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Study Break

Written By: Dylan York on Monday, March 24, 2008

All work and no play leaves little time for wine tasting!

Today is another beautiful day and I am finding it hard to concentrate on studying so rather than continue my research on southern Italy, I thought I would tell you about some great wines that I drank over the weekend. Thanks to my new friend Andre, owner of the Italian wine bar on the island, Di Vino, I am drinking plenty of good Italian wines. This past weekend he received a small shipment of wines from Sardinia and Sicily. Among them were some of my favorites and some that I have wanted to try for a while. The first one on the radar was the Vermintino di Gallura from Sardinia. If you recall in my previous article on Sardinian whites, this is the only DOCG wine in Sardinia. It was originally awarded DOC status in 1975 and elevated to DOCG status in 1996. The bottle that I drank was a 2005 Cantine di Gallura Canayli and it was impressive. Lean and precise acidity marked this wine from the moment it hit my palate and carried on through the finish. Flavors of green apple and melon filled the center palate while small traces of minerals and citrus oils gripped to the sides. For a wine that retails under $20, this is a steal.

The next wine that I want to tell you about comes from one of my favorite Sicilian producers, Donnafugata. The other night Andre and I split a bottle of 2004 Mille e una Notte. The wine is made in the Contessa Entillina DOC which is located in the northwest center of the island. The wine is comprised of 90% Nero d'Avola and 10% of what I guess to be syrah. The wine was tight when we opened it so we decanted it to let it breathe for thirty minutes but also took little bites to watch its progress. The color was dark and intense with purple hues on the halo. The fruit was dark and rich with leather and smoky cassis. As it continued to open up, it became silky and elegant with dark chocolate and plum flavors, but the finish always remained very dry. The wine has great acidity which will allow it to age for at least 5 more years. I would like to try this wine again once it has some age on it to see how it turns out. You should do the same; grab a few bottles to drink now and some to store away. Enjoy Tasting!

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