Day 75: Mezzo Mondo Wine

When I look for a nice, simple, sipping wine at an amazing price, I almost always go for this one - MezzoMondo brand Negroamaro Salento. You're not going to find anything bold or loud. You may even find it a little too tanic. But for under $8 a bottle, all that doesn't even cross your mind because it's just so far off the radar.

Why do I like cheap wines? Because it plays second or third fiddle to the conversation, it's something you don't even notice - it's neither fantastic nor terrible. But THAT'S the way I likkke it baby.

On Negroamaro
Negroamaro, also Negro amaro, is a red wine grape variety native to southern Italy. It is grown almost exclusively in Puglia and particularly in Salento, the peninsula which can be visualised as the “heel” of Italy. The grape can produce wines very deep in color. Wines made from Negroamaro tend to be very rustic in character, combining perfume with an earthy bitterness.

Although 100% varietal wines are produced, Negroamaro is more commonly used as the dominant component of a blend including such varieties as Malvasia Nera, Sangiovese or Montepulciano.

Day 74: Jaipur India Pale Ale

I am a sucker for a good India Pale Ale (IPA). This really is a well balanced one - the fruits, hops, bitter, sweet... nothing overpowering. Grapefruit flavours, a hoppiness that doesn't get you high, but a round bitterness that hugs your cheeks. A caramel sort of appears at the end, like a ghost. The price is a touch higher than Ontario craft IPAs, something like $4.50 for a 500mL bottle. But well worth it.

On Thornbridge Breweries:

With over 200 industry and consumer awards over the past 7 years their beer continues to highlight the importance of traditional ale in the British pub. Thornbridge branded beers were first brewed in early 2005 in the UK and now operate from two brewery sites.

On Jaipur IPA:

From a rought count on the website, this beer has won 88 of the 200 awards. The website describes it as: "A citrus dominated India Pale Ale, its immediate impression is soft and smooth yet builds to a crescendo of massive hoppiness accentuated by honey. An enduring, bitter finish."

On India Pale Ales (from wikipedia and about.com)

IPA descends from the earliest pale ales of the 14th century. A pale ale is an ale which has been brewed from pale malt.

But in the early 1700s Britain had a problem. Troops and British citizens living in India as part of the colonial rule did not have access to good British ale and any attempts to ship the malt British ales to them resulted in spoilage. India Pale Ale, or IPA, was the solution. The generous amount of hops in this brew protected it from the heat and motion of the British sailing ships of the day.

IPA could have faded into history but a fateful shipwreck in 1827 wrecked and damaged some of the casks of IPA on board. The casks were sold there in England and the unusually hoppy ale was a big hit. Soon the new brew was in demand and a new style.

Lots of pale ale and a bit of crystal malt give this styles enough malt sweetness to stand up to the demanding hops. A good IPA will have a pleasantly hoppy aroma. The flavor should be equally hoppy with plenty of balancing malty sweetness.The overwhelming hops flavor of this brew make it a tough beer to pair foods with. Almost any sort of spicing clashes with the hoppy character. Roasted meats can work with a subtle barbecue sauce. Many prefer this beer alone so as to savor the hops.