ReLusso Rosso Frizzante

I went down a hole trying to figure this wine out (see Winery below). This is going to be a new favorite. We have our "Holy Grail" wine that we compare everything to, and Bodie and I both agreed that this will be the replacement for the times we are out of our #1 wine. The ReLusso is so good it's dangerous. I happen to LOVE sparkling wines, but it's not so bubbly that it will leave you with a headache. It's not super expensive, so do yourself a favor and get yourself a bottle or 3. We'll be drinking this at Thanksgiving for sure.

Name: ReLusso Rosso Frizzante

Price: $12.99 at Total Wine

Alcohol Content: 5.5%

Residual Sugar: The bottle doesn't list residual sugar precisely, but after some math (ugh), I'm pretty sure it comes out to be about 107 g/L. This would put it in the Medium-Sweet category, but it tastes much sweeter.

Vintage: No year given

TLDR: YAY. So. much. yay.

Winery: This is super confusing, but apparently it was made somewhere in the Piedmont region of Italy, although I cannot find any specific winery called ReLusso. I even went to the trademark database and found info pertaining to the Terre Dominici Society, but I don't read Italian, so I gave up trying to figure this out. Knowing it's from Northern Italy is enough. Also FYI, a lot of sweet wines are from northern Italy.

Varietal: Unfortunately the bottle did not give much info on what types of grapes were included in the wine, but it is a sparkling red blend. Apparently that's what Rosso Frizzante means. The Piedmont region in Italy is primarily known to plant Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Dolcetto grapes. Also, being made in Italy, this is considered an Old World wine. See FAQ for explanation.

About the Grape: Since I'm not sure what type of grape is in the wine, I can't speak specifically to this.

Bottle Description:

"Indulge in ReLusso, a luxurious Italian Red crafted for your relaxing moments. Treat yourself with this ruby gem and its berry aroma, and soft juicy flavour. Designed and produced in Italy. Enjoyed comfortably at your home. Best when served chilled."

Color: A very pretty ruby

Nose: So when I first opened this, I got a slight communion wine smell off the top, and this scared me. All I could smell was Jesus and fruit. But once we gave it a minute, we were able to pick out specific notes like strawberry and pomegranate.

Taste: Upon first sip, you get a ton of fruit hit you, and it's hard to tease them out. But it doesn't matter because it's delicious and you just want to chug it. We could tell it was red fruits, and we started to be able to taste the berries, plum, and pomegranate specifically. It's so juicy and fruity, and a little jammy. Some people think jammy is a bad thing, but we think jammy is delicious. It just means it tastes a little like stewed fruits and jam. AKA wonderful. Keep in mind that this is carbonated, which I actually prefer. A little sparkle never hurt anyone. There is medium acidity, and your mouth will water with the tartness. There is very soft tannin, which is personally my favorite, since I don't like sand-paper tongue. It's light bodied and goes down TOO easy.

Finish: The finish is fruity and minimal. It is out of your mouth seconds after you swallow, which just makes you want to drink more.

Decanted: Don't decant! It's sparkling and will go flat.

PAIRINGS

Sweet: This wine is a dessert in and of itself. We tried it with chocolate, and honestly it was sweetness overload. It dulled out the fruitiness and pulled out the carbonation, and my tongue couldn't take it.

Spicy: Yum. The sparkles do make the spiciness a bit hotter, but in a good way. The berry flavor in particular shines when you drink it with spicy food.

Salty: Yes. Pair it with saltiness. Maybe salty AND spicy. Like jalepeno popcorn. Is that weird? What I'm trying to say is it complimented the wine well, and I'm not really sure how to describe it.

Cheese: Unlike our last wine, this frizzante was awesome with cheese. It dulled down the sparkle some, and really brought out the raspberry and pomegranate flavors.

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