New Year’s Day is a quiet day around here normally. I have a quirky superstition that what ever one does on New Year’s Day is what one will do for the rest of the year. Hence, I try to only do fun things and I try to avoid doing work, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. We usually just try to do pleasant things and maybe even go to the cinema. This particular day we were invited out to see my Bride’s Sister’s in-laws, which was a great invite, as even though they live near us, our paths never seem to cross.

It was just a casual afternoon lunch affair with all of their family, most of which we have met before. First there were some appetizers laid out while we were all just chatting around the kitchen table, while others were watching games on the television. I am not a fan of watching sports, so I lose track of what games are on, as it isn’t in my realm of interest, some big jock I am. Then the pizzas arrived, and one thought that a school team was there to dine, as they ordered a large assortment of pies with a variety of toppings and some for special allergies; the world in the free market is so accommodating to change. As for me, I am a died in the wool traditionalist and I just adore the classic Detroit style pie with an assortment of meats and other basic toppings. I just can’t get used to the new pizzas, as I feel why change something that doesn’t need to be changed. My taste in pizzas originated back in the Fifties when this particular curiosity arrived on our shores. What more can you ask for than pepperoni that curls in the heat and cups a little grease with plenty of cheese.

We brought two wines for the day, one to pour and one as a gift to our hosts. The wine that I selected to pour was a more casual and fun wine and everyone nowadays seems to like a good Rosé. The wine was M. Chapoutier Belleruche Rosé 2015 from the Cotes du Rhone on the right bank. The wine was basically Grenache with some Cinsault and Syrah blended in. The grapes were pressed without maceration and had twenty days of cold fermentation and aged in vats for the winter and then bottled in the Spring. I liked the color and the flavor of the wine and I think it is a very easy wine to pair with pizza, no matter the style of the pie. Our host then brought out a bottle from his cellar and it was a very nice bottle that I have had in the past. The Marchesi Antinori Pian delle Vigne 2011 is a very mellow Brunello di Montalcino DOCG which is pure Sangiovese. After the pressing the juice was fermented initially in Stainless Steel for about three weeks, and then spent over two years in large oak casks to age and it was finally bottled in 2014. The Pian della Vigne estate is about three and half miles south of Montalcino and while the estate is a good size, only about a third of it is used for planting. It had a rich Sangiovese taste, not bitter as some of the wines made from it can be, and had a good nose and a rich color. All in all, it was a great way to spend the day and I had a great beginning for the New Year of eating and drinking wine.