Lighting the fire balloon at Ferragosto |
My choice to get me on the right path is this little red wine I found from Tuscany. It is a bit of a conundrum to me, because when I saw the grape varieties and the ownership, my pre-conception lever was pulled.
The wine in question is from the Podernuovo a Palazzone estate, which is owned by the Bulgari (jewelry) family. It is called Therra (2009) and is a blend of Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Finally the wine was made by Riccardo Cotarella. So my prejudices were against 1) a wealthy fashion dynasty inserting themselves into the wine business by buying into it, 2) the use of Cabernet and Merlot with Sangiovese (and Montepulciano) and 3) a wine consultant well-known for his relentless habit of internationalizing Italian wine. Three strikes?
As it turns out, when I opened the wine and tasted it all of my ridiculous sanctions of prejudice were lifted. I was immediately smitten. Call it sorcery, call it the luck of the ruling class, call it whatever you want. I call it delicious. And I want some more. (Suggested retail in the US is $25.)
Buon Ferragosto!
written by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy
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