Just because mornings are amongst my favorite time of day, does not mean that I don’t love the nights as well. While the mornings are made for strong tea, solitude and introspection, the nights are made for good wine, consumed with good food and followed by some good old-fashioned tittering in the dark.
Being the kind of person who craves balance if not moderation, this makes sense to me. The morning routine– and the unfurling of the mind– begins shortly after I wake. After a quick stroll with Jake, the wonder-dog, we head home and there share breakfast together. He has his doggie comestibles and I have a couple of robust cups of Punjana Irish Breakfast with whatever else captures my fancy. Sometimes cereal, or buttered rye toast or, maybe just a glass of strawberry kefir. The house is usually breathtakingly and comfortingly quiet. Since the day is a blank slate, this is my most productive time to write. It is the time when I read a bit as well.
Unlike some folks, I can’t really read in bed at night. Usually, I’m too tired during the week and too, umm, “delicious” on the weekends to read so late. And there are so many things to do when you are in a delicious state of mind–
Need ideas? Well, take for example, Englishman Henry Purcell, one of the most renowned composers of his time, who wrote a few overtly suggestive tavern songs, including this uncensored little 17th century ditty that aptly illustrates how un-innocent those times were:
Sir Walter enjoying his damsel one night,
He tickled and pleased her to so great a height,
The Montepulciano grape has become so associated with Abruzzo that it would be difficult imagining these wines being produced anywhere else. It is one of the most exported wines in Italy. But in my mind, so many of these wines are over-ripe and a tad too rustic– and as a result they feel a little bawdy to me. But there is a time and a place for everything.
And in keeping an open mind, today’s NGW may turn me around on my way of thinking. Many a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is intended to be drunk young. Not so with today’s choice. This is from the 2006 vintage. Price-wise. this wine is right at the cut line for NGW. A release price of $29 per bottle and an average price on the internet, of $22 per bottle– though you should not pay that much for this. Still, at $15, this needs to be considered and having said that, happily consumed.
Il Feuduccio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Feuduccio 2006 ($15) . There are some woodsy characteristics that emerge on my sniffer. What is that? Cigar box? Wet ash? A medium bodied, fruity red with ripe raspberry, low tannins and medium acidity. This does not have the usual rusticity that I associate with Montepulciano wines. Although from the 2006 vintage, the wine maintains its freshness so much so, that I thought it was younger than it was. This is a fantastic pasta wine and at $15, this is a compelling buy. Rated **1/2
Eat this with a Spaghetti Puttanesca. Put on some Henry Purcell tavern songs (click on the red links) and sing along:
A health, a health to the nut-brown lass with hazel eyes
The little guy in the photo at the top of this page doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body. Neither should you. No-Guilt Wednesday (NGW) is not about compromising on quality. It’s all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank ($15 or less), eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.
sybaritesauvage 
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