This fourth of July weekend I scored an invite to a Brigantine shore house, and I brought a bottle of wine I had procured on my trip to Friuli with a contingent of bloggers from the International Wine Tourism Conference.
I proved my merit as a house guest with a bottle of Ronco Blanchis Collio. According to the winery's website, the wine is (in my translation of their Italian) "a harmonious blend of Friulano, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc... intensely perfumed with fruit and flowers... with structure and complexity." All true!
On a warm July afternoon after a day at the beach, my first sip of Collio made me cock my head in interest. I tasted tropical fruits like lychee as well as ripe peaches. There was a rich mouthfeel and refreshing acidity as well. I poured a glass for my wine loving friends, who enjoyed it as well. We all toasted to a Happy Fourth of July, then sat to down a steaming bowl of paella, consumed on the second story deck with glasses of Collio. Spanish food, Italian wine - it was an American melting pot of a feast, and a fitting finish to a perfect summer beach day.