Nice one GV..even after so many episodes….you still bring the THUNDER!!!

QOTD: When you say “Tuscany,” I say “Great wine, Great food, Great Landscape, and Great art.” I have been a fan of Fontalloro for years, and especially love it because of its predominant Sangiovese. For my taste, it usually needs 8-10 years of age to reach its peak, but I have drunk and loved it with more age. I have had an earlier vintage of the Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove once and was modestly impressed. I have never had the Il Pino, and probably won’t look for it given your review (I really don’t like “green” wines.

Despite the poor showing of two of the wines, this was an extremely well done show. There was a lot of knowledge and good advice given. Congratulations!

Many Italian red wines, across the entire spectrums of geography/climate, varietal, and quality, maintain evidence of relatively strong acid. For this, they can never truly be MY favorites, though I still love and enjoy scores of Italian wines from all ranges. Also, note that acids present in red wines are not the same as acids in white wines, and when you say ‘acid freak’, it’s much quicker to mind to think of the S.B.’s, Rieslings, Chards, the many 2nd and third tier grapes like Albarino, and the numerous Italo-Euro white varietals that I love to enjoy. Super Tuscans remain a loosely defined, loosely regulated, and hugely experimental category with at least as much variance in character (and quality), as they might be defined by some common, or unifying characteristics (aside from general geography).

QotD – You say Tuscany. I say Uffizi, Firenze. This is the world famous Museum/Gallery built in the 1500’s by the Medici family, and is home to many of the World’s most famous and historically important works, especially European works of the Renaissance period.

When I laid eyes on Boticelli’s grand “The Birth of Venus”, I actually cried, the beauty was so overpowering.

Great episode again Gary 🙂

You say Tuscany I say “does not compute”, it’s been a long week, brain is into wind down mode.

Dude, that was some funny stuff. I loved that episode. For the first time while watching WLTV, when you first sprayed while talking, whistled, and called the furniture dude a hoodlum I was straight up cracking up! Great show!

QOTD: Ambivalent
1 of the Super Tuscans you tried was 100% Sangiovese(not even a blend). No reason to be called a Super Tuscan.. just write Sangiovese on the bottle.
–Harp
Register4Wine.com

You say Tuscany — I say — Sex in a dry afternoon villa with the sea salt smell in the air. Deep black hair stuck to the side of her face from sticky sweat. Surrounded by orange and yellow-green overlaid with pale-yellowish stained curtains that for a moment wave in a Mediterranean breeze. A breeze that heightens the smell of that slow secret seduction while swaying her off to sleep. — Damn I have to bring the wifey to Italy — NOW!

I thought it was NJ state law to love the Bruce. Shocking observation.
QOTD: BOO!
Only because Jaime Kennedy had that movie where he was a hard core white rapper and yelled on stage, “When I saw Mala, You say BOO! Mala! BOOOOOOOOOOO!! (Malibu)

Hi GV,

Nice episode. Long time lurker, will try posting more and more. I like the “gamy like Serrano ham” line. Most people don’t think of ham as gamy, but when it’s a Spanish style ham with a silky fat play. Yum.

Also – “smells like the color green”. HA! I can taste purple. Synesthesiac?

QOTD: A place I REALLY want to visit.

Andy

QOTD: Tomato.

This was a good episode. Seemed like “back to basics”.

renaissance.

Great episode, lots of wine-directed enthusiasm, as opposed to your normal generalized enthusiasm.

QOTD: You say Tuscany, i say TOURIST TRAP! Partially kidding, but you gotta know where to go (and not go).

Great episode, lots of wine-directed enthusiasm, as opposed to your normal generalized enthusiasm.

QOTD: You say Tuscany, i say TOURIST TRAP! Partially kidding, but you gotta know where to go (and not go).

At those price points, hard to take a 33% success rate. This puts Super Tuscans in the special occasion category for me, and I don’t want to take a chance on a miss for a special occasion so I’ll stcik with something a know I’m going to love.

QOTD: Romantic

You say “Tuscany” I’m thinking…

1. Pizza Hut

2. Cat Food ad I’ve seeing

It’s ABUSE of the word Tuscany damn it 😉

QOTD: You say Tuscany, I think…

Lightning.

I have had the tremendous pleasure of visiting Tuscany twice so far in my lifetime. My friend’s father owns a villa just north of Montalcino (where Banfi’s vineyards are located), and during two consecutive summers when I was in highschool I visited there with my parents and younger sister.

One night, after we had eaten dinner, a heavy thunderstorm in the area took out all of the electrical power in the villa. Standing in near darkness, I watched for about twenty minutes as bright flashes of lightning struck the hills all around me and illuminated the undulating landscape; it was one of the most gorgeous natural spectacles that I have ever witnessed.

Of course, when I think of Tuscany I also think of a million other things – delicious food and wine, bright patches of sunflowers, soil so rich that you almost want to eat it (I know that you would, Gary), as well as ancient cities and small towns and all of the art and history, etc. However, that brilliant lightning striking the dark distant hills all around me is something that I will never forget… it was an experience that literally “brought the thunder” 🙂

Informative episode, proves the point that when it comes to Super-Tuscans price dosn’t always dictate quality.
QOTD: Gnocchi and wild boar sauce

im with you on Bruce. Just bc im from Jersey, doesnt mean i have to worship him. give me born in the USA on July 4th and im good.

Sienna, maybe Florence. Yeah there are a lot of Americans there but the food and wine is great, the views gorgeous and just speak Italian and ignore the Americans. Your tasting reflects my experience with Super Tuscans, some OK, some great, always expensive, kinda of like Italian women.

If you want to “hate” on an aging rocker from New Jersey go with that wannabe Bon Jovi and leave Bruce (a true American icon) alone. QOTD: Another place I will never visit, but hey I can drink the wine….

QOTD … you say Tuscany, I say Brunello … I love Brunello.

QOTD: Old world wines that are out of my budget.

ok- since I went to the Jets v. Oakland AFL Championship Game, and the ’68 season is so near an dear to my heart, I will ask you a question of the day— without looking at a book for reference, can you name the 22 starters on offense and defense for that team (feel free to email me your response).

I love Super Tuscans– I visited Antinori last summer and fell in love with both Tignanello and the Solia. I have both sitting in my basement for future consumption.

Gary, I am an old school Vayniac (howlr5) but you have dropped a few notches for slagging “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen. I will put Springsteens catalogue of music up against Lionel Ritchie’s any day.

I haven’t commented in about 400 episodes, so it’s time.

This is a solid, classic Gary episode. I’m a big fan of the solo episodes where you eat cheese and enjoy yourself, even if the wines are less than stellar. It really reminds me of when I started watching (Summer 2007). I agree about the high price points. I’m not a CKC anymore, but I’m still on the same budget. Lower priced wines are more up my alley.

QOTD: Wines that I love. Gotta travel there sometime soon.