A drunk sommelier's Wine Review

What a deviation from Italian wines, it's back to bold French wines. This Bordeaux is bold, full bodied, leathery, flamboyant, and quite herby. I wish I could enjoy this in full, but my allergies seem to be back now that I am out of Italy - yes, I'm one of those people who have to taste and spit :( horrible shame.

I've been struggling with red wine allergies which you wouldn't know by the looks of my blog. Today, I break tradition by having a white wine - thanks to my red wine allergy that seems to be occurring only outside of Italy, I'm scared to jump back into French or American red wines. This Sancerre is buttery, light bodied, with dominant grape flavor that's very mellow and accessible. I don't generally like white wines and neither does my friend- she may even agree with me that this Sancerre lacks that crass Chardonnay flavor. Sorry to those who adore chardonnay but this wine is far more refined and easy on the palette, goes down easy and delicious with seafood.

When I came to Italy for my first time ever in 2015, I certainly did not expect to fall in love with so much. There were many opinions offered by friend and foe alike regarding Italy and the people of Italy. That being said, I also had made some wonderful Italian friends so it was not entirely a blind trip and my expectations of the people were already high considering how great my friends were. To say the least, the people don't disappoint, the food and drink surprises, and the great work that has been done by the government and the locals to preserve such a rich and precious chunk of history surpasses any expectations I had. At every turn around the various cities I visited on my first trip were pleasant surprises;  The numerous frescos that are visible from the street down below if you peer into oft open windows in Florence The sistine chapel's Michael Angelo vibrant colored paintings that cannot be done justice by pictures The local folklore in Bologna that t...

Sad to be leaving Rome (words I never thought l'd say considering my previous trip was not quite as pleasant since we encountered many a hoodlum. I'm delighted to report this was not the case this time and that even traveling as two ladies and walking everywhere at different times of day and night, we felt quite safe for the majority of time - you still have to be smart and alert, listen to your instincts but hopefully your experience will be as pleasant as ours has been.) We saved the best for last; Brunello di Montalcino which I feel captures the essence of Italy. It's opinionated, flamboyant, spicy, leggy, dark fruit flavored, and let's face it, quite appealing to the palette. Easily my favorite Italian, it certainly has strong tannins but not overly acidic with a lasting finish. It's bold, full bodied, and stands up to other strong tastes as you might encounter in cured meats and I imagine bolder cheeses. My trip around Italy from a couple of years ago...

I'm feeling reflective today. Not in a bare it all online manner but more in my usual introspective, private manner. We finished off our Roma trip with two realizations: 1) what loving yourself is all about 2) what being loved should be like I'll drink to us hopefully following that from here on out. That being said, this blog literally should revolve around wine and this one isn't any different. If Aglianico was a man, it would be smooth, velvety, pleasant smelling (might be the smell of diamonds and honey getting it on), knowing all the right spots to hit, and still maintaining a high level of dignity - quite the man. Absolutely worth the extra euros to get this bottle over an unfamiliar Nero D'Avolo (though after the glass cork in the last post,😆 it's still tempting to be on the lookout for interesting corks.) We enjoyed this at vinando which is absolutely worth the walk across many an unnerving Italian cross walk from the colosseum. Not sure yet about the tipsy...

Ok, aside from the dolcetto which though dry, tends to be a little too light and sweet for my palette, the Nebbiolo is the other Italian lady of the vine I've been avoiding. I remember this to be exactly as I found it, spineless, a little herby, and low tannins. It's an easy drink but it almost feels as though you're drinking a $7 bottle while you just paid $30 for it. I don't entirely dislike Nebbiolos and find them to pair about as well as dolcettos with pastas and pizzas but I wouldn't skip a Nero D'Avola for those varieties. In a reflective moment, I'm either finally getting smarter or I'm understanding the whole eat, pray, love thing. I love to eat Italian food and I pray that eating the food does not make me super fat. Ha! Again, feeling the need to note a restaurant name because it was beyond fantasy and kudos to my darling friend for yet another great find: Da Francesco. Go!

I don't know how it's possible that I missed this last time but apparently Nero D'Avola comes with a glass cork - it's Sicilian so of course it's cool and different. Hard to not start a mini collection of these.  This wine is one that improves ten fold after five minutes of airing out. The first taste tends to be leathery  but in the most flattering manner, it is also hollow. Again, it's a very accessible wine as long as you can wait a few minutes before drinking more of it. After what I have just said, it does seem off to say that the wine is fresh but it really feels quite young. I love traveling and the proof is in the pudding, I'm having an amazing time in Roma. Today for instance, while visiting the Colosseum/Colosseo, we found a secret entrance that I must share here. Instead of waiting in the long lines right at the front of the Colosseum, walk another 6 minutes down to Palantine Hill ticket office right off Via di San Gregorio and enjo...

When you travel with your girl friends vs your guy friends you have a whole different experience. I find clarity and realization with my gorgeous girl pals, I find jokes and shenanigans with my handsome guy pals. All in all, after a physically exhausting trip to the Vatican today, I thought we called it an early night but lo and behold, here we are, sitting at a quintessential cafe having a? Sangiovese ladies and gents! What a winner this one is - ok, my secret is out, it's pretty damn hard to pick a bad wine in Italy. So fresh, so meaty, this light bodied, mellow yet concentrated darling of a wine is truly delicious and leggy. Sangiovese is usually for me, a weaker wine but tonight, she's a giant star. 

After a day walking around Vatican City and gawking at the sheer opulence in the museums and the Sistine chapel, it's time to return to our relative normalcy. We settled upon a barbera to help us descend back to earth. For a moment, I digress to say that I really don't ever leave Vatican City feeling good about the church. This is not a political or religious point I'm making - I steer clear of that; however, I am making the observation that in a place where you can see an entire great hall with gold molding, and then take in the gorgeous works of Michael Angelo (my, how understated his work is, in pictures and lore), there is an overbearing but oft ignored amount of poverty right at their doorstep. Back to the barbera... this is a light (as you'd expect), barnyard, fragrant, highly accessible wine. I love barberas for a pre-dinner, afternoon drink. Don't let the light body fool you though, as this is not an easily overpowered wine; it may be delicate but it is stil...

As I sit here, listening to the ladies at the next table struggle with wine selection, my "refined" palette for Italian once aka I stayed in Toscana once, I find myself having to exercise restraint before recommending the wine in front of me - the thought of anyone other than my friend asking for a taste is enough motivation. Now the wine... today is a vino nobile di montepulciano kind of day. My friend and her astute nose just made the observation that Italian wines are very earthy and I have to admit she's right. This wine allows you to breathe in the fermenting grapes and the farm. Just delicious and proof that I learned something while in Tuscany since I haven't picked one bad wine yet. By the way, my friend is a fiend with French wines ... so many that she's got me and others hooked on. Back to this wine, it's fragrant, voluptuous even. Really love the fruit forward but still earthy balance. One of my my more favorite ones.

... is in Roman food. To cut the salt, we keep ordering red wines. Gotta love when you travel with friends with like minds. This aglianico was part of our night cap after hanging out longer than we expected with some friends who happened to be in Italy as well (while in Rome.. drink as the romans do? -- with friends that is! ) This wine was spineless I thought but it was tasty with light bodied and clean finish. I don't hate it in spite of that description though I am glad it came in a half bottle for it was many drinks deep ... so if you come across this one, give it a go. It was a good one to round off the night, hard to believe it was 14% ACV - and no, that fire isn't coming from the wine bottle :)

Interesting this d'abruzzo, soft tannins, slightly bitter finish and medium bodied. We shamelessly paired this with bruschetta di tomate, prosciutto e melone, risotto di frutti mare, and affogato on the way. I love the wine but it is pretty bitter on the finish so not for newbie wine drinkers.

Buona Sera from Italia (this means I'll be having plenty of amazing vinos and staring at italian stallions err men). Last night I tried a classic - you need to start off right in Italy after all - Brunello di Montalcino. It was earthy, full bodied, fruit forward, and all the best things about red wine. Can never go wrong with this one, great pairing with prosciutto e melone.