Venice Day 2

Venice Day 2

 

Venice, Italy

 

April 15th 2011

 

Most of our day Thursday was spent en route from Barcelona, Spain to Venice Italy.  We have decided to spare you reliving the full day of travel, but the important part is that after utilizing every possible mode of public transportation (4 buses, airplane, Eurail, Vaporetto (water bus), and lots walking, we arrived in enchanting Venice at night, with just enough time to stroll through San Marco Square Piazza San Marco all alit and filled with concerto from the string quartet performing in the magical square.  We wound through narrow alleys and crossed a dozen Venetian bridges on our quest for Vino Vino, a local Osteria (or Wine bar) that we had chosen for dinner.

 

 

 

Vino Vino is an informal wine-bar archetype serving simple, well-prepared food, but its biggest pull for us was the impressive selection of local wines sold by the glass. The Venetian specialties were written on a chalkboard.  We settled into the only empty wooden table of about a dozen squeezed into a storefront-style room. We ordered Seabass with pink pepper and dill sauce and roasted Young Rooster for our main dishes and started with two different glasses of local white wines, a Soave DOC and a Fruilano DOC.   We were to credit the high-quality food to the fact that Vino Vino shares a kitchen (and an owner) with the eminent and expensive Antico Martini restaurant a few doors down.

 

 

We followed our white wine with bigger, bolder, and better in our opinion, glasses of local red wine.  We sampled a Borolo DOCG and a Geodoro IGT (both 10 Euro/glass).  Both reds were excellent, but our favorite was the Geodoro with a bouquet of Garam Masala (cumin coriander cardamom, black cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and saffron) that just blew my mind.  I was in aroma-heaven before I even took my first sip.  Listed below is more info. About this fabulous wine.

Grape varieties: Corvina 50%,
Rondinella 45%, Merlot 5%
Yield: 60 per hectare q.li
Maturation: after a slight
drying and a long maceration
aged for 24 months in barriques. The following is a
10-12 months of aging in bottle.
Organoleptic description: red
Ruby with garnet. Strong scents
red fruit combined with hints of spice and
roasting. The palate explodes in all its
and power structure remains very
elegant and harmonious.
Service: 16-18 ° C in a glass balloon
Serving: meats and tasty
grilled or braised. With unique sensations
medium to long ripening cheeses.
Longevity: 10 years.
 

The triad of "The Wines of the Sun" is completed by
This red comes from a careful blend of
Corvina, Rondinella and a small percentage of
merlot, selected annually by the various vineyards
company. After hand-picking, the grapes
are placed in small plaeaux where they undergo
a light flash, after which they are
stemmed and macerated. An operation that
extracting all the flavors give the wine character and
longevity. This is followed by the long maturation
in barrels of low or no toasting. 

 

We wrapped up our dinner with a flaky ricotta pie and headed back to the hotel with high excitement for our Prosecco Wine Tour in the morning.  Dolomite Mountain Vineyards here we come!!