Wine of the week: Fattoria dei Barbi Brusco 2008

Don't let the longish Italian name intimidate you -- this is well-made, wonderfully priced red wine from a top Italian producer.

The producer is Fattoria dei Barbi, which has been around Tuscany for centuries and makes very well-regarded and expensive Brunello. The wine is called Brusco ($14, sample); the name refers to both Tuscan slang and a love triangle involving a couple of outlaws and a married woman.

What do you need to know about this sangiovese? First, that you can rarely go wrong by buying the least expensive wine made by a quality winery. Second, that it's very Tuscan, with lots of acid, enough cherry fruit to be recognizable, and an affinity for food -- grilled meat, tomato sauces, and the like. Third, it has lowish alcohol, so you can drink it and not feel overwhelmed.

How much did the Wine Curmudgeon enjoy this wine? I tasted it with Alfonso Cevola, the Italian Wine Guy, and Raffella Federzoni, the Barbi export manager, at a surprisingly good pizza place in Dallas. And I could have spent the entire afternoon drinking the Brusco, eating pizza, and talking about Italian wine.

Comments

[Alfonso]

Thanks Jeff,

Really enjoyed the afternoon.

Great to see and taste with you, as always.