My wife and I recently tasted four wines from Etruscan Imports in Greensboro. This local distributor brings in wines from Italy and Romania. Needless to say, Romanian wines have not been part of my repertoire in the past! These wines are available in a few Italian restaurants- Osteria (1310 Westover Terrace, Greensboro 27408, 336-275-2550) for example- and in wine shops. Zeto (335 Battleground Ave, Greensboro, (336) 574-2850) usually has them in stock.
When shopping Italian wines, look for the abbreviations IGT, DOC, or DOCG. These certify that the winery has voluntarily adopted strict production standards.
We started with a white blend, De Stefani Olmera (IGT), vintage 2017, made from sauvignon blanc (37%) and tai (67%). The term “tai” is an Italian variation on Tokaj, the famous Hungarian white varietal. This wine comes from Veneto, the northeastern corner of Italy, a region that is famous for the city of Venice, on the coast. It has just a touch of sweetness from the tai.
A Brunello di Montalcino, Beatesca Azienda Agricola from Tuscany (DOCG) was next. This is aged in French oak barrels for two years, then in the bottle for an additional two years before release. It bears classic cherry and tobacco notes from pure Sangiovese grapes. The vintage we tasted was 2013.
Bolgheri Ville Rustiche Bolgheri (DOCG), also from Tuscany, is a Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (20%), and Petit Verdot (10%), vintage 2016. We tend to find blends easy to enjoy. It shows dark color, with a complex nose of black berries, spices and cedar. Rich and dense, it’s a big wine that would match well with red meats.
The Romanian entry was Melgis Petro Vaselo Recas (DOC). Intense ruby red in color, the nose opens on notes of dark spices enriched by ripe raspberries and blackberries, followed by important hints of cocoa and licorice. This is an easy-drinking, fruit forward wine, which, although fairly inexpensive, has become one of our favorites.
These wines are good, but more than that, they are distinctive. Fine for tasting by themselves, but especially food friendly.
