Thread: silly queston: Italian wines?

On 10/25/10 6:11 PM, Ciuk wrote:
> Hi all!
> I'm invited to a dinner (the hosts are from US) and I'd like to bring a
> couple of italian bottles.
> What are the most known italian wine in the US? I mean like barolo,
> chianti, merlot etc.

Chianti would be the best known (for all the wrong reasons). After
that, it would most likely be Pinot Grigio and Asti Spumante, again for
all the wrong reasons ;-)

Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello are all well known among wine lovers in
the US, along with the big name "Super Tuscans."

Good luck!
Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On 26/10/2010 0:24, Mark Lipton wrote:
> On 10/25/10 6:11 PM, Ciuk wrote:
>> Hi all!
>> I'm invited to a dinner (the hosts are from US) and I'd like to bring a
>> couple of italian bottles.
>> What are the most known italian wine in the US? I mean like barolo,
>> chianti, merlot etc.
>
> Chianti would be the best known (for all the wrong reasons). After
> that, it would most likely be Pinot Grigio and Asti Spumante, again for
> all the wrong reasons ;-)
>
> Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello are all well known among wine lovers in
> the US, along with the big name "Super Tuscans."

That sums it up perfectly.

Mark, why the infatuation in the US with Pinot Grigio? Italian PG is
about as light a white as you can get, is that what makes it appealing,
that is it so un-winelike? :-)

--
Mike Tommasi - Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail

"Mike Tommasi" wrote in message >

> On 26/10/2010 0:24, Mark Lipton wrote:
> Mark, why the infatuation in the US with Pinot Grigio? Italian PG is about
> as light a white as you can get, is that what makes it appealing, that is
> it so un-winelike? :-)


Hi Mike - I could not agree more - I just don't get Italian PiGrig!!!

Give me Alsace - or (with my antipodean bias showing) a decent NZ PG - with
body and earth and pears!

Life is too short to drink lolly water masquerading as wine!

AB

On 26/10/2010 10:32, st.helier wrote:
> "Mike Tommasi" wrote in message >
>
>> On 26/10/2010 0:24, Mark Lipton wrote:
>> Mark, why the infatuation in the US with Pinot Grigio? Italian PG is
>> about as light a white as you can get, is that what makes it
>> appealing, that is it so un-winelike? :-)
>
>
> Hi Mike - I could not agree more - I just don't get Italian PiGrig!!!
>
> Give me Alsace - or (with my antipodean bias showing) a decent NZ PG -
> with body and earth and pears!
>
> Life is too short to drink lolly water masquerading as wine!

Rated PG. Even Grauburgunder from the german SW is a far better bet than
Friuli toPinoGrigio.

Well, I knew that would get you back onto AFW !!! How's springtime in NZ
m-lawd?



--
Mike Tommasi - Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail

"Mike Tommasi" <[email protected]> skrev i melding
news:[email protected]..
>
> Mark, why the infatuation in the US with Pinot Grigio? Italian PG is about
> as light a white as you can get, is that what makes it appealing, that is
> it so un-winelike? :-)
>
Ah, but I fondly remember Tocai from Friuli - simple but real nice - how is
it faring now as the Hungarians deny it the name?

Anders

On 26/10/2010 11:20, Anders Tørneskog wrote:
> "Mike Tommasi"<[email protected]> skrev i melding
> news:[email protected]..
>>
>> Mark, why the infatuation in the US with Pinot Grigio? Italian PG is about
>> as light a white as you can get, is that what makes it appealing, that is
>> it so un-winelike? :-)
>>
> Ah, but I fondly remember Tocai from Friuli - simple but real nice - how is
> it faring now as the Hungarians deny it the name?

Not sure. In neighbouring Slovenia I believe they still call it Tocaj,
pronouncing it toh-chai with a soft c, apparently it means "local", much
as "vernaccia" 's etymology (vernacular...). Not sure how they get away
with it. Someone told me that they are supposed to use Sauvignonasse as
a name.


--
Mike Tommasi - Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail

On Oct 26, 1:45*am, Mike Tommasi <nob...@tommasi.org> wrote:
> On 26/10/2010 0:24, Mark Lipton wrote:
>
> > On 10/25/10 6:11 PM, Ciuk wrote:
> >> Hi all!
> >> I'm invited to a dinner (the hosts are from US) and I'd like to bring a
> >> couple of italian bottles.
> >> What are the most known italian wine in the US? I mean like barolo,
> >> chianti, merlot etc.
>
> > Chianti would be the best known (for all the wrong reasons). *After
> > that, it would most likely be Pinot Grigio and Asti Spumante, again for
> > all the wrong reasons ;-)
>
> > Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello are all well known among wine lovers in
> > the US, along with the big name "Super Tuscans."
>
> That sums it up perfectly.
>
> Mark, why the infatuation in the US with Pinot Grigio? Italian PG is
> about as light a white as you can get, is that what makes it appealing,
> that is it so un-winelike? :-)
>
> --
> Mike Tommasi - Six Fours, France
> email linkhttp://www.tommasi.org/mymail

Terlato spends a ton of money marketing their Santa Margherita brand
of pinot grigio. It's easy for people to pronounce and it sounds
Italian and sophisticated. It has no flavors that need any
specialized thought process to understand, fruity, slightly sweet and
floral. One of the women on one of the American TV "Houswives"
franchise drinks it constantly and now has her own brand. It's cheap
to make, cheap to market and people will pay far past it's actual
price value for it to drink as a cocktail and proclaim..."see, I told
you that I like good wine." Bottom line for me is...perhaps it's a
gateway wine for folks and someday they may try something a bit more
interesting like White Zin used to be.

On 10/26/10 1:45 AM, Mike Tommasi wrote:

> Mark, why the infatuation in the US with Pinot Grigio? Italian PG is
> about as light a white as you can get, is that what makes it appealing,
> that is it so un-winelike? :-)

Mike,
In part, I see it as a natural reaction to the infatuation with
Chardonnay in the US. Since CalChards are usually big, blowsy, oaky and
buttery, PG qualifies for the ABC crowd (anything but Chardonnay). The
examples from Friuli and Venezia are lean, tart and vaguely fruity and
go much better with food than many of the big Chardonnays do. New
Zealand SB also fills that bill, but PG has the additional appeal of
being Italian.

Mark Lipton


--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

"Mark Lipton" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:ia503m$td1$[email protected]..
> On 10/25/10 6:11 PM, Ciuk wrote:
>> Hi all!
>> I'm invited to a dinner (the hosts are from US) and I'd like to bring a
>> couple of italian bottles.
>> What are the most known italian wine in the US? I mean like barolo,
>> chianti, merlot etc.
>
> Chianti would be the best known (for all the wrong reasons). After
> that, it would most likely be Pinot Grigio and Asti Spumante, again for
> all the wrong reasons ;-)
>
> Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello are all well known among wine lovers in
> the US, along with the big name "Super Tuscans."

Thank you everybody!
I finally got a Chianti and a Refosco (do you know it?).
I don't agree with the majority here, I think that Pinot Grigio can be a
very good wine, depending on what you eat with it!

M.

On 26/10/2010 19:28, Ciuk wrote:
>
>
> "Mark Lipton" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
> news:ia503m$td1$[email protected]..
>> On 10/25/10 6:11 PM, Ciuk wrote:
>>> Hi all!
>>> I'm invited to a dinner (the hosts are from US) and I'd like to bring a
>>> couple of italian bottles.
>>> What are the most known italian wine in the US? I mean like barolo,
>>> chianti, merlot etc.
>>
>> Chianti would be the best known (for all the wrong reasons). After
>> that, it would most likely be Pinot Grigio and Asti Spumante, again for
>> all the wrong reasons ;-)
>>
>> Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello are all well known among wine lovers in
>> the US, along with the big name "Super Tuscans."
>
> Thank you everybody!
> I finally got a Chianti and a Refosco (do you know it?).
> I don't agree with the majority here, I think that Pinot Grigio can be a
> very good wine, depending on what you eat with it!

Well, here we would say that food can be pretty good, depending on the
wine that you drink with it.... :-)


--
Mike Tommasi - Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail

"Mike Tommasi" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]..
> On 26/10/2010 19:28, Ciuk wrote:

> Well, here we would say that food can be pretty good, depending on the
> wine that you drink with it.... :-)

That's absolutely truth, my friend!

Ciao

"Mike Tommasi" wrote ...........
>
> Rated PG. Even Grauburgunder from the german SW is a far better bet than
> Friuli toPinoGrigio.
>
> Well, I knew that would get you back onto AFW !!! How's springtime in NZ
> m-lawd?
>

I have had quite a few "memorable" wines made from this variety - from a
selection of names - Ruländer; Tokay d'Alsace; Pinot Gris etc. from several
countries.

However, I have yet to encounter one Italian Pinot Grigio which registered
even a flutter in my memory scale.

Now, I am willing to admit that, as a larger than life, non-subtle type of
character, a wine needs to kick me in the nether regions and head butt me
into submission!!!!

I don't do delicate very well - not with food nor wine (nor women ;-))) -
so, perhaps my opinion may not be mainstream.

As to springtime in the antipodes, all is well!

Earthquakes aside, mid-spring is everything this country boy could want -
fine days maxing about 22-25degrC; enough wind to push our 40 foot yacht
(or - is that a sailboat?) around the track at 10-12 knots - and glorious
evenings where the fare is scotch fillet steak (cooked rare over charcoal)
with garden fresh salad - usually accompanied by something liquid - red or
white; pink or amber; maybe flat or fizzy.

After paradigm shifts in many areas of my life, over the past couple years,
life is good!

Won't get back to Europe this year - or next spring - perhaps next autumn
(or fall - or whatever they call the season where the currency is a Euro or
Pound).

--
st.helier

Anders Tørneskog beliebte zu schreiben :

>> Mark, why the infatuation in the US with Pinot Grigio? Italian PG is
>> about as light a white as you can get, is that what makes it
>> appealing, that is it so un-winelike? :-)
>>
> Ah, but I fondly remember Tocai from Friuli - simple but real nice -
> how is it faring now as the Hungarians deny it the name?

Actually, it was always called "Tocai friulano". They simply dropped the
Tocai and call it "Friulano" and lo -- it's as nice a wine as it ever
was.

Helmut
--
Nach dera Zei'n kimmt nix mehr