QOTD: The 2002 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia. I had it on, of all places, a Princess cruise ship in French Polynesia. Maybe it was the setting, or the friends that I was with but I remember that as being an outstanding wine. It had grip.

I’m a new convert to the V-nation, and boy am I enjoying it. It’s been really nice for me (maybe really bad for the bank account) tuning in and learning about a new type of wine everyday. I’m excited to try some super tuscan’s and to find some more new variatals next episode. I’m a Ory-gon kid, sometimes it’s hard not just to drink the pinot’s from down the road, but you’re making me excited to experiment all over the globe.

Bussola Amarone ’97, Villa Cafagio Chianti Reserva ’99, also Tomassi Amarone.

QOTD: favorite Italian are probably Moscato Di Asti. Anything Amarone is also usualy very interesting.

QOTD: Oh it was a Chianti but I can’t remember the name of it right now…. I’m sure I’ll have better, but it was the best of what I’ve had so far, lol.

You said it – drinking bad wines so we don’t have to. I like that.

QOTD: Has to be prosecco. Only because I drink it nearly every week (it’s mom’s fav when she/dad come over for dinner).

The Father’s Day idea is great, but I don’t have a father, a husband, uncles, etc. I read the book already, thoroughly enjoyed it and ordered two at the time I ordered mine. Any suggestions?

Lisini 1998 really blew me away and opened up my palate in a big way.

You sent a shirt out to be dry cleaned!? You’ve probably spilled more wine than most of us have drunk. A show on wine stain removal and other uses for wine might be enlightening. Dry cleaners indeed.

Drinking a Nero d’Avola tonight from Chiaramonte, 2005. Quite nice, although it was opened two nights ago and was much more acidic and closed. Better tonight.

QOTD: probably the first time I had an Amarone. Not sure which one, but my sis poured it for me, and I was hooked.

Great to see you in SF last night Gary!

Best Italian wine? I’d have to break it into white, red, and sparkling, though the red CLEARLY would win out in this case…

The red that I enjoyed the most (and the Italian wine that I enjoyed the most) was the 1996 Tenuta Friggiali (Centolani) Brunello di Montalcino. For an “off” vintage in Montalcino, this wine was phenomenal. If you can get it now, it still has a year or two of life left, and is incredibly polished.

The white I enjoyed the most… it’s really a tie between the 2003 Vestini Campagnano Terre del Volturno IGT (a Pallagrello Bianco) and the 2005 Casalfarneto Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Fontevecchia, both of which offer very different presentations but are wonderful in their own right. The pallagrello bianco is less acidic, but a bit more complex and interesting, and the verdecchio is a wonderful crowd pleaser that would appeal to both the wine conniesseur and the casual wine drinker alike.

As far as a sparkler… the non-vintage Riondo Prosecco Veneto IGT is an absolute STEAL in terms of the qpr. I haven’t had other Italian sparklers, but this one is clean and crisp, lively and nice, a bit sweet, but finishing smoothly. An absolute crowd pleaser that very few would complain about — and it retails at about $12 here. Nothing overly complex, but exTREMEly enjoyable on a summer night.

All in all, the above named Brunelllo di Montalcino takes the prize, but all of these wines are great.

QOTD: Aglianico Naima from de Concilliis… although I love Ca’ del Bosco Franciacorta

QOTD: Right now i’m in love with barbaresco. Specially from Produttori. Great episode gary!

Very good show.

QOTD: I have two favorite Italian wines. They are the 2004 Coviv Aglianico Del Vulture and the 2004 Savignola Paolina Chianti Classico.

QOTD: Scratch the 2004 Savignola Paolina Chianti Classico. I meant to include the 2003 Savignola Paolina Chianti Classico Riserva.

QOTD well it may be a bit of a cop out but favourite remains Antinori Tignanello, but honourable mention for Carpineto Farnito Cabernet which is also very fine and Tenuta Dell’Ornelleia Bolgheri although this is rather expensive….

just ordered the book for delivery to Hong Kong…

Hey,
My favorite Italian? Its the Bibi Graetz 2005 Soffocone Di Vincigliata. It i the quintessential pizza wine. Read my review of it on cork’d here: http://www.corkd.com/wine/view/55883-Soffocone_Di_Vincigliata_2005

QOTD: Most recently, the 2004 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre.

Oreno Oreno Oreno….have you tried it? Would love to hear your opinion. Got the 03 and 04 sleeping in the wine frige…very different wines actually.

Never fell in love with wines from Italy, for some reason. Last one which got me was Barbera dâ??Alba Cerreto 2003 from Azienda Agricola Roberto Voerzio (and their Barolo Brunate 1997, but that’s different story :o). And Michele Satta’s Piastraia Bolgheri Rosso DOC 2002 and I Castagni Bolgheri Rosso Superiore DOC 2003 :o)

Cool show, I like it when you talk about the history of a wine region. great info, thank you.
QOTD: Pio Cesare Barolo, I think it was the 03 I had. One of the best bottles of wine I’ve ever opened.

Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano “Asinone”… still holds up as my favorite.

Very good episode, as usual. QOTD: Too many good Italian wines to have just one…but if I could get pass the price of the wine…Dal Forno Romano Amarone…Masseto…away from that Ornellaia and Tignanello…any Brunello
Casanova di Neri being my favorite…which brings me to a question Gary…What do you think of the controversy going on in Montalcino…Argiano declassifies its Brunello labeling it with a IGT classification while under investigation for allegedly violating DOCG regulations.

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to drink the 1999 antinori Solaia…off the charts delish

QOTD: One of my most favorite Italian wines is Antinori Tignanello, which I have only had once. The wine was excellent but the setting and time could have also influenced that a little. So if I really want to get in to an “Italian” I think it would be Masi Amarone.