3 Wines for You From Spain, Italy and Germany

My Karp Riesling, Eternum Viti, and Quercione Chianti wines

Here are three wines from three different regions of the Old World. All really well made. I received these wines as a part of the portfolio selection from one of our local wine agencies, Patagonia Imports.

When most people think of Old World Wines, they tend to think of drier, less fruit forward, more tannic, structured wines, but this is not always the case. Rieslings from Germany, can come in from dry to very sweet with lots of fruit flavours, for example. Below are three Old World wines that I think will make you appreciate the drink-ability of these wines now, and not 10-20 years from now. And all these wines are available through the BC Liquor Stores.

My Tasting Notes

Karp-Schreiber My Karp Riesling DOC, 2015, Mosel, Germany ($19.99) – Bright medium lemon colour. Medium plus intensity nose, showing white flowers, petrol and peach. A sweet nose. With decanting, the nose is lighter, but you also get some mandarin orange aroma. The wine is off-dry, but with decanting feels drier on the palate. The wine is roundish with medium plus mouth feel/body, and acidity. You get a light acidic prickle on the tongue, which gets stronger with decanting. Light peach and other stone fruit flavours primarily, with a lesser amount of citrus. There is some petrol on the palate and light touch of honey. With decanting I also picked up some salty minerality. Medium plus length, finishing with tart apples, peach and honey. A tasty wine.

Rating: – – A nice, softer Riesling that is off-dry with stone fruit flavours and honey. Food friendly.

Abanico Eternum Viti Toro DOC 2013, Spain ($19.99) – Deep ruby coloured, almost opaque at the core. Medium intensity flavours of sweet spices, ripe cassis and raspberries, along with light oak and vanilla. A very nice nose. Dry, round, smooth and very mouth filling. Medium acidity and medium plus tannins. Flavours of cassis, red cherry and black fruit, along with being peppery, and having some oak, chocolate and perfume toward the finish. Medium plus length finishing with oak, red cherries, sweet spices and pepperiness. Drying tannins on the finish. A very good quality wine. Can age 3-4 years.

Rating: Dense ripe fruit flavours. Good structure and firm tannic backbone. Enjoy with full-bodied stews and roasts over the winter.

Fattoria Le Calvane Quercione Chianti DOCG 2015, Italy ($18.99. $17.99 till Sept 30/17) – Medium garnet, translucent to the core. Medium plus intensity nose; quite fruity, with aromas of very ripe, sweet red cherries and raspberries, red fruit, and light vanilla. I also picked up some cedar on the nose with decanting. The wine is dry with a lighter mouth feel, and some roundness. Lots of bright red cherry flavour, along with other red fruits, red plums, and hints of raspberries, blackberries, vanilla, oak, and cedar. Medium plus length finishing with red cherries, bitter dark chocolate and pepperiness. The wine does has a firmer tannic finish, but it still is overall soft. Very good quality to enjoy now, and you can age it for at least another 3-4 years.

Rating: – Lighter bodied wine with lots of ripe red fruit flavours, that is soft on the palate but still enough tannins to provide structure. A great buy.