Italian Value Wines — Deep Value Wines — for Thanksgiving from Bolla
Thanksgiving on a budget? Six wines from Bolla arrived for our consideration for a spot on your Thanksgiving table, including one infamous classic. Thoughts (and a special video) follow.
NV Maschio Prosecco Brut – Surprisingly bland for Prosecco, very light fruit on the nose, and lesser fruit character on the body — predominantly sour apple, with a touch of bitter lemon. C+ / $13
2010 Banfi Chianti Superiore – Unchallenging Chianti, with lots of cherry and ample cranberry juice character. Modest and tart finish. Drinkable, looks fancier than it is. B / $11
2011 Fontana Candida Frascati Superiore – Simplistic, with big lemon/lime character and lots of acid. Some floral notes add a touch of complexity, but the slightly sour finish is a little off-putting at times. B / $10
2011 Bolla Soave Classico – Another simple wine. Harmless and fresh. Imagine a Sauvignon Blanc with most of the fruit stripped out, leaving behind just a fresh wine with plenty of acid. B+ / $10
2011 Bolla Valpolicella – Ample spicy black cherry, but with a rough and heavily alcoholic finish. OK with flavorful food that can stand up to it, difficult solo. C+ / $9
NV Riunite Lambrusco – The world’s top imported wine for nearly 30 years, Riunite is still around, people. The Lambrusco grape doesn’t get much play these days (though Riunite is actually a blend), and in this lightly sparkling wine it comes through with a heavy nose of barnyard and mushroom. The fizz on the palate is an instant shocker, countering the earth tones with moderately heavy sweetness. I even tried it “on ice” as was intended in the ’70s. It does help, I admit. D- / $5
2010 Banfi Chianti Superiore
$11
