Big, Free Italian Wine Tasting on Saturday, September 24th from 2-5 p.m. featuring selections from importer Small Vineyards! Seattle-based importer Small Vineyards brings in a bevy of delicious wines from the types of producers and family farms that we love to support. We’re talking small family owned and operated wineries that make their wines in a traditional manner. These are producers who get their hands dirty in the vineyards to ensure superb quality in their wines. This careful and conscious approach to their craft results in wines full of heart and soul, and many of our top finds ever have come from the Small Vineyards portolio. Join us and special guest Aldo Morales, brand ambassador for Small Vineyards, as we take you on a tour of Italy through her wines. Taste, learn, and save up to 20% off on all of the featured tasting wines.
The Wines
1. 2015 San Rocco Soave (Veneto, Italy) – This is the entry level wine from famed Soave producer Monte Tondo, and it’s one of the best values of its type we’ve ever found. 100% Garganega, the grape responsible for making great Soave, it is fresh, bright, and absolutely delightful.
2. 2015 Jordanov Rkatciteli (Macedonia) – This ancient white grape is believed to be one of the oldest on the planet! Marked by spicy and floral notes and bright citrus fruits, it makes for a refreshing and delicious white wine to pair with spicy Asian cuisine.
3. 2015 Poggio Vignoso Chianti (Tuscany, Italy) – Chianti can be awful! Many renditions lack the ripe fruit necessary to offset the natural acidity of Sangiovese. Not this one! Elegant, juicy and laced with dusty plum and dark cherry fruit, this would be great with a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
4. 2014 Antonio Sanguineti Cannonau di Sardegna (Sardinia, Italy) – This has been a top seller most of the summer and we were able to get our hands on another 10 cases to use for this tasting. 100% Cannonau (aka Grenache) from the island of Sardinia, it’s rich, supple, and packed with flavors of ripe berries, spices, and just a hint of damp earth.
5. 2013 Casa Contini Brindisi Riserva (Puglia, Italy) – It’s our current Wine of the Week Selection, and it’s selling at a very rapid pace. A combination of Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera, and Sangiovese, it tastes like a hypothetical cross between a complex, firm Barolo and a spicy rich Zinfandel. Yum!
6. 2013 Perazzeta Erio Rosso Toscana (Tuscany, Italy) – Here’s a true Super Tuscan that won’t break the bank. Alessandro Bocci and his daughter craft brilliant wines from their property in Montecucco just miles from the prized vineyards of Montalcino. A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah aged in barrique for 18 months, this is rich, flashy and flamboyant red wine that could easily sell for $40+.
7. 2015 Brunelli Poggio Apricale (Tuscany, Italy) – From the famed vineyards of Montalcino (Brunelli makes epic Brunello as well), this one is not aged long enough to be called Rosso or Brunello. A blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot and 5% Colorino, this is an opulent and complex red wine marked by aromas and flavors of ripe berries, orange peel, spice, and a hint of leather. It’s a ton of wine for the money!
8. 2014 Verso Salento Rosso (Puglia, Italy) – Talk about a powerhouse of a wine! This blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo and Malvasia is like a first rate Zin or Red Blend from California with just a splash of Italian Amarone. Full bodied, super rich and ripe, and soft and supple on the palate, get ready to be blown away.