WTN: Post Thanksgiving wines (Sicily, Liguria, SA, Wachau)

Enough leftovers! Saturday Betsy made a quick bouillabaisse , and I went non-traditional with Gruner Veltliner. The 2002 Donabaum “Spitzer Point” Gruner Veltliner was full, rich and fresh. Crisp, with white nectarine and white pepper. Holding well, drinking well. B+

Sunday we went to her sister-in-laws for a big family dinner, provisioned from a trip to Arthur Avenue. Bruschetta, olives, etc, followed by cavatelli with sausage and broccoli rabe, chittara with shrimp fra diavolo, & ravioli with sage butter sauce. Three wines made it around:

2011 Iona Sauvignon Blanc
Decent South African SB, quite grassy, good acids, a bit short. B-

2012 Bruna “Le Russeghine:” Pigato (Riviera Ligure di Ponente )
nervy with melon and citrus, very aromatic. B+/B

2011 Occhipinti Frappatto
Crunchy red fruits, great acid balance, some tannin,lively. Delicious long finish, lovely wine. A-/B+

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

[David M. Bueker]

I cannot for the life of me figure out how my favorite local place could blow through their 2010 Occhipinti Frappatto and then decide to not carry the 2011.

I'm sure it's bottle variation or just my personal preference, but the 2011 Occhipinti Frappato I drank struck me as cloying in a candy cane sort of way, but then that was my my rection to all but one of the three or four other Frappatos I've tasted in the past year. The exception was a relatively lean 2011 Cos. That's not to knock Frappato, though, as it does wonders taming Nero D'Avola in Cerasuolo di Vittoria.