More Pizza Reds

It's been a few weeks since we've supplied any news from the world of red, and that's all my fault. I've been mired in bad cheap Bordeaux (a topic I've covered already) and bad new-world Pinot Noir (ditto). The stuff I've been enjoying is also old news: chocolate-and-cherry-tasting light-bodied reds from the South of Italy.

Just arrived at Vino is a $10 Puglian red that I've never seen anywhere else. It's in the lower of the two pictures above: Gioia del Colle. Long, narrow bottle. Inside is Primitivo, Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera -- and also some Sangiovese and Montepulciano. The latter two make it a little less rustic than my other pasta-pairing favorites, but make no mistake: This is a table wine suitable for tables clothed in red and white checkerboard. I wouldn't mind a case.

The higher picture is of the basic red from Planeta, an up-and-coming producer from Sicily. We had the great pleasure of discovering Planeta while visiting Sicily a few years ago and have been delighted to see them succeeding in the States. A few weeks ago Planeta was featured in a piece on the newly thriving Sicilian wine industry in The Economist (you can borrow my password - just ask).

The amazing thing about Planeta is that they find happy mediums between the demands of the international market and local Sicilian winemaking traditions. The Segreta red is a blend of Nero D'Avola (the main red grape of Sicily - rough stuff for table wine) with Merlot and Cabernet. It's soft and round, and around $13 a bottle, yet retains the spicy, sun-drenched character you'd expect of a Sicilian export. The newly relocated and revamped Astor Wines added this and other Planeta wines to its formidable shelves. The white is an even better value. Elisabeth will tell you all about it, I'm sure.