Red Wines
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Light-bodied, fruity, soft red, little or no wood | Medium-bodied, concentrated red, some wood | Full-bodied, rich, tannic red, usually with oak |
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Grilled meats, rich pastas, carpaccio, ossobuco, lamb, and caramelized peppers. | Grilled chicken, pasta in spicy tomato sauce, small game birds, grilled veal, and mushroom dishes. | Spicy pastas, red meats, grilled steak, braised hare and game. |
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Perfumed, fresh, extremely quaffable wines versatile enough to pair with fish. | Rich in concentrated fruit and soft in tannins, these wines create a variety of food pairings; best when drunk between 1 and 5 years from vintage. | Fleshy, meaty, large-scaled wines meant to age and develop in time; better balance of freshness and complexity when young. |
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Fazi-Battaglia, Sangiovese "Anfora" IGT Marche 2001(Palm Bay). Fazi-Battaglia, the Verdicchio powerhouse estate, has embarked on a quality crusade with all the original varieties of the Marches region. Their anfora series is a promise for the future, rather than a tribute to nostalgia, as this 100% Sangiovese wine, clean and well-balanced, with delicate cherry fruit and a solid midpalate, demonstrates that fine Italian wine doesn’t have to be expensive. | Montevertine, Pian del Ciampolo 1999 (Domaine Select Estates). Ever wondered what happens to the leftover grapes from famous wines? Once Montevertine chooses the best Sangiovese and Canaiolo for their stellar "Pergole Torte", the remaining fruit (still a quality bunch, if you pardon the pun) is used to make this deliciously supple and fresh wine that undergoes 15 months of aging for a remarkable level of complexity. | Panizzi, San Gimignano Rosso Folgóre 1999. San Gimignano Rosso is a brand new DOC in the ever-changing panorama of quality Tuscan wine. Vernaccia's master Giovanni Panizzi’s own rendition of this new classic shows sweet red fruit enriched with eucalyptus and licorice notes. On the palate the wine feels silky and clean, with good acidity and a fresh, lingering finish. |
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Corte alle Mine, Toscano 1997. (Geerlings & Wade; call Francis Sanders at 7818214152 ext 3003) A Supertuscan for less than $10? Of course with all the trimmings of a Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet blend aged in oak (as prominently declared) for 12 months. Sure, there could be more concentration, and complexity could be higher, but there is nothing wrong in being flattered by an attractive, supple wine that drinks deliciously now. |
Fazi-Battaglia, Rosso Conero "Passo del Lupo" 1997 (Palm Bay). This is enologist Franco Bernabei's most complex project in the Marches, courtesy of the sun-blessed slopes of Mount Conero overlooking the Mediterranean. A complex blend of Montepulciano with 10% of Sangiovese aged in used barriques that reveals deep black fruit and tobacco scents, a warm and complex palate with a gutsy personality and a finish that lasts forever. | Fassati, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva "Salarco" 1995 (Palm Bay). Released only a few vintages every decade, Salarco is the jewel in the crown of the ancient Fassati estate of Montepulciano. This blend of Sangiovese (85%), Canaiolo (10%) and Mammolo is made with grapes grown on maritime soil rich in fossils and minerals, which may help explain why a wine of such intensity and concentration can also be so elegant and fine. |
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Erik Banti, Morellino di Scansano 2001. If Morellino di Scansano is taking over the world with its very reasonably priced, structured, intense Sangiovese-based wines, Erik Banti is the one producer to be "blamed" for its success. This entry-level blend of Sangiovese (85%) and a mix of Grenache (why not?) Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is bright and fine, with fresh fruit, mild spices and no earthy drawbacks. |
Feudi di San Gregorio, Rubrato 2000 (Palm Bay). This wine shows the gentle face of Aglianico, usually the ingredient of powerful, leathery and extra-tannic wines from Campania and Basilicata. Rich in supple black cherry fruit and vibrant spice, Rubrato is a wine that is fermented and aged in small oak barrels for six to nine months. Versatile with food and delicious on its own, this wine is meant to be drunk with a wide variety of food pairings. | Tenuta del Terriccio, Lupicaia 1998 (Kobrand). How do you follow up the glorious act of the1997 vintage in Tuscany? With a better one! 1998 is one of Bolgheri’s finest, and this is the best Lupicaia to date. The trademark eucalyptus scents are now totally integrated in a sinewy and agile body rich in layers of red currants and dark cocoa, tobacco and spice, well composed in this world-class Bordeaux blend that will satisfy wise wine drinkers for years to come. |
White Wines
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Light white | Medium-bodied, fruity white | Full-bodied, complex white, some wood |
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Light dishes with rich flavor; seafood, antipasti, simple pastas. | Seafood, frittatas, white meats, lighter truffle dishes. | Grilled fish, flavorful pastas, lemon chicken, white meats. |
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Refreshing acidity, pure fruit flavors, clean, crisp finish, no evident oak. | Most versatile whites; rich in texture, complex in flavor. | More powerful, fleshy wines with less pronounced aromatic profile and fruit flavors, suitable for aging. |
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Tenuta Villanova, Sauvignon 2000 (Vias). Situated in the prized Farra d'Isonzo cru of Friuli, Tenuta Villanova is an important estate established in 1499 that is pursuing excellence with a wide range of wines. Their Sauvignon Blanc is transparently clean and melodiously aromatic, with classic tomato leaf and grapefruit scents and a well-balanced palate enlivened by refreshing acidity. | Feudi di San Gregorio, Falanghina 2001 (Palm Bay). Falanghina may not be the first Italian wine grape variety that comes to mind, but it is certainly the oldest and most Italian of them all as its name comes from falange, the wooden tutor of the vine adopted in Roman times. Mineral and fragrant, with an intriguing aromatic range that includes pine nuts, white pepper, and lily-of the-valley, lime and white peaches. Serve it chilled and drink it young, but remember that it can be addictive. | Pieropan, Soave Classico La Rocca 1999 (Empson). Already crowned "the best white wine in Italy," Pieropan's gorgeous wines have re-established Soave’s long-lost prestige and "La Rocca" as one of its preeminent single vineyards (more on the subject in The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana, May-June 2002). Fruit (green apple, Fuji pear, white peach), flowers (white blossoms) and acidity: everything seems in perfect balance in this wine. Enjoy. |
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Colle dei Bardellini, Vermentino "Vigna U’ Munte" 2000 (Vias). All that shines is not just glitter in Liguria, as Vermentino is still be one of the most meaningful white wines of the northwestern seaboard. Want evidence? Try one of the 18,000 beautiful bottles produced of this quintessentially Mediterranean single vineyard Vermentino and its fruity (yellow peach) and floral (broom) flavors will win you and your fish platter over. | Gini, Soave Classico Superiore Salvarenza 2000 Call it a "Super Soave" of great structure and complexity meant to be aged for a couple of years in order to appreciate all the aromatic range it is capable of. It can only be Sandro and Claudio Gini's outstanding Salvarenza Soave, a wine made with fruit grown on 80-year-old vines in Monteforte d'Alpone. The wine's excellent concentration and class of today will become a sophisticated pleasure tomorrow (and the next day, and the day after that…). | Marco Felluga, Molamatta 2001. Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla and Pinot Bianco are the uncontested protagonist of this very classy wine made by the Friuli estate that has written the history of the Collio Goriziano since 1905. This wine is an aromatic delight of mimosa, maybush and minerals on the nose; the rich palate offers outstanding acidity and one of the longest finishes of the vintage. |
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San Marco, Frascati Selezione 2000. The wait is over: Quality Frascati has arrived, and, hopefully, it is here to stay. Enter the state-of-the-art Cantine San Marco, an impressive operation run with precision and class by the Notarnicola family. Quality meets quantity (600,000 bottles made) in this fresh and squeaky-clean wine, fine on the nose, rich and vibrant in the palate and beautifully crafted in the finish. A jewel. |
Planeta, Cometa 2000 (Vias) A great start. This first timer, a 100% Fiano d'Avellino made by the quality locomotive of Sicilian wine, is a powerful yet very fine wine, distinctive in flavor and very well-balanced through the finish. Half fermented in tanks, and half in new wood, this wine preserves a natural, well-integrated acidity that makes the palate sing. | Isole e Olena, Chardonnay (Martin Scott). Tropical flavors (pineapple) meet Mediterranean ones (lime and tangerine) in this stunning wine of silky texture and multi-layered complexity. Aside from making some of the best Sangiovese in the world, Paolo De Marchi is very picky about his Chardonnay, a French import that in his hands has turned into a true Tuscan classic. |