Last weekend the sweet and fizzy stuff from Icardi was really fun. So I thought why not feature their terrific value dry red and white this go round? Organically-farmed and geared to winter meals, I offer up as options an Icardi duo that makes total sense for drinking today. The cautious among you may drop in for a sample sip before purchasing. Wait a second, that's just sound judgment. I revise my statement: the sane among you may visit for a free taste or two before inevitably carting away your load of Icardi red and/or white. I'd suggest and: both wines deserve you as their owner. So, to recap: free tastes of great Italian wines to kick-start the weekend. See you soon!





Icardi
Piemonte
Cortese & Barbera
2007 & 2006
$16.99 each/$15.29 (10% off this weekend)

The wines... The wines we carry from Icardi are delicious today. They are vinified for the table, tonight or a year from now, but not to be cellared. The same estate makes magnificent Barolos for aging, if you are interested.... Fresh fruit aromas, clean and ripe and honest, these wines are a bargain and a safe bet for simple enjoyment. They show off the best flavors of the Italian Piedmont.

The family... This estate's story is a common one in the history of European viticulture, happily. The Icardis were tenant farmers of these same fields. Through the work of Pierino Icardi (father of current proprietor Claudio) the family were able to purchase the land they had always worked. Today Claudio and his sister Maria Grazia bottle a large range of consistently impressive Piedmontese reds and whites.

The land... Italy's Piedmont is located in the northwest corner of the peninsular country, and is nearly encircled by mountains with the Alps to the north and west and Apennines to the south, explaining the translation of Piemonte in Italian: at the foot of the mountain. The Mediterranean sea lies to the south, separated from Piedmont by the region of Liguria, with its narrow coastline dotted by fishing villages and vineyards producing their own respectable wines. The major wine growing area of Piedmont is nestled in the lower-lands, in the rolling Langhe and Monferrato hills.