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Monday 21 July 2014

Italian Wines from Marks and Spencer

Five classic Italian wines from Marks and Spencer
 
Italy challenges France for quality, diversity and volume of wines produced in any year; a long, thin, mountainous country with an extensive coastline, there is very little of its surface that is not suited to growing vines.
 
What Italy, lacks, however, is a clear, rigorous classification system; Italians, it seems, are as idiosyncratic and undisciplined in their wine labelling as they are in most other walks of life.
 
These five wines from M&S are all Italian classics; they are in roughly ascending order of quality. The best is the Barolo, the best value the Valpolicella.
 
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2013  (£7.99) lots of pure black and red cherry and blueberry fruit with a shake of black pepper. Vibrant and juicy; good entry-level example.
 
Match with a juicy steak, spicy sausages or salami.
 
Dolcetto d'Asti, 2013 (£7.00) vibrant purple; intense, juicy blueberry and cherry fruit with some savoury roasted spices. Fresh, poised, clean and focused.
 
A good food wine, match with pasta and meaty sauces.
 
Chianti Classico Riserva Castello della Paneretta 2011 (£14.00) translucent ruby, cherry fruit and pepperiness; sweet, ripe, cooked red fruits, red and black cherries, dried herbs and a lick of oak; long and savoury with fine tannins.
 
With 14.5% alcohol, it is a touch alcoholic on the finish.
 
Match with hearty casseroles or roast red meat, such as lamb with rosemary and garlic.
 
Valpolicella Ripasso, 2012 (£9.50) translucent ruby garnet, earthy, plummy, eucalyptus nose; sweet, ripe, baked plum, cassis and morello cherry with some spice, liquorice and port-like herbaceous notes from partially-dried grapes.
 
Fresh, long and savoury; harmonious, balanced finish.
 
Good.
 
Match with duck breast in cherry sauce.
 
Barolo Peironte 2009 (£18) pale translucent ruby with some brick red hints; plum, tobacco, cool mint, sweet vanilla and savoury spice with very fine, persistent tannins.
 
Dense, concentrated, long and harmonious. Very Good.
 
Match with slow-roasted red meats or a beef ragu.
 
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