go for a ruby on Mother's Day

High acidity makes this a great partner for sharp flavours and fresh tomato sauces.  It’s the perfect accompaniment to rustic Sicilian dishes like Caponata (aubergine stew), Pasta alla Norma, or even, if you want to be really ambitious, Sarde a Beccafico (stuffed sardines).  Yes, red wine with fish!  This is one of the few reds that can pull that off, though I’d stick to oily fish like sardines or tuna.

 

Although it’s almost as pale as a rosé, don’t try chilling it down or all you’ll taste is acid and tannin.  Like a good Pinot Noir, try serving it just slightly cool at 16°C to 17°C.  Unless you’ve still got the central heating on high, that probably is room temperature right now.

 

A word of caution: when I first opened this bottle its scent and flavour were so muted by comparison to the wine I had loved at the importer’s tasting in September that I thought it might be faulty.  I needn’t have worried; air and time fixed that, as they will have done for your pouches.  But if you buy some of this (and I know I’m going to) you should decant the bottle at least two hours before drinking.