Buon Cibo, Buon Vino (good food, good wine)

"When it comes to wine, I tell people to throw away the vintage charts and invest in a corkscrew. The best way to learn about wine is the drinking." – Alexis Lichine

Ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques in Italy have developed since the Roman times. Breads were introduced by the Greeks. Cheese from Sicily.

Arabs invaded Sicily in the 9th century bringing new ingredients like rice, durum wheat, and citrus fruits. Normans introduced casseroles in the 12th century. As early as the 18th century, Italian chefs were emphasizing fresh ingredients and focusing on ingredients rather than just technique - a novelty of the time.

Significant changes began in the 18th century with the colonization of the Americas and introduction of ingredients like tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums (peppers), and maize.

Since then, Italian cuisine has become one of the most popular in the world and at the same time produces more wine, using a wide variety of indigenous grape varieties.

In this Meetup, we’ll explore some key regional differences in the cuisine from southern, central, and northern Italy. We’ll look at different ingredients the regions tend to utilize and then consider how these differences influence the type of wines produced to compliment these differences.

After a short discussion of typical regional dishes, we’ll then taste through several wines including wines from Piedmont, Tuscany, and Veneto. We’ll get a chance to experience grape varieties like Nebbiolo, Primativo, Sangiovese, and Corvina – not the typical Cabernet, Merlot, or Pinot Noir!

As we try the wines, we’ll use our new-found knowledge to evaluate several dishes and experiment pairing them with our new, favorite wine(s).

The cost of the event is $40.00. Please RSVP and pay by Venmo to Lynne Ryno@Lynne-Ryno (last four of the phone number are 5172). Or mail a check to Jack Ryno, 75797 Camino Cielo, Indian Wells, CA 92210 to confirm your seat. You will not be confirmed until payment is received. There are 14 seats available.

Please bring your own wine glasses. For this tasting, you will need at least two but I recommend six glasses so you can revisit the wines as you go.