Reading Time: 5 minutes

Hello! Welcome to As Drunk by Exotic Wine Travel, a weekly column where we feature interesting wines that we encourage you to seek out. The reviews featured in this series may be written by either one or the both of us. The featured wines can be from obscure or well-known wine regions. We hope that these wine recommendations will keep you gastronomically curious and your palate invigorated!

Roscioli Italian Wine Club Shipment

We get approached by many wine clubs, most of which we turn down. There was something different about the Roscioli Italian Wine Club that caught our eye. It is their passion for unique Italian wines from small producers.

Charine and I were immediately convinced once we saw some of the wineries that Roscioli works with. Sommelier Allesandro Pepe selects the labels for the Roscioli Italian Wine Club. He has put together an impressive portfolio of winegrowers that farm organically and/or dynamically.

Roscioli sends out a shipment of twelve wines, twice per year. They mix in Italian (and some French) wines from many different regions, something adventurous palates will love. They also including information and videos about the wines they send out (see example below).

Roscioli sent us two packs of six wines. Three bottles from their entry-level tier 1 shipment and three from their more expensive tier 2 shipment. Of the twelve wines, I’ve been really into eleven of them.

Overall, compliments go out to Roscioli on the selection. It’s exactly the type of wine club that I want to be a part of (and hope to start in the future). All the wines received are made from unique grape varieties and eleven of the twelve are excellent bottles.

Wine Recommendations:

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

Spring 2020 Selection

Tier 1 Selection

• La Palazzola, Grilli Riesling Pas Dosé 2015 – Umbria

This Riesling Pét-Nat was the most surprising wine in the pack. The La Palazzola, Girlli Riesling Pas Dosé is hand disgorged after over four years on the lees. Explosive nose of petrol, white flower, apple, and biscuit. The nose is really impressive with Champagne-like flavors. This is quite a fine bottle of bubbles for a low price. With a long finish, this is a pure winner. Score: 91/100

• Rizzi, Barbera d’Alba 2017 – Piedmont

The Rizzi, Barbera d’Alba is a delicious, classic Piemontese Barbera. It’s a darker, riper red with notes of hazelnut, brambleberry, dried cranberry, and mocha. Full-bodied and velvety with plenty of plush fruit notes up front and a touch of earthiness on the backend. High acidity and fine tannins. This is a delicious red with Piemontese flair. This is pure pleasure to drink. Score: 90+/100

• Le Ragnaie, ‘Troncone’ Toscana Rosso 2016 – Tuscany

Le Ragnaie is a respected producer of Brunello di Montalcino. Their entry-level red named Troncone is 100% Sangiovese from high elevation vineyards, at first it’s shy but gains momentum with air. Wonderful notes of raspberry, sour cherry, mineral, and fall leaves nose. Very old world, old school Tuscan Sangiovese. The mouthfeel is fantastic with fine tannins. It’s not the most complex red in the world but it’s really fun to drink. High acidity means this would be great with pasta. Score: 89/100

Tier 2 Selection

• SoloUva, Franciacorta Dossagio Zero NV – Lombardy

The SoloUva, Franciacorta Dossagio Zero is kept on the lees for 36 months and is a Brut Nature. Only grape sugar was used for the second fermentation, not cane sugar. Made from 100% Chardonnay is this is a Blanc de Blancs. Sharp notes of white peach, pear, lemon, and a touch of baked apple. It isn’t overly yogurt-like Champagne, the fruit shows through. It’s a crisp, linear sparkler that focuses on clean fruits. It doesn’t have endless layers of complexity like Champagne, but in its style, it’s very well done. Score: 90/100 

• Damijan, Nekaj 2015 – Friuli-Venezia Giulia

The Damijan, Nekaj is a brilliant orange wine. It’s golden yellow in color and made from 100% Friulano macerated for 60-90 days. Notes of sweet peach, dried pineapple, dried yellow flower, yogurt, and white pepper. Really complex amber wine. This is not a tannic, oxidized bruiser. It’s an orange wine with class, there’s a slight tangerine finish and fine, smoky tannins. Score: 92/100

• Piero Busso, ’Mondino’ Barbaresco 2016 – Piedmont

The Piero Busso, ‘Mondino’ Barbaresco has notes of cranberry, leather, sour cherry, tar, and game jump out of the class. This is true Nebbiolo color, it’s fairly transparent with browning on the rim. The palate has several layers with beautiful notes of tar and roses that accompany the fruit. Small, biting tannins that beg for food and a long finish. This is Nebbiolo done right. Score: 92+/100

[ap_call_to_action button_text=”Choose Your Wine” button_url=”https://roscioliwineclub.com/ref/5/” button_align=”center”]Use the code FIRSTBOX10 for 10% off your first case of Italian wine at Roscioli Wine Club.[/ap_call_to_action]

📦 Shipping is available to residents in the EU, UK, USA, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore.

Winter 2019 Selection

• Malibran, ‘Credamora’ Col Fondo Valdobbiadene 2016 – Veneto

I give the team at Roscioli a lot of credit for including a wine this edgy.

The Malibran, ‘Credamora’ Col Fondo Valdobbiadene is a prosecco that hasn’t been disgorged. The wine needs to stand up for a few days to let the sediment settle to the bottom before opening. This wine needs air to show it’s best. It didn’t show well at first but after some time, it really started to sing in the glass. There are notes of lemon zest, apple, and white pear. There is a touch of yeastiness (think craft beer) with a pleasant mouthfeel and small bubbles. Score: 90/100

• Monte di Grazia, Rosso 2013 – Campania

The Monte di Grazia Rosso is made from the rare grape Tintore di Tramonti. It’s a teinturier, which means the grape’s flesh and juice are dark in color. This is a rustic wine, in a charming way. There are notes of red plum, cherry, rose petal, and cedar. It’s lower in alcohol than you would expect for a southern Italian wine. High acidity and ripe tannins, this just begs for food. This is the type of wine that makes Italy so exciting. Score: 90+/100

*Note: This wine oxidizes pretty quickly so make sure to open and finish the bottle in one evening.

• Marabino, Rosso di Contrada 2016 – Sicily

We’re big fans of the Marabino, Archimede Riserva and the Rosso di Contrada is its little brother. This estate farms biodynamically. The wine is a juicy, delicious Sothern Italian wine that isn’t too big. There are notes of sour cherry, cedar, and pepper. This is a great, tangy everyday red wine with a low level of tannins and a long, red berry finish. Acts more like a Sangiovese than a Nero d’Avola. Score: 90/100

Video Review of Roscioli Tier 1 Italian Wines

• Lieselohof, Julian 2016 – Alto Adige

This is another wine I give Roscioli credit for including, although it’s the only wine in the pack that I am not crazy about.

The Lieselohof, Julian is made from a disease-resistant variety called Bronner. It’s a unique wine with notes of pine, sage, white peach, and lemon. It’s fairly complex with medium levels of acidity, so many casual palates won’t complain of the wine being too sour. The alcohol climbs a bit on the finish which keeps the score down. Score: 88/100

• Poggiarellino, Brunello di Montalcino 2013 – Tuscany

The Poggiarellino, Brunello di Montalcino was my favorite wine in the pack. It’s a classic, old-school Sangiovese with notes of earth, tobacco, cedar, mineral, sour cherry, fall leaves, and pepper. You can tell the wine is true Sangiovese with its light color. It is medium-bodied and savory on the palate with chewy tannins and real length. Beautiful Brunello! Score: 92/100

• Sobrero, ‘Ciabot Tanasio’ Barolo 2014 – Piemonte

Charine and I visited Sobrero years ago and sat at the table with the family. It’s a small estate outside of Castiglione Falleto in the Barolo region. This vintage was cooler in Barolo which gives this wine a little more finesse. It’s got notes of sour cherry, cranberry, perfume, and a touch of leather. The palate starts out silky smooth until the firm tannins hit. It’s not a Barolo that will last decades, but it should improve plenty in the next 5-10 years. Score: 91/100

Video Review of Roscioli Tier 2 Italian Wines:

Are You Interested in Unique Italian Wines?

[ap_call_to_action button_text=”Choose Your Wine” button_url=”https://roscioliwineclub.com/ref/5/” button_align=”center”]Use the code FIRSTBOX10 for 10% off your first case of Italian wine at Roscioli Wine Club.[/ap_call_to_action]

📦 Shipping is available to residents in the EU, UK, USA, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore.

---

Photos are courtesy of the Roscioli website. Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.