Soave Classico - "Le Bine de Costiola"

Garganega / Veneto
Italy / $20

It has been a long time since I have tasted an Italian Soave. This wine is generally made from Garganega grapes that are prevalent in the Veneto growing region of Italy. Soave was most often a inexpensive bottle of wine that was made by the village cooperative. All the towns growers would pool their annual harvest and make wine out of the blended juice.

Pio and Gaetano Tamellini always felt as though their vineyards were producing juice that was far superior to neighboring vineyards. In 1998 they risked it all and decided to keep their own juice to make their own wine. They hired veteran winemaker Paulo Caciorgna to oversee the wine making process. Their gamble paid off.

Debbie Larson dropped this wine off to me in my office to taste. I was surprised to see Soave on the label. Rather then make assumptions about what I suspected this wine to be...I decided to take it with me to Charleston, SC over Easter break and give it a try.

The wine is darker then I suspected it would be. It poured like a dessert wine, light honey colored and viscous. It clung to the sides of the glass when swirled. I could instantly smell apricots, lemon, apple pie spices and honey. The aroma was heady and pleasant. It really invited you to take your first sip.

The wine was fat and unctuous. It is full of glycerin and fruit flavor. The honey and mineral component are up front with lemon, pineapple and spice on the finish. This was not the Soave that my parents used to drink with Wednesday night spaghetti dinner. This wine had the mouth feel of a good (read expensive) chardonnay and wonderful flavour combination of apricot and honey....very nice.

What amazes me most is the Tamellini Brothers produced this delicious wine in a mediocre year. This is a producer that should be re-visited in better growing years to see what they can really do with good juice. I suspect the potential is there to knock our socks off.

This wine has enough backbone and structure to last a few years in the cellar. It seems to be fully mature, so don't cellar it thinking it will get better. For around $20, I see this as a bargain wine. Drink it with food. The weight of the wine warrants you have something with it. I am thinking a good loaf of Italian bread, some fresh Parma cheese, and maybe some roasted red peppers with good olive oil. Any white meats....lemon chicken, fresh ham, pork roast...Mmm, Mmm, Good.

I have not been able to find this widely available on the web. This is one that you will have to hunt down. Check with some of the reputable wine shops in your area, or link to one of my preferred wine shops in my "Favorite Links" on the right margin of the blog.

Tonight I am going to a tasting with Louis Fabrice Latour, CEO and owner of legendary producer Louis Latour. Calvert Woodley is sponsoring, and we will taste the 2005 Red Burgundies and the 2006 White Burgundies. This should be fabulous.

Beringer "Alluvium" White Meritage

White Meritage / $11.99 to 15.99
Knights Valley California


I know I have been on a Red wine kick for the past few months. I have not been ignoring all of you white drinkers, Really! I have recently been berated for ignoring your needs by avoiding whites at all costs. Hopefully, this review will make up for my inaffection.This week, you should make an effort to find this delicious and inexpensive white.

Beringer is a very large producer in California. They produce a wide spectrum of wines, from $10 to over $100. In my experience, their wines have always been a good value. The Alluvium is a blend of grapes....a White Meritage (Rhymes with heritage). This blend consists of Semillion, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a bit of Viognier. All of these grapes are delicious on their own, but when blended by a craftsman, morph into something special.

The Alluvium pours beautifully....rich almost viscous. The honeysuckle aroma from the Viognier wafts from the glass followed by pear, and citrus. Swirling the glass, the wine clings to the bowl forshadowing the viscocity and lush mouth feel. Peach and stone fruit, pear, vanilla; all linger with a long finish. Fabulous for a $15.00 wine.

This will be a great summer wine. Light, delicious and easy to drink. This is a great wine for a lunch of fruit and brie and a loaf of fresh french bread. Most importantly, your friends and family will thing you spent $25 or more on this beauty. This wine got rave reviews in all of the wine publications. Most recently, WINE SPECTATOR made this their wine of the week.

Scores on this wine were 90 points from Robert Parker and 92 Points from Wine Advocate. If you want to buy this by the case, you can get it cheaper by mailorder. It is as low as $11.99 by the case from WINEX in California. You pay no sales tax, and you still save $25 per case.

Be sure to buy the 2006 vintage. Although this wine should last for a few years, it was produced to be consumed young. This wine should be widely available. I would recommend Schneiders in DC on Mass Avenue 202-543-9300 and in Virginia Total Wine and More www.totalwine.com Until next week, enjoy!