My wife and I went to a great little restaurant, one we hadn’t been to before, but it was also a wine bar and store so we expected a good list of options for wine. We both decided to have fish, so our choice of wine probably didn’t make sense as it was red and the waiter even made mention of that fact, but we ordered it anyway.

I love Italian wines and this one I had not heard of before, but it was from Tuscany, so we decided to take our chances and order a bottle. The price in the restaurant wasn’t bad for a bottle at $30.00.

My first sip was incredible! The wine has a deep intense ruby color, an aroma of cherry, oak, and spice and it was velvety and smooth. This wine has a little higher alcohol content at 14%, but it was still smooth. We finished the bottle by the end of dinner and were completely satisfied that we had ordered a great-tasting wine. While drinking this wine it really did take us back to sitting at a table in a Tuscan village one evening.

After arriving home I was intrigued and started to do a little research on the Piccini wine and this Memoro Vino Rosso d’Italia in particular. Here’s what I learned and thought I’d pass along.

The Piccini family in Tuscany has been making wine since 1882. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification, they decided to create a wine made with different grapes from the four corners of Italy. This wine is created from combining four grape varieties: 40% Primitivo from Puglia (these grapes go through air-drying before they are fermented), 30% Montepulciano from Abruzzo aged in oak, 20% Nero d’Avola from Sicily, and 10% Merlot from Veneto or Northern Italy. Because the grapes come from different regions they cannot carry a vintage or be graded and so the Piccini family labeled this a Vino Rosso d’Italia or red wine from Italy.

This wine would pair well with red meat or pasta, but I was impressed at the aroma and flavor enough that it did not distract from the fish we had that evening. I am in the process of searching for more of this fabulous wine to have at home and to share with friends and family.