Jun

19

icardi-barbera-2005.jpgThis week’s Weekend Wine comes from Barbera d’Asti, which is located in the northwestern corner of Italy in Piedmont. 

In our glasses, we found in the Icardi Barbera d’Asti Tabaren 2005 a mixture of dark cherry and chocolate aromas and a beautiful ruby color.  Though the wine was very light on acidity, it had just enough tannin to sustain good structure. 

We liked, in particular, the mellowed and filling mouthfeel, which was a nice change from the more gripping reds we’ve been drinking recently.    

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com. 

May

27

For those of you that still don’t accept the idea that $10 can buy an outstanding bottle of wine, allow us to introduce the Cascina Minella Dolcetto di Dogliani 2004, which, as its name suggests, is a Dolcetto from Dogliani (located within Italy’s northwestern region of Piedmont).  This wine had been glowingly recommended to us, yet we felt that the recommendation didn’t even do it enough justice.

We were pleased by the nose of dark cherry, dried green leaves, and licorice, but what made this wine truly a winner was the combination of (a) how it felt on the palate — it was beautifully light-to-medium sized in body even though the intensity of its rose color suggested a heavier texture – and (b) a killer attack of bright dark cherry on the palate with a bit of almond and menthol on the finish.  Nothing impresses us more than a wine like this: extremely inexpensive and so unexpectedly refreshing!

If a summer red is what you’re looking for, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this one.    

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.

Apr

29

Donafugata Anthìlia 2007 is composed of 50% Ansonica and 50% Catarratto.  Quite honestly, we had never heard of these grapes before, which are native to Sicily and have apparently been used for making wine since ancient Roman times.  Regardless, we liked how the wine was described to us in the store — a crisp, not-too-big white, with fragrant apricot and peach scents, that constitutes a great value — and we thought it would be fun to try something new. 

In fact, the aromas and flavors of apricot were so distinct that we could easily say that we’ve never tasted anything like this in a white wine – you could almost forget that you were drinking liquid derived from grapes.  We found it to be deliciously refreshing when chilled, that it was well structured, and that it made for the perfect ”something different” bottle.  At $13, it was, indeed, a great value.

As a side-note, if you, too, should find yourself considering buying a white wine to serve chilled during one of the warm days of spring or summer ahead, but you don’t recognize either the varietal or the winemaker, we recommend using one of our trusty, no-brainer shopping techniques: paying close attention to alcohol content.  For example, we’ve found that lower alcohol content white wines (in the 12%-13.5% range) tend to be more refreshing on hot days than wines with higher alcohol levels  – obviously, by checking this information before making purchases, we’ve managed to more effectively target the types of wine that we know we’ll enjoy in warm weather.   

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Vintage Berkeley in the East Bay.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.  

Apr

15

This past weekend, we returned to San Francisco after a couple of days in North Carolina attending our law school reunion, and when we first stepped outside of the airport’s doors, we were stunned to find summer weather — 80 degrees, completely clear, bright blue skies, and amazingly, the smell of Eucalyptus, which is so prevalent in this part of California during the summer months (although maybe not always at the airport), in the air. 

la-velona.jpgThe aromas we found in the La Velona Sant’Antimo 2003 – a nicely structured red from Italy’s Sant’Antimo region that consists of Sangiovese Grosso and Merlot – included cherry cola and bell pepper, but most pleasingly, that same smell of Eucalyptus of which we caught a whiff at the airport last weekend.  Much like on Sunday afternoon, that scent  really had us thinking idyllic summertime thoughts of golden hills, deep green trees, perfect breezes, and warm sun.  It’s actually what we liked most about this bottle. 

Oh, and did we mention that it’s Kosher for Passover?  It’s a little more expensive than our typical Weekday Wine, but no matter – this one’s appropriate whether you’re planning a Seder or just looking for something that will get you in the mood for the warmer months ahead.

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Jan

29

As many of you know, the Italian version of the Pinot Gris grape is Pinot Grigio, and this unoaked version hails from the Isonzo appellation of Italy’s Friuli region, which is located in the extreme northeast of the country.   

On sipping, I found tart pear, green apple and lemon citrus flavors that lingered on, and even resurged momentarily, through a long finish.  True to the varietal, it’s light in body and has the typical color of straw with green tinge.  With acidity and  levels that balance each other beautifully, the end result is a mouthwatering and refreshing white that would be ideal for drinking after an evening workout or as a pre-dinner cocktail.

If you’re looking for a contrast, we recommend grabbing a bottle of unoaked Chardonnay, which is vastly different in body (it’s heavier) and acidity (it has less).          

Just note that this bottle may be a little harder to find than some of the other wines we reviewed in the past.  For that reason, we’ve taken the liberty of finding a Web site where you can definitely obtain a bottle: www.Bevmax.com.

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