I have a good friend who is Italy mad. Literally. So much so he has learnt the language. If you ask him why, his response is pretty simple. He loves the place and everything about it. He visits regularly and has decided to move there when he retires.
My wife and I have visited Italy once (sadly) and that was with a bus tour. As much as we enjoyed what we saw, ate and drank, it was mostly on the ‘touristy’ route and the places every man, woman, child and their dog visit. Having spoken to my mate, it seems there is so much more to experience.
At the very least, we can enjoy eating Italian style dishes coupled with Italian wines in our own country. And let’s face it, if you are going to go down that path at home, you may as well make the wines good ones, excellent ones even! Here are two Italian varieties from Angullong that are terrific and, dare I say, bargain buying.
Region: Orange Region, NSW Price: $30 each Source: Sample courtesy of Angullong Wines and Define Wine
2022 Barbera
This is a lovely wine. It is delightfully aromatic with plums and blue fruits getting the juices flowing. The palate is perfectly medium bodied, lush and mouth-coating yet elegant and smooth with the tannins tamed by the abundant dark fruits. With a gold medal and trophy from the 2023 Orange Wine Show to its credit already, there is a high likelihood this wine will end up surrounded by silverware (or goldware).
2022 Sangiovese
Another absolute delight from the Angullong team. Attractive on the nose, the red fruit and slight herbal/spicy aromas poke the olfactory senses into life from the get-go. There is a pleasing palate feel to this wine in that it has a fruit richness but sits nicely in the medium bodied zone. There is a slight savouriness too and the tannins are sleek, but I think the fruit is the winner here. Two out of two! (This also has a gold and a silver medal draped around its neck.)
Words from a Wine Glass 