I'm skipping over some of the special holiday wines for now, and will go ahead and jump back in to some of the everyday quaffers that I've had over the past couple of weeks. First up is a trio from Italy - some new, some that I've had before.
First up was the 2004 Brancaia Tre. I've had this great value from the wonderful 04 vintage previously, and again it did not disappoint. The wine is a perfect example of what I look for in a food-friendly wine, a great complement for pizza or pasta especially.
Next up was another 2004 vintage wine, but this time from the Veneto. The 2004 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre is still a favorite choice of mine as well. As I've noted before, this wine includes a bit of Sangiovese along with the indigenous varietals and like the Brancaia Tre, it is a great food wine. As long as it can be found for under $20, it's a winner.
Finally, I went to the Piemonte region for the 2005 Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto d'Alba. I've actually had the 2006 vintage previously, but this was my first taste of the '05. If prssed, I'd find it very difficult to make a choice between the two. The '05 was a little more forward than the '06, probably due to the added age, but still offered a bit of complexity you might not expect from a Dolcetto. I'm again very impressed by Sandrone, and can't wait to taste some of the other bigger wines of his I have in the cellar.
Overall, these are three great Italian choices from three different regions that continue to highlight the great choices for reasonably priced wines from there. I love the variety on offer, and the fact that so many of these wines are not only great on their own, but great with food as well.
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