Wine of the Day for January 16, 2010
Sagrantino di Montefalco
Origin
Sagrantino di Montefalco is a red grape originating in Umbria, Italy.
Style
Today you will find this wine is dry and fully of tannins. For years, it was made into rich sweet wines called passito, which is produced using the method of drying the grapes on straw mats.
Characteristics
I was turned on to it because of its deep color, full body and abundance of blackberry aromas, with hints of violet, spice, chocolate and earth. This combination emits a sense of luxury to me.
This wine has specific aging requirements. It must be aged for 30 months before release of which 12 months must be in Oak barrels (preferably French Oak).
In my research, I discovered that this grape is thought to contain the highest amount of cancer fighting polyphenols of all known grapes. Bonus for those of us who enjoy these full-bodied reds!
Pairing
As I mentioned in my Sauvignon Blanc post, this wine will pair well with your spicier Chilis, and will other excellent complements are asiago cheese, paella and roasted meats.
Leading producer
Arnaldo Caprai is a leading producer of this wine, and while not inexpensive (at $35 and up) is well worth the investment. (FYI, I consider inexpensive wines as less than $20.) If you can find it at a local wine store, let me know where and I will post for others’ benefit.
We are coming out with a Dolcetto this month and so I wanted to give a bit of time to this fabulous grape and wine. I was introduced to Dolcetto a couple of years ago through my business and loved it! 
I wanted to start Monday off with this beautiful golden grape and perhaps its golden beauty will warm up our winter chills (and bring sunshine to our disappointment in the Green Bay Packer loss last night).
Chenin Blanc, considered a classic wine, originated in the Loire region of France, but is widely planted all over the world, and is the dominant white grape of South Africa, but is known in South Africa as Steen. Similarly, before Chardonnay took over as the most widely planted white grape in California a few decades ago, Chenin Blanc reigned. 