Found: King of Beers

...I never know how to start off my blogs. There are only so many Italian greetings that I can use without repeating myself.  I think that is the reason why I hate writing papers so much because I never know how to do an introduction. So does this count?

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Florence. I don't know what it was about yesterday but everyone seemed to be in a great mood. I think I am finally acclimated after a week of being here to my sleep schedule. Last week, as soon as I got home from class I would jump in the bed and take a big ole snooze but now my energy levels are back up. Well kinda... If you could hear me speak right now I sound like a stopped-up croaking toad. I NEVER get sick at home but the one time that I am in a foreign country, I can barely croak out a word and I can't breathe out of my nose. Luckily, Momma-Bear sent me to Italy with a small medicine cabinet with all the essentials. Here in Florence there are "farmacias" on every corner. There is supposedly one by the train station that has multiple natural remedies for illnesses. If it gets to that point I'll have to saunter over there to see what they have to offer.

Wines

So my professor has been getting a little frisky with her wine choices recently and can't just limit it to one red and one white per class. The past two days we have had three different wines to taste each class period, which believe me, I'm not complaining. On Monday, we ate a food called "cecina" which is only made in Northern Tuscany. It was a very thin bread with olive oil, cheeses, and a small bit of pepper. It is a very light and fresh dish. The first wine was a white 2011 Gavi made by Fontana Fredda. This wine is made with Cortese grapes. It was a very simple and fresh wine which was dry with a medium softness and alcohol level and had the simple aroma of white flowers and apple.

Cecina

The second wine was the first Pinot Noir that we had in class, which is my all time favorite type of wine. It was a 2009 Alois Lageder Pinot Noir. The color was very intriguing because it was a light ruby red color with an orange hint around the rim and no purple. This wine was very soft for a red wine with a medium tannicity and a big intensity to the nose with many different flavors like strawberry, cherry, vanilla, and red flowers. Our teacher told us that the main point of a Pinot Noir is elegance. It was one of the best Pinot Noirs I have had. The third wine we had was a 2009 Marnebrune made by Fontana Fredda and made from 100% Nebiollo grapes. It had a purple-red color with the aroma of sweet and spicy. It had a big sweetness, was very tannic and very dry. It was delicious but I truthfully am not a huge fan for tannic wines. I would prefer to not have my mouth feel gritty. With all that said, the best match was the Gavi with the Pinot Noir trailing close behind. The Marnebrune was too intense for such a light dish.


Today in class, we finally explored my area of expertise in the food industry: sweets. We had homemade ice cream that the teacher said was "milk" flavored but truthfully was just vanilla. There was a balsamic vinegar sauce which probably does not sound too appetizing but it was absolutely divine. We only had one wine that was to be paired with this dish and the other two were just to drink for fun I suppose. The wine was a 2009 Moscato d'Asti made by Fontana Fredda and was called "Moncucco." It was a dessert wine that had the aroma of many sweet fruits like peaches and pears. It was very sweet with a good liquidity and a light alcohol level. It was absolutely delicious, being my favorite of the day. With one sniff of the wine, it was quite evident that this wine was a dessert wine. The other two wines we had were a white and red. The white was a 2011 Alois Lageder Gewurstraminer made in a part of Italy called Alto Adige. Sidenote: the only two places where Gewurstraminer is made are Alto Adige, Italy and Germany. This wine had a multiple aromas, the largest being leechee, along with apple, pear, a touch of pepper and mint. It was dry with a medium alcohol level but a big freshness and a stronge taste. Gewurstraminers are typically best paired with truffles, white meat, or rice dishes. The second wine we had was a red 2009 Brancaia Tre. It had a dark color and smelt of red flowers, strawberry, violet, delicate spices, and tobacco. It was dry with a medium softness and a big tannacity. Between these two, the Gewurstraminer was my favorite.

Bringing it back to the night before, we went to aperitivo with our new friends Kathleen and Angie from Michigan. We went to this swanky place called Viktoria. We then went down the street to a bar called Red Garter where they had kareoke and a dance floor. You best believe we did some karaoke singing. If you like "Billie Jean," "Wannabe," or "Don't Stop Believing" then you would have had a great time. I heard the song "Barbie Girl" at least five times. It was super American and awesome. And the best thing about this bar... they had BUDWEISER. I had been craving an American beer so much and I think my brother, the harshest critic of beers, would have been satisfied with the king of beers. I took so many pictures with it. The bad thing about the night was the fact that I was roaming around the bar with my tissue in my hand. My motto for the night was, "Help me, I'm sick." Everyone kind of had a motto last night. There was Angie's "Call Me Maybe ;)"and the overall "KITTYYYYY" named after our kitty lighter that we found in Cinque Terre. Pictures of Kitty were in the last blog post. That's another story for a different time. Here's pics from the night:

Red Garter

Angie, Bryn, and I at Viktoria

Is and I

Kathlenn, Angie, Bryn, and I

 

Barbie Girl Sing-a-long

Her one true love 

They were so happy with their huge Heinekens

Wannabe.. Get it ladies

Don't Stop Believing

Here's my shoutout from home for the day. This is my best friend that I have referred too multiple times as the bird hater. Haha! Miss ya Mags!

I had to put this on here also because Phillip started his big boy job yesterday at Stephens. His new uniform will be a suit and tie everyday. When we skyped yesterday I told him that he was for sure going on the blog because of his outfit.

HA! He cleans up real well. Alright, friends. Now we are to the point where I have no idea how to end a blog. I must be very bad at conclusions as well. Therefore..............