The Story: Choosing a fairly esoteric Italian white varietal is an odd choice for the first tasting note on a novice's wine blog, but this was the wine that I had on hand that I thought would go best with the dinner I made: pan roasted chicken in a vermouth, shallot, and thyme sauce. I had picked up this wine at Moore Brothers for $18.00 a week ago when I had asked the salesperson for a "full-bodied Pinot Grigio." Normally, I think of Pinot Grigio as watered down plonk, but I had heard that P.G. could be reach great heights as a full-bodied wine and wanted to give it a try. The salesperson picked out a Nosiola rather than a Pinot Grigio, and stupid me did not notice the mistake until I got back to my apartment. Nonetheless, I was very satisfied with the mistake.
Here follows what will be the format of all my tastings, which I hope will evolve as I learn more about wine:
The Region: Trentino Alto Adige, Italy. Looking at a map, I see that this region is in the middle of the northern-most part of Italy. Bolognani on Google Maps
The Look: Very pale yellow. Fairly clear. Similar to a Pinot Grigio. I wonder whether the salesperson not only got the varietal wrong, but also did not hear my request for a full-bodied wine?
The Aroma: Very fresh. Grassy, similar to that of a Sauvignon Blanc, but not quite as strong.
The Swish: I pull the bottle out of the fridge too late, so it is too cold at first. However, I want something to drink with dinner, so I have a glass anyway. In my first swish, while the wine was only slightly above fridge temperature, I notice a very subtle fizz, and not much else due to the wine being too cold. Once the wine warms up a bit, I enjoy it much more. It's definitely fairly full bodied (one point for the salesperson!), but keeps it's fresh taste. I do not notice much more to this wine, but I enjoy it. It really coats my mouth long after I sip... I believe this is what wine experts call a "long finish."
The Verdict: I tend to like full-bodied wines, and I certainly like this one. I will definitely buy it again if I want a full-bodied Italian white.
Post Tasting: As they do with every purchase, Moore Brothers gave me a handy sheet of paper that included tasting notes on the wine and the history of the region where the wine is made. From this sheet, I find out that the word nosiola is derived from the Italian word for walnut, and that the wine has walnut and citrus flavors. I swish around another few sips and still do not notice any walnut. The citrus is slightly apparent to me, but not by much. I guess I have much more wine to drink before I can identify these flavors...
No comments:
Post a Comment