OF BEAUTY AND DUTYby: Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
Two ladies to the summit of my mind Have clomb,
to hold an argument of love.
The
one has wisdom with her from above,
For every noblest virtue well designed:
The
other, beauty's tempting power refined
And the high charm of perfect grace
approve:
And I, as my sweet Master's will doth move,
At feet of both their favors
am reclined.
Beauty and Duty in my soul keep strife,
At question if the heart
such course can take
And 'twixt the two ladies hold its love complete.
The fount
of gentle speech yields answer meet,
That Beauty may be loved for gladness
sake,
And Duty in the lofty ends of life.
Dante
Alighieri wrote about his life experiences. His poem and sonnet collections
carry deep meaning, matters pertaining to life, love and death. As I read his
work, “Of Beauty and Duty” I tried to forge an analogy from the poem that would
pertain to wine. Dante reflects on the beauty of his lover as genuine by youth
and nature. While his arranged marriage to an aristocrat is beautiful because
it is her duty. I contemplate on the fact that wine is about life, love and
death. We have to agree that all wine begins in the vineyard, where life is
reborn every spring at bud break. The love comes from within the caretaker of
the vine. He brings the true beauty to the vine. It is in the vineyard where
the promise of true beauty resides. The vine and the fruit it bears are beautiful
by nature. As for the duty-ness, I see the wine that came forth from the vine
as beautiful by arrangement. The wine may appeal to one person and not another.
The magical picturesque beauty is long gone; all that remains is liquid.
However, a person may find the wine beautiful by opinion, which is the wine’s
duty. As for death, the vine surely preludes death in the fall as it drops its
decorous beauty and seemingly holds its breath as it falls into a deep slumber.
While the wines death is sure to come as the bottle is emptied; never to be
awakened.
Our wines
this month come from the Boscaini family, who manage the Masi and Alighieri
wineries. In the late 18th century, the Boscaini family purchased a
little valley called “Vaio dei Masi,” of which the family retains ownership to
this day. Since then, 16 generations later, the Masi Company has grown
systematically through land purchases in the best viticultural areas of the
Veneto. Masi is also involved in the management of the historical estate in
Valpolicella, Serego Alighieri, which belonged to Dante’s son, since 1353.
Veneto is
the northern most wine region in Italy and is responsible for a large
percentage of Italy’s wine production. The appellation consists of large plains
and hillsides composed of clay and calcareous debris. The hot summers and cool
winters are moderated by the Adriatic Sea. Wine making around Venice has been
traced back more than 2000 years. It is believed that the Romans learned the secret
of making Amarone from prior civilizations.
Masi is
known worldwide for its Amarone; a wine created by drying fresh grapes to
concentrate the juice before pressing, yielding an unctuous nectar suitable for
the gods. Our wine, not an Amarone, is made from the indigenous grapes: Refosco
and Raboso. Our red wine reveals a fruity, friendly wine, with flavors of ripe
cherry, plum, sweet spice, and herbs, combined with good structure and
excellent balance between acidity and soft tannins. This wine is perfectly
suited to pair with polenta, mushrooms, herbs, pasta, beans, stews and hard
cheeses.
Our white
wine is from the Alighieri Estate. Possessioni Bianco is made from combining
the intense aromas of Sauvignon Blanc with the elegance of the Garganega grape
with its characteristic aftertaste of almonds. This unique white wine should be
consumed at 50°F to
optimize the aromas and balance the acidity. Food pairings for this Bianco are
antipasti, fish, chicken or veal. The Venetians favor sardines, and mussels as
well as pasta tossed with grilled vegetables.
I found
this wine’s intriguing flavor to also pair well with biscotti and Tiramisu as a
dessert.
2007 Serego Alighieri
Possessioni Bianco
Veneto, Italy
Alcohol: 12.5%
Grape varieties: 70% Garganega
30% Sauvignon
Suggested retail: $12.99 750ml
Notes:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2008 Masi
Modello Delle Venezie
Valpolicella, Italy
Alcohol: 12%
Grape varieties: Refosco &
Reboso
Suggested retail: $14.99 750ml
Notes:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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