Posts Tagged ‘italy’
05/15/2018
May 15, 2018
The wine has a mild earthy aroma translating to a dry and earthy feel in the mouth. There’s a slight burn as it exits at the back of the throat. It’s a little edgy which some people would call character. This is a well made wine. For many people this will probably work better as a food, or table, wine. For people who like this style of basic old world wine it’s also a good sipper.
Most reviews on the web give this an above average rating and prices to match that. At $9.99 a bottle it’s a bargain at Trader Joe’s. If you’d like to expand your experiences with Italian wines, this is a good one to try.
Price $9.99
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:italy, pasqua, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, valpolicella ripasso, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 2 Comments »
03/05/2018
March 5, 2018
This will bring a smile to your face. Perhaps not a Mona Lisa smile, but a smile nonetheless.
Today’s wine comes from a wine cooperative in the town of Vinci in the Chianti region of Tuscany.
While this is a nice wine with no bad characteristics, there are equally good wines at Trader Joe’s from Tuscany for the same or lower price. Now, a dollar or two or three isn’t much to quibble about. But if that’s a consideration, then look further on the shelves. Otherwise, if you haven’t tried this wine yet, here’s your chance to help the local economy and help support small local businesses as well as enjoy a very nice Chianti.
And if you’re not near a Trader Joe’s, there’s a “wine finder” on their website which will help locate another store near you that sells their wine. How nice! And why can’t other wine companies do the same? Price $9.99.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:2015, chianti, davinci, italy, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, vinci, wine cooperative
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 2 Comments »
01/20/2018
January 20, 2018
This is a medium-bodied, but still dry and earthy red wine. There are no negatives to this wine. It is an unpretentious red table wine. Pour it straight from the bottle and enjoy with food. Think red when selecting a food for pairing; red sauce, spicy red pepper, red meat. The lighter body makes this a good wine to help get the food down. There’s no dainty sipping at the dinner table.
I like this wine. However, it’s a different wine than most on the shelves today. The flavor profile or style is different from most of its neighbors. I’m going to call this old-school wine; earthy, dry and good.
Two things are of interest. One is the somewhat disjointed backstory on the bottle explaining how this wine got its name. There are mosquitos, birds, woods, a pond, a red goose, a zen master (?) and of course grape vines in the story. All this, I suppose, means the grapes are grown in harmony with nature. And the name? “Oca rossa” means red goose in Italian. Ocarossa is the red goose that lives in the pond.
The second noteworthy item is the cork. This is corkscrew-less cork. Just grab the top of the cork protruding from the bottle, twist and pull the cork until out. Everyone needs one of these for their cork collection.
Price $5.99.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:italy, Ocarossa, price, red wine, review, reviews, table wine, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
09/06/2017
September 6, 2017
The last time I reviewed this wine was 2011. The wine hasn’t changed much since then, including the price! The 2012 vintage is still a very nice wine as was the 2007 vintage back then.
The mild tannins on the roof of mouth and back of throat are still speaking after all these years giving the wine a mild earthy feel in the mouth. As it was before, the wine is smooth but still with a slight edge to the taste. There’s just a hint of grape if caught at the right temperature. In my opinion, still no forest floor taste as one reviewer noted of the 2007 vintage. For most of us, that’s a good thing. And sticking with my original comment, this is probably a better food wine than a sipper. However when sipped among a group, it’s likely to lead to some interesting conversations.
Although the primary grape in this is Sangiovese, the taste is bolder than a typical Tuscan Sangiovese. It’s not as bold as a Cabernet Sauvignon, but still up there one notch on the scale. And this is likely more enjoyable than a Cabernet Sauvignon in the same price range. The bottle states 13.5% alcohol. Incanto may want to recheck their instruments. This wine has a substantially greater kick to it than most wines labeled 13.5%. Price $10.99
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:incanto, italy, price, review, reviews, sangiovese, tj, tj's, trader joe's, vino nobile di montepulciano, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | Leave a Comment »
08/11/2017
August 11, 2017
I was especially excited to see this on the TJ selves. It’s a 2010 IGT wine from Tuscany. It’s not normal to see a 7-year-old wine at TJ, especially at this price. Just the added storage costs alone is reason to charge more for a wine that’s been around an extra few years.
While the Italian wine classification is not supposed to be a reflection of the quality of the wines, in my experience the better the classification, the better the wine. The IGT classification is a lower classification, more specifically one that is usually broader in scope as to the grapes and methods used to produce the wine.
Now in my limited and personal experience with Tuscan wines, the IGT wines are edgier and less refined than the higher classified (more restrictive) DOC and DOCG wines. I’m sure there are some exceptions to that experience. And those exceptions likely command a higher price than the wines I usually review.
My question in picking up this wine is, how does aging affect an IGT red wine? In theory a red wine improves with age up until a point where too much age negatively affects the wine. Most of us personally know how that too much age thing works with people. The rest of us will find out.
While I didn’t review this particular wine back when it was 2 or 3 years old, compared to similar IGT wines from the era that I have tried, this is a big step up. This wine has smoothed over the IGT rough edges leaving a very nice, really smooth, mellow, nothing bad, or even close to bad, fine Tuscan red wine. And an absolute bargain. I hope there’s still some left on the shelf. Price: $10.99
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:2010, casone toscana, igt, italy, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, tuscany, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
01/14/2017
January 14, 2017
These are very elegant mild dark chocolate truffles with a delicate amaretto flavor. Many many small pieces of nuts and Amoretti cookies inside the truffles give these a surprising, unique and good mouthfeel and taste.
One downside is that the very small pieces tend to stick between teeth and even between tooth and gum. That may leave a desire to brush or floss soon after eating. A second downside is that these are a seasonal item. It may not be until next December when we see them again.
The packaging is as elegant as the chocolate. Each truffle is individually wrapped in a shiny paper with a twisty flourish above the truffle. If put out on a tray, the wrapping helps reduce any concerns about how many people picked up and then put down the truffle.
(more…)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:amaretto, calories, candy, chocolate, confection, food, italy, nuts, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's, truffles
Posted in cooking and related items, food, Trader Joe's | Leave a Comment »
12/10/2016
December 10, 2016
This is another fine wine from Italy at Trader Joe’s for a very reasonable price considering the quality. The wine is dry and totally smooth with an earthy mouth feel and enough bite/character to separate this from a lesser Chianti. This is possibly the most enjoyable wine I’ve had in 2016.
You may ask, what does the word Classico add to a Chianti? Chianti Classico specifically refers to an official area within the Chianti region of Italy. That specific area was also the first in what’s now the Chianti region to attempt to define and regulate its wine. Being the first to define the Chianti wine, and predating the official Italian regulations, the wine gets to wear the “classic” designation. Along with the geographical requirements, a Chianti Classico wine has a different set of production regulations which separate a Classico from the standard Chianti designation. After that it’s up to the skill and pride of the winemaker to produce a quality product. In this bottle, there is an overabundance of skill and pride producing a very very nice wine. Price $9.99.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:2014, chianti classico, docg, Il Tarocco, inexpensive wines, italy, red wine, review, table wine, trader joe's, wine review
Posted in food, Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
10/29/2011
Back to basics on this one. What’s basic is a good under $5 wine.
(more…)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:igt, italy, price, review, reviews, roccalta, sangiovese, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 6 Comments »
May 15, 2018
Ain't Found A Good Title Blog 