This deeply garnet-colored beauty — is that a touch of black? — is introduced by a distinctly smoky aroma mixed with loads of black fruit. But the smoke turns out to be a mixed signal; I thought it meant we were dealing with a wine that had spent some time in oak, but no, it turns out that the toasty aromas are natural to one of the grapes in the blend that make up this wine. This alluring aroma is followed by a velvety mouthfeel with great black, red, and dried cherry flavors, black licorice, and a definite richness for what is undeniably a medium-bodied wine. Then, we have a bracing, cleansing wash of acidity (“no matter what, this is still a food wine,” I said) and a good, solid, bittersweet finish with returning notes of roasted cherries and a touch of almond. Hint: I tried this wine in my Italian wines class — but what could it be?

Write me with your guess, or click here for the answer:

True aficionados of Italian wine will recognize from its smoky characteristics the grape corvina, which lends to wines made in the northeastern part of Italy a smoky note — the same flavor that many winemakers spend thousands of dollars on oak barrels to get. But this wine spent no time in oak barrels: all you get is the wonderful purity of the grapes and the traditional techniques of the winemaker.

If you recognized the corvina, you’re in the home stretch. Corvina is the main grape in the blend that makes Valpolicella, the famous red of the Veneto region in Italy, on the mainland north of Venice. Even if you aren’t a Valpolicella insider, you might have got closer to the answer by eliminating other major wines of Italy: Chianti (not enough red cherry flavors, acidity, and tannins characteristic of its main grape, sangiovese) and Barolo or Barbaresco (no tell-tale tar or violet notes). In any case, the giveaway is the almond valence. Only Valpolicella, which is made from corvina, rondinella, and molinara will deliver the great combination of richness, bittersweetness, almonds, and roasted flavors I experienced with today’s mystery wine. Bingo: this wine is is Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2004 made by a winery named Buglioni. It’s named “Il Ruffiano,” or the thief, and indeed it stole my heart. I bought several bottles at $13 to take home.