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Italian wines don't like me

post #1 of 11
5/25/09 at 1:34am
Thread Starter 
My default Italian wine tends to be Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre.
But there are only so many times one can do it in the missionary position.
So I was advised to track down and try the four below.
Have to report that none of them exactly blew me away


In the order of decreasing favorability

Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Brunello di Montalcino Castello Banfi
Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico
Pio Cesare Barolo
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post #2 of 11
5/25/09 at 6:15am
I like a Brunello quite a bit. At times.

Try to get a Turina Merzemino. It's not an uber-contructed high-tech-sommelier-wine but perfect for lighter meals. And not too expensive. I love it.
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post #3 of 11
5/25/09 at 11:20am
Those are all pretty solid wines. I had a bottle of Pio Cesare recently and enjoyed it. What is it that you did not like about them? Maybe you favor more California style wines... Big with lots of oak?
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post #4 of 11
5/25/09 at 11:56am
For tomato and garlic-heavy meals, I would recommend Southern Italian wines, but especially some Sicilians, like nero d'avola - this is the primary red grape from Sicily, which we often try to drink with our pizza and garlic sandwiches.
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post #5 of 11
5/25/09 at 12:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HORNS View Post
For tomato and garlic-heavy meals, I would recommend Southern Italian wines, but especially some Sicilians, like nero d'avola - this is the primary red grape from Sicily, which we often try to drink with our pizza and garlic sandwiches.

Pizza = beer

Nice summer white = Falinghina (sic)
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post #6 of 11
5/25/09 at 1:13pm
for pizza, I go for barbera d'alba or a barbera d'asti. If I'm having people over and we're ordering pizza, then we drink beer, but if it's me and the gf relaxing in the apartment with a movie and some pizza, then we bust out the wine. Dolcetto is good too.

Those wines you list were solid - but I must ask you, what vintages were they?? Amarone, brunello, and barolo need some serious time in the bottle and decanting to really open up. I had the '97 Pio about a month ago and it was still very tough. While the 2004 Barolos are actually drinking quite well for being so young, I have always let them decant for 18-24 hours to soften up the edges (but even then, they're still much tougher than most people would like).

Try some super tuscans, they're usually made with American/French varietals such as Cab, Merlot, and even Syrah. Also, a good portion usually have some sangeovese (the grape used for Chianti, Brunello, etc.). For starters, I like Ornellaia's Le Volte, but ask the guys at your store for some guidance.
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post #7 of 11
5/25/09 at 1:49pm
Le Volte is a fantastic super tuscan. If you are looking for a step up from there without going for the whole shabang you can check out Orenllaias Le Serre Nuove.
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post #8 of 11
5/25/09 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny_5 View Post
Le Volte is a fantastic super tuscan. If you are looking for a step up from there without going for the whole shabang you can check out Orenllaias Le Serre Nuove.

I had a 2003 Oreno that was stellar. Worth every penny.
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post #9 of 11
5/25/09 at 11:05pm
It sounds like you are picking wines by the brand, when you should be looking more at the region/grape. All of the wines on your list vary from light drinking to more heavy.
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post #10 of 11
5/25/09 at 11:36pm
I'd say they are all quite heavy (the Chianti being the lightest, but still far from a true "light" wine like many Pinot Noirs or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo).

Barolos and Brunellos are considered some of the toughest and most tannic wines on earth.
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post #11 of 11
5/26/09 at 10:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christofuh View Post
... Have to report that none of them exactly blew me away ...
Would you mind describing what's wrong with each one and your expectations? Your description is pretty generic As an example Barolo by Pio Cesare is a great barolo, but barolo is not for every food and for everyone, and is very different from supertuscans, not "mellow" at all, this might not be your piece of cake.
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