It was a pretty crappy Monday. I was cranky. I had to start right in on a work project as soon as I got home from work. Meanwhile, JPH had planned, sourced and started cooking dinner while I sat at my computer being annoyed. After 45 minutes, I went downstairs to see what was up. While shopping for wine, JPH & S found a cool bottle of
Nero D'avola. It doesn't have a cork, it has a neat
Vino Lok. Point one for elegance. It is an IGT single varietal from Sicily, point two. JPH stirred as he listened to me recount my miserable day as I swirled my wineglass absent mindedly taking sips. I drank the wine, but I didn't taste it. I even half halfheartedly took pictures. He rightly restyled, and we got the picture on the right. I still didn't like the wine. I thought it was acid, like my mood. Which just goes to show how taste really is subjective. JPH called it "Good Italian Table Plonk" which is praise, meaning that it is a good everyday dinner wine.
We tag teamed dinner and I finished the cooking and plating the Penne Strascicate alla Lucchese from
Bugialli on Pasta while JPH went to get S. from the train. I still half heatedly sipped as I stirred, then remembered to run it through the vinturi. When they got home, JPH asked me about the flavor profile, all I could say was it is too acid. He corrected me, and said, "It has that peppery finish" hmmm, I started to understand what he was saying. Then S piped up for the table "It's Sicilian!!!" - Wow, she is right, it is a great representation of a rustic Sicilian wine, and the bottle is cool! JPH said "we're not throwing this one out". He's right. We can use the empty bottle with the glass stopper for all sorts of things. I was happy to have people who love wine and didn't have tainted palates in the kitchen tonight.
As it stands, this is a rustic wine with cranberry/cherry highlights. A dark coffee middle and a slightly sour and peppery finish. It is tart and fruity and not a drink that you will drink big gulps of, but I think that with food, it adds an interesting highlight that is missing in a majority of lower priced wines. This isn't a mellow wine at all. It is what it is, rustic, medium bodied and flavorful. It reminds me of the
Tempranillo that I love so much. I just didn't give it a chance.
I was so ready to trash this wine and give it one star and a scathing review, and then I realized that I was wrong. I was in a one star mood and anything would have been found wanting. For now, I am giving it a solid two stars with a bump to three, pending a retasting tomorrow night. My mood should be better, we're seeing Harry Potter.
On a final note... have you seen what Barbie has been up to lately? The Christmas catalogues have started arriving in the mail, and let's just say Barbie isn't just for little girls anymore.... My Barbies never looked like THAT, and my guess is that this Barbie would really enjoy a rustic Sicilian ; )
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