Wine and Love - Contest #StorieDiVino

On a warm night in mid-July, after having studied, a dinner invitation, a glass of wine, a sofa, love.

My love for wine and its passion comes from afar, as from a young age I loved wine since my grandfather cultivated a small vineyard and for me the harvest season was magical – turning the crusher, pressing the wine press – a passion I carried with me even as I grew older. And so it was that, finding myself studying at university away from home in the Marche region, having invited a girl to dinner, I decided to entrust the success of the evening to some excellent Marchigiano wine. It was around mid-July, it was really very hot and exams loomed overhead like octopuses, but this was no reason to deny a love from being born – and indeed it happened that I was immediately struck by the beauty of one of my classmates. Despite having a rather shy character, between one chat and another, with eyes lowered but with an imperious voice, I decided to invite her to dinner the following evening. I was truly overwhelmed with anxiety, I didn't know how to go about it, and yet I knew I had to succeed. The next day I went shopping and decided to buy a bottle of Cimaio, an excellent Marchigiano wine with a truly special and unmistakable flavor. Evening was now at the door and so I went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. I made tagliatelle and pollo alla cacciatora, set the table, and was seized by a shiver when I heard the doorbell ring – it was her, and the moment had come. Everything was ready, the chicken was still cooking but we could begin. I sat her down at the table and, even though at first I was very shy and awkward, we began to eat. Meanwhile, I started pouring the wine, and this caused the atmosphere to loosen and the conversation to become more lively and engaging. The wine broke the ice – we were now in harmony. The whole setting seemed magical, as if it were glowing, and everything was perfect. My idea had worked. We began to talk as we had never done before and we even forgot about the chicken, which had burned in the meantime, but that mattered little. The evening continued listening to good music on the sofa, exchanging sweet nothings and tender moments. A love had been born, and this was largely due to it – the magical wine that had the power to soften my shyness. Since then, on important occasions as in everyday life, a good bottle of wine is never missing.