What Rhymes With Pizza

So… it’s Wednesday. Hump Day. There’s nothing in the fridge and we can’t be arsed cooking, so it’s off to our local pizza joint for a slice. Our daughter loves it here because they make the kids margaritas look like bunnies. Anyway. It’s October 2^nd – fine and sunny – and we’re having pizza. So Tempranillo it is. La Boscana Tempranillo/ Garnatxa Negro/ Syrah, actually.

At $22, it’s a damn fine choice for a mid-week quaffer. Inviting on the nose, natural and raw, and bright in colour. It’s rich and generous and acidic in a way I think will cut nicely through the oil in our pizza.

My wife Gina is an “I like it” or “I don’t like it” kinda gal. Which I love. Makes things really easy. Enjoying wine like I do isn’t for everyone, and choosing a good one really comes down to those two options. Either you like it, or you don’t. There are a million reasons to LIKE a wine. It might feel nice, look nice, have an interesting or new taste, or look nice in the centre of your table. There are just as many reasons to NOT like a wine. But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here for pizza, to spend time together, and to drink wine we (hopefully) like.

So I dutifully watch Gina have her first sip, and then her second (because you can never tell with just one sip), while I wait to get the thumbs up or thumbs down.

I get an up (sigh of relief), and we get to chatting about what she likes about this particular wine. She gets raspberry jam (which I don’t – but that’s wine for you), and a short, punchy dryness that lengthens out into a warm fruity mouth-feel, which we agree on. I was right about it going well with our pizza, but as the bottle opens up we change our minds. The pizza isn’t greasy enough for the acid in the wine.

Final verdict: La Boscana is a mid-weight and bouncy Tempranillo that would totally ace a fatty meal like Lamb, Salmon – or even a cheesier pizza.