New Year’s Prescription

Remember me?  

Yeah, I know. My wine blog sabbatical seems to have no end. But I miss it. And I miss you too! My day job still intrudes, so I’m not ready to declare “I’m Back!”, but I thought a New Year’s post would be fun.

So, as we turn the page to 2025 (yikes!), how about a few suggestions for wines you may not be drinking…but should be! Think of it as a New Year’s Prescription from your Wine MD. 

A couple of these recommendations are going to be familiar to regular readers & Instagram followers, but that just means I still want you in these wines!

And with that, as I like to say, let’s get started…    

Sicilian Secrets

This is familiar soil, so to speak. Specifically, volcanic soil. Some of you know I refer to Sicilian reds as a “secret weapon”. By that I mean Sicily is home to some excellent red wines that are just lesser known. That also means they are quite affordable, particularly when compared to some of their mainland cousins.

Let’s have a look on the trusty map, from who else but Madeline Puckette and Wine Folly:

I’m going to give you three for the price of one here!

Nerello Mascalese (“Nair-rello Mas-kah-lay-zay”)

Known to some as a Mediterranean Pinot Noir. Grown primarily on the northern slopes of Mt. Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. I love this wine. Still not very well known, but rapidly gaining in popularity. Lighter bodied but not subtle! Noticeable tannins balanced by good acidity. Check out my very first Wine Doctor video I did last year championing Etna Rosso!

Nero d’Avola (“Nair-oh davo-la”)

Sicily’s leading red grape. Found throughout Sicily, its style varies depending on the terroir. The best ones will be full-bodied, with a deep color and medium-high tannins. Think rich black fruits with notes of tobacco and even chili pepper. A great match with hearty foods, but I like it with my Friday night pizza too! You can read more about this wine in my older blog post here.

Frappato

A light bodied wine exhibiting red fruits and lots of spice. This is a low tannin, refreshing red that should be served very slightly chilled. A great match with roast turkey and spice-driven foods. A little harder to find but worth the effort.

Tannat tonight?

You may not know Tannat, but I think the two of you should get acquainted. The poster child of “red wine benefits”, Tannat has some of the highest levels of antioxidants found in wine. Deeply colored (purple!) and super tannic. Aromas of black currant and plum, with notes of smoke and spice.

This grape originated in southwest France and was brought by immigrants to Uruguay! Today it is Uruguay’s flagship grape. Look for Tannat from one of Uruguay’s top producers, Bodega Garzon. A perfect match with grilled meats.

Gavi: the little black dress 

The white wine jewel of Piedmont, Italy. Known simply as Gavi. Sometimes referred to as the little black dress: always works; fits nearly any occasion.  

But as a good Wine Doctor patient, you know Old World wines tend to be named for a region, not a grape. In this case, we are talking about the Gavi region in Piedmont (northwest Italy).  It’s that red area directly north of the coastal city of Genoa on Wine Folly’s map.

The grape is called Cortese (“kor-tay-zay”). Cortese/Gavi is crisp with fresh acidity. Bone dry, it has a mineral quality reminiscent of Chablis. The bouquet is floral; on the palate you will taste lemon, apples and honeydew. Some have a hint of almonds on the finish. Gavi is very pleasing on its own, but it can be a great match with all kinds of seafood dishes and pesto pastas.

Get GV with it

GV…you know…Gruner Veltliner? We need the phonetic here for sure: “grew-ner felt-lee-ner”. Here is where I need to say: “physician heal thyself”. GV is one of those wines you should have in the rotation, but somehow, I just don’t. That’s what this post is all about. Wine Prescriptions for the New Year, even for me.

Think of GV as an exotic alternative to Sauvignon Blanc (thank you Madeline). The same way Tannat is Uruguay’s grape, Gruner Veltliner belongs to Austria. The hills are alive with GV…sorry, couldn’t resist.

GV is a pale green, lemon & lime beauty with a signature white pepper note. GV’s other trademark: sky-high acidity, which makes it a very versatile food wine. In particular, think Asian food or shellfish – this is your clams or oysters on the half-shell wine for sure!

Well, that about does it for me. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! I hope I have given you some interesting ideas to expand your palate in 2025. I also hope to find some sort of balance to allow for additional blogs or videos in this new year. Wish me luck and stay tuned!

Until then, as always, Cheers!