Skip to main content

It Just Goes To Show...

You say one thing.  You write it down and publish it online.  You sound like an expert.  People in Vietnam and the Czech Republic are depending on you to say the right thing. 

And, ultimately, you jump the gun and kind of sound like an idiot.

I did mention last night that the DOCG rating on Italian labels are a good indication of wine quality...and that for anything else, you're on your own.

Well, a trip to the liquor store tonight was in order...and quite surprising, actually.  Yes, there were several bottles of wine that featured critters on their labels, but there was a good amount that also had those special letters on them.  Hooray!

This particular bottle of wine has this on its label: IGT (Indicazione geografica tipica), which is the tier of quality just below DOC, which is just below DOCG (the top, remember?).  So, yeah, in those terms and in light of what I said last night, it would seem I was shopping for wine at my own risk.

And it just goes to show that sometimes taking a risk is a gooooooooood thing.

Pizza was on the menu tonight, so my intention at the liquor store was a Chianti...until I got distracted by the bottle above (but yes, I did also buy a Chianti).  The estate name is Tormaresca, Puglia is the region in Italy (the heel of the boot, otherwise known as Apulia), the vintage is 2008, and Neprica is the grape...or so I thought.  Neprica is actually three grapes (Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Cabernet Sauv), so this wine here is actually a blend. 

And a good-tasting, interesting, food-friendly red wine to boot.  I was impressed.  It's hard to say what "known wine" the Neprica compares to, since it's a blend, but it tasted good by itself, in addition to pairing well with the pizza.  There's a lightness to it, but it's easy to get the licorice undertones in the aroma and taste.  I'm reminded of the Nouveau we drank at Thanksgiving...except the Neprica is a little more complex...and I dig that.

A couple of stereotypes were destroyed for me today:

1.  That Puglia is the region of Italy is *only* known for cheap bulk wines. 

2.  That IGT labelings somehow indicate inferior quality.

Neprica.  Look for it.  Ask for it.  Enjoy it.

On an unrelated note, according to my stats, I have two viewers today from the United Kingdom...is it possible at all that one of those readers might be Benedict Cumberbatch?

Comments

  1. BloggerOctober 3, 2016 at 8:57 AM

    If you are looking for a solid contextual advertising company, I suggest you take a peek at Clicksor.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Go Placidly

My food truck business started back up this past weekend, and from here until November, the weeks will be packed.  Sandwich-slinging Thursday-Saturday and bartending work Monday-Wednesday.  And Sunday, I guess, is the day to sleep in and hide in my house. Hiding out is the one thing I feel like doing a lot of these days.  My food truck's ReOpening wasn't the only thing happening in my hometown this weekend past.  A 13-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed on Saturday and then yesterday, the police department busted one of the biggest meth labs in a long time. Both are tragic...one is a sad loss, one that will devastate a loving family for the rest of their lives.  One is tragic only because of the profound stupidity/ignorance/addiction of a few people who happen to be living in a town mostly filled with good-hearted, hard-working people. And if it's not drama at the local level, then there's the constant bombardment of news that seems to be vividly...
5 comments
Read more

From Government Regulations to Chicken

So, I really wanted tonight's post to be whippy and biting and highly intelligent...and I've even got the perfect topic - government wine regulations: Europe vs. the US (subtitle: European Governments Seem to Trust Their Citizens A Whole Lot More The US, Otherwise Why Don't French, et al., Wine Labels Have the Surgeon General's "Pregnant Women Should Not Drink This/This Beverage Impairs Your Brain" Warning). But, I realized that to begin a post like that, I should probably know the answer to the question, yes?  Why do American wine labels include the warning, when, I don't know, isn't just common sense?  A quick search of this very query lands me at Wikipedia, which is good enough for a rude overview, but nothing that indicates why it's a law in the first place. Hence, more reading is required.  I hope to get to it soon.  It's almost August, two-thirds of this year is nearly gone, and sometimes I feel as I am moving very, very quickly along...
6 comments
Read more

A Burst Bubble (Sort Of...)

My first class of the day starts at 7 a.m.  I have a half-hour drive to school.  I leave my house around 6:15 a.m.  I wake up at 5:30 a.m., shower, get dressed, complete my morning toilette, and get my school materials together. Guess what I don't usually have time for?  A sit-down breakfast.  Enter this essential item right here: I won't ever skip breakfast.  I just won't do it.  There are some things I believe to be sacred.  But, because of time constraints, I'm obligated to take my breakfast on the road.  In a sippy glass. It's not a SlimFast shake.  It's not water.  It's not orange juice.  It's not chocolate milk. It's a homemade veggie-fruit smoothie.  And I love them.  By the time I arrive to school, my glass is empty, and I'm totally full.  And, I've had a good whopping serving of my fruit and veg for the day.  However, with every good thing, it needs to be evaluated from time to time....
4 comments
Read more