Winemaker Notes
This wine makes an excellent pairing with roasted lamb, grilled tenderloin, braised ossobuco and ripe cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Montevetrano 2017 Aglianico Core (with 20,000 bottles made) reveals a dark and velvety appearance with pretty color saturation. Core is a genuine and honest wine that does a very nice job of portraying the basics of Aglianico. You get the power and structure of the fruit, as well as the grape's dark and savory aromas of blackberry, cassis and dark cherry. The wine also promises freshness and accessibility. Try this with a montanara fritta, a fried, thick mini-pizza from Naples stuffed with provolone, salami and tomato sauce.
Italian Red Wine
While picturesque hillsides, endless coastlines and a favorable climate serve to unify the grape-growing culture of this country. The apparent never-ending world of indigenous grape varieties gives Italy an unexampled charm and allure for its red wines. From the steep inclines of the Alps to the sprawling, warm, coastal plains of the south, red grape varieties thrive throughout.
The kings of Italy, wines like Barolo and Barbaresco (made of Nebbiolo), and Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino (made of Sangiovese), as well as Amarone (mostly Corvina), play center stage for the most lauded, collected and cellar-worthy reds. Less popular but entirely deserving of as much praise are the wines made from Aglianico, Sagrantino and Nerello Mascalese.
For those accustomed to drinking New World reds, the south is the place to start. Grapes like Negroamaro or Primitvo from Puglia and Nero d’Avola from Sicily make soft, ammicable, full-bodied, fruit-dominant wines. Curious palates should be on the lookout for Cannonau (Grenache), Lagrein, Teroldego, Ruché, Freisa, Cesanese, Schiopettino, Rossese and Gaglioppo to name a few.