My, aren’t decent Italian wines on the expensive side?
Well, if you are looking for some wines to move you to the point of tears, money should be no object, right?
The 2003 Laurentina Rosso Piceno ‘Talliano’ is priced at around £11.50. The wine doesn’t feel as heavy as I thought, as the 70% Montepulciano gives it […]

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A recent lunch at One Blossom Street presented InterWined.com a unique opportunity: to try a very, very expensive wine, compared to a not-so pricey wine.

Owner Roberto, and wine merchant Antonello, were there for the private tasting. Roberto broke out his 2003 Barrua Isola Dei Nuraghi , made by the same folks who produce the super tuscan Sassicaia, which he said will be the next great wine to come out of Italy. He’s going to sell it for around £85 a bottle ($175).

Antonello brought his 2004 Piantate Lunghe, Conero Rossini, which would sell on a store shelf for a much more forgiving £12 ($25).

So which taste better?

Roberto isn’t a huge fan of his Barrua. He believes it is produced to appeal to more “international” tastes, and isn’t distinctly Italian enough. And he’s right to an extent, as it is a blend using French varieties: Carignano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The wine is incredibly well-balanced. Flawless, even. Violets, plum and a strong helping of liquorice. The tannins are weak for an Italian wine, but this just makes the Barrua incredibly mellow. The loamy clay soil can also be tasted, at least that’s InterWined’s guess on what kind of earth the grapes grow in. The wineceller, Enotria, says that the wine pairs well with spicy food. They’re lying. Spicy food kills this wine. Ruins it. We tried the wine with a spicy tomato pasta with olives and hated it. 9.3 points. Drink by itself or with cheese.

Antonello’s Piantate was fuming with alcohol on the nose, but for some reason, it cut right trough the spice. His wine is a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese — very Italian. Medium body with surprisingly soft tannins. It had nice grip, sure, but still a year too young. InterWined noted a chalky flavor, which Antonello confirmed: the vines grow in chalky soil.

How about that? 8.9 points.

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InterWined enjoyed an outstanding Montepulciano de Abruzzo called Inferi (2004) with some steak and chips last night. The wine can be bought at Oddbins, but don’t know the price, as it was a gift. Therefore, it shouldn’t be rated.

However, the intense red cherry aroma wrapped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and vanilla balanced the pepper and olive oil on the fried sirloin incredibly.

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Came across an interesting one: called Monastrell IX. No brand. Just a Spanish grape, Monastrell (Mourvèdre in France, Mataro in New World) with one selling point: it’s 15 percent alcohol by volume. To sell based solely on the fuzzy factor, seems just plain wrong. And it’s not cheap, £5 at the Co-Op. Certainly it would be awful, but some fool has to blog it, doesn’t he?

Telling you; that wine was so bad, it took forever to finish – every last drop.

Also had two great Montepulciano d’Abruzzos. Thinking about doing a few reviews on these wines: Who likes Italian?

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Just let me finish that last sip of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Moncaro, £8 from the pizzeria down the street. Mmm, OK. Bit light, but perfect with the pepperoni pizza from last night. The dough was a bit too salty though, but the Italians who made it know more than Dominoes…8.4 points

The 2003 Tukulu Pinotage, the South African hybrid grape…cost about £7 at Oddbins. The wine is neat because is smells of banana, as well as the typical ripe vine fruits of a typical red wine. However, the taste is smokey and oaky. It’s really nice for the price. It is a fascinating wine, the body is weak but the structure is strong, just like the Superdome: 8.7 points.

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The party wine was a 2003 Premiere Bordeaux Chateau Haut Rian: a bit thin, not notable. Light airy, aloof, like many at a party. Little oak, less earth; slight aroma of berries, mainly black, and that is about it: 8.2 points. Perfect for a party. Easy drinking, inexpensive red. Didn’t complain of course, yet the host said ‘this one’s for you.’

A bottling from Austria; forgot the vintage. Made mainly from a grape called St. Laurent. Also Merlot, Zwigelt. Cool climes for cool times. Seemed a bit bland at first. Let it breathe. The strong tartness gave way to sublime bitterness. Dig the dark chocolate. The wine found its soul when finally set free. Almost desperate to impress; excellent: 8.9.

Drank a bottle of Montepulciano di Abruzzo from Marks and Spencer, £8. Italian wine is a minefield. Montepulciano, for example, was the grape used in the wine from Abruzzo. However, Montepulciano is also a town in Tuscany, which makes Vino Nobile, made from Sangiovese. Huh? What’s that? Make sense. Please.

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