I've been pleased with the reception to my recent post about Values from Piemonte. I'll have more to say about that in an upcoming post, but for now, notes on another fine value from this region.
This concerns a lovely sparkling wine called Rosa Regale produced by Banfi. Most consumers know Banfi for their wines from their gorgous estate in Montalcino in Tuscany, but they also produce wines from Piemonte, including Dolcetto and Gavi. The Rosa Regale is my favorite of their Piemontese wines and it's a bottling I look forward to trying each year.
This is a Brachetto d'Acqui, meaning it's made from the Brachetto grape, a specialty of the Acqui area near the town of Acqui Terme in the province of Asti. The Brachetto grape is all about fresh raspberries as well as strawberries and cranberries. The Rosa Regale from Banfi is made in a lightly sweet sparkling style, as is typical for this wine and it's delicious. I've loved every vintage of this wine I've tried for more than a decade now and the current 2009 is as flavorful and delicious as I've tasted. The $20 retail price is more than fair.
This is a wine that you don't need to take too seriously. It's a fun celebration wine and it's quite tasty - it's a real crowd pleaser. You don't age this wine - instead, drink it tonight or over the next 12 months by itself or with a simple pound cake or with fresh strawberries, as the locals do. This is also one of the few wines that is ideal with chocolate.
If you've never tried this wine, don't wait - you can thank me later!
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