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 holiday !

Grignolino d'Asti. 'Miniato'. 2007
This is a real find. Think 'Asti' and the connection 99 times out of 100 will be 'Spumante'.  Grignolino d'Asti isn't so much a poor relation of this regional superstar as a long-lost outcast from up in the hills. In an area of Piedmont so awash with DOCG wines - headed by the mighty Barolo - that even the fussiest drinker is spoiled for choice, Grignolino d'Asti is largely neglected. Big mistake.

Grignolino d'Asti is a light, bright red from the Alessandria region, midway between Turin and Genoa. The grignolino grape - one of Italy's many heritage varieties - has a well-documented history going back to the early 18th century and in reality has probably been around for a lot longer. Here, it can be blended with up to 10% of the freisa grape, another - even older - variety.

The result is an appealing, ruby-coloured cousin to the French 'Clairet' - the wine originally made in the Bordeaux region in medieval times and the source of the word 'claret'. Clairet's still made in small quantities in Bordeaux, produced from the same grapes - generally a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc - that go into 'regular' claret and it's marketed as a full-bodied rose, rather than a light red. It's in this key area I think the Italians are missing a trick.

Grignolino d'Asti's sold in Italy as a red wine. Follow the recommendations on the label and drink it at room temperature and you'll find it pleasant but unremarkable. Dry, with strong scents of summer red fruit. But give it a morning in the refrigerator before serving it up with lunch and suddenly, it's sensational. An explosion of strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants, the dryness slightly softened and with a pleasingly long finish.

If you don't normally like rose - or just want a fuller-bodied summer alternative to chilled white - hunt this down and give it a try. It'll make a great aperitif wine for drinking on its own and will go perfectly too with the food you'd generally accompany with white. And if you're treating this as a rose, get the youngest bottle you can find.

At A Glance…

• This week's featured wine: Grignolino d'Asti 'Miniato'
• Vintage: 2007
• Producer: Gruppo Coltivo
• Designation: DOC
• Grape: Grignolino and Freisa blend
• Strength: 12%
• Closure: Cork
• This bottle cost: €4.18

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: Ever wondered if a bottle of red wine costing €1 can really be any good ? Now's the time to settle the arguments. Discover whether it's an Everyday Italian Wine to avoid at all costs - or one to enjoy on your Villasfor2 Abruzzo holiday  !

Abruzzo holiday, Everyday Italian Wine, grignolino d asti, Villasfor2

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 28th, 2008 at 1:03 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.