Wine tastings: Rising Reds From Tuscany, Italy

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July 26, 2011

About Wines from Tuscany, Italy

Best wine supplier in Philippines discusses wine related topics

CHIANTI is the most familiar red wine from Tuscany, but it is far from the only one. The many others range from the exalted Brunello di Montalcino to the almost unknown Morellino di Scansano.

All are made primarily from the sangiovese grape, which is grown all over Italy but is most closely identified with Tuscany. Yet these wines can differ markedly from one another.

The variations in soil and climate throughout Tuscany account for some differences, as does the use of clones of the sangiovese grape, like the brunello and the morellino, which offer cherry, chocolate and herbal flavors riding a spine of acidity and tannins.

In some bottles, the acidity and tannins outweigh the fruit, producing sour, hotly alcoholic wines. And that’s where Morellino di Scansano comes in. All the ones I’ve tasted have been consistently good, lively and gorgeously fruity, versatile enough to match tomato-based Italian dishes, steak, ham and even tuna and robust seafoods.

The Morellinos can be hard to find. In shops that sell a dozen different Chiantis, chances are you might find one. I’ve had better luck at stores that specialize in Italian wines, like Italian Wine Merchants, 108 East 16th Street, or Vino, 121 East 27th Street.

The search is worth it: because they are so unknown, they are usually a very good value.

That may not be the case for much longer. Leading wine producers have been pouring money into the southern coastal section of Tuscany known as the Maremma, which includes the town of Scansano, and it will not be surprising to see more Morellinos in the next few years.

Now, only a handful of producers show up routinely in the stores. Each usually offers several levels of Morellino, from the simple and fruity ones to riservas, which develop complexity from longer aging in wood. There are even some proprietary blends, which can run upward of $50 a bottle, perhaps a taste of things to come.

SOURCE: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E0DA1131F933A15755C0A9679C8B63&ref=tuscany

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices. Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world. As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years. Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

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