Montalcino to Siciliy

Besides the Brunello di Montalcino there is also the wine Rosso di Montalcino produced in Montalcino. The winery Tenuta il Poggione is run by Leopoldo and Livia Francesi and they produce several different wines and two different Rosso di Montalcino. The one that I have tried is their Il Poggione from 2014. It consists of 100% of the grape Sangiovese and has an alcohol level of 14%. The colour is ruby as is normal from Sangiovese wines. It has a taste of red berries and some chocolate with soft tannins and it is a well structured wine. Very good. View from Montalcino below.

From the wine producer Musita I have tried several bottles before. The wine Regieterre Cattárratto I have tried their vintage 2013 before and no I have tasted the 2014 vintage. The 2014 is very fresh with a citrus taste and aromatic fruits. Still very good.

Glenfarclas 12 and Laphroaig 10

I have been trying to find a lighter single malt whisky but still one that has a character. One that I have tried is the Glenfarclas 12 year old from the Glenfarclas distillery. It is a family owned distillery owned by the Grant family since 1865 making it one of the few independent distilleries in Scotland. The nose is of sherry and some fruit. The taste is of sherry, some oak, fruits and is a bit sweet. The aftertaste which is quite short consists of sherry. For me the balance is a bit off for this bottling, I think it would need a couple of more years in the barrel. But lucky for me I also have a 17 year old Glenfarclas to try at home.

Going from the lighter whisky to Islay home of the peated whiskies. Laphroiag is one of the first whiskies I ever drank and I have good memories of it. Their flag bearer is the 10 year old. The smell is some smoke with a medicinal character. The taste is of smoke, iodine, some tar. The finish is long with smoke and the medicinal iodine. Very good. But still I say that the Cask Strength 10 year old is the better ten year old.

Brunello di Montalcino and Lagrein from Alto Adige

Brunello di Montalcino is a red wine from Tuscany produced around the village of Montalcino. This wine has to be produced of 100% Sangiovese grapes. The town of Montalcino is very beautiful and so is the surrounding land.

I found a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino which I did not know that I had. The producer is Villa Poggio Salvi and the vintage is of 2008. The smell is very nice and the colour is reddish as Sangiovese wine should be. This wine has soft tannins and is very elegant and has a lot of depth. I can taste red berries and herbs. I like this wine very much.

Going up north to the border of Austria we find beautidul Alto Adige in Italy. There is a local grape called Lagrein which makes a very good wine. The producer Terlan has a wine called Lagrein 2014. The colour of this wine is dark red. It has more tannins and the taste is of black berries. Very good wine also.

Two very good wines from Italy. Both of the highly recommended.

From one volcano to another

There is many good wine in Italy produced near Volcanoes. Etna is a volcano in Sicily and a grape that is grown there is the grape Carricante. The wine from this grape reminds me of Riesling wines. The wine Le Sabbie Dell'Etna from producer Firriato contains the grapes Carricante and Catarratto. It seem that Caricante gives that wine structure and minerality while the Catarratto gives it freshness. A very good wine and I like very much.

The wine Falanghina Del Sanno is produced by Lorenzo Nifo Sarrapochiello. This area is situated approximately 30 km from the volcano Vesuvio. It is made 100% of the grape Falanghina and this grape is mostly grown in the Campania region in Italy. It is quite strong with a taste of of tropical fruits, nectarines and citrus. It has a quite long finish. I like it and it would go very well with seafood.

Wine from Sicily and Soave

Cappoccia a wine of the vintage 2014 from producer Feudo di Santa Tresa. It consist of the grapes Grillo and Zibibbo (Muscat di Alexandria). Normally when producers try to make dry wine from the Zibibbo grape it usually is a bit boring. A notable exception is the producer Donna Fugata which makes a very good dry zibibbo wine. But the grillo grape adds more complexity and the marriage of these grapes is good. A nice drinking wine.

The wine Monte Stelle from producer La Cappucina of vintage 2015 and is made of the grape Garganega. The taste is of pear and apples and some nectarines. Nice.

Two sparkling wines from northern Italy

Prosecco has became a big seller around the world and I understand why because of the lightness and freshness that Prosecco has. Also not to forget that even that it is quite light is that the production quality is quite high. I have tried a lot of Prosecco and they are all good so far.

The prosecco Victora, La Dolce Vita is more of the same. Light and fresh with citrus taste. Quite nice. Perfect as an apeterif.

Sparkling wine from Piemonte I have not tried so much but Acuesi is a DOC Cortese wine. Cortese is a white grape grown in these areas. It has the same alcohol level as a Prosecco and the same freshness and lightness. Quite good.

Magliocco, a rare grape from Italy

Magliocco is a red wine grape that grows almost only in Calabria in Italy. I had the chance to try the wine Magliocco from the producer Cantine Lento which is run by the Lento family. The wine Magliocco from 2010 is made by magliocco grapes which is grown on soils at 500 meters of height. The aging is done one year in French oak. The color is dark red and the taste is quite strong with a taste of cherries and some black berries. For me it would have tasted better with two-three years of storage. Quite interesting grape and one worth checking out.

The producer Falchini is situated in San Gimignano, Tuscany, which is famous for the many towers of the town. Their wine Falchini Chianti Colli Senesi is made of 100% Sangiovese grapes. It is a bit lighter than the Magliocco. The taste is of red currants, light cherries and is very nice. I have earlier tried their 2012 vintage and their 2013 vintage keep up the quality but I think tat the 2013 vintage is a bit lighter than the 2012.