One day I decided to walk into a Lidl (yes, it happened to me too!), I found some great DIY tools and decided to go in and buy something, but being a curious sort, I couldn't help nosing around the wine aisle!
The "excellent" French wines so heavily promoted by radio experts, which we discussed for example in this article French Wines at Lidl: really a bargain?, but also Barolo under 5 euros and everything else you can think of!
I was, however, drawn to a wine displayed very prominently, with an elegant neck tag signed by Luca Maroni – never mind Marinella!
"Imagine a small and wonderful valley surrounded by vineyards, nestled in the wild mountains of Abruzzo. Imagine the sun's rays gently warming the grapes, and the bright, cold moon cooling the night. Breathe in the air of the biting wind coming from the high mountains, listen to the howl of the wolf in the distance. Here is where our Montepulciano grows, here is where nature has given us a precious gift."
Now imagine that a good Montepulciano could cost just €3.49 including the glass bottle; imagine that other wineries are robbers for offering products far superior to this price – and so you start thinking about buying it, but wait, don't do it just yet! Let's see what the authoritative expert has to say! Your eye lands on "94 Points, Annuario dei migliori vini italiani" and also: "A Montepulciano d'Abruzzo of rare value, aromas of cleanliness and pristine fragrance, with notes of cherry and blackberry in crystal-clear evidence. A flavour of phenomenal softness and persuasiveness. An outstanding example of exceptional purity and naturalness in viticultural and oenological craft"… and it's also organic!
Wow, how can you not buy it! For €3.49 I decided to take home this "outstanding", "pristine" and "persuasive" wine made in an earthly paradise (by a winery from Verona).
I pour into the glass this Passo dell'Orso: light ruby red; on the nose cherry, sour cherry and a smoky note; on the palate it has neither body nor character; structurally light, with little persistence and a somewhat rough tannin.
Drinkable as a "decent" house wine at a trattoria might be, it all ended with a Neapolitan tradition: "a percoc int o vin" – peaches in wine – coming to the rescue to give it some purpose.
It's worth what it costs, but at that price you can find something a little better.
This wine reminds me a bit of the story of that chef who cooks with packaged crisps and his "buddy" who endorses ready-made sauces!
Maroni is a great expert and an extremely intelligent person, but when you trot out opinions from experts like him as if they were unappealable verdicts, remember this story too!
We are not great experts like Luca, perhaps we are wrong, and we don't do consultancy because probably no one would hire us as brand ambassadors; but, for that very reason, we continue to be "pure" and honest.
What do you think?
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