I’m trying to get better at blind tasting–both for upcoming exams and as a cool party trick. Practicing (and usually being wrong) at home is way less stressful than doing it at a wine bar. So that is what we’re doing, about one night per week.
Last night’s blind bottle was La Chiamata Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. It’s a simple but alright-tasting Montelpulciano. La Chiamata means “the calling” in Italian–and if you have this bottle in your wine rack, you may hear it calling out for a humble meal of pizza or cheesy bread.
I don’t remember buying this budget Italian and I’m pretty sure it came from a wine club. I’m going to give you my blind tasting note in its authentic, uncertain and rambling format:
Me: Lots of fresh red and black cherry, touch of oak, very faint florals. Purple flowers? Violets? Yeah, we’ll call it violets. Super dry. Sharp tannins, some acid, bright color–it’s young. Not a lot else going on here. Looking for herbs, looking for more kinds of fruit, not really finding them. [Deep sniff.] Alcohol vapors…and maybe cranberry?
Me: I have no idea what this wine is, so I’m going to start ruling stuff out. [A couple more sips.] What do I not taste? It’s not Cabernet, it’s not Merlot (probably), it’s not Pinot Noir. Not California, it’d be more ripe fruit. Not Spanish, there’d be more obvious oak. But it tastes pretty high in alcohol, so it’s gotta be warm-ish climate. Maybe it could be something from the south of France, but I don’t think it’s balanced enough to be a French wine style. Like, the French would definitely blend this to try and improve it. Alcohol and tannins are kinda rough around the edges. So much tart cherry…I think this might be a Sangiovese? A recent vintage Chianti, I’m gonna guess–and not a very premium one.
Her: It’s not Sangiovese.
Me: It’s Tuscan, though. No? Central Italy, at least?
Her: Yes.
Me: ???
Her: It is sort of like a cheap Chianti, but more fun to say.
Me (in corny Italian accent): Montepulciano d’Abruzzo!
Our blind tasting routine goes like this: My wife indulges my time-consuming and expensive wine studies, and I repay the courtesy by making dinner.
First, she chooses a bottle and pours it in another room while I prep my ingredients and preheat the oven. Then we taste the wine and I try and guess what it is. I take notes. Then I finish cooking.
The only problem with this system is that I generally have no idea what food to serve because I have no idea what bottle she’s going to pick. But that’s okay, because it gives us the opportunity to discuss which random food-wine collisions work and which ones totally strike out. (Tonight’s accidental pairing was not the world’s best. But honestly, neither was the wine so it’s all good.)
As it turns out, I made carne guisada–which happens to sorta rhyme with Chiamata! Thus, I have conceived of a new wine-pairing method where you match wines with food based on whether they rhyme.
In that scenario, La Chiamata is the perfect table wine because it goes with so many things. An empanada or a frittata? Arrabiata, veal piccata, spinach enchilada? Takeout from Salata? (Try this game–you know you gotta.)
Bottle: La Chiamata Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (2022)
Variety: Montepulciano (100%)
ABV: 13.5% (tastes like more)
Suggested retail: $15.99
My rating: 6.4 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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