Sherbango soup

Joltin’ Giacomo’s Uvaggio

When you’re away from home and feeling disoriented, nothing helps calm you down like a familiar meal.

That’s why you see so many Americans at McDonald’s in Europe. It’s not that they can’t survive without deep-fried potato flour (well, most of them, anyway). It’s just that after a week or two of men with strange mustaches barking incomprehensibly, of children giggling at them for no apparent reason, of even the dogs seeming to be in on some private joke that the tourists will never understand, a fistful of familiar carbs really soothes the nerves.

Consider this Uvaggio di Giacomo 2008 Vermentino another one of those tourists. Its native soil is Liguria region on the west coast of Italy, and the island of Sardinia. The Sardinians and the Ligurians will eat pretty much anything and everything that lives under the Mediterranean waves, so Vermentino found its sea legs standing alongside some of the greatest seafood meals on the planet. Good acidity, moderate alcohol, touches of herb and citrus and quince and pear: Vermentino is pretty much the perfect partner for fish, and a quintessential varietal of Western Italy.

So when winemaker Jim “Giacomo” Moore tried growing some in the distant soil of Lodi, California, Vermentino had some adjusting to do. The heat couldn’t hurt it. Its distinct Italian accent picked up just a hint of the California dialect. The famed Janis Robinson named Uvaggio di Giacomo 2008 Vermentino one of her Wines of the Week, citing its “seriously good value… it over-delivers in terms of flavour and refreshment… Unlike most Cal-Ital varietals, which seem to bear pretty little relationship to the Italian prototype, one mouthful of this was enough to remind me of a lunch in Liguria high above the sparkling blue Mediterranean.” The San Francisco Chronicle tabbed Jim/Giacomo as one of its Ten Winemakers to Watch thanks to brilliant wines like the 2008 Vermentino.

But sometimes, when it all gets to be a little too much and Vermentino starts to feel adrift, it needs to be reminded where it came from. It needs that familiar meal. It needs to be paired with fresh seafood, excellently prepared. Without question, Uvaggio di Giacomo 2008 Vermentino boasts enough flavor and edge to stand on its own. We’d recommend setting aside at least one of these four bottles for a primo seafood dinner. You’ll be glad you did – and so will the Vermentino.

2008 Uvaggio Vermentino:

• Vintage 2008
• 100% Lodi appellation: 32% Gayla's Vineyard, 68% Bella Vigna Vineyard
• 100% Tablas Creek colonel selection 
• Bottled Apr 2009
• 12.2% alcohol
• pH 3.54
• TA 6.1 g/l
• RS <0.5 g/l

Fruity and floral with hints of herbs, mint and cilantro on top of citrus and kiwi.

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• Wine sold by winery (or a retailer in your state where necessary)
• You must be 21 or older to order
• Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
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If your state's not on the list, you're out of luck... for now. Keep up with the ever-changing laws over at ShipCompliantBlog.com, and/or sound the alarms with your state assembly person through FreeTheGrapes.org. Meanwhile, all Federal, state and local laws are complied with in providing this wine.