The year after we graduated from college, my college roommate M and I did a ten-day tour through Italy. One night, M took me to a tiny restaurant in Florence that she’d discovered during her semester abroad in Rome. It was a charming, inexpensive place with only five tables, and when the owner asked if we wanted wine, we of course said yes. I expected her to bring out a wine list, but instead, she brought us a simple carafe of red wine.
The "Vinny" Carafe, from Crate and Barrel -- a great inexpensive Christmas gift for any wine lovers!
One of the reasons I enjoy wine is that it’s intellectually stimulating. I’m fascinated by the different techniques, the different regions and traditions of winemaking, and the astonishing variety of grapes. I like thinking about why wines taste different, and putting my finger on why I enjoy some wines more than others.
But you know what? Sometimes I just want a glass of red wine to drink with dinner. And that carafe wine at the little restaurant in Florence could not have been more perfect. I have no idea what kind of wine the owner put in that carafe. All I know is that it was delicious, homey and warming and perfect with the food.
Econo Man and I are always on the lookout for good “carafe wines,” or everyday red wines that aren’t terribly expensive or complex, but are lovely to drink with most foods. My favorite carafe wines are almost all inexpensive Italian reds. Di Majo Norante Sangiovese is one of our longtime favorites, but any Italian Sangiovese is worth a try. My wine-snob father recently discovered Sangiovese and calls it “the ultimate food wine.” (Side note: I’ve found that wines labeled “Sangiovese” are often a better deal than the ones labeled with the better-known designation “Chianti,” even though most Chiantis contain a healthy dollop of Sangiovese.) I also love Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, another Tuscan red — Masciarelli is a good bet, widely distributed and very tasty. You can also find good carafe wines in unexpected places. Alamos Malbec, for example, is much softer and less complex than most Malbecs from Argentina, and makes for a good easy-drinking dinner wine (although, at $13 a bottle, I would probably go for the cheaper Italian reds over this one).
What are your favorite “everyday” wines?
interesting point about the intellectual stimulation of wine. i get that through my craft beer drinking, since for some reason i am much better at keeping a mental log of beers i’ve tried than wines. i agree that Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is great.
I wish I had enjoyed wine more when I studied abroad in Rome. But I did find Lemoncello and that made me super happy. Also those italian wafers. And the pizza. And the tomato-basil-mozzerella sandwiches. And the lemons…and the gelato. Oh gelato. Okay, I’m done. Sorry ’bout that.
Anyway, when I was in Michigan over the summer, since they have lower alcohol taxes and wine can be sold in big-box stores, I fell in love with Leelanau Cellars table wines – they were $5 or $6 a bottle, and there was both a sweet red and a sweet white, and their Reisling was amazing too. I wish you could ship wine to Maryland.
Terrapin Station’s Cayuga White is a good all-purpose wine too.