Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Pop and pour, this is drinking great. Made from the Pignolo grape. Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is concentrated with black cherries, cherries, anise and tobacco.  Medium bodied.  Nice balanced acidity.  On the palate, black cherries and cherries with slight underlying forest floor.  Good finish.  This is a wine made to be consumed with food.  It worked well with Mushroom Gnocchi.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This comes in an attractively shaped stout clear bottle with a greenish hue.  The wine is light straw, clear and bright.  The nose is deep with peaches, floral notes, and slight tropical fruits.  Medum bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice acidity.  More about minerality but peach comes thru on the finish.  This drinks well on its own but will work better with food.  It should drink well for the next few years.  A nice wine with sea food but this will work well with pasta, too. This is a great value in Pinot Grigio!  12% a.b.v.

I preferred this version to the regular version although both are good.  This seems to have more weight and complexity but your mileage may vary.  Blended from Glera and Pinot  Noir grapes in Friuli and the Veneto.  They both have the same attractive style packaging.  Pale salmon pink with silvery hues in color.  A large amount of medium sized bubbles.  On the nose, aromas of strawberries, oranges and minerality.  A lovely texture with only 11.5% abv.  Medium acidity.  On the palate, flavors of strawberries and oranges with underlying minerality.  Clean, long finish with apple notes.  This

From the heart of Prosecco country in northeasy Italy, this is a serious Prosecco.  Made from 85% Glera with the remaining 15% other varietals.  Pale silvery/gold in color.  Lots of smaller bubbles.  The nose has minerals and Vernors soda (sort of carmelized ginger and seltzer).  It has a bigger presence.  Ginger and mineral notes, slightly candied.  Not tart, but well balanced.  Almost dry.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own but will work better with food.  Fried chicken would be a nice choice.  A real crowd pleaser.  

This is a blend of 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Nero grapes made in an extrad dry style (which means a bit sweeter than Brut).  Pale pink in color with lots of smaller bubbles.  On the nose, there are cranberries, and rhubarb with some Fuji apple notes.  The palate turns more to cherries with good acidity.  Long finish.  This is pretty much dry.  Very nice on its own, it will work well with lighter salads.  Drink over the next couple years.  

This is a Prosecco from the Friuli region in northeast Italy.  It is made from 85% Glera and 15% other grapes including Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay. Silvery green/gold in color.  Some medium bubbles make a nice frothy head.  On the nose, limes, minerals and lanolin along with a bit of sweaty earthiness give it a nice nose.  On the palate, the fruit shifts to a more tart green apple note.  Good acidity.  Nice frothy mouth-feel.  This has a sweet and sour quality that is enjoyable.  Very food friendly.  This drinks well on its own, but  will work very well with salty or fried foods.  

So, are you feeling lucky?  That phrase goes thru my head every time I think about buying a natural wine.  But, Radikon is one of the top producers and his Merlots have been amazing.  This one is 75% Merlot and 25% Pignolo aged on its skins for 15 day and in oak for 3 years without much intervention.  I just hope the kitchen sink enjoyed it as i poured it down the drain!  Consumed over three days, just to punish myself.  Purple in color, opaque and flat.  The nose was a cross been a failed high school science experiment and the back room of a butcher shop.  The palate was much more chemical

The first two bottles opened of this were both corked.  The third was sound.  Refosco is the name of the grape mostly used in northeast Italy.  Deep ruby in color, lighter at the rim.  The nose is dusty with dark cherries and slight mild mint.  On the palate, light tannins with tart acidity.  Cherries and red currants.  This is drinking well but should be drunk sooner.  Some depth.  This will go well with pasta, pizza and most foods.  

It can be hard to find a time to open these kinds of "orange" wines.  I love them but they are not for everyone.  This is a white blend of grapes that is fermented, on the skins in amphorae and then finished in barrels.  It has Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Riesling.  These kind of wines are best served at cellar temperature.  Golden brown in color.  The nose is oxidized but also has some apple cider, slight citrus and even a floral note.  If oxidized wines bother you, stay away.  I found the nose vibrant.  On the palate, this is also vibrant and full of energy.  Apple cider