Ciao Tutti!
This weekend we will taste a new red wine to our collection, the Folicello Rosso Sandroun ($18.25) from the Folicello Societa Agricola Sandroun in Emilia .When I first saw the label, I was intrigued by the colorful character dressed in a white stocking cap, green jacket, yellow vest, brown pants and striped socks with a fiasco ( wine cask) in his basket as he strode off with his walking stick.
I also liked his sly expression as if he is off to spend the afternoon foraging for mushrooms, fortified by swigs of wine from his “fiasco” (cask). Our English word fiasco, meaning a complete failure, comes from the “fiaschi” as shown in this fab historic photo, stacked on a long cart drawn by a horse laden with 3000 kilos of Chianti from the vineyards in the hills to town. (In the days before trucking, transporting precious cargo like wine on the steep, rocky, winding roads was not easy and the straw casks became padding). If the horse stumbles, the fiaschi would tumble and that would indeed be a fiasco!
Many of you look for the “NEW” stickers that I place on any wine that is shelved before I have a chance to feature it in a weekend tasting. Several of you have also told me you bought Folicello and have returned for more. It is not surprising-I like Folicello for its being an easy drinking blend of the Sangiovese and Malbo Gentile grapes. This is a food-friendly chillable light red with a great balance of acid and fruit that blends the dark cherry and blueberry Malbo Gentile grape with the great Sangiovese grape. One of Piazza’s customers has christened it a pizza wine for the ages and I think it is also great with hamburgers or .
Come join me on Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45 for a taste to see if you agree.
Cin Cin!
Jenn
