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 a fizzy, dry, red wine from central Italy.  At first it seemed like light TCA, but that blew off, so it must have been the odd scent in the bottle.  Purple/ruby in color, a light amount of fizz to it.  With some air, the nose has some plums, a bit of forest floor and a bit of clean compost notes.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has a bit of fizz to it but not overwhelming.  It is interesting but a little taste goes a long way.  It would work better with salty foods.  Drink now.  

One of the best Cooperatives making wine is the Produttori del Barbaresco.  Always good, but a few times every decade they nail it and 2006 was one of those.  Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, tar and spice.  Medium bodied with lighter tannins.  On the palate, this is complex, with good acidity and delicious.  Lots of cherry fruit and a nice earthiness.  At age 15, it is mature but with time left.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  This is nice on its own but will be better with food.  Pasta with a mushroom cream sauce will be great.  

Golden in color with light bubbles.  The nose is nice with peaches and orange peel.  Slightly frothy.  Lower acidity.  Pleasant but indistinct on the palate.  Slightly bitter on the finish.  This will drink better with food.  Drink now.  

This Super Tuscan blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, and 5% Cabernet Franc.  Garnet in color, purple at the core, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, dust, tea leaves, slight tar with just a slight volatile acidity that lifts the aromas.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, there are black cherries, cherries, slight sour cherries with some hay, tobacco and dusty earth notes.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This seems to be getting close to peak but not quite.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  It will work well with lots of meat, lamb or

This is made from the Nerello Mascalese grapes grown on the sloped of Mt.

Made from the Grillo grape (fast becoming one of my favorite white grapes) in Sicily.  Silvery with slight golden hues, clear and bright.  On opening there was a bit of a chemical note, but that blew off in 15 minutes and it was clean after that.  Tropical fruits (guava?) with vanilla and very slight smoke.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, this has tart acidity.  13% abv.  A very nice juicy texture.  On the palate, flavors of blood oranges with some vanilla.  Guava notes come out on the finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work well with sea food or vegetarian dishes.  Dri

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

This is a very nice Prosecco from northern Italy.  These have become trendy in recent years for drinking on their own and using in cocktails.  It comes in an attractive shaped curved bottle.  Pale, silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  There is a fair amount of medium sized bubbles giving the wine a nice frothiness.  Aromas of peach, and green apples.  Slightly sweet.  On the palate, this has green apples, and orange zest  with good acidity.  A bit of bitter almonds on the midpalate turn to a long green apple finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with cheese or eve lig

This is another Nebbiolo from north-west Piedmont in northern Italy.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is a bit soapy along with cherries and tar.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Better on the palate, with cherries and some smoke.  Moderate finish.  Drink over the next five years.  This will work better with foods such as a Mushroom Pizza.  

From the far north in Piemonte in Italy, this is made from Nebbiolo, the same grape used in Barolo and Barbaresco.  It is a very nice value play.  Pale ruby in color, slightly opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with cherries and slight tar notes.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries with underlying light earthiness.  Elegant.  Good acidity.  Medium complexity.  Medium finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for the next five to seven years.  A perfect wine for mid-week pizza or pasta.