dean

The wine advice I just posted seems to be a big hit so I thought I's post some more random thoughts.<BR><BR>Right now the wine industry is facing two very negative, in my opinion, trends. First off is the bane of wine writters, led by Robert Parker. He is able to rate wines an a 100 point scale, and rate 100's and 100's of wines a month. Since statistical studies suggest that only a 7 point scale is statistically reliable and that an expert taster cannot possibly taste more tha 20 wines in a day, he is truly a super human taster. What's the difference between a 90 point wine in Parker and one with an 89 point score? You can find the 89 point wine and the 90 point wine is sold out. What do you drink with a cheese burger? 83 points? Why are chenin blancs almost never rated int he 90's Can't a chenin blanc be a great chenin blanc? Enough trashing of the Pope of Wine.<BR><BR>This first problem leads to the second, an internationalization of wine style. Since you need to get high scores to have your wines reach cult status, you have to make wines in the styles that the major judges will like. This means that wines are tending to a single style. What BS but its unavoidable. Wine is a big business right now.<BR><BR>Having given you this philosophy, I love to champion small wineries who make hand made wines. I love wines of individulaity and perspnality. I love "small wines". This is not a style but wines made for a local audience. Wine does not have to be Great to be wonderful. It just has to taste good. You don't have to spend a lot to get a great wine. That being said, you do have to pay a lot for the greatest wines such as Brunello di Montalcino or Barbaresco. Paying a lot is not a guarantee of getting a great wine, but great wines are more expensive because they are limited and rare.<BR><BR>You really should drink local. If you are in Toscana, drink Tuscan wines. The locals know more about local wines than they do about national or international wines. Local wines are more likely to be lesser avable in the states so you might discover wines you would never be able to drink in the US. When you find something you like try other wines by the same producer and try other producers who make the same DOC or DOCG or are fromt he same area. Find a wine bar that you like and ask questions. Take reccomenations based on what you like. Tell you wine merchant what you have drunk and liked recently and then s/he can make suggestions based on that. Go to regional Enoteche like the one in the Fortezza Medici in Montalcino where you can taste a wide variety of Montalcino wines from many producers.<BR><BR>Next-- a few of my favorite wines

dean

I will make my suggestions by region. this is not a comprehensive list, just random notes.<BR><BR>Piemonte is home to big wines designed to go with the local cuisine that is based on mushrooms, truffles, game etc. The wines can be tannic and need a lot of aging. But if you stick to Dolcetto and Barbera, you can find modestly priced wines that are ready to drink young. Nebbiolo is the grae of Barolo and Barbaresco. These wines are huge and need time. But most producers bottle a wine just labeled Nebbiolo that is more accessable and more of a value.<BR><BR>My favorite producers in Piemonte are Marcarini, Giacomo Bologna (famous for expensive yet wonderful Barbera), Luigi Coppo, Prunotto and Einaudi. There are hundreds more and I am not slighting any by not mentioning them.<BR><BR>Another of my favorite areas in Fruili Venezia Giulia. Here my favoite wines are white. Tocai Friulano is a wonderful, aromatic white with a spicy edge and a rich, almost oily mouthfeel. Its what pinot grigio wants to be when it grows up. There are several sub areas and you will see their names on the label. I love Colli Orentali (eastern hills) and Isonzo over the more easily found Collio. But a specific producer is a more reliable quality factor than the geography. Look for Jermann (expensive and wonderful), Doro Princic, Walter Filliputti (especially his blend Poesis), Ronco del Gnemiz and Pra di Pradis. Furlan makes fine wines at great prices. Stick with the sauvignons, pinot biancos, ribolla giallas and tocais, over the more common pinot grigions and chardonnays. Some of the best wines are sold under a brand name such as Jermann's Vintage Tunina or Poesis from Filliputti. Thats because a wine maker can have more fun and make a better wine by blending.<BR><BR>The area is known for merlot but I am not a fan of the reds from here.

Dayle

Dean! This is great. I'm printing your advice out. I love pino grigio, & will look for the Tocai Fruilino to try. <BR><BR>You've just given me a great idea. I'm nominating you to lead a Wine Taster's Trip to Italy. Seriously, would you?

dean

Noex is the veneto. Here my favorite wines are two famous names: Valpolicella and Soave of Bolla fame. However, I am not speaking of the factory swill made by Bolla and several other oil refineries..... oops I mean large scale wineries in the area. You need to find wineries that make small batches of wines by hand methods.<BR><BR>Here my faorite producers are: (soave) Pieropan, Gini, one other whose name I forget. For Valpolicella, look for Dal Forno Romano. Their valpol is somply one of the greatest reds I have ever tasted. This is a perfect expample of a wine that tastes far aove its pedigree suggests. Not cheap, mayby 40 or 50 US a bottle over there. Their Amarone is about $200 a bottle US over there and I can only imagine what it must taste like. Someday. Other producers of Valpolicella that you should seek out are Allegrini (look for Palazzo della Torre and La Grola, their two single vineyard Valpol's), Zenato for their reserve serego Aleghiri selections. recioto della Valpolicella is a late harvest Valpolicella made in two styles, dry and sweet. The dry wines are known by the designation Amarone or big botter one. They are high in alcolhol with a raisiny character. They are made from grapes dried on straw mats. They are very concentrated and have a little residual sweetness. And they are so selected that they are made only from the "ears" of the bunch (the grapes on the two side stems of the bunch) which are more exposed to the sun and have a more developed flavor. Amarone is for game or for strong cheeses. Plain recioto is sweet and wonderful but very hard to fiind. Antoher style to look for is Ripasso which is a "regular" Valpplicella that is fermented with the pressings of Amarone. The pressings still have a large amount of sugar and flavor and so Ripasso is somewhere between Amarone and Valpolicella with a real good price value ratio.<BR><BR>Other veneto wines to look for for are a wide range of local wines that usually go under the grape name. There are wonderful cabernet sauvignons and cabernet francs as well as a range of wines from the Colle Eugani from the area south of Padova (this may be in the Romagna so shoot me!).<BR><BR>

dean

last add on the veneto... try to get to Do Mori, a wonderful wine bar in Venezia. They will have a bunch of local wines for 3 to $4.00 US a glass. Just try what they have. Also try Fragolino, a venetian tradition. It is a white that is sweet and flavored like strawberries. The red is fizzy and fun (think maneschevitz with a fizz only good!).<BR><BR>Another wine of note from the area (again I am too senile to remember if tis from the Veneto or not) is Venegazzu della Casa. They make a white lable and a black label riserva. They also make a reserve version called Capo di Stato. You sould try it if you see it. The reserve wines are made using a governo or a refermentation with dried grapes so they are tremendiously intense. <BR><BR>Next in my wanderings are the wines of the Trentino and Alto Adige. Both of these areas owe much of their heritage to Germany. Together they make up the Sud Tyrol and the signs and menus are mostly in German. This is the home to my favorite northern whites, the gewurztraminers. They are dry but incredibly aromatic. The best are as good as their Alsatian counterparts. Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon are also both wonderful as well. Many of the best wines come from Co-ops. Look for Ca Terlano, Borgo Tiglio, San Michele, Haas, Lagader, Maso Poli and Pojer e Sandri. One confusing thing about the wines is that a given winery may produce several versions of a given grape, each more incredible than the next. You have never lived till you have had a reserve gewurztraminer from Maso Poli, Ca Terlano (called Quarz) or San Michele. <BR><BR>A red of note is Teroldego. Its great in that it has soft tannins and is very easy to drink. It has good acidity which makes it goos with tomato based dishes or even with fish.<BR><BR>The Emilia Romagna is home to Lambrusco. If you can find an estate bottles version, thry it with a rich dish like Bolito Misto. Look for the designation Sobrara. Sangiovese di Romagna is also fine.

dean

Toscana<BR><BR>My favorite wine area in all of Italy, home to the sangiovese grape. And my favorite wines are the wines of Montalcino: Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino. Brunello is a particular strain (or clone) of sangiovese. The Brunello are aged for 4-5-6 years before release and can only be made from vines of a certain age. The rosso's are often called baby Brunellos. They are made from declassified Brunello or from young vines. They are more chianti like in style. Since they go for a fraction of what a Brunello goes for they are a great bargain. Look for Argiano, Constanti, Barbi, Chacchi, Piccolomini, La Torre Bianco, Castelgioncondo from Frescobaldi and many others. Go to the festival of the thrush in Montalcino (in October) for a mideval parade and a chance to drink a lot of Brunello. If you cant make the festival, go to the fortezza Medici in Montalcino for one of the great enotecca experiences in all of Italy. Brunello combines power, bigness with elegance and complexity, a hard combination to do. <BR><BR>Next in Southern Toscana would be Montepulciano home to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, made from another particular clone of sangiovese. Not as big or as elegant as Brunello but a substantial wine nonetheless. Innocenti, Dei and Avignonesi are all very good producers. For a Nobile di Montepulciano treat go to La Chiusa in Montefollonico and drink several selections from their list. Innocenti is from their village and so is the local wine to La Chiusa, unlike the foreign Vino Nobiles that may be grown 5 or 10 kilometers away!!!<BR><BR>Another wine of note is Morelino di Scansano. La Pupile is a great name and Moris farms is widely available. Its a ripe and juicy red very easy to drink.

dean

Chianti! there is nowhere in Italy today where there is so much good winemaking going on as in Chianti. Classico is the traditional area central to the region but there are fine Chianti coming from Colle Sinese and Ruffina as well. My favorite producer is La Leccia but I must admit that Francesco Daddi (the owner) is a close friend. He makes a few thousand cases a year. His Riserva is superb and his Super Tuscan red (Bruciagna) is amazing. Also favorites are Isole e Olena, Fonterutoli, Terrabianca to name a few. I tend to riserva in chianti as they are riper and more special. <BR><BR>I mentioned super Tuscan reds. These are wines that originally did not meet the definitions of any particular DOC (The DOC rules have been changed but now Super Tuscans have a certain cashet). They are often the best wine of a given winery and yet are just sold as Vino da Tavola. Tignanello from Antinori is one of the original Vino da Tavola Super Tuscans. Today it could be sold as a Chianti. <BR><BR>On the other side of the Peninsula from Toscana is Marche. Rossero Conero and Verdicchio are the wines to look for here. Too many fine producers to note any in particular. These are quaffing wines in general. There is a local wine in the north of Marche called Visner which is a fortified and spiced wine in the style that the Romans drank 2000 years ago (they would have mixed it with water!). Fun to drink!<BR><BR>South of Marche is home to Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. This is a wine that is typically a quaffing wine, simple and cheap. But there are two producers I wish to note. The first is Illuminatti who makes incredible riserve wines like the Invecchiato. These are some serious wines from an appelation that is not known for great wines. FInally, Emidio Pepe is an iconoclastic producer. The wines are aged in champagne style bottles on the yeast cells (or lees) for many years. The wines are opened and the yeast removed just before release. Current vintages are mid 90's. These wines are silky and totally unique. If you ever see a Pepe on a wine list try it if you can afford it. The only place I have seen them is at Veritas in NYC.<BR><BR>

dean

Umbria is home to one of my favorite winemakers, Riccardo Coltarella and his winery Viticchio. Good values. Also a wonderful wine are the reds grown in Montefalco called Sagratino di Montefalco. Hard to find and little known, these are wonderful wines. A Caprai is a top notch producer. I also love Orvieto as a quaffing wine.<BR><BR>Other wines I love are the Ischia Biancos from the island of the same name in Campagnia. I am not aware of any names in particular. I am new to this area and just love to go into a restaurant and order away. they are not expensive for their quality. I am also exploring the wines of Amalfi and other communes int he area. <BR><BR>Puglia makes big reds of note like Salice Salentino. <BR><BR>Sicilai makes a huge range of great reds but I am again not in a position to name any names in particular. I hopeto go there someday to gain first hand knowlege.<BR><BR>In Vino Veritas....

xxx

ttt

topper

Topping for wine lovers

chris

Dean -- you mention Noex in your posting but all I see is a mention. Years ago we bought a couple of splits of Noac in a tasting place in Soave. It is, I think, a passito. The only think on the label is Noac -- it was, I think, a very local production. We have never been able to find any mention of it in any publications -- do you know anything about it?

Santa Chiara

Wow, Dean, do you write for a wine column or magazine? If you don't, you should. I had always thought Tocai (Tokays?) were sweet. So imagine my surprise this evening at my local wine store when I found myself reaching for your recommendation. As we speak I am sipping that "wonderful, aromatic white with a spicy edge and a rich, almost oily mouthfeel. It's what pinot grigio wants to be when it grows up," I am drinking Colli Orentali, to be specific. It is about 7 euros here in Central Italy. What is it in the U.S.?<BR><BR>The minute I took a taste I realized I was onto something special. <BR><BR>Another thing about this wine is that you feel it from the tip of your tongue to the back. Now, I wouldn't know that this was important except I learned it on a wine-bike tour last summer in Burgandy.<BR><BR>Thanks for the great advice and descriptions. Although it is a tall order, I vow to systematically taste all the wines listed in all of your emails. Please, don't applaud my courage, it's the least I can do, but do respect my sacrifice.

dean

Noex is a typo for Next.... great to know there is a wine of similar name... never had it and will look for it when next in the Veneto.<BR><BR>SC... look for the winery name on your bottle. Colli Orentali is the place wher the wine was grown. There will be a producer name as well. Colle Orentali Tocai's are just about my favorite Itlaian whites except for the Trentino Gewurztraminers. One would go for about $15 to $25 a bottle US.<BR><BR>

Santa Chiara

The winery is La Vigna da Zamo.<BR>Do you have a particular one your recommend?

Uncle Sam

Dean,<BR><BR>Yuda wine man!!!<BR><BR>You gave me advice on the Brunello earlier( and I still have about 10 bottles of Castello Banfi in my rack), and now I have a question or two on this side of the big water.<BR><BR>We love the California cabs and our favorites are:<BR><BR>1. Clos Pegas<BR>2. Sterling<BR>3. Simi<BR>4. Raymonds Reserve<BR><BR>1. Can you reccommend some others that are in the same price range...$18 to $35<BR><BR>2. Have you ever had any of the California cult wines?...and why in the world would someone pay that much?<BR><BR>To me Opus One at $125 just doesn't make any sense ...the others just get ludicrous from there!<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR><BR>Uncle Sam<BR><BR>

christina

dean!<BR><BR>complimenti!!!! very good descriptions! when you come to firenze (maybe you know that i live close to firenze), let me know and then we visit together other wineries. i do have a real great spot from a "one man" vinery and i think you might love his wine. <BR><BR>tanti saluti<BR><BR>christina

dean

SC... Zamo is one of the best producers of Tocai and other white varietals from Friuli. They have a special cuvee that I think is called "vigne del 50 anni" or something like that made from only very old vines. Look for Ronco del Gnemiz, Walter Filliputti and Doro Princic as well.<BR><BR>US THe super cult cabs are that expensive because ego driven wine lovers think nothing of payong 200 and 300 a bottle for wines that the wine spectator and robert parker say they should have. I mean is a Ferrari or Lamborghini worth 10 times the money that a Corvette ZR1 is? If ya got the money its nice to have the Ferrari but I'd rater take the 50 more trips to Italy I could afford....<BR><BR>As to more reasonably priced cabs, now a days reasonably priced means up to around $50.00. These are a list of wines that will be very ageable or that you can drink now....<BR><BR>Judd's Hill<BR>Iron Horse<BR>Ridge (look for their Santa Cruz Mountain designation)<BR>Ahlgren (another Santa Cruz winery that makes stunningly good chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Cab Sauv... they have a website)<BR>Corrison<BR>Anderson Conn Valley VIneyard<BR>Livingston (both the Stanleys and the Moffat Viineyards)<BR>Fieldstone (especially the Staton Family reserve)<BR>Mayacamas<BR><BR>Happy drinking<BR>

Santa Chiara

So what about Dayle's suggestion for leading a wine trip to Italy. I'd sign on in a minute, just based on this one recommendation. I mean this wine is strip-your-clothes-off-and-dance-in-the-light-of-the-moon good. I immediately giving up my Aligote plonk, for the same price, and investing my money (and calories) in the Tocai.

ned

Dean<BR>What about the 99 Thunderbird vintage? I find it goes well with most any meal I pull from the dumpster. I also think that the very good Mad Dog 20/20 is a nice sipping wine, good for those lazy summer days in the alley or under the overpass. Night Train Express has also been a long time favorite of mine, but I find it does have a bit of an oily aftertaste when served with day old bread.

dean

Ned<BR><BR>You're great compassion, humor and insight "drip" through. I am so glad you saw fit to make that addition to our discussion. <BR><BR>To the rest, as far as a wine tour I am sadly limited to only 10 oz a day oof wine. So having a whole bunch of folk along will allow me to have more tastes. How does October sound?<BR><BR>