WTN: Idlewild Honey Pie

[David M. Bueker]

• 2018 Idlewild Flora & Fauna Red - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (4/24/2021)
  Pizza night, so the Idlewild Flora & Fauna Red is mandatory. $25 and it always makes me smile - every single time. Why do I spend more money on wine than this? I...don't...know. Red fruit ripened by warm sunshine, invigorating acidity that stands up to a cheesy pizza, and a beautiful mix of fruit, herbs and citrus rind on the finish is about all I could want with my dinner. This is a fun wine to drink. The only thing that bothers me is that my glass empties too fast.

Sounds good. What grapes?

Wines like this are probably the best match with pizza.

But sometimes I feel like something different. Tonight opened red Burgundy with pizza, which can also be quite nice.

[David M. Bueker]

It’s Dolcetto, Barbera and a touch of Nebbiolo.

I have not done Burgundy with pizza, but I have done German Riesling with pizza.

It’s Dolcetto, Barbera and a touch of Nebbiolo.

I have not done Burgundy with pizza, but I have done German Riesling with pizza.

Ah yes, a Piedmont blend. Sounds good.

I've had pretty much every wine (that I drink) with pizza, because I only drink wine on the weekends and pizza is one of our core Saturday night dishes. Some are tougher matches than others, and of course it depends on the specific wine/pizza. But yes, German riesling can be a good match.

[Jenise]

$25 and it always makes me smile - every single time. Why do I spend more money on wine than this? I...don't...know. Red fruit ripened by warm sunshine, invigorating acidity that stands up to a cheesy pizza, and a beautiful mix of fruit...

This is what I thought when tasting those Armenian Arenis the other night, and what I thought last summer when I tasted my first Areni from another producer, and I get it from some Beaujolais. It starts with that smile--something about some wines is endorphin-producing beyond anything intellectual. A feeling of instant joy and well-being. Sounds loopy, but it's real. At least for some of us.

[David M. Bueker]

I have gotten that smile reaction from 4 wines (not including Champagne, which always makes me happy), and all were under $30.