Saturday, October 10, 2009

FOUR FROM WHICH TO FLEE: THE WORST ITALIAN WINES I'VE TASTED THIS YEAR

So much wine, so little time...some outstanding, most somewhere in the middle, and some that are so bad, you're better off drinking water or tea or something, anything but these wines.

Here are my current Four From Which to Flea, focusing on the worst wines from Italy I've tasted in the last year:

2005 Banfi Chianti Classico Reserva (by Castello Banfi)
From: Tuscany (Montalcino)
Varietal: A Blend (Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon) - Red
Cost: $25.00 per bottle
Why: Paper-thin with an artifical, almost plastic taste. No character, and zero balance. Finishes with a candy-like coating in your mouth that just falls flat.

Non-Vintage Agrinatura Puglia Chardonnay (by Agrinatura Puglia Winery)
From: Puglia (near village of Andria)
Varietal: Chardonnay; organic grapes - White
Cost: $12.99 per bottle
Why: Overpowering taste of burnt popcorn kernels, or charred wood, or ash. Disgusting. Hard to even polish off a single glass.

2005 Grigio Luna Pinot Grigio delle Venezia (by Villa Borghetti)
From: Veneto (Verona)
Varietal: Pinot Grigio - White
Cost: Unknown; received as a gift at a house party
Why: A nothing-wine. Tastes like chilled water with, perhaps, a single drop of pear juice added. Almost no taste, and Presto! what little taste there is vanishes in a split-second. Have a glass of ice water with a lemon wedge, instead, and enjoy the flavor.

2006 Pizzolato Prosecco (by Settimo Pizzolato)
From: Veneto
Varietal: Prosecco; organically grown grapes - Sparkling White
Cost: $14.99
Why: Bitter, flat, zero finish. Completely unrefreshing, unsatisfying...like an anti-prosecco.

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Terraced vineyards above Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy, one of the most beautiful places on earth. We've enjoyed the dry white wines native to the region, paired with pesto, a Ligurian specialty.

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Had a wonderful dinner at La Crema Canela in Barcelona, Spain, along with a bottle of delicious Tempranillo, in December 2008.

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Dana Marie at an outdoor cafe in Venezia's Piazza San Marco, July 2008. People watching in this magical piazza while enjoying a cold Belini or glass of chilled Proseco is about as good as it gets.

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We have dined twice now at Trattoria Gobbi 13 in Florence, Italy, including a memorable Christmas Eve dinner in 2007. We returned in June of 2008.

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