#barolo is typically a v tannic wine

[snickerdoodlles]

more assassin AU hot off the press for @jemmo. we’ll make it thru ep12 somehow my friend ❤❤

dimples can always lie (series tag); Pt.3, 1300w, rated T 02: “We just stopped a homicide. Congratulations?” (prompt list)

Wai’s just finished settling on the couch when he hears a key unlock Pran’s front door. “Hey!” he shouts, because letting Pran speculate on who might’ve entered his home while he was out is a mistake someone only ever makes once. “News says you stopped a homicide. Congratulations!”

He barely manages to duck in time to avoid a knife from burying itself into his skull. His strangled yelp is barely louder than the heavy thunk of the knife embedding itself into the wall behind where his head used to be. He peeks over his bowl of noodles warily just in time to see Pran storm past his living room and up the stairs.

Wai turns to Pat, who’s hanging up their bags and keys by the door. “What the hell?” Wai demands, aggrieved. “You’d think I’d interrupted his knitting again.” (Another mistake someone only ever makes once.)

Pat presses his lips together to hide his smile. Dick. “Did the news say who Pran saved?”

Wai shakes his head. “Nope. They blurred out his face though, so I’m guessing he’s someone important?”

“Of course they did,” Pat mutters with a roll of his eyes. “Paramej Chueamanee.”

Wai and Pat blink at each other expectantly. “Yeah,” Wai drawls, “Whoever they are, they’re too classy to have mob connections.”

“...Petrochemicals. Human rights violator. Constantly pays fines for the workers that die--”

“Ohhh.” Wai snaps his fingers. “That guy with the factory issues Pran bitched about last month?”

Pat just stares at Wai, unimpressed. “You know what, sure, close enough. That’s him.”

Wai rolls his eyes. Just because Pat and Pran keep mental lists of Thailand’s richest assholes and politicians to fuck over doesn’t mean the rest of them do. Wai has plenty enough to memorize with just the mafia and majia-adjacent networks, thank you very much.

“Why’d he even save him?”

Pran stomps back in with a thundercloud over his head and his long standing knitting project in his arms. “I would never,” Pran mutters. His fingers flex reflexively. Pat, a far braver fool than Wai, kisses Pran’s forehead on his way to the kitchen and the storm brewing around him calms, just a bit. “I thought the gunman was going for Pat.”

Wai whistles. “That’s rough.” For Pran and the poor gunman. Wai frowns. “But the news didn’t say anyone had died?”

Pran throws down his knitting project--and ooh, he’s even more pissed off than Wai first expected, because that’s the Murder Scarf. Wai slurps down another bite of noodles and subtly scoots away from Pran.

(The Murder Scarf had started after one of Pran’s first botched hits. They’d had to hide in a dumpster behind one of those terrible chain craft stores and had somehow wound up with a ball of cheap red yarn finding its way into Pran’s bag. He and Wai had taken the bus home and since knife throwing isn’t an option when they’re in public, Pran had started knitting to ease his irritation. By the time they’d gotten home, the shitty ball of yarn had become the start of a scarf and Pran had a new plan--one he enacted the next day with vengeance, terrifying precision, and more knives than Wai knew a person could carry--and the Murder Scarf was borne. It’s since grown over the years from a red twenty centimeter block to a trailing riot of colors and shitty scrap yarn several meters long. Anytime the Murder Scarf makes an appearance, bodies will fall.)

Pran sneers and checks his gleaming knitting needles. “I didn’t kill the gunman,” he says shortly. “I realized he wasn’t there for us right as I started moving, but then it was too late. Someone else was screaming about the gun and if we didn’t take him down, Paramej’s security would have killed him.”

“Oof,” Wai mutters with a wince. He sucks some sauce off his chopsticks thoughtfully as Pran flops down with an angry huff.

“Sooo,” he mumbles around his chopsticks, only getting a grunt from Pran. He pulls out his chopsticks and clicks them together. “…Why are you so upset?” Pran looks up darkly and Wai hunches behind his noodles defensively. “I’m just saying, you look like someone ripped up one of Pat’s sweaters! Not your typical response to saving someone’s life!”

Pat walks back in carrying a bottle of wine and three glasses. “Paramej offered Pran a job.”

Wai straightens. “He knows who you are?!”

Pat’s shaking his head before Wai even finishes his sentence. “Not that kind of job. A manager’s job.”

Wai frowns and stares between them, baffled, for a minute before it clicks and Wai chokes.

“He asked you to work for him?! In the company?!” he wheezes as he pounds his chest and hacks up bits of noodle.

Pran’s thunder cloud darkens. “All important men have enemies. When you get to my position, it becomes vital to surround yourself with those you can trust,” he mimics in a growl. “Heaven forbid killing your workers has consequences.” Pran goes back to knitting, needles clicking furiously. At the rate he’s going, Chang might not even have enough time to set up the betting pool before Paramej drops dead.

Wai pounds his chest to get the last bit of noodle out of his lungs and Pat passes him a glass of wine. “Thanks,” Wai wheezes and nods gratefully. Pat smiles, like moonlight on water, and pours Pran a new glass. Then Wai takes a sip and--

Wai gags. “Is this Barolo?” he demands, smacking his lips together to try to deal with the taste. Pat snickers. “Asshole. You know I’m eating noodles with Auntie Dissaya’s special sauce!”

Pat just shrugs as he puts down Pran’s glass in front of him, finishing off the gesture with another soothing kiss to the top of Pran’s head. He smiles at Wai unrepentantly and pours himself a glass before he settles into the seat across from Wai. “It’s one of our special wines. We picked it up on a job in Italy four years ago exactly.” Pat looks up, dark eyes wide. “We’re sharing anniversary wine with you because we love you.”

Gross. “You’re so full of shit,” Wai mutters against the rim of his glass before he takes a big defiant swig. Ugh. The inside of his mouth now tastes like bad bitter melon, or sour grapefruit, but fuck Pat, Wai will drink that whole bottle of shitty anniversary wine if he wants to go there.

The corners of Pat’s eyes tighten, but he hides most of his irritation behind an appraising sniff of his wine. Wai stares him down and takes another swallow.

“Why are you even here?” Pat mutters.

Wai shrugs and turns his attention back to the news, which is running another segment on Pran’s rescue, but this time with a statement from that Paramej guy. “Ran out of food. Coming here was faster.”

“The grocer is literally a block away from your apartment,” Pat says flatly.

“Yeah, but they don’t have cooked leftovers.” Wai looks between his noodles--also known as: Pat’s favorite meal--and Pat, and grins meanly. “And it’s free.” Pat glares back and Wai snickers. “Just remember that even if you take away my key, I know how to pick locks.”

“You’re such a vulture. I’m going to stuff you full of garbage next time I see you.”

“Oi.” Wai barks as he points his chopsticks at Pat, “Don’t insult us scavengers Pat. Waste disposal is a vital part of our ecosystem!”

Pran snorts, the first sound they’ve heard from him in the last five minutes, and pauses his knitting long enough to raise his glass. “I’ll drink to that,” he says, eyes glittering darkly as he glares at Paramej Chueamanee on the tv screen.

Wai doubts the bastard will make it past the week.

[captwine]

Sentieri Siciliani Etna Rosso 2015

https://www.saq.com/page/fr/saqcom/vin-rouge/sentieri-siciliani-etna-rosso-2015/13480867

Why did I buy it?

I had the Sentieri blanco and I wanted to build a wine quatuor so I bought the red to taste

It wasn’t super expensive at 24,95$

I loved the bianco so I took a flyer on the rosso

The year

Parker: 92T for Sicily in 2015 (oustanding, still tannic, youthfull, slow to mature)

Wine Spectator: N/A for Sicily

Jancisrobinson: N/A for Sicily

Cepage

Nerello Mascalese: 80%

Nerello Capuccio: 20%

Sugar

2.5 g/L

Alcohol

13%

Terroir:

The soil is volcanic, very rich in minerals, at an altitude of 650-750 m above sea level, with good range of temperature between day and night. .

Vinification and aging:

After destemming the selected grapes are left to macerate and ferment at a controlled temperature for approximately 10-15 days. After drawing off, malolactic fermentation in steel vats always follows. Ageing in stainless steel vats, 5-6 months in barriques, 3-4 months in large oak casks and 3-4 months in the bottle.

Characteristic (by producer)

Ruby red, an intense bouquet with elegant hints of wild red fruit, spices and liquorice. Dry, robust and lingering with a pleasant balsamic finish.

Serving instructions (when provided by producer)

Temperature : 16°C / 18°C

Organic?

No

Nerello Mascalese/Nerello Capuccio Blend

Nerello Cappuccio – Nerello Mascalese is a blend of two very Sicilian grape varieties. Together they are the mainstay of quality red wines from Sicily's east coast, and have long been a popular choice for wines made under the Sicilia IGT title (now promoted to DOC status).

The pair are in fact two mutations of a single variety, although the original archetypal Nerello is rarely referred to in ampelographic literature – or any other kind of literature for that matter. 

The two varieties often grow side-by-side, most commonly in the volcanic soils around Mount Etna (for Etna DOC wines) and on the La Piana di Catania plain just to the south. At the very northeastern tip of Sicily (where the island comes within a mile or two of mainland Italy) the pair are again found together in the hills above the port of Messina. Here they are grown for use in the powerful, yet graceful, red wines sold under the Faro DOC title. Across the Strait of Messina in Calabria, a number of little-known DOCs permit the blend in their red wines. Among these are Lamezia, Sant'Anna di Isola Capo Rizzuto and Savuto.

Both Nerello Cappuccio and Nerello Mascalese can be produced as varietal wines, but they are more commonly blended together to combine their relative merits. Sometimes these blends are boosted significantly with the judicious addition of Nero d'Avola, Sicily's most popular wine grape variety (which sometimes goes by the synonym Nerello Calabrese). Nerello Mascalese is typically the dominant partner in the blend (50-60 percent of the Faro blend and 80 percent of the Etna blend), and is widely regarded as the superior variety of the pair.

Both forms of Nerello are late-ripening, with berries high in both tannin and acids – two key prerequisites for wine intended for aging. Nerello Mascalese has thicker skins than Nerello Cappuccio, and consequently produces wines with higher levels of tannin. Its fruit character tends toward the darker end of the spectrum, making it the more serious of the two. Nerello Cappuccio is slightly more elegant, with its intense, lifted perfume and clearly defined acidity.

Wines made from the two Nerellos in combination tend to have savory, earthy flavors, which have earned them a reputation as being slightly Burgundian. This combines with a heady perfume – more Piedmontese than Burgundian – of red cherries and roses.

https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-1963-nerello-cappuccio-mascalese

What is Nerello Mascalese?

Nerello Mascalese “nair-rello mask-ah-lay-zay” is a light-bodied red wine that primarily grows on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. Despite its rarity, the wine offers amazing value and a taste profile that’s often likened to fine Pinot Noir. 

Tasting Notes Nerello Mascalese hits your mouth with an explosion of red fruit flavors that leads into spice notes of cinnamon and floral dried desert herbs. Finer examples of Nerello Mascalese from Etna in Sicily finish long with tingly acidity, a rustic black volcanic earthy note, and medium weight fine-grained tannins. With the elegance of Pinot Noir and the explosive exuberance of Zinfandel, Nerello Mascalese is delightfully easy to drink.

Expect to Spend:

$22 for a good bottle $32 for an excellent bottle Nerello Mascalese is the primary grape of these regional Sicilian designations:

Etna DOC

Faro DOC

Similar Wines to Nerello Mascalese From Sicily, there is another lighter red with more candied red-fruit flavors called Frappato. You’ll also find Nerello Mascalese blended with another regional grape called Nerello Cappuccio. Beyond Sicily, wines like Schiava, Pinot Noir, Saint Laurent (Austria), and some lighter styles of Primitivo (Zinfandel) wines will have similar fruit profile to Nerello Mascalese.

Food Pairing The first place to look for food pairing with Nerello Mascalese .are the regional dishes of Sicily. Sicily is a hot and sunny island in the Mediterranean that produces excellent tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, resinous herbs, flavorful cheeses made with sheep’s and cow’s milk and, of course, outstanding pasta. You’ll find the main stay protein is fish, particularly oily fishes (like sardines and mackerel), as well as some beef, chicken and pork (often made into hand processed meat loaves). Because of Nerello’s balanced tannin and fruitiness, it pairs rather well with fish

What makes Nerello Mascalese Special?

One of the few wines in the world with red-fruit and floral aromas in a similar style to Pinot Noir

Nerello Mascalese is one of the important indigenous volcanic wines of the world

Despite Nerello Mascalese’s light-bodied profile has enough structure (tannin and acidity) to age well

There are only about 7400 acres (3000 ha) of Nerello Mascalese planted, primarily on the slopes of Etna and some in Calabria.

Serving and Storing Nerello Mascalese

Try serving Nerello Mascalese just slightly chilled around 62 °F (17 °C

Wines usually only need brief decanting due to lighter tannins although some producers make wines with more intense tannin, which can be decanted for around 45 minutes

Nerello Mascalese will improve with some age from around 5–15 years, depending on the producer (and vintage)

http://winefolly.com/review/amazing-red-nerello-mascalese/

What is Nerello Capuccio? 

Nerello Cappuccio is a dark-skinned grape variety from Sicily, most famous for its application in the red wines of Etna and Faro. It is rarely found as a varietal wine, and usually plays second fiddle to its cousin Nerello Mascalese, which is more numerous in plantings and considered to be of a higher quality. On its own, Nerello Cappuccio makes a wine that is soft and richly colored, with some cherry flavors on the palate.

The variety thrives in the volcanic soils of Mount Etna, particularly at higher altitudes. Here, the combination of soil and climate result in elegance and structure in the wines. It ripens slightly earlier than Nerello Mascalese, and buds reasonably early; spring frost can sometimes be an issue. However, Nerello Cappuccio is capable of reaching higher-than-average acidity and has plenty of tannin, making it a good choice for vinification.

Nerello Cappuccio lends its color and perfume to Etna's blended wines, as well as softening out some of Nerello Mascalese's harder edges.These wines often have an evocative perfume, sometimes likened to those of the noble wines of Barolo and Burgundy. There are a few varietal examples of Nerello Cappuccio made in Sicily, but the grape's long-standing reputation as a blending variety mean these have only started to appear in the last couple of decades. 

https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-1481-nerello-cappuccio

On the producer

Etna is an iconic site that includes 19,237 uninhabited hectares on the highest part and it is located on the eastern coast of Sicily. Mt. Etna is the highest mountain on the Mediterranean island and it is the most active volcano in the world. The volcano’s eruptive history dates back 500,000 years and we have documentation of this activity for at least the last 2700 years.

Mt. Etna’s almost constant eruptive activity continues to influence volcanology, geophysics and other Earth science disciplines. The volcano also supports important terrestrial ecosystems, including endemic flora and fauna and it is a natural laboratory for studying ecological and biological processes. The varied and accessible range of volcanic characteristics such as the top craters, ash cones, lava flows and the “Valle del Bove” depression have made the site a privileged destination for research and education.

The Sicilian climate and the fertility of the volcanic soil are fundamentally important for the quality of the typical Etna products. Some of the more prevalent of the many products are wine, honey, apples, oil, chestnuts, pistachios, mushrooms, almonds, hazelnuts and vegetables. The wine production relies on particular vines cultivated on volcanic soil on the slopes of Etna that give the local grapes high quality and unique organoleptic characteristics. Precisely these qualities have allowed Etna wine to receive the DOC mark.

Historically, the Nerello Mascalese in the Etna area dates back to 1543, the year when Emperor Charles V allowed Bishop Caracciolo to “promote” the plain of Mascali to county. The prelate offered these lands in emphyteusis (a sort of long-term lease) to winegrowers, contributing to the spread of the local grape variety and wine production in general. The first written documentation on the variety date back to 1760, in the Sestini work Memorie sui vini siciliani (Memoirs of Sicilian Wines).

The Nerello Cappuccio, or Nerello Mantellato, owes its name to the rather bizarre shape of its leaves which, like a cape, seem to envelop its bunches as if to protect them from Etna's mystical foul weather.

Although we have no documents that confirm its exact origin, in all likelihood, this variety dates back several centuries in the Catania plains.

Produced at high altitude on the slopes of the volcano, Mt. Etna, with local Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio grapes. This wine with a very complex aroma tells of an elegant and charming territory.

Parker review  

N/A

Wine spectator review  

N/A

Jancis Robinson review

N/A