Italy excites palate with 2 dandies
A pair of Italian cuties, for "Welcome!" and "Where's the beef?"
• Wine: De Faveri Rosé Spumante, Veneto, Italy, $19
Style: Pretty-in-pink, gently dry Italian sparkler
This wine is actually a Prosecco, the name of a grape variety that produces plentiful bubbles in the Veneto province. A touch of a red varietal, Raboso, brings a pretty pink color to the wine. "Spumante" means simply sparkling, derived from "spumare," to foam. Lucio and Mirella De Faveri have their winery in the hills of Valdobbiadene, the center of Prosecco production in north-central Italy.
The delightful charm of this wine lies in its delicious red berry flavor and gentle effervescence. Just off-dry with a soft citrusy tang, it offers very broad appeal and a pretty pale cherry color. It's sparklers like this one, accessible in flavor and price, that just may influence American consumers to crack open bubbles on days other than official celebrations. Let's just create one!
• Wine: Umani Ronchi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006, Italy, $13
Style: Dark, rounded red with juicy black fruit flavor. A rich, ripe value!
Italy's east coast is a treasure trove of value, particularly when it comes to chunky, rustic reds with flavor to spare. The quality potential for the Montepulciano grape, widely grown in central Italy, flowers in Abruzzo. The region is tucked between the Marche and Puglia on the Adriatic coast, facing Greece. Confusingly, "Montepulciano" is also the name of a town in Tuscany, whose wines are made from a Sangiovese clone, allowable in Abruzzo's Montepulciano-based blends. Mama mia!
Notable producer Umani Ronchi (oo-mah-knee ron-key) has delivered a superlative Montepulciano. Oodles of plummy black fruit and spunky spice dance over smooth tannins. It's both easy-drinking and mouth-filling, bringing to a hungry mind the image of a peasant stew, lamb on an open spit or a char-grilled burger! The label is an easy lesson in Italian terminology. Understanding that "d'" or "di" means "of" or "from," the wine's name comes to light: Montepulciano (grape) from (the region of) Abruzzo.
A pair of Italian cuties, for "Welcome!" and "Where's the beef?"
• Wine: De Faveri Rosé Spumante, Veneto, Italy, $19
Style: Pretty-in-pink, gently dry Italian sparkler
This wine is actually a Prosecco, the name of a grape variety that produces plentiful bubbles in the Veneto province. A touch of a red varietal, Raboso, brings a pretty pink color to the wine. "Spumante" means simply sparkling, derived from "spumare," to foam. Lucio and Mirella De Faveri have their winery in the hills of Valdobbiadene, the center of Prosecco production in north-central Italy.