Southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia
Bet Shalom Wine Club: Southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia
Terlato Sicily Alta Mora (winery) Etna Bianco 2022 @ $21.99: Winemaker's Notes: Aroma: Deep aromas of ripe apple, white flowers, lemon icing and ginger. Taste: Alta Mora Etna Bianco is comprised of the indigenous Sicilian grape, Carricante. This wine is a slight nod to Sauvignon Blanc. Spicy and rich, finishes long with nuances of minty herbs at the back. It is fresh, fruity with great minerality and a great classic with seafood dishes. Wine Folly: “Sicily’s answer to dry Riesling.”
Le Bombarde Cannonau (Grenache) di Sardegna 2022 @ $15.49: The Wise Old Dog: An easy drinking, every day sort of wine. Plush flavors of Plum, Cherry, Tobacco, Earth, Raspberry, and Blackberry.
Feudo Montoni Nero D'Avola Sicily 2019 @ $24.99: Winemaker's Notes: Its structure does not want to conquer with strength, but rather with elegance. A complex perfume with notes of cherries-in-spirit, red plum, blackberry and warm spices that are in harmony with one another. The boldest aromas are of cinnamon and clove. Notes of menthol amplify the freshness of the taste. It is soft, velvety, sapid and laced with the right amount of delicate tannin on the palate.
Terredora di Paolo Aglianico (Montefusco) Campania 2019 @ $18.99: Winemaker Notes: Very explosive fruit nose, displaying an intensity of dark cherry, aromas of ripe red berries, spicy pepper, violet and prune, blended with cacao and toasted notes. Ruby red color, with aromas of cherry, black cherry, artemisia, thyme. A wine of medium structure, fresh and soft, with a pleasant aftertaste of black cherry.
Terredora di Paolo Taurasi Campania 2013 @ $34.99: 100% Aglianico. Wine Enthusiast: On the nose this is sanguine and earthy, with notes of cured meat, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce but also rocks and soil with wild berries crushed under foot. The berries perk up on the palate, lifted by a little heat and plenty of acidity, and held in place by tannins that are still holding their integrity at this age.
Taurasi DOCG is a red wine appellation in Irpinia, a sub-region of Campania, southern Italy. It is located 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Naples, where the vineyards sit among the Apennine hills of Avellino. The wines are based on the native - and well regarded - Aglianico grape variety.
Masso Antico Primitivo (Zinfandel) Puglia 2021 @ $18.99: Wine Enthusiast: The nose is primarily savory, with notes of meat, pepper, stone and herbs, but a spoonful of strawberry jam provides pleasing sweetness. The fruit swells on the palate, but the pepper persists to maintain balance, while the finish brings both caramelized brown sugar and a streak of heat to cut the sweetness. — Danielle Callegari