Planet of the Grapes: Sagrantino

Allow me to first address your inevitable, knee-jerk reaction: Yes, I'm going to recommend couple of Italian wines over $35 over in this column. And yes, I am going to call them "value" wines. Good value wines, in fact. And yes, I'm going to be sincere and keep a straight face in doing so.

After all, value is such a slippery term, and in the world of wine it's all relative. Too many people draw an arbitrary line at $11.99 or $7.99 or $14.99 or whatever - and certainly you can find good bottles at all those price points. But if we're really honest with ourselves, we'll also admit that plenty of $9.99 plonk we buy on sale by the liter doesn't represent value, but simply a cheap buzz. And if that's fine for you, that's cool.

On the other hand, $35 and over represents more of an investment, but not one diners are unfamiliar with. Plenty of people celebrate special occasions with wine - an anniversary? A birthday? A big date? A promotion? The weekend? - and if you go to a restaurant with a wine list in this city, $30 likely represents the bare minimum you'll be paying to drink a bottle of wine with your dinner. That $30 bottle will likely be a bottle you'd pay around $10-12 for in the store.

Meanwhile, if you grab a $35-50 bottle and go to a BYOB, you'll be drinking a wine that you'd otherwise likely be paying $90-120 for.

An excellent example of the type of $35-50 value wine I'm talking about is Montefalco Sagrantino, which I find popping up more and more in the PLCB stores. Sagrantino (from the Latin for "sacred") is an ancient grape from around the town of Montefalco, in the central Italian region of Umbria.

Now, you may not be familiar with Umbria (or the sagrantino grape) but you probably have at least heard of Umbria's much-loved next-door neighbor, Tuscany.

Americans lose their minds over anything Tuscan. A Tuscan lust was ignited around the time of Frances Mayes' 1996 bestseller Under The Tuscan Sun, and it still burns unabated today. Adding the word "Tuscan" (or maybe a variation such as Toscana or Florentine) to any product - Tuscan driveway pavers, Tuscan bathroom fixtures, Tuscan chicken sandwiches at Subway - is still apparently as good as printing money. I once even saw a cat food, Purina Fancy Feast, in the flavor of Yellow Fin Tuna Florentine. Yes, even your kitty can experience the Tuscan lifestyle.

It's no different when it comes to wine. People love Tuscan wines. So much so that for many wine drinkers, Tuscany is shorthand for Italian wine. When we talk about Tuscan wine, we're mostly talking about wines made from sangiovese, the famed indigenous grape of central Italy. Our Tuscan lust often results in the most coveted sangiovese-based wines from Tuscany - Chianti Classico, Super Tuscans, and Brunello di Montalcino - skyrocketing in price.

Umbria is not Tuscany. You'll likely never see an Under The Umbrian Sun sort of lust that would beget an Umbrian Chicken Sub. Which is, of course, what makes Umbria a perfect place to look for value wines. While sagrantino has been grown for centuries in Montefalco, it has only been recognized as a DOCG, Italy's highest designation, since 1992.

Sagrantino, likewise, is unique from sangiovese, with twice the natural polyphenols as sangiovese or nebbiolo - meaning gigantic tannins that need time to age. It's the kind of wine that appeals to people who like big, robust reds, with rich, complex flavors. If your splurge is already something like aged Brunello, Sagrantino Montefalco is worth checking out, usually at a significantly lower price.

Between 2000 and 2008, production quadrupled. Since these tannic wines must age significantly, we're generally seeing the 2005 and 2007 vintages, or older, in stores right now. Arnaldo Caprai was the first producer to spread the Sagrantino Montefalco gospel, back in the 1990s, and the Caprai style - which appeals to drinkers who like New World wines - is still the most well-known.

In fact, Steve Wildy, beverage director of Vetri restaurants, sees Sagrantino Montefalco as a perfect introduction to Italian wines for those who enjoy Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon. In fact, he currently pours the 2005 Montechiara by the glass at Amis.

"We're always on the hunt for the wine that will introduce a guest to 'the one': their first love in Italian wine that will dismantle their pre-existing notions," Wildy says. "So many Italian wines can often be at odds with American wine drinkers' tastes - higher in acid, lower in fruit, and with big tannin on the finish. You'll find that most first encounters can send a consumer sprinting back to the comfortable embrace of the Cakebread cabernet. Sagrantino can typically bridge the gap due to its structure: big, loaded with fruit, and packing a punch on the finish."

Still, sagrantino never betrays its Italian roots, with notes of smoke and leather, complex tannins, and an acidity that reminds you that these are wines to be sipped with food.

The next time you're headed out to you favorite Italian BYOB, and planning to eat grilled steaks or pork, rich pastas, or pungent cheese dishes, give one of these a try:

Montechiara Sagrantino di Montefalco 2005. Umbria, Italy. $19.99.

Fresh, ripe fruit and rustic tannins. Wonderful value introduction to the grape. No wonder it's poured by the glass at Amis.

Colpetrone Sagrantino di Montefalco 2007. Umbria, Italy. $25.99

Dark and rustic with wild cherry, dried flowers, and a hint of herbal smoke on the nose, and minerality on the finish. Amazing value at under $30.

Antonelli Sagrantino di Montefalco 2004. Umbria, Italy. $38.99

This wine has curves and knows how to use them. Big, with lots of plum and berry and chocolate, but elegant, and with an intense finish.

Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano 2005. $52.99

Powerful, full-bodied, with deep, dark fruit, leather and chewy tannins. Italy by way of the New World. Balanced, but announces "I'm here!"

Jason Wilson is the editor of TableMatters.com. Follow him @boozecolumnist