Italian Grocery Store Wines
Mennagio Italy
Tasted Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - Sunday, August 29, 2010 by gharbour with 1,239 views
Introduction
Ok so Italian Grocery Store Wine wasn't such a great idea. Our trip to Lake Como with Leslie, Nick & Colleen, and Kelsey was great. Grocery store wines in Italy do still have a long way to go as "slaughterer" warned me. We started with 5 wines from Grocery Pellicano in Menaggio and one was spoiled and one so skunky it was hard to drink. First off 95% of the wines were 1 to 5 euros a bottle. We bought every wine over 15 euro. There were two Barolos, a Brunnelo, a super Tuscan, and a Valpolicella. The grocery was pretty good about taking back the bad bottle and refunding us the over-charge for a second bottle we didn't buy! The reviews of these four drinkable wines are in Flight 1.
Then we followed up on "bwillia"'s suggestion to check out the local wine shops starting with Enoteca Cava Turacciolo (http://www.cavaturacciolo.it/) in Bellagio. It was an excellent shop. They had about 10 wines on a nitrogen bar and allowed us to taste for free with our purchase. We even tried Gaja! The prices were fair but the wine we bought had a generic WS rating on it which and was not supported when we got home and looked it up. We also went to "aussie05"'s recommended Cantina Follie (http://www.cantinafollie.it/contatti.php) in Tremezzo which turned out to be the best place. Not only do they have a great setting to enjoy a tasting but Deborah & Joost (the couple that started the wine bar three years ago) are fantastic. Joost is following his dream and is so knowledgeable. Deborah is the perfect hostess serving great cheese and meat platters. We bought most of our wines there. Although it was good to have GrapeStories ratings and prices as the wines they presented were not the best prices or ratings. But armed with CT TN and prices we did very well. Oh and "wadcorp" you were right George Clooney was there when we were there, with his girlfriend riding their bikes (http://www.usmagazine.com/hotpics/photos/bike-date-2010258). We ate at one of George's favorite restaurants La Fagurida "When George wants to escape the paparazzi, he dines at La Fagurida in Tremezzo" (http://www.girlgetaways.com/articles/2008spring/we_stalked_george_clooney.html). I must say I enjoyed this more than Terrazza Barchetta in Bellagio (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187834-d1448467-Reviews-Terrazza_Barchetta-Bellagio_Lake_Como_Lombardy.html).
See the full story at: http://www.grapestories.com/event.asp?iEvent=11744
Flight 2 - Cantina Follie in Tremezzo (3 Notes)
Flight 3 - Cava Turacciolo (Bellagio) (4 Notes)
Closing
A great trip. Thanks to our CT/GS friends for your help.
2005 Terre da Vino Barolo 85 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(8/24/2010)
Decanted one hour. A medium ruby red with low youthful aromas of ripe cherries, pepper, chocolate, red licorice, and chlorine. A dry medium bodies wine with tart acidity and high hard tannins. Flavorful with ripe cherries, pepper, chocolate, red licorice, and cinnamon. A medium alcoholic finish. Day two. Floral nose with alcohol, cherry, and prunes. Acidity is still tart with flavors of prune, cherry, cinnamon, and floral. Improved every day and held through day four to finish as our top Italian Grocery Store wine.
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2005 Giacosa Leone & Figli Barolo 81 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(8/24/2010)
Day one best Barolo. A nice pale-red youthful color with a low aroma of youthful cranberry, raspberry, brown sugar, and creme brule. The wine was dry with a medium body of tart acid and high hard/dry tannins. A moderately flavorful wine with strawberry, chocolate, cigarette, cinnamon, cranberry, raspberry, red candy licorice and a long finish. The flavors were almost artificial. Day two it died! Pepper, dark chocolate, and leather on the nose. Still tart with tobacco, cigarette, and pepper on the palate. Still a long finish. The wine is fading and just got progressively duller over the four day test taste.
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2007 Cantina di Soave Amarone della Valpolicella Cadís 88 Points
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella
(8/24/2010)
First day winner of the great Italian grocery store taste-off. Day one - A nose of tobacco, cigar box, lilies, and peppercorn. A mediu,-full body with crisp acidity, and medium dry tannins. The taste is spicy caramel, raisins, green chillies, and sun dried tomatoes. Night two this bottle faded giving a nose of blackberries, jammy strawberries, green beans, nail polish, cigarettes, and lilies. But the plate was cigarettes and ash tray with a syrupy cherry jam (83).
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2004 Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino 83 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
(8/24/2010)
A brick red color with a moderate aged nose gave an initial skunky smell which dropped over the first hour to give red fruit, prunes, artichoke, and asparagus. An off dry wine with medium body, tart acidity, and medium dry tannins. Moderately flavorful with spicy pepper, jammy prunes and red fruit, chocolate leading to a medium finish. Improved the second day but still skunky. Chocolate, cigarettes, cigar box, and peppery. Heavy mouth feel and more complex.
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