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

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

Impressive showing for this wine which seems to be just getting close to peak.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, dried cherries, forest floor and balsamic.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, this has layers of complexity.  Cherries, dried cherries, dried leaves, and spice.  Complex.  Delicious.  Long finish.  Lovely on its own, but better with food.  What's your favorite mushroom pasta dish?  It went well with a creamy mushroom pasta.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

The name Romato is the term the Friulians used to describe the color which comes from the purple skins of the grapes that get very short contact with the juice before pressing.  This is a very pale copper/pink colored wine.  Clear and bright.  The nose has pink grapefruits with some minerality and a bit of dried hay.  Light bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, this is quite tasty.  Pink grapefruit with a very slight grassy note and some minerality.  Crisp finish.  This is lovely on its own and will work well with vegetables or even pork or chicken dishes.  Drink over the next year or two

This is a blend of Corvina 50%, Trebbiano 25%, Syrah 15% and Carmenère 10% from the northeast corner of Italy.  The name comes from the duration that the skins are allowed contact with the juice after pressing.  Pale pink in color with slight orange hues.  Clear and bright.  The nose has orange citrus, slight orange peel, floral notes and a bit of spice/pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet (more like off dry) with good acidity.  The palate has strawberries, some orange and slight minerality.  Good finish.  This is easy to drink on its own.  It will also work a bisc

This is an intriguing blend of Syrah and Vermentino made into a Rose from Tuscany.  Deep salmon pink in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean with cranberries and some strawberries.  Medium bodied.  Slightly sweet on the palate.  Mostly cherries and some strawberries.  Nice finish.  This is a light and refreshing wine but the  Syrah gives it just a touch of seriousness.  Nice on its own and very food friendly.  Drink now.  

Great showing for this wine.  Light ruby with slight orange/brown near the edges.  Mostly clear and bright.  The nose is classic with cherries, slight dried cherries, roses and slight tar.  Medium to full bodied with medium tannins.  On the palate, this is complex and delicious.  Cherries, dried cherries with underlying char.  Layers of flavors that unwind in the glass.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This is close to peak at this point, but no hurry.  It should be at this level for ten or more years.  Better with food.  A perfect match for a mushroom or truffle dish.