Some fine wines from Italy and France

Wine from France I usually don't drink so much of except the Alsace region. Alsace produces may good white wines. Domaine Rieflé produces several different white wines and the one I had the chance to try is their Gewurztraminer Bonheur Convivial from 2013 is made from 100% of Gewurztraminer. The taste is of Elderberries and is very aromatic. Very good.

Italy has many different grapes and wine regions. One that produces good white wine is the Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi. Fattoria San Lorenzo has a wine called Di Gini which is made of 100% Verdicchio. It has a taste of apples and some citrus. A sharp taste so not for everyone but I quite like it.

Bacio Della Luna is a prosecco from Italy. It has a good apple and citrus taste and is quite light. Your typical good prosecco.

When in Tucany I drove by Castello Banfi which is situated in a beautiful area of southern Tuscany. For the first time I had the chance to try their wine, namely a Rosso Di Montalcino from 2013. The taste is rich and of black currant and plums and many soft tannins. This wine could probably be stored for several years before drinking. Very good.

A visit to Montalcino

Montalcino, the hill town and commune in southern Tuscany. It is a very beautiful place situated at 550 meters height.

Montalcino is famous not for the architecture or churches but for one thing. The wine that is produced there especially the famous Brunello di Montalcino.

Walking around in Montalcino one sees that it is a famous wine region. It is easier to buy wine than coffee.There are wine stores everywhere. Quite fun to see all the different producers which I cannot find in Sweden.

Going to a restaurant in Montalcino is fun since they have so much wine there so it becomes very hard to choose. Some winelists are like a bible. Very thick and despite all the quality wine not at all expensive. In Montalcino I only drank their less famous wine called Rosso di Montalcino. This wine is also very good, not as heavy as the Brunello but still very good. I had the chance to try wine from different producers like Fattoi and Col Di Orcia.

Montalcino is a fun place to visit. Good food and wine. A town with good views and it is fun to walk in. The landscape around is beautiful and there are many chances to visit wine producers if one like. Nearby is also beautiful churches like Abbazia di Sant’Antimo.

A visit to the castle of Montalcino is also highly recommended.

Nearby is also many beautiful towns. One can just drive around randomly and find such beautiful places to visit.

Already looking forward to go back.

Fontanafredda Barbaresco 2012

The Fontanafredda wine Barbaresco 2012 is my first ever barbaresco. I have tried other wines from Fontanafredda but never a Barbaresco. The alcohol level is 13,5% and the grape is 100% Nebbiolo. It has an elegant structure and everything goes so well together. Tannins and the different tastes blends together. Excellent wine. Will definitely not be my last Barbaresco. One day I have to travel to Piemonte to visit the Barbaresco area.

Prosecco and the Pinot

Italy produces a lot of good sparkling wine. I have drunk some Prosecco and they are usually light and fresh. The Carpene Malvolti brut is not different. It has a very good taste of citrus and pears and is very good.

The next sparkling wine comes from a region which I don't drink so much wine from. Lombardy does not produce so much famous wine except for their sparkling wine made in Franciacorte and Oltrepo Pavese. The wine Oltrepo Pavese DOP Pinot Spumante is a sparkling wine from the producer Bersano which is a big producer in Lombardy. This wine is made of Pinot Noir according to the Charmat method. The taste is of apples and bread but still light and well tasting.A good sparkling wine made for aperitif or light meals.

Two Vermentino from Maremma

Driving from Montalcino towards Pitigliano in southern Tuscany one passes by the town of Montemassi. It is situated on top of a hill and is dominated by old Rocca (castle) looming over the village. Here they produce a wine called Calasole from 2014 made of vermentino. It is a fresh good wine with a taste of citrus and some almonds. The 2013 vintage were good and so is the 2014.

Close to Pitigliano producer Tommassi ha an estate called Poggio al Tufo where the wine where they produce a white wine made from Vermentino grapes. It is a decent wine with notes of pear and citrus, bur for me it is lacking a bit in taste.

The town is Pitigliano is quite interesting especially from the outside. Worth a short visit.

Two wines from Tuscany

Tuscany has several areas that produce good wine. Although Tuscany is not known for its white wine but there are producers in Tuscany that make very good Vermentino wine for example.

Producer Cold Di Bacche makes a Vermentino wine. They are situated close to Grosseto and Maremma in the south parts of Tuscany. It is their only white wine and it consists of 100% of Vermentino grapes. It is a good wine and is very fresh.

Otherwise Tuscany is known for their red wines and a producer whose red wines I have tried before are Mazzei. This time I bought their wine Ser Lapo which is a Chianti Classico Riserva. The Ser Lapo wine consists of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. It is a very good wine with some tannins but they are smooth and the wine disappears quite quickly.