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Wine of the Month
Paolo D'Andrea, the winemaker/owner of Luna Rossa Winery in Deming, New Mexico crafts Italian-styled wines like someone who comes from a long line of Italian winemakers. As it happens, Paolo comes from a long line of Italian winemakers. The wines he crafts from various Italian grapes, such as Barbera, Docetto and Sangiovese are big, earthy and eminently drinkable. His latest entry in this category is his 2007 Montepulciano.
If the name sounds familiar, it refers to a town in Italy, but is also the name of an Italian grape whose origin is not the town. This can cause confusion so let me explain. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a wine that comes from the hill town in Tuscany of the same name and is highly regarded. Conversely, Montepulciano, the grape variety comes from Abruzzo on the Adriatic, but rarely gains as much attention. However, given some care in the vineyard and winery, it is capable of making deeply pigmented red wines, with good structure and suppleness.
That defines Paolo's wine to a tee, as he is also the manager of New Mexico Vineyards, Inc. in the Mimbres Valley AVA. Located near Deming, the vineyard spans over 300 acres and provides grapes for many New Mexico wineries as well as some in Texas and Arizona. Paolo's grapes, as they are more commonly called by local winemakers, are the basis of many good New Mexico wines. None more so than those Paolo crafts himself, and this Montepulciano is no exception.
This wine is at home with virtually any Italian-inspired meal, pairing well with many foods. I finally had an opportunity to taste the wine at the Corrales Quilt & Wine Festival while I was giving wine talks over the weekend in early August. I wasted no time in buying some since not all of his wines are available locally and there is hardly one I don't enjoy. If you are a fan of Italian wines, Luna Rossa should be on your short list for quality wines at a reasonable cost.
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Jim Hammond joins Jane Butel
Bold Food, Bold Wines:
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The Bold Commentaries: Beefing it UP! This is the second in my Bold Commentaries series of the show that ran July 27. Unfortunately, I wasn't there, but in Urgent Care for a serious infection. Yuch! None the less, I had already done all the research and can guess what Jane Butel was going to cover.
Jane talked about meals to beat the summer heat. Even though we in New Mexico had a reprieve caused by monsoon-driven rain this is very good advice. She suggested doing an overnight roast on Thursday night for a whole weekend's worth of meals-providing of course that everyone likes beef. Then she asked - I'm guessing here, of course -if there are any exceptions to red wine and beef.
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Around New Mexico with the
Southwestern Wine Guy
To learn more about wines of the southwest subscribe to Jim's column in  Jim is the wine expert for the Albuquerque edition. Click Here for the latest wine news.
Jim will be participating in the Quilt and Wine Fair in Corrales Saturday and Sunday, August 7-8, 2010. Stop by to join Jim for informal conversation on various wine topics throughout the two days. He will also be signing the newest edition of his book "Wines of Enchantment." Jim is often in demand as a professional speaker and wine expert due to his knowledge and his style. His wine selections ensure a memorable event and he delights his listeners when he describes his experiences and insights on a wide range of topics and wine regions. If your organization is interested in learning more about wine and how to talk about wine like an expert, please contact us at 505-899-8578 or email. |
Take a break from the dog days of summer with a cool glass of wine in the shade, with your laptop tuned to my blog or website where you'll find more interesting tidbits.
Sincerely ,
Your Southwestern Wine Guy
Jim Hammond
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Jim Hammond has been exploring wines in North America, Europe and Australia for more than 20 years. A published author, he includes information about wine
in every book. |
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"Wines of Enchantment" | |
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Wines of Enchantment
ISBN # 0-9709878-0-3
$7.95
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A Unique Party Idea
Spend an entire evening with Jim, the Wine Maestro, and learn fun facts, such as the difference between a Bordeaux and a Burgundy, or what the riutal of tilting, swirling and sniffing a wine befoe taking the first sip is all about.
You and your guests will delight in Jim's light humorous and information-packed style when you include a Wine Maestro presentation in your
party plans. |
The Southwestern Wine Blog
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