Tag Archives: Famiglia Meschini

White Wine of the Week | White Wine Reviews

Famiglia Meschini Premium Unoaked Chardonnay

Cost: Average price $12

Where buy now: Sorella Wines, Zipp’s Liquors, South Lyndale Wines

Grapes: Chardonnay

Region: Argentina

Vintage: 2011

Famiglia Meschini Unoaked Chardonnay

The sun is shining once again in our neck of the woods. The veil of clouds, snow, snow-rain mix, sleet and other unwanted precipitation seems to have given way to the golden green of Spring.

My once dark, dead eyes have now opened up, and to what? To Unoaked Chardonnay.

For regular readers of The Savvy Lush, it should be no surprise that I’m shouting the praises, once again, for a Famiglia Meschini creation. Read one that gives a little Meschini history: http://bit.ly/15vRaQd/Famiglia Meschini This wine is 100% Chardonnay that doesn’t touch a lick of oak. Therefore, the buttery, syrupy pear tastes Chardonnay is often associated with are not what you’ll find. Instead, you’ll experience a brighter Chardonnay; one that expresses itself with crisper and more tropical fruit notes. It’s not tart but has snappy acidity that balances out the tropical fruit and light citrus tastes.

I couldn’t have chosen a better wine to inaugurate this beautiful weather we’ve so longed for. Unoaked Chardonnay is a must have at any warm weather social occasion. It will have your white wine drinkers happy and it’ll surprise the hell out of those exclaiming, “I don’t care for Chardonnay.” Win-win

If you love Chardonnay, and are willing to try a twist on the theme, pick this up. If you love Sauvignon Blanc, Soave, Pinot Grigio; pick this up. Plus, at around $10 – this could quickly move straight into your weekly wine night rotation. (PS – it’s on sale at Zipp’s right now!)

Salud!

Snob Wine of the Month | Wine Reviews

Fattoria Colmone della Marca Bianco del Moro

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Cost: Average price $19

Where buy now: Zipp’s Liquors, South Lyndale

Grapes: Sangiovese

Region: Le Marche, Italy

Vintage: 2010

Fattoria Colmone della Marca Bianco del Moro

Get this: a white wine made of 100% Sangiovese grapes. It’s truly unlike any other wine I’ve ever had -in all the best ways- a white wine in a red wine’s body.  

What? Did I just blow your mind?

I found out about Fattoria Colmone della Marca due to their familial connection with Famiglia Meschini, whom I’ve sung their praises in past reviews. It just so happens Eugenio Meschini’s cousin, Giovanni, who resides in Italy, not only makes great wine, but also helps run a five star restaurant, Ristorante A Piero! One, a wine maker in Argentina, the other a wine maker/gourmet restauranteur in Italy! Can I marry into this family, already?

One gorgeous Summer evening I had the pleasure of meeting Giovanni whilst tasting his wines. We chatted about food and wine in a mixture of his Italian and broken English and my English and broken Italian. “I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night and still have asked for more.”- the in/famous song from My Fair Lady swam in my head.

Amanda, Giovanni & me

I enjoyed all his wines, but this, this was special- I needed to write about it toot sweet.

So we all know grape juice is clear. (Well, if “we” don’t, now you do.) It’s only the contact of the juice with skins of red, purple and black grapes that give red and rose wines their hue. For this wine, the juice is extracted from Sangiovese grapes, hardly exposed to the skins, resulting in a clear white wine culled from a red grape.

FC’s Bianco del Moro has floral and apple notes. It’s acidic and fresh but has a smoother and creamier body than you’d expect. This is a great year-round white wine. In the Summer, it will taste great with grilled fish, seafood, chicken and green or pasta salads. In the Winter, it tastes amazing with a mixed green salad of romaine, arugula, herbs and gorgonzola cheese. In fact, I’m not sure what happened in my mouth, but I swear the combination of gorgonzola cheese and this wine tasted a bit like red sauce [aka my people’s gravy]. I know you probably think I’m stretching here. Truly, I couldn’t stop eating bite after bite of gorgonzolistic salad washing each morsel down with a sip of this wine. Repeatedly. Over and over. Could…not…stop.

This wine is so very fun, delicious and versatile. You must try it. While it may confuse at first, it will please white and red wine drinkers alike. Yes, this white in a red’s body- akin to a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or perhaps a transgender wine. [Can you really say “transgender” wine? I guess I just did!] Enjoy this:

Red Wine of the Week | Red Wine Reviews

Famiglia Meschini Carmenere

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Cost: Average price $14

Where buy now: Zipp’s Liquors, South Lyndale Liquors, Swirl My Wine, France 44, Apple Valley Liquor, Century Wines and Spirits, Tonka Bottle, The Wine Shop, Liquor Barrel Golden Valley, Richfield Liquor Store No. 1

Grapes: 90% Carmenere, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Colchagua Valley, Chile

Vintage: 2010

Famiglia Meschini Carmenere adorned with dribbled wine stain

I waxed poetic about Famiglia Meschini’s Pinot Noir last week. Now, let’s get a little dirtier, wait, I mean “earthier” and drink some Carmenere. I first tried this wine at the now defunct Babalu Restaurant [now Bar La Grassa]. I really liked it. Since then, I haven’t been wowed by Carmenere. It always seemed to be too high in alcohol with harshly gritty spice. Would I ever find a good Carmenere for under $20 that didn’t taste of cheap vodka and mudpie?

The FM Carmenere hails from Colchagua Valley, about 500 ft above sea level, in the Central Valley. This valley is where most of the award winning Chilean wines are coming from. Vines grow in a mix of soil, sand and granite. The typical hot daylight temperatures are yielding full bodied reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah and Carmenere.

I fell in love with this wine upon first sip. What makes this Carmenere stand out is the 10% Cabernet, which for my palate, balances the wine. It’s medium bodied with dark, smokey fruit flavors, followed by chocolate undertones and fresh cracked pepper- all of which scream “FALL WINE”! The tasting notes state the wine is aged in American oak that is 50% new and 50% used. The newer oak helps give wine that smoky, toasty flavor. If this is something you enjoy, start looking for labels that say “aged in new oak”. Clever.

I’m deeming this my Autumnal wine. (One cannot say that word enough, IMHO!) As the days continue to shorten and the cooler breezes start to invade, this wine will become your best friend. Grill up flank steak and make tacos- this Carmenere would pair beautifully.  Then, keep that fire stoked- s’mores with dark chocolate would be sooo stupid good with this wine. Or, simply pour a big ol’ glass, snuggle up in a blanket with your dog/cat/child/”Rabbit” (ahem), and sip as you watch the leaves gently fall to the ground. You know how I’ll be spending my Autumnal (yes!) weekends.

If you’re interested in sampling this wine (and other Savvy faves), you’re in luck! I’ll be at Zipp’s Liquors on Sat., Sept. 15 from 4-7pm. C’mon down to say hello (and/or “Autumnal”), and meet their wine buyer, Jeff. This is a great, easy-going environment to sip, sample and hang. Should you want to buy a bottle or two (or nine), you’re in luck: Zipp’s will have special sale prices during the tasting!