This Merlot Veneto Allegro 2007 from Italy is our choice for this Thursday evening. The nose is really nice: cloves and a touch of licorice. The taste, however, is, so far, nothing like the nose. I suspect this will change as it breathes. At this point in time, I would describe the taste as initally astringent with a thin texture and the essence of strawberries on the finish. This is not surprising from an Italian Merlot. In my opinion, Italian reds tend to be a bit austere. If one is accustomed to a fruity Australian Merlot, this would take some getting used to.
Tom chose this wine to go with our dinner of a casserole that I actually made last night — with brown rice, chicken broth, mushrooms, spices, and chicken. (I had intended to have it for dinner last night but it was taking too long to bake in the oven so I ended up serving leftovers last night and saving the casserole for dinner tonight.) I am going to make broccoli too.
Cheers. Tony, we miss you!
