Ser Jacopo Chianti: The Baseline Wine
Don't make the same mistakes I made
First Things First
On May 5th, I started Zero to Vino. And I started with a bottle of Ser Jacopo Chianti that my father gifted me several months ago. When he sent it to me, I had every intention to drink it. One day.
But - I still had some hesitation about drinking wine. My first experience wasn’t all that yummy. And I was intimidated by it. I didn’t know how to open the bottle, store it, anything.
Well, lucky for me this particular bottle had a lid that could be screwed on and off. And about four months ago (or three? I don’t remember). I opened the wine because I needed it in something I was cooking.
The wine has been sitting on my shelf ever since. Until the Zero to Vino project.
Now, before I decided to drink the wine, I wanted to double check. Was it safe to drink a wine that had already been opened? Everything I found assured me it was safe. But that it may not be pleasant.
Whatever, I thought. I already knew that wine would be unpleasant. How bad could it be?
The Meal
I decided to make a fresh egg pasta. And then I made an aglio e olio sauce. And then, I thought, why not throw in a little spinach and pecorino? The pasta was great. I also roasted some carrots and onions. And that was that for the meal.
Then, I pulled the wine off the shelf, put a few ice cubes in our mugs, and poured in the Chianti.
First Impressions
I liked the smell.
I didn’t really notice anything else. Until I took a sip.
Pure Gasoline
At least, I imagine pure gasoline would have tasted better. I hated the taste. Bitter? I don’t know how to describe it other than disgusting.
My wine journal notes:
Sono una scema.
Wooooooooahjhhjadsgs. (Not quite gagging, but close).
The wine over-powered the pasta. By a long-fucking shot. It was terrible. I barely tasted the pasta, and I wondered if I shouldn’t even eat it as the calories were a complete waste with the wine.
But the carrots didn’t taste too bad. Maybe if I had just used the unopened wine, this would have been a better experience.
I don’t feel drunk.
Superstitions Die Hard
And then, the worries flooded.
Oh no. Do I feel my liver getting cirrhosis?
It’s okay. Just don’t eat too much sugar. And go for a walk to reduce the insulin response.
Are people going to cancel me for promoting alcohol?
I hope my mom doesn’t read this.
I think that drinking all of this alcohol is making my legs feel funny. Where are my compression socks?
Conclusion and Rating
Originally, I thought I wouldn’t rate this wine. I know that my experience was bad because of user error. However, I thought—maybe it will be interesting to revisit this wine again later. And so, I’e decided to rate it.
Again, please don’t take this as the rating. I have to take full responsibility for the bad experience I had. I opened the wine long ago. Without tasting it. Without respecting the it.
Up Next
Next week will be a Ser Jacopo Chianti Riserva.
Already I have a few ideas about what to eat with the Ser Jacopo Chianti Riserva. And, no, it hasn’t been opened
Tell Me
What were your beginner mistakes when you started drinking wine? Did you let one sit on your counter for months, opened, before taking a sip? Did you commit some other sin? Please tell me I’m not alone in this!