Every month, David Brenner of Villasfor2 in Abruzzo selects a 'Special Italian Wine' for you to drink and enjoy at home – or on your Abruzzo vacation !

Barbaresco. DOCG. 2005. Terredavino

Last month we discussed whether a wine-maker (however good) could transform any grape (however humble) into a great bottle of wine. Or, to be more specific, could the undeniably-skilled Silvio Jermann produce a wine from Pinot Grigio grapes that was good enough to justify a price tag more usually seen on a bottle of decent Chablis ?

'No', I suggested. Cue lively debate.

But no such arguments this month about silk purses and sows' ears. Here's an entry-level Barbaresco DOCG, (and 'entry-level' in this instance in the same sense as a Boxster is an 'entry-level' Porsche), from a good year – and for about 20% less than you'd pay for Jermann's IGT Pinot-G.

No scrabbling around for lyrical descriptions are needed, because this is a wine that leaps from the glass and grabs you warmly by the throat. It's heady, rich, powerful, spicy and savoury.

It tastes and smells of wine, which is actually something of a rarity in these fruit-driven times, and the whole package is all the more beguiling as the first impression conveyed by its pale garnet colour is a wine that's maybe just a little underdeveloped and…well…puny.

The reality is discovering that the mild-mannered, bespectacled newspaper reporter next door is actually faster than a speeding bullet and can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

It's a real pleasure to taste such a well-made wine. Nebbiolo grapes from the comune of Barbaresco and Treiso at the very heart of the original production area; aged for a year in wood and then given a further year in bottle before release; and capable of improving for a good ten years more.

This is so much more than just another generic varietal, as it provides a genuine (and hefty) glimpse – and at a bargain price – of the greatness that Nebbiolo can achieve.

It'll drink like a dream with pretty much any red meat dish you like – the more savoury the better. Pan-fried calves liver, pink in the middle, with a crispy rasher or two of smoked streaky bacon and a generous dab of freshly-made English mustard would be just about as perfect a partner for this wine as you could wish.

At A Glance…

• This month's featured wine: Barbaresco
• Vintage: 2005
• Designation: DOCG
• Grape: 100% Nebbiolo
• Strength: 13.5%
• Closure: Cork
• Producer: Terredavino
• Website: www.terredavino.it
• This bottle cost: €10.75

Next Month…

Sangiovese is of course the grape of Chianti – and also another superlative offering from Tuscany in the shape of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. We'll be opening a bottle of the excellent 1998 vintage, which should be just about at its peak. A wine you'll really enjoy drinking at home – or on your Abruzzo vacation !

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Eating and Drinking, Special Italian Wine, 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.