Happy New Year! Friday Evening Wine Club braved the freezing Chicago-area temperatures and gathered together for some pizza, salad and some very tasty reds.
First on the list was Torbreck Cuvée Juveniles 2013, a red blend from Australia’s Barossa Valley, which was described by some as fruit-forward and reminded other members of Pinot Noir, especially on the nose. It provided a slightly sweet beginning, and then filled the mouth with a smooth, satisfying flavor, just dry enough, but not too pucker-provoking.
As we dug into pizza, we opened the second bottle, San Felice Chianti Classico Reserva il Grigio 2012. It provided everything you would expect from a good bottle of Chianti, with some cherry tones and a bit of earthiness. It certainly paired well with the pizza!
Several months ago, we had an opportunity to try some Aglianico, a red blend from Italy, as the featured wine in a New York Times Wine School dinner. We liked it a lot. Fortunately, Scott remembered how much we liked it and voila… our third tasting was a 2014 Terradora Aglianico. This one is a keeper! Great call, Scott.
All in all, it was a nice way to stay warm on a cold Chicago Friday.