THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE CHANNELS.
W.R. Tish: "Perhaps even more important, concept wines are providing a fresh edge of marketability. After two decades of passively allowing wine ratings to infiltrate the retail tier of the industry, sellers and shoppers alike now have a new way to think about the inherently fun, interesting product that wine is."
make no doubt: what's in the bottle counts.
100% genuine, top-quality, vintage dated, terroir driven, lot-selected, estate-bottled, hand-crafted, non-manipulated (NO importer's cuvees, marketing blends or bulk wines masquerading as 'fine wine') wines and spirits from small family producers.
"What's over: The idea that there is one big source for reliable wine criticism. There are many independent folks who specialize in a certain type of wine and its appreciation, and can offer reliable and in-depth material." - eater.com
JANUARY 2013 SELECTION
(cru) 60% barbera and 40% bonarda.
casalegrande cru
it was love at first sip at vinitaly in 1998.
colli di piacentini? where was that?
a trip to the region, a visit to the estate and dinner with the owners at a local trattoria in Vico Barone followed. and many more sips at many more vinitalys.
how did i love that wine!
the romans already adored it some 2,000 years ago and it's been said they "never left home without it". but it took another five years before the first vintage of casalegrande (2003) arrived in the usa.
and the rest is history. we are now selling the 2010 vintage and the 2011 will be arriving in the spring of 2013.
colli di piacentini? where was that?
a trip to the region, a visit to the estate and dinner with the owners at a local trattoria in Vico Barone followed. and many more sips at many more vinitalys.
how did i love that wine!
the romans already adored it some 2,000 years ago and it's been said they "never left home without it". but it took another five years before the first vintage of casalegrande (2003) arrived in the usa.
and the rest is history. we are now selling the 2010 vintage and the 2011 will be arriving in the spring of 2013.
casalegrande | $24.99 | casalegrande.eu | twitter
"I wonder who was the first to realize that sharp, lively Barbera and soft, round Bonarda were electric together. I salute that person and wold, if I had one, raise my gutturnium (traditional Roman imbibing cup) and drink a toast to him/her with youthful cherries-and-chocolate Gutturnio, the result of such a blessed marriage." - Maureen Ashley, MW
Pliny, the Roman writer and wine authority, listed this blend as one of Italy's best wines. It was enjoyed at the tables of Popes, noble houses and famous artists (Michelangelo). Traditionally it is decanted and served at 61-64 degrees F in a Burgundy glass. It goes best with savor vegetable stews, pasta with tomato or meat sauces and roasted red or white meats.
Pliny, the Roman writer and wine authority, listed this blend as one of Italy's best wines. It was enjoyed at the tables of Popes, noble houses and famous artists (Michelangelo). Traditionally it is decanted and served at 61-64 degrees F in a Burgundy glass. It goes best with savor vegetable stews, pasta with tomato or meat sauces and roasted red or white meats.
WINE LOVER PAGE (2005): "The simplified front label sells the wine identified in more detail on the back as "Azienda Agricola Podere Casale Gutturnio dei Colli Piacentini DOC 2003."
By any name it's a fine Italian red from the Po River valley south of Milan, a blend of the familiar Barbera and the not-so-familiar Bonarda grape, the local name in Lombardy for Croatina, a different variety than the Bonarda of Piemonte. All this may help explain why they wanted to simplify the label.
It's a very dark wine, blackish-purple at the center, clear garnet at the edge. Fresh berries make for an appetizing aroma, warm and ripe; on the palate, mixed-berry fruit is shaped by tart, lemon-quirt acidity in a wine that, like many of its Italian brethren, is made to go with food.
FOOD MATCH: The wine would do well with a variety of red meats, poultry and cheeses. I matched it against an offbeat pasta creation, shredded chicken in an Alfredo-style sauce accented with smoked Cheddar and a hint of chipotle peppers over fettuccine."
"It's a very dark wine, blackish-purple at the center, clear garnet at the edge. It offers appetizing warm aromas redolent of bing cherry and red currant with a lively cherry flavor enveloped by soft tannins and finishes with a tart, lemon-squirt acidity. A wine that, like many of its Italian brethren, is made to go with food. Its vibrant flavors will also neatly complement that quintessential dish from Emilia Romagna, tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce."
casalegrande. vine and wine impressions.
cru. estate. hospitality. argiturismo. tasting room. bonarda. barbera. oenologist. winemaker. terroir. daniela. nicholas. alvaro. osteria morini.
online educational links
...more to come...