Posts Tagged ‘Italy’
A Few Winners of Our Own
Like a lot of other people this past Sunday night, we were glued to the TV set sayin’, “Man, she looks terrible!” or “Wow, she looks really great!” We were also wondering if James Cameron and Jon Landau’s 10 year project, “Avatar”, would runaway with all of the Oscar trophies. But just like so many other past Oscar nights, there was that dark horse in the bunch that surprised everyone. This year, it was a night to remember for the folks involved with the film “The Hurt Locker”, which won six Academy Awards including “Best Picture”.
As we watched “The Hurt Locker” put a hurtin’ on fellow nominees, we were putting a hurtin’ on a couple great bottles of wine!
The first of the evening was the 2009 Finca La Linda Torrontes bottled by Luigi Bosca. This wine was produced in Argentina and consists of 100% Torrontes grape. Torrontes is the wonderful and distinctively aromatic signature white grape of Argentina. If you’ve never tried a Torrontes before, this one will certainly make a great first impression on you! There’s a lot of interesting layers of flavors swirling around in this wine. It’s a bombshell of racy, crisp acidity, packed full of tropical flavors, that reminded me of a Pina Colada. The 2009 Finca La Linda Torrontes was a big winner and left us wanting more. Costing less than $10, it secures a lofty 4 star WineLife365 taste rating and also earned itself many repeat visits as the weather in our neck of the woods continues to warm up.
Next up was the 2006 La Corte Solyss Negroamaro. This red wine is from the South of Italy in the Puglia (Apulia) region. Negroamaro, also known as Negro amaro, is one of the most widely planted native red grapes grown in the Southern regions of Italy. It’s grown almost exclusively in Puglia (Apulia) and also in Salento, which is located at the “heel” of Italy. The Negroamaro grape and the winemakers in this region tend to allow these wines to express rustic, earthy, and natural tasting characteristics. This particular Old World red showcases some really interesting mineral, herbaceous and cherry twists that will undoubtedly make you question whether you’re a fan of it or not. We were fans of 2006 La Corte Solyss Negroamaro and give it 3 stars out of 4 on our taste scale. One final note on this wine – I paid $12 for it at a local retailer, but I’ve seen it as high as $25 online. I’m not sure whether or not I’d be willing to fork over 25 bones for it, but if you can find it for less than $20, it’s certainly worth a shot!
With the 2010 Oscars behind us, I can’t say that there were many moments that will replay in my mind for any length of time. However, I did find some winners that will have repeat performances in my glass.
Posted in 3-Star, 4-Star, Reviews-Wine | 
Tags: 2006, 2009, 3-Star, 4-Star, Argentina, Finca La Linda, Italy, La Corte, Negroamaro, Red Wine, Torrontes, White Wine, Wine Reviews, Wines under $10, Wines under $20 | 
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Who Said That You’re Too Old For Treats?!
Looking for something a little different, maybe slightly off of the beaten path when it comes to an Italian wine? If you enjoy sparkling wines with a touch of sweetness, then the 2007 Banfi Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale is a sparkler that I would highly encourage you to look for and try before the warmer weather bids us a final farewell and old man winter starts to make his way towards us. While away on vacation a few weeks ago, I tried this Italian sparkler and was captivated by its unique “frothy” pinkish-red appearance – yes, I did just say frothy. When you pour this wine into your glass, it will have a head on it much like a beer or soda pop. The flavors on the other hand, will make you wish that you were a child again as the old-fashioned raspberry/strawberry cream soda pop flavors that this wine delivers will run circles all over your taste buds.
This frothy Italian raspberry and strawberry cream float – I mean sparkler – is a perfect aperitif or dessert wine. All I kept thinking about as I drank this wine was how badly I wanted some vanilla ice cream to go with it. More specifically, how I wished that I could pretty much pour this stuff over a bowl of vanilla ice cream and then lick the bowl clean.
Bottom line on the 2007 Banfi Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale, this wine shows that there’s more to love about Piedmont, Italy than just Barolo and Barbaresco, and that you’re never too old for a good old-fashioned treat that takes you back to your early years. Pick up a bottle and see for yourself.
Cheers!
Wine Review – Casarsa Pinot Grigio/Pinot Blanc Blend “In the Box”
From: Italy
Price: $12.99
Length of Time for Experiment: 4 weeks
As Dr. Smith from the show Lost in Space used to say- “Oh, the pain, the pain”.
I’ve been on a quest to find a decent tasting box o’wine, and it sure has been painful. First, it was the macho-looking Killer Juice Cab that should have come with some adult-sized sippy straws, and then the lackluster Yellow and Blue duo from the tree hugging gang in Argentina.
So can an Italian box get the job done?
Nope. This bag of white wine had me laughing out loud from day one. The peeps at Casarsa want you to know that this white wine captures “the true taste of Italy” and that they “invite you to open a cask tonight and be transported to a land where good friends, foods and romance are a part of everyday life”.
“Silence, you ninny!” This stuff ain’t wine. It was more like a tap-water spritzer. We tasted this Italian box over a course of 30 days and it tasted like cold water every time. The verdict? A glass of ice water with a slice of lemon is much cheaper. Put the $13 in your Travel Savings Account – that’ll get you closer to Italy than this box of wine!
I give the box of Casarsa Pinot Grigio/Pinot Blanc Blend 1 Star.
WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star
Posted in 1-Star, Reviews-Wine, Whites |
Tags: Alternative Packaging Experiment, Blend, Boxed Wine, Casarsa, Italy, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, White Wine, Wine Reviews |
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Wine Review – 2005 Voga Quattro Red Table Wine
From: Italy
Price: $8.99
“If you don’t look good, we don’t look good…”
Can you distinguish which one of the bottles in the picture is not hairspray, but rather a wine bottle? I saw this ”hairspray looking” red wine at my local wine store and just had to bring it home for the missus and I to try one night.
After getting a good chuckle from the unique looking bottle, I was hoping that the juice inside would entice us to take it more seriously. Unfortunately it didn’t. This blended Italian red wine was rather light, sweet, and fruity tasting with no silky or shining finish whatsoever to it.
I give the 2005 Vidal Sassoon…uh, I mean the Voga Quattro Red Table Wine 2 stars. It was a good laugh that you might find funny too! Just don’t put it too close to your hair products.
WineLife 365 Rating: 2-Star
Posted in 2-Star, Reds, Reviews-Wine |
Tags: 2005, Blend, italian wine, Italy, Red Wine, Voga Quattro Red Table Wine, Wine Reviews |
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Wine Review – 2006 A-Mano “Primitivo” aka “Zinfandel”
From: Italy
Price: $10.99
What is up with the back label on this wine? Is this wine a Zinfandel, or is it a Primitivo? After doing some digging I found out Primitivo is the legal term that Italian winemakers wanted to use in order to break into the expanding red Zin market in the United States.
In 2001, “grape scientist” Dr. Carole Meredith of the University of California at Davis, used DNA technology to confirm that Zinfandel and Primitivo are in fact the same grape, although different clones.
The 2006 A-Mano Primitivo is a very tasty red Zin. It has good red fruit and black pepper flavors. This red wine is consistently good year after year…but It’s no match against some of the California boys.
WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star
Posted in 3-Star, Reds, Reviews-Wine |
Tags: 2006, 3-Star, A-Mano, Italy, Primitivo, Red Wine, Wine Reviews, Zinfandel |
1 Comment »
