Dear Feastlings,
The Ides of August has two things going for it: first, none of us is Julius Caesar; and second, it turns out that mid-August is when one celebrates Ferragosto. Mind you, if we were in Italy, we’d all be headed for a beach on August 15th (and before I get a bunch of emails from sticklers, I’m already aware that the Ides of August is maybe the 13th and not the 15th.) Ferragosto went from a secular post-harvest celebration of rest and Augustus Caesar, to a Catholic celebration of the Assumption of Mary, and back to a secular holiday under Mussolini. Nowadays, secular or not, people just like to celebrate the 15th of August, and we do too, not by heading to the beach, but by offering up a menu of Italian specialties and knocking the built-in corkage fee off of all of our Italian wines for the day.
In preparation for the day, our end-of-the-month tasting finds us hanging out with our pal Rob and four really delicious Italian wines, though admittedly not the most traditional Italian dishes. Still, there will be a little dish paired with each wine, and we can talk about a couple thousand years of Roman/Italian history, and, more immediately, some really delicious Italian wines. As you recollect by now, the Last Saturday of the month tastings feature substantial pours of the wines, a little more hoity-toity than our other weekly tastings, as well as food pairings, plus discounts on the wines, so for $50 plus tax and tip, you’ll get a memorable afternoon, and perhaps a few new loves for your palate. The tasting is on Saturday, July 26th, at 2:00 pm, and you can reserve a seat by calling us at (520) 326-9363. Tanti auguri e buone feste.
Countdown to Ferragosto
You can see the tasting order, the pricing and the food pairings here.
2024 La Spinetta Toscana Vermentino, Toscana IGT
2023 Venica “Jesera” Pinot Grigio, Collio DOC
2022 Terre Nere “Bellacolonna” Etna Rosso (Nerello Mascalese,) Etna Rosso DOC
2021 Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo, Langhe DOC