Varietal: Blended Red Wine (40% Prugnolo Gentile; 30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Merlot)
Region: Italy
Cost: $21
Deep ruby red color with aromas of spring flowers, red fruits, minerals, and subtle earth tones. Â Fruit flavors are continued on the palate. Â Pairs well with lentil soup, minestrone soup, rotisserie chickens, or a bread and cheese platter.
Recommendations: This past weekend I was in Charleston, South Carolina visiting my brother-in-law and his wife and I took this bottle with me to share with family – something about Italian wine has always beckoned me to share it with others. While in the space between preparing dinner (hamburgers on the grill) and actually eating dinner, we opened up the bottle to help us relax after a long day.
I was instantly impressed by the color, being a sucker for dark red wines. Â Aromas of mineral and earth were very noticeable to me, with hints of fruit on the nose as well. Â The fruit on the palate was subtle, but I did a nice earthiness at the finish that I found very enjoyable. Â While we didn’t pair this with any actual food, I could definitely see pairing this with a range of foods, from a nice minestone soup to a more robust meal of either pasta or grilled meats.
When asked my opinion on it by the others drinking the wine, I simply said that it was Italian. Â It’s hard for me to really put into words what that really means, but the second I sipped the wine, I instantly got the image of sitting in Tuscany, sipping wine and munching on fresh baked pizza from a stone oven. Â My father-in-laws reaction to the wine was more along the lines of “mmm…I like it!” Â I like to think he means the same thing I do.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine for this review.
