The juicy palate delivers ripe blackberry and cherry accented by cinnamon, black pepper, and licorice. If you’re willing to open your wallet just a little more, step up to Fontanavecchia Aglianico Reserva 2007. This remarkable wine has more of everything found in the regular Aglianico. Normally, it is about $36 a bottle, however, an importer’s sale has lowered the price to around $32 a bottle in some North Carolina retail shops for a short time.
attracted to its sweetness and left the Nebbiolo grape for the vintners. Families began making wine from Dolcetto, and it soon became the region’s everyday wine. Renato Ratti Dolcetto d’Alba Colombé 2012, at about $19, is a great example. It’s spicy and mildly jammy pomegranate and cherry flavors are supported by a dense frame. For me, the most comforting of comfort foods is Mexican cuisine. This fare pushes every foodie hot button—chewy corn tortillas heaped with tender chicken slathered in sharp tomatoes, onions, and chilies. And all this topped with gooey cheese. Most of us have enjoyed Tempranillo and Garnacha but few have heard of Monastrell, a huge red. Juan Gil produces several Monastrell at different quality points. Your best bang for the buck is simply named Juan Gil Monastrell, priced at about $18. This wine is a slightly jammy beast that is pretty much a cross between Zinfandel and Shiraz. But don’t limit Juan Gil to Mexican food. Place this wine on the table with empanadas or any tomato based Spanish dish. Aren’t white wines too light for winter fare? Not so. White
For years I wondered why the creator of the martini decided to ruin a perfectly good glass of gin by adding vermouth. For further Italian values, look to the indigenous grapes of Southern Italy. But there is one bargain wine in Northern Italy worth pursuing. Dolcetto is the workhorse grape of the Piedmont region. The name means “little sweet one” in Italian. Before modern deterrents, Piedmont winemakers planted Dolcetto in the fields of the exalted Nebbiolo grape. Birds were
The curtain rises on another day
IN HISTORIC ABINGDON.
HOW WILL YOU SPEND IT? Share a candlelit
DINNER FOR TWO. Enjoy live music and
FINE LOCAL WINE. Rekindle the romance
AT A COZY B&B.
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| January 2015