This is one of the most enjoyable wines I’ve had all summer. And I’d say that even if it weren’t $14.99, a darn good price for a wine with this much personality.

Want to get a serious wine lover’s knickers in a twist? Just ask him what he thinks of the 100-point scoring system. Nothing is quite so controversial — and ubiquitous — as the 100-point scale.

Italian Wine Week ended on a strong note. (It also ended a week ago, so I’m taking a very Italian approach to deadlines here. What can I tell you, it’s August.)

Another day, another region, another variety. This time we’re heading over to Liguria for the 2005 Lupi “Le Braje”, a wine with a split personality if there ever was one.

Wherein I raise my glass to a versatile summer wine that’s like Reese Witherspoon in a glass.

For day 2 of Italian Wine Week, I made the switch from red to white and tried a 2008 Pecorino, or, as I like to call it, the Chardonnay gateway drug.

Italian Wine Week got off to a rousing, if somewhat obscure, start last night with this 2007 Cantine Sant’ Agata “‘Na Vota” Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato.

This week is STBNY’s First Annual Italian WeekTM wherein I will drink nothing but Italian wine. I’ve already selected an eclectic line-up of Italian whites, pinks, and reds, all priced under $20, to enjoy over the next seven days.

Drinking wine is easy. Tasting it is hard. That’s why I’m introducing The Tastemaker, an occasional series on STBNY about the challenges, joys and mysteries of wine tasting.

As my regular STBNY readers (all 4 of you!) know, I’m a Francophile. To paraphrase Chico Escuela, France has been bery bery good to me.