You know, “they” say most folks gain weight during the Summer months. “Pshaw”, I thought, “impossible”. Nope. As evident by my 8 or 9 pound Summer weight gain, it’s all too real. I know, I know, drinking hooch most every night doesn’t help the ol’ tummy. Not to mention, I should look at buying stock in the natural liver cleanser, milk thistle. At least I’m destroying my liver and cortisol-laden abs in the name of entertainment and education.

Oh, but this Summer was not all doom and gloom.

Earlier this Summer, I was fortunate to be able to taste a smattering of the new-to-market wines from Famiglia Meschini. True to The Savvy Lush form, I don’t remember sampling them all per se. Thankfully, I did keep my notes, and found a common theme: “can’t wait for them to hit stores”. I’ve written reviews of Famiglia Meschini’s Torrontes http://bit.ly/KQ9Kss/FM Wines Torrontes The Savvy Lush Review and Cabernet Sauvignon.http://bit.ly/U0tfNd/FM Wines Cabernet Reserva The Savvy Lush Review I’ve raved about their Unoaked Chardonnay and Malbec-Syrah.(So has Bill Ward but how many links can I put in this review? Do check out his blog, Decant This) FM Wines have headed West from their native Argentina for Chile to find land and vineyards to produce a couple new wines adding to their repertoire; a Pinot Noir and Carmenere. Bienvenido Chile, ‘cause this stuff has got it going on.

Let’s dive into the Pinot Noir. It hails from Chile’s Casablanca Valley near the Pacific Ocean coast. What does coastal weather have to do with good wine production? A couple things. First, Pinot Noir grapes benefit from cooler, milder climate-hence you see several Pinots from Oregon & Washington. Second, they have thin skin and thus are more susceptible to their surroundings. Coastal weather provides a more balanced climate, the weather these grapes crave for success. Extreme temperatures + harsh sunlight = yucky Pinot Noir. You are going to start seeing more budget Pinot Noir from Chile. I’ve sampled a few and they don’t truly taste like Pinot Noir to me, but are more concentrated, heavier. For my palette, I like Pinot Noir from Oregon. That said, I dare you to find a decent, budget-conscious Oregon Pinot.

The FM Pinot Noir is the smoothest Pinot I’ve had from Chile. It’s an agreeable wine that is fruit forward in the way of stewed cherries and raspberries. A tad dry on the palette, this will taste great alone or with a salad and prosciutto, perhaps a carnitas tostada, or pork chops. In fact, I think this could make for a great Thanksgiving wine with your turkey dinner. The stewed red fruit will compliment the roast turkey, cranberry sauce and all the trimmings. How’s that? One less source of stress for this year’s meal- your wine is now chosen.

I’m so excited about the news wines Famiglia Meschini are rolling! Excited is putting it mildly- downright giddy is more like it. If you are at all interested in sampling one of these wines, you’re in luck! I’ll be at Zipp’s Liquors on Sat., Sept. 15 from 4-7pm. C’mon down to say hello, and meet their wine buyer, Jeff (of Wine Geek TV fame http://www.winegeektv.com/Wine Geek TV ). This is a great environment to sip, sample and hang. If you want to buy a bottle or two, feel free as we’ll have special sale prices during the 3 hours.