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% Glera grapes. Silvery green in color, clear and bright.  Small to medium bubbles make up a thick mousse.  The nose is very nice with "sea air", green apples and slight floral note.  Medium bodied.  Medium acidity.  Nice balance.  On the palate, minerals, ginger and slight lemon with just a hint of sweetness.  Nice finish.  This drinks easy on its own but should work well with most foods. It worked nicely with Bruschetta and Olive Tapenade.  Drink now.  

Silvery green with slight yellow hues in color, clear and bright.  A nice mousse with smallish bubbles.  On the nose, minerals and seltzer and a bit of green apple.  Medium bodied.  Refreshing acidity.  On the palate, green apple and a touch of peach with a slight bitters notes.  Clean finish.  This is dry but just a perception of being off dry.  It is very food friendly and interestingly, worked well with Mexican food.  Drink now.  

This was silvery green in color with some gold hues, clear and bright.  A nice mousse with lots of medium sized bubbles.  The nose is vibrant with green apples, peach and a slight minerality.  Medium bodied.  Refreshing acidity.  On the palate, limes and green apples.  Good clean finish. This drinks well on its own and is very food friendly.  It would work nicely for a summer lunch of say, chicken or tuna salad.  It is nicely priced under $20 and often closer to $15.  Drink now.  

Ruby in color with some browning, mostly clear and bright.  Great nose with cherries, sandalwood, and tea leaves.  Medium to full bodied.  Great balance and acidity.  Nice "slick" texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, flavors of black cherries with an interesting cola note and some earthiness.  Long finish.  This needs another five years in a good cellar to really take that next step, but patience will be rewarded.  The score should jump one to three points.  Great on its own but better with food.  Osso Bucco would be a great food pairing.  

Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is initially tight but with air opens to show cherries, black cherries, and slight cough drop.  very clean.  Plush texture, full bodied with firm tannins.  Greatt mough puckering acidity.  On the palate cherries and tart cherries with a hint of mint on the finish.  Long, clean finish.  This is young but drinking well.  The acidity/grape makes it better with food.  After all, it is Italian.  This would be great with Spaghetti and meatballs.  Drink over the next ten years.

This is a great value in Chianti and in fact red wine in general.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, spices, hay, slight mocha and mint.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, flavors of cherries, earth and forest floor.  An interesting menthol note on the long finish.  This is made for food.  A great choice to pasta with a tomato based sauce.  Or a mid-week pizza.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is 100% Falanghina from Campagna, Italy.  Pale silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with limes and meyer lemons and a bit of salinity.  Medium bodied.  A nice backbone of acidity.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Flavors of lemons, slight limes and a slight almond note on the finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  A great choice for pasta with a butter or garlic sauce.  Drink over the next couple of years.