Although today is Friday and I try to write about women in wine on Fridays, it is also my dad’s birthday so I am going to write about one of his favorite wines – Amarone. Before we began drinking wine together though, we went fishing together. A bonding experience. He taught me to put worms on a hook at an early age. It was a useful skill to show the boys in my class that I wasn’t afraid of bugs and insects…Dad also made wine in the basement when I was young. Old vine Zinfandel with his friend Carmelo from Ragusa, Sicily. Thus the wine bug was planted.
My dad loves Amarone whether it is from a small or a big producer. I, on the other hand, have never been partial to Amarone. Sure, I recognize that it is one of the great wines of Italy but I only really enjoy it with Roast beef at Christmas. That all changed this past year at Vinitaly when Mark Levy, a veteran wine salesman, introduced me to Amarone della Valpolicella Classico D.O.C. “TB” 2001 by Tommaso Bussola. A life changing event in terms of my appreciation for Amarone. This Amarone was a blend of 75% Corvina, 20% Rondinella and 5% of Cab Franc, Dindarella, Croatina and Molinara. It was rich and luxurious with black and red fruit, spice, oak and chocolate and tar notes. It was in a word, a sexy wine. Polaner Selections imports the wine and his website gives a fuller description of the wine. This was a gem, just like my Dad. Happy Birthday.
nice nostalgic piece…thanks for sharing
Grazie
you look exactly the same.
Not quite but pretty close. I was about 8 or 9…Thanks.