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 white from the Piemonte region of northern Italy.  Light silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with a bit of pear and nice minerality.  On the palate, this took some time to open but eventually, the pear come thru as does the minerality.  Nice, slightly oily texture.  It could use a bit more acidity but nevertheless worked nicely on its own and with some Bruschetta.  Drink over the next few years.  

Great showing for this wine.  Pop and pour, it is close to fully mature but not quite.  Medium ruby in color.  The nose took about thirty minutes to open.  Cherries, slight roses, slight menthol, tar and spice.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, plenty of cherry fruit, some dried cherries, underlying spice and dry earth.  Lots of energy.  Nice balance.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This should easily do another ten and probably 15 more years.  It drinks well on its own, but is better with food.  It went nicely with a Spinach Lasagna.  

This Rose is made in the Lake Garda area of northern Italy.  It is a blend of Uve Grapello, Marzemino, Sangiovese  and Barbera.  Salmon pink/orange in color, clear and bright.  Very different nose with cherries, green tea and an herbal note.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the cherries and the herbs come thru.  Dry.  These should be consumed sooner than later.  It went nicely with Fricos with artichoke dip - not an easy match.  

This is 100% Sangiovese grape from Tuscany grown near Sienna.  It is unclear why this is not labelled as Chianti (though it probably could be), but no matter, this is very enjoyable.  Delicious and punches way above its weight class.  Ruby/purple in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has bold cherry fruit with some tea leaves and a touch of wintergreen.  On the palate, the cherries come thru with a bit of spice.  Firm tannins.  Black licorice on the finish.  This is drinking well now but will certainly mature and possibly improve.  It drinks well on its own, but wines like this are m

This is made from the Grillo grape in Sicily.  Light yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a nice minerality along with a touch of salinity and a bit of melon/cantaloupe.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is dry with a nice texture.  The cantaloupe comes thru along with a touch of lemon candy.  Enough acidity, especially on the finish to give it some energy and zing.  This is drinking well on its own but will work well with lighter summer dinners.  Drink over the next couple of years.  A very nice value at MSRP $15.  

Wow.  This was a first time trying this wine and it is excellent.  ColleMassari is the largest estate of the Montecucco appellation in central Tuscany.  This is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 10% Ciliegiolo and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine spends 18 months ageing in oak barrels and barrique then 12 months in bottle.  Tasted over two nights, it was even better on night 2.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, cherries, and a bit of pepper and spice.  Initially, there is also some mint on the nose, but

From the Montecucco DOC in Tuscany.  La Pianore is a certified organic farm with a zero carbon footprint situated in a nature refuge.  The wine is a blend of Sangiovese (at least 60%) and Merlot aged in 25% Wood and 75% Stainless for six months and then another six months in bottle before being release.  Ruby/purple in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has nice cherry fruit, hay and salinity.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has an interesting rustic quality.  Light tannins.  Flavors of cherries and slight orange peel.  A bit of a bitter almond on the finish.  There is s

From the little known Montecucco Songiovese DOCG in Tuscany, this wine really showed well.  Served to some friends, everyone agreed that this was really very nice.   This wine is aged for two years in French oak barriques, and a minimum of another six months in the bottle.  This is 100% Sangiovese.  I believe the 2015 is the current release.  If served blind, I would have guessed Brunello.  Ruby in color, with just a hint of browning, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, allspice, and slight forest floor.  Medium to full bodied.  Serious tannins that resolved slightly with air.  On the

This is a wine with an interesting story and it was nice to get to try it.  Roberto Di Meo utilized late harvest grapes but fermented it dry.  It was then aged in stainless steel before bottling.  The first release of the wine was in 2014.  The wine has gotten rave reviews from some critics and less so, from others.  It is made from the Fiano di Avellino grape in southern Italy.  Fans should keep an eye out as this is a difficult sell and will occasionally appear on close out sites such as WTSO.  As for this bottle, it bottle 7536/9000.  Light green/gold in color, very light and fresh and h

This is a certified Organic wine made from 100% Ner d'Avola grapes in Sicily. 13.5% ABV.