Affordable Wine in Singapore – a mature Italian red for the weekend.

Continuing our search for affordable wine in Singapore, we came across this interesting specimen, which has a tongue-twisting name -Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva 1998. The wine was being advertised at Crystal Wines with a Wine Advocate score of 91 at $58. It is hard enough finding 17-year-old wines, let alone something which costs below $60 with a 90 plus score.

With the benefit of some internet searches, we now know that Mastroberardino is a winery in the southern Italian region of Compania which has been making wine since the 1800s. The Radici wine is made within the Taurasi area of Compania. Taurasi by the way is the only wine area in Compania that has a DOCG designation. It is supposed to be so good that its nickname is the “Barolo of the South”. With the escalating prices of wine from the well-known regions of France and Italy such as Bordeaux and Piedmont, it seems like we have to cast our nets wider into less navigated waters.

The one thing we know about Italian wines without using the internet is that they are made to go well with food. To put all that information to the test, we brought the bottle of Radici along for a pizza meal.

At 17 years of age, this bottle of wine may be older than some of our readers so we were quite relieved when the bottle was opened uneventfully. The cork was in good shape, the look and smell of the wine was fine. We let it breathe for a about 20 minutes – basically the time it took to order and the food to arrive. There was not much of a bouquet but the taste was still surprisingly youthful and fruity. It was smooth and medium-bodied. The tannins have been softened by age. There was a long complex taste. I am not good at describing tastes but this is better than some actual Barolos from Piedmont.

And yes, the pairing with the mushroom pizza was great. In fact we think it will go well with meat dishes as well.  At the price of $58 this Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva is a good value for money wine.

*****