The Taste

Hannibal Lecter had a fondness for some Italian wines. In Silence of the Lambs, you may recall, he enjoyed human liver “with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” But which chianti? He never says. Had it been available, he likely would have given the new Sopranos Chianti a try.

Yes, the HBO television show has spawned, among other things, a line of wines made in Italy and distributed by “Vesuvio Import Company,” a none-too-sly reference to the restaurant depicted in the series. The bottles range in quality and price from $10 to $30 and include a chianti, pinot grigio, pinot noir, cabernet-merlot-sangiovese blend, and chianti classico riserva. You can't miss it in stores: The label plays up the iconic show's title lettering, with a silhouette of a gun for an “r,” set against a blood-red skyline.

The color is a sort of blood-red purple. There are vegetal-herbaceous notes, cherry and green pepper, set against balancing tannins that give the wine character (as if it needed any more). But it's ultimately a little light. Still, the chianti (non-vintage) is a lot better than the similarly priced Sopranos Pinot Noir 2006, which was, frankly stated, dead on arrival.

—James Oliver Cury