La Carraia Fobiano Umbria Igt 2007 750ml

Winery: La Carraia

Varietal: Merlot

Today, Merlot is generally believed to be one of the most popular and widely planted grape varietals in the world, with expert estimates putting it just behind Cabernet Sauvignon in the top three most planted vines. Ask any winery anywhere between France and Argentina, and they'll tell you it is due to the grapes reliability, fantastic range of flavors and unique properties. Single variety Merlot wines are especially popular with companies wishing to target newcomers to the world of red wine, due to the fact that as Merlot has a low tannin content, and relatively little malic acid, the wines it produces are fleshy, well rounded and firmly in the 'medium body' category. This essentially means that they are extremely drinkable, full of lovely jammy fruit flavors and rich, pleasing aromas. That isn't to say that Merlot is only for beginners, though, as this grape is also one of the key varietals for producing some of the most highly respected, complex and perfectly balanced wines in the world.

Region: Umbria

Umbria in central Italy is one of the country's smallest wine regions, and is often overlooked due to its proximity to Tuscany. However, Umbria specialises in using its stunning Tuscany-esque terroir – all rolling hillsides and lush, green vineyards – to their full potential, and producing stunning wines of character and distinction for extremely reasonable prices. In particular, Umbria is renowned as something of a home of innovative Italian wine making, taking native varietals such as Sangiovese and Grechetto, and blending them with Bordeaux red and white wine grapes in order to produce spectacular aged, blended wines. By taking traditional viticultural practices, and shaking them up a bit, Umbria is quickly discarding its former poor reputation, and proving that it is a wine region to watch and explore.

Country: Italy

Italy is recognised as being one of the finest wine producing countries in the world, and it isn't difficult to see why. With a vast amount of land across the country used primarily for vineyard cultivation and wine production, each region of Italy manages to produce a wide range of excellent quality wines, each representative of the region it is produced in. Any lover of Italian wines will be able to tell you of the variety the country produces, from the deliciously astringent and alpine-fresh wines of the northern borders, to the deliciously jammy and fruit-forward wines of the south and the Italian islands. Regions such as Barolo are frequently compared with Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, as their oak aged red wines have all the complexity and earthy, spicy excellence of some of the finest wines in the world, and the sparkling wines of Asti and elsewhere in Italy can easily challenge and often exceed the high standards put forward by Champagne. Thanks to excellent terrain and climatic conditions, Italy has long since proven itself a major player in the world of wines, and long may this dedication to quality and excellence continue.