Your heart will thank you...

Hello, wine lovers! It's time yet again for a monthly review of two newly tasted wines. For March, I decided to go with a highly recommended red Italian wine as well as a red from Ithaca, which we procured on our last trip north (God, I love Ithaca wine...). Unlike last month, however, these two wines were a treat to drink...


First up, a fine 2007 Chianti from the Da Vinci vintners in Italy. Normally, I am not a fan of dry red, but this one was special. I was immediately taken in with an intense nose, combining berries and oak. Upon tasting, the oakiness combined well with the dryness, but left a very busy feeling within my mouth. The dryness pleasantly left after swallowing and finished well, only leaving a hint of flavor behind. It has been said that dry reds often pair well with pasta dishes, and this one was no exception. I would also have enjoyed this for sipping with a group of friends. Further, the Da Vinci vintners (from the town of Vinci no less...) have designed a very pleasing label, perfect for display. While this wine has been the most expensive so far (not that expensive in the grand scheme, really...), it now ranks highly on my lists of reds to purchase...


Our next wine, I have to admit something. I cheated on this one. I've tried this wine before. I'm a fraud (boo hoo, wah wah...). It counts, though, because I've never bought and drank a whole bottle of this wine. Anyways, on to the review. This is an Estate Red from the Hosmer Winery in Ithaca, NY. There is no date with this one, but Tara mentioned that blends (like many 'Estate' blends at other wineries...) often DON'T include the date, as they use grapes from multiple years. This red holds many superficial similarities with the previous Chianti (actually, with it being a blend, it probably has similarities to most reds...), but holds its own with unique qualities. The nose on this was more fruity than woody, which in turn carried over into the tasting part. This was a much more plummy wine than the previous, but still carried a nice body with some dryness. Interestingly enough, this wine dried in the mouth in a different area than the Chianti (lips vs sides of the mouth...). Drinking this wine goes well with meat dinners, but I don't know if I'd drink this alone were I in the mood for wine. I will take a point away from Hosmer as the label was a bit boring and uninformative. Doesn't make this a bad wine, though. Bottom line, this is a solid red if you like reds...

April is half done by the time you read this post. This month has a delightful Riesling (kind of a cheat; Rieslings are a go-to wine...) coming, but I just can't decide where to go with the other half of the month (less than half actually...). Any suggestions?