Today is my dad’s birthday so I am going to write about one of his favorite wines – Amarone. Before we began drinking wine together, 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… Now he has taught my son to fish.

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. Now I make wine with him in his basement. Last year we made Petite Sirah, Chardonnay, and Vermentino.

Of all the wines my dad loves Amarone  and sweet wine most of all, 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 for me one 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.

The wine  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. A couple of years ago,  I had the pleasure of presenting Amarone during a seminar.  The wines were amazing and helped me see the wine under a new light. Since that time some 16 years ago, I have had lots of wonderful Amarone wines.    Amarone’s a gem, just like my Dad. Happy Birthday.