I ended up back at Tutto Vino this week for a drink with a co-worker.  Again, I asked Carl to pick me a bold red wine for this week’s selection.  He and Raj (the owner) both agreed on this wonderful red wine.  Raj also told me the great story behind this wine.  It is from a female-owned vineyard in the Abruzzo region of Italy.  Her husband was a wine maker known for producing great wines and he encouraged her to start making her own wines.  A couple years later her husband died and many thought it was the end of the vineyard but she continued the business and has since received a lot of recognition for the quality of her wine. 

This red has a great cherry aroma with some earthiness in the background.  The cherry stays in the taste complimented with some spice and tobacco. The tannins allowed this wine to be bold and dry but have a nice finish.  I enjoyed this wine with a nice, lightly smoked blue cheese, principe (an Italian, sheep’s milk cheese) and smoked gouda.  Of course the blue cheese paired the best, but the others were very good. I actually liked this wine a little more than the Barolo I had here a couple of weeks ago.  This was had a little more kick to the taste.

Recommend:  Definitely

Price:  $37