Kategoriarkiv: Italian red wines

Italian red wines

Fruity Negroamaro from Puglia

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From Salento at the Southern end of Puglia in Italy we find this fruity organic wine called Niuru Maru L’Archetipo. It is made from the black grape variety Negroamaro, which means dark and bitter and plays the main role in many wines from the region.. It has a fresh acidity combined with smooth but perceptible tannins, and is a well-balanced wine that is best served at around 16°C with lamb or beef dishes for example.

On the nose is is fruity and spicy with hints of dark cherries, wild raspberries, plums, licorice, violets and cinnamon. On the palate we also sense a fruity taste with hints of dark cherries, plums, blueberries, chocolate, wild raspberries and violets. The alcohol level is 13,5 % abv.

L’Archetipo is run by the Dibenedetto family, who began to convert to organic farming already in the 1980s. Since 2000, the vineyards have been managed according to biodynamic principles. Today, the company is run by Francesco and his wife Annamaria and their four children. They work exclusively with local grape varieties such as Negroamaro and Verdeca.

The grapes were hand-picked in mid-October. Only yeast strains naturally present on the grapes were used. After 20-30 days, the skins were separated from the wine. The wine was then stored for six months in steel tanks. The wine was then drawn into large oak barrels and aged in the oak barrels for about three months. After this the wine was bottled and rested for another three months in bottle at the producer’s location before sale. No filtering has been performed.

We find this wine well-balanced and well worth its price (169 SEK at Systembolaget), it is very easy to combine with many different types of food thanks to its fresh acidity and texture. We give it 88 points!

Italian red wines

Savory Sangiovese from Marche

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This red organic wine from the region of Marche, in the middle of Italy, is a very nice pairing to especially Italian food like pasta, pizza, cheeses with complex notes as well as most meat dishes… just think of any Italian dish you fancy 🙂

This wine is made from 100 % Sangiovese, which is the most planted grape variety in Italy, with slightly acidic fruity notes as well as herbs and spices. Il Segreto Sangiovese 2019 (nr 73684 at Swedish Systembolaget) is produced by Poggio Fiore in Marche, a region bordering the Adriatic Sea south of Emilia-Romagna.

It has a deep ruby color and on the nose you find black cherries, vanilla from oak, as well as chocolate and coffee. On the palate the balance between acidity and tannins is good, adding also herbal notes and cinnamon.

This wine is, as mentioned already, very easy to combine with food! One suggestion is Oven-roasted pork fillet with mushroom sauce. Try also Roast lamb with potatoes gratin! I give this wine 83 points since it is balanced with typical tasting notes and easy to combine with food dishes and well worth its price!

Italian red wines

Istine Chianti Classico is classy

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This red wine from Tuscany in Italy is made from 100% Sangiovese, and since 2016 the producer Istine is certified organic. It has very pleasant notes of dark cherries, slightly sour which is typical for this style, as well as sage and cinnamon. The maturation in Slovenian oak for one year adds notes of vanilla, chocolate, tobacco and cloves.

The balance between the high acidity and firm but integrated tannins, as well as the pronounced flavours make this wine very good to match with the typical Italian cuisine – like pasta, pizza, prosciutto and fantastic cheeses! It costs 159 SEK and has nr 2309 at Systembolaget, and the well-integrated structure and classy finish makes this a very price-worthy wine, and it gets 86 points!

Italian red wines

Well-structured Italian red from Basilicata

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From the South of Italy, in the region of Basilicata, this pleasant red wine made from the grape variety Aglianico shows good balance and notes of dark cherries, spice and dark olives.

It has a good balance between acidity and tannins that are high and grippy but still well integrated. This makes it a wine that is easy to combine with many dishes with structure and spices, since the wine is not overwhelmed when combined. Grilled meat or halloumi as well as vegetables with herbs is a perfect match!

On the palate you will get dark cherries and plums, rosemary and peppery notes with cloves, olives and vanilla from oak aging for two years on old French vats. The name Teodosio comes from the old Roman emperor, and the producer Basilisco was established in the 1990s. The price in Sweden is 119 SEK, nr 2458 at Systembolaget. I give this wine 86 points – well balanced and well worth its price!

Italian red wines

Typical Chianti worth its price

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There are quite a few Italian green wines to choose between – and I myself am fond of the typical slightly sour cherry taste from the Chianti wines. The Gratena Chianti Fattoria Di Gratin 2013 is a DOCG wine (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), and I find it well worth its 95 SEK at Systembolaget here in Sweden.

Chianti DOCG, from Tuscany in central Italy, is Italy’s most exported wine. The grape variety used is Sangiovese (but up to 20 % of other varieties are permitted in the blend). The Sangiovese grape is best known for its sour red cherry fruits, not so aromatic in its character, high in acidity and rather astringent tannins – and this Gratena Chianti shows much of this! I give it 81 points – especially considering its price! It also has quite a long finish with lots of fruits. There are also notes of oak, strawberries and a bit of chocolate. Alcohol 13,5 %.

This wine is best when combined with food with quite a lot of taste – like red meat of lamb dishes – since the tannins are rather astringent and need something in the food to digest it with. But pork or game dishes would also be very good, as well as a rich salmon dish.

Time to relax 🙂

Gratena

Italian red wines

Bio Fantini with notes of liquorice

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My aim is to try as many green wines as possible, to write my opinion about them and give them my rating. If you have a taste similar to mine, I hope that this could give you some guidance in your choice of quality green wines at good price. 🙂

I have now tried a bio Fantini Farnese 2013, which is a red IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) from the Abruzzo area in Italy. It is made from the black grape variety Sangiovese (the same used for Chianti).  Typical for this grape is that it is not as aromatic as Cabernet Sauvignon for instance, but high in acidity and with a typical slightly ’sour’ red cherry fruit character. It normally gives wines with rather astringent tannins and earthy aromas reminding of tea leaves.

This wine gets 85 points.  On the nose I sense red cherries, herbs and a bit of liquorice.

On the palate I taste cherries, slightly sour, with some herbs as well as liquorice. The acidity is quite high, and the tannins are there but not so astringent. The alcohol level is 12,5 %.

This wine is quite good, and the liquorice notes add something. I would say that it is worth its price (75 SEK at Systembolaget, nr 2344).

Combine this wine with food like barbecued pork and lamb dishes!

Enjoy 🙂

Fantini

Italian red wines

Interesting Cab cuvée from Sicily

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Cabernet Sauvignon is one of those grape varieties to be found almost everywhere, and it often divides people into ’lovers’ or ’haters’… I myself quite like this grape variety which gives deeply coloured wines, with lots of tannins and strong aromatic aromas. The most typical wine is of course the Bordeaux blend with the Merlot grape.

But this time I will write about a blend with the Sicilian grape variety Nero d’Avola, and the Raccolto is an ecological wine. Sicily is the largest of Italy’s regions, and has the largest area under vines. Most wines are IGT wines – Indicazione Geografica Tipica – but many producers create reliable and affordable wines.

This is also the case for the Raccolto 2013, which I give 84 points. This wine is made of 60 % Nero d’Avola and 40 % Cabernet Sauvignon. The alcohol level is 14 %.

It has a dark ruby colour. On the nose it has as excepted aromatic fruity notes of blackcurrant and cherries, as well as hints of liquorice and some vanilla from oak ageing.

On the palate you will find quite a complex blend of blackberries and black cherries – but also violet and liquorice. There is also a hit of herbaceousness. This wine is full-bodied, with quite high levels of tannins that are slightly bitter. However, the total impression is that this is a wine that goes well with many dishes – like red and white meat dishes, as well as pasta (of course), lamb and game.

You can find the Raccolto in Sweden at Systembolaget’s normal assortment (nr 32452) for the price of 94 SEK.

Raccolto

Italian red wines

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – spice and chocolate

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Italy is such a fantastic wine country, producing some of the best wines in the world. 🙂 The climate is also good for producing green wines, and I will now introduce you to the Valle Reale Montepulciano d’Abruzzo  DOC from 2010 which is an organic wine. The region of Abruzzo lies to the East of Lazio (where Rome is situated), and one of the region’s DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wines is the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, made from the grape variety Montepulciano (not to be confused with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG from Tuscany).

The Valle Reale vineyards are situated in a national park known for its wild wolves (you will also find a wolf on the label of this wine), and the quite harsh nature and climate give the grapes extra richness.

This wine gets 84 points. On the nose it has a pungent, spicy and fruity character, slightly gamey as well and hints of oak. Dark cherries and chocolate. On the palate it is a dry red wine with high acidity and quite high levels of smooth tannins. The alcohol level is 13,5 %. The flavour characteristics are spices, with dark cherries and plums. Oak and chocolate as well as herbs.

Food: The high acidity and levels of tannins, as well as the strong character of this wine, makes it perfect for spicy dishes of lamb and beef/red meat – preferably with herbs.

This wine can be found at Systembolaget’s ordinary assortment (nr 2355) for the price of 109 SEK.

valle reale