Category: Italian Wines

A hint of black rubber and licorice, with black and red fruit on the nose.  A light-bodied, fruit burst on the front end with blackberries and strawberries in the lead.  Fades quickly and smoothly into a light tannin finish, with echoes of leather and tobacco.  This went great with Ligurian traditional food, the octopus in particular.  I drank about half the bottle and shared the rest with the staff at Il Borgo di Campi’s restaurant outside of Riomaggiore in Cinque Terra, Italy.

• Rating: Impressive
• Name: Niccolo V 2015
• Winery: Cantine Lunae Bosoni S.R.A.
• Region: Colli di Luni
• Country: Italy
• Varietals: Sangiovese, Merlot, Pollera Nera
• Price: $40
• Where to Buy: Il Borgo di Campi

Oily cassis notes, violets, and dry wood on the nose.  Silky berries and flint on the front end.  Opens up to leather, berries, and a faint balsamic note.  The finish is redolent with more florals and berries, gentle and long like its namesake’s tales.  This is a silky smooth red, lush and supple throughout belying its youth.  Very enjoyable and with a broad appeal.

• Rating: Impressive
• Name: Sherazade Donnafugata 2018
• Winery: Donnafugata s.t.l.
• Region: Sicilia D.O.C.
• Country: Italy
• Varietals: Nero D’Avola
• Price: $22
• Where to Buy: Sherry’s

Cherries, violets and other florals on the nose – strawberries and cocoa.  Sharp acid and red berries on the front palate.  The acid stays, but the berries melt into leather and vanilla notes on the back end.  Tight tannins on the back end bring up the rear, with more floral echoes at the finish.  More punch on a lighter bodied red.  This stood up nicely to steak and the acid and light body would ride along nicely with just about anything fished out of the sea you care to toss on the grill.  Versatility at its finest.

• Rating: Impressive
• Name: Alta Mora 2016
• Winery: Cusumano S.R.L. Societa Agricola
• Region: Etna
• Country: Italy
• Varietals: Nerello Mascalese and Cappuccio
• Price: $30
• Where to Buy: wine.com

A refreshing nose, with light autumn fruits and a hint of vanilla.  Caramel, pears, and apples hit immediately, with a clean light feel.  Clear, tawny coloring.  Zero tannin, but nice acid.  Fresh clean acid on the nose throughout.  Finishes clean and light with a nice lingering flavor of cider and that caramel warmth.  This is the 50^th anniversary bottling from Sassarini and was the last bottle they had at Il Borgo di Campi’s restaurant, near Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre.  This Italian traditional dessert wine is rarely found outside of Cinque Terre because it’s made to be drunk soon after production – a laborious process that includes drying white grapes like bosco and vermentino before fermentation.

• Rating: Impressive
• Name: Sassarini Sciaccehtra 2017
• Winery: Cantina Sassarini
• Region: Cinque Terre
• Country: Italy
• Varietals: Unlabeled
• Price: $50
• Where to Buy: Il Borgo di Campi Restaurant

The nose of this one hits you with a mossy, salty note reminiscent of craggy rocks splashed clean by ocean surf.  The front of the palate echoes the same notes, smoothed with an almost creamy mouthfeel.  This is a minerally, slate and clay, white with a body that is at the same time fresh and summery, but not as light and forgettable as a languid Summer afternoon.  She plays well with all manner of seafood and well into the crushed leaves of autumn.

• Rating: Impressive
• Name: i Fiori Vermentino 2013
• Winery: Azienda Agricola PALA di Mario Pala & C.
• Region: Sardegna
• Country: Italy
• Varietals: 100% Vermentino
• Price: $17
• Where to Buy: Whole Foods et al.

Starts with a woody, mossy nose, with background notes of red fruit.  The front pallet has a fresh red fruit and grass character, though not necessarily like the thinness of a young wine.  A certain fresh, green quality closes out with light tannins and a fascinating strawberry-balsamic after taste.  We tasted this one after the Corash, so the tasting could have been impacted by the bold fruit and toughness of its Sardinian cousin.  Both were had with Osso Buco and played stunningly well with it.

• Rating: Impressive
• Name: Monica i Fiori 2013
• Winery: Azienda Agricola PALA di Mario Pala & C.
• Region: Sardegna
• Country: Italy
• Varietals: Monica
• Price: $17
• Where to Buy: Litteri