For a number of years I’ve been telling whoever cared or would listen about the huge growth in wine sales in the United States.

Just today I saw an Associated Press news story about U.S. wine sales and how we’re soon to pass Italy as the leader in worldwide wine consumption.

It’s worth a read. I found the story on my favorite news site, msnbc.com – you can read the story here.

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I’ve been drinking Santa Cristina Sangiovese for a number of years. It never fails to disappoint. And it is a mass-produced wine.

The wine is made by the Antinori family from Florence, Italy. The family has made wine for 26 generations. No, that’s not a typo. I knew they were one of Italy’s oldest wine producers but didn’t realize the family history dated back that far until I did some research. There are several interesting videos about the family on YouTube. Start with this short video and you’ll see more in the related video windows.

They make 300,000 to 400,000 cases of Santa Cristina every year which normally scares me away. But I’ve never had a bad bottle. They first produced this wine in the 1940s but have made a few changes through the years. Perhaps the biggest of those changes came in 1994 when they added 10 percent Merlot to the Sangiovese. It softened the wine. The glass I had Saturday night had hints of cherry and herb. It’s medium bodied with a moderately smooth finish. Still, there is enough heft to this wine and some acidity to hold up nicely to food.

The wine “experts” generally tend to praise this consistent Italian gem. And the best part is the price point. You will find it in wine shops and the big discount stores with wine selections in the $9-$12 range.

If you have not moved beyond the Lambrusco, this is a good introduction to better wine. If you’re a regular wine drinker, you’ll be surprised at the structure of this inexpensive bottle.

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Early on, if you’re a serious wine drinker, you learn not to buy wines with cute bottles, cute names, or some gimmick. I’ve lived by that rule. But every now and then, the marketers get me.

Saturday I bought a bottle of Missing Link Zinfandel. It was under $10 and very clever.

The back of the bottle reads as follows:

“You’ve evolved as a wine drinker. You’re past monkeying around with entry level wines, but you’re not about to ape over those insanely expensive “cult” wines either. Well, stand up straight and stop dragging those nuckles …”

You get the idea. I opened it tonight and it smelled funny, but not like it had gone bad. The taste was thin … and weird. Good Zin has a big fruit forward blast and a peppery finish. Even thin zin has some of the same characteristics. This had none of those things. It was sorta bad, but not awful – I drank some and poured the rest out – probably a couple of glasses.

The wine was a 2007 from the Lodi area in California.

So remember the rules – avoid the gimmicky wines! No cats, dogs, poetry, nor movie stars, weird shaped bottles or catchy names. Clearly some of these wineries spend more on marketing and packaging than they do the wine!

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A quick note to regular visitors to Grape Sense – A Glass Half Full.

I’m really getting into this and decided my columns and periodic musings need some order. I have created a separate blog (see Grape Sense in left column) for just the newspaper columns. I will use this space to write about the wines I’m drinking and my wine ruminations.

Grape Sense will be just the newspaper column. That helps me out when introducing the column to new newspapers. And if you missed one earlier, they should be much easier to browse through now!

It was exciting for me to know Seymour and Terre Haute started the column last week. It was even more exciting to get an email from a distant relative of the Bogle family still living in Jackson county. Bogle makes a decent supermarket brand.

I was thrilled to get three emails from the Terre Haute region. One reader wanted some Indiana winery advice and the other some wine suggestions. The third was a “wine guy” for Beasler’s Market which has a nice wine and beer selection. I exchanged a couple of e-mails with a great guy who helps manage their wine selection. I plan on making a Saturday visit soon.

But I do appreciate the feedback. Keep the email coming! And, (a plug) if the newspaper column is running in your community let the editor know you appreciate it!

Thanks – Howard

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For most wine lovers like me, it’s all about a great wine at a great price!

I opened a bottle of Chianti Classico Friday night that really fits that bill. Brancaia Chianti Classico (2003) was one of nicest inexpensive Italian wines I’ve opened in awhile.

Hats off to the folks at Cork and Cracker in Indianapolis who recommended this super value wine at $14.99.

This is 100 percent Sangiovese that is silky smooth that was aged 18 months in French Oak. What I like about it is how it held up to food. Many of the Chianti’s are fruity and easy to drink, but disappear when paired with food of strong flavor.

This wine was very smooth on the palate with enough punch on the back side with smooth tannins and the French Oak aging to hold its own.

A bit of education here. There is Chianti and Chianti Classico. Remember that Italian and French wines are named by the region. It’s pretty simple, Chianti is a major Italian wine area based largely on the Sangiovese grape. Classico is an area within the Chianti region.

This was a super bottle of wine for the price. I made some kicked up pasta and it paired up perfectly.

This is not a mass produced wine either, just 4,500 cases. And, it got an 88 from Wine Spectator. If you’re near Cork and Cracker, by the old Glendale Mall in Indy, stop in and pick up a bottle. I’m sure you’d see it elsewhere too.

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I take my wine seriously and want to learn more. So today I bought a couple of bottles of sparkling wine.

Last week I felt like I needed to write my newspaper column about bubbly since New Year’s Eve was approaching. But I had to do it based on research and virtually zero personal experience. Frankly, I can’t remember the last time I even tasted champagne or sparkling wine. It’s been a long time.

So I wrote the column, which I’ll post to the blog next week. And today I picked up a couple of bottles of sparking wine to get a better feel for those wines.

The wine I opened tonight – New Year’s Eve – was a Spanish “A. Duboy” sparkling white wine. I could find very little about the Spanish winery but I did enjoy it more than I thought I would. I ‘m not a big white wine fan, though there are whites I like.

This bubbly was pretty easy to drink. The bubbles were rather modest. Anyone who has ever had a champagne-like product may have had the bubbles in the nose sort of feel and this wine had nothing like that. I would describe the Duboy by saying the bubbles were restrained.

The wine was aromatic and had a definite hint of grapefruilt for me. It was easy to drink. I struggled to form a real opinion about it but I’m sure as I open the next bottle or the next I’ll then start to build a base for what I like. It was okay, enjoyable, the bubbles were fun and it was easy to drink.

I paid $15.95 for this bottle at Deano’s Vino in Fountian Square in Indianapolis, though I did find it a little cheaper online.

I also picked up a bottle of sparkling Pinot Noir from Spain today I’ll try another time. I’m headed back to Indy Saturday and may buy another.

Yes, New Year’s Eve is the big time for sparkling or bubbly wines. But they are also popular for summer weddings and special occasions throughout the year. I want to know more about such wines. The only way to do it is to drink some!

Happy 2009!!

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I bought some sparkling wine today and going to open one tonight – New Year’s Eve. I’ll do a post later (typos included) or write it up tomorrow. It’s a sparkler from Spain!

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One of the fears of doling out advice as I do in my every-other-week newspaper column is a sense of responsibility. I really have this desire to help people enjoy better wine.

So when I suggest a particular wine or a particular grape, I do try to consider it carefully.

There aren’t many folks who haven’t had some sort of red italian wine with some pasta – even if you’re not a wine drinker. Many of us, me included, started with Riunite Lambrusco from the grocery store. Riunite got me started drinking wine. And if it wasn’t that for you, it was probably white zinfindal. The path to wine appreciation starts with very humble origins indeed.

Lambrusco dates back to Roman times in Italy. It’s an old and noble grape that today is best known for it’s cheap supermarket product, though it can be used – and is – to make other wines.

But we are all more serious about our wines now, right; so we are looking for something a bit more sophisticated. I’d recommend a Dolcetto wine. This evening I opened a nice bottle of Dolcetto D’ Alba and enjoyed it with some dynamite pasta.

The wine was a 2005 from the San Guilio region. San Guilio is an island in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. This particular wine, (I couldn’t find a picture of the label) was a very nice, easy to drink, and enjoyable. Dolcetto means “little sweet one,” but the wine is a dry wine that goes great with pasta, pizza, or similar foods.

It is easy to drink and that’s the key. Italian wines can be big, bold, acidic and challenging for the average wine drinker. That’s why I think a Dolcetto D’ Alba is a great introduction to Italian wines.

The wines also fall easily into the category of under $20. You can find them in almost any wine store. Good ones are often no more than $9-$12. So here is a case where I’m recommending a grape. It will get you into the wonderful Old World style wines of Italy.

Graduation ceremonies include Barolos and Brunellos! I’ll write about those one of these days too! I wish they came in under $20 but those are much bigger and much more expensive bottles of juice!

And since this blog is supposed to complement my wine newspaper column, I should throw in a quick explanation. Note I didn’t offer the name of the particular bottle I had this evening. It’s not important. When I write about old world wines, it’s largely about Europe. And with France and Italy, in particular, wines are known for the region and much less the name of the producer.

So with that next pasta dish, try a Dolcetto D’ Alba. They’re easy to find. I think you’ll like it.

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Howard Hewitt
Crawfordsville, Indiana

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More on Malbec. Is there a theme?

I opened a bottle of 2007 Zuccardi Malbec tonight that was really an interesting wine. Now, what do I mean by interesting? I tend to use that a lot.

To me ‘interesting’ is a good thing. Interesting means there are things going on when you get a mouthful of this purple-black wine. An interesting wine requires you to slow down, think bout the wine as you drink it, and see how it changes over the course of a class or two.

This Mendoza region malbec wasn’t as smooth as some of the more recent ones I’ve written about here, but it had some complexity.

Now a confession, I’m not real good at the “nose of currant, hint of mint” sort of things you read in wine publications and in wine shops. But, I keep working at it. I check out the nose and taste the wine and try to identify some things then look at the notes on the bottle to see if I’m even close to what the winemaker wrote.

I’m getting better. This wine wasn’t as fruity to me as some Malbecs but it was fairly bold. I thought of blackberries and maybe even the earthy flavor of good chocolate. Imagine my surprise when a little research suggested hints of blackberry, raspberry, currant and chocolate. I’ll take getting close.

I’ve known a couple of people who talk about ‘chewy’ wines – big flavors, a good balance of tannins and acidity – chewy! I’m not sure I still fully understand that description, but if I do – I’d suggest the Zuccardi is chewy!

My first instinct is this might be a better wine next year. It is a 2007 so its a very young wine.

I might not suggest it as your first Malbec. But it pairs up nice with food, partly because of the bigger flavor. I had it with chili and it was quite good.

I bought this bottle at Cork-N-Cracker in Indianapolis for $13.95 … a good price based on researching the wine.

So bottom line, if you see Zuccardi in a wine shop and you like Malbecs, this would be one to pick up and try!

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