Wine of the week: Garofoli Macrina 2019

The 2019 version of the Garofoli Macrina shows vintage differences, but those are to be appreciated in a wine at this price

How screwy are wine prices these days? Consider the Garofoli Macrina, an Italian white that has long been a Wine Curmudgeon favorite.

I paid $12. It’s $14, marked down to $12, at an East Coast retailer, but $15 at another. And it’s $17 on Wine.com. Ain’t wine availability grand?

So what’s a wine drinker to do? Buy the Garofoli Macrina ($12, purchased, 13%) if you can get it for less than $15. It’s that well made and that enjoyable, and especially as spring arrives.

The Garofoli is made in the Marche region with verdicchio, one of the seemingly countless number of Italian white grapes that gets lost in the pinot grigio shuffle. It’s much more interesting than pinot grigio, with more depth and more structure, and sometimes shows an almost almond flavor.

Garofoli is a top producer in the Marche, and this wine has a DOCG designation, which the Italians use to identify a distinctive (if not always higher quality) appellation. In this case, the DOCG matters for quality.

The 2019 is bit more bright and fresh then the 2017, the last Garofoli I tasted. There‘s green apple and lemon, so it’s fruitier and less citrusy, and the almond and spice isn’t as noticeable. But that’s a vintage difference and not something to complain about.

Highly recommended – a Hall of Fame quality wine that should be on the short list for the 2022 Cheap Wine of the Year.

Imported by Garofoli USA