On the Vine

I was born in Tuscany, in the Chianti Classico area, so I grew up amongst vineyards. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated about this red juice swirling in the glass and the friendly atmosphere it creates between people. When I was eight years old, I attended a wine tasting with my parents. I asked them if I could smell the wine and then I just started to describe what I was feeling. There were some wine journalists at the event who overheard and were surprised at my analysis. They suggested that I should attend a sommelier course when I was of age.

That was the beginning of my journey. Once I turned 18, I began a sommelier course in Colle Val d'Elsa with FISAR (Italian Federation of Sommeliers Hotels & Restaurants), graduating in February 2019.

Trying to remember the different kinds of classification of all the grapes and different terroir of the world – that was difficult, but also fun! In the beginning, I was very shy because I was the youngest student; on average, the others were 15 years older than me. However, we found great camaraderie and had a lot of fun during lessons, visiting wineries and the Vinitaly wine fair in Verona, which is the most important annual wine fair in Italy.

With traditional turkey dishes, I suggest a full-bodied red wine, smooth but at the same time with good acidity and not so high in tannins. Perhaps a Nebbiolo wine from the hills of Langhe in Piemonte. My wine of choice is the Sperss 2011 from Gaja. 

The typical Italian aperitivo of potato chips, olives, Parmesan cheese, and quiches with vegetables work perfectly with a sparkling wine. My choice would be the Franciacorta Riserva DOCG Quintessence Extra Brut from Antica Fratta, which is characterised by bread and vanilla notes that gently hold your nose, the same way the ‘perlage’ or effervescence does in your mouth. 

The unmissable Tuscan dish is Lasagna made with ‘besciamella’ (bechamel) and meat sauce. This is delicious when matched with a bodied and classy Sangiovese. In my mind, the Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione San Lorenzo 2015 from Castello di Ama has the perfect level of tannins balanced by the alcoholic notes that help the main flavour of cherry and plum, mixed with tobacco and leather in the long aftertaste.

I'm glad you asked. Italian houses are usually full of local sweets and pastries like panettone, pandoro, panforte, cavallucci, ricciarelli, cantuccini, and panpepato, so we’re also used to pairing them with sweet wines like Vin Santo and Colli Euganei Fior d’arancio sparkling. I’d suggest pairing spaghetti with seafood and a Costa d’Amalfi DOC Furore Fiorduva — a lovely, gold wine with apricot, broom and exotic fruit aroma, which reveals a long aftertaste that ends with candied fruit.

If you like to follow Italian traditions, ‘cotechino’ sausage and lentils is a must-try. This goes wonderfully with a gently sparkling dry red wine such as a Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna. The Pruno Nero Lambrusco from Modena Dry 2021 Cleto Chiarli Tenute Agricol would be my choice.

My favourite wine is from the Chianti Classico area but it is not a Sangiovese. In fact, it’s a 100 per cent Merlot called L’Apparita and is produced in Gaiole by Castello di Ama. The name of the wine refers to the fact that on sunny days, the city of Siena shimmers in the landscape like an apparition. In my opinion this is a very elegant expression of Merlot that at the same time respects and brings out the characteristics of its terroir, where the soil is rich with clay.