Pino showed us downstairs to the room where the event would be held. The cantina was originally part of a Florentine prison and dates back to the year 1312. You know, just a little wine tasting in a 700 year old space. Casual. No big deal or anything.
The room was set up with two tables ready to go. In addition to the place settings, there were big baskets of bread, bowls of pre-cut parmiggiano, and water. I noticed trays of salumi waiting on another table at the end of the room. I took a moment to myself and thought "This must be what heaven is like".
Before we got to try some wine, we were given a taste of balsamic vinegar and olive oil first. All I knew about balsamic vinegar before Friday was that I enjoyed the taste of it on salads and sandwiches. I knew nothing of how it's made, where it's made, or what defines quality aceto balsamico. To be authentic, balsamic vinegar must come from Modena. If your bottle says something like "Modena style" or "like Modena", don't waste your money. If you want the real thing, make sure the bottle says "Aceto Balsiamico di Modena". The process they use today is much the same as it was hundreds of years ago. White grapes, usually Trebbiano grapes, are boiled down and then fermented in a slow aging process. Now when you've had balsamic in the past, it's probably been on a salad, right? Or maybe drizzled over some grilled veggies? The point is- it's a liquid. It is drizzle-able. I never thought twice of having it any other way. Until now. Little did I know, balsamic vinegar, similarly to wine, changes with age. The older it is, the thicker the consistency. Pino gave us a taste of 10 year old balsamico, the consistency of which was more like a syrup. I got a little too excited at this point, because I just couldn't believe my eyes. Here I was, thinking I was at least a little more culinarily aware than most people my own age, and I had no clue that balsamic vinegar comes in a variety of consistencies that exist due to how long it's aged. The taste was a little sweeter than what I was used to, and not as overbearing. He then went on to explain the different uses of different ages of balsamic vinegar. The baby vinegars with a more liquid consistency are what you use for salads and such. With the kind of vinegar we tried, there are a lot of options- it's not just for dipping bread and cheese into (as undeniably soul satisfying as that is). You can make a risotto with more aged balsamic, which I'd be down for. Pino also said that a drop of it works surprisingly well with certain flavors of gelato and certain fruits.
We moved onto the olive oil next. I don't have as much to say about it. Not because it wasn't delicious, it was. I dipped plenty of bread into it. (There really is something so fulfilling about dipping bread into tasty substances). But the change of flavor on my taste buds was not enough to distract me from how moved by the balsamic vinegar I was. Seriously. I feel like a door has been opened for me. A door that leads to a gastronomic and historical adventure based on a product that I had underestimated for so long.
After this, we moved on to our first glass of wine. It was a white. Fruitier than I usually go for, but I actually really liked it. It was light, and not overwhelming. After giving a brief explanation of how to go about tasting wine, Pino explained what kinds of smells we should recognize from this particular wine before tasting. (I really wish I'd taken notes!). This white had hints of pear and apple, and also a certain flowers. He stressed the importance of first smelling anything and everything you taste- not just wine. Smell enhances the experience on your tongue. He told us that we had to work to memorize scents, and that it would become easier to notice them. I could not tell you then or now what a pear smells like, and I'm not a common recipient of flowers, so forgive me Pino for not being able to figure it out on my own! I'll work on it, I promise :)
The second wine was a Chianti Classico- much better than the one we tried the other day. This time I was able to recognize one of the smells, which was smoke/smokiness. Pino explained that this comes from the smoke used in part of the process used to make the barrels the wine is stored in. This wine also had (apparently) hints of peach. It had a pretty full feel to it- definitely felt it all over your mouth- but not overwhelmingly strong. He then had us see how the taste changed after eating some parmiggiano, prosciutto and finocchiona (salame with fennel).
The third and final wine was a Super Tuscan, and it was Super Terrific. It was smoky, a little spicy, warm and all around satisfying. Definitely the strongest of the three. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but for this last glass Pino definitely gave us way more than a tasting amount. (For the record, this is not a complaint). He went on to say that this was a kind of wine that didn't need to be paired with food. It would be a great end of the day glass of wine, or casual conversation glass of wine. I think it would be a really great my boyfriend just broke up with me glass...bottle...of wine, or an I'm trying to get drunk but I don't want want to act like I want to get drunk so I'll drink this and just say that I didn't know how strong my drink was kind of wine. (I know a lot about that last category).
Throughout the evening, Pino, in addition to teaching us many wonderful things, also made us feel like family. Everything was casual, comfortable, and there were lots of laughs to be shared in addition to all the edibles. He invited us back for a longer visit (there was another group coming in). And unlike when shopkeepers in the states say things like "come again soon", when Pino said it, I actually believed it.
Oh, the best part of the whole evening? I only paid 15 euros for it.
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