What Wine Goes with Cough Syrup?

In which I am more of a hack than usual

Well, hello, Constant Readers! COVID, boy. I don’t recommend it. (And yes, I did have my latest booster a month before. I shudder to think what it would have been like if I hadn’t.)

I’ve tested negative multiple times over the past almost two weeks. Huzzah! I still have a dry cough that is annoying as hell and has made me extremely popular among my work colleagues. Since I spent most of the month of November WFH, I’ve felt the need to put in some time IRL.

Apart from sounding like a three-pack-a-day smoker, I feel okay, just still kind of tired. Happily food still has taste. COVID forced us to change our family plans for Thanksgiving — not mine! Someone else’s! — and I was grateful I could taste the somewhat-last-minute Wiz family feast. I was also grateful that since it was just Wizzes, the littlest Wiz Johnny was also invited. We all had a delicious meal together and lots of cuddles, back scratches, and licks, where appropriate.

The big question is, what about wine? On Thanksgiving I shared my leftover Lamoreaux Landing, which I wrote about a month ago. The Coravin seems to have done its job, and the wine passed muster with Ma Wiz. I’m still slightly congested and I won’t lie, I’ve been anxious ever since reading about wine pros losing their sense of smell due to COVID. How is this going to work?

I grabbed 2016 Famiglia Castellani Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG from the living room wine fridge. I keep that around 50℉, too chilly for reds. So while it warms up, let’s talk about it a bit!

Chianti Classico hails from Tuscany, Italy, and by Italian law it must be almost entirely made of sangiovese. To qualify as riserva, winemakers must age it in barrels for two years and then in bottles for three months before release. DOCG is the most stringent quality measure and must be approved by a tasting panel. God, I love how picky the Italians are about their wine. Ciao, babeh!

The color (nothing wrong with my eyesight) is slightly brick red. Now to sniff…

The aroma is somewhat muted, but I get a little spice on the nose. I get a sort of cranberry on the palate. Tannins are refined and don’t overwhelm your mouth. This would be great with maybe beef or even venison, and pasta dishes that aren’t too cheesy or creamy.

I like this wine quite a bit. I’m just not sure if I’m getting all the best out of it. I Coravinned it again, so maybe I can try it again in a week or two and see how it does. You should definitely try it and let me know what you think in the comments below! And in the words of Constant Reader B: stay positive, test negative.