Wine: Altadonna Nero d’Avola

“The Black Grape of Avola” appears to have been selected by growers near Avola (a small town in south east Sicily) several hundred years ago. Initially, it was confined to the southern tip of the island but more recently has spread throughout the island though the best wine come of course out this area.

Altadonna serves as the négociant for some of the finest Nero d’avola for the money. At about $15 a bottle, this little bottle produces a lot of punch!  The fore of the palate is complex dehydrated flavors of blackberry, black currant, and light blueberries. On the middle region of the palate, a light leather texture appears toad to the complexity of this delightful wine preparing your mouth for the grand finale of light spices binding the perfect package of a Sicilian Wine with deep meaty dishes and hearty pizzas.

Nero d’avola is not a wine for the faint of heart as it has rich tannic structures to appeal to the lover of big, bold wines. Buy now and enjoy readily, or buy a case and drink a bottle every six months and watch this wine soften and evolve from a very butch, aggressive bear into a delicate Italian lady over the next few years.

Cheese: Mimolette

Mimolette

This hardy cheese from Normandy couldn’t be more different from its neighbor Camembert more. Looking like a cratered, dusty cannonball, Mimolette is infamously difficult to open for its super-hard, craggy countenance. Inspired by Dutch Edam, it has since gone in a unique direction; the appearance and floral aroma of the rind is the work of tiny mites, specially evolved to cheese. The French call them ‘tiny affineurs’ for their important role in the aging process. Its electric-orange paste has sweet, caramelized depth and smooth, fudgy finish – maybe a little Calvados will help you forget about the bugs.

Botter Prosecco

This is a nice pairing before dinner with (brace yourselves) a nice Italian (yep, not French) Prosecco, such as Botter Prosecco!