Discovering Tuscany!

I’m back after spending a week realizing that I’m allergic to curry…..not fun, specially since I love the taste of good Thai or Indian food. My very last Thai dinner (last Friday) will be my last, but it was great, spent with good friends, good food and of course good wine. I paired my dinner ( salmon curry ) with a Riesling from Covey Run, an inexpensive pleasant wine, just sweet and crisp enough to pair well with the dish. One of my friends brought a Tuscan wine, I forgot to take a photo so of course I can’t remember the name, but I believe it was a blend of Sangiovese and  Chianti (hope I’m not messing this up). This wine had an unusual flavor and was a bit to dry for me, but it spiked my interest to explore the region a little more.

Tuscany is located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, and is home to some of the World’s most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunelli di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are primarily made with Sangiovese grape whereas the Vernaccia grape is the basis of the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Tuscany is also known for the dessert wine Vin Santo, made from a variety of the region’s grapes. The Sangiovese grape is Tuscanys’ most prominent grape, however, many different clonal varieties exist, as many towns have their own local version of Sangiovese.

So to do some “research” I picked up a bottle of 2011 Luiano Rosso Toscana Sangiovese. I paid $11 for this wine, it came with a real cork, and has a nice color in the glass. It showed lots of fruit and minerals on the nose. On the palate, a medium bodied wine that was very smooth with a perfect balance of fruit and minerals and a medium dry finish. Would recommend to pair with pizza or any tomato sauce pasta dish. Very enjoyable.

Looking forward to many more “trips” to Italy, Cheers!