progressing to our first small wine cooler, and then on to more elaborate wine storage accommodations
and better wine accessories, like deep crystal wine glasses for our favorite red wines
and a few wine decanters.
We attended wine tastings, talked about and shared new wines with friends,
compared tasting notes, and started following wine ratings in
specialty magazines like Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate.
However, our love of wine, especially fine red wines, grew exponentially as we started to travel to wine making countries like Italy.
There is nothing quite as glorious as drinking locally produced wines with the food of the region where the wine was grown.
One of our first destinations was the Chianti region of Italy, where wine making is some of the oldest in the world.
Sloppy wine production and vineyard management in the early and mid- 20th century created a poor quality wine from this region;
for many years Chianti was known as the squat wine bottle covered in a wicker base, served in worn wine glasses at low budget pizzerias.
Although there are over 7000 wineries in the Chianti region, these wines not mentioned in Wine Spectator
or included by wine experts in their ratings of fine wines until the last 10 years.
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Today, after extensive modern changes, the Chianti region produces excellent wines with its thousands of wineries producing wine
under a multitude of wine labels. Chianti is now bottled in a Bordeaux-style wine bottle,
and takes its place proudly in wine racks across the world.
Sangiovese is primary grape of Chianti; wine from the Sangiovese is typically medium bodied with a firm, dry texture and a tannic backbone.
Not especially fruity, Chianti rings with cherry flavors aging to deeper notes such as leather and tobacco,
with a fresh highlight of acidity throughout.
Unlike Cabernet, Merlot, and Burgundy, which can be lovely wines to drink without food,
Chianti comes alive as an accompaniment to Italian cusine: the acidity cuts through tomato-based dishes and pairs nicely with rich food.
Our next stop in our wine-tasting exploration was Rome. On an unassuming street north and a little west of Piazza Navona,
Orso 80 is famous for it's amazing appetizers, more than you can possibly eat in a variety that is truly astonishing,
from buffalo mozzarella that weeps tears it is so fresh, to bruschetta with sun-ripened tomatoes and lots of fresh garlic and virgin olive oil,
to sausages, egg dishes, excellent prosciutto ham with melon, and an amazing array of vegetable dishes,
all the perfect compliment to the Chianti produced by the waiter from wine racks in the back of the restaurant.
Another favorite restaurant in Rome is Piccola Roma restaurant, situated on Via Uffici del Vicario, 36.
They have an excellent wine menu, Roman food specializing in meats, and a wonderful first course of assorted vegetables
from a self-serve buffet table.
It should be noted that in our early wine explorations, we did not keep records of the wine labels we were drinking or write wine tasting notes,
so forgive the lack of specificity as to the wines we tried on this trip. Much of the wine we tried in Italy
is not imported to the United States, although there is usually a good selection of Chiantis in wine stores and online.
The Chianti region starts about 30 kilometers outside Florence, and good Chinati wines are available in every corner market in Florence.
A specialty of Florence is the Florentine Steak, a thick cut T-Bone seasoned simply with salt and pepper and grilled over a wood fire.
Here we are enjoying a bottle of Chianti, in the typical Italian red wines glasses we found all over Italy,
before our massive steaks arrived at Buca San Giovanni, Florence.
Final stop in this wine tasting trip was Milan.
Recently, we have become fans of Barolo wine, produced in the Piedmont region of Italy. These fine red wines are dense, fruity, with a chewy tannin base and
long silky finish. The price of Barolo has risen dramatically with the decline of the USD against the Euro,
and after raving reviews of the 2000 vintage made headlines in Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate.
These gorgeous red wines can easily mature for 10-15 before maturity, so proper wine storage is important.
Who would have known our simple passion for wine would lead us to new friends, new travels, and a new way of looking at the world.
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