The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

San Fran is so big and happening, yet finding a place that hits the spot is not necessarily a slam dunk. As I examine my inner self, I tend to gravitate toward Italian food. It's funny because French and Chinese are my favorites. Yet, for comfort, I want gourmet yet relaxed sort of a place. Italian and Spanish are just right. Plus, any excuse to drink vino Italiano is worth consideration. The other night, Rona and I found ourselves spending four hours at Beretta - in the Mission district. Just long enough to consume respectable amount of vino and still be good to drive! Terrific food, perhaps just a notch below Restaurant Delfina , but then the parking is a hell of a lot easier at Beretta. Get there early (5pm) and call in 45 min beforehand to get on the waiting list. Since our friends were interested in learning about wine, I brought a couple of special selections: a 2008 Roero Arneis from Bruno Giacosa (top Arneis in the world, from Roero area in Piedmonte) and a 2001 Bertan...

Watching a little TV on a weekday night, trying to forget the pressures of corporate deadlines, meetings, objectives, metrics, how to keep 15 million users happy and one million competitors dead... What else does one need but a bottle of 2006 Ca'Rossa Roero Audinaggio and a plate of spinach ravioli with tomato basil garlic sauce with a few chunks of truffle cheese like Boschetto al Tartufo melted in. Killer Nebbiolo for $32-35. As good as most Barbarescos out there from a solid vintage. Truffles, faded roses, and a little meat. Don't bother me - I am eating! ...and drinking Roero! See more of my Roero raves here .

Amazingly, even serious winos don't seem to know Roero . Specifically Roero red wine, made from Nebbiolo, and in many vintages just as elegant, intense, and charming as Barolo and Barbaresco. A neighboring appellation (DOCG since 2004), Roero is better recognized for their white Arneis wine - the most famous white wine export of Piedmonte, which I love on its own right. But it's the red that I am happy for so many others to overlook, thus keeping prices down for those in the know. Here is a very good article on Roero from the Dehli Wine Club (of all places!). A quick excerpt is telling: The aging periods required by law are significantly different - Barolo needs to undergo 3 years, while Barbaresco can age only for 2 years. Roero can do with a year and a half as it can be released on July 1, second year after harvesting. So the Barolo and Barbaresco producers would claim that Nebbiolo grape requires long aging to tame the tannins... The young Roero is too tannic, closed and n...