Working for a living is a necessity, to pay bills and ensure that one can eat and have some fun. And a benefit of working is that we can join the Amici Miei and Siema Wine folks (Roberto, Chef Davide, and Nick Matarese) once a month for their wine tasting.

December's set of wine was a very interesting mix of regions and flavors. We started in Val d'Aosta, high up in the Alps. Refrain is a lovely sparkling (Vin Mousseux) Pinot Bianco made by Domaine de Refrain. Due to the Germanic influences nearby, this particular vintage has Müeller Thurgau, Moscato, and Prix Blanc grapes. Müeller Thurgau is a German grape that Doctor Thurgau developed as an alternative to Riesling (and when one is talented enough to create a new grape, one can name it after themselves!). This particular grape does not have the ripping acidity that Riesling has, so it makes a great basis for this particular wine. The Vin Mousseux is a bit sweet with a lovely, refreshing sparkle. A bonus about this wine is that it is produced with absolutely no pesticides - bugs just don't survive at 4000 meters! Therefore, no need for pesticides.

A great sparkling wine to start the evening.

Chef Davide paired this wine with a robiola cheese and asparagus crostini. The creamy cheese and slight bite of the asparagus went beautifully with the sparkle in the wine. We all toasted each other and the upcoming holiday season - a great start to the evening.

Next up was a Sicilian wine, the Alcesti 2013 Isola Bianco. In contrast to the first wine, this wine was produced from grapes growing three kilometers from the Mediterranean coast. In fact, the grapes have salt on their skins while they are growing, which gives the wine a more "salivating" taste. The two grapes are native to Sicily - Catarratto and Grecanico. According to Nick, Catarratto gets very ripe, to the point where the vintners have to be careful not to have too much sweetness in the grape, otherwise when fermentation occurs, the wine will have a high percentage of alcohol. Everyone really liked this wine, along with its very unique food pairing of a tuna and ricotta fritter. The fruitiness of the wine went perfectly with the slightly salty tuna and creamy ricotta. As I wrote in my notes, "Wow!"

The third wine was the Pan Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Vino di Bosco 2011. This was a delightful everyday wine, very dry with lavender scents and soft tannins. It is made of 85% Montepulciano grapes and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Chef Davide paired this with a turkey meatball in a red sauce. I have to say, if you want a nice wine to go with a red sauce, try this one - it was great together!

Wine number four was from Calabria, the Vigna Garrone 2004 from Odoari. This was a very nice red wine, a winner of Italy's Tre Biccheri award. It is made of five grapes, 80% Gaglioppo, 10% Nerello Cappuccino (both are native Calabrian grapes), and then Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot for the remaining 10%. Nick described the vineyards for these grapes - very rustic, growing in the Alberello (little tree) style with the vines growing over walls. The wine is very earthy and spicy, just delightful. And when paired with Chef Davide's braised beef short ribs, just perfect!

The final wine of the evening was the 2006 Solare from Tuscany, made by Capannelle. This vineyard is owned by James Sherwood, of the Orient Express fame (note his initials embossed in the bottom of the bottle below!). This wine is a mixture of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Malvasia Nera. It is grown in Gaioli in Chianti, which means that the wine could be classified as a Chianti wine. It has a gorgeous scent of blue and white flowers, and has a characteristic Chianti flavor. Paired with an aged pecorino toscano cheese, one could imagine sitting in a Chianti vineyard, looking out at the Italian cypress trees across the rolling hills. What a great image, and what a lovely wine.

The Solare, complete with James Sherwood's initials at the bottom of the bottle.

And thus ended the last Amici Miei tasting for 2014. Of course, most of us stayed right where we were to enjoy a full bottle of wine along with a bit more dinner and, of course, the camaraderie. What a great way to end a work evening!