Home › Varietals

Varietals: A-B

iwtv_113.jpg

Volpi Barbera d'Asti "Vobis Tua" 2005 - IntoWineTV Episode 113

Added: Wed, 02/03/2010 - 11:32am

"Piedmont Reds" Host Lisa Kolenda and wine experts Bartholomew Broadbent, Cezar Kusik, and Edward Ruiz taste and discuss the 2005 Volpi Barbera d'Asti Vobis Tua.

Arneis: Italian White Wine is Piemonte's White Barolo

by Loren Sonkin

When one thinks of dry wines from Italy’s Piemonte, they are usually red wines.  There is a white wine though that should be on everyone’s radar. I am speaking about Arneis.  It is the perfect white for transitioning from summer to autumn.  Arneis is both the name of a wine and the grape from which it is made.  The name means “little rascal” in Piemontese dialect, so named because it can be difficult to grow.  Historically that difficulty was because the better situated vineyards were planted with the “more important” red nebbiolo grape leaving the “lesser” sites for Arneis.

Barolo Wine Recommendations: Best Barolos for the Money

IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts their recommendation for one Barolo wine worth seeking out (but which won't break the bank):

I love Barolo.  If I could only have one wine in the world to drink, it would be Barolo. It is one wine I WOULD break the bank for. Still, there are some out there that are not too expensive that are worth it. Mauro Veglio makes a basic Barolo as well as some single vineyard cru bottlings.  The basic Barolo can be found for around $30.  It drinks well young but just a few years to 10 years of ageing in the cellar brings out wonderful complexities. The wine has wonderful aromas of cherries, tar and roses. Drinking the wine shows layered nuances of each of these, more so with age. Find Mauro Veglio WinesIf you are going to drink it right away, I would recommend decanting. The Barolos with a named vineyard on the labeling will cost closer to $50. I would absolutely recommend storing them away in a cool cellar for at least 5 even 10 years. Your patience will be rewarded. The 2004’s are on the shelves now and are wonderful. Any vintage in the last 12 years is great though with the lone exception of 2002. Look for a lot of sales in the first quarter of 2009. A string of great vintages with a slowing economy has put a lot of wine in the pipeline that needs to be moved. - Loren Sonkin is an IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder/Winemaker at Sonkin Cellars.

France's Cahors Wine Region: Bordeaux’s Country Cousin

by Stephen George

In a way, Bordeaux is like the old British Empire. Although its dominance of the wine world has receded with the emergence of young wine regions like South Africa, South America, and Australia, the tentacles of Bordeaux’s influence are still seen in the character of wine all around the globe. 

Find Bargains on Cahors Wines

Consider South America, a continent as distant from France geographically as it is culturally.  The principle grapes used to produce South American red wine are not only mostly French, but often Bordelais in origin.

Taurasi: A Campania Red Wine Worth Acquiring

by Loren Sonkin

In the region of Campania (see related article on Lacryma Christi) there is red wine that is worth knowing about and which merits acquisition. This wine, named Taurasi, is made from the Aglianico grape, the same grape discussed in the article on Aglianico del Vulture from Basilicata.  Indeed, the Aglianico grape is utilized over much of southern Italy.  For reasons which will be explained below, the Aglainicos from Campania are some of the best made anywhere.

Piedmont's Barbera Wines: History, Regions, and Top Producers

by Loren Sonkin

The fourth most widely planted grape in Italy is Barbera.  In the Piemonte, it is the most widely planted grape and accounts for over 50% of the annual DOC red wine production and 35% of the vineyard area.  Thought to be native to the Piemonte, Barbera has been grown there for centuries.  It is most likely the grape written about by Paul the Deacon in his description of the Battle of Refrancore in 663 when the Longobard troops of Grimaldo defeated the Franks after getting them drunk on wine.  He confirmed that the Longobards filled amphorae with wine and scattered them around the surrounding fields.  The Franks found these jugs and drank voraciously from them making them unfit for battle. 

Refreshing White Wine Recommendations for those Hot Summer Nights

The dog days of summer are once again upon us. Whether your remedy to beat the heat is a cool pool, a shade tree, or a blasting air conditioner, it always helps to have a relaxing beverage to help ease the pain. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend refreshing white wines for those hot summer nights:    

"On a hot summer evening, I look for a chilled white wine.  I also find that if the wine has a bit of sweetness, it offsets the heat a bit.  My go-to wines on these evenings tend to be Rieslings.  Rieslings are one of the most versatile wines for matching with food.  They are especially great with light summer fare such as a salad or fish or fruit.  They also make easy sipping on their own.

Washington Barbera: Lost Mountain Winery Delivers a Food Pairing Success

by Krista Winjum

What comes to mind when you think of Italian wine? Barolo, Sangiovese, Asti Spumante, or the popular rule-breaking Super Tuscans? I normally do. But a few weeks ago, I was re-introduced to Barbera in, of all places a winery on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State – hundreds of miles away from grape growing territory.

I was researching Mt. Townsend Creamery, an artisanal cheese making company in Port Townsend. Their three cheeses have become hugely successful in a short time

Aglianico del Vulture: The Basilicata Region Produces One of the Great Undiscovered Wines of Italy

by Loren Sonkin

All the way down at the southern end of Italy, in the arch of the boot, is the region of Basilicata. It is sparsely populated with sturdy peoples of very old traditions. The people who reside there often call their region by the ancient Roman name of Lucanta. The wine making and drinking traditions there predate Rome. One of the oldest and best wines made there is from the Aglianico grape. It is called Aglianico del Vulture. In fact, it is one of the great-undiscovered wines of Italy. This is most likely due to the isolated position of Basilicata and lack of tourism.

Rías Baixas: Refreshing Wines From Northwestern Spain

by Nancy Parode

The weather warms. You dust off your gas grill. It’s time to start thinking about wines for summer. Albariño wines from Rías Baixas are a perfect choice.

Wine writer Hugh Johnson calls Rías Baixas Galicia’s best DO. Recently, the DO launched a U.S. marketing campaign. Chances are you’ll see some Rías Baixas wines at your local wine shop, with notes about their refreshing taste and good value.

Syndicate content