Have you ever opened a bottle of wine that made you stop in your tracks?
As in one of the best wines of your life? One that you could drink again and again? No special occasion necessary, except for the fact that you assume it’s very expensive because it’s so good?
And then you find out that it’s ridiculously affordable?
That’s my love story with this wine. Skip to the end: we live happily ever after.
But here’s the conflict: you can’t get it at the SAQ. For the moment, if you live in Quebec, you have to buy it from private import wine agency Oenopole. You also have to buy it by the case of 12 at a time.
Each bottle is $23.35, so a case comes to $280.20, which might be the best money you’ve ever spent on wine. If you disagree, then split the case with a few friends to lighten the load. This wine also makes a lovely gift for a very good friend.
How can I describe this wine?
It’s earthy. It tastes…wild. There’s just enough acidity and freshness and fruit. It’s got just enough tannins, a tiny bit of spice to pair it with red meat, but it’s light enough for chicken and salmon (wild, full-flavoured Pacific salmon over unsustainable farmed Atlantic). The price is low because the winery is kept in the family, and they work for less, says the description on Sedimentary Wines.
From the Oenopole website:
“Natalino is a traditional farmer who owns a small area in Apulia, a region known for producing wines “cheap”, cheap and often not great fun to drink. Obviously to remain at such low prices, the wines generally come from field where harvesting is mechanical, where the vines are chemically treated abusively and where production is carried out in massive tank (think very very large tanks!). The field of Natalino, contrary to the trend in the region remained very small (10 hectares on which 3 are olive trees), vineyards are certified organic, and as a bonus, his prices have remained very small, often below neighbors industrial.
At Del Prete, yeasts are natural, and very little SO2 is used. The wines show very often their “wild” side and stay perfectly balanced.”
And I think that’s really all there is to say. Let me know what you think.
getting thirsty…
Never bought a case, don’t think i’d go through that much in a year. But interested in trying a bottle!
All you need are a couple friends to split it with, then. Here’s one!