Last night Vanessa joined us for dinner and wine tasting. Kind of a "dueling" wine tasting as we already knew we loved the A. Rafanelli and now we wanted to compare it to a wine recommendation from Vanessa's boss at the Melting Pot. The wine he recommended was Capitel De' Roari, an Amarone from Italy. Both bottles sell for approximately the same amount, around $45. (Yeah, we splurged!). We tasted both wines together, but we decanted the A. Rafanelli, which, as it turns out, is just what it needed in order to stand up to the Amarone. The decanting allowed the Rafanelli (a Zinfandel), time to open up and relax, thus becoming smoother and easier to drink, which the Amarone was from the first taste. Both great wines, we couldn't really agree on a clear winner. (My vote goes to the Amarone.)




Kim made this steak from a recipe in Sunset magazine for dinner. We used London Broil cuts of meat. He and Vanessa loved it. We served it with a green salad and mashed potatoes and gravy. No dessert necessary after that dinner!



Ahhhhhhhh.......good food, good wine and good company! One good night!