Dear Feastlings,
As someone who spends a fair amount of time in restaurants- or in a restaurant, anyway, I can tell you with confidence that the number of people who order without even looking at the producer’s name, or from whence the wine comes, “I’ll have a glass of the (fill in the blank- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, what-have-you.)”
I make no judgement; just as I’d have no interest in knowing who’s playing the U of A on a given Thursday, I don’t expect everyone to be interested in wine beyond knowing that they prefer Sauvignon Blanc to Riesling. But with a list like ours, I feel it’s a shame not to know what some of the more esoteric wines are all about, be they varietals you didn’t know existed, like Hondarrabi Beltza or Timorasso, or be they varietals you might know from places you didn’t know were growing them, like Cabernet Franc from the Veneto, or Tannat from Montevideo.
Take whichever road you like, but do remind yourself of Robert Frost’s end to the poem: “I took the one less traveled by/and that has made all the difference.”
Our pal Mike will be here this Saturday to be your tour guide down the road less traveled, and while it’s filling up fast, there’s still room for a few more to join us on the excursion. Give us a jingle at (520) 326-9363 and we’ll hold a seat for you as long as seats remain available. We’ll pour heavily and set you up with a snack paired with each wine, and you’ll leave feeling it’s made all the difference.
The tasting begins at 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 22nd, and costs $45 plus tax and gratuity. Hope you can make it.
The road less traveled
You can see the tasting order, the pricing and the food pairings here.
2022 Mandirola 1913 Timorasso Derthona, Colli Tortonesi DOC
2023 Ameztoi “Stimatum” Hondarrabi Beltza, Getariako Txakolina DO
2022 I Clivi, Cabernet Franc, Venezia Giulia IGP
2019 Bouza Tannat “Pan de Azúcar, Montevideo, Uruguay