We tried this bizarre wine at Beef+Leaf on Wed:
1. LaMiraja LaRibota Vino Aromatizzato Alla China (17%; Vino/Zucchero/Alcool/Aromi Naturali; ThePiedmonteGuy/Shafer/MN) Eugenio Gatti/LaMiraja/Castagnoli Monferrato NV: Med.light slight browning color; rather grapey/Dolcetto-like some medicinal/quinine bit barky/earthy very perfumed complex nose; quite sweet some grapey rather alcoholic faily bitter/quinine complex flavor w/ light bitter tannins; very long/lingering grapey/herbal/quinine finish that mocks the flavor; the quinine is definitely there but not dominate like in Barolo Chinato; a somewhat bizarre quite interesting wine that needs a savory dish to accompany it. $38.00 (SFW&S)
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More bikkelbrot from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. This one bizarre wine that I wanted to try. It was not a huge favorite w/ my group. I rather liked the wine. Eugenio makes a variety of wines (Ruche/Freisa/Barbera/Grignolino) and is one of the most highly regarded winemakers in that region.
This is modeled on the production of Barolo Chinato. He soaks a bunch of medicinal botanicals, including quinine bark, in grappa for some time, then adds this liquid to his still fermenting Ruche wine, halting the fermentation w/ residual sugar.
I try nearly every Barolo Chinato that comes down the pike. Not a huge fan of them as they are often very sweet/very bitter/very alcoholic. I liked this version of Chinato much better because it was not as sweet & alcoholic. It's sorta a bizarre wine but it definitely has its place in the wine world. It's worth trying w/ an open mind.
We all went home from the dinner knowing we were fully protected from catching malaria,
Tom