November 14, 2005

Too Good to be True?

Amarone may be my favorite wine. Big, chewy, like drinking raisins, this wine is made from grapes that are picked and then stored on mats to dry until March. Sadly, as with many other wines, the best wines cost much more than my current sample, an Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, 2002, produced by Conte di Bregonzo, and selling for $12.99 at Trader Joe's in Cambridge, Mass.

Boasting 14.5% alcohol, at its best Amarone is closer to Port than to standard red wine. This wine had a dark red color and an aroma of cherry, leather, and raspberry. It had a pleasant, full nose, particularly after it had been open a while.

My first taste impression, when the bottle was first opened, was the heat of so much alcohol. I tasted the cherry and leather that I had smelled earlier.

In my opinion there is a problem with big alcohol wines. Either they should have the body to encourage sipping, as a desert wine or with the strength of character and developing flavor, or it should be a lower alcohol wine. This wine was neither. Each sip reminds me of the heat of the alcohol, but the taste leaves too soon, encouraging another drink. Allora.

I kept waiting for the body, the lingering mouth that I remembered. The wine became better after some time open, and the next day it was much better. Still, it lacked that all encompassing presence that I love in Amarone.

After a second glass on the second day, I was faced with a problem. As an Amarone it wasn't very good, but as a red wine it was OK. Should I recommend it? Should I buy more?

Dory, Kit, and I each decided that we could get better wines for 13 bucks. Too bad, though. I guess it was too good to be true.

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