My Italian Phase

I’ve been drinking more Italian wines than usual this fall. Disclaimer: any Italian wine, is more Italian wine than usual for this French girl. But, I’ve really been enjoying some rustic Italian beauties lately; they just feel right for fall.

This Valle Reale Montepulciano d’Abruzzo screams, “Drink me in late September through October and then bring me back in the spring!” Everything about it reminds me of cherries. 🍒 It has a gorgeous dark cherry color and tart cherry flavor. Like all great Montepulciano wines, it has that rustic edge that I adore: sawdust and pencil shaving aromas, with a hint of jam. It tastes like tart cherries, with a bit of basement funk on the finish. (Basement funk is my favorite way to describe that rustic quality in Old World wines that reminds you of a wine cellar and old vines.) It feels like a really full-boded wine on the mid-palate and then thins out on the finish, which is really nice, especially this time of year. I love a luscious, but more medium-bodied, wine when the days are still warm, but the nights are getting cooler.

We broke out this bottle for a ribs and mac ‘n cheese night with our dear friends, who are also French, and we all agreed, this was just right. If a bunch of Frenchies like the Italian wine, you know it’s good!

I bought the 2021 vintage for $21.99 on wine.com. James Suckling, one of my favorite wine critics, gave it 90 points. The 2022 is available now even cheaper: $17.99! If you try it out, let me know what you think.

🍷Chin and Salute!