A fun final office assignment: Monchiero Carbone Srü 2003
I used to work with a guy named Dan. Dan had what you would call natural talent. He could always surprise you with a great bottle of wine when you'd least expect it. Usually they would be Italian wines, red and dry, and they would often come from the most unlikely of places.
Once, he picked up a nice Amarone that he found curbside on garbage day.
More recently, on the behalf of all my co-workers generously celebrating my final day in the office, he handed me a Roero wine in lovely wooden caddy (I don't think he found either of these in the garbage).
Finding a wine from Roero, an Italian wine region I had never ever heard of, seemed even more bizarre to me than finding a bottle discarded in the street. Finding one named Srü -- a name from a unique Northern Italian dialect -- just blew my mind even more. I promised him that I would report back on this Srü as soon as I uncorked it.
Monchiero Carbone Srü Roero 2003 (click on the bottle's back label below for product details) is made from Nebbiolo grapes harvested in the Piemonte region. Its selling feature is that it doesn't require extended cellaring like a lot of Nebbiolos do. So I didn't waste time in finding the right occasion to open it. When former co-worker Susan invited me to a dinner of delicious braised beef and polenta, I knew that the moment belonged to the Srü. I proudly slapped it on the table.
It went perfectly with Susan's menu. Fruity and with lively acid, it refreshed us with each sip during our meal. Besides Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo is the perfect grape variety for simmered beef dishes.
It was elegant and definitely ready to drink. This red was much more approachable than I was expecting, a real pleasure to drink. And drink we did, using Susan's nearly Barolo-shaped wine glasses. How appropriate!
You might want to decant this wine. I got some bottle schmeg in my glass. 
Thanks to everyone who contributed to such a wonderful discovery of a gift! (And Susan, next time it's my turn.)
Find out more on this interesting wine region called Roero.
Canale, Italia. 14%.
3 comments:
Well Marcus, I did once find a nice bottle of wine roadside that had obviously slipped out of someones car as they opened a door or departed, but it had not been left out for the garbage. Call it lucky or call me crazy for picking it up, but it almost sounds as if I go looking for stuff in trash bins. However, being the easy going guy I am, I admit it makes for more interesting reading to hear where you got this bottle.
Ciao,Dan
Oops! Sorry to misrepresent the situation as garbage picking Dan. I would never think of it in that light anyway -- go shopping at the SAQ during one of their frequent $1 off sales... now that is garbage picking.
In any case, curbside is was. Amazing how it got there. There must've been more wine in the person who let it slip away than in the bottle itself.
What does it take to break those heavy bodybuilder bottles that are increasingly popular these days?
You sure that's bottle schmeg? Your buddy has been garbage picking, after all. I think you need to buy Susan a decanter! I think I saw this one at the SAQ once, but I would never have bought it without a recommendation. Thanks for the quirky find.
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