Our concept of a value wine is one that offers a flawless and delightful drinking experience at a price that allows it to be enjoyed on a daily basis. After looking at value-priced wines from America, France, Australia, and Chile, our conclusion that the finest overall quality value wine comes to us from Italy.
Salice Salentino
Salice Salentino is a tiny community (approx. 9,000 residents) on the Salento Peninsula—the heel of Italy. Winegrapes have grown there since the 6th century and are often left to grow as untrellised and untrained bushes which require hand harvesting. Most of the grapes grown in this region of Apuglia are Negro Amara, thought to be a native grape, and two species of Malvasia Nera, imported from Greece more than a thousand years ago. With the globalization of the wine market, other varieties, such as Chardonnay, are beginning to appear and are entitled to the Salice Salentino appellation. But up to now, all the Salice Salentino wines widely imported to the U. S. and Canada are of the traditional regional type: 80% Negro Amara/20% Malvasia Nera.
Flavor Profile
The red wines of Salice Salentino all share a common flavor profile. The are medium-bodied, vaguely resembling Pinot Noir without the overt fruitiness associated with that grape. The Salice Salentino fruit component tends towards tart cherry vs. Pinot Noir's ripe cherry; and the wines are made in the Italian style—restrained, disciplined, not overextracted, and with moderate alcohol levels. These wines are superb food wines and will marry with a wide range of Italian and non-Italian dishes.
Salice Salentino vs. the Competition
Salice Salentino wines are priced from $4.99 to around $14. New World wines in the value category tend to be soft, with little structure, fairly low acid and tannin. They're easy-drinking and usually fairly nondescript wines with underdeveloped aromatics. Beaujolais has long been considered one of the world's great value wines, but the best examples (the 13 "cru" Beaujolais wines) are usually priced just above the limit for value wines; and they can be quite variable in quality from vintage to vintage. Salice Salentino, on the other hand, is much more dependable through a range of vintages. We think the least expensive Salice Salentinos outperform any other comparably priced red wine and the more expensive ones are compatible with the most luxurious dinner table.
Recommendations
Here are three examples, representing high, middle, and low end Salice Salentino wines.
2006 Castello Monaci Liante Salice Salentino; 13% al., $13.79 at Wine.com.
Light to medium ruby color with good viscosity. White pepper and tart cherries dominate the nose. Bright on the palate with a core of rich, ripe plum. Unmistakably Italian in style with a classic, disciplined profile. Superb food wine that will outperform many wines costing twice the price. Highly recommended.
2003 Taurino Salice Salentino Riserva; 13.5% alc., $10. (Widely distributed.)
Lighter in color than the Castello Monaci. It's modest nose is more vinous than fruity, but tart cherry comes through on the palate. The Taurino Salice Salentinos have been for decades the benchmark to which newer examples are most often compared. Its wide distribution makes it very easy to obtain. Recommended.
2004 EpicuroSalice Salentino Riserva; 13% alc., $4.99 at Trader Joe's.
More robust ruby color than the examples cited above. Fairly weak aromatics, but delicious flavors of ripe Bing cherries and plum inform the palate. A faint lingering sweetness is noticeable on the finish. Round on the palate with decent viscosity. At its price point the Epicuro Salice Salentino is one of the best values in red wine we've seen and at $5, recommended.
Alan Boehmer - Alan Boehmer has conducted regular wine seminars and wine tours since 1967. Originally based in Los Angeles, he served as a consultant for ...
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