Welcome to our newest series, The Somm Set. Each month we’ll be sitting down with a guest sommelier and uncovering their guilty pleasures, cellar staples, and everything in between! Follow as they hand-select their favorites from our warehouse, giving you the inside scoop on cellar must-haves!

This month on The Somm Set, we’re excited to feature Paul Grieco, Sommelier. Join us as we explore everything from his passion for wine, favorite wine and food pairing, and his newest endeavors.

Exploring Interesting White Wine
The World Of Interesting Red Wine
German Riesling
Read Our Interview With Paul Grieco
The Somm Set Home
 

This week from Paul Grieco:

The Sangiovese grape…the most planted grape in Italy…is it your vinous lord and savior?

If the answer is not a resounding “yes,” then we must meet, and break bread, and talk Italian politics because we will then have a long runway to engage in the many iterations of this prototypical Italian variety. Primarily grown in the central region of Tuscany, it reaches unparalleled yumminess in the Chianti zone, the hilltop town of Montalcino, the regal confines of Montepulciano, and the southern climes of Scansano. You will probably rarely see the grape name on a label of Italian grape juice (the new world examples will definitely shine a light upon the grape’s identity, though) because the stories to be told by Sangiovese are of this incredible landscape.

Maybe you want to understand the thinking of Clemente Biondi Santi back in the 1880s…then enjoy a Brunello di Montalcino.

Maybe you desire to know why Adamo Fanetti in 1930 considered his wine so noble…then enjoy a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Maybe you desire to know why bottles of Chianti Classico have a black rooster on the bottle…oh lordy, then you need to go back to 1205CE and understand the Treaty of Fonterutoli and the warring city-states of Florence & Siena.

Maybe you are intrigued by the modern interloper, which only gained DOC status in 1978…then get thee a Morellino di Scansano.

Suffice it to say; wine can be a time machine. So, get in your Sangiovese Time Machine and travel to some of the most majestic wine areas on the entire wine planet.

Ciao!

Check out all the wines mentioned below!