OTTO UVE GRAGNANO DELLA PENISOLA SORRENTINA 2021: “This rosso frizzante hails from the Sorrento Peninsula south of Naples — think Amalfi coast, romantic vistas and, of course, pizza. Think of it as a vacation in a bottle. The Washington-area importer, Michael Downey Selections, first brought this wine in for 2 Amys restaurant at the launch of the Neapolitan pizza craze. Fruitier than its more northerly cousins from Emilia Romagna, this wine has a dried plum character that reminds me of — dare I say it? — Dr Pepper. But it’s an Italian Dr Pepper. And a great value at the price.” - Dave McIntyre: 3.5 Stars
The Gragnano name is applied to “frizzante” red blends from the town of the same name, and those fluent in Italian know that “Otto This lively red from the beautiful Sorrento Peninsula has earthy dark fruit, livened by hints of violet, strawberry, rose and raspberry, and by tradition, its flavors are enhanced when chilled. Otto Uve’s hint of sweetness, smoky finish, and light effervescence make it ideal for foods featuring cheeses and oil- in other words, pizza! The pizza of Campagna is of the brick-oven-baked, thin-crust variety, but try this delicious red with whatever pizza is your personal favorite. At our sale price of $19.98, this could be a perfect house red- for pizza night, or for any night! |
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Sometimes descriptions fail, and a wine simply has to be tasted to be appreciated. To adequately describe Otto Uve Gragnano is a challenge; this unique Italian red is mostly dry, as well as fruity, earthy, complex, lightly sparkling…and delicious! This is the rare dry red wine best served chilled, and it is the ultimate pizza wine. If you’ve ever traveled in Campania, you may know that this is exactly the type of wine paired with pizza in pizza’s southern Italian home. And now with a super 3 1/2 star rating from Dave McIntyre, this remarkable red is no longer a secret!
Uve” translates as “Eight Grapes”. This blend incorporates as many as eight native Italian grapes in the blend- most little known. Sciascinoso, Suppezza, Castagnara and Olivella sounds like an Italian Law Firm, but these are actually four of the grapes in Otto Uve. While the exact blend is secret, Aglianico and Piedirosso likely predominate. Aglianico is perhaps the premier red grape of southern Italy, and its frequent companion, Piedirosso, is known locally as “Pigeon’s Foot”. Italian wine culture is nothing if not colorful!
