Last night I ventured into New York City to meet a fellow member of the tribe for a not so Christmas dinner. Thanks to Open Table, I was able to determine which restaurants would be open. I was so proud of my methodology and I'm such a foodie geek that I actually created a spreadsheet of the various restaurant information. As ridiculous as this sounds, it actually came in handy because we knew exactly where we were going as we headed into the cold, windy night.

We ended up at Trattoria Dell'Arte, which I'd heard good things about, but had never visited. The place was packed, the service was very friendly and the food was quite good, though a bit pricey. They have an extensive list of wines by the bottle. Their lists of 1/2 bottles and wines by the glass are short, but they are good lists that cover a range of tastes.

Since I've been trying to learn more about Italian wines and find ones that are a little more accessible to my palette, I chose the Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, an Italian varietal I've enjoyed before. Montepulciano D'Abruzzo is a wonderful vairetal for someone like me who has trouble with the more acidic,"dustier" and more structured Itlaian wines. I can appreciate these wines, but I have a hard time truly enjoying them. Montepulciano D'Abbruzzo, on the other hand, is just fun in a glass. Lower acidity, light tannins and a lot of bright, young fruit. The Dario D'Angelo Montepulciano D'Abruzzo did not disappoint. It went down very easy and I did not complain when the bartender refilled my glass (without my even ordering it).

If you're looking for a nice, easy Italian wine to drink with or without food, or you're like me and wine lists at Italian restaurants scare you, just look for Montepulciano D'Abruzzo. You won't be disappointed. Plus, it's usually one of the better values on the menu. Mangia!

Until the next sniff, sip or quaff,

Cheers,

Alli M.