Tuscany is not where the Value is
When you focus on a special area in the wine business, it’s easy to lose the big picture. Put another way, how can you follow the whole story when you’ve only got a few chapters? That’s why I go to tastings that keep the broader horizons open, either because there are more expensive wines to compare with the samples I drink mostly, or because they’re from another part of the world. Or both, as in this case.
I decided long ago that certain wine areas in Europe had built a reputation for their wines that was matched by their prices but not by the content of the bottles. Tuscany has been one of those since all things Tuscan had become the subjects of bestsellers these last three decades. Tonight was a confirmation that nothing has changed: the labels are exotic and the prices are in the same territory, while the quality lagged way behind.
The Chiantis were from 2012, 2013 and 2014, cost between $25 and $65 yet I didn’t score a single one more than 91 points. I liked the elegance and finesse but many of these wines simply lacked depth and real flavour. The rest of the wines came from Montepulciano, Montalcino and Toscana, and I found a couple of 93 point wines among them.
I don’t see how the GTW panel came up with 95 point scores, not many to be sure. I only scored a couple of wines at 93, and they were Col d’Orcia 2012 and Fuliigni Ginesttreto 2013 from the Rosso de Montalcino appellation. A bit more Italian charm, and a bit more to them , but hey cost $49 and $62 each. I liked the Podere 414 Morellinin di Scansano 2013 for its rustic charm but $42 for 92 point wine?
Tuscany is not where the value is in Italy but some of the labels are pretty, aren’t they? I’m looking forward to the The Italian Wine + Food Festival in Sydney on Saturday August 21st, where I’ll be searching out wines that are better value. We’ve recommended Puglia at the heel of the boot that is Italy as the region where the value is in Italian wines and Sicily south from there, and Lange in the north.
We can buy Lucarelli Primitivo and Negramaro reds from Puglia for $14 a bottle, and the Pico Maccario Barbera D’Asti DOCG and Maretti reds from Lange for around $20. Madeline from the Wine Folly suggests Puglia and Lange as regions for value reds, and recommends Aglianico from Basilicata and Campania, and Nero d’Avola from Sicily.
At the bargain end, we have the Gran Sasso and Vendetta whites and reds, polished commercial styles that drink well but lack real character. I think the Spaniards do these wines better on the whole, but that’s another story. The take-away from the tasting for was that these reds weren’t heavy or heady like Aussie brutes, and left the taster relatively intact.
Here’s an Introduction to Italian Wine from Nicks, if you want to get your head around the basics. And here’s the list of wines from the current issue of Gourmet Traveller Wine.
Kim