The soccer match today appears to be as obvious as the wine matchup. I'm saying that the powerhouse Italian team should have no problems with the New Zealand team that is ranked WAY below them. Also, to compare a country that brings us Barolo, Montepulcian, Chianti, and Amarone to a country that is certainly respected for its sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, but does not have the history and the gravitas behind it necessarily, seems unfair. But remember two things here, one New Zealand and Italy are entering this match both with a tie in their opening match, and on the wine side this head-to-head has to be at the $20 and under level. At this level New Zealand might have more to offer, as Italy is not necessarily known for its value offerings (think thin sangiovese served in wicker baskets...) Let us see.
Representing New Zealand I chose a Torrent Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from Nelson. While Nelson is not Marlborough, this wine retails for around $10 and allows New Zealand to show what it can do in other regions. The wine is a straw yellow, with a bit of a golden hue that is not as typical of sauvignon blanc. The nose is inticing with some slate minerality, lots of citrus, and a underlying hint of tropical fruit. The wine drinks quite dry with some minerality, bitter citrus reminescent of grapefruit rind, and some of that New Zealand fresh grass that would be disappointing if not present.
For Italy I found a Corte all Flora Rosso di Montepulciano. Made up of 95% prugnolo gentile (local term for sangiovese) and 5% colorino the wine is a deep scarlet fading to ruby red at the edges of the glass. The nearly translucent wine gives off aromas of dried sage and herbs, raspberries, baking spices, and a distinct sense of home baked bread. In the mouth it is quite rustic and rocky. There is some red fruit up front, but it becomes very herbal across the middle and finishes slightly sour and mouth drying. It is a medium bodied wine with decent structure, but is certainly an old world wine that for me needs food.I enjoyed both wines, and certainly went into the matchup expecting Italy to win easily. In the end the New Zealand sauvignon blanc was delicious and refreshing:
Torrent Bay - 3/5
The Italian wine was a bit more complicated, and while it was enjoyable I think I expected more from it. Tasting the wine the next day I enjoyed it more, as the wine had mellowed slightly and was not quite as rustic and herbal, offering slightly more fruit to make it feel more balanced. In the end, despite my desire to never end in a tie this wine also scored:
Corte all Flora - 3/5
So our first tie (which in this soccer match is not likely), lets watch and find out if it is indeed predictive of the match result.
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