Antinori Santa Cristina Toscana 2010

By Chris and Sherry Hardie

Antinori is an Italian winery that is more than 600 years old but helped revolutionize the country’s wine industry in the 1980s.

It was during that era when we saw the rise of the super Tuscan wines that were blends of international grapes, a major change from the very rigid wine classification system that regulated grape varieties used in specific regions.

That’s the case with this wine, which actually started as a chianti in the 1940s. It is a blend of 60 percent sangiovese with cabernet, merlot and syrah. It’s very soft and balanced with smooth tannins but with plenty of structure and red fruit flavors.

Sherry: “Fruity cherry and plum, raspberry and strawberry with a touch of spice.” 3-1/2 stars

Chris: “Leather notes with flavors of raspberry and cherry.” 3-1/2 stars

Available locally for about $11.

Coming next week: Antigal Uno Malbec

Ol' Geezer Rosso 2009

By CHRIS and SHERRY HARDIE
The grape at the the heart of many wonderful Italian wines is sangiovese (san-joe-vay-see), which is also the source for this red.

Instead of the the fabled Chianti region, this wine comes from Puglia, which is the heel on the peninsular boot of Italy. This fertile area was once scoffed for its vast quantities of cheap wines, but winemakers are stomping out that notion.

This is a simple and plain wine (the name and label had a certain appeal to Chris) that displays the cherry and herb flavors sangiovese is known for. The tannins are a bit sharp, but it's a good value for the price.

Sherry: "Black cherry with a bit of a floral finish." 3 stars

Chris: "Herbal bouquet with flavors of cherry and plum." 2-1/2 stars

Available locally for about $6.

Coming next week: Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz Mourvedre