I had to work today, so for our anniversary dinner we decided on something casual for our evening repast. Pizza Azzurro, located on Main Street, downtown Napa, is a restaurant that Vinomaker has eaten at quite often (usually on business lunches), but I had never been there before tonight. Vinomaker convinced me that Pizza Azzurro had a great wine by the glass wine list. Vinomaker loves a good wine by the glass list, it may be an expensive way to go about drinking wine, but it is a good way to try a few wines that one may not necessarily want to buy a whole bottle of. Or to try a wine from a small producer whose wine you may not even be able to find in a local wine store.
The 'by the glass' wine list was indeed as advertised: not in quantity, but quality. To pair with my antipasti, Gamberi (a grilled shrimp, white bean, sausage combo), I had a glass of Rococo, 2012, Sonoma Coast Pinot gris, whilst Vinomaker had a Renard, 2012, Lodi Grenace blanc. We also shared a glass of Anne Amie, NV, Oregon Müller-Thurgau (which actually paired the best with the shrimp). All nice. With my main course, a manciata (a handful of just baked dough, topped with salad, steak and Point Reyes blue cheese), I imbibed in a Rhiannon, 2011, a California blend of Petite Sirah, Barbera and Zinfandel - unorthodox, but delicious. Vinomaker's red wine selection was a Terra d' Oro, 2010, Barbera from Amador County which was tasty, but definitely had a bit of heft to it. Again, we shared a third wine, a Neyers Vineyards, 2011, "Sage Canyon" California Rhône-style blend of Carignan/Grenache/Mouvedre/Syrah - yum!
Yes, the 'by the glass' method is a slightly more pricey way to go about enjoying a glass of wine, or two, with your dinner, but enjoy these six wines I did. Besides, Vinomaker is worth it.
Happy anniversary Vinomaker.
