A special wine with dinner

Josh and Larry went to the Doria Pamphilij Gallery this morning. Since I had seen the palazzo already, and since I'm still working on my French/Tuscan kilos, I decided I should work out instead. Later, we met at home for lunch where we enjoyed dining alfresco in the garden. A simple lunch of prosciutto, cheeses, salad, fresh mushroom ravioli, and wine!

Charlotte left school early today, so she could practice with her team at 2:30pm. It'll be her last practice at Aniene before the Nationals. It also worked out well from a timing perspective so that we could all sit down and enjoy dinner together tonight. The girls still had their piano lessons, and in the meantime Josh took Avery out to the park to hit some balls. Avery has become quite the whiz with the whiffle balls. Plus, it's great for him to have some additional run-around time after school.

Earlier in the afternoon, we decanted the bottle of 1997 Brunello di Montalcino that had so generously been bestowed upon us during our Tuscan adventure by the kind man, Franco, at Il Leccio. We thought there would be no better way to enjoy it than with Larry, who appreciates fine wine, and accompanied by a little Tuscan meat. So for dinner, I prepared a "mixed grill" of pork chops and steak Fiorentino. The wine was really very good -- but not a full-bodied, cabernet-type of good, it was a rich but mellow flavor. A Brunello di Montalcino (as well as the Rosso di Montalcino) must be made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. And a Sangiovese is just never going to be as heavy as a Cabernet. That's probably why I like it so much. The dinner went over well; but I cannot believe how much meat Olivia was able to consume! All the kids, for that matter, ate every last scrap on their plates. Charlotte even tried my brussel sprouts.