We look forward to going to wine tastings, especially when the wine is paired with really good food. And so the monthly wine tastings at Amici Miei are a highlight. Nick Materese from Siema Wines did his usual great job, bringing lots of fun wines to try out.

As in previous events, Nick started the evening with a bonus wine, which is always a delight. This was a 2011 Bedell Sparkling Rosé. This wine is actually from the most eastern part of Long Island, so it is quite accessible here in the US. 2011 was the first year that Bedell made a sparkling rosé, and they have done a nice job. The wine was delightfully fruity with flavors of strawberries and pink grapefruit. And the light sparkles served to get the evening off to a good start.

The 2011 Bedell Sparkling Rosé from Long Island, NY - a great bonus wine!

The first wine on the tasting menu was from a vineyard we have enjoyed in the past - a 2013 Kaltern "K" Rosso. Kilter Vineyards are very far north in the Italian Dolomites in Alto Adige. This particular wine is made of grapes that are definitely native to that German/Austrian/Italian region - 85% Schiava and 15% Lagrein. Schiava grapes are known as Trollinger in Germany, and they tend to be a bit lighter, tasting of strawberry with a good amount of acidity. Lagrein is a more tannic grape, distantly related to Syrah. Therefore, it has some black pepper notes along with being juicy and a bit spicy. In the "K" Rosso, the combination of the two grapes is a light, fruity wine with nice tannins and the hint of black pepper. Chef Davide paired this with roasted duck breast with a pomegranate sauce. The fruit in the sauce was a great combination with the wine, and duck is always wonderful with light red wines.

The 2013 Kaltern "K" Rosso from the Veneto region.

The second wine was a 2011 Zonta Merlot from the Veneto region. Zonta likes to experiment with "French grapes" such as Merlot. The vineyards are located north of Vicenza, Italy, between Lake Garda and the Adriatic. Therefore, while they are further north, they have more of a temperate climate due to the effects of the two bodies of water. Nick told us that 2011 turned out to be very good for Zonta, as Italy had a warmer summer than usual. However, this region had winds that the rest of Italy did not have, so the grapes were kept cooler and had the full opportunity to ripen. The resulting wine is full-bodied, lovely, velvety tannins, very dark (like plums and currants), and also hints of leather and earthiness. This was paired with a puff pastry basket filled with Crucolo cheese fondue. The sharp, creamy cheese in the pastry matched the dark, earthy wine just perfectly. Definitely a winner!

Third wine on the list was a 2013 Bricco del Conte Barbera del Monferrato from Castello di Uviglie vineyards. Located in the Piemonte region of Italy, Castello di Uviglie was established in 1491, and they have been making wine since then - imagine, since before Columbus sailed to America! The company prides itself in following old traditions, so everything is done by hand. This wine is deep and dark, with earthy, olive notes. It was paired with shell pasta filled with biased pork rib ragu. OK, just yummy! I could have eaten and drank this pairing all night!

The 2013 Bricco del Conte Barbera del Monferrato.

Next up, a Tuscan Chianti, the 2011 Terre di Lamole Chianti Classico from I Fabbri. This is a family-owned winery, and they make only two types of wine, the Chianti Classico and the Chianti Classico Riserva. Chianti has come a very long way from its stereotypical "wine in a straw bottle" image of days past. This Chianti was ruby red, sour cherry flavors with great earthy spices (think of the rosemary and lavenders that are grown in that area), and the scent is gorgeous with the cherrys and violets. Chef Davide paired this with grilled lamb steak - you cannot ask for anything more Tuscan. Again, another winner.

The new Chiantis - a 2011 I Fabbri Terra di Lamole Chianti Classico.

And finally, a sweet wine from Sicily, the Cantine Intorcia Zibibbo. Zibibbo is actually Moscato di Alessandria. The grapes are dried in the sun on straw mats before they are made into the wine, creating a lovely lightly-sweet wine tasting of orange peel, citrus, and fig. This wine is actually fairly dry, which made it a great combination with the chocolate almond cake that Chef Davide served with it. Nick told us that this wine is actually extremely good with Torrone nougat candy.

A great way to end the evening - Cantine Intorcia's Zibibbo from Sicily.

And once again, a wonderful night came to an end. All attendees departed with comfortably full tummies and very happy tastebuds. This is a great way to tour Italy if one cannot actually fly over there. We'll definitely have to make plans to try some of these places in person! Until then, we'll settle for Nick's travelogue and Chef Davide's great cooking! Ciao!