The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Li Veli Primonero 2008

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.

Wine of the week: Aia Vecchia Maremma 2010

White wines from Tuscany in Italy are not as rare as $10 Champagne, but they're rare enough. And really well made Tuscan whites are even more rare. So rare, in fact, that this wine's importer doesn't even mention the wine on its website. Tuscany only produces red wine, dammit, and don't you forget it.

So look for the Maremma ($10, sample) and enjoy the laugh you'll have on the wine snobs. It's made with the vermentino grape, which is best enjoyed young and usually with seafood. And the Maremma fits this mold: Very, very bright, with crisp acidity -- almost too much, which is saying something given the Wine Curmudgeon's preference for crisp white wines from Italy. It also had a little more fruit than I expected (limeish), but not in an unpleasant, let's fool the Americans way.

As noted, drink it with seafood (grilled shrimp), but also grilled chicken and as something to enjoy after a long day of holiday shopping.

Wine of the week: Tormaresca Neprica 2009

Dear Tormaresca:

Thank you so much for the 2009 Neprica ($12, sample). It's a different wine than past vintages -- a little darker, a little earthier and a little more tannic. This is not to say that it still isn't one of the best values in cheap red wine that the Wine Curmudgeon has found. It is, and it shouts, "I'm an Italian wine, damn it, and don't you ever forget it." Which we don't hear enough of these days, unfortunately, in the quest to dumb down wines for the so-called American palate.

The 2009 is just different, and needs food more than some of the other vintages did. In fact, I kept thinking about sausages and tomato sauce as I drank it. With garlic bread and a green salad with a tart, garlicky dressing. And those differences are a treat in a wine at that this price. After all, how much $10 wine tastes numbingly the same, year after year after year?

Sadly, though, I have to tell you that the Neprica will soon lose its place as the blog's favorite wine. I'm not happy about this, because our relationship goes back to the blog's earliest days. But the numbers are the numbers, and as the blog has gained in popularity, the Neprica has lost support. Even, shudder, to wines with cute labels. No doubt this is because of the distribution problems that we have struggled with in the past.

But whatever happens, I want you to know that I still care. I'll always review the wine, and it will always have a place on the blog. Don't tell anyone, but I can be a sentimental kind of guy.

Sincerely,

The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Tormaresca Chardonnay 2010

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 Tormaresca made really good cheap wine.

So I really wasn't surprised at the quality. Tormaresca, as a producer, is that good. Somehow, on their property in Puglia in the Italian boot heel, they do things that other wineries can only dream about.

The current vintage of the chardonnay ($12, sample) is better than ever -- bright, clean and crisp (almost too much crisp, actually, though that should not be a problem as the wine ages). There is lots of green apple fruit, enough oak to complement the fruit but not to overwhelm it, and only 12 1/2 percent alcohol. As always, I wonder why the Italians can make such a pleasant chardonnay while so many in California, where chardonnay is an important grape, stumble in the dark trying to do the same thing. Drink this chilled on its own, or pair it with a variety of white wine food -- roast chicken, spaghetti carbonara or even Sunday brunch.

And, for those keeping track of these things, I'll review the current vintage of the Tormaresca Neprica during the blog's Birthday Week in November -- and yes, we'll once again give a bottle away of Neprica.

Mini-reviews 28: Los Vascos, picpoul, Sledgehammer, Re Midas

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month:

• Los Vascos Chardonnay 2010 ($10, purchased): Not what it once was, and can't be the same wine that several readers suggested I try. Some green apple, but heavy and oily -- not good characteristics in a $10 chardonnay.

• Bertrand Picpoul-de-Pinet 2010 ($10, purchased): Extremely disappointing picpoul, more like a white Bordeaux. Mostly citrus fruit without picpoul's mineral character.

• Sledgehammer Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($15, sample): Big, fruity, unsubtle and straightforward. This is a simple wine that delivers chocolate cherries and caramel for those who like that sort of thing.

• Cantina di Soave Re Midas 2010 ($10, sample): Not much there, even for $10. Almost heavy, with little of Soave's crispness or minerality. Made in more of a New World, chardonnay style.

Wine review: Falesco Vitiano Rosato 2010

When the Wine Curmudgeon tastes this wine, he is not only enjoying one of the best $10 wines in the world, but remembering the day when he embarrassed himself in front of the legendary Riccardo Cotarella -- not just once or twice, but three times.

The first instance has been documented, and the second I'll save for another day. The third came while tasting the rose, when I asked Cotarelli if the wine shouldn't be colder. It was at red wine temperature, and I had always been taught that roses, like whites, should be chilled 10 or 12 degrees more. No, no, no, he said. Don't drink it chilled. You'll never taste all of the flavors.

This was an amazing thing to say. First, how many $10 wines have more than one flavor? Second, it's not unusual for winemakers to want critics to taste their wines chilled, since that covers up most flaws. Third, Cotarella was correcting a critic, and while many, many winemakers would like to do that, most of them figure discretion is the better part of valor. Too many wine writers, secure in the knowledge that we already know everything, don't react well to criticism.

But Cotarella, secure in his talent and the quality of his wine, said what needed to be said. And I will always be grateful for that. This vintage ($10, purchased) is as well done as always, with some bone dry strawberry fruit and the nooks and crannies of quality that define the Cotarella style. Drink it over the Labor Day weekend on its own or with burgers or barbecued chicken, and you'll know  why there is a special Falesco wing in the $10 Hall of Fame.

Labor Day wine 2011

It's OK to drink wine over the Labor Day weekend. Really. The beer police won't come and arrest you. Holiday picnics and back porch barbecues usually mean lighter wines, and I've offered several suggestions below. But, assuming this summer's heat wave is ending where you are, Labor day also marks the return of bigger red wines, like cabernet sauvignon or merlot -- not bad with ribs or burgers.

The Wine Curmudgeon will spend this weekend at the Kerrvile Wine & Music Festival, where I'll participate in a couple of panel discussions about Texas wine. It's one of my favorite wine events, and the music isn't bad, either. Stop by and say hello:

• Cortijo III Rose 2010 ($10, purchased): A solid and dependable Spanish rose, with more fruit (strawberry and watermelon) than most of its brethren but a bit of heft to remind you that it's still Spanish.

• Paul Cheneau Blanc de Blanc Brut NV ($15, purchased): This, along with a cava from Bodegas Sumarroca, were much better than the food at a Sunday lunch at a Dallas tapas restaurant. Very, very well done Spanish bubbly, with lots of tight bubbles. Highly recommended.

• Tormaresca Roycello Salento 2010 ($22, sample): This Italian white has lots of stone fruit (peaches) and a very floral aroma, similar to viognier (though it's made with fiano, a little known grape, even in its native Italy). It makes for a soft, relaxing wine that is very different from the usual sort of Italian low-fruit, acid-driven labels.

For more on Labor Day wine:
• Labor Day wine 2010
• Fourth of July wine 2011
• Wine of the week: La Fiera Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2009
• Wine of the week: Marietta Old Vine Red Lot Number 53