Margaret Wines, located just a few steps away from Oeben’s at Oudkerkhof in Utrecht, is a small & authentic store that offers a wide selection of wines from Italy, France and other ‘new-world’ countries. They buy all their wines directly from the farmers. They often choose for small, independent farmers who produce biological wines.
At Oeben’s, especially in the weekend, we always have a few bottles open for you to taste. Today we have made a selection of 3 of my all-time favorite red wines from Italy!
1. H. Lun, Alto Adige Grauvernatsch 2019
Perfect for summer! This light red wine, from the Alto Adige-region (against the Austrian border), is made by ‘Weinkellerei H. Lun’, one the oldest winemakers from the region. Since 1840 they are growing grapes on the steep slopes of the Dolomites. This means it takes a lot of hard work to harvest the grapes, because machines can not work on the slopes.
The Grauvernatsch-grape has the fresh aroma of strawberry and raspberry and therefore great to serve chilled!
Available at Margaret Wines for €11,95
2. Tenuta Lena di Mezzo, Valpolicella Classico Supériore Ripasso 2017
My personal favorite. The ‘Ripasso’ is a wine that I could drink every day, for the rest of my life. It is perfect with a simple pasta, but stays up his feet with a grilled steak as well.
This aromatic wine is made in the North of Italy and is a blend from Corvina Veronese, Corivione and Rondinella grapes. After the harvesting these grapes are first laid to dry for a few days before barreling, first in steel, then 18 months in French-oak. This results in a wine with the aroma of red fruit, cherry’s and a hint of oak.
Available at Margaret Wines for €14,30
3. Casina Bongiavanni, Barolo 2015
Known as the “Wine of the Kings and the King of Wines’, Barolo is one of the best Italian wines available. Davide Mazzone produces this rugged red wine on his small estate in Pimonte with Nebbiolo-grapes, which are picked by hand.
Definitely not your every day wine, but so good to treat yourself with every once and a while. The taste is just so heavy and intense and has loads of tannin. If you like red wine, this is next level!
Available at Margaret Wines for €33,75
