Tag Archives: Italian wine

Labor Day wine 2023

people sitting in front of table talking and eating
“I told you the WC’s wine recommendations were super good.”

Enjoy these four bottles for Labor Day wine 2023

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of the summer in the U.S., which will be most welcome this year. Even the WC, who vowed never to shovel snow again, was getting overwhelmed by 105-degree temperatures. And then some more. And then some more.

So bring on fall, cooler weather, some chilled reds, and relaxing on a shaded place on the porch. And maybe some lemon roasted chicken?

These four bottles will give you a start — and don’t forget the blog’s porch wine guidelines:

• Jolie Folle Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($13/1-liter, purchased, 11.5%): This French white is more New Zealand in style this vintage, with grapefruit instead of lime and less minerality. But it’s still a fine value. Imported by T. Elenteny Imports

• Umani Ronchi Podere 2021  ($13, purchased, 13%): A surprisingly fresh and berryish Italian red from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, though it’s not as light as some. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be chilled slightly and served with bacon cheeseburgers.  Imported by Vineyard Brands

• Castle Rock Rose 2022 ($12, sample, 13%): A California pink that is crisp, fresh, and enjoyable — and dry, dry, dry. Look for rose petals on the nose (honest), plus barely ripe berry fruit and a very pleasant stony finish. I’m told it’s available, so its Wine-Searcher entry is probably wrong.

• Campo Viejo Cava Brut Rose NV ($11, purchased, 11.5%): This Spanish bubbly is made with trepat, which is a good thing. But it’s a little less crisp than it could be and it’s not quite up to the standards of what great cheap Cava once was. But it has nice wild berry fruit with decent bubbles, so it will do. Imported by Pernod Richard USA

Photo: Priscillia Du Preez on Unsplash

More about Labor Day wine:
• Labor Day wine 2022
• Labor Day wine 2021
• Labor Day wine 2020
• Wine of the week: Zestos Blanco 2021

Wine of the week: Tenuta Rapitala Grillo

Tenuta Rapitalà Grillo Sicilia Viviri label
Tenuta Rapitala Grillo /Pricing? Vintage? Who knows?

Wine availability is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

You’ll notice there’s no vintage for the Rapitala Grillo in the headline for this post. That’s because this Sicilian white has three vintages currently available – which is a lot, even for the wine business.

Ain’t availability a wonderful thing?

I tasted the 2020, which I bought for $12 at the end of last year. I bought another bottle at the end of winter, same vintage, but it cost $14. And that’s not the end of the fun: Wine-searcher reports that the 2021 and 2022 can cost as much as $17.

Huh?

Yes, I know about pandemic supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine and glass bottle inflation. But how did a simple – albeit delicious – white wine made by the tanker load that seems to be widely available increase in price by almost 50 percent in less than a year? And with three vintages on store shelves?

Is it any wonder I worry about the future of the wine business?

Hence, this post. Look for the Rapitala Grillo, and buy it — any of the three vintages should be fine — if you can find it for less than $13 or $14. The WC has long appreciated the grillo grape, and this is a fine effort — well-made and interesting, since it’s more subtle and rounder than others, which is complemented with some almond and stone fruit.

Jut don’t try to figure out availability and pricing. It will make your head hurt – something I know first hand.

Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons

Mini-reviews 169: Even more rose reviews 2023

woman drinking rose
“Ah, the WC’s annual rose extravaganza.”

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, five rose reviews as part of the blog’s 16th annual rose fest.

• The 16th annual Memorial Day and rose 2023 post

• Bodegas Ostatu Rosado 2021 ($16, purchased, 13%): Well-made and very Spanish rose — so almost orange fruit, barely ripe cherry and crisp and fresh. But not that much better, given the price, than the $8 La Vieille Ferme. Imported by De Maison Selections

• La Roche Palais Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 12%): French grenanche-cinsault blend (60/40) made in the Provencal style, so barely ripe strawberry and lots of minerality. Highly recommended. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection

• Curator Rose 2021 ($5/250-ml can, sample, 12.5%): This South African wine in a can is a bit pricey, but well done (berry fruit, very dry). I’m told it’s available, but it doesn’t show up much when I search for it. Imported by Broadbent Selections

• Purato Terre Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): Nero d’avola rose from Sicily that is fruitier than I thought it would be (ripe strawberries, but not tart), but that isn’t sweet and has a longish mineral finish. Interesting and fun. Imported by Vias Imports

• Cellier Des Dauphins Rose 2021 ($11, purchased, 12.5%): Cellier Des Dauphins makes three or four French roses with similar names around this price — all are worth drinking (red berry fruit, refreshing). So why I am being so vague about which wine to buy? Because, in the finest tradition of the wine business, I think they’re the same wine, but with different names for different retailers. So if it says Cellier Des Dauphins, you’ll be OK. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection

Photo: Jacalyn Beales via Unsplash

Memorial Day and rose 2023

two women drinking rose
“We can vouch for the WC’s excellent taste in rose.”

The blog’s 16th annual Memorial Day and rose celebration, in which we celebrate cheap, quality pink wine

The good news as we celebrate the blog’s 16th annual Memorial Day and rose extravaganza is that there is lots and lots of quality, inexpensive dry rose on store shelves. The bad news? Prices are higher, though not much more than last year. Plus, they’re all over the place, with some retailers charging twice as much as others for the same wine.

And perhaps the most interesting news? There may be a rose glut, with lots of older vintages — some as old as 2016 and 2017 — lurking in wait for unsuspecting wine drinkers. We’ve written about a potential wine glut before, and this is just another indication that lots of old wine is taking up space in warehouses. Know that most roses that are more than a couple of years old aren’t worth drinking, so buy that 2018 for $5 at your own risk. Hence, the the blog’s rose primer.

The roses here are each highly recommended, and tomorrow’s post will feature six more roses worth writing about. Many are 2021s; the 2022s have been slow to arrive. In fact, I still haven’t tasted blog favorites, Zestos, Charles & Charles, Scaia and La Vieille Ferme.

This year’s roses:

• Tenuta Fanti Rosato 2021 ($11, purchased, 13.5%): This Italian pink, made with sangiovese, was stunning — savory, yet almost fruit punch-like, in the Italian style that almost no one else does. Limited availability. Imported by Massanois

• Mont Gravet Rose 2022 ($10, sample, 12.5%): I tasted this French blog favorite before it was released to retail and it needed more time in the bottle. Having said that, it should evolve into what it always is — clean, bright Provencal-style rose (barely ripe berry fruit, minerality). There also a 3-liter box, non-vintage ($22, 12%), and it needs time, too. Imported by Winesellers Ltd.

• Funckenhausen Dry Rose 2022 ($16/1-liter, sample, 13%): Another stellar effort from a small Argentine producers — cherry fruit, but not sweet, clean, crisp, and all a rose should be. And a liter! Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

• Chateau Fage Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): Unpretentious and professional French rose, made with cabernet franc, that is a bit heavier and fuller than a Provencal wine. The cab franc fruit (dark berries) shows through. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection

• La Chapelle du Seuil Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): Provencal rose for $10. A little more ripe, so the strawberry fruit is more noticeable, but also clean, some minerality, and a hint of garrigue. Imported by Skurnik Wines

• Domaine du Tariquet Rose 2021 ($12, sample, 11%): This French effort may be difficult to find, and prices are all over the place. But it’s savory and fruity, with a wonderful, almost dark finish (and the blend includes tannat). How do they do it? Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons

More about Memorial Day and rose:
• Memorial Day and rose 2022
• Memorial Day and rose 2021
• Memorial Day and rose 2020
• Rose and socca

Photo: cheeseslave is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Expensive wine 168: Ceretto Blange 2021

Ceretto Blangé 2021
Ceretto Blange 2021/$19-$22

Italian white wine shows off the arneis grape

Italian wine, which is full of ironies to begin with, gets especially ironic when it comes to white wine. Most of us don’t think of Italian whites as the equal of the reds, and the most popular varietal is pinot grigio, which is usually used to make vast amounts of indifferent supermarket wine.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t Italian whites that deserve our respect, whether it’s the less expensive grillo from Sicily or arneis from the Piedmont.

Case in point is the Ceretto Blange 2021 ($22, purchased, 13.5%), which I bought as part of the recent expensive wine week experiment. I’ve long enjoyed arneis, and look for it when I want to spend a little more money. It’s both food friendly and a welcome change from the citrus fruit driven white wines that I usually drink.

Hence, the Ceretto, made by a producer best known for making $100 and $200 Piedmontese reds. Which, in this case, means we’re getting a top-notch winery for our $22.

Most arneis is floral and almost nutty – the tasting notes say hazel nuts, but it always seems more almond-like to me. The wine is not quite as rich as a California chardonnay, but always round, with stone fruit flavors.

The Ceretto is a little fresher with less almond and more citrus and apricot than others I’ve tasted. This doesn’t mean that it’s not worth drinking, but just that it’s different. And, frankly, it was head and shoulders above the quality of the other pricey wines I tasted during the expensive wine week effort.

Highly recommended, and just the thing for Mother’s Day – as a gift or for a leisurely Sunday dinner.

Imported by Heritage Collection

 

Wine of the week: Alberto Conti Toscana Rosso 2019

Quality Italian red blend highlights wine’s availability woes – even though it’s available

Alberto Conti Toscana Rosso bottle
Alberto Conti Toscana Rosso 2019/$8-$15

Whenever it’s renewal time on the blog, someone always asks about availability. And all the Wine Curmudgeon can do is repeat the mantra: “I try to review wines that are generally available; that is, an independent retailer in a decent sized city should be able to find it for you.”

Which brings us to the Alberto Conti Toscana Rosso 2019 ($12, purchased, 13%), which I bought at a small Dallas specialty grocer. It’s from a largish Italian producer that has been around for 150 years, but seems to be a label sold only to U.S. retailers (and imported by one of the biggest and most important U.S. importers for just that purpose).

So, no, it probably won’t be at the supermarket (though it’s listed on Drizly, oddly enough). However, the Wine-Searcher listing includes a couple of Total Wines, as well as independent retailers across the country. How is this possible?

Our old pal, three-tier, of course. Its archaic, different laws for every state, make it that much more difficult to sell a wine like this in more states. Which is a shame, since it’s well worth drinking.

It’s an impressive super Tuscan (a blend of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot) at a fair price. Look for long, cherry fruit, some spice and earth, and all in balanced. And there’s probably a fair amount of merlot in the blend to round off the rough edges from the Italian cabernet used in the blend.

This is red sauce wine, as well as grilled sausages. Drink it, and ponder why we have such trouble buying quality $10 wine, and hope for change.

Imported by Misa Imports

Wine of the week: Frico Rosso 2020

Frico Rosso bottle shot
Frico Rosso 2020/$11-$16

Italian red offers Chianti-style value

The WC did an interview the other day, and the question came up yet again: “Where can I find value for those of us want to drink wine instead of an overpriced soft drink cocktail?”

And the answer, once again, is Italy.

The Frico Rosso 2020 ($11, purchased, 13%) is another in a long line of Italian reds made with sangivoese and whatever else is lying around that reminds us that wine is made to drink with dinner. It’s there to complement the food, and not to be the star on its own.

The Frico, with the distinctive pig on the label, is a straightforward, simple – but not stupid — Italian wine of the kind I have been drinking for about as long as I have been drinking wine. Which is not a bad thing, and especially when the producer blends the sangiovese with a bit of canialolo, ciliegiolo, and colorino (typically used in these kinds of wines) to add a touch more interest.

Look for a traditional flavor profile (as the wine geeks would say): Some herbs and some cherry fruit in a more rustic style. The Frico Rosso won’t change your life, but will do the trick for spaghetti and meatballs on Tuesday night.

Also worth noting: Scarpetta, the producer, spends a lot of time on its website wooing retail and restaurant customers, something I don’t see too often. In fact, this wine comes in a 20-liter keg for restaurants, which would seem to be a way to sell decent wine for about $8 a glass.

Though, these days, it would probably cost $15 a glass.

Imported by USA Wine West