When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's Chianti?

It was a dark and stormy night. The fire crackled and popped as it fought against the encroaching chill damp evening. "This is definitely not the right weather for white wine," I thought to myself as I perused the rack. (Not the medieval torture kind, sadly.)

And there it was, hiding behind all the chardonnays and sauvignon blancs. The lone bottle of Chianti Classico.

"He looks like he could use a friend," I muttered, as I hunted for my favorite wine key. And boy, did we get friendly that evening! Who needs romance when a nice bottle of wine will keep you warm just as well?

Notes: I loved this Chianti Classico because it checked the boxes on so many of my favorite things. First on the palate it was soy sauce, espresso, and sour cherry before finishing as pepperoni pizza crust: spicy and chewy and delicious. I'd award it five hot pokers and will definitely get with it again this winter.