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 proved quite popular at a recent tasting.  The name 11 minutes refers to the amount of time the juice is in contact with the skins.  It comes in an attractive squat bottle with a glass stopper.  A blend of Corvina 50%, Trebbiano 25%, Syrah 15%, and Carménère 10%.  Pale, silvery salmon in color.  Clear and bright.  The nose is pretty with maraschino cherries and slight strawberry notes.  On the palate, this is light bodied but not wimpy.  Notes of cherry licorice.  Very refreshing with some depth.  Orange peel/pith comes out towards the moderately lengthy finish.  This drinks quite well

This comes in an attractive bottle showing "Romeo & Juliet's Wall" where "5,000 love messages" are left daily.  The wine it self is light green/gold in color.  The nose has a nice minerality with lemons.  A nice mousse of medium sized bubbles.  On the palate, there is a moderate fizz.  Slight lemony notes with good minerality.  Nice acidity.  The wine comes off as dry with no noticeable residual sugar.  It has a long finish.  Very fresh.  This is a tasty wine that will work for most foods or on its own.  It has some depth to it and is more than just a simple quaff.  It probably should b

This IGT wine from Tuscany is a blend of  50% Petit Verdot and 50% Syrah.  It really is an excellent value.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has black cherries, plums, slight cedar and a bit of herbs.  On the palate, this is medium bodied with a lovely energy.  Lighter in style considering the varietals.  Nice black cherry fruit with an underlying earthy/gravel quality.  Nice backbone of acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with pizza or burgers.  This should continue to drink well for the next five to seven years.  

This is a crisp white made from organically grown Pecorino grapes.  Light pale gold in color, but bright.  The nose is crisp with a nice salinity.  Also, red apples and a bit of ginger.  On the palate, this has a lovely underlying minerality with the acidity carrying thru.  There is some apple fruit as well.  Nice mouthfeel.  Long finish.  This will go well with sea food and vegetarian dishes.  It also will make nice summertime drinking.  Drink up in the next year or so.

This is a very nice Amarone that is not crazy expensive if one shops around.  It is a step up from their "Pasqua" bottling.  This is a blend of 65% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Corvinone, and 5% Negrara.  It has a true Amarone quality about it.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, spice, slight dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla.  Full bodied.  This wine is dry but with a mouthfeel that is slightly viscous and seems like it would be sweet.  Very interesting.  on the palate, cherries with underlying earthiness and slight tobacco notes.  A nice backbone of ac

Opened this with some pasta at home during the Covid 19 Quarantine to enjoy with the family.  Pop and pour and consumed over 4 hours.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is nice with cherries, sour cherries, wet tea leaves and baking spices.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit modern in style and full bodied.  Lots of red fruits, mostly cherries with some underlying charred forest floor.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This worked well with the food and on its own after dinner.  It is still on the youthful side with some tannins.  Drink now and for the next ten years.  

2016 is such a great vintage for Chianti's so there was a lot of hope for this.  It is solid but there are a lot of better values in the market.  Ruby in color.  The nose has cherries and slight hay.  On the palate, this is light to medium bodied.  Strong acidity.  Some cherry fruit.  Simple.  It requires food and worked fine with some pasta.  It started to show some volatile acidity after a few hours.  Drink now.  

There is a wide range in style and quality for MdA's.  This is one of the better ones that is still affordable.  This took about thirty minutes to really open but then drank quite well.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries and plums with some clove notes.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries, slight sour cherries with a strong backbone of acidity.  There is some depth and complexity though not a lot.  It begs for food and worked with a lasagna in bechamel sauce though perhaps a tomato sauce would work better.  It drinks ok on its own although the acidity stands out.  It probably

This is really drinking well.  If not at peak, pretty damn close.  Light ruby in color with some orange bricking at the rim.  The nose is very pretty with cherries, slight dried cherries, slight roses and hints of hot tar.  On the palate, this has a lovely texture.  Light tannins.  Cherry fruit layered with earthiness.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This has a contemplative quality for drinking alone, but works great with food.  Pasta and mushrooms are perfect.  It won't get better but should drink well for seven to ten more years at least.  

The name Soave doesn't normally conjure up thoughts of a long lived white wine with depth, but for this producer and especially the vineyard designated wines, it should.  This is golden in color with just a hint of copper coloring.  The nose is nice with baked apples and stony minerality.  Perhaps just a touch of orange peel.  On the palate, this has a creamy texture.  A nice backbone of acidity.  Depth and complexity.  Layers of pears, orange/citrus and minerals.  Long finish.  This will work great with all kinds of seafood, veggies or fowl.  This is mature and won't get better (based on t