Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is one Italy’s classic red wines, and has unquestionably helped Tuscany retain its privileged place on the wine map. It comes from the vineyards which surround Montepulciano, a picturesque hill town 25 miles southeast of Siena, and about an hour south of Florence. It is the southernmost end of the Tuscany region.
Chardonnay is one of the most ubiquitous wine grapes in the world. Many wine consumers are aware of offerings from America (particularly Napa, Sonoma and Central Coast), Australia and Chile. These specimens tend to be ripe and full-bodied, even buttery, featuring vanilla notes from oak aging. Some may even ditch the oak aging for a fresher, more fruit centric version.
The first thing you notice about Luca Bosio is how young he looks. Of course, I thought it was owning mostly to how old I am – at my age, everyone looks young. But Luca looks too young to be a third generation winemaker… until I found out that he attended one of five “wine high schools” in Italy that trains and educates children from winemaking families, beginning at a very young age.
This Valentine’s Day, there is no better wine to celebrate new love with – or the love you already share with someone – than with a bottle of bubbly. But not just any sparkling wine. For the day named in honor of a young Roman priest, Valentine of Rome, who was martyred for secretly preforming wedding ceremonies during a ban in AD 269, one should chose a special wine that adds color as well as style for this year’s day of love. Sparkling rosé wines are just what Cupid ordered.
Given the age-old tradition of giving heart shaped boxes of chocolate to your loved one on February 14th, let’s talk about how wine and chocolate, if done correctly, can be as complimentary to each other as Superman and Lois, Romeo and Juliet, or Homer and Marge.
Make no mistake – I really like beer. And I know that the party beverage of choice for the majority of traditional Super Bowl get-togethers is usually reserved for the realm of finely crafted brews. After all, just look at all of the money mega-brewers spend on advertising during the Big Game and you get a sense that they know the day belongs to them. But this year, you can break out of the routine game plan and pair your Super Bowl treats with super wines for a more upscale affair.
A few weeks ago, I prognosticated that Portugal and Spain were going to be the hot wines for 2015. Both countries have made a genuine effort to increase the quality of their winemaking while maintaining their value-driven pricing. And while Portugal is probably better known more for their sweet, fortified reds, they are producing a variety of powerful-yet-graceful red and white table wines.
The Bodega Numanthia estate lies near the small village of Valdefinjas, in the province of Zamora in the Toro region of Spain.
The estate was founded in 1998 by the Eguren family, who hail from the Rioja region. From the start, the aim of Marcos and Miguel Eguren was to produce the best wine from Toro.
CLICK HERE to LISTEN to this week’s Wine of the Week segment on WTOP Radio
From time-to-time, some of those friends end up making wine, and some winemakers become good friends. Inevitably, some of those friends will ask me to “review” their wines. Occasionally, it can lead to awkward moments of silence. After all, how do you tell someone you like and respect that their proverbial baby is ugly? However, most of the wines made by my friends are actually pretty good.
CLICK HERE to LISTEN to this week’s Wine of the Week segment on WTOP Radio
CLICK HERE to READ this week’s column
Well, another year has come and gone, and another list of resolutions has passed into my personal history book with mixed success. There were a few personal promises that I kept and more than a few that fell into the “maybe next year” category.
