Wine to eclipse by

THE WINE GUY

Olivier J. Bourgoin
03/30/2024 06:00 AM

Wine to eclipse by — *Ca' del Monte Amarone is available on the wine list at Stout's Signature at The Tobin Center. Courtesy photo*

We’ve all heard the saying “It’s five o’clock somewhere.” That sentence is usually being uttered as a justification of sorts by anyone wishing to start imbibing early in the day.

The same cannot be said about an eclipse. Think about it. Somehow, “There must be an eclipse somewhere” doesn’t sound legitimate. For good reason actually.

After the upcoming eclipse, when will the next total eclipse of the sun visible from the continental United States occur, you ask? Not until August 2045. Shouldn’t this remarkable, rather rare event be properly celebrated?

There is, of course, a wide choice of beverages that would be adequate for such a lofty celestial celebration. But if wine is your beverage of choice, what would the best wine be as an appropriate and suitable best match for the occasion?

All grapes used to make wine belong to the “Vitis Vinifera” species and all need a significant amount of sun exposure to thrive. What better choices to celebrate a solar eclipse than wines crafted from sun-dried grapes?

The best hail from Northern Italy. They are Amarone, Recioto, Ripasso and Sforzato. All are rich and opulent and are made from dried grapes which are then aged for a minimum of two years.

After being harvested, the grapes are laid on mats and are carefully air- and/or sun-dried for 2 to 3 months before being pressed and allowed to undergo fermentation.

Ripasso is even more labor intensive, and it adds another layer of complexity as it is re-fermented with the addition of Amarone grape skins before being aged for another year, resulting in impressively delicious full-bodied wines.

So, why do I think the above mentioned sun-dried Italian wines are a good choice to eclipse by?

Italian astronomer, scientist and polymath Galileo Galilei (Feb. 15, 1564-Jan. 6, 1642) has been called the father of observational astronomy. He was the first to propose that the earth circled the sun and the first to observe sunspots.

He also gave us my all-time personal favorite wine quote: “Wine is sunlight, held together by water.”