Great Italian Red

Saladini Pilastri, 2006 Rosso Piceno.
$9.99 at Total Beverage

What a great value red.

Good Rosso

I am partial to Italian reds, and this one is no different.

Colonnara Rosso Piceno Lyricus. I can't remember if it was an '03 or '05. The 2005 vintage got 87 points from Wine Advocate.

Overall good value. Very drinkable. Can see it being very good if decanted.

Only $9.99.

Tuscan Beauties

I am a huge fan of Tuscan wines. I am guessing that part of it has to do with taking a class on them. Anyway, I tried a Vino Nobile at a buddy's house a while back and loved it. Granted it was a 1995, but dang was it good.

Anyway, breaking tradition, I spent $15 on a 2001 today. Loved it too.

Vecchia Cantina - Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2001

If you have the chance, I highly recommend picking one up.

Been a while

Ok, so I haven't been good at keeping track. Here are 2 key finds, both reds.

Chateau de Cornemps, Bordeaux 2003

Mantellassi, Morellino di Scansano 2004

A Nice Surprise

Monday's are never good for much, but trying a new wine is a perfect Monday activity. So, tonight I cracked open a bottle from my birthday stash.

Wine #5 - 2000 Piccini Chianti Riserva - Piccini S.N.L. - Italy.

The first thing you notice is the very fruity aroma. It is a little cherry or plum-like. As far as wine goes, this one smells great. Your first taste gives you a hint of that fruit, but the finish is quick. Although the finish is quick, I wouldn't necessarily call it dry. You get a little flavor to stick around.

My favorite Chianti is a Ruffino Classico Riserva. However, this wine is like $30 a bottle, so I don't drink it often. I have a bottle that I got for Christmas, and I am sincerely thinking of opening it just to compare it to this one. This wine is top notch for a low priced wine. I don't want to call it cheap, because that could imply something negative. Remember when I talked about the Italian wine region rankings? This one is DOCG - a.k.a. the best.

Nothing negative to say here.

PS - only $8.55

A Bit Different from the Norm

I know it has been a few days, but I wanted to wait until payday. It just so happened I got a nice, late birthday card with some green in it as well. So, I decided to try a local wine store I hadn't been to. It was pretty good. Decent selection, better than the small carryouts you see. I grabbed 5 bottles, that way I have some ready to roll.

As you will see, I will try to review a bunch of varieties, as well as a bunch of different labels. Some of the varieties will be common, and some will be new to both you and I.

This review is for a type you may not have heard of before. It was the house wine at an Italian place in Georgetown that my old roommate and I went to. It became a favorite of mine very quickly. As you can guess, it is an Italian variety - Montepulciano D'Abruzzo.

Wine #3 - 2001 Belmondo Montepulciano - Calmasino, Italy

This has a light aroma. It just kind of smells like a red wine, nothing special. The finish is super fast and fairly dry. The taste is not very fruity, but you get a hint of oak. The longer you let it breathe, the more fruity and less oaky it gets. This is a very light wine overall. It is a DOC, which is like the silver medal type of Italian wines. Italian government designates regions that are tops for what grapes they produce.

If you are looking for a very light, somewhat watery, but still tasty wine, this will work. I suggest letting it breathe for a while before drinking. If you want to impress a date, order this variety which most folks have never tried.

PS - I snagged this bottle for $6.09.