This is another interesting offering from our friends at Italian Wine Merchants. Not for the faint-hearted (or light-walleted), this one set us back $54.
EXPERIENCE
The cork has massive amounts of spice (the aromatic kind, not the hot kind), full of clove and earth tones. The wine shares the same aroma and the taste comes through when you swallow. There is an even texture through till the very end, with a slightly bitter finish. The wine is complex, with overtones of clove and undertones of the wooden casks that it is aged in. It softens slightly when opening up, and is much less dramatic when paired with food. Very enjoyable with pasta.
VERDICT
SHELL OUT for this wine if you want a really unique experience. This is the type of wine that you can sit and think about every time you take a drink. You just can't seem to pinpoint all of the flavors, particularly spices, that pop out at you. A few words of advice, drink this with a clear head and some time for contemplation!
FACTS
Peter Sölva & Söhne is located in the Alto Adige region in Northern Italy, specifically in the village of Kaltern. Their Amistar Rosso (IGT) is made mainly from Lagrein, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, with small portions of Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot. The wine is 100% aged in wooden casks.
6 comments:
What's your take on letting wines 'breath'? And what's your preferred method?
In France they often talk about letting it breath in the glass; in California, some wineries suggest a fixed time in the bottle.
And whichever method you use, how would you describe its effect on the wine?
BTW, this Amistar Rosso sounds good, might have to try it.
I like to let a wine "breath" to see the changes that it can go through. Just last night I tried a wine that I didn't finish the night before and noticed a big difference. I was pleased in the change. Sometimes, however, I wished that I wouldn't have let a certain wine breath. As always, it depends on the wine.
I have found that in just letting the wine breath in the glass really doesn't allow the wine to truly open. How often does one pour a glass and then walk away? Never, at least I don't. I usually try to decant each wine, just half the bottle though. This way if the results are less than pleasing there is still some left in the bottle.
I currently own 2 different decanters, one that is more bottle shaped and one that is very wide at the bottom. I have yet to figure out which one is "better." Although, the bottle shaped one I tend to use with a wine that is light to medium bodied and the wider one with a fuller body wine. I have found that opening a lighter bodied wine brings out the dominant elements and with a fuller bodied wine there tends to be more of a change with the undertones. With older wines as well, I'll decant to separate it from the sediment.
alright you two! its breathE not breath
Nice catch Annie... Managing Editor indeed.
I wish I knew how to edit comments. I guess you can't. That would be to totalitarian.
Doh! Good one Annie for catching that disappearing 'e'... err, pity you missed the apostrophe 's' in the possessive it's though. ;)
In the UK, 'wide-bottomed' decanters are more often used for Port. I tend not to decant, but to let it breathe in the bottle... when poured I then swirl the glass some. Thanks for the info tho'.
Thank you Annie and New York Brit for catching spelling errors. Inevitably, I will type another.
I am very interested in the use of wide-bottom decanters for port and also decanting port altogether. This is the first I have heard of this. I imagine it's similar to why one would want to decant a medium to full bodied red wine.
ps. I am a fan of the 10-year tawny.
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