Tasting - Masseria Pertuso Avelium White Blend

 

This wine is the 2019 Masseria Pertuso Avelium from Puglia, Italy and it was $9. It is a white blend of 90% Bambino Bianco and 10% Chardonnay. 

Online tasting notes say "Avelium 2019 has appealing apples and pear drop aromas and a fresh crisp palate." Wine folly does not have a page for Bambino Bianco, but describes chardonnay as medium body and acidity, no tannins, dry, with notes of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter.

From my tasting, I found it had a pale yellow color and had aromas of pear, green apple, and floral notes especially honeysuckle. Upon tasting, it was smooth, dry, acidic, rounded, and full bodied. 

Wine Dinner #3

 For this dinner, we started with an appetizer of feta yogurt and strawberry balsamic reduction on sourdough crostinis paired with Simonet Rose Sparkling Wine. The sparkling wine was a pale copper color and was $12. It had aromas of strawberry and cidery apple. The taste was very light and crisp. It was off dry, tart, and had light tannins and acidity. With the feta and strawberry, it was a fairly nice pairing. This crispness of the wine cut the sweetness of the strawberry, and the creaminess of the feta contrasted nicely with the light, crisp wine.

Next was a Digorno three-meat pizza paired with a Castelvecchio Piedmonte Rosso which was $8. The wine was a blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. It had a medium ruby color and had aromas of black cherry, blackberry, nuttiness, and baking spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It tasted very smooth, with a medium body and slight tannins. It was very fruit forward and balanced, and easy drink. With the pizza, it was a very neutral pairing, not much added or lost. If anything there was a bit more acidity when tasting with the pizza, but the wine was so smooth I barely noticed. 

For dessert, we had homemade chocolate chip cannolis with a Geyser Peak Chardonnay which was $29. The wine was a stunning golden yellow and smelled very tropical, lots of mango, pineapple, and guava coming through. Upon tasting, it was silky smooth with the tropical fruitiness making the wine sweet, but not overpowering. It had a fully body, no tannins and medium acidity. With the cannoli, it removed most if not all acidity from the wine, and made it a bit sweeter as well. The chocolate with the tropical fruit was a beautiful flavor combination. Best pairing of the night in my opinion. 

Tasting - Luna di Luna

 

This is the Luna di Luna Red Blend from 2020. It was $7 and has a 12% abv. It is a blend of 10% Merlot and 90% Cabernet Sauvignon from Veneto, Italy. Tasting notes from tastings.com describe it as "Dusty ruby color. Aromas of diced bell pepper, cherry jam, and moss with a satiny, crisp, dry-yet-fruity light body and a silky, brisk juicy plum and toast finish with light oak flavor. A juicy Italian red that will easily pair with weeknight meals."

Wine folly describes cabernet sauvignon as full bodied, dry, medium-high tannins, medium acidity, with notes of black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. Wine folly describes merlot as medium-full bodied, bone-dry, medium-high tannins, medium acidity, with notes of cherry, plum, chocolate, bay leaf, and vanilla.

From my tasting, I found it to have a dark ruby red color. It had aromas of cherry, baking spices, and even licorice. Upon tasting, I found it to be dry with medium body and medium tannins, but a bit higher on the acidity than expected. It was very fruit forward, but also earthy with some notes of leather and spices. I also tried this wine with feta-stuffed olives, which made the wine very smooth and mellow.