Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche

Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche 2000

The Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche is a masterclass in Barolo. The wine that accompanied my Boxing day dinner was, without doubt, the best wine I've had all month and for €49 I am talking about a wine that is a freakin' STEAL! I recommend a lot of Italian wines every week, however, taking into account, quality and price this is my own personal wine of the year. Wine90 Italian wine of the year right here guys and dolls. The Cellar Door does not sell this wine so my first action in 2008 will be to try to get this wine onto the site!

This wine is so fantastic that I've already ordered a case from Uncle America, I can not recommend it highly enough. We've got all the traditional aspects of quality Barolo, but the profile in the nose is a little different and truly opulent. I love strawberry and walnut tones in a wine so if you do too, I guarantee you will love it. L-O-V-E-I-T.

The wine has some gorgeous silky tannin action on the mouth feel but what I loved most about this wine was its evolution both in the nose and on the palate as I tasted the wine hour after hour. At its current age, the wine needs a good few hours of decanting, after around 4 hours I was starting to think of crazy scores for this wine but, taking it as a whole over the 12 hour period, I can safely give this wine 95 points. It's one of those wines that you must drink with friends, its hugely complex and you will be discussing it for hours.

Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche 2000 - BUY - €49
Mid ruby red in the glass with slight change in tonality at the edges. An opulent and feminine wine whose nose and palate flow perfectly, great balance. Aromas of strawberries and walnuts, really impressive nose with a second wave nose profile of vanilla. The palate is a joy, mid bodied with super rich and silky tannins. The wine is not forceful, its a trully beautiful, seductive wine with a good 30 second finish. 95 Points

Where can I buy this wine?
Europeans - Di Liva - €56
Americans - Mount Carmel - $69
Brits - Fine and Rare - £62

Question of the Day
What is your wine of 2007 and why?

Boxing Day Wine

Howdy Winos,
It's always a sad time of the year when you can't blame your wine drinking on the season, with Boxing Day upon us it's my last official reason to drink fine Italian reds for, ooh, 5 more nights.

My range of Christmas wines this year has included some mighty fine Barbarescos, Brunellos and Primitivos but tonights choice is between two tempting heavyweights.

Do I go for the massive scoring WS (96 points) Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche 2000 or carry on with the Brunellos popping the mighty fine Antinori Pian della Vigne 2001? Both are too early officially and so on that dubious criteria, and because I'm obsessed with Barolo, I'll go with the Ceretto. :op

Today Rome is shut. Carrefour, shut. Auchen, shut. Ikea, shut. I went round and round today looking for somewhere to burn some Christmas cash and no where was open except one solitary delicatessen called Lo Zio d'America (or Uncle America in the local lingo). So I stood looking at the peas thoroughly enjoying Boxing Day when I noticed they had a small selection of wines, always curious, I headed over.

Then I saw it, a staircase to a mysterious second level, coated with gold, with angels playing harps beckoning me to climb the stairs. It wasn't liver poisoning, it was a secret Enoteca with hundreds of Italian, French and Californian wines that has been hiding from me for ONE SOLID YEAR just a few steps from my house. This is where I found the 96 Point Ceretto for €49 (someone high five me!), this is where I found world famous Chateauneuf du Papes, Robert Mondavi Riserva Pinot Noirs and the most expensive Riojas I've ever seen in my life.

"Wow-wee" I hear you mock, but you don't understand. You don't understand what its like to live in Italy and be spat upon when you ask for French wine, slapped for a Californian Cabernet and, well, I can't even say what happens if you ask for Riesling. Image SJP finding she lived above a Fendi and you're getting close to my current feelings of elation.

Wooooooohoooooo. Okay, I'm calm.

Here is a round up of the wines Ive cracked open this Christmas. Lastly for the gentleman asking for a map of the Barolo "crus" - CLICK HERE.

Travaglini Gattinara 2001 (Non Riserva) - PASS - €20
Very light in colour, looks exactly like Gamay, very light orangey brown. The nose is really sweet, a little caramelised with some strawberry action and a few candied cherries. A medium bodied wine that improves with decanting it was rather tannic and drying. This is a really interesting wine and is definitely worth trying because it is so different, it isn't great QPR so I'm saying pass but if you like to try something different then it will appeal. - 89 Points

Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino La Casa 2001 - BUY - €40
Huge nose of blackberries, walnuts, plums and earthy notes, hints of cedar. Massively full bodied and strong tannins this wine has the makings of a classic. Super ripe and fruity the palate is simple elegance but there is an overly tannic characteristic straight from the bottle but after some decanting the wine becomes smoother. Long finish that let's you appreciate the complexity of the wine. A sleeping giant leave this wine if possible 15 years+ 92 Points for today but I can see this being a 95+ wine over the next 5 years.

Villa Capodilista La Montecchia 2004 - PASS - €20
Dark ruby red, hugely deep wine. The nose was very subtle, even after several hours wasn't giving up too much but what it did give was a pleasant nose of strawberries and vanilla. A mid weight wine on the palate and the finish was so short, in fact it was the shortest I can recall for years. However, it was a very easy and pleasant wine to drink, not worth €20 and probably needs some time. Merlot, Carmenère and Cabernet Sauvignon blend that has lost its way. 87 Points

Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili 1997 - BUY - €79
Shockingly underrated 1997 Barbaresco from Giacosa. Very dark ruby though much lighter hues, almost orange. Fantastic and expressive nose cherries, licorice and hints of tobacco. Full bodied, smooth tannins and a coating, luxurious mouth feel accompany a sterling 30 second finish. Barbaresco of '97? Not quite. Most improved Barbaresco over the last 10 years? Could be, take one out of the cellar for NYE. 93 Points

Where can I buy this wine? Giacosa Barbaresco Asili
Europeans - Enoteca San Dominico - €79
Americans - Flickinger Wines - $130
Brits - Enoteca San Dominico - £45

Question of the Day
What wine accompanied your Christmas meal this year and can you recommend it to the rest of the group? Show N Tell time!

New Year in Rome

Greetings Italian Wine Fans,

How are you all doing? It's my last day at work before the Xmas break and I'm very excited to be spending another festive period in the world's first city.

The New Year in Rome is a fantastic celebration, everybody packs the central Piazzas, Navona, Del Fiori, Del Popolo and a squashy, crazy and boozy time is had by all. Italians don't acknowledge personal space at the best of times and on this night you will kiss many strangers, press forcefully onto the backs of those in front of you and get frisked by a couple of perverts all the while going "oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry", "whoops, really got you that time" until "hey, he pushed me first ok!", then comes the bloody nose and the trip home in the ambulance. L-O-V-E-I-T.

Last year I spent a wonderful New Year with my partner and parents at a restaurant in the Spagna area. New Years Eve meals consist of several courses of pasta, meats, several puddings, starters, appertivos, coffees and of course, bottles and bottles of Italian wine.

This year I'm screwed. I've left my restaurant booking too late, there's nowhere to park and I'm left with just one solitary option. Last year I loved how we celebrated in true Italian style, the food, the wine and mixing with the locals. This year, the only restaurant left accepting reservations is the Hard Rock Cafe. Don't get me wrong, I can chow down on a rack of ribs with the best of them but my parents are in town and the theme of this years party at the Hard Rock Cafe? Animal House: The Movie.

It'll be okay wont it? I mean, essentially it's just a raucous toga party and you can't get more Roman than that right? Can you hear those sirens in the background? L-O-V-E-I-T

I'm not sure much wine will be going around BUT drinks are free all evening so if there is a wine option it could be an excellent night's tasting.... or I could end up face down in a punch bowl. It's 50:50.

New Year's nerves aside, I thought I'd review a wine with some sense of occasion so here is a special blended occasion wine from Antinori, I give you...

Antinori Solaia Annata Diversa 2002 - PASS - €60

Inky purple wine that's a little thinner than you'd expect. Attractive bouquet of blackberry's, chocolate and a little oak and cherry. Soft palate, the wine is medium bodied and well balanced with a unique finish. An attractive wine but a Solaia? Surprising Solaia, certainly not the normal quality. Absolutely no QPR here, well below standard for this wine. 89 Points

Where can I buy this wine? (but don't)

Europeans - Bracali - €57

Americans - Aabalat - $105

Brits - Fine and Rare - £55

Question of the Day

Where will you spend New Years Eve this year and why?

Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Tralcetto

Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Tralcetto

For those who don't know, I'm involved with a company selling Italian wine to the rest of the EU. Presently our top selling wine is this one, the Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Tralcetto. We stock Gaja, we stock Planeta, we stock Antinori and yet, this bottle is outselling any of these wines 10:1. Why?

One of the reasons is the favourable review given last month by WineSpectator. I was so curious about 10:1 ratio that I decided to take home a few bottles of this wine for Christmas and last night I opened a bottle to see what the deuce the fuss is all about.

Zaccagnini is not exactly an unknown producer, knocking out half a million bottles a year they are the 6th largest producer in Abruzzo but in terms of QPR they come up first. Zaccagnini produces a broad range for their 500,000 bottles. Consider the largest producer in Abruzzo, Farnese, produces 10 million bottles a years then Zaccagnini has a tremendously eclectic range of wines. The award winning Chardonnay and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo aside, the outfit also produce fine Rosè wines, Trebbianos, Cabernets, Rieslings, Cannonau and Pecorino wines. Currently 17 different types of wines are produced by Zaccagnini, that's impressive!

So back to the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Tralcetto. Last nights fish dinner was really not a suitable partner, but the wine played wonderfully with an Italian Christmas dessert that made up my second course. A ricotta and chocolate based cake that is in all the shops at the moment. Actually the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is not meant as a dessert wine, yet the chocolate and coffee that is jumping out of this wine made a wonderful "chance match" and one I'll be repeating again before Christmas.

If you like simple wines that taste a little sweet and slip down easily you will love this wine. If you like wines that are almost tannin free and mid bodied, you will like this wine.

If you like fruity wines with a smooth mouthfeel, you will like this wine.

If you like wines that are giving out chocolate and coffee, you will like this wine.

It's not classy, sophisticated or multi dimensional. It doesn't make your want to sit and contemplate, it's simply a delicious wine at a delicious price. That is why it's outselling any other wine we have by 10:1 right now. I apologise for making this a Cellar Door advert today, but when a wine is selling like this and is this cheap then you want to tell folks.

Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Tralcetto 2005 - BUY - €8

Dark deep reddish purple with garnet hues. A subtle nose but clear aromas of coffee and dark chocolate, the wine smells like Tiramisu in a glass. A touch of wood on the palate, a wine of medium bodied with silky tannins and a pleasant mouth feel and a subtle finish, very fresh, and fruity. Great value for money at £5.50. Impressive. - 89 Points

Where can I buy this wine?

Europeans - The Cellar Door - €8

Americans - Astor Wines - $14

Brits - The Cellar Door - £5.50

Question of the Day?

Food and wine mismatch horror stories. I want yours!

Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi

Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi 1989

Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi 1989 is universally agreed among wine experts to be one of the best Barolos produced by Scavino and one of the best wines produced anywhere that year.

1989 was a year of German wines in my homeland, the UK. Blue Nun and Liebraumilch were all the rave as were faux champagnes like Babycham and Lambrini. 1989 rocked for the Big P's, Piedmont and Pomerol had outstanding vintages but, at the age of 9 I was awfully ignorant to the vintage reports of the day.

The year 1989 meant many things to me. It was the year I really got into Dogtanian, learned to play chess and got a De-merit for throwing a glass of water over another 9 year old in the playground. Looking back I was probably swirling the glass and practising to taste the Barolos of an Italian winemaker also having a blinding 1989, Paolo Scavino.

Although Paolo is no longer with us the Scavino blend of Piemontese wine has gone from strength to strength after this seminal year and makes up one of the top "teams" in the Seria A of Barolo along with Gaja, Giacosa, Clerico and Giacomo Conterno.

The Scavino vineyards are huge producers in the Piedmonte region and embrace many of the wines, with excellence achieved in Barolo, Dolcetto and Barbera wines. The Scavinos also have a really good website you can check out to see their story, vineyards and the wines they produce in more detail.

So back to the 1989 Barolo, this was a fabulous year, together with 1990 these were two stunning back to back vintages but getting hold of these 20 year old Barolos, at the peak of their drinking age is difficult.

Italian Ebay to the rescue then as I picked up mine for just over €135 and I have to tell you that this wine is truly worth every cent. If you can get hold of this wine, although I doubt there are now many left you really should. It is worth every one of Parkers 96 points and I can put it on par with the 1998 Giacosa Barolo Falletto. This is a christening or wedding wine that deserves an occasion and some ceremony! Enjoy.

Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi 1989 - BUY - €200

In the glass the wine is clearly aged and is a lighter jewel like ruby in the glass with even lighter hues. The nose grabs you straight from the bottle, sweet and fruity, with raspberries and plums making up the key notes, a little earth and oaky tones detected. This wine hits home in the palate, exceptionally smooth and rich, you really feel like you have a quality wine as the mouth feel is gorgeous and silky and oh so opulent. Elegance till the finish as the flavours linger on and on, hints of vanilla on the end. I got this wine at the peak of its bell curve and for that I'm giving the wine 97 points.

Where can I buy this wine?

Europeans - Top Wines Switzerland - €195

Americans - 20 20 L.A - $245

Brits - Fine and Rare - £135

Question of the Day

What were you drinking in 1989?

Planeta Chardonnay

Planeta Chardonnay 2006 is quite possibly the best Chardonnay I've ever tasted and for QPR, probably the best white wine out there in the €20 price range. The Sicilian powerhouse "Planeta" has done it again, creating a fabulous wine that, together with their Syrah, must be two of the best mid priced wines certainly in Italy and even the entire wine world.

If you haven't tried the Planeta range then you are really missing a treat, excluding the rather insipid cheapy that sells by the stack out here in Italy, "La Segreta Rosso", a bland IGT wine made up of the local Nero d'Avola grape with some Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc thrown in. Sadly the Nero d'Avola is not really working out in this attempted blend. However, excluding, this wine every other Planeta offering is fabulous and gives you excellent QPR.

They are also readily available with Planeta producing a whopping 2,000,000+ bottles a year. This is one of the few wines I've talked about that you could possibly find in your local stores, unless you're in Florida, then just give up.

Planeta's Merlot and Syrah are outstanding wines, the producer has cleverly bought up some of the best positions in Sicily and their outstanding attention to detail has won them many plaudits. Planeta really understand that drinking wine is a complete experience, these are some of the best wines on the nose I've ever sampled with Sicily attacking my nasal passage so thoroughly that my minds eye explodes with a montage of orange groves, olive oil and even a touch of the Marlon Brandos! For me Planeta is Sicilian wine at its finest.

My preference for reds over whites leads me to recommend the 2005 Syrah just ahead of the 2006 Chardonnay, it is the slightly better wine. However, for me to give 92 points to a white wine is probably the equivalent in standards of a 95 point red, so, its goooood, it's real good and you should buy this wine. For summer 2008, the Planeta Chardonnay 2006 is going to be perfect for a salad/bbq with friends.

Planeta Chardonnay 2006 - BUY - €18

Golden yellow in the glass, exceptionally strong colour for a white. The nose is giving sweet aromas of apples, caramel and honey, a really polished nose. The palate is outstanding, really creamy with hints of citrus fruits, very little oak. Classical finish, so polished that you'll be dazzled by this wine. I really recommend this Chardonnay very highly possibly the best Chardonnay currently produced in Italy. - 92 Points

Where can I buy this wine?

Europeans - R2M - €18

Americans - Planet of Wine - $30

Brits - WineDirect - £17

Wow you Brits really get stuffed on Italian wine don't you? Check out my company for this wine, we deliver to the UK too and when in stock, is cheaper than that.

Question of the Day

How much did you love The Godfather? :oD

Italian Chardonnay

Italian Chardonnay

Italian Chardonnay may not be as famous as its French or Californian counterparts but, for my money, is improving year after year and the unique Italian soil is adding something a bit different to this most famous white wine. I'm no fan of white wine, but Italian Chardonnay, especially at the top end (Gaja, Planeta and Antoniri all do fantastic Chardonnays), has become my most favourite white wine of all.

The excellence is not simply coming from the Tre Venezie either, the areas of Veneto, the Alto Adige and Fruili-Venezia Guilia but great Chardonnay is coming out of Sicily! Until I tasted Planeta's 2006 Chardonnay I wouldn't have believed a great Chardonnay could come from a climate like Sicily's. Along with the traditional Chardonnay characteristics, yet without the oak monster, the heart of Sicily is coming through in the glass, the wine has a warm, orange and honey like take; it's truly a nectar from the gods.

In fact, the Gaja Chardonnay and Antinori Chardonnay are also both excellent. What Italian Chardonnay manages to do is capture the fruity essence of Chardonnay without the excessive oak that come from from the French version. Italian Chardonnay is practically unknown outside of Italy and for this reason you can pick up excellent examples for a fraction of the price of a French of Californian name.

So impressed by the Planeta Chardonnay I will enter a separate blog entry later today, however, probably the best Chardonnay in Italy is produced by Gaja.

This Chardonnay comes from two four acre vineyards planted in 1984: Bass (as it is slightly lower lying) and Rossj, named after Angelo’s younger daughter, Rossana. After the 1991 vintage, grapes from a twelve acre vineyard in Serralunga have also been added to the blend. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel, and the wine is then transferred to barriques for the malolactic fermentation and ageing. The wine is wonderfully rich and honeyed, with fine mineral complexity and terrific length. Most Chardonnays on the market are meant to be drunk young, this is one of the few that benefits from cellaring.

Gaja Chardonnay Rossj-Bass 2006 - €30 - BUY

This is a crisp fresh young wine that once poured goes through many stages in the glass. The wine starts with floral notes, then the oak begins to emerge with the fruit and the finish is actually creamy. This is a fine elegant wine, perfect acidity, a little spicy, great for drinking today but can be cellared too. - 91 Points

Where can I buy this wine?

Europeans - Pedrelli - €30

Americans -Wine Library - $48

Brits - The Cellar Door - £24

Question of the Day?

What is your essential guide to wine? Where do you go to get help on which wines to buy?

Travaglini Gattinara

Travaglini Gattinara 2003

Gattinara is a very hard wine to perfect but the people at Travaglini are surely among the very best producers in Italy. Certainly WineSpectator thought so with the Travaglini Gattinara 2003 making the top 100 this year. This wine has a reputation as the "poor mans Barolo" but over the past 10 years has began to shed its image and step out of the shadows.

I wouldn't say 2003 was Travaglini's best ever Gattinara as I personally prefer the 2001 but the wine in the groovy bottle certainly deserves its place on your table. For those of you who have never heard of or tried Gattinara it is a wine from my favourite region, the Piedmont.

From the Nebbiolo grape "Gattinara" is an area to the north of Vercelli and the wines offer distinct differences to other Nebbiolo wines, Barolo, Barbaresco due to a softer texture and a distinctly bitter almond taste on the finish. Gattinara has never reached the popularity levels of a Barolo, Dolcetto or even a Nebbiolo d'Alba but there are a few quality producers including Travaglini, Antoniolo and Luigi Dessilani.

As the wine isn't famous but still has many producers giving 90+ Nebbiolo wines for under $20, I consider Gattinara fabulous QPR and recommend it as a good Saturday evening "Trivial Pursuit and Walnuts" drinking wine. So, to the review,

Travaglini Gattinara 2003 - BUY - €20

A deep garnet red, the nose immediately hits you even from a foot away. Lots of dried fruits and flowers come forth accompanied with some traditionally Barolo like tobacco notes. A super thick, full bodied and tannic wine the finish goes on a full half minute and the wine has a coating, pleasant mouth-feel. Needs a few years of age, consider opening from 2010.

Where can I buy this wine?

As the Wine Spectator award will have pushed the 03 prices higher, and IMO the 01 is a better wine, cheaper and ready to drink I'm recommending the 2001 to buy and the prices are for the 2001.

Europeans - Wine-Chocolate.it - €13

Americans - Millstone Buyrite - $20

Brits - Web Di Vino - £10

Question of the Day

Have you tried Gattinara wines, what did you think of them?

Italian Wine News - Week 13/12/07

Italian Wine News

EU Cash for Crops

The European Commission will allocate 101.1 million euros ($147.8 million) for the Italian wine industry for the period of 2007-2008, European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel announced.

The sum granted from the Commission to Italy is for the conversion of 12,279 hectares of vineyards. For the period 2006-2007 the money given to Italy from the EU amounted of 100.5 million euros ($147 million), Fischer Boel added.

The total sum the EU will allocate to member states for the period of 2007 - 2008 is 510 million euros ($745.7 million) to be used for the conversion and restructuring of 62,816 hectares of vineyards.

The other beneficiary countries are:
Spain 162.1 mln euros ($237 mln)
France 110.7 mln euros ($161.8 mln)
Portugal 34.7 mln euros ($50.8 mln)
Romania 25.1 mln euros ($36.6 mln)
Bulgaria 18 mln euros ($26.4 mln)
Germany 13.2 mln euros ($19.4 mln)
Hungary 11.8 mln euros ($17.2 mln)
Czech Republic 10.9 mln euros ($16 mln)
Greece with 8.7 mln euros ($12.7 mln)
Austria 6.7 mln euros ($9.7 mln)
Slovenia 2.7 mln euros ($3.4 mln)
Cyprus 2.2 mln euros ($3.2 mln)
Slovenia 1.8 mln euros ($2.6 mln)
Malta 103,000 euros ($151,000)
Luxembourg with 56,000 ($82,000).

Time Warner CEO steps down to concentrate on Wine Biz

When Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons steps down at the end of the year he will be able to spend more time with his favorite hobby: making top quality wine in Tuscany.

Several years ago, Parsons acquired the Il Palazzone vineyard in Montalcino, which included three hectares of vineyards and at the time produced 4,000 bottles of wine each year.
According to Wine News, Italy’s ”Pocket Wine Website”, Il Palazzone today produces some 20,000 bottles.

Despite his vineyard’s significant output, Parsons insists winemaking is just a hobby and told Wine News: ”Believe me, we keep most of the wine we produce for ourselves and our friends”.

His winemaking partner, Swiss manager Mario Bollag, confirmed this and explained that their motto was ”Drink as much as you can, and then sell what’s left!”.

Aside from the area’s prized Brunello wine, Parsons also makes Rosso di Montalcino and has developed his own ‘Super Tuscan’ called Lorenzo and Isabella’, named after his parents.
The wine was developed together with the Terra del Sole vineyard and is a blend based on Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese grapes.

Parsons recently told Wine News that he chose Montalcino ”first of all because I really love Italy, its people, its food and, naturally, it’s wine”.

"Tuscany is one of the most beautiful places in the world and if you ask anyone where they would most like to live, 90% would have Tuscany on their list,” he added.

"When I decided I wanted to buy a vineyard I began my search from Lucca and then went on to Florence and Chianti. When I got to Montalcino I finally found what I was looking for,” Parsons said.

Parsons, 59, discovered wine through the late Nelson Rockefeller, who offered him his first important job when he was governor of New York.

Rockefeller took Parsons with him when he became vice president of the United States under Gerald Ford and it was through the Rockefeller family that Parsons entered Time Warner, joining its board in the early 1990s after a successful decade as a lawyer.

Parsons became chairman in 1995 and worked alongside CEO Gerald Levin in the operation which led to the landmark acquisition of internet provider America Online (AOL) in 2000.
Levin left his post in 2001 and Parsons was successor.

Although he will be leaving his post as Time Warner CEO, Parsons will remain as chairman of the board of the group which also includes HBO, CNN, and New Line Cinema.
Parsons is a member of a growing number of successful foreigners who are trying their hand at making wine in Italy.

Simply Red’s flame-haired leader singer, Mick Hucknall, has a vineyard on the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily where he successfully produces a red Nero d’Avola wine named Il Cantante, The Singer.

Jim Kerr of Scottish rock band Simple Minds also has a Sicilian vineyard.
French actress Carole Bouquet has a vineyard on the island of Pantelleria where she produces the island’s famous dessert wine ‘passito’.

Legendary US singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has lent his signature to a wine produced at his request that has proved to be a hit.

Created by the Le Terrazze winery in the Marche, it was named after his 1974 album Planet Waves.

More Counterfeit Chianti

Authorities on Wednesday impounded 47 hectares of vineyards and seized some 800,000 of wine which was about to be used to produce a fake Chianti Classico quality wine.

The operation blocked the marketing of over a million bottles of Chianti Classico which would have carried the label of guaranteed and controlled designation of origin (DOCG) without having met the requisites.

The owners of the Castelnuovo Berardegna vineyard and wine company face charges of fraud and VAT evasion.

Police said that Wednesday’s operation was the result of an investigation which began with last year’s harvest and uncovered what was described as ‘’sophisticated mass fraud”.

This involved selling fake Chianti Classico to three important companies specialised marketing this type of wine with counterfeit labels and certification.

According to investigators, the vineyard blended wines into its Chianti Classico wines which did not meet DOCG standards in order to increase production.

The Chianti Classico consortium issued a statement that it, too, had the vineyard in question under observation and had refused some time ago to issue DOCG certification for its wine.

The consortium added that it has collaborated in full with the fraud probe.

Falesco Tellus

Falesco Tellus
I'm back from the USA and not a moment too soon. More about that later but I'd like to start with a bargain Italian wine from my home county of Lazio and from one of the countries largest producers, Falesco. I've mentioned the Falesco Tellus before but it's so versatile that I think it's worth its own blog entry.

2006 is a good vintage for the Tellus blend, 50% Merlot and 50% Syrah and it all works out rather well apart from a slightly strange finish this is a fantastic wine and great value for €6. Its a fairly new wine so might not be readily available yet but I'll source it for you and you can find retailers at the bottom of the page.

I mentioned Falesco a few weeks ago about how they are bringing new quality into Lazio wines and this bottle is no exception. The finish isn't terrible but slightly peculiar to my palate and for that I give the wine 87 points.

For those waiting for the USA update sadly I was stricken down by Florida Flu the day after I touched down, even having to call the doctor out. The entire two weeks were a bust although I did manage to get up to New York but didn't get the chance to sample many wines most restaurants offering Californian wines very strongly. The Italian wines on offer tended to be 3 times the price I'd pay back home and were brands I wouldn't consider, Ruffino, Banfi's lesser wines.

I visited one wine store in Florida, I wont name it, but of over 1000 wines on sale only fifteen were Italian wines without one Brunello for sale and only one Piedmont producer offering Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo d'Alba (Pio Cesare). I can't call my experience worthy of drawing any conclusions as I'd need to visit more areas but it would appear that, as with everything in the USA, brands dominate. There may be a lot of Italian wine in the USA but the majority is coming from the same producers.

So I'm happy to be back here in Italy getting cheaper Italian wine from Ebay or online. Last night was a very traditional "English" Italian meal. Spaghetti Bolognese is not nearly as popular with the Italians as we English think. The Falesco Tellus went very well with the meal complementing the meat nicely.

I've placed a wine order online and so waiting to be reviewed for the next few days are 12 wines including Zaccagnini's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo il vino dal tralcetto 2005 which got rave reviews from Wine Spectator recently, Antinori Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne 2001 and Planeta's 2006 Chardonnay .

We're facing strike action and a petrol crisis here in Italy, the roads have been blocked by hauliers demanding cheaper petrol prices so its possible the wine wont be delivered, it's possible I wont be food matching because there is no food in the stores! It's possible I'll be too weak to write on my blog and I'll die of starvation *boo hoo*.

Falesco Tellus 2006 - BUY - €6
Smart, blended wine that ticks all the boxes for wine under $10. Deep ruby red, not far from a purple colour with a full nose of licorice, mint, cherries, tobacco and vanilla, even some espresso in there too. Charming palate with silky tannins and a lot of fruit. Its simplistic, there are not multiple layers to this wine but it's a good quality solid red with excellent QPR. 87 Points

Where can I buy this wine?
Europeans - Superiore.de - €6
Americans - Corporate Wines - $11
Brits - Superiore.de - £4.50

Question of the Day?

What is your cheap everyday wine that plays the supporting role to Spag Bol and other standard pasta dishes?

Forza Italia, Basta Inghilterra

Apologies to those who don't follow the game of football (soccer) but last night was a pivotal night for the English football team. The qualifying stages of the European Championships played their final games last night and half of Europe held it's breath in anticipation of making the Top 16 clubs that compete in the European Championships Finals.

England always get through, the idea that England isn't a top 16 European footballing nation is ludicrous, after all we have Owen, Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, John Terry, some of the best players in the world.

So, last night we had our friends Jack and Gwen over and opened up a lovely wine, the Antinori Chianto Classico Riserva 2001, in anticipation of a win or a draw over Croatia. England needed just 1 point to go through and were playing at the New Wembley, what could be simpler right?
WRONG.

England stunk. In the face of our wonderful Antinori, England were the cheapest bottle of straw covered Chianti you can find. Weak, insipid, uninspired and with a poor finish, I can not even give a score to this vintage. Shocking! 2 goals down in 15 minutes, only to pull them back in the second half and gave a nation hope. I knew we'd go on to lose. I've watched England compete in too many sporting events not to know, I've watched Henman at Wimbledon, the Rugby team, the Formula One drivers. I think all of us watching, live or on the box, knew that we wouldn't hold on, that we'd fall on our own sword and lose the game.

So, I'm giving up on being English. I'm just going to ignore my heritage and hide my passport because I'm tired of being a loser! Yesterday I applied for my Italian "Residenzia" at the local comune. I was expecting a long wait, an arduous task of to-ing and fro-ing but I was all done in 20 minutes! So now, I am officially a resident of Italy.

I can flash my Carta Identita at the airport and no one need ever know that I'm English again! My Team, that being the Italian football squad, are the current World champions. Oh yes, and My Team, that being the Ferrari Formula One racing team, are the current F1 champions.

So, for all you poor English readers with your rubbish teams and terrible wine I'm going to review another of my beautiful homegrown Italian wines, the aforementioned Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2001. This wine went wonderfully well with our "Burger Night", consisting, as you'd imagine, of burger and fries. The burgers were fantastic home made masterpieces so on this occasion, matching with the Chianti went very well. This wine would be well suited to a hearty meaty pasta dish and could easily accompany a nice steak dinner.

Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2001 - BUY - €20
Very dark colour in the glass, intense dark ruby red with some nice pinky looking hues. The nose is fruity, spicy with the most noticeable aroma profiles of blackberries and vanilla. On the palate we've got some good tannic structure and some noticeable acidity, the wine is well balanced and enjoyable with good length on the finish as well as warming alcohol. Mid to Full bodied wine. 91 Points

I really recommend this Chianti to you. If you've been exposed to bad Chianti in the past you're probably left with a negative "What the deuce" attitude about this wine. Chianti is a little devil, you have to be certain of what you're buying and I'm certain of this. Wonderful year for Chianti so please try some.

Where can I buy this wine?
Americans - Shopperswines - $25
Europeans - Italian Wine Shop - €20
Brits - Winedirect - £15.95

I'm afraid I have some bad news for you all. Tomorrow I leave for my vacation so there wont be a daily update on the blog. However, I am collecting material for a super dooper double blog entry about the USA's Italian wine scene. That sounds boring but really it wont be! Have faith!

Question of the Day?
What does your nation do best?