John's Quick Italian Wines Review Part 1

As the theme for this month’s get-together is Supermarket wines I thought I’d join in the theme and review 6 Italian Red Wines we bought at this October’s Tesco's Wine Fair where you get 25% off if you buy 6 bottles or more. In part two of this review, I’ll be reviewing 6 more Italian Reds but bought from a specialist wine shop, and seeing which source gives the better quality wines and best value. In both of these reviews I’ll be using the Tongham Tasters’ 20 Point wine scoring system to rate the wines (see separate article). The wines were tasted on different days and were not tasted blind.

I picked Italian wines as I still have a lot to learn about them and thought this might be a good introduction. The 6 bottles of Italian wine I bought at Tescos cost an average of £6.17 (£8.23 before the 25% discount). This ties in with my general philosophy of ignoring most wines under £5 and trying to find value in the £5 to £15 range. With the discount I ended up paying less than I would on average, but would I like what I got for my money? In descending order of rating:

1. Barolo Cara Sant’Orsola 2005 £10.29 but £7.72 after discount (scored 14.5 Points)
The top wine of my 6 was no surprise as it was a Barolo, one my favourite Italian wines that is made with 100% Nebbiolo Grapes. Not the best Barolo I have ever had but well worth the £7.72 I actually paid. I believe Tescos also do some other good Barolos so let me know if you try some.

2. Montipulciano D’Abruzzo 2008 La Francese Tescos Finest (£5.99 but £4.49 after discount (scored 13.5 points)
This bottle was the one which I though represented the best value for money. It is an old fashioned style Montepulciano and thus has the emphasis on the Vanilla that comes from the oak rather than the fruit; thus not everyone's cup of tea. The wine is made by a Frenchwoman Gaetane Carron and hence the name of the wine.

3. Chianti Ruffina Riserva 2000 F Lu Grati Tescos Finest £11.99 but £8.99 after discount (scored 13 points)
The most expensve wine out of the 6 and another classic Italian Wine, this contains Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino grapes). This was OK but didn’t come across as good value It did have a lovely aged taste. Riserva is a wine that has been aged, usually in barrels, whilst Ruffina is a district within Chianti, Tuscany.

4. Piccini 2008 Supertuscan £6.00 but £4.50 after discount (scored 12 points)
Didn’t say the varietals on the bottle but I am going to guess Sangiovese, Cabernet Savignon and Merlot. This bottle rather reinforced my opinion that Supertuscan’s in this price range are not very special. However, at the discounted price might be tempted again.

5. Gran Conti Rosso del Molise Riserva 2005 £9.99 but £7.49 after discount (scored 10 points)
This wine is made from Montepulciano and Aglianico grapes and frankly I found it a big disappointment at the price. There were some tastes I didn’t find entirely pleasant.

6. Sicilian Nero D’Avola 2008 Cantine Settesoli Tescos Finest £5.09 but £3.82 after discount (scored 6 points)
I had seen some good reviews of this wine so I can only presume there was something wrong with the bottle I bought as it had a horrible aroma and taste.

One general conclusion I came to with these 6 Italian wines was that they would all benefit from a good aerating by using some gadget or pouring into a decanter. Overall a mixed bag and no real gems so it will be interesting to see if I can do better when buying 6 Italian Reds from a specialist wine shop.