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A few nights ago, I had a hankering for a bowl of pasta and a red meat sauce. The secret to a good meat sauce is using ground beef that is not to lean, adding oregano, basil, pepper & salt, and my favorite is throwing in a couple of large chunks of roma tomatoes. Oh, and a splash of great wine. Being in a cliché mood, I cracked open a bottle of red Italian wine. Here’s what I found.

2003 Valpolicella
Winery: Cantina di Custoza (it is more of a winegrowers collective in Custoza, Italy)
Region: Veneto, Italia
Price: $9.99 on sale at $7.99
Where: My local BevMo

WOW!! What a great wine. Starting off, the nose of this wine was very mild, yet it had hints of black berries. No spice was detected at all. I made sure to let this one breathe in my glass for about 7 minutes. By doing so, the first sip was amazing. An incredibly balanced Valpolicella, with the perfect blend of tannins, sugar, and alcohol (12.5%). Being so well balanced, no single fruit flavor was over powering. While not being overly sweet, tastes of black berries, raspberries, and even pomegranate were present. And, an “Oh so smooth” finish. This has officially made my Top-10 list for reds.

A reference for all wines Italian