Making The Case

MAKING THE CASE For Italian Wine

By TOM FIRTH ith March being Culinaire’s Italian-centric issue, it was an easy choice to focus on some W

Italian wine selections here. Italy is in many ways the centre of the wine producing world - with a fine balance of high quality wines, but also tremendous variety of grapes and blends, and a staggeringly large variety of prices too. This month, I’ve been feeling the love for chianti, but I’ve also tried to find a good balance of newer offerings, some well-known bottles or producers, and also finding wines with prices a little more on the reasonable side (because… you know… inflation) as well. A great number of these wines will taste very good when the warmer weather comes too, so keep a few of these in mind for patio season!

Find these wines by searching the CSPC code at Liquorconnect.com; your local liquor store can also use this code to order it for you. Prices are approximate.

Luigi Righetti 2018 Valpolicella Ripasso Veneto, Italy

People just love Ripasso wines – and for good reason. At a very fair price, ripassos are made by passing fresh valpolicella wines over the raisined grapes used in making amarone (which is typically fairly expensive) gaining a little of that richer, sweeter character in the process. Big and generous fruits on the nose and palate with a little of that plush, sweeter fruit, but also liquorice, spice, and mellow tannins. A fine bottle any night of the week; on your menu should be steaks, or even tomatodominant pastas, or ribs from the grill. CSPC +838054 $25-29

Tom is a freelance wine writer, wine consultant, and wine judge. He is the Managing Editor for Culinaire Magazine, and the Competition Director for the Alberta Beverage Awards. Follow him on twitter @cowtownwine, email tom@culinairemagazine.ca.

Masottina NV Collezione 96 Brut Prosecco, Italy

The very best thing about prosecco, is that it really is meant to be enjoyed. This brut shines with fresh and clean apple and nectarine fruits, a splash of peach and grapefruit and a touch of mineral characters. Plenty of zest and a nice, frothy foam, it checks off all the boxes for a mid-week treat. I prefer my prosecco without food, but this would be at home with light snacks and a movie too. CSPC +856316 $17-21

Masottina NV Collezione 96 Rosé Brut Prosecco, Italy

Made from prosecco’s glera grapes with pinot noir (for both colour and character), this rosé prosecco shows the barest colour in the glass, yet still shows off tart strawberry, a pinch of cherry, and a fine floral note tying it all together. The palate is crisp and dry, with those summery fruits leading the way and a touch of hard candy towards the finish. A rosé that very much over delivers on quality and flavour – at a fine price too. CSPC +856317 $18-21

Spinelli 2019 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Abruzzo, Italy

While Italy is packed corner to corner with great wine and food, it was in Abruzzo that I have never eaten so well or for so long with such a wide variety of food. Primarily montepulciano d’Abruzzo with a touch of sangiovese, this excellent value wine is all about red fruits with good supporting spicy and earthy notes. Tannins are almost cuddly-soft with the fine acids that make a wine like this perfect for the barbecue or smoker. Try grilled red meats or even a brisket with this one. CSPC +799608 $12-15

San Felice 2018 Il Grigio Chianti Classico Reserva, Tuscany, Italy

A long-time favourite in premium chianti for me, and one that leans a little closer to the old world in approach. Dried plums, cherry, and abundant herbaceous and spicy aromas yield to rich fruits on the palate with crisp, tomato-friendly acids, and a long tannin presence to close things off. Definitely a wine that can handle some red meat: think dry rubs, prime rib and smoker-friendly dishes. Delicious! CSPC +310490 $28-32

Pasqua 11 Minutes Rosé, Veneto

A blend of both red and white varieties, primarily corvina and trebbiano with syrah and carmenère, making for a surprisingly floral glass of wine with fruits showing off plump raspberry and fresh cherry notes. Rather dry on the palate too, it’s exactly the sort of wine that works so well on a warm day, but also quite nicely with salty snacks on that warm day too. Serve nice and chilled, but not ice cold if you can. CSPC +802206 $21-22

Tommasi 2020 “La Fornaci” Lugana, Italy

Made from 100 percent turbiana, which might be better known as verdicchio bianco or trebbiano di Lugana in some circles, this is very much a new offering for us from Tommasi – already very well known for a few nice reds. Positively bursting with tropical fruits and a fresh almond nuttiness on the palate, with a brightness to the acids that just beg for lighter seafood dishes, freshwater fish, or good, creamy cheese. A treat. CSPC +846132 $24-28

Mezzacorona 2018 Dinotte Red Blend Dolomites, Italy

The Mezzacorona label is well known to people who enjoy well-priced Italian wines, and this new offering is welcome indeed. Based around two uncommon varieties grown near the Dolomite mountains - teroldego and marzemino with a little merlot to soften things up, this blend is a little more fruit driven than expected, with plush black fruits and a full, mellow tannin presence. A gem with burgers from the grill or rich and meaty sauces. CSPC +849976 $17-21

San Felice 2019 Chianti Classico Tuscany, Italy

A beautifully structured chianti classico that treads the line well between old world styling and the more generous fruit many drinkers want. A touch closed at first, but by the time dinner is on the table, those cherry-driven fruits are humming along and fine-grained tannins with fine acidity let some of the spicier and earthier notes shine through. Pairs exceptionally well with tomato-based sauces, those red meats or some savoury stews. CSPC +245241 $21-24

Collazzi 2018 I Bastioni Chianti Classico, Italy

A clean and stylish, modern, but also fairly traditional style of Chianti Classico. Abundant fruits lead off the experience with fresh, tart cherries, a bit of smoke and old wood notes, with a palate that just screams out balance between the zip of the acids and the generosity of the fruit. The sort of wine that over delivers on its own or at dinner with traditional Italian dishes laden with tomato. At the same time, a wine that is perfectly at home at a barbecue. CSPC +717834 $26-31

Prelius 2019 Vermentino, Maremma Tuscany

Vermentinos are some of the most pleasurable, novel, and interesting white wines to drink. Big, slightly spicy and mineral driven, with pineapple, nectarine, and melon fruit on the nose, but it’s on the palate where things sing with zest, white pepper spice, and lovely acids. Wake up that tired palate with something a little different, but crazy good too. A completely crushable wine that will be a hit with poultry or seafoods. Serve cool, but not too cold. CSPC +821096 $24-28

Collazzi 2018 Libertà, Tuscany, Italy

A “Super Tuscan” wine from around the same area as Chianti Classico, but a quality wine made from international or nontraditional grapes – in this case, about half merlot with cabernet franc and 15 percent syrah, making for a completely different expression. Cherry and blackberry fruits with a mild tarriness and black liquorice character start things off with a rather fruit-centric palate rounding it out. The sort of wine that works very nicely with something beefy, like a Bolognese sauce or even a fine burger. CSPC +738703 $25-30

Ricasoli 2018 Brolio Chianti Classico Tuscany, Italy

An utter and complete classic wine from Tuscany. Brolio, the Ricasoli family’s wine from Chianti Classico has leafy, herbal aromas over those tart cherry aromas many chiantis have, with understated elegance, a deep, black earth sort of depth, perfume, and slightly smoky sour cherries on the palate. Tannins are big, but not too aggressive, making for versatility at dinnertime. A clean, beautiful wine that is worth discovering. CSPC +3962 $24-28