Facticity in Flux

I’m here but I’m not really here. Sipping on all kinds of Italian wine, I have been tripping back and forth between Sicily, Umbria, Marche, Tuscany, Santa Barbara, Mittelmosel and Provence. Who wants to source local when there are so many wonderful experiences in wine? And that has been my week, under cover of long days and nights of working in the field. All good, all healing, but very tired.

Look, we’ve already determined schlepping this or that wine isn’t going to save anyone or make that big of a difference. Or does it? After looking at the mess politicians and bankers, stockbrokers and lawyers have made of this so-called civilized world, maybe slinging wine isn’t such a bad thing.

So what has passed by my palate this week that has really made a difference?

For one, a 2010 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese from Dr. Loosen made my knees weak. Rarely has a wine had the power to bring me to my knees and bring tears to my eyes. This wine did that. Crisp, sweet, icy, slate, searing acidity, absolutely wonderful balance. I slurped as I wept, with an abundance of joy.

The Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Sorbara. Twice this week I have had it. Once with duck and once with pizza. This wine makes me happy. I probably have written about it too many times on these pages. Too bad, I reckon I will write about it until some of you folks start drinking it with me. It’s delicate, salty and sweet, beautiful color, roséy, when chilled properly it’s an amazing aperitif. It lasts through meals, and is rock-steady full of pleasure. It delivers. Why are people not drinking more Lambrusco like this one?

The Gavi del Commune di Gavi from Bava. Twice I have had it this week, and as close as they come to making a Cortese into a transcendental experience. The aromatics are garden green fresh and exotic, from evergreen to heather to rosemary to nutmeg. The flavors range from tight fruit to soft acidity, really a wonderful wine to sip and then to lead into chicken, which we seemed to find ourselves eating a lot of this week. Gorgeous gulper.

I’m reacquainting myself with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano this week and the Poliziano 2007 is a wine that reminds me of the 1970 Vino Nobile that got me started on this path. I daresay one should put a case or two of this wine into your cellar and enjoy a bottle a year over the next 12-24 years. Start this when you are young, say 30-35. This wine will be a wonderful companion to anyone who does this into middle age madness. I wish I had the luxury of time. But I have enough of those kind of wines in my closet, waiting. Don’t wait; get some Poliziano 2007 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano for the long haul.

I could go on, but the last post was 2000 words and I want this one to be shorter. And it is late and has been a long week. And tomorrow will be a long day too. And not all of it happy. We lost one of our coworkers, at a very early age (50) and we need to respect the life that had gone beyond at a service tomorrow. We have lost a soul to the Ages, but a soul, I imagine, who will be able to navigate quite well in Unknown territory.

Happy trails to our fallen colleague and courage and persistence to the ones left behind.

written by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy