Two recommended wines from Italy

Italian sparkling wines especially Prosecco can be quite light but easy-drinking. The sparkling wine Agata Cuvee Millesimato from 2016 is more complex but still easy to drink. The producer is Ardenghi from the Veneto region in Italy. The taste is quite fresh with citrus and bread tones. A very nice sparkling wine perfect for a warm day.

Next wine is a white wine from Friuli in the northern eastern part in Italy. The grape is Pinot Grigio and the name of the wine is Ciani. The producer is Azienda Agricola Ciani Valter and the vintage is 2016. On the nose I get a lot of white fruits. The taste is of melons, grapefruit and some pears. This is an excellent expression of a Pinot Grigio which I highly recommend. One producer that knows how to make good wines.

A Glenmorangie vertical

If you have the chance buy the Glenmorangie tasting set, It consists four 10cl bottles of their standard range. The Original 10yo, Quinta Rubin, Nectar d'Or and Lassanta. So what is special about the various products. First the Glenmorangie has one of the tallest necks on their stills so their spirit is quite smooth. The distillery is located quite north in Scotland far up in the highlands.

The Glenmorangie Original 10 yo has been matured for ten year in ex-Bourbon casks.
Colour: Quite light
Nose: Lemon, toffee and a slight vanilla
Taste: A bit weak, malt and some toffee
After taste: Very short, just some light spices
A very easy drinking whisky, good for newcomers.

The Glenorangie Lasanta is a whisky that has been matured ten years in ex Bourbon casks and then finished for two years in Oloroso and PX sherry casks.
Colour: Amber
Smell: Orange and fruits with some toffee
Taste: Sherry, orange and some spices
Aftertaste: Normal finish with oranges and spices and some bitterness
A decent sherry finished whisky.

The Glenmorangie Quinta Rubin is a whisky that has been matured ten years in ex Bourbon casks and then finished for two years in port pipes from Portugal.
Colour: Some pink notes in the colour
Smell: Quite a complex nose. Some orange and spices such as pepper and then red cherries.
Taste: Oak, dark chocolate, some red fruits and oranges.
This is a good whisky.

The Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or is a whisky that has been matured for ten years in ex Bourbon casks and then finished for two years in Sauternes casks.
Colour: White wine
Nose: A bit of fruit and some vanilla, not that strong
Taste: A bit of sharpness, some fruits and sweetness
Aftertaste: Some spices
I feek quite disappointed in this whisky. it could be a bad batch as i know that other Sauternes finished whiskies are much better.

All in all, the Quinta Rubin is the one I would go for in a bar or pub.

Red wine from Camerano and Orlando Contuccio Ponno

I visited Camerano which is a producer in Barolo last year. They produce many different red wines. One of them are of the variety Dolcetto D'Alba. Dolcetto is a grape that is common in Piemonte and is made as a table wine but I find this grape to be under appreciated. I bought a bottle of this wine in Barolo as it was quite cheap compared to the Barolos. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 13%. I gets herbs on the nose. The taste is sour cherries with some herbs and with some tannins in the back. A good wine that showcase the quality of Dolcetto and worth all the money I spent on it.

Next up is yet a wine from producer Orlandi Contucci Ponno from Abruzzo. I have tasted several other wine from this producer before. This wine is called La Regia Specula and is a Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Colline Teramane. The vintage is 2013 and the ABV is 14%. This wine has been aged for 10 months in a barrel and the six months in the bottle before being sold. It consists of 100% Montepulciano grapes. The taste is of dark sour cherries with some herbs with some big hits of tannins. A good wine.

Veuve Lafontan et Ses Enfants XO 12 year old Armagnac

Veuve Lafontan et Ses Enfants XO  is a 12 year old Armagnac which is the standard Armagnac being sold in Sweden. Unfortunately there is a not a big range of Armagnacs in Sweden. An XO Armagnac must have a minimum ageing of 6 years old, although the Veuve Lafontan et Ses Enfants XO is 12 years old. I have also seen 20 year old XO Armagnacs so a much older age is very common. I don't know much abut this producer as their home page didn't say so much. Armagnac is a wine brandy from the district of Armagnac in France.

The colour goes in amber. The smell is very strong, some would say a slight glue smell. I would say cinnamon and extremely dried fruits in alcohol. The taste is dried fruits, oak, cinnamon and chocolate. The aftertaste is a slight burn of alcohol with oak and dried figs.

It is a decent Armagnac at a good price. Well worth starting out when trying Armagnacs for the first time.

Two Italian red wines

In this review I will visit Tuscany and Umbria.

Tenute Lunelli is an Italian wine producer in Italy and they have estates in Tuscany, Trentino and Umbria. Their Umbria estate is called Tenuta Castelbuono and is near Montefalco. Their wine Ziggurat is a Montefalco Rosso and contains 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and the rest 15% is Cabernet and Merlot. The ABV is 15% and the vintage is 2015.There is a strong smell of dark fruits In the taste I get dark currants, spices and dark chocolate with strong tannins that integrates well. A good wine that will become better with a few more years of aging.

The last wine is Vernaiolo from producer Rocca della Macie from Tuscany. It is a Chianti wine and contains 85% Sangiovese, 10% Caniola Nero and 5% Merlot. The ABV is 13% and the vintage is 2015. I find it to be a light fruity Chianti with some red fruits and some tannins in the end. The wine for for food when you want an easy drinking wine.