Category Archives: Red Wines

Red Wine Review: Teroldego Rotaliano

Wine: Cantina Rotaliana di Mezzolombardo Teroldego Rotaliano

Cantina Rotaliana di Mezzolombardo Teroldego Rotaliano red wine bottleAh, Teroldego … a bright and happy wine with a serious side.

Teroldego is a fairly unknown grape outside of north Trentino, a region in northern Italy that is better known for a white wine called Pinot Grigio. Indeed, you’ll have a hard time finding Teroldego in the USA, even in the finest wine shops. However, if you do see it, it is well worth picking up.

Teroldego Rotaliano is the wine you would have if you crossed a Beaujolais Cru with a Chianti Classico – bright, ripe, fruity, and fun, yet with enough structure to be contemplated. If Chianti were less acidic, it would be Teroldego. If Beaujolais Cru had a rustic wall of tannin, it would be Teroldego.

This particular Teroldego — from Cantina Rotaliana di Mezzolombardo — is typical, showing bright, ripe black cherry, distinct sweet earth and tobacco on the nose. In the mouth you get more cherries — black and red — as well as black raspberry, earth, and a touch of spice, all wrapped with ample acidity and medium tannins. A smooth texture carries the wine with polish. The finish leans toward the acidity and tannins, and the fruit mellows to a pleasantly bitter flavor mixed with black fruit. It’s an ideal accompaniment for a wide variety of foods, though you may want to drink it with dishes on the leaner side. For example, any dishes where you substitute ground turkey for beef, gamey fish, vegetarian dishes, or boldly seasoned poultry and pork. At about twelve bucks, it’s a good value.

a-8 t-8 b-9 fc-9 v-7 ~ 91 Points

Importer: Vias Wine

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Vinum Cellars PETS Petite Sirah

Vinum Cellars Wilson Vineyards PETS Petite Sirah wine bottleWith the label featuring a black and white photo of a sweet Labrador Retriever, how could one possibly leave this bottle on the shelf?

I’m not clear on exactly who makes this wine — the label lists both Vinum Cellars and Wilson Vineyards, and states that the wine is from Clarksburg, California. I’m guessing that Vinum Cellars is the producer, and Wilson Vineyards is the winegrower?

Anyway, who or where it comes from matters not … it is a very enjoyable wine: polished, smooth, well-structured, and ready to drink.

The nose is fairly closed at first, but if you let the wine sit in the glass it will eventually offer inviting aromas of sweet black raspberry, blueberry, a touch of tar and hints of black cassis and prune. In the mouth the first thing you notice is a smooth-as-glass texture, which carries forward, ripe red and black fruits — plum, raspberry, some touches of herb, earth, and pepper, as well as a delicious spicy component that resembles cardamom, cocoa or vanilla. Acidity and tannins are at medium to medium-high levels, and in good proportion to the juicy, almost jammy flavors. Fairly enjoyable on its own, this wine really finds its potential next to a ribeye or skirt steak. Will also do well with other grilled meats, dry cheeses, and short ribs. Added bonus: a portion of the profits for this wine go to the winery’s local animal shelter. At somewhere between 10 and 13 dollars, this is a very good value.

a-8 t-9 b-9 fc-7 v-8 ~ 91 Points

Website: Vinum Cellars

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Red Wine Review: Dardano “Zara” Rosso

Dardano Zara Langhe Rosso Barbera Dolcetto red wine bottleI picked up this bottle for three reasons: first, it was under ten bucks; second, it was a red wine from the Langhe (in Piedmont / Piemonte, Italy), which is something I don’t often see available; and third, it is a really, really heavy bottle with a really deep punt—so I figured if they spent so much expense on the glass, the wine inside HAD to be decent.

The nose has a funky smell. Some geeks might say the wine was backward, or in a “dumb” stage. I say it smells funky, because it doesn’t really show any specific nor ripe fruit; the aroma seems to be a musty mixture of earth, herb, and unripe, maybe dried fruit. Usually mustiness indicates a problem with the cork, but this bottle employed an artificial cork that is supposed to be impervious to TCA contamination. And anyway it didn’t smell like THAT kind of musty; it was more herbal and dried fruit than anything.

On the palate the wine had similar dried fruit and what the Italians call “brush” ; it’s kind of like an earthy element, mixed with raspberries and blackberries that are starting to dry out, and what you might expect a bush branch to taste like. There are also some cocoa and black cherry flavors — typical of the grapes (this wine is half Barbera, half Dolcetto). Personally, I like a wine that has a little more ripeness, especially when drinking alone, but this wine has a place at the table next to a plate of sausage and broccoli rabe, or a selection of cheeses. It has something of a dusty character, thanks to drying acidity and tannins that make an appearance in the midpalate and remain apparent through the finish. Let this wine breathe a little by pouring it into a decanter, or leave it to sit in your glass for about 20 minutes, and it will be much more interesting than straight out of the 28-pound bottle. Putting it in the decanter should also make pouring the wine a lot easier, and keep you from suffering a hernia.

a-6 t-7 b-8 fc-7 v-7 ~ 85 Points

Importers: Verdoni Imports, WinesWeAre

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Red Wine Review: Zeta Garnacha

Zeta Garnacha 2005

Navarra, Spain

Zeta Garnacha red wine bottleA few things made me buy this bottle. First, the striking, shiny red and silver label caught my eye and insisted attention. I know, I know, you can’t judge a wine by its package any more than a book by its cover, but it seemed to be screaming for me to take off the shelf and hold in my hand.

Once I picked up the bottle and studied the label, I liked the idea that it was from Navarra, Spain, as that region has proven time and time again to be a hotbed of red wines with a favorable quality:price ratio. Finally, I saw it was brought in by Weygandt-Metzler, who is one of those smaller importers that you can count on for getting your money’s worth. Alas, I was not disappointed (who says “alas” these days, by the way?)

An open nose of earth, berries, black fruits, and spice suggests a juicy wine, and indeed that’s what you get on the palate. Lots of forward, jammy black and red berry fruit fill the palate upfront, and remain in good balance as a gush of ripe tannins and ample acidity follow the fruit and provide good structure. It’s a touch hot at the very end, but otherwise provides a tight bundle of jammy fruit, earth, and spices from start to finish. A good match for lean red meat, ground-turkey based burgers and sloppy joe’s, mild chili, tacos, and cheeses.

A great wine? Not by a longshot. But for about eight or nine bucks, it’s a fine value.

a-8 t-7 b-8 fc-8 v-7 ~ 85 Points

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Red Wine Review: Ars Poetica Vulcano

Ars Poetica Vulcano Aglianico IGT wine labelThis is a 100% Aglianico, the second wine of Ars Poetica’s trademark Aglianico del Vulture. A remarkable value, it has the flavor, body, complexity, structure, and finish of a Super Tuscan in the $30-45 range.

Named for the extinct volcano (Mt. Vulture) that overlooks the vineyards, Vulcano is a medium-bodied red wine displaying ripe fruit and surprising complexity. Deep, full aromas erupt (pun intended) from the glass at first sniff: black fruits, licorice, tobacco, tar, earth and some vegetal notes. Though it has earthy smells, in fact the nose is quite clean.

You’ll taste similar flavors along with juicy black raspberry and black cherry, with hints of licorice, blackcurrant, bell peppers and a bit of coffee bean. A rush of ripe tannins, and medium acidity balance out the fruit before the wine finishes. Though only about eight dollars, I’ll take this over a 50-dollar Super Tuscan any day, and spend the savings on two big T-bones to go with it. Match it with steak, blackened dishes, roast lamb, ripe cheeses and grilled meats. Choose this instead of a Chianti Classico Riserva (which would be double the price) — you won’t be disappointed.

a-8 t-9 b-8 fc-7 v-10 ~ 92 Points

Importer: Verdoni Imports

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