This Salon Saturday radio show aired on February 3 when I covered Italian red wines for Valentine’s Day. However these luscious reds are good anytime, certainly with Italian cuisine, but also any hearty meal, charcuterie board or roasted meats. I actually look for excuses to open a bottle and you might be the same way
Red Wines for Any Day
There is something rich, seductive and colorful about a fine red wine and the inspiration of Valentine’s Day, gave me many choices to make. My focus here will be on Italian red wines. Why? Quality levels are high and many affordable even for that “special wine” we all look for. A number of Italian wines are good standalone if you hadn’t decided on what to have for dinner. I’m covering five Italian wine regions that offer lush, seductive red wines.
Piemonte Red Wines:
If you are looking for wine with heft, this is a good place to start. The Nebbiolo grape is one of Italy’s greatest, with decade’s worth of ageability. Barolo and Barbaresco wines are considered the finest expression of the grape, but those from the surrounding Langhe area can also be impressive as I’ve discovered and less costly.
The other area to look for less expensive Nebbiolo is the District Nebbiolo d’Alba, which is located in the Cuneo province, on both sides of the Tanaro River and around the town of Alba, but excluding the area between the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco. The wines are lighter and softer, but do not age for as long as the big boys, which can be an advantage if you don’t want to wait years to open one.
Rocca Felice Nebbiolo d’Alba, 2019, 13.5% ABV, $20 at Total Wine
“A compact Nebbiolo with fresh red berries, light spice and a hint of kumquat peel. Medium-bodied with tight, very fine-grained tannins and a firm finish.” James Suckling 91 points
La Sacrestia Barolo, 2016, 14% ABV, $40
“I like the attractive aromas of orange peel and ripe fruit. Medium body, round and fine tannins and a savory finish. Very fine-grained tannins….” James Suckling 93 points
Rivata Barbaresco, 14% ABV, $25 at Total Wine
This Barbaresco is modern-styled and possesses excellent fruit and a medium to full-bodied personality. It offers an intriguing perfume of vanilla, cherries, tar, and spice. Lots of ripe plum and toasted oak characters follow through on the finish.
Veneto Red Wines
While this northern region of Italy is mostly known for its Prosecco and Soave, the subregion of Verona offers up one of the most seductive of wines; Amarone. Amarone della Valpolicella, the full name of this wine is from northeast Italy, outside Verona. The wine is made from Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara, grapes typically. The grapes are dried in various methods, historically on straw mats, until they are raison-like, and the juice is bled off.
The Italian Amarone, although it evokes amore, actually translates as bitter, which of course it isn’t, but it identifies the wine as dry rather than sweet, since the technique was often employed for the concentrated sugar to make a sweet wine, not a powerful full-bodied wine.
Righetti Amarone, $40 at Total Wine
Deep ruby red, this is full-bodied, with a very complex nose of dried fruit and almonds with a hint of anise. The flavors are extremely rich with a long, smooth finish.
I cover a Trader Joe’s Amarone at half this price in the following topic: Jane Austen and Romantic Movies.
Antica Corte Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore, 2019, 13.5%, $23 at Total Wine
“A tasty Ripasso with some lightly dried berry character and hints of bitter herbs and flowers. Medium-bodied with medium tannins that give good support. Medium finish…” James Suckling 91 points
Established as a DOC in 2010, the ripasso method is utilized for the production of Valpolicella Ripasso by combining leftover lees with standard Valpolicella wine for a second fermentation to create a deeper, more character-laden wine.
Tuscany Red Wines
At one time Sangiovese was the grape of Tuscany, but with super Tuscan wines we also have Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. I still tend to like Sangiovese-based wines since everyone does the other grapes. The best choices are Brunello di Montalcino, Vine Nobile di Montepulciano and Chianti Classico Reserva, which are all DOCG.
St. Giorgio Vino Nobile, 2016, DOCG, 13.5% ABV, $15 at Total Wine
“The succession between acidity, tannin and softness of the native fruit is of masterful harmony. The result is a pleasant drinkability of enveloping roundness, balsamic sensations, and still alive, clear turgidity, not only on the palate” Luca Maroni 96 points (Maroni does rate high)
Renieri Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, 2018, 14.5% ABV, $37 at Total Wine
“A firm, silky red with cherry, blackberry and chocolate. Hints of coffee and toffee, too. Medium body with round, creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. Savory and delicious with pure fruit.” James Suckling 95 points
IL Poggione Brunello Montalcino, 2014, $83 at Total Wine
“This wine prizes elegance, finesse and a compact mouthfeel….The bouquet is chiseled and tight with wild blueberry, plum, red rose and a touch of cherry confit. No doubt the mouthfeel is thinner in this vintage, but the wine has plenty more going on…” Wine Advocate 94 points
And how many places can you get a 10-year old Brunello for under a hundred bills?
Puglia (Apulia) Red Wines
The Primitivo grapes, with the same DNA as our domestic Zinfandel has earthy elements and flavors that clearly stamp it as Italian. Primitivo means early ripening, which is a characteristic of the grape. Since very good examples have made it to our shores it provides another choice to Zinfandel, often at a lower price point. Negroamara-based wines and wines from Salice Salento are also worth seeking out.
Roosevelt Riding a Moose Primitivo, 14% ABV, $17 from Total Wine
One of the more unusual names for a Primitivo producer, and it does show the president riding a moose. I’m guessing this was around the time he formed the Rough Riders (1st United States Volunteer Cavalry) that fought in the Spanish-American war.
“A wine with a deep ruby color with a warm nose that reveals intense aromas of blackberry, vanilla, rum, almonds, officinal herbs and dry vegetables. Full body wine, with warm and round velvety tannins and long finish.”
Forte Incanto Primitivo Salento Rosso, 14% ABV, $16 at Total Wine
“This oak style Italian red is full-bodied and filled with notes of fresh cherry with a pleasant freshness on the palate thanks to its smooth tannins.” From the Salice Salentino subregion of Puglia.
Sicilian Red Wines
While the Nero D’Avalo grape has long been popular, the Mt. Etna Nerello Mascalese wines are luscious and structured. The dominant flavors are wild strawberry, sweet cherry, leather, cinnamon and volcanic rocks. The wines are fruit-forward, medium-low body, medium tannin and alcohol and medium high acidity.
Cortese Organic Nostru Nerello Mascalese Terre Siciliane, 2020, 13.5% ABV, $16 from Total Wine
“Slightly candied red-cherry base with notes of more flamboyant goji berries, red peppers and minerals. Medium body with a tight bead of bright fruit riding some firm tannin. From organically grown grapes.” James Suckling 90 points
Benanti Etna Rosso, 2019, $29
“Tight, focused and racy, has aromas suggesting pressed rose, mountain hay, wild herbs and camphor. The vibrant, youthfully austere palate shows flinty mineral and oyster shell notes that accompany pomegranate, blood orange and Mediterranean herbs.” Wine Enthusiasts 93 points
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