Italy Trip- My Shopping List

Well, I’m back from my whirlwind tour of Italy, still trying to comprehend the fact that I was actually in Italy for the last week, and that the trip just wasn’t a blur in my imagination.  On the last day of our trip, our tour guide remarked that he had never been on a tour that packed so much into a 6 day trip.  That being said, I didn’t have much free time to dig up stories for the blog while I was there.  I did, however, come away with several interesting stories that I’ll share in the coming days…

Whenever I go back to Italy, wine is always one of the main things that I bring back with me.  Over the years, I have become a savvier shopper over there- only buying what was significantly cheaper there, or buying what was impossible to find over here.  Here is what I came back with this time…

2003 Biondi Santi Rosso di Montalcino.  I tried a glass of this at a wine bar a few days before buying it and decided that I had to have it.  Biondi Santi makes an expensive wine, but in my experience, it has been worth the price each time.  This wine is the only one that I brought home that I’ll be opening anytime soon.

2004 Le Due Sorelle Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.  I’ve never bought a Riserva Brunello before, so I figured that 2004 was a good vintage to try my first.  It was pretty expensive, but after reading a bit about the producer and knowing that the vintage was excellent, and knowing that it would be impossible to find here, I had to get it.

2004 Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino.  I got this Biondi Santi Brunello to keep my bottle of 2001 Biondi Santi company while it ages for a few more years.  Biondi Santi is the maker that is said to have created the first Brunello wine, and now, a hundred plus years later, they still do a great job.  Anytime Brunello has a great vintage, I’ll be looking to pick up a bottle of Biondi Santi.

2006 Colpetrone Sagrantino di Montefalco.  This wine from Umbria is among the boldest I’ve ever tried.  I don’t know if I’ll open it soon and have it with a steak or if I’ll hold onto it for a few years to see what it is like when it softens up a bit.  Either way, I highly recommend that you try a Montefalco wine should you ever come across one.

This post was didn’t really require much thought on my part- like I said, the trip is still mostly a blur in my mind.  I’ll have some more insightful Italian posts in the coming days- I’m still digesting the trip.