A Great Italian - Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti DOCG 2010

This wine I found at Harris Teeter in Virginia and as are most Italians, it is fantastic.  I packed an extra bottle and brought it home for other to try.   It is Superiore DOCG distinction with medium body and robust, rich fruit on the nose. It has rich cherry, black currant and black pepper flavors with moderate tannins that work with the acidity and a dry finish.  The superiore distinction means that it has been aged at least 12 months with 6 months spent in a barrel.

The price was $14.99, so don't be afraid to go over that $10 a bottle price point because it was so worth it.

Barbera is a dark-skinned red grape variety found in  several Italian wine regions (Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Campania, Sicily, Sardinia).  It is Italy's 3rd most common grape.  Barbera d'Asti is in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy and one of the most famous.  In 1970 this region became a DOC and in 2008 it was upgraded to DOCG.  The Barbera grape is a favorite among winemakers and consumers alike.


Here is a beautiful photo of the region in Italy

Be Italian - Italian Wine Classifications - DOC, DOCG, VdT, IGT - Which is best?

A group of Italian wine makers got together in the early 1960's  to find a way to raise the quality standards for Italian wines and classify regional wines.  The goal was to give the consumer a way to gauge the quality of the wine and determine if it is made with a consistent quality and style.  They created this 4 distinction system of ranking wines according to local wine making traditions.

VdT or Vino Da Tavola  is considered the lowest class of wine in Italy and are table wine.  This is wine created by the producer as they see fit to make it.  Most of this wine is insipid, thin, weak, and acidic.  The kind of wine that was sold in jugs.  However, in the past there were also some spectacular Vini da Tavola, wines made by extremely good producers who decided to make something that didn't qualify for a superior status because of its composition or the way it was made.  Because of laws in Italy almost all the quality wines that were once VdT are now IGT or wines that are produced in specific areas like

IGT or Indicazione Geografica Tipica -   Typical of a local region wines.  Most of these wines come from Tuscany.  Cheap and great for everyday drinking with pasta or pizza, but not the type of wine that will knock your socks off.  You can find some super Tuscan wines that are great, but most are still classed at the IGT level.

DOC  or Denominazione di Origine Controllata - These wines convey a regional wine making style with specific grapes and the quality of the wine tends to be higher than Vdt and IGT.  .  Similar to the French AOC distinction, these wines are produced in specific rules and regions that are designed to preserve the traditional wine making practices. These wines also are more expensive than Vdt and IGT.


DOCG - here the "G" stands for Garantita.  This is a wine that is guaranteed to follow specific wine making rules and where you will find some of Italy's best wines and most expensive.  They require longer aging practices and require a tasting to obtain this distinction.  The government actually will stamp the distinction along the side of the bottle/cork.

All this said, you may find you like a ITG or DOC over a DOCG, so get out there and start tasting now that we all better understand the classifications of Italian wines.

This is a brother like no other... JT

JT

Chateau de Nages - 2010 
Costieres De Nimes -
This is the brother to the wine I blogged about last week:
Chateau De Nages Costieres De Nimes - Red Rhone Wine - 2010 vintage.

Total wine said they considered it a reserve.

I was back at Total Wine again and saw this wine.  I spoke with the clerk, they actually know their wine, not to mention the have very cute clerks.  The price point was $19.99 a bottle.  I just get tired of tasting the same wine, so I Thought I would try it.

I kind of have a saying I love my wines that start with J.  Josh, Justin, J. Lohr, Jordan, Joseph, and now JT.

The Gassier family owns the vineyard in Southern Rhone region.  They produce about 50,000 cases a year with about 1/3 of this being imported in the US.  This wine is 95% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre.  This wine cuts a broad swath with dark anise, plum, and steeped black current.  The finish is inlaid with graphite and smoky tobacco for definition.  This is a big red, but balanced well.

Get yourself out to Total Wine or you liquor store and make a purchase.  Well worth it.

In Love with my French Wines

I have been trying a lot of French wines lately.  I have to say you almost cannot go wrong with anything from Cotes de Rhone or Bordeaux region of France.  I just keep finding great wines.

I was at Total Wine in Norfolk, VA and for those of you that have a Total Wine.

Chateau De Nages Costieres De Nimes - Red Rhone Wine - 2010 vintage.

I drank this bottle over two nights.  The price point at Total Wine is $14.99 and it was a great wine.  I really enjoyed it.

This is a wine that combines leathery, cedary notes with touches of spice and red fruit. It's supple, creamy and inviting, with a long, softly tannic finish." Enjoy with a pork tenderloin and fruit glaze.  I had it with chicken and spinach.

This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre, where the Mourvedre and Syrah are aged, on lees, in barrel, and the Grenache all in tank. Showing classic old vine Grenache character, with loads of licorice-laced blackberry fruit, smoked herbs, garrigue, pepper, and earthy minerality, it hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied, voluptuous and rich texture, notable balance, and a grippy, chewy finish. High quality stuff and well worth the effort to track down; it should shine for 5-8 years, if not longer.  It has received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.  Try it, you will love it.

It will make a great impression at your table and your next dinner..... keep loving the wine :-)

Rumor... Rumor... Rumor maybe true!

Well I heard a rumor that Portugal is the new big wine maker to hit the US since Argentina did a few years ago...

That maybe true, so tonight I went to Total Wine and picked up a bottle of wine from Portugal.  Maybe it will be the biggest bestest secret ever, but the wine I had tonight was fantastic.  According to Total Wine, this wine is one of the 20 best wines of 2013 and has won several wine spectator awards.  The cost is $24.99 at Total Wine in Virginia.

Meandro Do Val Meao 2010

The grape varietals include:
45% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 13% Tinta Roriz, 5% Sousão, 4% Tinta Barroca, and 3% Tinto Cão.  This is a Portugese red blend.

Ok - so this maybe in Portugese - LOL I searched a bit and didn't find any translations, so as I write, maybe more will come available.

The region this is produced in Portugal is called Douro and this estate was started in 1877.  Meandro is the 'second' wine from this estate, and represents something of a bargain in my opinion. After being crushed, the grapes were cooled down and trodden by foot during four hours in granite lagares and then transferred to small refrigerated stainless steel vinifying vats. Each grape variety is vinified separately. This wine was matured in second and third year French Allier oak barriques.
One of the most appealing facets about Portugal's native grapes is that they are at once both familiar and unfamiliar - and make a refreshing change from the usual suspects.Warm, spice-infused nose, packed with damson and sloe, carraway and black pepper. Very classy palate; restrained black bramble fruit, cinnamon and clove - savoury and sleek, with tannins perfect for food. Excellent length; should improve further - very good indeed.

Bottom line is I loved it, but we have a lot to learn about Portuguese wines.  I think we in the US are use to the Italian regions, the French regions... and how we in the US call everything by the grape or a made up name.  Douro maybe the next Bordeaux or Sonoma... but time will tell.

Cheers Wino's
xoxoxox

Spain in 2008 is so great...

At a recent marathon wine tasting in Norfolk, VA at one of my new favorite spots, I tasted Altos de Luzon of 2008.  It is from the Jumilla region of Spain and I really enjoyed this wine.  After the tasting, this was my choice for a glass.

The wine is made from Cabernet, Mouvedre, and Tempranilla.  It is considered a table wine but I suggest you will think of it as much more.  It has complex long nose of berries and a powerfuld oak-spiced aroma.  It has a lush creamy texture offering a sweet black and blue fruit flavors with a hint of cherry vanilla.

If you see this wine please try it.  It wasn't real expensive and for you dry red lovers out there, I really enjoyed it.  It just was smooth and different and sometimes tasting the same thing all the time is rather boring.

Two Whites Equals Nothing Wrong

Recently went to Press 626 Cafe & Wine Bar in Norfolk, VA and was able to taste about 10 wines over an hour long tasting and have many to share.  First is the story of two white wines.  Since I don't often talk about whites, here are two great choices.

Tenuta del Cavaliere by Marchetti is an Italian and also knows as Marchetti Tenuta del Cavaliere Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.  This is a Verdicchio that is is a yellow-green grape variety from central Italy responsible for making dry wines of the same color. The variety has been used here for many centuries, and its use has been documented in the Marche region since the 14th Century.

The dry white wines sold under this label are made from the acient Verdicchio grape.
Legend has it that when the troops of the king of the Visigoths, Alarich (370-410), marched on Rome, they were provided with barrels of Verdicchio to maintain their strength.

I enjoyed this white wine with its smoky white pepper notes that mark the very finest Verdicchios. The wine’s rich, mouth-filling pear and melon fruit is backed by intense currents of smoky minerals, riveting acidity, and exotic suggestions of genmaicha tea, chamomile, lemon zest and star fruit. Marchetti’s Verdicchio begs for hearty, rich food. We ate it with seared Ahi Tuna and it was wonderful.  I would also consinder pairing it with other fish or white pizza.  It is an impressive wine from Italy.

The other white wine of the evening was a 2011 Roussanne Tolosa.  It is from a winery in San Louis Obispo, California and they have a solar powered winery.  Their website is here:  www.tolosawinery.com.  The wine is 100% Roussanne which is a grape that most people are not familiar with.  It is usually grown in the Rhone region of France and is often blended with Marsanne.  This is not often found in California

The wine has floral and tropical layers of banana and pineapple with a rich and creamy full bodied finish.  This is a wine I had not tried before and really loved it.  This is a great wine on a summery day and pairs nicely with any seafood or a summer picnic.  Try it, you'll love it.