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More wines available from Tasca D'almerita
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
$17.91
For the past 62 harvests, this wine has truly embodied the estate from which it takes its name. It expresses the full...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.90
$22.00
An ancient grape variety, a cross between Moscato and Catarratto, results in a wine with a concentrated and complex...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
$17.91
A light- to medium-bodied red, with dried cherry, bitter plum fruit and cola flavors underscored by smoke and dried...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.80
$22.00
Expression of Nero d'Avola grapes of high hills. Primary aromas, without excess ripeness, differentiate it from the...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.09
A lovely nose of fresh red cherry, rose petal and grated nutmeg. Medium-to full-bodied with zesty acidity and silky...
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Winery
Tasca D'almerita
Vintage: 2011
The year 2011 was an interesting year for many northern and central European countries, as the weather was more than unpredictable in the spring and summer. However, in most countries, the climatic conditions thankfully settled down in the late summer and fall. The result of this slightly difficult year of weather in France was a set of surprisingly small yields, but overall, these yields were of a higher quality than those harvested in certain previous years. A fantastic set of wines was also made in Italy and Spain, and the Rioja wines - when released - are set to be very good indeed. Austria also had superb year in 2011, with almost fifty percent more grapes being grown and used for their distinctive Gruner Veltliner wines than in the year before. Possibly the European country which had the finest 2011, though, was Portugal, with wineries in the Douro region claiming this year to be one of the best in decades for the production of Port wine, and the bright, young Vinho Verdes wines.
In the New World, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the best weather of 2011, and Washington State and Oregon reportedly had a highly successful year, especially for the cultivation of high quality red wine grapes. Chile and Argentina had a relatively cool year, which certainly helped retain the character of many of their key grape varietals, and should make for some exciting drinking. South Africa had especially good weather for their white wine grape varietals, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and many South African wineries are reporting 2011 as one of their best years in recent memory.
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
From the valleys of California and Chile to the rolling hillsides of the Bordeaux region of France, the one red wine grape varietal you will find in abundance is the Cabernet Sauvignon. This darkly colored grape has been cultivated since the mid 18th century, when it was borne from a cross of fine Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc varietals. Since then, it has spread around the world and has been received with pleasure by wineries looking for a varietal which delivers excellence of flavor and aroma, whilst being hardy enough to resist frost and rot and other such difficulties. Indeed, Cabernet Sauvignon is probably the most recognizable red wine grape varietal on earth, and is easily distinguished by its high tannin level and acidic nature, which is often so beautifully mellowed by being blended with Merlot and other such grapes.
Region: Sicily
The island of Sicily is one of those wine regions which seems to be designed for the production of quality wines. Not only does it have extremely fertile soils, helped by volcanic activity of such peaks as Etna, but the climate is absolutely ideal for the ripening of beautiful grape varietals, with almost year-round sunshine and cooling sea breezes. Sicily has been using such factors for growing grapevines for thousands of years, and is a truly ancient wine region steeped in tradition. Wineries on the island make a wide variety of wines, which are much loved for their ability to express plenty of exciting fruit flavors and sunny, tempting aromas, but Sicily is most well known for the dessert and fortified wines based around the port town of Marsala.
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.