Wine Homework: Adesso and Chestnuts

ADESSO ~ Cagnina


This is a wine that's easy to fall in love with "Adesso" (which means "now" in Italian).
Area of Production: Rimini, Italy ~ Located on the east coast of Italy
Grape Variety: 100% Refosco

This is a pleasantly sweet wine that is great with dessert or on its own. Last week when I visited with the Italian wineries I met a local winemaker from Rimini and he explained how to drink the Cagnina. He was so excited to share this with me because he has never met anyone in the US that knew the wine. He explained that the proper way to enjoy the Cagnina is accompanied with a chestnut. Split the chestnut in the center leaving a small opening meaning do not break them completely in half. On a hot skillet, roast the chestnut (shell still intact) until its hot in the middle. Once hot, split the nut wide open and scoop out the meat and eat. While you have the roasted chestnut in your mouth pour a small portion of the wine in your mouth at the same time. It’s a dessert for the locals of Rimini and is enjoyed by all including the young. Ah, to be Italian!

Italian wine tasting

By Wes Kollar

As you can imagine, I was really anticipating this tasting, yes for the wines but more because I would get to reconnect with many of the wine makers I met in Italy last summer. And, I would be tasting some of the best of the best from all around Italy in one spot on one day. Here are some of the wines that topped my list: Collosorbo 2004 Brunello di Montaclcino, Tenuta Vitanza 2004 Brunello di Montalcino, and Vignalota 2005 Rosso Riserva from Colli Euganei. I know, it’s a mouth full but just give it a try or a taste, if you get a chance. Prosciutto and burrata (fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream) were served as well and were delicious companions. I was pleasantly surprised to see a few wines from Austria, a Zweigelt, Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir), and my very favorite of the day, a Blau Frankisch. I could have had these wines all day long. One day….I just might!

Five easy steps to understanding what you are tasting

By Wes Kollar

(contributors: Elyse Guran & Jennifer Guran)

If you’re like my fiancée, who loves wine but doesn’t exactly know why, you might want to take a look at a few tips I developed when I first started drinking wine. These steps helped me to define my taste and expand my knowledge of wine. In essence, it’s the “think while you drink” method. I like to use this mantra in my 101 classes for new wine lovers.

Having a blast while learning wine 101

Saturday we hosted a great Wine 101 class for a private party. This was a birthday party for one of my oldest and dearest friends so when she inquired about adding Decant, I was really excited. We partnered with Xanh’s Bistro in Fountain Valley owned by Haley Nguyen for catering. Haley developed a fresh and contemporary flare for the event including:

Mosby Wine Dinner

You are invited to join our group at the Wine Artist (www.thewineartist.com) in Lake Forest, CA on Saturday February 27 for a wine dinner with winemaker, Gary Mosby of Mosby Winery located in Santa Ynez.


Come experience Mosby wines paired with the culinary delights of Lamron Catering (www.lamroncatering.com) hosted by Decant Wine Events (www.DecantWineEvents.com) and Wes Kollar. You'll enjoy Mosby's Italian varietals paired with some of Italy's finest foods. The space is limited to just 50 people so reserve your spot today. We'll be raffling off bottles of wine signed by winemaker, Gary Mosby and free home wine tasting events by Decant Wine Events & Wes Kollar.

For questions, please contact Wes Kollar at Drink@DecantWineEvents.com

When: Feb 27
Who: Mosby Winery Wine Dinner
Time: 6:00pm
Cost: $75 per person (Note: RSVP is required with Credit Card to the Wine Artist)

The Wine Artist, Lake Forest
21064 Bake Parkway
Lake Forest, CA 92618
(949) 297-3656

An Aerator…To use or not to use, that is the question. What do you think?

A few days ago I was at a local wine shop and noticed that a few customers purchased some expensive bottles of wine and requested the wine be poured through an aerator.

Right away I will tell you that I don’t like aerators. Rather, I don’t like the “idea” of them. Here’s my beef. Winemakers make their wine the way they want you to experience it and then someone puts their wine through a device that completely changes the structure, the nose, the balance, everything about the wine. It just feels wrong to me.

So tonight I’ve decided to experiment with an aerator.