Wine Tasting a Selection from Amanti Vino

Tasted these wines over the last few weeks. Found some winners.

I bought a mixed case at Amanti Vino and here is what I found.

Kaleido Bonarda 2004   Web Site

Argentina is producing many great and well priced wines.

Bonarda is a favorite and you may have read our post on another Bonarda called Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda which is very good. The Kaleido is a few dollars more but considerably more flavorful. It has more body and deeper fruit. It is still fresh and playful with great nose and spice and mint among the fresh blackberry flavors.

The wine goes well with Italian dishes with red sauce or beef. Or any Argentinean meal. It is a great everyday wine and worthy of serving to guests.

I liked this wine and will buy it again.

Green and Red Zinfandel 2002 Web Site

Zinfandel is not a favorite. In an effort to stand out many producers just go over the top to make the wine intersting. When wine has strawberry and raspberry in the tasting notes I turn away.

Green and Red does not take that route and turns out a fine wine in most years. From what I understand they are not concistent. This 2002 from their Chiles Mill Vineyard is a gem. The 2003 from Chiles Mill got a good review from Wine Spectator.

The Spectator said, "Intense and concentrated, with classic scents of wild berry, plum and pepper. Firm tannins and a long, persistent finish make this mouthful of Zin most appealing, and the price is hard to beat. One of the best in years from this producer. Drink now through 2010"

There are times when a Zinfendel is just right. I had this one with a selection of hot dogs from Amazing Hot Dogs in Verona. I would recommend this wine with barbqued ribs or burgers. 

Next red on the list is Romio, Terregens Romio Sangiovese Di Romagna 2003

I loved this the first time I tried it, but then recommended it to a friend and she did not.

I tried it again and saw that while it had some fine qualities in terms of balance and smooth deep flavors, the tanins were a little heavy and it had a bit of tar.

I still think at under $10.00 it is a great wine. It needs food, should not be drunk alone. Is great with Lasagna, Spagetti and Meat Balls, Eggplant Parm, beef or pork, and the like.

Over to the white wines.

Wieninger Vienna Blend 2004

This perfect dry white wine will become a permanent selection in my "wine cellar." It is bright and crisp like a Sauvignon Blanc. Would go great with a cheese platter, seafood, oysters, crab cakes, dishes with cream sauce, butternut squash soup, etc.

"Vienna is one of the few capital cities which has a serious wine industry within its boundaries. Young, relatively simple white wines, typically made from Gruner Veltliner, are served mainly to locals and tourists. Increasingly, red wines are also becoming important. " Wine Searcher

Weininger the wine maker, http://www.wieninger.at, is a star of Vienna. “Viennese wine” and “Wieninger” are nearly synonymous. Much of the prestige of Vienna’s wines can be attributed to the work of the Wieningers. The nearly 100-year-old winery was run exclusively as a “heurigen” (vineyard tavern) business until Fritz Wieninger, Jr., became manager of the wine production in the 1980s . He now concentrates solely on discriminating, high-quality wines.

They describe this wine like this "Very much in the tradition of the Viennese heurigen, this is a lively and spirited young wine with slightly exotic notes, somewhat untamed and absolutely comparable with its namesake, Sophie Wieninger, the two-and-a-half year old daughter of the Wieninger household."

The next wine is another unusual white.

It is called Gertie and Max. I call it a "Kiss" wine because It feels like a kiss when you sip it.

The importer Wines For Food describes the wine this way.

"Gertie & Max is a delightful, mouthwatering southern Baden specialty, created in the romntic hillside country of Markgräflerland.

This delicate dry white wine is created from a fascinating grape called Gutedel (rhymes with "fruit ladle"), a.k.a. Chasselas in Alsace and Switzerland. It is said to be the world's most ancient variety. Its silky mouthfeel and slightly nutty character make it a wonderful choice as a cocktail sipper, a versatile partner for light seafood dishes, and a classic accompaniment to cheese in general and cheese fondue in particular." Wines For Food

The last white was an Italian, Greco, from Puglia.

A Montecastelli™ Selection of Jens and Ruth Schmidt who offer their selection of Italian regional wines and foods. Traveling the vineyards of Italy, Montecastelli™ searches for the most stunning examples of wines from the over 2000 Italian grape varieties, making them available to all international markets, as Importers to the US and as Distributors to the New York – New Jersey area.

Montecastelli™ is a working farm where Jens and Ruth make Primo Olio, one of Italy’s finest olive oils, and raise Cinta Senese Pigs. This is the agricultural base from which their passion for indigenous wines and foods of Italy has evolved.

From their home at Montecastelli™, they extend the invitation to enjoy wine and culinary oriented vacations as guests at their 11th century monastery farm.

I am booking a trip their today!

They import many wines from Italy including this Greco produced by Torre Quarto called Hirondelle. It has pear upfront, with inceasing pineapple tones, though smooth and elegant in the mouthfeel and bright finish.

I liked this wine a lot. But my absolute favorite Greco is Cantina del Taburno Greco.