Congratulations to our winner of Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2001, Katy Lewis! Please contact me: ecriswell@italianwinemerchants.com to set up shipping!

Last chance to win this is today!

For the next two weeks, all those who join Italian Wine Chat with IWM will be entered in a contest for a bottle of Canallichio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino 2001! All you have to do is join our group, keep the conversation going, and you'll be entered. The winner will be announced right here on May 15th. Good Luck!

Cru Beaujolais is never a bad thing! We have a really cool one that's vinified in the traditional Burgundy style and a steal at $129 for a magnum! Lapierre Morgon Cuvee Romaine MMIX 2009 1.5L

I'm really craving this wine today. Chavy Chouet Puligny Montrachet Enseigneres 2010 750ml. Do you all have wines you crave?

Why won't it warm up?! Channel a few more days of chilly temperatures and warm your body with this silky Super-Tuscan: Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Volte 2010 750ml

Yes, you want this Rosé. Per Linda Cerasuolo 2011

How about a bottle of Quattro Mani Toh-Kai 2010 on this beautiful Spring day?

We sold a bottle of this Quintarelli earlier and I had forgotten how lovely it is. This wine is much like port in flavor profile and dates back to the early days of the Venetian Empire. This gorgeous, graceful wine is unfortified and its fermentation is arrested earlier than Quintarelli’s regular Valpolicella, thus leaving a higher amount of residual sugar and creating a sweeter wine with a palate of raisins, sweet spices, leather, and chocolate. Giuseppe Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella 1997 375ml

Interested in celebrating the election of Pope Francis I with an Argentine wine? Try our Bodeca Chacra Pinot Noir!

Sartarelli Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico 2011

Domaine Barat Chablis 1er Cru Cote de Lechet 2010

Francois Gay Aloxe Corton 2010 750ml

Francois Gay Ladoix 2010 750ml

Thanks, Justin! It's so nice to hear from you. Rob, I'll be posting the wines Justin mentioned for your buying ease: Fuligni Rosso di Montalcino Ginestreto 2009 750ml

Another great red choice is this Renzo Seghesio Barolo Pajana Gran Riserva 1998. It's just beginning to open up 15 years later and it is beautiful. I have the great fortune of pouring this tomorrow night during a company off-site event.

Today, I was excited to find out that a study conducted by a German hospital found that diners who consumed red wine with meals high in fat experienced lower levels of inflammation which helped with digestion. What better way than to celebrate with one of my favorite red blends: amarone. Nicolis Amarone della Valpolicella Ambrosan 2005 is pictured

Although it is fish, which typically screams for a white wine, salmon is a hearty, meaty fish which will definitely go well with a Pinot Noir. Bodega Chacra Pinot Noir Rio Negro Barda 2011 is the Argentine property of Sassicaia, so these guys know how to make wine. We call this our ultimate dinner wine for good reason. It's bright, vivacious and priced right for every day imbibing. Salmon with dill sauce would be perfect for this bottle.

I drank this Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2006 over the weekend. It's still young and needs some air, but the cellaring potential on this bottle is at least 20 years. It has a gorgeous black fruit character and very present tannins. Reminds me of Tuscany.

I'm SO thrilled to be attending this winemaker dinner. We have multiple vintages of Ch. Lagrange wines along with some of our old favorites. If you haven't attended a dinner here, this is your chance! We make all of our food fresh and in house, there is nothing else like it in NYC. This dinner is going to sell out quick, book your spot and join me for a glass.

After tasting so much red wine in Florence, I need a nice, light, creamy palate cleanser! Barone Pizzini Brut Franciacorta NV is a perfect option. Ageing on the lees gives this wine its delicious toasty notes, while still being bright and fresh. It's a favorite champagne alternative of mine.

One more suggestion: this wine is stunning. Saffron colored, it's not a white, but not a red either. This can be called an "orange" wine and is like nothing you've ever had before. Truly beautiful.

Sparkling is always a good choice. You know, 30% of our portfolio is from outside of Italy. This is a delicious grower champagne that is blended with three vintages of grand cru pinot noir. The 1911 on the bottle refers to how many bottles were produced

We just got this one back in stock and can hardly keep it on hand. walk on the masculine side of Brunello, the organically grown Gianni Brunelli reflects its Montalcino-born namesake in its cypress, leather, smoke and tar-flecked body. A vibrant core of bright red fruits give this deceptively velvety, genial wine a charming personality. This 15-acre estate, founded by the late, great Montalcino restaurateur Gianni Brunelli, crafted just fewer than 1,000 cases of its radiant '06. Drinking now or twenty years from now.

This is one of our top sellers right now, everyone is loving amarone for Valentine's Day. Massimino Venturini succeeds with this rich and fruity bottling of this bold expression of Veneto's most popular varietal trio, Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella. Seductive, smooth, and complementing foods from meat to chocolate, this Amarone will drink over the next ten years, but don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting more and more.

For your meal, I always love a brunello. It goes with everything from branzino to beef. We just got this one back in and had it open in the showroom yesterday. It's tasting great and will stand up well with salmon.

I'm a big fan of this Alfred Gratien Rose. It's brut, so that means it's not sweet, has light notes of strawberry leaves with tangerine, pears and even Indian spices. It's the classis blend of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier

For your white, I would choose this arneis. Again, a very versatile wine that will go with everything you're serving. It's light and crisp with notes of citrus and honey.

For your red, I would definitely recommend this brachetto. It's a slightly effervescent (frizzante) red vinified in the Piemonte region of Italy. It's slightly sweet and will go with a variety of foods from savory to sweet.

Another Valentine's Day favorite is this budget friendly brachetto. I just wrote about it on our blog, inside IWM, and enjoyed it with spicy Indian food. It's slightly sweet and perfect with any spiced meal

This is a great option for Valentine's Day! Sweet, bursting with strawberries and synonymous with love, this recioto is a winner

And for a more full-bodied selection, you can always go with this wonderful super-tuscan from Ornellaia. A union of Tuscan Sangiovese with Bordeaux’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A wine of indulgent opulence and generosity, the tannin of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the acidity of the Sangiovese lend structure and complexity. The outcome is an approachable wine of vibrant crimson displaying ripe red and dark berry fruits, a gentle, round palate, impeccable balance, and a delightfully lingering finish.

Another of our favorites is this Chacra Pinot Noir from Argentina. The head winemaker of Sassicaia purchased this property in Argentia and is making some really lovely pinot

Beth, You mentioned the dolcetto was your favorite over the weekend, and you enjoy a wine that is Pinot Noir-esque. We actually do have several different version of Pinot Noir here at the store, allow me to recommend a few to you: First, this Domaine Chevrot is a 100% pinot noir from the Burgundy region of France. It's light and elegant with roses, violets, cherries and spice. Very nicely integrated tannin, and just over your price point.

And her is the Fontodi we spoke about. Thank you so much for calling in and let me know if you ever need anything! ecriswell@italianwinemerchants.com

My second recommendation is what you were looking for, a Brunello di Montalcino, but a newer vintage. This is another offering from Antinori, but from a different vineyard. This is a consistently popular seller for IWM and definitely worth a try.

Hi Angie, I have two recommendations for you, this is the first. If your friend enjoys Cabernet and you're looking for an Italian wine, you can't go wrong with a Super Tuscan! This means an Italian wine blended with indigenous grapes as well as Bordeaux grapes (cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot, merlot etc). This Guado Al Tasso from storied producer Antinori mean's badger's ford. Badgers forage on the vineyards, cleaning up the weeds and such. It's quite delicious right now, but we recommend decanting for at least four hours before serving

This Verdicchio would also pair well with seafood. It comes from a region called Le Marche near the Mediterranean coast and is frequently served with fish. The nose proffers bunches of posies and meadow, while on the palate you’ll find Meyer lemon, fleshy stone fruit, a touch of almond and some really nice minerality.

Thanks for reaching out, we're happy to help. This orange wine would do well with your seafood dishes. While finding a pairing for cilantro can be tricky (especially with a white wine) Saharay could be a striking match. Monovarietal Cataratto, showers the drinker with caradamom, cinnamon, grilled peaches, caramel, toasted nuts and minerals

My recommendation for this weekend: Gravner Breg Anfora. This is one of the more astounding wines I've tasted in recent memory. It's an "orange" wine and like nothing I've ever tasted. It's velvety, but chewy, stands up to food and equally delicious on its own. It screams of apricot, honeycomb and delicate spices. This one simply must be tried.

Also, I haven't tried this one personally, but it was reviewed on our blog (Inside IWM) a few weeks ago and it's supposed to be cohesive like no other Pinot Grigio out there.

If you can get to Siena, Il Palazzone is beautiful. Quite amazing and very welcoming.

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot to choose from under the $15 mark, but this Italian Riesling rings in at $22 and will stand up well to the flavors of Chinese food.

This is one of my new favorites. The 2011 Dolcetto from Barolo great: Conterno. This earthy, smoky, spicy red with notes of blueberry is a great pizza pairing.

This is a perfect compliment to any home cooked Italian dish. It's a very food friendly wine. Showing a nose of wildflower, smoke, earth, dark cherry and red currants it's smooth on the palate with a bit of tannin. A classic Sangiovese blend made from hand picked grapes and vinified in barrique for 12 months followed by another 6 in bottle. RInging in at $21, it's a bargain!

This is one of my favorite go-to wines for winter. It's warming and delicious and it goes great with spicy food.

Piero Antinori's opulent, intense Tignanello represents the very best of the Super-Tuscan movement: traditional methods of winemaking combined with a desire to innovate when innovation creates a better wine. Grown in the Chianti Classico zone and originally born as Chianti Classico Riserva Vigneto Tignanello, Tignanello is a blend of mostly Sangiovese touched with Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. Ever since Tignanello's inaugural vintage in 1971 as a vino tavola or Super Tuscan, Antinori has made Tignanello only in the best vintages. Always elegant, ripe, smooth and suave, Tignanello invariably offers a sophisticated take on the Super Tuscan; the '09, product of warm weather, adds earlier accessibility to this list, though it's still definitely age-worthy.

Full-bodied and fruit-forward yet always suave, Tignanello is a very complex wine. With great structure, rich mouth-feel, and a long finish, it has rightfully taken its place in the hearts of wine critics, wine collectors and wine-lovers. Always a favorite at IWM tastings, Tignanello shows the elegant side of Sangiovese, and from all indications, the 2009 vintage looks to be spectacular, silky and age-worthy.

It is possible to enjoy the magic of Quintarelli on a budget. His Primofiore is full-bodied and voluptuous. Primofiore is a blend of the customary Valpolicella suspects--Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc--which all finish ripening while being stored in wooden boxes. More than that, Primofiore, which means “first press,” gets the juice after the first-run Amarone has run off, adding depth and complexity. Juicy, fresh, and vibrant, Primofiore is the easily accessible Quintarelli, and a delicious wine with flavors of cherry, olives, spices and oak. All the mastery, less money. What's not to love?

There is no doubting Giuseppe’s impact on Valpolicella, the red wine zone located in the northeast corridor of the Veneto, and as with all of his wines, with his Valpolicella, superlatives seem the default setting for Quintarelli. Just as his Amarone is an apotheosis of the wine, so too is his Valpolicella. Savory-sweet, redolent of dark cherries and berries, touched by menthol and spice, it’s a rich, complex, otherworldly wine. This subtle, nuanced gem of a Valpolicella will once again recalibrate the scale for greatness, which is exactly what we expect from Quintarelli.

It is possible to enjoy the magic of Quintarelli on a budget. His Primofiore is full-bodied and voluptuous. Primofiore is a blend of the customary Valpolicella suspects--Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc--which all finish ripening while being stored in wooden boxes. More than that, Primofiore, which means “first press,” gets the juice after the first-run Amarone has run off, adding depth and complexity. Juicy, fresh, and vibrant, Primofiore is the easily accessible Quintarelli, and a delicious wine with flavors of cherry, olives, spices and oak. All the mastery, less money. What's not to love?