Tenuta Sant’Anna in the kaleidoscope

There is always a good reason to drink a good glass of wine. A pairing or a traditional recipe, a place to visit, a meeting, a story. Things that only wine can make you discover and enjoy to the fullest.

Do you want an ombra (“shadow”) of red or white? This is how they do it in Venice when someone invites you for a glass of wine. This expression came into being centuries ago in St. Mark’s Square, when merchants set up wine stands in the shadow of the bell tower of St. Mark’s Cathedral to keep the wine cool.

Crostini with creamed cod, sardines in saor, musetto e poenta, nerveti with onion, bovoetti. If you read these names written in chalk on a blackboard right in front of a door, you are standing outside a bacaro, the typical osteria (tavern) in Venice. Cicchetti (small snacks or side dishes) and good wine. Pleasure guaranteed.

In our region, every self-respecting meal includes good cheese. Piave and Montasio are always a good choice. And the right wine matches the type of cheese. For aged cheeses, try Ripasso. For the fresh cheeses, go with a Prosecco.

There’s just one way to enjoy a dish like “sopressa vicentina in tecia”: served on a slice of roasted polenta and accompanied by a glass of wine: which can only be Valpolicella DOC. True deliciousness!

With a glass of Pinot Grigio, you are spoiled for choice. Its versatility makes it perfect for accompanying appetizers, pasta and rice dishes and main courses. Paired with fish, it can easily go from a creamed cod to a sushi boat.

Wine “in purezza,” i.e. from single grape variety. This term is used to designate wines produced using only one type of grape. This results in a wine that faithfully reproduces the characteristics of the specific grape type, interpreted by the winemaker in the specific area.

Venice, wines and spirits. And not just those in a bottle. It is said that the Casino degli Spiriti is haunted by the restless ghost of Luzzo, a 16th-century painter who there met Cecilia and fell in love her, his great love never returned.

Sometimes words can be deceiving. If you read “dry” on the label of a sparkling wine it does not mean that it is lacking sweetness. It is simply drier than sweet sparkling wine, but sweeter than brut. That’s the difference between brut and dry.

When we say Prosecco, we are talking about Glera. The name became official in 2009, but this grape variety has existed since Roman times. It has large, long clusters, with golden-yellow berries. Only these grapes give life to Prosecco DOC.