Banfi redeemed itself after our last Banfi wine that fell into the mini donkey realm. This Chianti Classico is exactly that, with a very good dry Chianti taste. $9.99 per bottle. Not exactly a Ferrari find, but good.
Rating: Vespa
SegnaVento – Primitivo Di Manduria – Wine
I picked up this wine as a recommendation from my Italian friend, Mario. We weren’t expecting too much in that it was only €3.75, but it surprised us in a good way. Had a lot more flavor than we were expecting. The grape is a Primitivo, which is somewhat synonymous with Zinfandel. Most Primitivo is grown in Puglia (Apulia), the “heel” of Italy, and it is estimated to be the country’s 12th most widely planted grape variety. The main three DOC areas are Primitivo di Manduria, Gioia del Colle Primitivo (Riserva) and Falerno del Massico Primitivo (Riserva o Vecchio).
If your wondering what DOC stands for here is a quick blurb that explains it. Its basically a standard of sorts:
Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) is the Italian answer to the French AOC. DOC wines are produced in specific well-defined regions, according to specific rules designed to preserve the traditional wine-making practices of the individual regions. Thus, the rules for making Barolo differ markedly from those for making Chianti Classico. The winery can state the vineayrd that the grapes came from, but cannot name the wine after a grape type (doing so would cause confusion, because there are some DOCs named after grape types, for example Brunello di Montalcino), and cannot use a name such as “Superior.” Since a wine has to meet certain standards to qualify as DOC, the quality of Italian wines as a whole has improved since the first DOCs were established in the 1960s, though in some cases the rules drawn up by the commissions had unexpected effects — Super Tuscans (VdT) arose from the requirement (since dropped) that producers put white grapes in their Chianti Classico.
On the map below I marked where the wine is from.
To cut to the chase we give this wine a rating of Vespa because of its good quality for the price.
For info on our rating system go to this link
About Sicily Ciao Wine Reviews
We have become overwhelmed with all the new wines that we have encountered out here. This is definitely a happy problem and in an effort to keep track we are going to start reviewing the wines as they come along. This will serve as our memory so that when we go back to the store we know which wines we liked a lot and which we didn’t. Hopefully this is also helpful for everyone else out there.
Right off the bat I just wanted to say that we do not consider ourselves wine experts by any means. Also our taste and preferred wines may be different from everyone out there. Everyone has their own favorites in the many different dimensions of wine. For example Jess and I tend to prefer full bodied reds without any “oaky” and/or “tannic” components. For whites we prefer very light whites, like a Pinot Grigio vice a Chardonnay.
The point system just seems too complicated and it would be tough to give a particular wine more points than the next, when we aren’t drinking both wines at the same time. Also we will be drinking wines that would probably be beneath the “wine spectators” of the world, since the majority of our wines will be everyday type of wines at $10 or below. Don’t get me wrong…. having a $50-$100 bottle of wine everyday would be nice, but it would start cutting into the associated food budget and no one likes hot dogs every night… 🙂
So the grading system will be very simple with 3 categories. With so many wines out there I would prefer to be very cut and dry and not have very much gray area.
- Ferrari – This wine is one that we think is extraordinary for the price. We will actively seek this wine.
- Vespa – Just like the Vespa these wines will get you there and you’ll have a good time, but just doesn’t compare to the Ferrari. This wine is good for the price and if I see it again and need to get another bottle I will pick it up, but I may try a new wine instead.
- Mini Donkey – You get the drift… Its funny because you still see these on the roads here in Sicily sometimes.
Rapitala Nero D’Avola 2010 – Wine
This wine was another recommendation that we picked up at an Italian grocery store for €4.99. This Nero D’Avola was a downer with some bad flavors working against it. The word rancid almost comes to mind. There are a lot better Nero D’Avolas out there!
Rating: Mini Donkey
Corvo Glicine 2010 Sicilia – Wine
Picked up this wine at the Italian grocery store based on a recommendation. I liked the clarity of the wine in that Jess and I enjoy whites that are very light. Unfortunately this white leaned towards the sweeter end of the scale, which we did not like. €4.99 per bottle.
Rating: Mini Donkey
