I recently had a drink with a friend at the very trendy wine bar/restaurant that is part of a growing restaurant empire known as the Tour de France Restaurant Group. I had no idea that the super crowded Nice Matin on 79th/Amsterdam had relatives all over the city including Marseille right on 44th street next door to Nizza. Nizza is on 9th avenue between 44th/45th. It is billed as a bar a vin italien.

Before I became smitten with Italy, I was a Francophile of the highest order. I loved everything about France and spent a period of my life living in Dijon. That love affair ended quickly with a train ride to Florence one day when I was 20. Leaving behind Dijon and its pale white light, its gothic cathedrals and severe wooden sculpture, I got off the train in Florence on Caranevale in February. I was stregata as they say. Florence welcomed me with its green and white striped churches and the yellow warmth of the sun in Tuscany. I have never looked back. The one place though where Italy and France truly merge in my mind is the Riviera, the French Riviera that is. Sitting in that wine bar, sipping a glass of Lambrusco while my friend enjoyed a Pigato from Liguria, I felt a certain je ne said quoi. I may return to try to figure it out, or just to enjoy another glass of that delicious, refreshing, Lambrusco di Sorbara from Francesco Vezzilli. Strawberries and raspberries were the immediate aromas and flavors but on a more careful search, I also found hints of violet. Lambrusco di Sorbara comes from the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena. This wine is made with Lambrusco di Sorbara and the Lambrusco Salamino grape.