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The object of the evening is to explore wines by pairing them with food which will compliment and enhance their tastes, aromas, bouquet and particularly important, and largely ignored, their textures.
Tasting is an art not a science. Different people have different perceptions, different preferences. Some sense acidity more than others, some sugar. Some, may be more sensitive to faults in wine, others may not. Some may prefer wood flavours, others not This evening is about exploring what you like rather than what I or anyone will tell you to prefer. I have selected these wines because they are the traditional wines and varieties from this region.
I have personally visited all the domains who have produced the wines for tonight’s supper. I have selected them on the basis that, I believe, they are the best ambassadors of their region whilst also fulfilling the description of providing ‘finesse and elegance’ — not always as obvious as it may seem. For each of the wines on this list there are plenty of others which, whilst excellent, do not embody these characteristics. Others, will have to wait for another time.
I have decided to concentrate on the autocthonous grape varieties (these are the indigenous grapes such as Corvina used in Amarone) because these are unique wines, which will add to your experience here in Venice in a way that, for example, a pure Chardonnay might not. The wines and the regions from which they are born are thus all the more unique, tempered by the guiding hand of the winemaker. The physical environment where the vines grow is an amalgam of soils, topography, and micro-climate: maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, exposition, altitude, wind velocities and direction, which all help to make up the character of the grape and its constituents. Lastly, the grapes’ own expression of these elements defined by its genetic material will affect the end result. The producer then has a role in pulling these strands together. Terroir is definitely a relationship between the producer and the land and plants he cultivates. For any grape, there are thus a multitude of factors which will influence even the aromas in the glass: their ‘terroir’, the type of grape and the genetic variety, the viticulture, the maturity of the grape, the processes used in extracting the must, the root stock, the type of yeast used in fermentation, the rearing of the wine (known as ‘élévage’), and many others.
The perception of quality in wine can only come from what you may know, and how you perceive, taste, feel and sense the wine — not from what you are told to appreciate. It is down to your experience, taste, assessment and learning of the qualitative aspects of a wine which count. Ultimately this evening is about your enjoyment and appreciation of the wines I have selected. You are their judge and jury.
