Wine Review: Monte Antico’s Toscana 2009

                                      Beautiful Beautiful Brown Eyes

Monte Antico's Toscana 2009 has a high grape aroma that is apparent upon first pour. The color is a dark maroon red which indicates its hardiness and ideal winter selection. Tears are large and medium paced that represents its medium body. Oxidization on the glass is apparent that smoothed out the taste.  It is fruity by nature and full of ripe grape flavor. There is a light level of acidity and tannin aftertaste.

Monte Antico’s Toscana  2009 is a red wine blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot.  It is an Italian import from the Toscana region. According to Wine-Searcher.com it was the 1199^th popular wine on their site. It was given a rank of 87 and is considered a strong buy. 

The wine comes from the Maremma, Colline Pisane and Colli Fiorentini  regions of Tuscany.  The area’s history is recorded back to the 8^th century B.C. Etruscans  who used to sharecrop with local aristocracy. Half of their grapes were made into wine and exported to Florence. The region primarily worked in guilds to control the market mechanisms. 

The wine is aged in French oak barrels and another six months in the bottle that impacts its darker and more ripe consistency. The oak barrels not only give a slight vanilla taste but also reduce harsh tannins. When possible it is beneficial to seek out wines that have been aged properly within such barrels because they increase the wines quality. 

Wine Poem: Come Now Monarch of the Vine by William Shakespeare

Come, thou monarch of the vine,
Plumpy Bacchus with pink eyne

 In thy fats our cares be drown’d,
With thy grapes our hairs be crown’d!
Cup us till the world go round,
Cup us till the world go round!

http://www.monteanticowine.com/

19 Crimes Wine-Wine with a History

19 Crimes is an Australian red wine that tastes of licorice, fruits, and vanilla. The brand is labeled after the historical development of colonies in Australia. It is a label associated with the experience of being accused and being sent to work camps from England. It is an Australian wine and imported to the U.S. in Napa Valley. The taste is relatively light, fruity by nature, and does not have a large tannin aftertaste. 

The name is interesting in that it represents how Australia started and gives honor to all those who are falsely accused.  There were 19 crimes that could get you sent from England to the Australian work camps that eventually turned into colonies. At this time in history an unfair suspicion could land you in a work camp for decades. Young children barely in their teens were sentenced for life for stealing something as simple as what we might consider candy or being born into the wrong ethnicity. 

The wine name after John Boyle O'Reilly comes with an interesting tale of a person who was sentenced to an Australian work camp because of associations in his Irish youth. Through time he  moved from a worker to someone who overseas other workers. He made friends with a priest and escaped aboard an American whaling ship. He started over in the U.S. and became a speech-maker and writer for a Boston newspaper. 

http://www.19crimes.com/home.html