Monday, July 10, 2017

Italian Wine Tasting

Sommelier Paulo Cressi (Italian of course), from Vino Direct came over to our house to give us an educational course on wine tasting. We first sampled the Franciacorta Saten La Montina.  This wine was nice and crisp with hints of several fruits. I love the Rose Extra Brut which is just my preference. We didn't sample that since we already know everyone loves it. Paolo explained not just the wine and region but also the bubbles and what to look for. He also briefly explained the type of glass used for sparkling and for red wines.


He taught us how to look at wine and identify the wine's most prominent color. How to smell, savor the aroma and judge the intensity of the wine before you taste it.


Our first red wine was a Nero d'Avola Mothia 2015. This was most pleasing to everyone. It was smooth and very drinkable.  The second bottle was a Brunello Di Montalcino 2011 Belpoggio. I have had this wine before. You have to give it several swirls and let it breathe for 5 minutes. After that, the wine transforms into a very nice and smooth Brunello. It reminds me of a caterpillar that emerges into a beautiful butterfly. The third wine was a red, Recioto Della Valpolicella 2013. This was a sweet wine that goes well with chocolate. It was perfect with the chocolate covered strawberries we had. This also reminded me of a good port which would have gone well with any sharp cheese, especially a Parmigiano.


It was a lovely afternoon/evening. Though it was very hot outside, we had our AC on until something terrible happened. Our electricity went off partly. None of us ever experienced losing partial power before. It turned out that only 8 houses on our street were affected. The AC and electric fans went dead and a few lights turned dim. As the sun began to set, it got a bit cooler outside so we all moved to the backyard and enjoyed the view and the full moon.

Other than the heat wave in our house, we all still managed to have fun. Everyone thought Paolo was very informative. I thank Sommelier Paolo Cressi for coming over and hope to do it again soon with his wife, Elisabetta, whom we missed this time around.

Vino Direct imports Specialty Italian Wines. Check out their website to read about their shop, wine club, and private events. https://www.vino-direct.com/


1 comment:

  1. A very enjoyable evening with friends! Thank you, Paolo, for the education, wine and your wonderful sense of humor. And thank you, Candy, for hosting us all in your home and providing the delicious variety of edible treats to accompany the wines. Mangiare e bere a sazietà!

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