Years ago I was visiting a very good friend who had moved to Napa Valley to help run a top bed & breakfast.    I awoke early that day to learn that we “had”  to go wine tasting that day for her job:    “Darn…” I  sarcastically thought. 

And off we were… cruising through beautiful Napa Valley on a warm sunny summer day in her convertible and I, without a care in the world.    As we turned onto a dusty, gravel road with mature grapevines on either side of the car, my friend told me that we had to stop at this one winery because their Pinot Grigio was rumored to be “insane” (her words, not mine).    I thought, “Great… I love white wines!”  

We entered the winery and quickly confirmed that yes, indeed, the pinot grigio did live up to my friend’s “insane” expectations and I was hooked.   Quickly I looked at the tasting menu to see what was next on the list… I didn’t recognize anything.    Further, none of the wines appeared to be white wines:    “But I don’t drink red wine,” I feebly thought.

But this was Napa Valley!    The heart of wine country for the United States… Historic wine country for California!    “When in Rome…”   I thought.     So, I feigned my most knowledgeable facial expression and continued to nod my head in agreement, as if with complete understanding while the tasting room manager continued to explain what we were about to taste next…   Hiding my inexperience (or so I thought) and trying to relax for whatever red wine was about to hit my mouth, I tilted the glass back to brave the industry standard one ounce pour…  And then I felt my senses liven… Did I just taste plum?   Was that a slight aroma of blackberry… maybe boysenberry that I smelled?   How on earth did it seemingly roll back through my mouth and down my throat so effortlessly?    There was no wincing… no tightening in my mouth… no chalky sensation… In fact, there was nothing unpleasant about that wine.    

“What was that?!?”

It turns out that the wine in question was Sangiovese.    Sangiovese is a red wine, coming from the Italian grape Sangiovese.    If made properly, it is well-blended with supple tannins that will give it structure.    But as my novice palate and nose had ascertained, it is characteristic with big exotic plum flavors and blackberry on the nose as well.    Because this wine is smooth and fruit-forward, it pairs wonderfully with food.    

At the time, I was enthralled!    I knew that I was not confident enough yet to truly convert to being a red wine lover, but knew that I was confident enough to buy this wine and take it home.     And more importantly, I was encouraged to try the winery’s other red wines ~ which I ultimately fell in love with (some that day, others over the course of a year).   

So off I went to return to my then out-of-town home with my precious bottles of Sangiovese.     And I got home, unpacked them, set them on the counter, and proceeded to…  stare at them.    I nervously searched for my tasting notes, “GOOD!!!!”    That was not going to help me.    I read the winemaker’s tasting notes.    That was helpful.   That provided some guidance.    But still I nervously fretted, “What do I pair this with? . . . What if I screw this up?”     So I dug out cookbooks.   I searched the internet for a recipe that I thought surely would capture what I experienced that day in the tasting room.    And after a lot of worry and a lot of effort, I did create a fabulous meal to accompany my bottle of Sangiovese and successfully serve to friends.   

But was it really worth all of that worry?   The answer, as it turned out, was “no. ”   The following year I returned to that same winery for an event and met other fans of that same Sangiovese.    I learned that some loved to pair it with something as simple as… pizza.     Granted they said they felt somewhat guilty opening a bottle of this winery’s Sangiovese for just pizza.   

I look back on that day as an eye-opening event for me in the world of wine.    Why on earth should anyone feel guilty about enjoying a bottle of wine with anything?    Pizza, as it turns out, pairs WONDERFULLY with Sangiovese.   Anything pasta and tomato-based dovetails effortlessly with the plum and blackberry notes that you taste in this wine.    And, if you still feel guilty about ordering in pizza from your local joint (or even more if you are throwing a frozen pizza in the oven), take an evening and make your own pizza to pair with Sangiovese.    I personally like to grill chicken which is seasoned with oregano, black pepper, garlic and olive oil and then shred it to top on a marinara painted honey-whole wheat crust, dressed with diced roma tomatoes, chopped artichokes, minced garlic, and sliced black olives with mozzarella.    Casual, yet a simple sense of gourmet… and opening that nice bottle of Sangiovese with pizza no longer seems like such a bad idea.

 *I elected to write this post about Sangiovese as a tribute to my wine education as this was the wine that I “cut my teeth on” given that I started to learn about red wines.    I was lucky that day that I tasted that Sangiovese in question.   It is a consistently good one and commonly known throughout Napa Valley as one of the best.    You can find it, and their other wonderful Italian varietals, at Benessere Vineyards, just north of St. Helena, off of Highway 29.