I love wines from Italy. And, I don't open them up enough. So when I had the opportunity to pull some bottles for Thanksgiving Weekend, I made the conscious decision to have some wines that didn't break the bank and would provide really nice enjoyment on the Friday after Thanksgiving. With the help of a neighbor we decided to do Italian night, so that meant some pasta, salad, fresh made Italian sausages and steak in a tomato and mushroom sauce.
The two wines from Le Morette were a 2017 Bardolino Chiaretto Classico, a rose styled wine, and the 2017 Bardolino Classico, a light bodied red, much like a Beaujolais. Both wines are made from indiginous grapes, Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara in the region known as Lugana. I've long been a fan of Lugana whites and also some wines from Corte Gardoni, but this producer is easily on par with Gardoni, and in some ways even more food friendly.
What was so nice about the two wines was the fruit levels of both. In the case of the Chiaretto it was as crisp, aromatic and dry as any Provencal rose from the same vintage. Full of bright cherry, strawberry and plum flavors, the pink colored wine had the kind of acidity to stand up to food, be it pasta or pinwheel sausage.
The red wine Bardolino Classico carries the body weight of a delighfully interwoven red wine. It's loaded with red berry fruit without any acid or tannin. The wine has a fresh bouquet, dotted with spicy notes.
These are two delightful and enjoyable wines that offer great value and lots of enjoyment. I can't wait to crack the red Lugana.