Each Saturday, David Brenner of 'Villasfor2' in Abruzzo selects a delicious, top-value 'Everyday Italian Wine' for you to try at home – or enjoy on your Abruzzo vacation !

'Sober reflection' probably isn't the most apt phrase to choose for looking back at the wines I've drunk on your behalf over the past 20 weeks – but you get the drift I'm sure. 

So far, we've tried eight reds; seven whites; three pinks; one Proseccco – and a couple of whimsical little forays into Lambrusco and Grappa. There's been only one genuine disaster – a cork-tainted bottle of Chianti Classico – but that aside, we've drunk pretty well (in a handful of instances, exceptionally well) and stuck to the brief of choosing 'Everyday Italian Wine' at under a self-imposed limit of €10/bottle.

From a country that in Chianti and Barolo boasts two of the great red wines of the world, the quality of the everyday reds I've tried has been surprisingly variable.

The two best came early in the series. The Corte Sveva-branded Primitivo di Manduria from Puglia in Italy's heel is a big, powerful bruiser of a wine, weighing in at a hefty 14% and packed with rich, dark fruit. The primitivo grape is zinfandel under another name. If you love one, you'll love the other – potent, smooth and rounded.

Miglianico's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was the first wine reviewed in this series. It's still my favourite 'everyday red' – and it's the Villasfor2 'house red' too. The 2007 I'm drinking now overlays hints of dark chocolate over luscious, juicy bramble fruit – and it's that pure fruit (and masses of it) that's the key here, without acidity or tannins. Lovely !

If the reds have been variable, the whites have been admirably consistent. Of the seven we've featured, none will disappoint.

Our house white – easy choice – is Tollo's delicious Colle Secco-branded Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. This is such a classy wine: easily the best Trebbiano we've had at any price during our time here. Checking back in my original notes, I see the first taste of this reminded me of a good Sauvignon Blanc. With greater acquaintance, I can state hand-on-heart that if you offer me a bottle of a Kiwi SauvBlanc and a bottle of Colle Secco Trebb – I'll always take the Trebb.

I'll also take Fontanafredda's sublime Langhe Arneis from Piedmont. Based on a previous indifferent encounter with its twin Roero Arneis, I didn't exactly grab this off the shelf and rush excitedly to the check-out. But I would now. It's elegant; beautifully-made, luscious and summery. A wine for sitting on the terrace and sipping contentedly as the sun sets on another perfect day !

Click on the pictures in the text for larger images – and if you like Italian wine, why not check out last week's 'Everyday Italian Wine' and bookmark this site for future weekly posts !

Next week:  Grignolino d'Asti – a tasty young DOC red from Italy's far north-west for you to try at home, or enjoy on your Villasfor2 Abruzzo vacation !

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 21st, 2008 at 3:10 am and is filed under David's 'Everyday Italian Wine', Eating and Drinking, Vineyards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.