Drinking Wines

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Friuli-Venezia Giuli region of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Friuli-Venezia Giuli is a mountainous area tucked away in the northeast corner Italy, bordering on Austria and Slovenia. Experts believe that Friuli-Venezia Giuli was first inhabited twenty thousand years ago. Like most regions of Italy, it has belonged to many nations over the years. Unlike most regions of Italy, it remains multicultural, an exceptional mixture of Italian, Austrian, and Slavic influences. To make this article easier to read, we will replace the region?s full name by its first part, Friuli. The total population is less than 1.2 million.

While Friuli is home to a wide variety of agricultural products, most farmers don?t get rich. The farms tend to be small and much of the land is infertile, suitable only for grazing and grapes. Unfortunately the Adriatic sea is in poor condition and fishing is on the decline. However, a wide variety of seafood is available. Friuli?s best-known food is San Daniele prosciutto, an uncooked ham aged in sea salt for over a year. Gourmets debate whether this ham or its cousin prosciutto di Parma from the Emilia-Romagna region in northwestern Italy is the best ham in the world.

Friuli?s administrative center is Trieste, which only became part of Italy in 1954. This city was once the principle port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Like Vienna, Austria, Trieste is filled with caf?s. It is also home to the famous International Center for Theoretical Physics.

Friuli devotes about one hundred fifty thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 14th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 27 million gallons, giving it a 13th place. Approximately 48% of its wine production is red or ros? (only a little ros?), leaving 52% for white. The region produces 9 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 1 DOCG white dessert wine, Ramandolo. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Over 60% of Friuli wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. Friuli is home to almost four dozen major and secondary grape varieties, about half white and half red.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Pinot Grigio, often called Pinot Gris outside of Italy, Pinot Bianco, often called Pinot Blanc outside of Italy, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. The best known strictly Italian white varieties are Tocai Friulano and Verduzzo Fruilano, exemplified in the DOCG wine, Ramandolo.

Widely grown international red grape varieties include Merlot, grown in Fruili for well over one hundred years, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The best-known strictly Italian red variety is Refosco. Fruili?s candidate for grape variety with the most unusual name is Tazzelenghe, which means tongue cutter in the local dialect. While I have never tasted any wines based on this grape, I can guess that they won?t be delicate.

Before we reviewing the Friuli wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Cjalzons con Ripieno di Cioccolata e Spinaci, Chocolate and Spinach Filled Pasta with Smoked Ricotta.

Then try Capesante alla Triestina, Broiled Scallops and Oysters with Watercress. And for dessert, indulge yourself with Strucolo di Ricotta, Ricotta Strudel. If you are like me, you think of Austria or Hungary, when you hear the word Strudel.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Pighin Pinot Grigio 2005 Grave del Fruili 12.5% alcohol about $13.50

I?ll start by quoting the marketing materials. ?Toast, white flowers and mineral on the involved nose, this light-bodied white is all about zing, verve, and refreshing citrus flavors. Some notes of pit fruit, but mainly built to match up to seafood. Try with friends and grilled scampi drizzled with lemon juice.?

I first tasted this wine with sesame seed covered filo dough stuffed with hamburger meat and accompanied by zucchini in a tomato sauce. It was pleasantly acidic and fruity providing lemon and other citrus flavors. I liked it with a chocolate cake labeled strudel which intensified the wine?s acidity. I don?t think that any Friuli residents would have called that cake strudel, but this review is about the wine, and not the cake.

My next food pairing was with whole-wheat pasta in a spicy meat sauce. The wine stepped up to the plate and handled the spice very well. It was nice and round. I finished this meal with out of season strawberries, in whose presence the wine became almost sweet.

With filet of sole poached in onions, a side of brown rice, and okra in a tomato sauce, the wine became more acidic and rounder. It was quite refreshing. It was a sweet, acidic companion to fresh pomegranates. It took on a nice acidity with pecan and caramel chocolate candy.

Montasio is a cooked, full-fat, semi-hard cheese made from cow?s milk and aged for several months. It has a pungent smell and a strong, pasty taste. The Pinot Grigio was not outmatched by this powerful cheese. Strictly speaking, Asiago cheese does not come from the Friuli region, but its neighbors Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto. Once again, the wine changed its character to match this softer cheese.

This wasn?t a great wine, but it did go well with everything. I would most likely buy it again.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Tuscany region of central Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on the fact-filled wine education tour.

Tuscany is located on the central western part of Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It gets its name from an Etruscan tribe that settled the area about three thousand years ago. It has belonged to the Romans, the Lombards, and the Franks. More than four hundred years ago under the Medicis, Tuscany became a major European center. It is undoubtedly one of Italy?s top tourist destinations as well as an ideal place for your villa when you hit it big, really big. According to one Seinfeld episode there are no villas to rent in Tuscany, but that was several years ago. On the other hand, time in Tuscany as elsewhere in Italy is measured in centuries. Tuscany?s total population is about 3.5 million.

Florence is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and the administrative center of Tuscany. It is one of Italy?s top tourist destinations, whose sites of interest are too numerous to list here. Siena and Pisa are two other major tourist destinations.

Tuscany is a center of industrial production, in particular metallurgy, chemicals, and textiles. Given the region?s importance as an international art center for centuries, don?t be surprised that it is an excellent place to appreciate and purchase fashion, jewelry, leather goods, marble, and other items of beauty. Florence is the home of the house of Gucci.

Tuscany produces a wide variety of cereal, olives, vegetables, and fruit. But not only vegetarians eat well. It is home to cattle, horses, pigs, and poultry. One local specialty is wild boar. On the coast, seafood is abundant.

Tuscany devotes over one hundred fifty thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 4th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 58 million gallons, giving it an 8th place. About 70% of the wine production is red or ros?, leaving 30% for white. The region produces 44 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 7 DOCG white wine. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. The region produces 9 DOC wines. Tuscany also produces Super Tuscan wines, wines that may not have a prestigious classification but that are known to be outstanding. These wines are arguably the main reason that Italy was forced to revise its wine classification system. Fully 55% of Tuscan wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. And remember, many of Tuscany?s best wines carry neither designation. Tuscany is home to more than three dozen major and secondary grape varieties, about half white and half red.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Trebbiano, Malvasia, and Sauvignon Blanc. The best-known strictly Italian white varieties are Vermentino and Vernaccia.

Widely grown international red grape varieties include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The best-known Italian red variety is Sangiovese, which is grown elsewhere, including California. A strictly Italian variety is Canaiolo.

Before reviewing the Tuscan wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Panzanella, Bread and Tomato Salad. For a second course, eat or share a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, (Texas-sized) Beef Steak. If you have room, indulge in a Torta Rustica, Cornmeal Cake with Cream.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico 2004 12.8% alcohol about $21

I?ll start by quoting the marketing materials. ??A wine that would complement a veal chop or game birds, expect aromas of cranberry and cherry. On the palate, it should be round and ripe with enough tannin for balance.? As a point of interest, the label included the warning ?contains sulphites? in ten languages.

I first tasted this wine with slow-cooked boneless beef ribs and potatoes accompanied by a spicy commercial Turkish salad. The wine was thick, loaded with plum and cherry flavors, and some tobacco. The tannins were moderate. Dessert was a cocoa cake whose label said strudel. The wine went well, its fruit really came out.

I next tasted the Chianti Classico with slow-cooked meat balls, cauliflower and chickpeas in a tomato sauce, and potato wedges. The wine was plumy and powerful, with very pleasant tannins, a little tobacco and a little earth. Just so you know, I?m not usually partial to tannins. The wine was so round that I enjoyed finishing the glass when the food was gone. No dessert this time.

I decided to follow the distributor?s suggestion and grilled a veal chop with a mixture of spices (minced onion, cayenne, and a bit of curry powder), accompanied by grilled eggplant slices with the same spices, and a commercially prepared Turkish salad, based on red pepper and tomato. The wine bounced nicely off the delicious somewhat fat, somewhat rare meat. It didn?t add flavors of its own, but accompanied the food?s flavors excellently. It was powerful, but not overpowering.

As its name indicates, Pecorino Toscano cheese comes from Tuscany, where it has been made from sheep?s milk for thousands of years. The cheese is moderately strong smelling and has a complex nutty flavor. The wine was smooth and round and had a pleasant tinge of tobacco. Just for the record I am not a smoker. In the presence of Asiago cheese from the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy, the wine became more robust.

I remember when Chianti came in straw-covered bottles. In fact, I remember the bottles more than the wine itself. But times have changed. This Chianti Classico was excellent, quite deserving of its top-of-the-line DOCG classification and well worth the price.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is www.theworldwidewine.com .

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Trentino-Alto Adige is located in the center of Italy?s northern border. It touches both Switzerland and Austria. Among its tourist attractions are the Dolomite mountains, called ?the most beautiful work of architecture even seen? by the famous architect Le Corbusier, glacier lakes, and Alpine forests. In fact the region is composed of two parts, Trentino in the south and Alto Adige in the north. Alto Adige belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire for centuries, where it was known as S?dtirol. Like many other parts of Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige was often invaded. Unlike most other parts of Italy, this area is officially bilingual; a sizable portion of its population about 925 thousand is German speaking.

Trentino-Alto Adige has plentiful forests, and the hillsides are covered with fruit trees. This is Italy?s major apple-producing region. Only about 15% of the land can be cultivated. Agricultural products include corn, wheat, oats, barley, and rye. In addition to beef and dairy cattle, mining and manufacturing are prevalent.

Trento is the administrative center of Trentino and Bolzano is the administrative center of Alto Adige. Both are tourist towns. Trentino was the site of the Council of Trent lasting almost twenty years in the middle of the 16th Century with a major impact on the Catholic Church. Both these cities, and many others in the region, have numerous churches and secular sites of interest to tourists.

Trentino-Alto Adige devotes about thirty thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 16th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 25 million gallons, giving it a 14th place. About 55% of the wine production is red or ros?, leaving 45% for white. The region produces 8 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. A whopping 79.1% of Trentino-Alto Adige wine carries the DOC designation, by far the highest percentage in Italy. Trentino-Alto Adige is home to almost four dozen major and secondary grape varieties, about half white and half red.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Gew?rtztraminer, Pinot Bianco, often called Pinot Blanc outside of Italy, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, often called Pinot Gris outside of Italy, Sylvaner, and M?ller-Thurgau. In fact, some say Gew?rtztraminer originated in the Alto-Adige town of Termeno, known as Tramin in German. Italian white varieties include Nosiola, and Moscato Giallo, Trentino-Alto Adige?s version of the international Moscato (Muscat) grape.

Widely grown international red grape varieties include Pinot Nero, called Pinot Noir outside of Italy, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The best known strictly Italian red varieties are Schiava, Lagrein, Teroldego, and Marzemino.

Before reviewing the Trentino-Alto Adige wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Ravioli della Val Pusteria, Rye Pasta with Spinach and Caraway Seeds. Then try Gulasch de Manzo, Beef, Potato, Onion, and Paprika Stew. For dessert indulge yourself with Krapfen Tirolesi, Fried Pastry with Marmalade and Powdered Sugar. Did you notice that these specialties seem as Austrian as Italian?

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Concilio Pinot Nero Reserva 2002 12.5% alcohol about $15 I?ll start by quoting the marketing materials: ?Pretty aromas of strawberry, pepper and earth lead to flavors that are soft and velvety. Good varietal characteristics demonstrated here in ths light-to-medium bodied, long finishing wine. Match to a grilled salmon or tuna.

And now for my thoughts. This wine has a cherry and tobacco nose and is mildly acidic. It tastes of tobacco. The wine is round, mouth-filling and somewhat robust. It is a bit older than most of the wines in this series, and frankly, it shows. Like many Pinot Noirs, it tasted of earth.

Once in a while I follow the producer?s suggestions. I felt this Pinot Noir was an excellent accompaniment to a grilled Atlantic salmon with steamed asparagus. The fish brought out the wine?s fruit flavors, and the wine did a great job of cutting the fish?s fattiness. I still remember the first time that I drank a Pinot Noir (Oregon, I believe) with salmon at the suggestion of a excellent fish restaurant. It?s a great combination when both the fish and the wine are high quality. I ended this meal with almond milk chocolate, washed down with a bit of wine. This latter combination is not classical, but the result was more than satisfactory.

My next tasting included beef stew and potatoes, zucchini and onions in a tomato sauce, and a commercially prepared moderately spicy ?Turkish? salad based on red pepper, tomato, and onion. The wine was round, mouth-filling, a bit complex. The dominant taste was tobacco. But I was disappointed, the wine was short.

Asiago is a cheese whose characteristics differ widely depending on where it is made, and its aging. I happen to love a local Asiago that my neighborhood supermarket carries once in a while. It is relatively sharp. I am told that Wisconsin Asiago cheese typically has butterscotch undertones. The imported Asiago tasted with this wine was nutty and pleasantly acidic, but frankly not as good as the local version. The cheese brought out the earthy characteristics of the Pinot Noir. Interestingly enough, the wine immediately changed its flavor and became more acidic in the presence of a commercially prepared roasted butternut squash dip.

In a close call, my initial reaction was not to purchase this wine again. Then I changed my mind, I would purchase it again, but be quite careful in pairing the wine. There is a simple solution, serve it with a grilled, preferably Atlantic, salmon.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Lombardy region of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Mountainous Lombardy is located in the north central zone of Italy on the Swiss border. It is one of the few regions of Italy without a seacoast. On the other hand Lombardy is known for its beautiful lakes. Lombardy owes its name to the Lombards, a Germanic people who ruled it and neighboring regions for two hundred years well over a thousand years ago. Other rulers included the Celts, the Romans, and the Franks. Its population is 9.4 million, the largest in Italy. In fact, about one of six Italian residents lives in Lombardy.

Lombardy is second to Emilia-Romagna in agricultural production. Among its many agricultural products are rice, wheat, corn, fruits, olives, cattle, pigs, and sheep. Natives still eat more risotto (a rice dish) and polenta (corn bread) than pasta.

The capital of Lombardy?s is Milan, Italy?s financial, fashion, and media center. With a population of 1.3 million, Milan is larger than seven regions of Italy.

Lombardy devotes about 66 thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 11th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 44 million gallons, also giving it an 11th place. About 62% of the wine production is red or ros?, leaving 38% for white. The region produces 15 DOC wines and 3 DOCG wines, Franciacorta, a sparkling wine made in the traditional (Champagne) manner, and 2 red wines; Valtellina Superiore, reviewed below, and Sforzato di Valtellina. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Over 47% of Lombardy?s wine carries the DOC or the DOCG designation. Lombardy is home to about four dozen major and secondary grape varieties, approximately three fifths red and two fifths white.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Pinot Bianco, known as Pinot Blanc outside of Italy, Chardonnay, Trebbiano, and Malvasia. The best known Italian white varieties are Gargena, an Italian variety of Riesling, Renano Italico, and an Italian variety of Trebbiano, Trebbiano di Lugana.

Widely grown international red grape varieties include Pinot Noir. The best known strictly Italian red varieties are Barbera, Bonarda, Lambrusco, and a local Nebbiolo called Chiavennasca.

Before we reviewing the Lombardy wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Pizzoccheri della Valtellina, Buckwheat Flour Ribbons with Wilted Cabbage, Potatoes, and Mountain Cheese. For a second course try Ossobuco all Milanese, Braised Veal Shanks with Grenolata (Parsley, Garlic, and Lemon). And for dessert, indulge in Budino di Pannetone, Pannetone Bread Pudding

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Triaccio ?Sassela? Valtellina Superiore 2002 13% alcohol about $16.50 DOCG

In his work Codice Atlantico, Leonardo da Vinci described Valtellina, the source of this wine as ?A valley surrounded by tall and terrible mountains, it makes really powerful wines.? This area has made wine since the days of the Etruscans and the Ligurians, prior to the ancient Romans. It is the northernmost area for growing the Nebbiolo grape. The wine itself is one of the three DOCG wines in Lombardy.

The marketing materials stated that its nose is quite outspoken, with aromas including mushroom, dried cranberry, and paraffin. It is dry with good fruit, surrounded by supple tannins. This medium-bodied wine is recommended with hard cheeses or grilled game birds.

This wine was aged 18 months in large wooden casks and a further 6 months in steel tanks. The producer says it can be cellared for 8-10 years and suggests drinking it with pasta of all sorts, air-dried beef, and cheese.

I first tasted this wine with beef ribs. It was round but a bit intimidated by the spicy cumin and curry sauce. Paired with a slow cooked beef and potato stew it handled itself better. It was quite fruity and cut the meal?s grease. It almost tasted like a Beaujolais.

I tried it with two cheeses. Grana Padano is a classic Parmesan-type cheese made for a millennium in northern Italy including the Lombardy region. It is a cylindrical, cooked, semi-fat cheese which matures slowly. It has a grainy consistency and may be sliced or grated. The cheese?s taste is fragrant and delicate. The wine brought out the nutty aspect of the cheese, while intensifying its fruit. It paired well with Pecorino Toscana from Tuscany, two regions south of Lombardy.

Final verdict. I was a bit disappointed with this wine, DOCG is supposed to mean top of the line, and it was not.

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com You can reach him at ital@mail.theworldwidewine.com

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Sicily region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Sicily is the football kicked by the Italian boot. It is an island in the Mediterranean Sea located off the southwest tip of Italy. Sicily was first inhabited about ten thousand years ago. Agriculture and animal raising date back well over four thousand years. Its rulers have included the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Germans, and Spaniards, among others. This mountainous region is prone to volcanoes and earthquakes; in 1908 an earthquake and subsequent tidal wave killed eighty thousand people in the coastal city of Messina. Sicily?s population is about five million, with an additional ten million people of Sicilian descent around the world.

Agricultural products include wheat, barley, corn, olives, citrus fruit, almonds, and, of course, grapes. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are prominent in local cuisine. Sicily is Italy?s second region for organic food. Many think that the Arabs introduced pasta to Sicily, which subsequently introduced it to the rest of Italy. Cattle, mules, donkeys, and sheep are raised. Sicily claims to have invented meatballs, The seas surrounding Sicily are bountiful, favorites include sardines, tuna, and swordfish. Sicily is famous for desserts, including frozen treats made with snow from Mount Etna.

Sicilian heavy industry includes petro-chemicals, chemicals, mining, and electronics. Tourism is a major factor in the Sicilian economy. Did you know that the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento on the Mediterranean Sea has some of the finest Greek ruins on earth?

Palermo, arguably the world?s most conquered city, is Sicily?s capital with a population of a little under seven hundred thousand. It is a definite tourist destination, with its numerous historical churches, museums, theaters, and Italy?s largest botanical garden. Another urban tourist destination is Syracuse, dating back to Ancient Greece. The Greek writer Cicero described it as ?The greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all.? Both earthquakes and World War II caused heavy damage, but many of the most interesting sites have been reconstructed.

Sicily devotes about a third of a million acres to grapevines, it ranks first among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 213 million gallons, also giving it first place. If Sicily were an independent country, it would rank seventh in the world for wine production. About 54% of its wine production is red or ros? (only a bit of ros?), leaving 46% for white. The region produces 19 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. Only a little more than 2% of Sicilian wine carries the DOC designation. Sicily is home to over three dozen major and secondary grape varieties, with more white than red varieties.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Malvasia and to a lesser extent, Chardonnay. The best-known strictly Italian white varieties are Catarratto, Grecanico, Inzolia, and Grillo. The first three of these varieties are blended in the wine reviewed below.

Widely grown international red grape varieties include Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The best-known strictly Italian red varieties are Nero d?Avola, Frappato, and Nerello Mascalese.

Before reviewing the Sicilian wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Insalata di Finocchi, Arance Sanguigne de Olive; Fennel, Blood Orange, and Olive Salad. As a second course try Pollo con Prosciutto e Melanzane Fritte; Braised Chicken with Proscuitto and Fried Eggplants. For dessert indulge yourself with Cassata; Candied Fruit and Chocolate on Sponge Cake.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Tasca d?Almerita ?Regaleali? Blanco 2005 IGT Sicilia 12.5% alcohol about $13

We?ll start by quoting the marketing materials. ?Made with the local grapes Inzolia, Greciano, and Catarratto, this wine is matured only in stainless steel and is not put through acid-softening malolactic fermentation. The producer chooses this approach to retain the bright fruitiness and racy crispness of the wine. Enjoy with steamed mussels, chicken or summer salads.? And now for my thoughts on the wine.

I first tasted this wine with broiled chicken burgers accompanied by a hot pepper relish, and red peppers. The wine was light, perhaps a bit intimidated by the relish. It was delicate, but not weak. When I finished my glass with the red peppers, the wine was quite fruity and sweet.

I next tried this wine with fillet of sole poached in an onion sauce, accompanied by brown rice and okra in a tomato sauce. The wine tasted light and citrusy in the presence of the fish, and was more powerful when facing the rice and the okra. I finished that meal with fresh pomegranate. The wine became sweet and acidic, but did not take on new flavors.

Isola is a Sicilian fresh cheese made from sheep?s milk. The Isola cheese was powerful, strong smelling and strong tasting, especially when you crunched into a peppercorn. Unfortunately, the cheese overpowered this relatively light wine. In contrast, when paired with an Asiago cheese from northern Italy, the wine became quite full bodied and fruity. Sometimes rules such as local wines with local cheeses are meant to be broken. I had a bit of wine left over and finished the bottle with out-of-season strawberries. They brought out the wine?s complexity and softness.

Final verdict, in spite of its low official rating, I found the wine pretty good. I would buy it again, but avoid pairing it with strong-tasting food.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com

No beverage can stir up the senses, curiosity and imagination as wine. Unlike beer or many distilled spirits, a particular wine will smell and taste different every year it?s released. That?s because wine is mostly an expression of soil, weather, place — what the French refer to as terroir. It?s a reflection of what happened during a particular growing season, as well as the decisions the vineyard manager and winemaker made that year.

All these factors can make tasting wine a very exciting and rewarding experience, especially in a group setting. It?s always interesting to hear others? opinions on a wine: what they smelled, what they tasted, what they felt.

If you?ve always wanted to host a wine tasting in your home — or maybe are just interested in finding ways to learn more about wine — then read on. Below are six creative ways to learn more about (and enjoy!) this magical beverage with friends and loved ones.

Basic Wine Tasting

A basic wine tasting can be a unique and fun way to entertain guests. However, they are more enjoyable and rewarding when you limit the size of the group to no more than about 12 guests. Once you get much bigger than this it?s difficult to manage this format.

Keep it simple by deciding on a theme (say, Australian Shiraz, Red wines from the Rhone region of France, or whatever suits you). Set a price floor and a ceiling and have each guest bring one or two bottles that fit the theme.

Make sure to first number each bottle. That will help those taking notes keep track of what they?re tasting. Pour only one wine at a time and give your guests a chance to fully appreciate each one. Before moving on to the next one, try to create some discussion about the wine and even consider handing out scoring sheets (or at least pen and paper). This will allow everyone to record their impressions, along with each wine?s region, grape varietals, price and so on. Move to the next bottle only when everyone has had a chance to appreciate and discuss the previous one.

Blind Wine Tasting

This type of tasting follows the same steps as the basic tasting described above, except that the identity of each wine is not revealed until after everyone has tasted and evaluated all the wines. To do this right, you?ll have to open each bottle first and also fully remove the foil cap (to prevent it from revealing its identity). Then, put each bottle inside a brown paper bag and tie it at the end with a heavy-duty rubber band.

When you?re ready to start tasting, take the wines to the dinner table and number each bag clearly with a marker. Follow each step in the basic wine tasting description above — but again, don?t reveal the identity of any wine until ALL wines have been evaluated.

I find this to be the most intriguing and most challenging format — but also the most fun! It?s amazing how much our prejudices and preconceptions (including the look of a bottle?s label bottle or the price paid) have on our evaluation and perception of a wine. Blind tasting is the only truly objective way to judge.

Wine Party

Again, the formats above work very well with groups of 4 ? 12 people. Once your group gets much larger, a basic tasting becomes too difficult to manage. So what can you do if you?d like to have a wine tasting but have too many guests to make it work? Simple: Have a ?wine party.?

The best wine parties are the kind where you keep things casual and laid back, yet still ask your guests to follow certain rules. For example, you could set a theme such as ?wines from Spain,? and have every individual bring a wine from that country (each couple should bring 2 wines; better to have too much than not enough!). As with the other tastings, set a floor and a ceiling: $15 to $30, for example.

For those that won?t know how to pick a good selection in this price range, suggest they go to a merchant and let an experienced sales clerk know what the wine is for. With this kind of guidance (country or varietal, as well as a specific price range), most merchants will do a good job recommending a wine for the occasion.

As the guests arrive, line up the bottles so that duplicate wines are together (invariably, there will be some duplicates. But that?s OK; more wine for everyone!). You can provide your guest with a tasting sheet if you?d like and use the scoring suggestions outlined earlier. If you?d like to keep it even more informal, skip the score sheet.

?Around the World? Wine Party

Another variation on this theme is to host an ?Around the World? wine party. This is typically the way to go if you?re looking to host a party with 30 or more guests — and a terrific idea if you?re having a ?house warming? party with a lot of guests (you?ll see why in a moment). Follow the same guidelines recommended here, but have your guests bring a wine from any country outside of the U.S.

Then, set up different tables around your living area, each of them ?hosting? a different country and its wines. Have a stack of wine scoring sheets and pens available on each table, and as an option, number the wines with Post-it-Notes for better tracking on the scoring sheets.

If it?s a house warming party, set up a tasting area in each room. That way, your guests can check out every room in your new home.

By opening up the theme to ANY wine from ANY country outside of the U.S., you lower your chances of having duplicate wines, which is the main reason I like to suggest this format when the guest list is large.

Wine Tasting Dinner

Another variation of the traditional wine tasting discussed earlier is to have a 3-course (or 4- or 5-course) dinner and serve a different wine with each course.

You can ask each guest to bring a specific type of wine to match each of your courses. For example, you can ask one couple to bring a Pinot Grigio to have as an aperitif, another couple to bring a Sauvignon Blanc to pair with the first course, another to bring a wine from Rioja to have with the main course, and lastly someone to bring a dessert wine to have with, of course, dessert.

A nice touch would be to have a final cheese course (after dessert) and provide the cheeses and wine(s) yourself.

Tasting wine with friends and family can be fun and educational. Fortunately, there?s really no right or wrong way to conduct one. So whatever you do, keep things lively and relaxed. Keep some structure to the event without getting too serious and you?ll be sure to create a memorable event for all your guests.

Ed Gandia is a wine writer based in Marietta, GA. He is the author of the ?The Bargain Hunter?s Wine Shopping Guide? (http://www.BestWineBargains) — an eBook that teaches wine lovers a simple method to find the best, most consistent $10-and-under wines sold in the U.S.

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Campania region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Campania is the shin of the Italian boot. It is located in the southwestern Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its total population is about 5.8 million, making it the second most heavily populated region of Italy.

Campania?s best-known city is its administrative center, Naples, once glorified by the phrase ?See Naples and Die,? which referred to its beauty and not its high crime rate. Other well-known cities include Sorrento, a playground of the jet set, and Pompeii, destroyed by Mount Vesuvius about two thousand years ago.

Campania devotes about 100,000 acres to grapevines; it ranks 9th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 52 million gallons, also giving it a 9th place. About 64% of the wine production is red or ros? (a bit of ros?), leaving 36% for white. The region produces 17 DOC wines and one DOCG wine, Taurasi, one of the two DOCG wines produced in southern Italy. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Only 2.8% of Campania wine carries the DOC designation. Campania is home to almost three dozen major and secondary grape varieties, with a few more white varieties than red ones.

Campania is not a major producer of international white grape varieties. Common Italian white varieties include Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, and Coda di Volpe.

Campania is not a major producer of international red grape varieties.The best known Italian red variety is Aglianico, best expressed in the DOCG wine, Taurasi, and Piedirosso.

Before we reviewing the Campania wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Scialatielli alle Vongole, Herbed Pasta with Clams, Garlic, and Cherry Tomatoes. Then try Branzino all ?Acqua Pazz?, Sea Bass in ?Crazy Water?. And for dessert, indulge yourself with Coviglie al Caff?, Coffeee Custard and Ladyfingers.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Mastoberardino Radici ?Fiano di Avellino? DOCG 12.0 % alcohol about $20

When you see a green band on an Italian white wine bottle, you have a DOCG wine, Italy?s top of the line classification.

Mastoberardino is the largest and best known producer in southern Italy. Fiano di Avellino is an indigenous white grape variety. They came together in an excellent wine.

The wine had a beautiful straw color. I found it to be delicate yet complex and elegant, not the least bit thin. At the first pairing it held up to spicy barbequed chicken and barbequed eggplant slices. Among the many flavors, it was spicy and smoky.

The next pairing was with whole wheat pasta and chicken meat balls in a peppery tomato sauce. Here the wine took on a floral character.

I would have loved to taste this wine with the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (Water-Buffalo Mozzarella cheese) described in my article ?I Love Italian Wine and Cheese ? The Latium Region? but it is not sold in my city. I had to settle for Pecorino Sardo, a nutty cheese made in Sardinia, an island almost directly west of Campagnia. In the presence of the cheese the wine became almost unctuous.

I really feel that this wine deserved its top of the line designation. The best white wines often come from cold climates such as Germany and northern France. Who would have thought that such a fine white wine could come from sun-baked southern Italy? The neighboring woods and eighteen hundred foot elevation of Avellino are certainly an essential part of the final product, well worth the $20, which is more than I usually spend on a wine bottle.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com You can reach him at ital@mail.theworldwidewine.com

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Apulia region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Apulia is the heel of the Italian boot. It is located in the southeast corner of Italy on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Apulia was frequently invaded by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Among its many rulers were the Byzantines, Goths, Lombards, Normans, Spaniards, and Turks. Its moment of greatest glory was in the Holy Roman Empire of the 13th Century, when majestic Romanesque cathedrals and palaces were built.

When the Phoenicians and Greeks first arrived in Apulia they found native people living from farming. Apulia produces nearly half of the olive oil in Italy. Other major agricultural products include grain, fava beans, vegetables, pasta and rice, seafood and fish, cheese, and meat, especially lamb and kid. The region has some industry, in particular chemicals, petrochemicals, iron, and steel.

Apulia?s administrative center is Bari, the biggest city in southern Italy, whose population is slightly more than 325 thousand. Bari is a university city, with a historic old town. Taranto and Brindisi are important ports.

Apulia devotes about 260 thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 2nd among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 191 million gallons, also giving it a 2nd place. About 7o% of the wine production is red or ros? (only a little ros?), leaving 30% for white. The region produces 25 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. Less than 4% of Apulia wine carries the DOC designation. Apulia is home to over three dozen major and secondary grape varieties, a few more red than white.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Chardonnay. Italian versions of international varieties include Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Blanco. The best known strictly Italian white varieties are Bombino Bianco, which appears in eight DOC wines, and Verdeca.

Widely grown international or somewhat international red varieties include Primitivo, a close relative of Zinfandel, and Sangiovese, an Italian variety found increasingly elsewhere, for example in California. The best known strictly Italian red varieties are Negroamaro, found in eleven DOC wines, and Uva di Troia.

Before reviewing the Apulia wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with ?ncapriata, also known as Favi e Fogghi, a Fava Bean Puree with Vegetables. Then try Pepata di Cozze al Limone, Peppery Mussels with Lemon. For dessert indulge yourself with Frittelle di Ricotta, Ricotta Fritters. OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Azienda Vinicola Rivera Spa ?Castel del Monte? Ros? 11.5% alcohol about $8

Some say that Castel del Monte, named for a 13th Century castle, is the best-known appellation in Apulia. Of course, best known does not necessarily mean best. This particular bottle was from Bombino Nero grapes, whose unusual pyramidal form remind one of a child (Bombino or Bambino) with outstretched arms.

I?ll start by quoting the marketing materials. ??After soft processing of the grapes the must macerates with the skins for 15-18 hours in stainless steel vats. It is a fruity, well-balanced and dry ros? that perfectly complements appetizers, light soups, fish and white meats. Well-chilled it is a great aperitif.?

And now for my comments. I first tried this wine with an omelet containing red onions, Portabello mushrooms, and non-imported Provolone cheese. The wine was mildly acidic and refreshing, and brought out the onion?s sweetness. It was a summer wine, you?d know it was a ros? without seeing it. On the other hand, it was very short.

My next tasting was with chicken meat balls and green beans amandine. While the wine was pleasantly acidic, once again it was quite fleeting and almost overpowered by mild food. This is one of the few wines that I prefer without food. It usually did not add anything to the food.

Caciocavallo Silano is a stringy semi-hard cheese produced in Apulia and neighboring regions of southern Italy. It?s made from cow?s milk aged for at least fifteen days. The cheese?s mild nutty flavor was enhanced by the wine. I had the same experience when tasting this wine with a Pecorino Sardo, reviewed in greater depth in my article ?I Love Italian Wine and Food ? The Sardinia Region? in this series. In conclusion, the wine went better with cheese than with eggs or meat.

Final verdict, I don?t think that I?ll buy this wine again. The competition is too great, even at the $8 price point.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com

The moment you pull that cork, wine comes in contact with air. And once that happens, the oxidation process begins. If you?re not planning on consuming all the wine in one sitting, you need to know how to store the remaining wine so it won?t go bad.

Oxidation is the chemical reaction that occurs when oxygen comes in contact with wine. At first, oxidation is a good thing; it helps ?open up? the wine, revealing different facets of its bouquet and aroma. However, after a couple of hours, further oxidation is a bad thing. It starts to damage the wine and will eventually ruin it.

Many of us have had the experience of leaving an unfinished bottle out all night without the cork back on. The difference in flavor and aroma the next day is striking and unmistakable. Even if re-corked the next day, the wine will usually taste flat, ?raisiny,? and unpleasant — all a product of the oxidation process.

So how do you preserve an open bottle of wine when you don?t want to (or can?t) drink the whole thing in one sitting? There are only four reliable methods of preserving the remaining wine, some more reliable than others:

1. First, put the cork back on and put the wine in the fridge. The oxidative process slows down dramatically in cooler temperatures. This is a very easy — and a fairly reliable — method when you don?t have any other choices. Certainly much better than leaving an open bottle on the kitchen counter overnight.

2. A second option is to transfer the remaining wine to a half-bottle (375ml) and put it in the fridge. Doing this eliminates most of the air that would normally come in contact with the wine in a standard-size bottle (750ml). While more effective that method #1, this involves carefully transferring the wine over, which is only practical to do with a funnel.

3. A third alternative is to pump out the air in the bottle with a ?wine pump.? You can get a wine pump virtually anywhere these days, even in stores such as Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Linens and Things. These pumps are fairly reliable, but I?ve found they work best if you also stick the bottle in the refrigerator after pumping out the air (no pump can completely remove the air from the bottle). Otherwise, you?ll still notice a slight difference in taste the next day, and a more pronounced difference the following day and beyond.

4. Use a wine preserver spray. This, by far, is the most effective and dependable method of keeping wine fresh. While these sprays cost about $10 a bottle, they are extremely reliable and effective. In my opinion, this is the only way to store opened wine. The spray is actually a blend of harmless inert gasses (gasses that don?t react with wine), which keep the wine from spoiling. Spraying the inside the bottle displaces the oxygen already present and leaves a blanket of inert gas over the wine. The amazing thing is, the gas will preserve the wine for days, even weeks! Try a can and see for yourself. Look for them at many local wine shops and online by searching for brands such as ?Private Preserve.?

What about wine that?s already spoiled? Whatever you do, don?t dump it down the drain. Instead, keep it in the fridge (with a cork on) for recipes that call for a little wine. I always keep a bottle of ?spoiled? wine in the fridge for this purpose. And when a sauce calls for a little wine, I don?t have to use the good stuff.

Another idea is to pour it in ice trays and freeze it. And again, when you have a recipe that calls for wine, break off a few ?wine cubes? instead.

Some may argue that it?s best to use fresh wine when cooking. I say do what you?d like. But in my house we never waste a drop of wine!

Ed Gandia is a wine writer based in Marietta, GA. He is the author of the ?The Bargain Hunter?s Wine Shopping Guide? (http://www.BestWineBargains.com) — an eBook that teaches wine lovers a simple method to find the best, most consistent $10-and-under wines sold in the U.S.

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Molise region of central Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you?ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Molise is a small region of central eastern Italy on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most unspoiled regions of Italy, about 90% hills and mountains. Its total population is less than a third of a million people, which makes it the second least populous region of Italy after the Aosta Valley. Molise was associated with Abbruzo until 1963.

Agricultural products include livestock, pigs, sheep, and goats, wheat and a variety of vegetables including giant celery. The coast furnishes seafood and fish. Polenta (cornbread) is as popular as pasta.

Isernia is the largest city with a population somewhat less than ninety thousand. This area was first settled about 700,000 years ago (not a typographical error) and is of archeological interest. The regional capital, Campobasso, was the site of major battles during World War II. If you love old European cities consider visiting Larino, even if it is not mentioned in major tourist guides. (I?m not naming names.)

Molise devotes about nineteen thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 18th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about nine and a half million gallons, also giving it an 18th place. The region produces 3 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. Less than 4% of Molise wine carries the DOC designation. Molise is home to almost two dozen major and secondary grape varieties, about half white and half red.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Chardonnay and Trebbiano (in particular the Italian Trebbiano Toscano subvariety). The best known Italian white variety is Falanghina, the main component in the wine reviewed below.

The best known strictly Italian red varieties are Montepulciano, Agliacano, and Tintilia.

Before reviewing the Molise wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Taccozze alla Crema a?Asparagi, Hand-Cut Pasta Squares in Asparagus Cream. Then move on to Zuppa di Pesce alla Termolese, Seafood Pot from Termoli, a resort on the Adriatic Sea. For dessert indulge yourself with Calcuini del Molise, Sweet Chestnut Fritters.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Rami Di Majo Norante Falanghina Del Molise 2005 12.5% alcohol about $11.50

I?ll start by quoting the marketing materials. ?Made from the well-known Falanghina grape (with a little help from the ubiquitous Fiano variety), this delviers fresh peach and apricot flavors with a good citrus spine. It?s crisp and refreshing. And goes well with slightly spicy seafood or chicken, or makes an excellent sipping wine.?

I first tasted this wine with fried chicken cutlets, rice, and corn on the cob. I found it smooth with apricot but no peach flavors. It had more of a citrus smell than taste. I added a cayenne pepper sauce to the meat, and the wine rose to the challenge.

I then tried Talapia filets cooked in an onion sauce with a side of green beans in tomato sauce. I added too much cayenne pepper sauce, which was too harsh for the wine and for the fish itself. However, even with a deadened palate the wine was pleasant.

In the presence of a commercial chicken pot pie with a chili and lime hot sauce (but not too much) the wine was citrusy and refreshingly acidic. On the down side, the wine was short.

Kube, also known as kibbe, is a Middle-Eastern specialty of balls of ground rice filled with ground meat that cooks slowly. The wine was an excellent companion, its acidity cutting the grease nicely. The word gossamer came to mind.

Sometimes we have to make compromises. As you can guess from the name, Pecorino Toscano is not a cheese from the Molise region. It is a sheep?s milk cheese that has been made in Tuscany and neighboring Umbria for thousands of years. Soft Pecorino Toscano is white with a tinge of yellow, while semi-hard Pecorino Toscano is pale yellow. It is moderately strong smelling and has a complex nutty flavor. In the presence of this cheese, our was crisp and yet unctuous.

Final verdict. This wine is a winner. When making notes on this wine I mistakenly identified it as a DOC wine but I double-checked the label. It is not a DOC wine, but in my opinion is better than many DOC wines that I?ve tasted.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com