Photography:  Courtesy of Douglas Frassa

“Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words.”

–Plautus

“I love everything that is old; old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines.”

–Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield

As a wine enthusiast and Level 1 Sommelier through the International Wine Guild (beginner), I’ve grown to enjoy different kinds and styles of wines as well as learning how and where they’re made.  Not only do I delight in a glass of wine from an exceptional vintage, but what is truly great is when wine is paired perfectly with food; both are better for the pairing.  In my opinion, it’s the same thing when people get together for a meal–the fellowship makes the food more pleasurable, and both are better because of the pairing.  When all of these elements align a transcendence occurs, and the act of eating becomes much more–especially when a…