A Sip of Italy

For April, my Wine Club explored the regions of Italy. The biggest lesson I took away from the evening: I must get myself to Italy someday. Okay, to be fair, I felt that way before this weekend, but the sips of luxury that presented themselves just cemented the deal. I'll try to be better (or at least more consistent) about getting my Wine Club treats documented. (1 - because then I'll have a record for myself and 2 - I know that many of the Wine Club members want a record, too!)

I realize that I should also explain that at Wine Club, we truly do take the fact that the purpose is to taste multiple wines very seriously. We are tasting these wines, not necessarily gulping the glass. So while we explore seven great wines, the person who brought the bottle is almost bringing the full bottle back home. We literally only pour enough for a couple of sips to get the full taste.

We started our evening with the Campogrande Orvieto. This was a refreshing, semi-sweet white that I think would be splendid on a very hot day when you need a satisfying cool-down. It was crisp and rolled off my tongue with the ease of a brilliant sancerre. It paired well with the cuisine of pizza.

Our second exploration was also a white wine. The Alto Adige Pinot Bianco. This white was splendid with pecorino (but in my world, isn't everything fantastic with that blessed cheese?) Ti was a little more spritely than the first, but again a very pleasant, drinkable glass. The third venture was our first red and probably my favorite treat of the evening. It was the Tarino Salice Salentino Rosso. It's dark purple in the glass could only hint at the very few tannins this fine wine possessed. It was smooth and its short finish made you want to reach for the bottle and try more!The next one was the Cantina Zaccas Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. This had a bright raspberry taste with a bit more hint of tannins. Overall, it had a slightly more tart taste, but again, something you could easily enjoy by a full glass. Because this was the bottle I brought, I've enjoyed another glass since ... and I must confess, it pairs beautiful with blue cheese. (Yes, for dessert, I had blue cheese and a glass of red wine one night ... ah perfection!)Okay, the meatiest of our wines was the Tommasi Viticolteri Rafael Valpolicella. It was excellent with the pecorino and salami, but was the fullest red of the evening with the most tannins. It was a favorite amongst the members who like bolder reds. Next, we enjoyed the Arancio Nero Davola Sicilian. This wine had a hint of tannin as well, but almost came across as a white wine to me in flavor. It paired exceptionally well with the spicy salami that was served. We ended the evening with a Valoplicella Allegrini. This was a very bright, luscious berry delight. it danced off the tongue like a serenade.
Next month, we'll be exploring the flavors of Spain. Next month I host, too, so I'll try to include as much detail as possible. The menu for our Italian exploration including pecorino, salami, three different flat bread pizzas and shortbread cookies. A small Italian feast with some delicious wine!