A Wine Lover's Weekly Guide To $10 Wines - A Central Italy Sangiovese

At the most recent meeting of our wine tasting club the host heartily recommended this wine. As often the case, there's quite a history to this Italian vineyard. In the late Sixteenth Century Princess Margherita of Austria, the wife of Ottavio Farnese, bought the town of Ortona for 52,000 ducats. She had built a palace that remains uncompleted and "worked" in the vineyards. These vineyards are the source of today's wine. Talk about microclimate. The Farnese vineyards lie in the valley of the Moro River tucked in between Mount Maiella and the sea in the Abruzzi region of central Italy.

Sangiovese is the major Italian red variety, and arguably is at its best in the Tuscany region. The IGT designation stands for Indicazione Geographica Tipica and suggests that the wine expresses well its geographical location. This is no prestigious Italian wine designation but some IGTs are excellent, a may carry a costly price tag.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed

Farnese Sangiovese Daunia IGT 2008 13% alcohol about $7 Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note : Deep ruby colour; leather, cherry, marzipan, tobacco and earth aromas; dry, medium-bodied, with velvety texture and ripe cherry flavors. Serving Suggestion : Antipasti and appetizers, veal parmigiana, pizza, tomato-based pasta, hard, aged cheese. And now for my review.

At the first sips the Sangiovese wine showed a solid, nice acidity with a decent length. I first paired it with a Middle-Eastern specialty called kubbe (or kibbe), ground beef in crushed bulghar jackets in a tomato sauce accompanied by sliced potatoes. The wine tasted of tobacco and black cherries. It didn't have much tannins but did have good acidity. This was a hearty wine for a hearty food.

The next meal consisted of barbecued chicken breast in a soy and garlic sauce with the skin on. The Sangiovese was round and balanced presenting dark fruit and light tannins. It was not complex. When it met the potatoes roasted in chicken fat this wine was no longer so round and was not as pleasant as with the chicken. In the face of a bean salad in vinegar its acidity became stronger but the fruit stepped back.

My final meal was a slow cooked beef stew with chickpeas. The wine was oaky showing light tannins and tasting of black cherries. There was a lot of taste but no subtlety. In the presence of a tomato-based, moderately spicy Turkish salad (more of a salsa) this wine's acidity increased.

Before going to the cheeses I tried this wine with schmaltz herring packed in oil. The Sangiovese was oaky and slightly sweet. It was refreshing but had little taste. The first cheese was a yellow cheddar that rendered the wine soft and lightly fruity. With a Swiss cheese this wine stepped up its strength and taste.

Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. It's a real bargain. I'm going to see what other wines this producer has to offer.