I am rarely speechless. On a rainy evening in Atlanta, speech escaped me. I was at a wine tasting (surprise, surprise) and I was reacquainted with the King and Queen of Italian wine. It was not immediate, it happened slowly. I had to go through some other wines first. I started with a sparkling wine made from the Arneis grape (this was a first for me). This wine was beautiful; it was smooth but had enough acidity to give it great balance. It woke up my palate and prepared me for the seven wines that would come next. The receiving line of wines was impressive. We tasted a Barbera (made from the Barbera grape), Nebbiolo’s (made from the Nebbiolo grape (this is same grape that is used to produce the King and Queen of Italian wines – Barolo and Barbaresco – but they are not nearly as complex and full bodied) and a Roero. I would definitely pair the wines noted above with food, they are not “cocktailing” wines for me, which is quite interesting since the Nebbiolo grape is also used to make wines that I would do almost (please note ALMOST) anything to get my hands on. So the time came. I had sweaty palms, my mouth went a little dry and I had butterflies. The anticipation was killing me. I stepped to the tasting bar and Paolo Demarie began to talk to me. His Italian accent soothed me a little. I began to compose myself. He poured a hefty taste portion of the 2010 Barbaresco. I looked at the color of the wine and I shivered a little, it was so red it was almost black; I swirled the wine and the legs went for days; I closed my eyes, pulled in its aroma and saw myself in the hills of the Piedmont region of Italy (where this grape is grown) on a cold night in front of a roaring fire, listening to Andrea Bocelli in the background; then with my eyes still closed, I took a sip………………………………………………………………………………………………. I could not speak. I looked at Paolo and it was like he understood; I went to the table and sat in the corner, where I could be alone with my thoughts. I wanted to just sit with this wine. I closed my eyes again and took a sip………………………………. I could smell the smoke from the fire and the heavy richness of a leg of lamb being roasted……………………………..it was euphoric. After about 10 minutes, I was able to come back to where I was. I got up from my corner seat and slowly walked to the tasting bar. This time I was a little more prepared. The butterflies were still there, but their wings were not beating as fast; my palms were not as sweaty and my mouth had regained some moisture. The King was next. The Queen had just taken me to a place that I dream of in my sleep, would the King keep me there or drop me in some random Olive Garden??? I would be lying if I said I had undeterred faith. Was it going to be like tasting my Mom’s Mac N Cheese and then tasting Kraft (I can’t even call it Mac N Cheese)?? Paolo nodded and I nodded back to signal I was ready for the 2009 Barolo. Again, after a hefty pour, I went through the same motions as before; see, swirl and then sip………………………………………………………………………… all I could do was turn and walk away……………………. I could not believe that anything could be better…………… The Barolo did not have the complete smoothness of the Barbaresco, but what it had was smoothness and that round the way edge that a Queen looks for in a King. The Queen wants her King to be smooth and gentle but forceful and protective when needed. This Barolo delivered. As I resumed my spot in the corner, I closed my eyes again and was taken back to my spot in front of the fire and this time as I smelled the smoke and the leg of lamb, I felt a smile come over my face. I was in this space, enjoying this amazing wine and all I could do was smile. I felt grateful……… If you have the time to linger over a long Sunday supper, with the people that you love and you want to have a wine experience that gets better by the minute, this is the wine to do it with.
Cheers
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