Prima Voce Super Tuscan

Name: Prima Voce
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Syrah)
Vintage: 2005
Country/State: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Price: $15
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)


We had this mini-Super Tuscan blend last night and it was OK. It definitely needed some air, so I poured it in the decanter for an hour or so. After that, most of the heat blew off, but it still was missing something to me. I picked up on some cherry and vanilla flavors with some earthiness, but it was really too oaky for my taste. The tannins were nice, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to find this one again.

Vini Nobilis Hellenico Aglianico

Name: Vini Nobilis Hellenico Aglianico
Color: Red
Varietal: Aglianico
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Italy
Region: Campania
Price: $16
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

Last night we watched the Super Bowl and enjoyed our first ever bottle of Aglianico, a grape grown throughout Southern Italy. This one was from Campania and we drank it with a supreme pizza. The wine was big, bold, and fairly rustic. The tannins were gripping, but the dark red fruits came across, along with black tea and earth. It was better with the food than it was on its own...I liked it but didn't love it. Still, it's always fun to try new wines and new varietals.

Unfortunately, on the second night the wine had fallen off pretty drastically and was practically undrinkable.

Fattoria di Bibbiani Poggio Vignoso Chianti

Name: Fattoria di Bibbiani Poggio Vignoso Chianti
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Sangiovese/Canaiolo/Malvasia)
Vintage: 2005
Country/State: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We drank this excellent Chianti last night with spaghetti, meatballs, and tomato sauce...Both the meal and the wine were delicious. This Chianti went really nicely with the pasta. It was juicy with cherry, raspberry, and strawberry flavors. The nose on the wine was fantastic, featuring big aromas of red fruits. The wine was dry and had a very long finish.

It's been awhile since we've had a Chianti, and this one from Fattoria di Bibbiani did not disappoint.

Palazzo Della Torre Allegrini

Name: Palazzo Della Torre Allegrini
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Corina Veronese/Rondinella/Sangiovese)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Italy
Region: Veneto
Price: $17
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

The Palazzo Della Torre Allegrini is a wine that I've been meaning to try for awhile now. Last night we finally got around to it, and I'm glad we did...It was excellent. This is a dark and smoky wine with great dark fruit flavors that aren't in your face or showy, just delicious. It's a blend of three grapes - 70% Corina Veronese, 25% Rondinella, and 5% Sangiovese. About 30% of the grapes are held back and allowed to dry, or "raisin", on racks for a few months before they are added to final blend, Amarone style. This adds richness and complexity to the wine. Whatever it is, it works. Krista and I were both big fans of this wine.

We drank some last night with spaghetti and finished the bottle later that night. It was great with and without food.

Antinori Santa Cristina Red

Name: Antinori Santa Cristina
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Sangiovese/Merlot)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Price: $6 (on sale)
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

This is a wine that I frequently see recommended as a good pizza wine. That's exactly what we had with it last night. The color was ruby red, with some purple highlights. The nose was dominated by red fruit. It's pretty light bodied and easy drinking, with flavors of soft red berries. It is probably a bit lighter that we generally prefer, but it did go well with the flavors in the pizza.

The Santa Cristina is primarily Sangiovese, with 10% Merlot.

Monte Antico Toscana

Name: Monte Antico
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

This was a very pleasant surprise. It's a terrific Italian blend of Sangiovese (85%) with some Cab and Merlot...I had read great reviews of this wine in the past, but this was my first bottle. I also noticed that it was recently named one of the Top 100 wines of the year by Wine Enthusiast.

I drank a couple of glasses with pizza on Friday night and finished the bottle tonight. It's medium bodied with great balance and good acidity. It drinks well with food and on its own. It's very tasty and really opens up as it gets some air. After about an hour of air, it was excellent. The nose isn't real strong but the taste is of juicy red berries, blackberries, with a hint of chocolate.

The Monte Antico is a great bargain that I'll be buying more of very soon.

Note: Krista tried a small glass, but couldn't get past the black licorice on the nose...She really didn't care for it at all. More for me!!

MezzaCorona Pinot Grigio

Name: MezzaCorona
Color: White
Varietal: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Italy
Region: Trentino - Alto Adige
Price: $8
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

For a widely available, inexpensive, mass-produced wine, this MezzaCorona Pinot Grigio is very good. It's a wine that's definitely meant to be drunk young, and it functions as a cool, crisp, refreshing white for a hot summer day. The color is a pale straw, with a nose and taste of lemon, lime, peach, and citrus.

We drank this wine first on Friday night, with tilapia and crab meat. We finished it tonight on its own after dinner. The wine went well with the fish and was also very refreshing and tasty without food. It's hard to get too excited about a cheap Pinot Grigio, but for a summer sipper, you could do a lot worse than the MezzaCorona.

Castello Banfi Centine

Name: Castello Banfi Centine
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Price: $12
Stars: 2.5 (out of 5)

I was really excited to try this wine based on several recommendations on blogs and newspaper Wine of the Week selections. On paper, this wine was one I really should have enjoyed. It's a red blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. I expected it to be a nice, smooth blend with good weight and structure. We opened the bottle last night and Krista and I each had a glass with our pizza. Unfortunately, it really didn't work for either of us. It almost seemed like something was off, but I can't exactly say what --- maybe it was too bitter? I don't know. I tried another glass later that night, hoping that some air would help, but it wasn't much better.

I got out the Vacu-Vin, sucked out the air, stuck the bottle in the fridge overnight, and tried another glass tonight after letting it sit in the glass for awhile to warm up. It's definitely a little better tonight. I can pick up the dark red fruits with some plum. The tannins are nice and gripping, but there's still a hint of some bitterness on the finish. Maybe it's just me. But for my taste, in this price range, I can think of several red blends that I have enjoyed much more.

Banfi Rosa Regale

Name: Banfi Rosa Regale
Color: Red
Varietal: Sparkling (Brachetto d'Acqui)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Italy
Region: Piedmont
Price: $18
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

I've been reading a lot about sparkling wines lately and have wanted to try this one for awhile. Finally, we had this wine last night for dessert with some dark chocolate, based on several recommendations I read on the internet. It was a beautiful ruby red color with tiny sparkling bubbles. The nose was all red fruit -- strawberries, raspberries, with a little bit of a flowery component. The taste was very much like the nose, primarily raspberry, strawberry, and cherry. Very fun!!

We polished off the bottle tonight with some brownies. This wine would do well on its own as an apertif, or with dessert like we had it. It's not something I could drink every night, but for what it is (nice, sweet, refreshing), it's a great change of pace. I can't imagine anyone not liking this one.