Awards & Reviews
| Mt Jagged Sparkling Red Southern Fleurieu |
| Review Date - 10/1/2009 |
| Score - 92 | Tasting Note: |
 | Sparkling red wines have so many uses and can be surprising in their food affinities. I remember a sparkling Merlot once from Australia that was beautiful with oysters Rockefeller. I sure wouldn't have expected that. This one, with its opaque purple red color, expresses aromas full of space, sweet dark fruits and the scent of chocolate. But that sweet impression gives way to a dry red wine that offers intriguing, lingering, complex dark fruit flavors--plum, some dried fruit--that are more savory than sweet. Grape types: mostly Merlot, some Cabernet Sauvigon and Shiraz. The Southern Fleuriu is just south of McLaren Vale. Potential cellaring 5 years or more. Serve moderately chilled, about 55F/13C. Foods: Indian meat and vegetarian dishes that aren't too hot, such as lamb rogan josh; chili; roast turkey or even Cajun deep-fried turkey; mole poblano; Asian meat dishes; dark chocolate; coffee/cocoa-crusted lamb or venison chops; roast duck with five-spice powder seasoning; braised oxtails or short ribs with some savory but not hot seasoning |
| 2005 Cantina Pappucci Alter Ego IGT Umbria |
| Review Date - 4/1/2009 |
| Score - 93 | Tasting Note: |
 | It's such a delight to watch the aromas emerge and develop in the glass with this wine, which comes from Umbria, a region in central Italy with its capital at Perugia. This full-bodied dry red wine shows an intense, deep, dark color, and presents aromas of spice and fresh dark fruits, especially plum with a hint of cinnamon. On the palate, the dark fruits are framed by serious tannins, assuring the wine's usefulness with rich foods. Fruit, acidity and tannins are beautifully balanced, and the long finish is clean and tannic. Grape type: Sagrantino, which is a very tannic grape native to Umbria, and a dab of Merlot. For that reason, the wine is I.G.T. (D.O.C.G. designation would require 100% Sagrantino, which use to be made as a dessert wine.) A handsome wine. Serve around 65F/17C in tulip-shaped glasses. Begin in stainless steel, the wine then is aged in French oak. A good candidate for cellaring 5-8 years from vintage. Foods: smooth foie gras mousse or pate rather than coarser terrines; gamier meats such as lamb or duck breast seasoned with five spice powder and sauced with dried cherries or other dried dark fruits and caramelized onions; Cornish hen grilled and brushed with dark fruit glaze; aged firm cheeses; dark chocolate (hubba!) |
| Italo Cescon Prosecco Marca Trevigiana V.S.A.Q Extra Brut Spumante NV |
| Review Date - 2/1/2008 |
| Score - 88 | Tasting Note: |
 | Medium-bodied slightly off-dry white slightly sparkling wine; medium pale straw color. Aromas of fresh fruit and flowers, with ear/golden apple flavors that capture a slight butterscotch note in mid palate. Fruit--focused long finish. Very slightly sparkling, with small bubbles. Grape type: Prosecco, hand harvested. Second fermentation in pressure tank, as is typical of Prosecco. Enjoy for its own merits; and don't compare to Champagne or any other sparkling wine. Suggested Food Pairings:Smoked salmon mousse; seafood; Asian fare and anything slightly spicy: grilled bacon-wrapped scallops with honey-mustard or Rémoulade sauce; salt-and-pepper calamari, shrimp or mussels; teriyaki; sweet-and-sour dishes; egg rolls. Vegetable first courses, such as spaghetti squash salad with shaved Reggiano and fresh herbs; and simple baked fish. |