Pizza Wine

You know I love a good, crisp white wine— it really can’t be beat when it’s hot outside. But there is a time and place for everything, and when our Santa Barbara evenings turn cool, we almost always transition to a red for dinner. Now, red wine doesn’t have to mean heavy, over-the-top or meaty.  There are so many light, fabulous reds that go perfectly with summer food and warmer weather, and often, I feel they get overlooked. It’s time to give these red wines some attention.

Enter the 2009 Bardolino “Le Fontane” from Corte Gardoni. This is a delightful Italian red wine blend from the Veneto region. For $11.99 a bottle at K&L, it has a price that can’t be beat. I would describe its flavor as fruity with a hint of black pepper. At our house, this is classified under “pizza wine” (not to be confused with our “picnic wine”) .  Pizza wine is incredibly quaffable and goes amazingly well with tomato sauce. Try pairing this red with roasted fresh tomatoes, marinara, or serve it at your next pizza party. Imagine, Italian food with Italian wine…genius.  My problem is that it’s such a good match, I end up drinking too much wine and eating too much pizza. To the hills for a hike I go!  Cin-Cin!