On Monday, August 18, 2014 9:20:18 PM UTC+2, Bi!! wrote:
> "soda pop-like" ? I don't think I've ever had a Barberesco or Barolo that was
>soda pop-like. For the most part I find them to be powerful wines of finesse
>and elegance but by no means soda pop-like. For the most part I find the wines
>of Piedmont need food to bring out the best in them especially foods with
>richness or fat. Nebbiolo is a grape that to me is much like Pinot Noir. It
>can be quite powerful yet transparent showing quite a bit of terroir.

For food I like to make truffle risotto for barolo. For my wife's birthday and it as appetizer and served barolo with it. Lassagna for main dish with brunello.

Yes, I see Barolo as the Bourgogne of Italy. And they are quite good if you pay $50+. I wouldnt call them powerful (except maybe cannubi http://www.invinoveritas99.com/image...00285_300.jpg), but earthy, complex, long.. I once hosted a wine tasting that compared amarone, barolo, chianti, and brunello. My favourite was brunello, and then barolo (Barolo La Morra Batasiolo). Most people preferred the amarone/brunello, so I guess barolo is an acquired taste.

But most Barolo in Denmark is supermarket $15-20 , and barberesco $10-15, that sometimes people I visit are proud they bought because I am a wine geek so they wanted to get something special haha. Those are quite sodapop like.. (maybe they are from hungary and rebottled in piedmont).

But even when I bought the 50$ barbaresco I was very disappointed as I could have gotten a good barolo for that (Id pay 10$ for a wine like that - it had a bit of that sodapop feel from 10$ wines - in USA a danish 10$ wine is probably a 4-5$ wine). I've had some in Italy as well, around $20-30 - I dont remember the names - and they were quite disappointing, too. I can honestly say I havent had a single good barberesco. I've also had sodapopy amarones, even a riserva that was considered "cult status", and I'd have guessed it was a 10$ rosso di valpoliciella, because thats how it tasted. We did debate if it could be counterfeit. That stuff happens a lot in italy.

btw my definition of "sodapopy" does not mean "sweet", but "acidic and tinkly" on the tongue.