The story of my love for Wine

It was a cool autumn day, just like when grapes are starting to be harvested. I was with my friends in late September enjoying carne alla griglia similar to an American barbeque. It was a typical evening that Parmenses love to spend together. Alessandra a close friend of mine, a fellow law school classmate with an inherited boutique cantina from her grandparents, brought out a bottle of a 20-year-old Gaja Barbaresco.

Alessandra had to blow the dust off that faded-white label, open it with care, and decant it for 30-40 minutes while we were preparing the meats. Naturally, in my city a good meal cannot miss a good wine. That Barbaresco was much more than good, I would say outstanding. It was the first time I had drunk a dry wine and didn’t say anything like: “I can’t drink this because it’s not sweet enough”, or that “it’s too bitter” or “too heavy”, etc. At that age of 23 I did not know much about wines, but that wine fascinated me. It was incredibly smooth, round to the palate and what I liked most about it was that it did not make me feel like I was getting drunk.

At that time I was much more knowledgeable with food than I was with wine. Not to be bias but I’ve never changed my mind that Parma has the best food in the World. The pinnacle of Parma’s success in the culinary world is attributed to the freshness of it’s ingredients but that’s besides the point. Carne alla griglia, a simple Italian dish but very flavorful, consisting of veal steaks, sweet sausages, eggplants, zucchinis, red and yellow peppers. Not to mention the customary Italian bread, salumi,Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. The acidity of the vegetables diminished the taste of the meat’s fat. At that time I did not know how unique this pairing was, but once in a while I reflect on it and still remember how this wine made me start loving wine tasting. After that experience no other wine can compare to my infatuation with my first love, Gaja Barbareso.

I had never desired to drink more than one glass of wine but this was an exception. This was different! To be quite honest, after tasting 2 glasses I felt curious as to why I liked it like no wine before. The wine was telling me so much, like a story of a wise grandfather sharing his history with his kin. I could not describe what I tasted at that time, but I’ve been on a journey ever since to master the perfect words to describe wine. What I’ve uncovered so far is that that Barbaresco was soft, dry, rich in tannin, harmonious and full. That was a mature Barbaresco characterized by a very rich bouquet, with an aroma of dried flowers, violet, truffle, licorice and spices; the finish is particularly long. As a young wine this wine still shows a slightly fruity side, which disappears with the progress of aging; the finish is tannic.

I can now testify that my curiosity would later become a passion that has taken me all over the world to taste different wines and eventually become a sommelier.