Pairs with: Florentine bisteca

Good for: Dinner on a snowy night

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec

I am from: Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

The Story: Since the 1960s, producers in the coastal region of Bolgheri have been growing French varietals. The cool maritime influence and the strong afternoon sunshine produces exceptionally balanced wines.  Maria Fittipaldi Menarini discovered Bolgheri in the ’90s. She fell in love immediately with the place, so much so that she decided to buy a property here: Tenuta La Pineta, along the Via Bolgherese. Today, 15 years after her first planting, she runs the estate with her four daughters: Carlotta, Giulia, Serena, Valentina -- the “Donne Fittipaldi”.

Why You'll Love Me: This is a red wine with great intensity and great aging potential. Distinguishing aromas are of sweet, ripe dark fruit with balsamic notes of Mediterranean scrub, a characteristic of Bolgheri’s terroir -- look for hints of cassis, blackberry, pepper and tobacco.

The palate is well-rounded and supple, and vibrant with fresh acidity and a silky, dense tannic texture. This all leads in to a generous, lengthy finish with savory notes that evoke sensations of the nearby sea.