2018 Foradori Granato, Italy, Trentino - Alto Adige, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$75.00USD

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

2020 Cantina Terlan Pinot Grigio Tradition, Italy, Alto Adige, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$18.00USD

Served blind.  Light golden in color with a touch of copper color making me think Pinot Grigio.  The nose is nice with lots of minerality.  Also dust, apples and some initial sulfur notes (which blew off).  Slightly oily texture.  Medium bodied.  A fair mount of oak showing but it somehow works.  On the palate, limes and apples.  Good acidity.  This is an excellent winery with good values.  Drink over the next few years.  This will work on its own or with a pasta with a cream sauce.

2012 Peter Zemmer Lagrein Raut, Italy, Alto Adige - Südtirol, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2012
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$16.00USD

This is a relatively inexpensive red from northeast Italy.  That said, it is not  simple wine and needs to be cellared.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries with some smoke.  On the palate, this has a soft texture.  Black cherry fruit that turn slightly sour.  Firm tannins.  Nice finish.  This will need to be laid down for five to seven years if it is to reach its peak.  It can be drunk now but have some nice fatty foods to cut through the tannins.  If serving today, an eight hour decant is not too much.  Certainly, the score should improve with cellaring.  

2018 Castelfeder Pinot Grigio Pertico, Italy, Trentino, Vigneti Delle Dolomiti, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$11.00USD

Silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has chalk and slight peach note.  On the palate, this is oily which is good.  Plenty of minerals with some bitters.  Also a slight peach note.  Good acidity.  Long finish. This is a basic wine that provides great value.  It should be drunk in the first year or so to enjoy it's freshness.  It will go well with salads, seafood and lighter foods.  

2018 Eisacktaler Kellerei / Cantina Valle Isarco Kerner, Italy, Alto Adige, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$18.00USD

An interesting and fairly priced wine from northeast Italy.  The Kerner grape is a cross between Schiava and Riesling.  Light pale gold in color.  The nose has some peaches and a bit of minerality.  On the palate, this is round and soft.  It sets the expectation for acidity but there really isn't a lot.  It drinks easy with the peach notes carrying thru.  This probably should be drunk now.  It will go well with salads and quiches.  

2016 Foradori Vigneti delle Dolomiti Teroldego IGT, Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$21.00USD

Made from the Teroldego grape, this is the basic wine from this wonderful producer.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, lots of minerality and a touch of salinity.  On the palate, there are firm tannins on this.  Lots of black cherries and some cherries.  An underlying minerality.  This is drinking nicely now, but surely will improve as it integrates over the next five years.  Nice acidity.  This begs for food right now.  Pasta in a cream sauce is a great choice.  

2011 Ignaz Niedrist Lagrein Alto Adige - Südtirol Berger Gei, Italy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2011
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

This is a relatively unknown red from northeast Italy that you should know.  Made from the Lagrein grape.  This is much more serious than most wines utilizing that grape.  Deep ruby/purple in color.  The nose has dark cherries, spice and a bit of pine.  On the palate, this has black cherries and cherries.  Very rich fruit but also a great backbone of acidity.  Would work well with a wide variety of foods.  Some tannins, this is still young and has a few more years until peak.  Should have another 10 to 15 years in it.  

Lagrein: Red Wine from Italy's Alto Adige Region is Great for Winter Recipes

Near the Austrian border in northern Italy, from the region of Alto Adige comes an excellent red wine called Lagrein (pronounced la-GRINE) that really hits the spot on a winters night dinner table. Lagrein is also the name of the grape from which it is made. As was discussed here , the area of Alto Adige is very close to the Austrian border and has a shared history with both Italy and Austria. Hence, the German language is spoken frequently and either or both languages may appear on a wine label. You can find it made as both a red wine, often called Dunkel in German and Scuro in Italian, or a Rosè, called Kretzer in German or Rosato in Italian.

Pinot Grigio: Italy's Trentino-Alto Adige Region Produces a Great Summer Sipping Wine

Summertime. For many of us that is the time for a cool white wine. Of course many of them are produced in Italy. One of the more commercially successful whites is the Pinot Grigio from Italy. Specifically, those produced in the north-eastern province of Trentino-Alto Adige. Surrounded the Alps and Dolomites, and bordering Austria and Switzerland, this is the northern most region in Italy. The area is mountainous with only about 15% of the land being farmable.