Hi all, not a wine drinker but picked up wine recently and thought it tastes quite good. Its called "Aleatica Sovana Denominazione Di Origine Controllata Superiore 2008 Fattoria Aldobrandesca" (sorry, no idea whats the name so typed everything on the label
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Its ard 90bucks at duty free shop. Am wondering if there are cheaper alternative that tastes similar (abit sweet and very smooth) or where can I find it in local stores?
the wine you had is produced by 'Fattoria Aldobrandesca' of the Sovana region. It is made from 100% Aleatica grapes, a native species. the Denominazione etc... is just to indicate that this region is protected by wine laws and regulation. This producer/vineyard is owned by the famous italian wine making company: Antinori, which makes some of the best wines in Tuscany.
the reason why it is sweet is due to the fact that these grapes are left on the branch until they are very ripe, then half of them gets fermented while the other half get sun dried to intensify the sugar concentration in the wines.
there are other styles of wine similar to this, most famously are the italian wines from the veneto region such as Valpolicella and Amarone, but the latter can easily cost more than your Fattoria Aldobrandesca.
there are some new world wines made in that style, such as those produced by the australian producer: Mitolo. The Mitolo Jester Shiraz and the more expensive Mitolo Serpico have a portion of their grapes dried before fermentation. The Jester is around $50 and the Serpico is about $90. If you have the money, go for the Serpico. THey can be found at Crystal Wines.
Or if u want, just search around for Amarone wines.