A new boutique wine shop, La Cantina, just opened in our neighbourhood, which makes me very, very, happy. The first day we found out about the new shop, The Husband and I promptly went over to pick out a bottle of white for our seafood barbecue dinner. I met Liam, the owner of the store, who's not only informative but also sincere and passionate, and he introduced us to the Marotti Campi Salmariano Verdicchio dei Castelli Di Jesi Classico Riserva 2003.
Okay, so it is a ridiculously long and complicated name. But this wonderfully perfumed and intensely flavoured white from the Marches, Italy, is my first taste of the verdicchio grape, and I must say I am truly delighted with this find! I've never been too big a fan of the very widely available Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay here in New Zealand. Actually, I'm not too big a fan of white wines - period. But the warm summer months that's all but disappearing, saw me drinking plenty of thirst-quenching, refreshing whites, mainly in the form of Rieslings, Pinot Gris, or Gewurtztraminer whenever I can.
The Salmariano, named after an old castle built at the company's vineyard, as I was informed, is balanced, nutty, rich without being cloying, and one of the more exciting Italian whites (okay, probably the only Italian white aside from Pinot Grigios) I've had in awhile. It is also affordable, which is very important in my eyes, and immensely drinkable today. We had it with salmon grilled on the barbie, a side of herb-mushroom rice, and broccoli fried with garlic. It was completely delicious, and neutralised the oiliness of the salmon without being overpowered by the garlic.
Fortunately for the Husband, we will be leaving for our sojourn in about five days, which means I'm not pestering him to let me go back for more. Unfortunately for him, we will be returning at the end of the month, which means Liam will be seeing much, much more of me in the near future.
I simply love unexpected finds of the uncorked variety.
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