Behind the Cork™ - Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso

Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso ($35)

Amy Ezrin, the founder of Sandy Giovese wine was training to be an opera singer and ended up living in Italy for 8 years. She states she “…was an ‘okay’ singer, but I was really good at speaking Italian and tasting wine, so I became a wine importer. I often joked that my alter ego was Sandy Giovese, a play on the name of one of Italy’s greatest red grapes, Sangiovese.”

This Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso is…

  • Moderation Friendly - Want just a glass? No need to open a bottle. The box is fresh for 1 month or more

  • Better for the Planet - Bag-in-box is the lowest environmental impact. Just one-tenth the carbon footprint of one 750 ml glass bottle

  • Organically Farmed - Made from 100% organically-farmed grapes

  • Budget Friendly - 1 box = 4 bottles of wine. That’s the equivalent of just $8.75 per bottle. Comparable wines cost at least twice that in glass bottles!

This Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso is a blend of 85% Sangiovese (the classic grape used to produce Chianti wines) and 15% Trebbiano (a native Italian white wine grape that adds refreshing acidity). It is medium ruby in color with aromas of red fruit and herbal notes. On the palate it has the classic Sangiovese flavor of red cherries. It’s medium bodied with good acidity and finishes light and refreshing.

I said it before and I’ll say it again…If you are on the fence with respect to box wine, here’s your reason to hop off and pick one up! This makes the Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso a great fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

ABV: 12.35%, RS: 2.80 g/L, Total Acidity: 5.2 g/L, pH: 3.47

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Sandy Giovese Wines via Savona Communications

Wine -- Too Warm? Too Cold? Or Just Right

Photo by Kevin Kelly on Unsplash

I recently ordered a glass of red wine at a nice restaurant. It came in a large wine glass and was a generous pour. But, upon taking my first sip it was obvious that it was much too warm.

The temperature at which a wine is served matters.  And here's why.  The 'proper' serving temperature will ensure that you get the best experience from your wine.  Serve it too cold or too warm and you can loose a lot of the wine's character.

This is partly due to your nose and how a wine's aroma works along with its taste. And, aroma is greatly affected by the wine's temperature.  A cold wine will have less of an aroma because fewer of the volatile compounds will be released from the wine. Conversely, a warmer wine will easily release these compounds and give you an opportunity to experience the wine's full aroma.

Then there's the way a wine tastes.  Serving a white wine too cold will mute its fruit flavors. White wines taste best when they are served cool because of their acidity and negligible tannin. The fruit flavors are zippy and bright and a bit of a chill will enhance this.  But full bodied white wines that have been aged in oak (e.g., Chardonnay) are best served not quite so cool to allow you experience the flavors that oak imparts.

Serving a red wine too cold will emphasize its acidity, bitterness and tannin. But serving a red wine too warm can make it seem heavy, lifeless and emphasize the alcohol, yielding a burning sensation in your throat.

So, here are some general guidelines for the 'proper' serving temperatures of wines:

  • Sparkling Wine: 42° - 50° F

  • Light Whites: 46° - 54° F

  • Full Bodied Whites: 54° - 60° F

  • Rosé: 45° - 55° F

  • Light Reds: 50° - 54° F

  • Medium Reds: 57° - 63° F

  • Full Bodied Reds: 59° - 65° F

Here are a couple quick rules-of-thumb on chilling wine.  Sparkling wine can be stored and served directly from a kitchen refrigerator. With white wine, place it in your kitchen refrigerator 30-60 minutes before serving. Or, if it's been stored in a kitchen refrigerator, remove it 30 minutes before serving.  For red wines, put them in a kitchen refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving. This way, your white wines will be cool but not too cold and your reds will be slightly cooled and not too warm. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Virgen Chardonnay

2022 Domaine Bousquet Virgen Chardonnay ($13)

Virgen wines are the first Argentine no-sulfites-added USDA-organic-certified wines to launch in the U.S., from Uco Valley-based Domaine Bousquet, Argentina’s largest exporter of organically grown wines.

Named for the virgin land where the Bousquet’s built Domaine Bousquet, this wine is a nod to the continued commitment by the winery to protect and preserve.

Some may associate the natural, no-sulfites-added wine movement with small-production, impossible-to-find, cloudy, funky and inconsistent wines. But not so with this Virgen wine. It is balanced, fresh and approachable: vegan, no oak, and great value for the price!

“We only tackled this project once we were confident that we could manage the challenges of making top-notch organic, no-sulfites-added wines. We also wanted to make sure that these wines remained true to our house style: elegant, with bright, clean, fruit flavors.” – Domaine Bousquet co-owner Anne Bousquet

This Virgen Natural 100% Chardonnay is a beautiful deep gold color with aromas of yellow apple, apricot and pineapple. On the palate this wine has rich apple flavor and some notable minerality. For a wine that is produced in stainless steel, it has a surprising richness and moderate acidity that leads to a soft finish.

This is a very serious Chardonnay that also happens to be USDA Organic, Vegan friendly, gluten free and has no sulfites added. This makes it a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

ABV: 13.5%, RS: 1.56 gm/L, pH: 3.28, Acidity: 5.77 gm/L

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Domaine Bousquet Winery via Creative Palate Communications

Can You Buy a Good Bottle of Wine at a Grocery Store?

I recently came across a piece that asked the question “Can you buy good wine at the grocery store?”

The answer included the statement that you are only going to find mass-produced wines in a grocery store. And, the bottom line was that these mass-produced wines really aren’t that good.

I beg to differ.

First, I will agree that a very high percentage of wines on grocery store shelfs are from large wineries that produce large numbers of cases of wine such that they can distribute. But, where I disagree is that “mass-produced” wine aren’t that good.

Grocery stores, like most retails, will generally stock their shelfs with their best products either on the top shelf or at eye-level. The other stuff goes at knee-level or ankle-level. This too is true for wines on grocery shelfs.

So, sure, the stuff down around your ankles is going to be very inexpensive and probably quite ordinary. But look mid-shelf and upper-shelf and you are going to find some nice wine. Top-of-the-line connoisseur wine? No. But it’s going to be good wine. And maye even some very good wine!

The grocery store is actually one of the best ways to get your start in wines. There’s great selection, affordable prices and no pressure. So, explore the wine isle. Choose wines that are different. And, find out what’s Behind the Cork™. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato

Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato ($35)

Launched in 2021, Sandy Giovese wines are the creation of Amy Ezrin, accomplished entrepreneur, Italian wine expert and importer.

The brand name is a playful reference to her alter ego, Sandy Giovese, referring to the famous Italian grape Sangiovese which this wine is based on. Rosie Giovese is the ‘sister’ of Sandy Giovese.

Sandy Giovese’s commitment to raising awareness around environmental sustainability and the empowerment of women and girls is represented by the strong personality of their central character.

They have been practicing sustainable farming since 2016 when they converted their vineyards to organic farming, supported by a fully solar-powered wine cellar.

This wonderful Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato is a blend of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Trebbiano. It is produced in stainless-steel tanks to preserve its freshness with a seven-day maceration period for the Sangiovese and just four-hours of maceration for the Trebbiano.

This Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato is a beautiful salmon colored wine. On the nose it has strawberry and notes of candied cherry. On the palate it has delicate red-fruit flavors, refreshing acidity and a crisp finish.

This is not only a really good rosé wine, it’s also a tremendous value since one box is equivalent to four bottles of wine.

ABV: 12.7%, Residual Sugar: <2.0 g/l, pH: 3.43, Total Acidity: 5.5 g/l

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Sandy Giovese Wines via Savona Communications