I was reminded on Saturday while dining with friends why I do what I do and why I love it so much. Sometimes I just need to be reminded what the joy of wine is really all about and the reasons I named my company as such.

Of course for many of us, good wine is meant to be shared! Unlike others in the bizz, I don’t have many wines that I store or “cellar”, but I did pull one out to take over for dinner this past Saturday night, and I can say in truth, I’m glad I did!

It just so happens that my daughter is dating the son of the friends with whom we dined with on Saturday night, and this dinner date had been booked for about three weeks in advance. I know my husband and I were looking forward to the outing, the visiting, the food, and I’m sure our friends were looking forward to the wine! (Well, let’s be honest, I was too!)

We started out the evening with the Bisol “Crede” Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut, along with Prosciutto, pecorino cheese, crustini with a warm mushroom truffle mix, almond stuffed olives, black olives and sundried tomato olives. A blend of glera, verdiso and pinot bianco, this was a really great prosecco with creamy rich flavours of peach, pear and apple, along with a great mineral edge – from one of the leading producers of the region. This bottle got emptied quite quickly!

I knew Bob was putting together a lasagne, but I had no idea how fabulous of a lasagne! I didn’t actually count the layers, but I’m pretty sure there were at least five. And full of meaty goodness, including Italian sausage with just a slight kick of spice on the finish. Add some more Italian crustini, a deconstructed ceasar salad, and we had a meal that any Italian himself would be happy to consume! For wine, I naturally thought Sangiovese, due to the tomato based sauce, but I also thought a Chardonnay might fit nicely too. It would have some body and acidity to stand up to the pasta dish. I had been sitting on the 2007 Yves Boyer-Martenot Mersault-Charmes Premier Cru for the past four or five years, so thought it might be time to share it, as I knew our friends would truly appreciate it! The appreciative nods and glances on both of their faces was all I needed to see that yes, I had brought something truly special -this wine was magical with aromas and flavours of baked apple and pear along with ground nutmeg and hints of lemon meringue. This 10-year old scored a perfect 10 for all of us.

The 2013 Col D’Orcia Banditella was no slouch either. This 100% “baby” Brunello hit all the right points of a Sangiovese with red cherry, blackberry, earth, spiced oak and hints of tobacco and leather. Two pretty much perfect wines to go with dinner!

Not to be outdone, the 2013 Andreas Bender Hofpäsch Riesling wowed us all with its just-the-right-balance of sweetness and acidity. An Auslese level, there was a lot of residual sugar on this wine, but you’d never know it with that laser sharp acidity behind it all, making the finish clean and crisp. Citrus lemon notes, honeysuckle and green apple with the ever present hint of petrol, paired charmingly with the lemon coffee cake and the crème brûlée layer cake!

Never have I felt so appreciated for bringing and serving wine, and to see the smiles on my host and hostess’s faces and the pleasure these wines evoked, solidified that without a doubt, I am certainly following my passion, living the dream, and working in the right place! Joy of wine in action indeed…Santé, Salute and Prost!