Wine: Col del Mondo Montepulciano

Montepulcianos tend to be, in my experience, rather hot and noticably unbalanced. I had the opportunity to taste one that is deliciously soft and inviting, despite being 13.5% alcohol (which may actually be rather low by today's red wine standards). Col del Mondo (winesearcher) is a reasonably priced

($30/bottle for the 2001 vintage, less than $15 for the 2003) wine that is soft, inviting, and fruity. The bouquet is rather muted, but does express some floral fragances including violets. It is not at all vegetative. It's a dark, skin-of-plum colored wine. I enjoyed it with a slice of a flourless chocolate cake and found it to be quite a good pairing.

Approachable Montepulciano, as far as I can tell, is in the States mostly relegated to decent-ish pizzerias and mid-range Italian restaurants. It's a shame, really, because Montepulcianos such as the Col del Mondo can be so inviting and yet withdrawn enough to highlight good food and encourage good conversation.

Value: 3.0
Color & Clarity: 3.0
Bouquet: 3.0
Flavor: 3.5