2016 Ruvel Barbera Di Barolo

Winevalentine.com places great emphasis on the consumer. When you and I buy a bottle of wine, there are additional dynamics beside one single perspective: “wine in the bottle”. We can expect that most wine makers (vintners)cut corners for greater profit. They generally don’t cheat, but match supplies to batches of their harvested wine. For example, do not expect a heavy glass bottle with a genuine cork for $9.95.

With this ’16 imported wine, we have a bottler in Italy faking a genuine cork! When I got this bottle, I was expecting another fun adventure in Italian wines. Then I uncorked it, only to stare at a peculiar plastic cork. This plastic cork was in disguise! It had printing around it as does many genuine corks. Then the real deception struck: there were zig-zag cut ridges across the top and the bottom. All of the extra effort made the plastic appear as a genuine cork stopper. So, this dressed-up plastic cork would appear genuine at a causal glance.

The wine was a good, medium bodied red. It had an earthy nose. The legs were skinny, color a burgundy, and it finished as red cheery. However, that deceptive cork clouded my whole tasting experience. Whenever I tasted, I felt cheated.

In my opinion, wine should not deceive the consumer or the drinker. Our 3 dimensional comparisons allow those who hold a glass a more complete assessment of each wine. The “T” acknowledges the taste of the content. The “L” lets us perceive the total presentation: bottle, cork, labeling, and geographic area. The “C” allows us to pin-point price, giving us a clue about quality grape levels. With this bottle of Italian red, the “L” let’s know the bottler attempts to disguise this Ruvel for a higher market value red wine.