The next series we’re doing on Cheap Wine Ratings is California Zinfandel. At times Zinfandel is one of my favorite varietals but sometimes it ends up just way too sweet and jammy. Zinfandel is really a chameleon though, as its wine can have a variety of characteristics from jar-full-of-jam fruit, to spicy, to tannic, and […]
I recently had the opportunity to try the full lineup of wines from a relatively new producer in South Eastern Australia named Friday Monkey. These wines are fairly typical of what you would expect from Australian value wines. They are very much “new world” wines in style in that they are simple and fruit-forward. Occasionally […]
Say it with me: mon-tuh-pul-CHEE-an-no dah BROOT-zo. It’s one of my favorite Italian wines and not just because it’s fun to say. It’s a very approachable Italian country wine that is often overlooked. Yet it is very enjoyable and can have as much complexity as more popular varietals. It’s much less acidic than many other […]
Rubiro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is (from what I can tell) a second label from Villa Cervia where oenologist Rino Moretti has been producing wine since 1989. This would be a good choice if you want a red wine that’s not too aggressive. It’s approachable and soft in every way, making it easy to pair with a variety […]
I’ll keep this one relatively short as there’s not much to get excited about. This review adds fodder to my “there’s better places to shop for wine than Trader Joe’s” rant. Yep, it’s another wine from Trader Joe’s that rates less than 80. The fruit is soft in this one. It has a little leather […]
Azienda Agricola Masciarelli operates 13 estates across Abruzzo totaling about 300 hectares with lots of Montepulciano vines, plus other varietals such as Trebbiano, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cococciola and one hectare of Falaghina. They also have olive groves on many of their estates and are well known for their olive oil sold under the Cvetic […]
La Valentina is a much younger producer than many of the others I’ve tasted for this series, but they produce a classic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. They were established in 1990 and currently manage over 40 hectares. They have two vineyards in Abruzzo and the grapes for this label are from the San Valentino vineyard, about 20km from Maiella mountain […]
The next wine in our series on Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is Majolica from producer Podere Castorani. The Castorani name comes from the family of surgeon Raffaele Castorani who invented the first surgical procedure to treat cataracts and owned the property in the late 18th century. The property has since gone through different owners and the winemaking […]
The Filomusi-Guelfi family in Abruzzo, Italy are the producers of this Montepulciano. The family has been in the region since the 16th century where they have a vineyard of over 9.5 hectares. The majority of the vineyard (78%) is Montepulciano grapes. There is so much history behind the vineyards producing Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that it makes me want […]
Quattro Mani translates to mean “four hands” which supposedly represents four celebrity Italian winemakers who produce wines from indigenous Italian varietals, such as Montepulciano. I tried to find out who these “celebrities” are but I couldn’t find any info on them. If anyone knows, please post a comment. I also tried to visit the website of […]
