Classic Wines

Video Transcript: Italian Merlot Showdown

Brian Freedman: Welcome to the Wine Showdown brought to you by ClassicWines.com; I am your host Brian Freedman, and today we're in the Wine Room in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. We will be tasting for this showdown something a little bit different than you might be accustomed to. It's a Merlot tasting but it's an Italian Merlot tasting. When we think of Merlot we think of the Right Bank in Bordeaux, we think of California, it only 00:57 not so much.

So, wine #1 today is the Falesco Merlot from Umbria 2005. And Falesco makes some great wines, they make a great cab blend, really good value wine. On the nose classic lush Merlot fruit, not a sharp edge, and if that makes sense, which I think it does with Merlot. There is a roundness to it almost. On the nose I am getting a bit of earth (ph), I am getting some red berry fruit, maybe a bit of chocolate. We'll see what it tastes like.

I tell you what, that's very pleasant. There is some liquorish I am getting there, some under growth, some under brush, maybe some red and dark berry fruit. It's not a bad little bottle of wine at all, and at $10 you can't go wrong with that.

Wine #2 is the Santa Margherita Merlot, and I am stumbling there because the Santa Margherita, we're all used the same Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. Just because you're used to a producer only making one type of wine, don't close yourself off to the other bottlings that they produce. You could be pleasantly surprised.

Now, this one I can tell right off the bed. It's much lighter than the Umbrian one. Maybe it's an issue of climate, maybe it's just an issue of wine-making.

Now, the nose here is -- I mean I am getting some green pepper there; I am getting some red fruit. There's almost something a bit medicinal there. Now, that it's had a little bit of time to open up, let's see what it tastes like.

I got to tell you, good tannic back boom 02:42, it's well balanced, lots of red and dark berry fruit not much in the way of earth (ph).

Both of these wines are good. There's nothing wrong with either one of them, but the winner of this showdown comes on the simple economics. The Santa Margherita, little over $20, the Falesco, under $10. Personally, I'd rather get two bottles for the same prices I'd get one. Maybe it means we just like drinking here at ClassicWines.com.

Either way they're both great, so go with whichever want to feels most to you, but the winner Falesco Merlot Umbria 2005.

From all of us at ClassicWines.com we'd like to thank the Wine Room in Cherry Hill. Cheers.