1997 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany

Winemaker Ettore Falvo has turned out a gorgeous vino nobile--the “noble wine” of Montepulciano, one of the loveliest hilltop towns of southern Tuscany. It has a deep garnet color, but it’s the aroma that makes even the most distracted drinker take notice. With its notes of red berries and earth, it is the Sangiovese grape at its most expressive.

This is a smooth and polished wine with a lingering finish, and you could drink it with just about anything. It seems particularly suited to roast pork, grilled pork or lamb chops and feathered game. Think little birds spit-roasted in the fireplace of a huge old Tuscan country house and you’ll get the idea.

About $14. Available at fine wine stores.