Tenuta Sant’Antonio, Soave DOC, Fontana 2008 Minerality and lemon mark the nose.  In the mouth you’ll find plenty of fresh lemon flavor, like biting into one freshly picked from the tree. You also get that zip of acidity that lingers with the minerality for a long time. This light-bodied wine is steely and would pair [...]

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Ruggeri, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Giustino B., Extra Dry 2007 This wine combines the classic sense of bubble gum with tropical fruit and the amplitude of a little sweetness. The grapes are all Prosecco. The Bisol family been making wine in the region since the 16th Century and this bottling is dedicated to Giustino Bisot who [...]

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Ruggeri, Valdobbiadene DOC, Superiore di Cartizze Dry nv There’s a classic sense of bubble gum and sweet flowers in the nose, as well as plentiful fruit. In the mouth the wine is perfectly fresh and fruity and complemented by the touch of sweetness – lovely. There’s also a depth of flavor, a richness that you [...]

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Masi, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC, Costasera 2005 Dried fruits spring to mind when you smell this wine, raisins, dried cranberries and a sprinkling of brown spices. In the mouth, the wine is quite elegant, lighting up every part of the palate with flavor, but not overpowering it. The flavor lingers for a long time [...]

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Allegrini, Valpolicella DOC 2007 This wine has been consistently refreshingly full of acidity. This vintage smells of cherries and the forest floor. The earthy note carries over in the mouth with tart acidity and a bit of grip. 60% Corvina, 35% Rondinella and 5% Molinara. Estate bottled in Fumane di Valpolicella 13% $16.99 at Traverso’s
Allegrini, [...]

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Corte Rugolin, Amarone della Valpolicella DOC, Classico, Vigna “Monte Danieli” 2001
The nose is fetching in its liquer-like essence with a bit of volatility amping up the fruitiness. The mouth is quite luscious, rich and in dried fruits and extract. – very mouth-filling and long. The previous vintage displayed a complex nose inlcuding oak and brown [...]

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Maculan, Veneto Moscato IGT, Dindarello 2006 There’s the sweet smells of orange blossom and ginger and a thick while vibrantly fruity palate – delicious. The grapes are all Muscat from the Dindarello Vineyard in Breganze. The grapes are dried for 6 weeks after harvest and the wine is fermented in stainless, 157 grams/litre RS. [...]

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Masi, Rosso Del Veronese Indicazione Geografica Tipica, Campofiorin, Ripasso 2005 Previous vintages, while not stunning or concentrated, have highlighted the sense that ripasso adds to the barer bones of straight Valpolicella, albeit at a budget price. The ‘05 is a little stinky at first with notes of tar and plums. There’s plenty of tart cherry [...]

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Corte Gardoni, Bardolino, DOC Le Fontane 2006 The previous vintage sported a Beaujolais-like character, in the Nouveau vein, a carbo-mac fruit bomb with very light body – ideal for lunch in the sun when you demand red wine. This current vintage was quite stinky at the outset, but the fruit popped out later, in a [...]

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Inama, Soave Classico, DOC 2006 This has been a solid producer though a little of the heat is showing. There’s plenty of viscosity with the buttery richness in the mouth. All Garganega from vines 30+ years old, there is some skin contact time, stainless fermentation, ML and no oak . Bottled in San Bonifacio 12.5% [...]

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Cristalino, Cava, Extra Dry nv This wine isn’t amazing but it has a hint of RS, it truly is methode champenoise and it’s cheap. The grapes are Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo, traditionally grown in the Penedes for Cava. Produced by Jaume Serra in Vilanova i la Geltru, just south of Barcelona 11.5% $6.29 at Bottle [...]

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Corteforte Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripassato 2004
The smell of raisins is definitely there in a silky, sweet-appearing palate. The wine is dry but the fruit is amped up so that it appears sweet, unless there is a touch of sub-threshold RS. In April ‘09 the brett is also starting to ramp up to be more noticeable. [...]

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Pieropan Soave Classico DOC Estate Grown & Bottled 2006
In previous vintages this wine has been quite fresh and clean. Again it is this vintage with sweet floral and perfume and a light-bodied, dry palate. The grapes are 90% Garganega and 10% Trebbiano and the wine sees no oak. Bottled in Soave 12% $19.95 at Traverso’s [...]

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Allegrini Valpolicella DOC 2006
This wine has been consistently clean and refreshingly full of acidity, though in previous vintages it was labeled as being only from the Classico district. 60% Corvina, 35% Rondinella and 5% Molinara. Estate bottled in Fumane di Valpolicella 13% $14.95 in the spring of ‘08 and up $3 to $17.99 in [...]

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This flight demonstrates the contrasting taste profiles in the methode champenoise wines of Franciacorta and the tank feremented Prosecco of the Veneto.
Bellavista Franciacorta DOCG Cuvee Brut nv
Fresh and dry, this wine is 80% Chardonnay, with the balance Pinot Bianco and some Pinot Nero with reserve wines. P&B in Erbusco 12.5% $29.95 at Traverso’s Bellavista
Ruggeri [...]

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