I recently hosted another one of my regular wine study sessions; this month it was Italian wines. Now, obviously with the mammoth wine industry that Italy has, it wasn’t possible for us to even really scratch the surface of all the goodies this country has to offer. Still, I think our choice of wines was fairly representative of some of the major grapes and regions. (Scroll down for the list of wines and my tasting notes.)

In keeping with the tradition of these wine nights, we had a pretty awesome spread – we aimed for either Italian or Italian-inspired fare, to match the wines. I particularly enjoyed the dense and chewy smoked Italian sausage (it paired well with all of the wines, but sausage is pretty good that way). We also had a really interesting Sicilian cheese that was very sharp in flavour and left your mouth feeling strangely tingly. (It was quite an uncanny sensation.) Homemade bruschetta, Italian olives, flame-roasted red peppers, rosemary bread sticks, herb-crusted goat cheese, and fresh BC cherries rounded out our food pairings for the night.

Without further ado, the wines:

the first four wines

2008 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio (Friuli)
Fresh mushroom, or perhaps mushrooms in oil (a mushroomy, earthy quality is quite common in Pinot Gris). A whiff of white pepper at the end, and hints of flinty mineral and crisp tree fruit.
Very round and creamy mouthfeel, due to time spent aging in partial oak. Absolutely delicious.

2008 Matané Negroamaro (Puglia)
This is all about dried fruits on the nose: sultana raisins, figs, prunes, dates, dried cherry; a smoky quality at the end. Fairly prominent tannins, though quite light in body, which is pretty typical for this grape variety. I could guzzle this stuff quite easily.

2007 Castello di Farnetella Chianti Colli Senesi (Tuscany)
Generic red and black fruits on the nose, with hints of roasted vegetables (bell peppers, zucchini). I’ve never been able to pinpoint a specific aroma or flavour that lets me identify Sangiovese in a blind tasting – however, its super high acidity is usually a big giveaway, and this wine certainly has that. Sour cherry on the palate; light to medium body. Chianti is a great choice for tomato-based dishes, owing to that streak of high acidity. (It also upholds the food and wine pairing rule that states, “When in doubt, choose a wine from the same region as the dish.” You’d be amazed how often this is true.)

2007 Barone Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico (Tuscany)
Much denser in body and higher in tannin than the previous Chianti, which is expected as this comes from the specific Chianti Classico appellation (which means there’s stricter quality controls in place). Some peppery nuances on the nose, along with those generic Sangiovese red and black fruits. I think this would do well with a bit more bottle age to reveal the secondary, earthy nuances I know are lurking underneath the primary fruit.

the latter four wines

2007 Amano Primitivo (Puglia)
A little hot on the nose, which is certainly a danger with this grape, wherever it is made. (Primitivo is the same thing as Zinfandel, and while Italian versions of the grape have been classically more restrained than their New World counterparts, recent years have seen the Italians adopting more of that North American style – jammy red fruits and overblown alcohol.) Generally enjoyable for its plummy red fruit, though a tad one-dimensional. It was most enjoyable chilled down quite a bit, to quell the booze burn.

2007 il Bacialé Braida di Giacoma Bologna (Monferrato)
Made from a blend of grapes, mainly Barbera. Classic Italian earthiness on the nose (I’m always reminded of agar, or lakeweed, when I smell earthy Italian wines), along with some nice red fruit. Very well balanced, round and velvety in the mouth. More please.

2005 Monteti Caburnio (Tuscany)
Back in my wine shop days, I sold buckets of this stuff when it first arrived on the shelves (about three years ago). It offers a very good glimpse into the style of those much sought-after Supertuscans, but it’s way cheaper than the ridiculously expensive Ornellaias and Sassicaias that those wine-clueless businessmen drool over. (Cheap shot, I know, but one that happens to be all too true in many instances.) This vintage wasn’t as earthy as I remembered; there was a distinct note of jelly sandwich, and one of my pals said it was just like banana rum cream. I’m not entirely sure what she meant by that, but it’s as apt a descriptor as any.

2005 Batasiolo Barolo (Piedmont)
I’m going to stop buying half bottles (375mL). I love their purpose, in principle (i.e. being able to taste expensive wines for half the price), but in practice they all seem to be oxidized. This one wasn’t entirely cooked, but I still got a hell of a lot of baked fruit aromas and a slightly unpleasant sourness lurking underneath. Maybe it was just the wine (or the crappy synthetic cork used to bottle it – why are people still using those damn things?!). However, I’ve tasted a fair amount of Nebbiolo (the red grape that comprises Barolo), and this just didn’t taste right. Where are those subtle flowery aromas of roses and violets? Where was the shockingly tannic palate? At five years old, this should still have some kick to it.