Wine of the Month - June 2015

When I enthused about this bottle to wine expert Suzanne Brocklehurst (who blogs over at The Wine Narrative), she immediately recalled writing about the producer in an piece on art in wine. Every year Fattoria Nittardi engages an artist to design not just the label but also the wrapping paper for their Casanuova di Nittardi Chianti Classico. This month's WOTM is their IGT-level wine from the region of Maremma located 8 km from the sea. Despite the fact that it is an IGT wine, that should not be taken to mean that the wine is inferior in any way, as in Italy the DOC/DOCG regulations are not a reliable indicator of quality. The wine is a blend of  40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Syrah, 15 Petit Verdot and 5% of other, 'secret', varieties.

Wine: Fattoria Nittardi Nectar Dei 2008

Tasting note: Deep ruby colour. The nose exudes ripe, plush fruit with notes of toast, vanilla, black fruit, spice and licorice. Elegant, well-balanced and modern palate with integrated oak, vanillin sweetness and notes of sour cherry and earth. The finish is long and intense. Top drawer.

Distributor: Wine Exchange Asia

Through Rosé Tinted Glasses

Looking through the articles on this blog, I see that coverage on rosé wines has been rather sparse.  This is due to two reasons, the first being that rosé wines are not that popular in Singapore, and also because I have not come across many particularly exciting wines of this ilk. Wine connoisseurs tend not to take rosé very seriously, regarding it as a simple thirst-quencher for the summer months. Considering that Singapore is perpetually swathed in hot and humid conditions, it is a head scratcher why we don’t drink more rosé locally. Too wimpy a drink to be seen with perhaps? The rosé-themed parties I have been to were well-attended, but the gender skew towards women was plain. Yet when opening a bottle rosé at private dinners, both sexes are up for a glass. It seems that men like drinking rosé too, they are just loathe to openly admit it.