FLORENCE — As I gain years on my age and lines on my face, I’ve come to the realization that I am becoming the patriarch of my family. So, as we approach that day where, with a tip of our hat, we reflect on the importance of our fatherly mentors, I take pause. My grandfather, the man who helped raise me, has passed and, in all likelihood, this will be my father’s last year on this earth. Thus this “celebration” of fathers will be with a raise of a glass (or three) to those that helped mold me into the man I am today.
Along with blooms and nicer weather, spring also welcomes Greek Food Fests. Usually occurring close to Orthodox Easter, these church festivals with amazing food, dance, and music render pleasant memories. Although not Greek himself, my grandfather had a myriad of Greek friends and loved Greek cuisine.
The tradition of attending these festivals carried through to my adulthood, where I continue to visit every year. In my formative years, I was unable to appreciate the Greek wines being served, but that has since drastically changed. This year my Greek Orthodox church food was accompanied by Tselepos Mantinia Moschofilero ($22). This 100 percent Moschofilero variety hails from the Peloponnese region in the appellation of Mantinia. The perfumed floral notes combine with the ripe orchard and citrus fruit nuances to create a great pairing with this childhood memory.
Some of the most meaningful and memorable times spent with my father were in the woods. We did a tremendous amount of camping, with and without my Boy Scout troop. The smell of the forest (soil, underbrush, decomposing vegetation) was a scent that still remains hauntingly intoxicating to my olfactory senses.
Although many Pinot Noir wines can elicit this flashback, I was recently treated with Saltner Pinot Nero Riserva DOC 2022 ($33). Hailing from Südtirol (Alto Adige) in Northeastern Italy, this Pinot Noir, colloquially known as Pinot Nero, has crunchy red fruit, lovely violet aromas and that classic forest floor element that has me back camping with my dad.