This Friday the Wine-O's are doing Italian wines. Should be lots of fun.A recap of our last wine tasting follows at the end. Next Saturday at 7:oopm we'll be exploring the reds of Italy which, to say the least, i a daunting task. Italy grows some 2000 grape varieties for wine-making and the wines are sometimes named after a region (like France), the grape (Like the US and S. America) or both or even by the method in which its made! Whereas every wine-growing country has its quirks Italy is quirks. So I've listed some possibilities below as well as tried to give just a bit bit of information on each. As always I recommend getting to know a good wine monger who can help you pick out something.
If you can find someone who knows their wines and get to know your taste it will be much harder to pick mediocre wine. Also (warning:
shameless plug coming) there are a few good italians at Everyday Wine in Kerrytown and if we don't have what you want we can probably get something for you. In general expect to pay $20+ but there are some bargains out there.

Barbaresco- From the Piedmont in the far North-West and little brother to Barolo
Barolo- Also from Piedmont its the “King of Wines”. Typically awesome, the name refers to the region and is made from the same grape as Barbaresco.
Barbera d' Alba (or Asti)- Also Piedmont, Barbera is the grape and Asti and Alba the regions. Usually Alba is better but not always.
Valpolicella- A blend from Veneto in the North-East this wine is made with a very unique method.
Chianti- Most well know Italian wine from around Tuscany. Primarily one grape.
Brunello di Montalcino- Also from the Tuscany area.
“Super Tuscans”- A blend of certain grapes from the Chianti region. They cannot be called Chianti since they are not the right grapes
according to law. Can quite good.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo- Grape from Abruzzo in central-Eastern Italy.

So that's just a small sampling to get you started. Please e-mail me or everyone as soon as you know what you're getting so we can avoid overlap.

The tasting will be at Kelli Konkle's in Chelsea. Directions will be sent out later this week.