Marcarini Chinato

This was new to me. 

It was found on the clearance rack by someone who was not only familiar with it, but also very enthusiastic about it at its usual $25 price. He was super-geeked at finding it for $3.99 a bottle.

Chinato is an aged wine made from Nebbiolo grapes infused with China Tree bark, rhubarb root and aromatic herbs and spices. It has a long tradition in the Piemonte region where it is produced and where it was believed to be a disease remedy.

In the glass, it appeared a pale garnet color with a brick-orange rim. It had clean, medium intense developed, primarily herbal aromas of sage and fennel with licorice, vanilla and earth. Medium sweet, medium+ tannins and acid with high alcohol (16% abv) and a medium+ length bittersweet finish. It was oddly intriguing with a somewhat Jagermeister-esque quality; I swirled, sniffed and tasted a few times.

The website suggests serving it as a meditation wine, an aperitif with soda on ice, neat as a digestive aid after dinner or warmed with an orange slice on a cold winter's night.

I'll recommend it as a meditation wine for when you want to recall a Jager-fueled, misspent moment from your youth; you may want to include a few friends, I think there may be a limit on how much you can enjoy alone.