A Greco, A Super Tuscan, and A Zin: Take Your Pick for the Weekend

Here's a quickie post. I had three great wines this week that you may want to try as you're heading into the weekend...

Wine 1: Greco di Tufo 'Loggia della Serra', Terredora Dipaolo 2007

What is it? Italian for Greek, the Greco grape was transported by the Greeks to Rome in about 500 BC. Grown mostly in Southern Italy, it's at its best in Campania where it grows on volcanic soils with calcium rich rocks (Pompeii is around here, for you history buffs. As an FYI, I powered through that novel but MC Ice spent 3 years trying to read the same 15 pages. Thought you should know). It's a white wine and it's known for having strong mineral character (it reflects the soil in which it grows).

Price: $19.99 (that's about what you'll pay for Greco regardless of brand, FYI)

Color: It was super golden in color but didn't look that viscous. I expected ripe flavors.

Smell: The aroma was much bigger than I thought it was going to be. Peach and honey notes were really prominent and there was a wet rock thing coming out of the glass too. It wasn't a very complex nose, more straightforward -- nice clean aroma. This was going to be good, I expected.

Taste: Delicious on its own AND with food. This wine packed a punch for a white. It was peachy, honeyed, and lemony. It even had a little bit of pineapple flavor. There was acid, but it wasn't overpowering and the sensation of licking a rock came to mind on the finish (i.e., it was minerally).

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. Loved it. It was great with Halibut in a caper tomato sauce.


The following two bottles were sent to me by the Wineries (that's my disclosure, but I always give an honest review, much to the wineries' chagrin sometimes!)

Wine 2: Arceno PrimaVoce, Tuscany 2006
What is it? A "Super Tuscan" blend -- meaning it features Sangiovese as a component, but includes French varieties as well (Merlot, Cab, etc). This one is 65% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Sangioves, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Syrah

Price: $21.99 (Super Tuscans are really expensive so this is a good price)

Color: A rich ruby color -- lots of pigment. It looked exuberant!

Smell: I was none-too-pleased with the aroma of this wine. It smelled like stale cherries and prunes. It had a nice minty, cedar smell underlying the old fruit and a kicked-up dust-on-a- country-road quality that I hoped would redeem the wine when I tasted it. I was worried.

Taste: Let me be very clear. This wine is actually two wines in one. For me, the one I sipped was sour, flat, and overly acidic and alcoholic (14.5% is high for Italy) with no fruit to balance. The one I had with my pizza however, was amazing. It was full of plush blackberry and black cherry, and it had lovely caramel and wet dirt characters that made the food taste even better (sounds gross, tastes good). With tomatoes, the fat of the mozzarella, basil, and especially the sun-dried tomatoes, this wine transformed.

Drink or Down the Sink? If you want to see how a wine does a 180 with food, this is your wine. I will definitely be buying it again -- but not just for sipping on the porch with friends.


Wine 3: Murphy-Goode "Liar's Dice" Zinfandel, 2007
Where it's from: Sonoma County

Price: $18.99

Color: Just what a Zin should be -- dark red with a lighter, watery rim.

Smell: This was a JAMMY wine. Not too complex -- ripe raspberry, blackberry, and a little overripe plum (not quite prune) were the main notes. There was a hint of black pepper, some lush vanilla extract-like notes, and a touch of cinnamon spice. Definitely an alcohol burn on the nose, but not harsh just kind of sexy!

Taste: I like this wine. It's straightforward, easy, and super jammy. I love Zin like this -- ripe, bursting with flavor, and still balanced enough with acid that it doesn't taste like brandy. It's almost 15% alcohol, which is really high, but it has so much fruit that you barely notice the esophagus burn. The nice spicy cinnamon flavors made it a good treat too!

Drink or Down the Sink? Drink. This is a solid Zin -- and this IS one you can have with food from the grill or just hanging around with friends. Nice wine!


That's the lineup. Write and let me know what you're having this weekend!