2015 Gran Passione Veneto Rosso

Happy Wine Wednesday!  When I was growing up, there was no "Wine Wednesday" but Wednesday was well know for something else - in  Chicago, Wednesday was Prince Spaghetti Day!  Although I haven't seen Prince spaghetti in the supermarket in years, I thought it would be fun to relive those old spaghetti Wednesdays, which of course calls for a nice Italian wine to go with it, this being the modern Wine Wednesday!  So tonight I've opened a bottle that I picked up at Costco a few months back, the 2015 Gran Passione Veneto Rosso.  This wine is made with a similar method to Amarone, with sun drying the grapes so the dried raisins ferment and provide a much more concentrated flavor.  So let's see what this one has to offer.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, comparable in color to a nice Merlot.  The nose is vaguely reminiscent of a Valpolicella Ripasso, with leather, ripe black fruit, blackberry, currant and cherry with undertones of dried Italian herbs.  The taste is rich at the outset, with blackberry and cherry rushing to the forefront, only to be displaced by some pleasant earthy notes of tobacco and fig.  The tannins are soft, but still provide nice structure to the very smooth and dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very pleasant drinking Italian wine from the northern part of the country, a nice departure from Tuscany.  This wine was also a terrific value at just $9 at Costco (I should have bought more!) and it would pair well with roasts, game, aged cheeses, or hearty classic Italian dishes.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with not quite Prince spaghetti, but some Barilla linguine along with marinara with some hot Italian sausage.  Cheers!