“You might well ask, given Vintages’ feature release of Italian reds on Thanksgiving weekend. And guess what? It’s not a bad notion. Consider that cranberryish pinot noir is the classic red match for turkey. Italian reds have that same nervous acidity, savoury complexity, and sour red fruit, especially if they hail from the northern regions like Piedmont, Veneto and, to some extent, Tuscany. They may be even better than pinot because they have more weight to stand up to not only the dense turkey meat (especially the dark) but the stuffing and all the trimmings. I suspect several wines from the following will be excellent with Big Bird: Remo Farina Ripasso Valpolicella, Trerose Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano, La Spinona Bricco Faset Barbaresco and Malgrà Fornace Di Cerreto Barbera D’asti Superiore… This release, Vintages continues its string of excellent quality, great value German rieslings, young and old. I can’t believe some of these golden beauts are landing at under $20. Try the idiosyncratic Studert-Prüm 2004 Riesling Spätlese Wehlener Sonnehur… Ontario whites shine in this release, every bit as good quality and excellent value as their international competition. Look for Flat Rock’s 2008 Unplugged Chardonnay; the shimmering, taut Thirty Bench 2008 Riesling; and the quite luxurious, yet well-balanced, 90-point Inniskillin 2007 Montague Chardonnay that makes the list of David’s Half Dozen. Ever so quietly, winemaker Bruce Nicholson has been moving Inniskillin back to the quality forefront.”
- David Lawrason, VP of Wine at WineAlign
Click here to see ranked lists and reviews of close to 100 wines in this release.
David’s Half Dozen
Whites
Schloss Reinhartshausen Riesling Spätlese 2007, Rheingau, Germany $23.95, 91pts
Tedeschi Capitel Tenda Soave Classico 2008, DocVeneto, Italy $15.95 90pts
Reds
Miguel Torres Mas La Plana Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Do Penedès, Spain $44.95 92pts
Il Grigio Da San Felice Chianti Classico Riserva 2005, Docg,Tuscany, Italy $28.95 91pts
Volpaia Citto 2007, Tuscany, Italy $13.95 89pts
Filed under: News, Italian, release, Thanksgiving, Turkey, Vintages
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