I was invited by Paola Pavan of OPC Consulting to a wine & cheese pairing event last month at the Columbus Citizens Foundation hosted by the House of Made in Italy. The cheeses were some of the classics from Italy and the wines were a surprise group of wines, some of which were also shown during the Fancy Food Show. The wine pictured above was the one that caught my eye both for its important label celebrating a 100 year old person and for the grape varieties it contained – Cannonau, Bovale, and Monica. The wine is made by the Cantina del Mandrolisai in Sardegna. It is a cooperative winery founded in 1950 with growers living in the province of Oristano in the center of Italy’s second largest island.

The vines grow on hills at the foot of higher mountains and the exposition leads to quite a lot of sun but also mitigating winds from the mountains. The elevated thermal excursion levels mean that the grape can ripen fully and retain their acidity. The soils are a mix of granite and sand. The wine is dedicated to the group of people living in what are known as the Blue Zones where people live a very long time. Sardegna is one of the blue zones. All of the wines in this line are dedicated to people who have reached their 100th birthday, Kent’annos or Cent’anni! We have always said that in my family on our birthdays for the last 35 years.

I loved this wine which was ruby red in color with an intensely red berry fruit nose with some herbal notes and a hint of tertiary aromas. It paired nicely with the cheeses and the experience.

The House of Made in Italy will be doing more projects this year promoting authentic Italian products, wine & cheese were a natural but so are so many other sectors be it design, fashion, coffee.

I was thrilled to be at the Columbus Citizens Foundation as its where my wine career in New York began. In 2006 or 2007, I went to an event there with an Italian friend who was living in the US. I remember a local sommelier was giving a speech. After I went up to speak with him and asked him for a contact. He gave me the number of a couple of importers in New York and the rest is history.