Mood:
amorousTopic: Bartending
My wine class is still stuck in Italy—I know I sound silly complaining about it, but I am realizing just how little I like Italian wine. Don't get me wrong, I'm not picky about my grapes, but I do know what I like and the wines we've been tasting just aren't my thing.
As much as I hate to admit it, my teacher says I have a palette for California wines—the bigger reds, stronger tannins, and the fruit forward flavors. I do hope one day I can learn to appreciate the dry, aged wines of Italy.
But that day is not today.
By far, my favorite wine of the evening was the Dolci di Dogliani from San Luigi in the Piedmont region.
The Piedmont wine region is located in northwest Italy, sitting at the base of the Alps and Apennines. There are white grapes that grow here, but red is the pride and joy of this area (hallelujah!).
Piedmont reds include Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Dolcetto—the one I really liked. Dolcetto is distinctly dry (I'm so proud of myself for liking a dry wine) and light bodied. It is known for its easy drinking ability, but has more tannin (aha).
According to an article I found from TLC, "How the Piedmont Wine Region Works," Piedmont has the most DOC and DOCG wines of any region in Italy. It is also the place where the "slow food" movement began, an idea which focuses on preserving agriculture and maintaining local traditions.
Because of its proximity to the mountains, Piedmont grapes grow in cold, snowy winters and dry, hot summers. Vineyards are usually planted only on hills, which is one of the reasons for such a small wine production—there aren't enough grapes growing to make it an area of mass production.
Since Italians serve Dolcetto (meaning "little sweet one") as the first wine of the evening, it pairs well with a number of foods. It fits well with game meats and pork, prosciutto and salami. It also is nice served with roasted game hen, pasta with red sauce, asparagus, mushrooms, blue cheese, and pears.
