The birthdays of me and my wife fall sixteen days apart; mine the fifteenth of August and her’s the thirty-first. Instead of celebrating only on our actual birthdays we have declared a two week long celebration. What does this mean in terms of wine? It means we have a great excuse to pull out some special bottles.

With a nice little Italian dinner made and my mom in attendance we opened a wine we bought at a wonderful enoteca in Florence a year and a half ago: a 2003 Monterponi Chianti Classico riserva.

Twenty months ago we drank the non-reserve from Monterponi at dinner with our good friends the McIntyres. The manager of the restaurant and wine shop recommended the reserve when we asked him about a good bottle to bring home with us. The wine was excellent: perfectly Italian, just enough dryness but full of deep berry flavors that Sangiovese gives. This was not a simple wine, as I would have a drink, continue in conversation, then stop to have another drink thinking ‘wow, this is really good.’

Like many of the great wines from our memory the Monterponi brought us back to a place and a time – Florence at Christmas, with friends and a table full of great Tuscan food. Therein lies the beauty and charm of wine: it helps us remember truly joyful times.