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This fruity sangiovese blend is a match for your burgers and barbecue

Monte Antico is blended with merlot and sauvignon for a smooth well-balanced flavor.

Monte Antico Toscana Rosso
Monte Antico Toscana RossoRead moreCourtesy of Monte Antico

Some grapes perform best as solo artists, like pinot noir or chardonnay. Others are team players that perform better as part of a blend, like cabernet sauvignon or grenache. Sangiovese, Italy’s most widely planted grape, definitely falls in the latter camp.

While Sangiovese is the key ingredient in many of Italy’s most famous wines, from humble Chianti to noble Brunello di Montalcino, it is rarely labeled under its own name. This is partly due to the European tradition of naming wines by their region rather than their grape, but also a result of being at its best in blends. When grown in the rolling hills of Tuscany, Sangiovese makes very dry and distinctive wines on the lighter, paler end of the red spectrum, featuring flavors of sour cherries and cranberries in wines.

Like many of Italy’s red grapes, Sangiovese makes wines that feature uncommonly high levels of both tangy acidity and astringent tannin, but often lack color saturation and are susceptible to premature browning and oxidation. And since Sangiovese is traditionally fermented to complete dryness, the absence of even subliminal sweetness in its wines can draw attention to its rough edges, like adding lemon to unsweetened black tea. This is why vintners frequently add small amounts of other grapes to a base of Sangiovese — to create a more balanced wine.

In this delightful, affordable Tuscan red blend, a dollop of inky cabernet sauvignon adds body and deepens color, while a splash of merlot plumps up the wine’s fruit flavors and smooths its mouthfeel. Try this food-friendly red with everything from backyard burgers to grilled salmon.

Monte Antico Toscana Rosso Tuscany, Italy

$10.99 12.9% alcohol; PLCB Item #5507

Sale price through Aug. 30 — regularly $13.99

Also available at:

Gloucester City Bottlestop in Gloucester City — $9.96

https://www.bottlestopnj.com/

Kreston Wine & Spirits in Wilmington — $9.99

https://www.krestonwines.com/

Martin’s Liquors in Mount Laurel. — $9.99

http://martinsliquorsonline.com/index.asp