wine list wednesday : santa christina sangiovese toscana 2008

first let me make a little confession - i have a thing for the sangiovese grape. i spent a semester in florence and was captivated by the tuscan countryside. i spent as much time as i could on the rolling sun baked hills and loved every minute of it.


i think that this tuscan grape takes on the romance of its landscape. scrappy and minerally its also relaxed and calm and develops these deep dark fruit flavors. its a mouthful of wine i just want to hold onto for a minute -

& so. this week its a 9$ bottle of 2008 Santa Christina, in production since 1946, its as delightful as its price.


 really well balanced, very drinkable on its own or with food. i like the big mellow fruits present. so characteristic but always welcome. i even tasted a little hint of chocolate in there, but what i like about it (and another reason i like the sangiovese so much) is that its a great mouthful without being overpowering 


there is a little bit of merlot grape (10%) thrown in for good measure and it rounds out the whole thing perfectly. 


if you haven't tired a sangiovese or are unfamiliar with tuscan wines i think this makes. 




this would be a great friday night wine - get your friends around the table, a big salad and some pizza or pasta. perfect.