I discovered this tasty Italian red while dining at Mama’s Meatball in SLO and decided to buy more for my wine cellar. Dark ruby in color, it offers forward aromas and flavors of black cherries, wild blackberries, and tangy boysenberries nicely nuanced with notes of earth and spice. It’s quite drinkable on its own and meant to enjoy young. But it’s wonderful on the table paired with game, beef, aged cheese, or a meat-loaded pizza. It would also be quite tasty simply with salami, parmesan, and crusty bread. It’s available at Tastes of the Valley’s Pismo Beach for $15.99 retail.
This article appears in Feb 9-16, 2012.