Italy

Fattoria di Bagnolo Capro Rosso 2016 Review – A Wine to Age

Although the term Super Tuscan is more or less a marketing word used to describe high-quality wines outside of the traditional Italian designation classification when we hear the name used our ears perk up all the same if only because, on the whole, we've had some pretty stellar Super Tuscans when traveling around the region.

Fattoria di Bagnolo's Capro Rosso was one such Super Tuscan, and after visiting the vineyard on a trip to Tuscany in 2019, I was more than happy to pick up some bottles (including the delicious Fattoria di Bagnolo Chianti Riserva). In this review, we popped open a bottle of the 2016 vintage to see what the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend was like four years in.

Read more

Pietramore Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2016 Review – Fruit and Tannin

We have a tendency to describe red wines that are fruit-forward with little secondary dimensions as good table wine, and the Pietramore Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is close to what we often consider for that distinction.

But this one offers a modest amount of tannins to round out the fruit and comes together for a pretty balanced, if still fruit-forward, wine.

Read more

Terra dei Re Claris 2015 Review – Intensely Peppery Table Red

We had received a bottle of the Terra dei Re Claris Rosso from a friend and didn't think much of it as we assumed it'd be a fairly straight forward table red from Italy.

What we did not realize when we opened it, however, was that table wine in Italy can vary dramatically by region. In this particular case, our bottle featured a table grape from southern Italy, Aglianico (a new variety for us), and had a vastly different flavor profile from what we expected.

It certainly made for an interesting food pairing.

Read more

Costa di Bussia Barbera d’Alba 2017 Review – An Easy Drinking Table Red

Every once in a while we come upon a great wine deal and pick up a bottle purely because it is an attractive price compared to national averages.

Costa Di Bussia's Barbera d'Alba 2017 was one such bottle. While the flavor notes felt a bit one dimensional to us, it did pair quite well with a mushroom and truffle polenta with tallegio. A true Northern Italian pairing if there ever was one!

Read more

Poggio Amorelli Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 Review – Full of Cherry

I was fortunate enough to visit a tasting room for Poggio Amorelli in Italy in 2019. I found myself here while on a Walks of Italy Tuscany day tour that included, Siena, San Gimignano, and the winery (a tour we cannot recommend highly enough even if the specific winery may vary). During our stopover, I was able to sample many of their products with a massive feast and put an order in for a few bottles to be shipped home.

One of these bottles was their Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 which we popped open to enjoy with a nice steak dinner in 2020.

Read more