A New Varietal for a New Year #WinePW

One of my Christmas presents this year from my husband was a trip to Firestarter Casino, about 3 hrs away.  They were having a tribute to Michael Jackson and he bought a night's stay, tickets to the show and made reservations at a very high end restaurant inside the casino.

The reservations were for December 29th, my parents wedding anniversary.  I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to go since I had just gotten out of the hospital on December 21st.  But God is very good and I was healed up enough to make the ride.  As a bonus, I got to see and have lunch with my dear friend, Sister Maryann.

After lunch we went to the hotel and checked in.  I rested a bit and then we went down to the bar to have a cocktail.  When we were walking to the restaurant for our reservations, we were approached by a lady who said that she had a comped dinner for 12 and that 2 of her party were unable to make it.  She invited us to join her and her family for dinner.  I was astounded, what a  wonderful gesture.

We were seated in a private room at a table for 12, next to the woman's parents who were just as kind and welcoming as she.  Shortly after we were seated the woman, Laura, received another phone call, got up, excused herself saying "I need to go find 2 more people".  She returned in a few minutes with another blessed couple.

Frank and I offered to pick up the tab for drinks but were assurred that everything was covered and we should not hesitate to order anything we wanted.  I perused the wine list and saw a bottle of Broglia under the heading of Cortese.  I had never tried a Cortese before and was intrigued by this varietal from Piedmont that is called Gavi in Italy.

This wine was well balanced and fruity with notes of stone fruit and grapefruit.  It was a lovely bottle of wine and I was glad that I tried this new to me varietal.  It is a bonus that it fits in perfectly with our Wine Pairing Weekend theme this month.

Cam of Culinary Cam invited us all to kick off the New Year with a Varietal that was new to us.  I am excited to be able to share this Cortese with you today.  This wine is dry and light, not too acidic, with a nice finish.

I paired this wine with the Sea Bass served up with Mascarpone Risotto, Pecorino Cream and Basil Oil.  The pairing was superb!!!  The meal was absolutely scrumptious.  We asked Laura if we could leave the tip for the table and she said absolutely not that the entire evening was covered.  

We never even learned her last name and I have no way to thank her other than paying it forward which I definitely will be doing.

Cam is hosting a discussion about the new wine grapes we discovered on Google Meet this Saturday at 11 AM ET.  I didn't think I was going to make chat as I was supposed to leave this afternoon to California to see my brother and his family.  I was also supposed to hook up for some wine tasting with some of the members of our group.  Alas, the weather in California has been treacherous and many of the roads are impassable.  Please keep the residents of California in your prayers.

Here are some of the topics being discussed on Saturday.  If you would like to join in the fun just stop by Culinary Cam and she will be happy to give you the link.  

• 2 Organic Red Sparklers: In 2023, Check Out These New-to-US-Wines from Italy’s Cantina de Frignano by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
• 2019 Palazzo Tronconi 'Fregellae' + Cicchetti by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• A Little-Cultivated Sicilian Grape Along with a Perennial Favorite - Polpette al Forno by Culinary Cam
• A New Greek Wine with Tzatziki Dip by Cooking Chat
• A New Varietal for a New Year by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mushroom Polenta and a Vin Rouge with Native Grapes by My Full Wine Glass
• Sparkling Vernaccia Nera from Le Marche - An Exciting Discovery by Avvinare
• Stuffed Portuguese Peppers and an the Arinto Grape by Our Good Life