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On
Friendship and Wine and Being Online
By John Fodera
Ciao
tutti,
It
was Autumn 1996, as the leaves were turning and the harvest in
Piedmont beginning, I found this website, nary a month after it
had been created.
It
didn't take long to navigate and I soon found my way to this little
nook; the Italian page. My life was to change forever as a result
of that one click, but who knew then? The volume of posts at that
time was greater, although not substantially so, but there was
no feeling of famiglia, no sense of community. There was a sense
of newness and the buddings of online friendships.
Several
posts were made by me and by people who no one had ever heard
of before. Soon you were able to discern a pattern to people's
posts and gain an appreciation for what people preferred. We knew
who simply "passed through" and who were "regulars", but all were
welcomed.
One
day, as a result of a post that I can no longer remember, some
stranger to whom I had spoken only a few times via the board,
sent me an email. He wanted to know if I lived close to a certain
retail store where he had found several bottles of 1990 Campogiovanni
Brunello, the "95" point Spectator wonder wine, and he wanted
to know if I was interested in splitting them with him. We chatted
small talk back and forth several times and soon had almost forgotten
the point of the original note, the Campogiovanni. After a few
days of back and forth, we decided that neither one of us "felt"
like spending that kind of money for a few Brunello at that point
in time, so we passed on the opportunity. I think maybe they were
$45 a piece then. Months went by and we emailed each other daily
forging a foundation of what promised to be a lasting friendship.
We talked about sports, our wives, our heritage, our hobbies,
our likes and dislikes, family, pets, and of course, wine. We
had lots in common, but this of course was one of the strongest
links. The years had gone by, and we became good friends. Sharing
lots of information, giving personal advice, sharing in the births
of our children, securing wine for each other, trading wine with
each other...time marched on. There were joyous times, frustrating
times, and difficult times, but like any friendship, we brushed
them aside and stayed together and although we traded countless
emails and numerous phone calls, I had never actually met my friend.
Through
the years on this board I have met dozens of people that I now
call my friend. Folks from California, Michigan, Missouri, Florida,
Texas, Colorado..from all over the country, yet never this person
who arguably lived the closest to me of all.
Last
night, that all changed. A few weeks ago, my friend Kevin Williams
informed me that he would have the chance to attend a conference
in Princeton, just a scant 20 minutes or so from were I am currently
living. Nothing more needed to be said; I started arranging my
calendar.
I
picked Kevin up at his hotel at about 5:30 and we headed back
to my apartment to enjoy some company, some food, and some vino.
The menu and the wines had been planned for a few weeks and Kevin
had sent down a bottle of 1990 Lisini Brunello ahead of time,
so the thick crusty sediment the wine threw would be settled for
decanting. He came through the door with a Matchbox dump truck
for my son, and was instantly the hit of the night! Kevin, it
was the first thing he went for as soon as he got up this morning!
We
started with a due funghi bruschetta with some shaved parmigiano
while the main course roasted in the oven. I had decanted both
the wines we would be having that night before I left to get Kevin
so by the time we started dinner, they were open for two hours.
With the bruschetta we chose to start with the Lisini. It was
very dark in the decanter, a red black throughout. In the glass,
that gorgeous copper rim accented the bowl like the rings of Saturn.
The nose was still a bit one dimensional, but opened nicely throughout
this course. Minerals, dust, cedar, pine, and spicy, spicy berries
forced their way from the glass and similar flavors carried through
on the palate. The acidity and the tannin were well balanced and
this wine is so alive and gorgeous. A bit on the rustic side in
terms of style but excelled with the food and overall was excellent.
Then
we moved onto the main course which was roasted Cornish hens stuffed
with wild rice, grapes and apricots. We also had some sauteed
zucchini on the side and some Ubriaca and Reggiano cheeses. With
this we opened the 1990 Banfi Brunello. Kevin had never tried
this and we thought it would be interesting to match them head
to head. The Banfi was just as dark and also displayed that copper
rim that only Brunello seems to exhibit. The perfume was strong
from the bowl. Berries, earth, floral, perhaps even some herbs
with flavors to match on the palate. Where the individual components
of the Lisini were easier to identify, the Banfi displayed a seamless
elegance on the nose and palate. We all agreed on this. This is
not to say that the Banfi was monolithic or the Lisini was disjointed,
they were both excellent and very different stylistically and
I could drink either at any time.
After
dinner we had some almond biscotti and some cantucci with the
1991 Isole e Olena Vin Santo. Kevin had never tried this so it
seemed like a no brainer. It was a bit too cold as I had left
it in the refrigerator too long but it warmed to show excellently
well. Thick and syrupy, with a big nose of caramel, and orange
peel. Brown sugar, nuts and caramel on the palate, this could
be dessert by itself.
So
which Brunello was better? Neither, but I will say this, they
were both better than the 1990 Campogiovanni that started our
friendship! Irony? I don't know, but to score these wines last
night is simple: They were both 100 point wines, last night, they
were both perfect.
That,
my friends, is the meaning of "amici" and the meaning of "vino".
I curse you all to have similar experiences!
Grazie
Kevin per il tempo ecellente!
Salute
e buon fortuna tutti!
John
Copyright
© John Fodera, February, 2000
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