Réva Barolo
Dan Martino
While the original idea for Kindred Spirits was to feature favorite wines, beers, and more potent potables, more often than not now, it provides us a chance to highlight a favorite eatery or winery where we’ve enjoyed the drink. That’s the case here, but don’t get me wrong, this Réva Barolo was as good a wine as we’d had for a very long time and deserves this humble recognition on its own.
We enjoyed this beautiful Barolo at one of our favorite Peoria restaurants, Rizzi’s. It was on the occasion of our 33⅓ wedding anniversary. I know what you’re thinking, who celebrates that anniversary? Please allow a brief explanation. After the Beatles disbanded, I became a huge fan of George Harrison’s solo work. His seventh album, “Thirty-Three & ⅓” was recorded when he was 33⅓ years old and of course, it was the RPM of the record itself. I mentioned all this to Carol shortly after we met in 1985 and after dating for a few months, she created a 33⅓ birthday card that April, and because I’m a musician, it sort of became an inside joke for us. When I turned 45, we celebrated that birthday in the same way and if I live another eight years, we’ll probably commemorate 78 as well. Now I know you have to be of a certain age to have any clue what I’m talking about. If you don’t know and if you’re remotely interested, Google 16, 33⅓, 45, and 78 to get the skinny.
But enough about that; back to the wine and wonderful dinner it accompanied. Rizzi’s has been a fixture at its Sheridan Road location since 1995 and has a loyal following. It doesn’t take long to understand why. It’s some of the finest Italian food we've ever had and we’ve had it all over the world. It’s the only place in Peoria that serves a pork osso buco and though I have had other entrées at Rizzi’s, the osso buco is hard to resist. Carol has tried many other dishes over the years and we love the Arancini, Stuffed Mushroom, and Calamari appetizers as well.
As with any upscale restaurant, you expect and receive excellent service and a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere and Rizzi’s delivers perfectly. I guess if you’ve been doing something for 27 years, you get to be pretty good at it.
As I said, the 2015 Réva Barolo is as good a wine as we’ve had in more than 20 years. Wine quality can be subjective, I know. But for me, this wine is nearly perfect. The nose gave a nice preview of a smooth, yet remarkably flavorful red, and I look forward to exploring future vintages, hopefully along with another great dinner at Rizzi’s. Thanks to the Rizvani family for another great dining experience and for introducing us to another great Italian red.
To check out Rizzi’s menu and other information, click HERE.
