We’ve been missing Italy of late. Dreaming about our trip to Puglia in 2019. Gorging on Gary’s homemade pizza and lasagna. And discovering new wines from Sardinia, Chianti, and Abruzzo. In October we held a tasting of white, red, and rosé wines from the island of Sardinia. A few weeks ago we grabbed three bottles of Chianti Classico [2016 – 2018] from the wine fridge and did a “just us” tasting. Later, we doubled down on Chianti at a Vino Italiano tasting in Waltham and got schooled on the snappy white grape Pecorino d’Abruzzo, courtesy of a trade tasting at City Winery.
[Top vineyard photo: Winery Famiglia Cecchi, courtesy Fallstaff.com; below, Giulia Cecchi
From those 20+ wines, we narrowed down our favorites to seven excellent, well-priced wines under $40. When you have a hankering for Italy, these wines will more than satisfy.
White + Rosé
Castello di Monsanto “Fabrizio Bianchi”; Chardonnay; Toscana IGT, 2020 – $40 at Vino Italiano Lisa described this crisp, tart but floral white as “the least Chardonnay of Chardonnays.” That’s a compliment! Gary noted its excellent acidity and “granny smith apple notes.”
Tenuta Terraviva “Ekwo”; Pecorino d’Abruzzo, 2022 – $33 at Red Wagon
A top biodynamic wine with an unusual nose of peach, vanilla, and a hint of mint; good balance of fruit and acidity on the palate and a nice long finish.
Sa Raja “Istade” Rosato; Isola dei Nuraghi IGT, Sardinia, 2023- $12 at Wine Searcher
We tasted four wines from Sardinia, three from Sa Raja, and liked only one..this rosé of Cannonau, the native Sardinian red grape. A delicate pale pink with flavors of peach and strawberry. Very well made and, at $12, a steal.
Red
MGM Mondo del Vino Rinforzo Salento IGT, 2021 [Primitivo] – $18 at Vivino
Pronounced black fruit and licorice on the palate with a bit of sweetness that makes this wine stand up to the test of red-sauce Italian dishes, BBQ, and even burgers. We can’t stop drinking this wine!
Castello di Ama “Ama”; Chianti Classico DOCG, 2018 – $32 at Wine.com
Our three-wine in-house tasting of Chianti Classico yielded only one bottle VinoDuo liked. A light oak nose with tobacco notes leads to a smooth black cherry powerhouse. Lisa said, “It went ‘bang’ on my tongue the second I tasted it.” Gary found it “silky smooth and bursting with cherries and leather.”
Val delle Rose “Poggio al Leone”; Morellino di Scansano DOCG, 2017 – $38 at Vino Italiano
Gary flipped for this “amazingly great” Tuscan Sangiovese. Deep ruby in color and full-bodied, there’s lots of red fruit and on the palate and a medium finish. We bought two bottles at the Vino Italiano tasting.
Val delle Rose “Aurelio”; Maremma Toscana DOC, 2018 – $40 at Vino Italiano
A 95% Merlot/5% Cab Franc blend, this Toscana is peppery on the nose with metallic minerality. Wine Enthusiast mentioned tightly wound tannins but Gary thought the tannins were well integrated into the ripe red fruits, with notes of smoky, fresh-cracked black pepper. We bought two bottles of the Aurelio at the Vino Italiano tasting.
VinoDuo 