In honor of my dear friend H’s birthday I held a small gathering at Hobnob HQ. We set up a taco bar, as seen in our Weekend Guest party plan and did a summer wine tasting to boot. The wines: 19 Crimes red wines from Australia and a Tommasi Pinot Grigio and Valpolicella from Italy.
CRIMINALLY DELICIOUS
The top hit of the night: 19 Crimes 2015 Red Wine. This winery from Australia honors those men who were sentenced to exile in Australia for committing one of 19 Crimes (see below). Those convicted were sometimes activists, like poet John Boyle O’Reilly, whose mugshot appears on the label. 19 Crimes Red Wine was a soft red loaded with flavor, and nicely complemented the spicy items on the taco bar. Also priced very nice considering the complexity. 19 Crimes Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 was smooth and subtle for a cab, nice for summer.
19 Crimes Red Wine, $8. 19 Crimes Cabernet Sauvignon, $14. Watch the cinema-quality video on the site, depicting the “criminals” exiled to Australia.
A RICH PINOT GRIGIO?
On to Italy… Tomassi Pinot Grigio was a rich white, with more tropical and complex notes than the typical Pinot Grigio, which for me can sometimes be too acidic. Le Rosse is one the four main sub-plots of the winery, devoted entirely to Pinto Grigio grapes. The rows of vines are planted extremely close together and pruned aggressively, resulting in low yields and extra richness. In addition, the grapes are harvested at night to retain maximum freshness and acidity. Two thumbs up! The 2013 Valpolicella is the perfect, crisp summer red with notes
2015 Tommasi Le Rosse Pinot Grigio, $13. 2013 Rafaèl Valpolicella Classico Superiore, $16.
In case you were wondering what the 19 crimes were:
1. Grand larceny.
2. Petty larceny.
3. Buying or receiving stolen goods.
4. Stealing lead, iron or copper.
5. Impersonating an Egyptian.
6. Stealing from furnished lodgings.
7. Setting fire.
8. Stealing letters.
9. Assault with intent to rob.
10. Stealing fish from a pond or river.
11. Stealing roots, trees or plants.
12. Bigamy.
13. Assaulting, cutting, or burning clothing.
14. Counterfeiting.
15. Clandestine marriage.
16. Stealing a shroud out of a grave.
17. Watermen carrying too many passengers.
18. Escaping prison.
19. Embeuling naval stores
