Alois Lageder, Lagrein, Alto Adige (Italy) 2006, $24
Looking for something different? Here’s a mouth-filling Italian red that tastes quite distinctive. It’s unusual but not odd or off-putting, so it may be just the thing to spice up your wine-drinking routine.
It’s also a great cool-weather choice, being full on the palate but not excessively tannic, with a satisfyingly dry character.
The grape variety, native to the Alpine region of Alto-Adige, is lagrein. A specialty of the area, it produces wines that typically display a plum and dark cherry profile, with echoes of dried herbs and dark chocolate.
Though dark in color, wines made with lagrein are medium-bodied with a supple texture, and so they prove extremely food-friendly.
I would drink this wine with roast chicken or turkey, pork, all sorts of mushroom dishes and, of course, cheese.
Because an intriguing earthiness lies behind its more primary fruit flavors, dishes that display similar qualities will especially be enhanced by it. (Imported by Della Terra.)
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