Press Feature

VINI & LIQUORI
WINE COLUMN
by Anthony Giglio
GUTTER CREDIT
personal shopper
Illustrations by ingo fast
I’ve become the go-to wine guru for my friends
and family. I’m the one they call, email and text every time they’re thinking about
a bottle to buy, pair, pour or store. This can be exhausting, not to mention a little
intrusive, especially when I get a call in the middle of the night with a desperate
last-minute request for something to serve at a wine dinner the next day. It can be
inopportune, too, when a buddy texts me from a restaurant’s restroom while his
date is waiting for him to choose a bottle: “Dude, I need help!”
Given my line of work,
But with the holidays upon us, I’m suited up
and ready for the oncoming onslaught of
questions. At this time of year, their queries not
only quadruple in number, but also extend beyond
their own needs to those for whom they’re
buying gifts.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy making suggestions,
and I get a kick out of connecting people with
something unfamiliar to them, or by saving them
money. And for those with lots to spend, I’m
thrilled to blow through their bank accounts.
I’m able to do all of this because I can ask
questions about what they’re looking for and, more
often than not, already know their likes and
dislikes. But when the recommendation is for
someone’s distant relative or their boss who’s taste
in wine is a mystery, it gets a lot trickier. That’s why
I dream of writing an app that would make
suggestions based on a list of preferences, such as
a person’s budget, level of knowledge, favorite
flavor profiles and style of wine.
In the meantime, here are 10 composites I’ve
constructed to fit the requests I receive the most
around the holiday season. Think of me as your
personal shopper. I have the perfect gifts for
everyone on your list, or maybe just a bottle to get
you through the holiday madness.
INTREPID ENTHUSIAST
GUTTER CREDIT
Sottimano, Maté
Brachetto, Neive, Piedmont,
2011, $17.
Always one step
ahead of the pack,
the Intrepid Enthusiast
knew in 1985 that
argyle would be back
but Riunite never
would. This imbiber
is not so much
a trendsetter as a thrill-seeker, so he
or she prefers wines that raise eyebrows, such
as this one made from single-vineyard
brachetto grapes. Unlike the classic sweet
and sparkling Brachetto (the name of
the DOCG as well as the grape), this one
is dry and still, yet it retains the classic
aromatics of the brachetto grape, straddling
briary fruit with wild, earthy aromas wrapped
around a tight band of brilliant acidity.
Also try: La Valentina, Binomio,
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, 2007, $52;
Tormaresca, Trentangeli, Castel Del
Monte, Puglia, 2008, $24.
Spectacular Sparklers
Almerita Brut,
Contea Di Sclafani,
Sicily, 2008, $60.
Made in the same painstaking
process as Champagne—
labelled metodo classico in
Italy—this wine can go head-tohead with some of France’s best
bottles. Made from 100%
chardonnay, it ages for two
years in bottle on the lees
(the spent yeast and sugars
that cause carbonation in
this type of sparkling wine),
which is as long as some
of the best Champagnes
(longer = better). It has
classic Champagne notes of
brioche and baked apple, but
takes a crisp mineral edge from
the calcareous soil of the vineyards.
Also try: Giulio Ferrari, Riserva
del Fondatore Brut, Trento, 2001, $100;
Fratelli Berlucchi, Franciacorta Brut,
2007, $28. ›››
L aC uci na I taliana M ag.com
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VINI & LIQUORI
WINE COLUMN
Bargain Hunter
Masi, Modello Rosso
delle Venezie,
Veneto, 2009, $10.
It’s not that the Bargain Hunter is
cheap, or that he or she will drink
anything. Rather, it’s that his or
her values are grounded in finding
delicious deals without
sacrificing quality.
Luckily, in Italy
high-quality,
low-priced wines
abound, such
as this steal from
Masi, the renowned
Amarone-producing
family. Not only is it juicy,
delicious and well balanced, its charm
takes it from quintessential quaffer to
perfect pairer at the table.
Also try: Poliziano, Rosso di
Montepulciano, Tuscany, 2010, $14;
Silvio Grasso Dolcetto, Langhe,
2011, $14.
GREAT EVERYDAY BIANCO
Livio Felluga Friulano,
Colli Orientali, Friuli,
2011, $24.
Who doesn’t love
a great white wine that
goes with everything
from pizza bianca to
roasted chicken? It
makes the perfect
casual gift, and in the
season of impromptu
holiday gatherings,
it’s a real crowd
pleaser—a subtle,
floral, beautifully
balanced bianco that pops
on the palate with ripe stone
fruit juiciness.
Also try: Batasiolo, Granée, Gavi del
Comune di Gavi DOCG, Piedmont,
2010, $18; Inama, Soave, Veneto,
2011, $15.
GREAT EVERYDAY ROSSO
Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo,
Langhe, 2009, $24.
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DECEMBER 2012
Everyone knows that vino rosso is
packed with artery-cleansing
resveratrol, so a glass a day really is the
new apple. I would happily enjoy
a glass of this medium-bodied nebbiolo
every evening, simply because it
straddles pleasing, generous fruit and
spice notes, but is complex and tannic
enough to remind me of fancier—that
is, pricier—wines from its neighboring
Barolo and Barbaresco regions.
Also try: Capezzana, Barco Reale
di Carmignano, Tuscany, 2009, $13;
Castello Monaci Primitivo, Piluna,
Salento, 2010, $11.
notion that wine and food are mutually
exclusive, any hour is happy hour. The
deliciousness and gratification of a wine
should be instant regardless of the
situation. If that’s what you’re looking
for, I suggest you buy several bottles of
this crisp, minerally bianco that’s
utterly gulpable on its own and never
wears out its welcome or your palate.
Also try: Cantina del
Taburno Falanghina, Taburno,
Campania, 2011, $16;
A. Mano Fiano-Greco,
Puglia, 2011, $12.
Big Bang
Tenuta Arceno,
Arcanum, Tuscany,
2007, $100.
the weekender
Agricola Punica, Barrua,
Isola dei Nuraghi,
Sardinia, 2009, $55.
For the daily imbiber who saves his or
her budget for Friday’s “date night” or
a Saturday dinner party with friends, I
look for wines priced between $40 and
$75. For this bottle, master enologist
Giacomo Tachis crafts carignano grapes
along with cabernet sauvignon and
merlot into a wine packed with dried
plum and fig flavors, with spicy licorice
overtones. This is a wine to savor.
Also try: Donnafugata, Mille e Una
Notte, Contessa Entellina Rosso, Sicily,
2007, $75; Ruffino, Ducale Oro 60th
Anniversary, Chianti Classico Riserva
DOCG, 2007, $40.
CONSUMMATE
QUAFFERS
Attems Pinot Grigio,
Friuli-Venezia
Giulia, 2011, $19.
For the wine lover not
necessarily married to the
This bottle makes
a great first impression
with savvy wine lovers.
The Super Tuscan from the Chianti
Classico region is a big and bold wine
crafted by Italian-American winemaker
Lawrence Cronin under consultation
from the renowned French vigneron
Pierre Seillan, who has spent decades
making wine in Bordeaux and at the
Sonoma, CA, winery Verité. The
cabernet franc-driven wine has classic
Super Tuscan berry on the nose with
a brace of herbal aromas. Despite the
big hit up front, it mellows on the
palate. The tannins are restrained and
elegant, opening up to forest fruit and
a trace of tar, with a clean, long finish.
Also try: Marchesi di Barolo Wooden
Gift Box (6 Bottles), $599 (contains
two bottles each of cru Barolo:
Cannubi, 2007; Sarmassa, 2007; Coste
di Rose, 2007); Tenuta San Guido,
Sassicaia Bolgheri, 2009, $227.
THE ADVENTURIST
Lo Triolet Fumin,
Valée d’Aosta,
2011. $35.
This is for the wine lover
who prefers off-road
adventures and never asks
for directions. ›››
VINI & LIQUORI
WINE COLUMN
The person who will eat or
drink anything at least once—
they’ve probably eaten the
worm in that cheap bottle of
mezcal, too. They like their
wines like their cheeses: the
funkier and stinkier, the better.
For the Adventurist, I propose
this gorgeous, violet-scented
wine that carries a whiff of something
feral. It might remind you of cru
Beaujolais, but lies in unchartered
territory begging to be explored.
Also try: Il Pollenza Rosso,
Marche, 2007, $57; Re Manfredi
Bianco, Basilicata, 2011, $19.
SHEEPISH STALWART
Castiglion del Bosco,
Campo del Drago,
Brunello di Montalcino
DOCG, 2006, $70.
Not to be confused with being old
fashioned, the Stalwart is a classicist
who gets what they want without
making a scene. And Brunello di
Montalcino, a king of Italy’s post-war
wines, fills the bill. This one is an
authentic Tuscan sangiovese that
marries earthy overtones with fruity
undertones, balanced by trademark
acidity. While it flies under the radar, its
flavor bursts from the glass.
Also try: Badia a Coltibuono,
Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG,
2008, $35; Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi,
Nipozzano, Chianti Rufina Riserva
DOCG, 2008, $23. 
the shopping list
t intrepid
enthusiast
Sottimano,
Maté brachetto,
Neive, Piedmont,
2011, $17.
t great
t spectacular
t bargain
sparklers
hunter
Almerita Brut,
Contea Di
Sclafani, Sicily,
2008, $60.
Masi, Modello
Rosso delle
Venezie, Veneto,
2009, $10.
u consummate
u big bang
quaffers
Agricola
Punica,
Barrua, Isola
dei Nuraghi,
Sardinia,
2009, $55.
Attems Pinot
Grigio, FriuliVenezia Giulia,
2011, $19.
Tenuta Arceno,
Arcanum,
Tuscany,
2007, $100.
Livio Felluga
Friulano, Colli
Orientali, Friuli,
2011, $24.
t great
everyday
rosso
Vietti Perbacco
nebbiolo,
Langhe,
2009, $24.
u the
adventurist
u sheepish
Lo Triolet Fumin,
Valée d’Aosta,
2011. $35.
Castiglion
del Bosco,
Campo del
drago,
Brunello di
Montalcino
DOCG,
2006, $70.
stalwart
bottles: g. giralco
u The
Weekender
everyday
bianco
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DECEMBER 2012