De Long Wine Century Club update - 86 varietals tasted

I am continuing my slow walk toward membership in the De Long Wine Century Club. This weekend, I shared a bottle of 2006 Statti Calabria Gaglioppo ($23) outdoors at Mandola’s Italian Market in Austin. This wine is made from the Gaglioppo grape, which was light and refreshing, with plenty of fruit and a little spicy mint to boot. Modest acid and 12.5% alcohol make this a perfect drink for a fall Sunday afternoon.

My wife was so impressed that I am going to buy a few bottles to keep at the house. Once again, the De Long challenge has led me to try a grape varietal that would not necessarily have made its way into my glass, and I am a happier wine drinker for it.

In addition to enjoying this wine from Statti, I recently tasted an inoffensive Torrentes from Argentina and an inexpensive Spanish Cava. The Torrentes grape is perhaps the leading white wine varietal in Argentina, and it is offered by several producers. I am looking forward to trying several different producers to see the range of flavors and aromas the grape has to offer.

Spanish sparkling wine is called Cava. Cava, like Champagne, is typically made from a combination of three grapes. Spanish sparklers are made from a combination of the Macabeo, Xarello and Parellada grapes. The Cava that I tried is offered by Cristalino for about $9. The wine was crisp, clean, and very refreshing. As the price of wine continues to increase, I am sure this wine will make its way onto my table more and more often.

These wines bring my De Long Wine Century Club grape total to 86, which still leaves me with 14 more grapes to experience. I am sure the task ahead will be a pleasant one.

Check out these related posts:

1. De Long Wine Century Club update - 81 varietals tasted
2. The Wine Century Club from De Long
3. Map of wine regions in Spain and Portugal from De Long
4. Good value white wines for the hot summer
5. For lower priced sparkling wines, think outside of France