A few weeks ago The Weekly Wine Journal sent out a tweet to wineries and wine makers offering to help get their word out. For free! The response was rather tepid, however there was one response that caught my attention. @winepassionate responded to the effect, that although they are not a winery or wine maker, would I still be interested.
I’m glad I took the opportunity because it exposed me to some new wines while recharging my interest in social media!
Winepassionate.com is a brand new boutique online wine store specializing in wines from Italy, Chile, Argentina and California. They recently became the official reseller of Ducati wines.
The sample pack I received included a Chianti, a Malbec and a Sauvignon Blanc
La Moto, Chianti Riserva DOCG, 2006, Italy
Blend: 85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 5% Cabernet
Alcohol: 12.5%
I couldn’t find too much detailed information on this wine, other than on the wine passionate website which states that this wine was aged for 2 years in oak with additional bottle aging. I don’t know why but I was expecting a dry bitter Sangiovese. I was pleasantly surprised by the supple fruitiness of this wine. It paired with my home made marinara sauce quite well. This is not a terribly complex wine, and as such it is quite food friendly. This wine retails for about $20-$25.
Juana de Sol 2010 Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
This wine was the most interesting of the three for me. The wine itself was a very dark almost inky purple. The nose on this wine had some nice elements of black fruit and spice. The palate was the most interesting part, intermingled with a light black cherry and blackberry fruitiness was an olive like funky earthiness that I found very interesting. There is a bit of heat on this wine that sears the nostrils, and at only 13.5% alcohol that is a bit surprising but not enough to be seriously off-putting. This wine would pair very well with beef roasts and marinades. Wine Advocate gave this wine 88 points, which is in the range of 86-89 that I was thinking. At about $15 retail this wine offers a decent value
Trile 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, Valle Central, Chile
According to the back of this bottle, this 100% Sauv blanc was bottled very young. The alcohol only weighs in at 12%. I wasn’t expecting much from this wine, but was actually pleasantly surprised. If you are tired of the New Zealand lemon grass monsters, and the California sugar monsters, this is the wine for you. The nose is subdued, with hints of lemon. The palate is very light, with touches of lemon grass and an interesting nuttiness. As the wine warmed up to room temperature the lemon grass came through a little more, but not nearly as much as most. This wine is a decent value at around $12 retail, think casual summer sipper.
Thanks to winepassionate.com for reaching out, and cudos for their exceptional social media manners.
Weekly Wine Journal 