Lo Spaventapasseri 2006 Cento Filari Freisa d'Asti

For believers in generously oaked Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel, Freisa must be the anti-christ. A distinct bitterness characterizes this red wine from Italy's Piemonte region. Devoid of any lushness so blindly revered in our contemporary wine world.

Bitterness is held in high esteem by connoisseurs of chocolate, but not in wine. A wine needs to be bold, lush and sexy in order to be noticed. Freisa is bitter. Bitter is not sexy. Therefore Freisa is not sexy.

I am tired of Lolita wines with lush tannins. They are mere symptoms of our bizarre desire for early approachability, rather than an expression of place. Originality is much more exciting.

Intrigued by a dark story about the Freisa grape variety I went out and bought a bottle to see for myself why two of the most influential voices in wine differ so fundamentally in regard to Freisa.

Freisa has its home in the Asti area of Piemonte, where it is bottled as a varietal wine ranging from dry to sweet and slightly bubbly. The 2006 Cento Filari Freisa d'Asti from the Azienda Agricola Lo Spaventapasseri was my first date with Freisa.

The Cento Filari has a surprisingly complex aroma for a wine at this price ($17). Black cherry dominates but there are also vegetal as well as floral and spice notes. It is dry on the palate and has a refreshing acidity. A medium bodied wine with a medium(-) amount of slightly grainy tannins. On the palate the aforementioned bitterness shines slowly through during a medium length, very pleasant though and not harsh at all. In fact, it adds a touch of elegance to the flavors of blood orange, pepper and licorice.

Dear Freisa, you will probably never win a wine competition medal. But rest assured, in your recluse of unpopularity you will remain a lot more interesting than most of the shallow ones which merely shine on the surface.