Break Out of Your Wine Habit
Any time, any event, any day-- theres never a bad time for wine.
So we decided to resurrect our Wine With Me column on Wednesday, why not?
Every Wednesday, Ill discuss the industry with wine lovers of all kinds -- from those with family vineyards and wine in their veins to Wall Streeters with 1,000-bottle cellars.
Ill do the interview during the 12:00pm ET live Web show at foxbusiness.com and well repost it here in case you missed it.
This Wednesday, Francesco Domini, the general manager for Tormaresca wines, a division of the Antinori wine conglomerate, joined me.
The Antinori family of Florence has been producing wine in Tuscany since the 14th century. But in 1998, they ventured out and bought the Tormaresca estate in the Puglian region of Italy (thats the heel).
Southern Italian wines are so hot these days as wine lovers experiment with different grapes. As I trolled the Web reading reviews of Tormaresca wines, the Neprica kept getting screaming accolades, so I had to ask Francesco about it.
He said they wanted to introduce the world to two grapes from the region-- the Negroamaro and the Primitivo-- but they also know that we Americans are creatures of habit, so they created a blend.
Neprica is a blend of three different grapes: 40% Negroamaro, 30% Primitivo (which is genetically similar to Zinfandel) and the good ol familiar 30% Cabernet Sauvignon . The name Neprica comes from combining the first few letters of the names of each of those grapes.
Consumers are more willing to try a new wine if they recognize at least one of the grapes in the bottle. Plus, it pairs with just about any food you eat and you can buy it for under $15.
Pretty darn smart.
Give it a shot and let me know what you think. Ill be trying it this weekend too.
Five Questions for Our Wine Pro
What is your "death row" wine?
Being born and raised in Southern Italy, of course, my "death row" wine is based on Aglianico varietal (which is considered the most important and noble one in Southern Italy). More precisely: Bocca di Lupo.
What region produces the best wine?
All Italian regions make great wines The most interesting regions in the last few years are the ones based in the south, moreover Puglia, Campania and Sicily.
What is the best wine and food pairing youve ever had?
I think one of the best combinations I've had is between Primitivo Torcicoda and "Orecchiette con le cime di rapa" (a typical Pugliese dish: handmade pasta--little ears, with broccoli rabe, anchovies and bread croutons).
What will the U.S. wine industry look like in 10 years?
I believe in 10 years the wine business (not only U.S., but also in Europe) will be absolutely focused on quality wines in order to promote responsible consumption of alcohol among consumers.
In addition, new markets (Asia primarily) will rise for U.S. and European productions; we will need to bring the great culture and passion of our wine industry over there.
Don't miss Tracy's live online show every weekday from 12-12:50pm ET.