Understanding wine in its context.

Good lambrusco is fizzy, dry, lively and somewhat earthy.

What musician Brian Eno did 11 years ago during watching Monty Python...

Taurino Salice Salentino Reserve 2000 Italy, Puglia, Salento ($10) I’m becoming predictable. Another southern Italian red. This one comes from a respectable producer and it is readily available in the states. From all I’ve read, 2000 in southern Italy was a great year and this wine benefited from the growing season. It’s 85% Negroamaro and the rest Malvasia Nera, a typical blend for a Salice...

The Tenuta di Sesta estate is principally dedicated to agriculture, but it also had 10 hectares of vineyard. Giovanni Ciacci and his family are dedicated to producing some very fine Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino wines. Now 1997 is a renowned year in Italy and I was looking forward to this wine. It spent 3 years in oak I believe (according to the website), and it opened up a little stinky...

Posted By Guest Author Katie Pizzuto I hate brussel sprouts, cabbage and black licorice...by default that includes sauerkraut, coleslaw, anisette and sambuca. Other than that, I’m pretty much game in this big beautiful epicurean world. And I never really gave...

The 1998 Cavaliere is made from 100% Sangiovese, and aged for 12 months in French oak. Still a good red in colour, with purple tinges. The nose is engaging, with red cherries and blackberries, liquorice and musky earth. The palate follows true to the nose, but is backed up by ...

A medium/light red in colour. The nose shows red fruits, dried herbs, a bit of pepper and gunsmoke. It is almost medium weight, with sour cherries and herbs, some savoury richness and good length. The finish is drying with some good acid. A bit more oomph than the 2003, and ...

Il Brecciarolo Rosso Piceno Superiore 2002 Italy, Marche ($16) This blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese from Marche is produced by Velenosi Ercole who is known to be somewhat experimental with his wines. The DOC of Rosso Piceno is located at the extreme southern part of Marche, closest to Abruzzo. It is here that producers see the montepulciano grape as more than just a bulk table wine...

A bottle of Italian wine tonight, this one bought for the bottle more often than the contents. It’s a Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi, often known as la Lollobrigida as it’s claimed the bottle’s shape is based on Gina’s. This bottle is a Croce Del Moro Classico from Majestic. It’s ...