Borgogno | Freisa d'Asti | 2005

This is a really nice, young, juicy red wine from northern Italy. It's so fresh you can't help but picture folks picking wild strawberries at a picnic in the countryside, but the decent tannins and duskiness of it force you to take it a little more seriously than you expected at first smell, and keep it from getting boring. Freisa is another of those mysterious indigenous Italian grapes that you don't find anywhere else. It is sometimes made into slightly fizzy, off-dry wines, but this is both still and dry.

NAME: Borgogno
GRAPE: Freisa d'Asti
PLACE: Piedmont, Italy
VINTAGE: 2005
STYLE: pale ruby, light/medium-bodied, dry, fresh, juicy, medium tannins, medium acid
FLAVORS: just-picked red fruits, strawberries, roses, violets, cherries, powder, dusky, a little bitter on the finish
PAIRING: any lighter meat dishes and pastas
PRICE/SOURCE: $12.99 at Astor Wines

Valle dell'Acate | Il Frappato | 2005

This is a very special lighter-bodied red wine, one of my favorite things I've tried this year. It's quite juicy and tasty, with very distinct red berry flavors and then a surprising hit of freshly-ground black pepper on your tongue. Great at any time of year for lighter meals or anything with tomato sauce, or when you really want a red wine even in the middle of summer (in which case you could chill it slightly).

NAME: Valle dell'Acate "Il Frappato"
GRAPE: Frappato (a little-known Sicilian red grape)
PLACE: Sicily, Italy
VINTAGE: 2005
STYLE: fresh, prickles your tongue, juicy, light/med body, little tannin, good acidity
FLAVORS: strawberries, red fruit, black pepper, minerals
PAIRING: Tomato sauce, lighter meat dishes
PRICE/SOURCE: $14.99 at Astor Wines