One of the reasons why the Wine Curmudgeon enjoys cheap Italian wine so much -- besides its quality, of course -- is the sense of adventure that is part of tasting the wines. For one thing, the grapes aren't what we're used to in the U.S. For another, the Italians often seem baffled by marketing their wines in the U.S., which further complicates the grape problem.
The Li Veli ($11, purchased) is a prime example. Or, as one of the comments on CellarTracker (the Wine Curmudgeon's unofficial wine inventory software) noted, "Not sure what primonero means. ..."
In fact, this wine is a 50-50 blend of two red grapes from the Salento region in Puglia -- primitivo and negroamaro, or Primonero. Get it? Told you the Italians were often baffled by U.S. marketing techniques. It's not like a California winery would ever call a wine CabLo.
Nevertheless, the wine is well worth drinking. It's very dark, almost plummy, and very Italian -- spicy, earthy, food-friendly acidity and low alcohol (13 percent). The negroamarao seems to dominate, providing the fruit and earthiness, while the primitivo balances the wine. This is winter dinner red wine -- red sauces, stews, and the like -- even if you're not sure what the name means.


The first time time the Wine Curmudgeon tasted the Tormaresca chardonnay, I knew two things. First, that Italian chardonnay was not something most people wanted to write about. The Italians had plenty of other white wine grapes; what were they doing messing around with chardonnay? The other thing I knew was that 
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