Document text
Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad April 11, 2006 Off The Vine Reds from Italy can be outstanding Lorn Razzano Those of you who have kept up with my wine articles know how much I love Italian wine. The vastness of the Italian wine scene is almost impossible to keep up with, and the variety of nice wines arriving from Italy seem unending in scope and deep in quality. That being said, the great percentage of wine buyers know next to nothing about these wonderful wines. Many consumers find the labels impossible to read and have no idea if the wines are designated by village or grape variety. To make matters even more complicated, many consumers also have no idea what to serve with specific wines. I am going to devote this article on a solid, general overview of Italian red wine — a few basic thoughts so that you might get a handle on what is going on in this wonderful world of red wine. OK, here we go: Chianti Get over the idea that these wines still come in wicker wrapped bottles that we used to stick candles into to drip wax down the sides. Some shippers still ship a tiny amount of these wines to the United States, but the days of the wicker are, thankfully, long gone. The backbone of the Chianti region, which extends roughly from Siena to Florence in Tuscany, is the noble Sangiovese grape. This powerful and warm grape, when made well offers exquisite flavors of dark berry, heat and lovely palate density. The levels of Chianti are Chianti, Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva, with the prices going up accordingly to the Riserva level. The levels indicate, for the most part, quality as well as age requirements, which I'll go into at another time. Let it suffice to say that the highest level of Chianti, the Riserva, can be a wine of unmatched beauty and elegance. Chianti goes well with just about any meat based pasta dish, rice dishes and grilled meats. Chianti also does beautifully with a variety of cheeses, especially the hard cheeses. Barolo, Barbaresco Considered by many wine folks to be the jewels of the Italian wine scene, these two Nebbiolo-based wines are named after their respective villages in the northwest of Italy from the region of Piemonte. Traditionally, the Barolo has been the harder, more closed-in red, while the Barbaresco has been a bit softer but still solid, generous and filled with a complex variety of dried fruit, orange peel and hints of anise and leather. When made well, these wines exhibit such layers of complex flavors as to be almost endless in palate pleasure. The bouquet of these fine Nebbiolos changes from minute to minute with exotic fruit tones that are really something to behold. The palate can at once be very refined but also rich and silky with a finish that goes on forever. The famous polenta dishes with cheeses or mushroom and grilled game are just the ticket with this wonderful set of wines. Well made Barolo and Barbaresco can and do age for many years, sometimes up to 25 years if stored well. Lovely wines. Brunello di Montalcino Moving back to Tuscany, we find the king of north central Italy. This profound red wine also from the Sangiovese family, but grown and bred around the sweet little town of Montalcino, is sought the world over for its unparalleled grace, elegance and staying power. Where its little sister, the fine Chianti Riserva, has class and lovely warm and generous tones, the great Brunello takes all of this and triples the elegance, refinement and length and brings this wine to a sublime level of excellence. Well-made Brunello can age much like its Northern cousins, the Barolo and Barbaresco, and display a supple roundness and set of aftertastes that seemingly go on forever. If you have not tasted Brunello and you love red wine, you are in for the treat of your lifetime. These are rare and beautiful creatures. Amarone For many wine lovers, the Amarone from the Veneto region of Italy is without parallel in the world of wine. A combination of three ancient grapes with part of the harvest being dried then introduced into the fermenter at the end of the cycle, the ancient and venerable Amarone explodes with dry, expansive and delicious dark fruit flavors. Known for its almost sweet style and tons of silk and velvet flavors, the wine is more than a match for any game dish served, a variety of rich cheese and pastas dripping with just about anything you wish to serve over it. The great single cru Amarone are stately, powerful and charming, all in one sip. These wines are unparalleled in their elegance, power and grace. Barbera I know I have written about this red wine before, but I have to tell you that this wine continues to be a regular at my table at home. I love the Barbera grape for its very generous flavors, deep colors and soft underbelly of ripe fruit. These wines can be very easy drinking with just about any Italian fare or can be serious offerings with very expensive oak maturation and hand-picked single vineyards with decades of tradition. I find this wine to be a great alternative to Merlot for its softness, but unlike many Merlot, the Barbera grape can yield softness as well as great structure and definition on a variety of levels. I really like well-made Barbera and find that it satisfies my taste for well made Italian wine without stretching the pocketbook and does well with so many American dishes, especially those tossed on the grill. Well, those are my favorites. Go out and give them a try and see if you don’t agree. See you next time! --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.