“When it comes to wine, I tell people to throw away the vintage charts and invest in a corkscrew. The best way to learn about wine is the drinking.” — Alexis Lichine
It was a stormy Monday afternoon when TeamWine, with a couple of guest tasters, met at Erin & Shane’s home to explore a couple of new wines. Jake & Kelly Kohlhaas filled in for Angela who was out of town. Jake & Kelly had recently returned from a trip to Italy, so they were in the mind-set for wine tasting. Erin had picked up both wines during an outing to Decorah, Iowa, at a little out of the way, shop called Backwater Spirits & More. We had fun with both wines and felt that they served as a nice transition to Fall. The white can still be enjoyed as I’m sure we’ll have a few more warm days, yet the heartiness of the red will prepare us for the cooler nights right around the corner. We hope you get a chance to enjoy them.
Sips
We began with a 2023 Pieropan Soave Classico (12% abv $20) from Veneto Italy. The wine was 100% Garganega grapes. The color was a brilliant straw yellow with hints of green. The aromas were all quite delicate, but we got a variety of fragrances. Some lemon, lemon pith, sea salt and some white flower or almond blossoms. The body was light with high, but not unpleasant acidity. The acidity made it very refreshing as it felt zingy on the palate. Lemon curd and some green apple notes revealed themselves on the finish leaving you wanting more. This wine paired well with the olives, especially the Trader Joe’s lemon-stuffed olives. It also went well with the tinned fish, and the feta dip and crackers. A couple of fun comments were “perfect for a hot tub” and “a good wine for a person who isn’t a wine drinker.” Another comment was “it is a totally inoffensive wine”. We felt this wine would go very nicely with a perfectly chilled shrimp cocktail.
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