Antonelli San Marco Baiocco Umbria `07 IGT (Not TJ's) $19.99 ***

Birthday Dinner part II

Not everyone in the world is a red wine drinker.  I realize that.  And, when you are faced with the challenge of serving wine to a diverse crowd, you have to pull back the reins a bit and serve an all around wine when, maybe in your heart of hearts, there could be a Cabernet or Zinfandel that is just jumping out at you. This wine is a good compromise.

90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, gives you a mellow red table wine with hints of strawberry freshening the light dried cherry taste. We served this wine with steak, but I would have easily served it with a cheese course or simply as a sipping wine with heavy appetizers (stuffed mushrooms anyone??) or maybe with a nice roast chicken.  It is good wine, no tannins, very easy to drink, and definitely did not overpower any of the food. And at 13.5% it was a welcome break from all of the 14.5% wines that we have been drinking for the past month.

This wine spurred a discussion on IGT wine in Italy.  A decade or so ago (1992), there were winemakers who did not conform to the standard DOCG or DOC boards.  But they were making really good wine, and they were thinking outside the box.  And so, my non conformist friends, IGT was born - vineyards were designated, and the box has been slowly encasing them for label freaks like me.

Menu:
Terryaki Grilled Flank Steak
Truffled Potatoes Dauphinoise (yeah, we plowed through two platters of those, and could have used a third... mmm carbs, butter, truffles and cream...mmmm)
Roasted Jalepino Peppers with Olive Oil and Garlc
Heirloom Tomatoes
French Bread
and
S's Homemade Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting (I had that with Port!)


The consensus was that she is no longer allowed to halve the Buttercream recipe.  It is just too delicious.  Calories do not count on Birthdays!!!

I also want to add a disclaimer... It is VERY difficult to take a good picture when there are 12 people clamoring for food.  Really! That is my excuse, and I am sticking to it.

The day after: We had two bottles for dinner, so there was enough to have a glass with lunch.  The wine looses some of it's smoothness the day after, and tastes very high acid.  That being said, it went really well with the duck confit sandwich.

On a cooking note:

This was my contribution to dinner.  I peeled the potatoes.  

One day, I will start cooking again!