I guess four isn’t really a “haul” lol but had to limit myself because there were too many options. Excited to try the Tornatore. Had a bottle of the Tenuta Delle Terre last night and it was incredible. Think I’m becoming obssesed with Siciliy/Etna wines.
Open to some other good recommendations for next time! I’m still new to red wine and exploring Italians first as so far, they’re my favorite.
by HumbleBJJ
3 Comments
Tenuta delle terre nere. That is an amazing producer. You like nerello mascallese but I wouldn’t say you like Sicilian wine. Lot of them are Nero d avola which are completely different grapes. I’m sure the one you have is great and very similar to the terre nere. Also the barbaresco, 2021 was a good year. A bit too young in my opinion but great year.
Tornatore is great QPR for Etna!
Produttori is arguably one of the greatest Barbarescos, and offers tremendous QPR as well. 2021 is the best vintage since 2016. It will be very tight, tannic and harsh if opened now, but many of the 21’s have also had a beautiful, elegant and floral side alongside the very robust structure.
Hey, I import Italian wines to the U.S. so I love seeing a lineup of all Italian wines.
Etna is a fantastic region, especially as you start trying wines from specific contradas (parcels). This is where Etna really shows off! Etna and Burgundy share a lot of similarities but I find Etna is more reasonably priced.
Check out Pietradolce, Benanti, and Terre Nerre. They are great producers of Etna wines. If you want to try a contrada look for Rampante. It will probably be one of the easier ones to find.
Produttori is a gold standard for barbaresco. Check out their crus such as Paje, Rabaje, or Asilli. Barbaresco and Barolo is like Etna in that each vineyard has a style of its own. Tons of great producers in the region.
Montepulciano D’Abruzzo is a fun wine that goes great with pizza. Masciarelli is one of the larger imports from the region but they are solid. Awesome value region. There are a lot of mass produced quaffable wines from this area so be prepared for some duds.
Dal Cero Vino Nobile has a long history of excellency. Check our Boscarelli Vino Nobile for a historic producer who I really like. They are a tad overpriced because of the name but a winery to try from this region for sure. Also, you could try Rosso di Montepulciano or a riserva which Dal Cero and Boscarelli both make. Sangiovese is the grape for all three but it’s different requirements to produce all three levels.
I could go on and on about Italy because the range of wines is insane. Explore and have a good time.