Author: vinothekid

'Chianti – perhaps the most easily recognized Italian red wine – has come a long way from straw-fiasco-bottled plonk of the 1970s and '80s. Chianti is primarily made of Sangiovese, Italy's most important red grape.'

'All told, the lunch was a resounding success — good food, good wine and good friends on a memorable late-summer afternoon.'

'While there are plenty of expensive Italian wines, there’s also a very strong selection at the lower price points. There, you’ll find many wines made from indigenous grape varieties, especially sangiovese, but Italian producers have also rallied strongly to what are called the “international varieties” — chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and so on.'

Not too long ago, purchasing a Spanish white for less than $12 could be a crap shoot, a winner sometimes and a loser more often unless you knew the wine well. That has changed, though, in recent years as Spanish wine makers have adopted more modern and cleaner production techniques.