The Official Wine Thread

[gomestar]



Italy scares the crap out of me too.

 

[indesertum]

You ever have any monster Italian wines?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I bought a case of pleb wine last night. 2009 Chateau Saint-Sulpice. Love it for everyday dinner drinking.

 

[gomestar]



You ever have any monster Italian wines?

define monster

 

[indesertum]

I dont even know who the monsters are. Giacomo conterno? Sassaicaia? Quintarelli? Est est est?

Why do you like Italian wines so much?

 

[gomestar]

I like them because they taste good. Earth shattering, I know, but give it a try sometime. Start with maybe a Gavi or a Roero, or even fork over $40-50 for a Barbaresco or Barolo.

for clarity:
Conterno is a producer.
Sassicaia is the name of a wine produced by Tenuta San Guido.
Est est est is the name of a DOC region.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

My grandparents from Italy only drank French wine. Maybe that is why I do.

 

[indesertum]



I like them because they taste good. Earth shattering, I know, but give it a try sometime. Start with maybe a Gavi or a Roero, or even fork over $40-50 for a Barbaresco or Barolo.

for clarity:
Conterno is a producer.
Sassicaia is the name of a wine produced by Tenuta San Guido.
Est est est is the name of a DOC region.

clearly i am very ignorant. For some reason I thought est est est was a wine

I've never had a barolo. I think that will be next purchase

 

[gomestar]



clearly i am very ignorant. For some reason I thought est est est was a wine
I've never had a barolo. I think that will be next purchase

IMO a key to learning about Italian wine is to understand it by DOCG or DOC. Less emphasis on the grapes for a number of sub-regions, though a bunch of important Tuscans or Piedmont wines will be made up of a fairly few varietals (barolo and barbaresco are Nebbiolo, Brunello is Sangeovese), and more emphasis on the typicity or terroire of the DOCG.

Chateaneuf du Pape is a good comparison - something like 13 or 15 varietals are allowed in the production, though most people could only name a few (... grenache, mouvedre, syrah, Roussanne, something like that...) but the key to enjoying the region is not emphasizing the exact blend employed by producer X vs Y, it's more about understanding what is typical of a wine labeled Chateaneuf du Pape. A lot of my understanding of Italian wines is taken by a similar apporach.



FWIW, a few years ago Manton and I were at a tasting and a $65 bottle of Corino Barolo blew us away. For the quality, $65 was a complete joke. He has some in his cellar now.

 

[gomestar]

also, there's a book by Joe Bastianich on Italian wine, I believe it is entitled Italian Wine. Very good book with a nice mix of detail vs. the basics.

 

[Piobaire]

Just my personal experience but I think if a person cuts their teeth on Left Coast wine you take on this single varietal mentality. Getting into Rhones really helped me shake that and I'm glad it happened.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



IMO a key to learning about Italian wine is to understand it by DOCG or DOC. Less emphasis on the grapes for a number of sub-regions, though a bunch of important Tuscans or Piedmont wines will be made up of a fairly few varietals (barolo and barbaresco are Nebbiolo, Brunello is Sangeovese), and more emphasis on the typicity or terroire of the DOCG.
Chateaneuf du Pape is a good comparison - something like 13 or 15 varietals are allowed in the production, though most people could only name a few (... grenache, mouvedre, syrah, Roussanne, something like that...) but the key to enjoying the region is not emphasizing the exact blend employed by producer X vs Y, it's more about understanding what is typical of a wine labeled Chateaneuf du Pape. A lot of my understanding of Italian wines is taken by a similar apporach.
FWIW, a few years ago Manton and I were at a tasting and a $65 bottle of Corino Barolo blew us away. For the quality, $65 was a complete joke. He has some in his cellar now.

I think this is really key to understanding and enjoying the wines of any country.

 

[indesertum]

Corino barolo. I'll be on the look out and thanks for the book rec. it's always nice to have a guide for unfamiliar territory

 

[gomestar]



I think this is really key to understanding and enjoying the wines of any country.

it is, but even US vs. France has many similarities - straight Pinot, straight Sauv Blanc, Cabernet-based blends, Syrah and Syrah blends, straight Chard. Rare in both countries are the blends with 5+ obscure varietals, and a product like this just wouldn't sell from a US producer. But blends like this are far more common in Italy, and even one of the most well known Italian wines is a blend (Chianti - though, to be fair, most Chianti is predominantely sangeiovese).

 

[gomestar]



Corino barolo. I'll be on the look out and thanks for the book rec. it's always nice to have a guide for unfamiliar territory

http://www.zachys.com/retail/ProductView.aspx?R=348938&N=4294967269+4294967220+11&Ny=64