Attending wine tastings as a wine writer can sometimes feel like attending a lecture. You enter a quiet and organized room filled with desks, chairs, and projectors, with one (or several) person at the front while the rest of us are seated facing them. Some of us have even spent several hours the night before studying the wine region or winery that the speaker is representing, and diligently brought notebooks to take notes on; If only I was that studious back in school.
When the speaker arrives, we applaud. When they speak, we quietly listen. Before we ask questions, we raise our hands first. When they ask us questions, more than one person volunteers to share, again raising our hands first. The environment feels almost too courteous to be associated with alcohol. In private with friends, I don’t remember ever being able to talk about vine age or soil type for more than 15 seconds.
I did try to, when a few weeks ago I lured my friends over under the pretense of introducing some wines from somewhere not as familiar to them. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and since everyone has been exhausted by the blizzards that have been hitting New York, they needed a little motivation to come out of their homes. I also spent a little too much on myself during Christmas and now my wife is frowning at the wine bottles overflowing out of the fridge.
My friends love wine (drinking), and maybe they were indeed interested in the wine, because San Leonardo, and Trentino for that matter, is one of those estates that is greatly followed by insiders but generally under appreciated by consumers; I believe their Cabernet Sauvignon-based blends are some of the most elegant wines I’ve experienced. But I suspect the more likely scenario was they selectively read my text as: free wine, one sparkling, two reds, pizza, Saturday night.
My wife and I prepared some cured meats, some cheeses, some popcorn, and some cheese puffs (her favorite). The pizza delivery was timed to arrive after our friends arrive. The sparkling wine, San Leonardo’s 2021 Marchesi Guerrieri Gonzaga ‘Cuvée Pietra’ Trentodoc made from 100% Chardonnay, was chilled in an ice bucket. Their 2021 Terre di San Leonardo, an entry level red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenere, was in the fridge for 30 minutes; we don’t prefer red wines at room temperature. The 2020 San Leonardo, the estate’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend, was decanted the same time our friends arrived, because I wanted to show off our decanter and use it for once.
When our friends arrived, the initial rush of seeing them made me forget about the wine. We were more concerned with how each other spent Christmas, New Years, Lunar New Years, and what their plans are once winter finally goes away. In their defense, they did ask what I was pouring as I handed them a glass, but didn’t go into a 5-minute soliloquy talking about the high altitudes of San Leonardo’s estate and alpine characteristic of Trentino wines. All I managed was a condensed 10 second elevator pitch of the name of the estate, where it was located, what kind of wine was being poured, and the grape varieties involved.
Even then, I’m not sure how much they were listening. I think they merely feigned interest in the wine so I could get on with pouring. But they did like the wines, I think. They enjoyed the Trentodoc and were surprised that Italy has sparkling wine that’s not Prosecco. One person loved sipping on the Terre di San Leonardo because of how smooth and soft the tannins were despite being full bodied and Cabernet based. Another, who claims to not be able to tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine, really REALLY liked the flagship San Leonardo paired with pizza. One person simply asked, “where can I buy the Trentodoc?”
The night never turned into a lecture. It was just a bunch of people unwinding on a Saturday night, talking about the latest TV shows, how often people watch YouTube vs TV, upcoming travel plans, how silly it feels for tacos to be showcased on expensive tasting menus, and funny things that someone said. There was one person who was busy and stressed trying to arrange a group dinner for the next evening.
To be honest, my memory of the night is a little hazy, but it was likely a good night. Someone had brought board games in case we ran out of things to talk about, but we never even got close to it. I attribute this to my wonderful friends who are much better at leading conversations and involving people. I personally am much quieter and prefer to write about things instead. The best part of the night was how we had enough energy and time to clean up the living room before showering and going to bed.
In the end, did it really matter if they remembered where San Leonardo was located? Or how tall and handsome the proprietor, Marchese Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga, is? Or how the grapes are farmed organically and pruned by Marco Simonit’s team? Or how the Terre di San Leonardo is aged in concrete and old oak while the San Leonardo is only aged partially in new oak?
Perhaps the only mistake I made that evening was trying to ‘educate’ them. The evening was meant to be social. They liked the wine, and being able to get together. That was all that’s needed.
I need a new reason to invite them over.
For more information on San Leonardo, my interview with Marchese Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga, here.
