Category Archives: Italy

2007 Silvio Giamello Vicenziana Barbaresco

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Barbaresco is made from the Nebbiolo grape in Piedmont. You might be thinking that sounds familiar and you’d be right because Barolo is also made with the same grape in the same region.  In fact, these two wines are produced as close as 10 miles apart in some vineyards.

While they share many similarities there are also differences between the two wines hence two seperate classifications. The main difference is the terrior, or effect the land has on the product, of the wine. Barbaresco is grown in a more southern and maritime climate therefore the grapes reach ripeness sooner. This allows earlier fermentation and a wine with softer, albeit still strong, tannins. Barbaresco is approachable sooner than a Barolo but doesn’t have quite the aging potential. These are all subtle differences though and the only way to really experience the difference is to try multiple examples of each wine and see for yourself. I purchased this bottle at the Wine Library for $35 and we weren’t disappointed. We enjoyed it with rigatoni with meat sauce and garlic bread.

colonelgrape: 91. Like most big wines (Cabernet, Barolo, Barbaresco, etc) I would recommend decanting for at least 30-60 minutes prior to drinking. This will allow the tannins to soften, the flavor to come out, and the wine to reach a more appropriate drinking temperature. Right away I tasted notes of cherry, earth, leather and Moby detected hints of anise. Definitely a classic Nebbiolo wine. The tannins gave the wine structure but weren’t in your face after decanting. The finish was long and pleasant. This wine is very drinkable right now and over the next few years. I’d recommend it with a rustic meal like osso buco, porketta, or lasagna.

MobyGrape: 87. Let this one breathe for a minute before you drink it, the first sip right away (because I couldn’t wait, obviously) was super dry and kind of sour tasting but it really turns around after a few just hanging out. I picked up a kind of musty earthy anise taste and smell, but not in a bad way, it was subtle like a nicely flavored cookie kind of way, not like chewing on a piece of licorice.  Then I heard the Colonel mention cherry, and I certainly pick that up as well, but it wasn’t overly fruity, or like drinking a cherry you picked up off the ground.  I know this sounds like an odd combination but trust me, it’s quite good, and the flavors work well together.

2011 Soria Bruno Cascina del Santuario Moscato d’Asti

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Moscato d’Asti is an Italian sparkling white wine made from a white variety of Muscat grapes called Muscato Bianco. It’s typically thought of as a desert wine due to it’s sweetness and low alcohol content (5.5% in this case) however I also think it can work as an aperitif. Here’s where it gets slightly confusing:

Asti: A region of Italy in Piedmont; Also a sparkling white wine made from Muscato Bianco

Moscato d’Asti: Like Asti (the wine) however less sparkling and less alcohol. Also made from Muscato Bianco.

Aperitif: Alcoholic beverages normally served before a meal.

As you can see Asti can refer to the region of Asti or the sparkling white wine. I have no idea why they decided to do it that way but they did and now we have to deal with it. What’s the difference between Moscato d’Asti, Asti, and Champagne? Two things: First, Champagne can only come from the Champagne region in France, regardless of the wine itself. Second, the true difference is the way the wine gets it’s sparkling properties. Champagne uses secondary fermentation and Asti wines use the Charmat method. It’s a long and detailed story describing the methods but if you’re ever curious look them up!

We decided to open this bottle as an aperitif on Christmas eve since two of our guests are not into non-sweet wines (I’ll have to work on that). We enjoyed some nice honey goat cheese and crackers and the wine was great:

MobyGrape: 89. I thoroughly enjoyed this guy!  I tend to enjoy
the sweeter varities of sparkling wines, and this was just sweet
enough without being overbearing, and wasn’t too fizzy so it was
perfectly fine to have with appetizers or really light meals.  It was
the Goldie Locks of sparkling wine for the evening.  Just right.  I
feel like this would pair well with french toast, and it’s light
enough to enjoy with a nice brunch.

colonelgrape: 85. Full disclaimer: I am not a huge sparkling wine fan as we know so take my rating with a grain of salt. That being said…this Moscato d’Asti was quite good. I liked how it was only semi-sparkling compared with Champagne or Asti…sometimes the bubbles are too much for me, I don’t even like soda that much. It had nice fruit notes and was very mild. I personally prefer Port, Sauternes, or Ice Wine for my desert wines but this would do nicely and it worked well as an aperitif. I don’t think I’d want it with a meal though, it’s so mild I think it would be overpowered easily.

Dinner at 3 Guys

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Moby and I braved the Friday evening traffic to make it to NJ in time for a nice dinner at 3 Guys Pizzeria. It’s a local Italian favorite that serves fantastic pizza as well as a sit down restaurant. The best part is they allow you to BYOB and we took full advantage. UncleGrape appeared from the wine cellar with 3 Barberas to try and off we went.

We started with an assortment of appetizers and the 2011 Bovio Barbera d’Alba: clams casino, fried calamari with mild and hot marinara, broccoli rabe and sweet italian sausage, and garlic bread with mozzarella. That bottle didn’t last long and we were onto the 2010 Renato Ratti Barbera d’Alba. I had the chicken and veal parm while Moby had the gnocchis with vodka sauce. We finished off dinner with the 2009 Camp du Rouss Barbera d’Asti and headed home to get ready for a big day Saturday.

Moby was under the weather for most of the trip so I thought I’d rate and discuss the wines rather than rate them. My rankings for this dinner:

1: 2010 Renato Ratti Barbera d’Alba

2: 2009 Camp du Rouss Barbera d’Asti

3: 2011 Bovio Barbera d’Alba

All three wines were delicious but I think the clear winner was the Renato Ratti. It had the best balance of fruit and acidity and I’d most certainly recommend it. All 3 of these wines should be readily available for less than $25.

How awesome is BYOB? Sadly it’s not a big thing here in New England but they have it everywhere in NJ. Sometimes they charge a corkage fee per bottle but often times it’s still less than the markup on a traditional wine list. I can’t tell you how many times Moby and I have been out to see $25 bottles we love on wine lists for $75 and we simply can’t justify buying it. UncleGrape recommended calling ahead and seeing if local places will charge corkage fees and allow us to BYOB and I’m going to give it a try. Corkage fees may range anywhere from $10 to $25 per bottle…I guess we’ll find out.

2010 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti

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First things first let’s talk about the grape. Barbera is grown throughout Italy however in my opinion the best wine comes from two prominent regions located in Piedmont: Asti and Alba. I’ve only tried Barbera from these regions however my Aunt and Uncle have sampled many others and find they are lacking. Barbera wines can vary greatly from a nice medium body, fruity flavor meant to be drank young to a more complex, intense wine that may need aging. They do have one thing in common though: dark ruby color, tannins, and strong acidity. I think the versatility and deliciousness of this grape just furthers the notion that Piedmont is King when it comes to Italian wine.

Top notch Barbera producers according to my Uncle: Vietti, Renato Ratti, Bovio, Coppo, Conterno, and Giacosa. Once I find some of these wines I will let you know what we thing!

On to the wine…Moby and I spent Sunday afternoon making homemade tomato sauce with hot Italian sausage. We whipped up some garlic bread and headed to the wine cellar to find the perfect match and came back with this 2010 Barbera d’Asti. For $18 this young Barbera was just what we needed.

colonelgrape: 87. A very delicious wine. A deep red color but it’s young and alive. Low tannins but quite acidic, nice and tart. I taste a nice bouquet of fruit, both red and dark….but I’d say raspberry is the most prominent. Very fresh tasting. I think this is one to drink young, it doesn’t have the tannins to be  cellared but it doesn’t need it. Stands up without food nicely.

MobyGrape: 86.  This was a tasty wine, wasn’t super dry or winey, and it certainly wasn’t crappy.  There wasn’t a super strong flavor but was kind of acidic at the end (read: battery acid) but it gave it a little kick.  This is a good wine to drink when you just feel like having a glass of red wine but don’t want to commit to something enormous.  You don’t necessarily need a meal to go with it, but I think it would be up to the challenge of say, a nice meatball sub or some pasta (like we had with it).

2011 Valle D’Oro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

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After the most recent Chianti disaster I went back downstairs for a new wine and came back with this Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. We haven’t discussed this yet but Moby and I are big Montepulciano d’Abruzzo fans. It’s important to clarify that Montepluciano and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo are very different. Montepulciano is the name of the grape and can be grown anywhere and blended all different ways. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is from the Abruzzo region of Italy and makes quality, 85% or more (often 100%) montepulciano wines. This is probably my second favorite region of Italy next to Piedmont.

Back to the wine, this wasn’t our favorite Montepulciano d’Abruzzo but it was a solid effort. I have three bottles of our favorite in the basement waiting to be reviewed .

colonelgrape: 80. A dryer version of montepulciano but there is still fruit flavor. It initially had a smokey quality but on the palate I found blackberry and cherry flavor with some earthy spice to it. Solid tannins and good acid helped bring out the flavor. It changed in the glass for the better and I found myself enjoying it more as the night went on. I’d recommend this with heartier Italian food. This bottle was about $18 and not bad for the price. The Marina Cvetic we love is $33 and much better but at 1/2 the price of the good stuff I’d say it’s not a bad effort.

MobyGrape: 71.  Smelled really smoky at first, and that lingered when you tasted it too.  Very dry, but the smokiness dissipates the longer it sits (like smoke tends to do), and it settles into a decent tasting wine after a bit.  Didn’t wow me, but I’m glad I didn’t throw it in the garbage after I thought it was smoldering when we opened it.