Maretti Langhe Rosso, Barbera Nebbiolo, 2013
By Fergal Gleeson

Maretti Langhe Rosso has a cool label bringing to mind Campari and Frederico Fellini films. This is a smart looking bottle that will impress at the dinner party or barbecue.

Do the contents of the bottle back it up? Si mio amico or “Too bloody right!” if you prefer. Yes you’ll want to be around when they open this bambino. Smells so good that you want to keep holding it to your nose. That’ll be the Nebbiolo in it. Of course you must move on to drinking it or you’ll be marked out as a weirdo.

Aggressive sniffing is well and good for wine critics but not for the rest of us. Things get even better when you sip. You’ll taste dark fruit, tobacco, salami, leathery tannins.

Has a refreshing acid and sour fruits making this a stylish quaffer. I was hoping for a good weekday wine but this is something for the weekend.

Maretti is a 70/30 mix of the Barbera and Nebbiolo grape varietals from Piedmont. Italian grapes are in the ascendant in Australia at the moment as people want to break out from the Shiraz and Cabernet oligarchy.

Sangiovese from Chianti in Tuscany is the best known Italian red but the greatest prices and most critically acclaimed are the red wines of Barolo from Piedmont. This is from the more modest Langhe district which adjoins Barolo but it will give you a feel for the style with much less strain on your plastic.

If you are asking why the fuss about Italian wine lately? Maretti will answer the question emphatically. Medium bodied with a variety of flavour it’s one of the best wines I’ve drank all year for under $20.

Have a few glasses in company and you’ll be feeling like you’re Marcelo Mastroianni, the suave 60’s Italian film actor. To everybody else you may be behaving like Silvio Berlusconi at a Bunga Bunga party.  Lapsing into Silvio is quite easy to do with Maretti Rosso. Go get some!

Rating: 4/5. RRP $20. For more Wine Reviews read and follow www.greatwineblog.wordpress.com  Drink and be merry!