Tag Archives: Italy

by

Santa Margherita, Pinot Grigio, 2012, Italy

Santa Margherrita, Pinot Grigio, 2012, Italy.

Santa Margherita, Pinot Grigio, 2012, Italy.

On a hot, humid August day where adult beverages are called for, you can go with beer, mixed drinks, or Pinot Grigio–and the folks at Santa Margherita make a fine one.  It’s clean.  It’s fresh, and its understated scents of citrus strike a fine balance in terms of sweetness and balance.  It’s appreciated in equal measures by my wife and by me.

The 2012 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio complemented our barbecued chicken, sweet corn, and potato salad.  The latter had a mustard tang, and the Grigio effectively offset this taste…the BBQ too.

If you’ve had this white wine, you know what I mean.  And if you haven’t, carpe diem and grab one today.

by

2010 Tormaresca Neprica Red Blend Puglia

Memory does interesting things to us.  For some, it’s the process by which we as humans (certain animals too, I suppose) react to the world around us, encoding, storing, and later retrieving some stimulus to our consciousness.  To those of us grape fans, it either builds up a great bottle or dismantles some less-than-stellar bottle of something you had years ago.  Memory is many things, and fickle prime among them.

2010 Tormaresca Neprica Red Blend Puglia, Italy.

2010 Tormaresca Neprica Red Blend Puglia, Italy.

Take this 2010 Tormaresca Neprica Red Blend Puglia, for example.  I know we had many bottles of the Neprica over the last couple years–perhaps even a case?–and I had always thought it very equal to the task.  Better than equal, even, and bet you could find earlier posts here in Notes that substantiate this vibe.  But that’s just my memory of the Neprica, as I haven’t had one in almost a full calendar year.

This week, however, I uncorked this last bottle of red blend to sample after work.  On one or two occasions, the glass may have even carried over to our dinner meal, but I think it was mostly consumed just on its own merits.  A good beverage, to be sure, but not quite up to all the praise I had offered in 2012.

To some extent, I think wine tasting is about context.  That great Cabernet goes to another level when you have it with great company and/or a great steak dinner.  The amazing Pinot Noir works well in part because of your food pairing, but perhaps in part too because you had a less worthwhile red the last time out.  That’s sort of the case here too with the 2010 Tormaresca Neprica: I’d now call it average, partly because my palate is slightly more attuned than last year, and in part owing to the great wines we’ve recently enjoyed and cataloged in this blog.  The Neprica is still full and delicious…I’d just say that it perhaps lacks some of the nuances and subtle spice notes that I’m enjoying in the Bordeauxs, Cabs, and Pinots we have sampled more recently.  Last thought–I’ll like my next one, and it’s a good value.

by

Ruffino Pinot Grigio 2012 Lumina

This was the prize at the end of a long day of road trippin’.   My wife created a special occasion all our own when she pulled this Grigio from the fridge and made it a featured element in a light, enjoyable dinner.  Pretty sure I’ve had the Ruffino before (maybe even wrote about that experience here?) but it couldn’t have worked as well as it did on this evening.  The Ruffino, fruity and cool, accompanied a perfectly cooked pork loin and a fresh salad of mixed greens, onions, apple slices, and blue cheese.  This white counterpunched well with the salad for sure and I loved that both of us were working the stemmed stuff.

Ruffino Pinot Grigio 2012 Lumina, Italy.

Ruffino Pinot Grigio 2012 Lumina, Italy.

This is the good script from the winemaker: “Lumina is produced from Pinot Grigio grapes grown in vineyards located in the beautiful northeastern region of Italy.  This well-balanced wine reveals delicious notes of pairs and citrus fruit and delivers a fragrant, fruity finish.”

They definitely have a way with words, but the whole picture comes across much better when you see it in context with our meal here.  Hope you enjoy as much as we did.

by

2010 Masciarelli Montepulciano de’Abruzzo

Anyone who knows me or my tastes know that I more often frequent the vineyards of the US west coast than South America or Europe.  When straying from this path, however, I’m often pleased–whether sampling a power-packed Bordeaux or, in this case, a delicious Montepulciano from the Abruzzo region of Italy.  This my mother opened as part of a fun Mother’s Day celebration.  It started us off while we sampled bacon-wrapped scallops, mini-crab cakes, and other sundry treats, and it stayed with us (me in particular) during dinner and dessert.

2010 Masciarelli Montepulciano de'Abruzzo, Italy.

2010 Masciarelli Montepulciano de’Abruzzo, Italy.

The Masciarelli was paired with broiled swordfish, covered in a grape jelly and barbecue sauce, and grilled asparagus and risotto.  Not quite the way you’d draw up the game plan for a soft red, but it seemed to go well–as demonstrated by the empty bottle at the evening’s end.  It is supposed to be “one of Italy’s most famous wines…a classic, well-rounded, plumb-scented Italian red made from Montepulciano grapes grown in the Abruzzo region on Italy’s Adriatic coast.”  That description carries with it an ethereal quality that I think I found in the wine itself.

Great to celebrate the occasion with my mother and such an adventurous bit of vino.  Not soon to forget either!

by

Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte Pinot Noir 2011

The last bottle of our Monte Degli case, this 2011 Angeli Piemonte Pinot Noir escorted us into our weekend here in NJ.   Looking back on the Monte Degli, I think it might be the only Pinot Noir I’ve ever had from Italy.  As chronicled here, I have enjoyed many grapes from Italy but this isn’t one I’m likely to repeat.

We’d left this on the shelf, not to age it or anything so grand, but to see if absence would make the heart any fonder.  I think the Angeli is best described as “adequate” and leaves us excited to try other–and better–wines currently on our shelf.  Onward and upward, friends.

by

Tosca Prosecco

Prosecco Tosca, Italy.

The Tosca made its way onto our breakfast table again this Christmas morning.  Not long after the stockings were pulled and the presents opened, we turned from the coffee to sweets, savories, and other treats to celebrate the holiday.  The table was covered with baked egg and sausage casserole, blueberry scones with a lemon drissel, a glazed creamcheese(?) coffeecake, and all sorts of fruits and berries.  Most importantly, it also included mimosas as in 2011.

The prosecco is always a welcome treat and so mild that it makes we wonder why we don’t do this more often?  Nothing like celebrating with a bit of the bubbly…

by

2011 Zonin Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

The 2011 Zonin Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a dry Italian red wine, was opened to welcome us from our NJ home to my mother’s place in Rochester, NY.  She had enjoyed courtesy of a work colleague and had a bottle uncorked and ready to roll upon our arrival on a chilly December Sunday.  I sampled this red and enjoyed it despite feeling less than my best after the long journey…I opted for this Zonin over a chilled white that may have gone better with the hors d’oeuvres (i.e., spicy crab sushi and sashimi).  Welcoming a second glass with the entre–an Asian-spiced chicken with sticky jasmine rice–I was pleased by my choice and looked forward to more of this grape later in the Christmas festivities.

2011 Zonin Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy.

2011 Zonin Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy.

The winemaker describes this as “brilliant, attractive, and warm ruby-red” in color, with an “ample bouquet, with scents of plum and wild berries,” and flavor that is “dry, full-bodied with notable personality.” I think the above a tad overstated, but generally on point…will be curious to hear what others have to share on this too.

Given some of the amazing bordeaux and pinot noirs that we’ve been having lately, this montepulciano had a hard line to toe.  It did its share.  Very solid but not supreme.

by

Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte Pinot Noir 2011

Needed a passable yet affordable red to take along to the neighborhood Christmas party and the Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte fits that bill.  This pinot could not be mistaken for one of our favorite Napa or Sonoma pinot noirs but did help get me into the holiday spirit.  Sampled this with all kinds of fun foodstuffs and have just one more remaining from our original case.

by

Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte Pinot Noir 2011

All week I’ve been sipping my way through a bottle of the Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte Pinot Noir 2011, a great little find that comes to us all the way from the hills of Italy.  Last night it accompanied a great homemade pizza, covered by farmer’s market mozzarella cheese and some great fixin’s, and cooked to perfection.

The wine was spot on for such a meal…not quite like the American pinots we often favor from California, but really fun.  Easy to drink, nice smell, and smooth down your gullet.  The Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte is made in Mombaruzzo, Italy, and I’m looking forward to the next bottle already.  Lucky enough to have grabbed a case of these and they will not disappoint!  Here’s what the winemaker offers:

“A fresh fruit flavor gives to this wine elegance and class.  The aging six months in barrel increases the structure.  Color is ruby red with medium intensity.  Serve with roast beef and seasoned cheeses.”

We’ll have it with far more than just roast beef and cheese–tomorrow trying it with pasta and will keep you all posted on our findings.

by

2010 Santa Marina Pinot Grigio

With the ebbing of the summer comes this light, delicious dinner that accompanied the 2010 Santa Marina Pinot Grigio.  As noted herein, we have sampled grigios all season long and had this one with grilled chicken, a caprese salad, and fantastic corkscrew pasta.  This Santa Marina was okay.  Nothing spectacular in the Santa Margherita class or even the Ecco Domani realm, but a solid entry nevertheless.  My own palate is not refined enough to articulate what I’m tasting, but I can stand behind this ranking.