COREY CROSSES OVER

[Corey, our scholarly wine guy at our Fort Thomas store, submitted this "surprising" admission entitled A FRANCOPHILE CROSSES THE LIGURIA SEA.]

"This will burn Kevin’s eyes, but let’s be perfectly “franc” (hee-hee). I am really underwhelmed by Italian wine. I find it redundant, uninteresting, and without a lot of value. However, every now and again one comes along that has some character. At a recent wine staff meeting, we hosted reps from Palm Bay Imports. Along with their portfolio came Zisola, a Nero D’Avola from Sicily. It was dark, juicy, and above all, had some character. I was excited to find something that I could recommend, and feel even better about the recommendation because it is just over 20 bucks (my threshold for calling it a “value”). Its finish is exquisite, and the wine manages to hit the front, middle, and back evenly. To be honest, while good now, I would like to revisit this vintage in a few years. I might just even buy a few to try once a year to check out its progression. "