspberries along with char and thyme.  There is some depth as well.  Long finish.  Like most Italian wines, this is better with food.  This would work well with plate of pasta with mushrooms.  Drink over the next five years.  

Made from 100% Frappato grapes.  Very pale ruby/blue in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pretty cherry notes along with a bit of a floral quality and wild Thyme.  Also some salinity.  Light to medium bodied with light, silky tannins.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, raspberries and cherries.  Clean.  Good finish.  Drink now.  This would be a lovely wine to serve at a summer party.  It seems food friendly and would be one wine that would work with a plate of Spaghetti and tomato sauce.  

One of my favorite white wines of Italy.  This is their basic Soave and while not at the level of the vineyard designated wines, this is still very good and a very good value.  It is a blend of 85% Garganega and 15% Trebbiano di Soave.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has peaches, lots of minerality, salinity, and lemon peel.  Medium bodied.  Crisp, but with some viscosity.  Medium acidity.  On the palate, its more about the minerality although there is some peach.  Easy.  This would work well with Indian cuisine.  Drink over the next few years.   

Made from the Aglianico grape.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice.  Showing some age with cherries, sour cherries, tobacco and just a bit of milk chocolate.  Medium bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate fresh and dried cherries, slight forest floor and a bit of smoked herbs.  Complex.  It unwinds nicely in the glass.  Long finish.  Pretty much at peak or perhaps just past.  Very nice on its own.

A friend turned 60 and purchased this wine to share with his friends.  This was an excellent vintage and the wines at the time were meant to age a long time often not enjoyable in their youth.  Of course, sixty years is pushing it, and then add to that questions of storage, etc., but this wine was very  enjoyable if showing some age.  The wine is pretty in the glass but bricked all the way across.  Still, it was bright and clear.  There is some volatile acidity on the nose but not a lot and it helps bring out the aromatics.  The nose is dusty with cherries, dried cherries and dried floral n

One of the very best of the relatively unknown wines of Italy.  This is from the northeast corner and made from the Teroldego grape.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is fantastic with black cherries, some cranberries, loads of minerality and wild thyme.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great lively acidity.  On the palate, this is young but delicious.  Black cherry fruit with minerality and a bit of "wild herbs".  Long finish.  Nice on its own, but really better with food.  It worked great with a nice plate of buttered pasta.  Drink over the next ten to twenty years