Wine Stories, Conversations & Reflections

Some wines pair with food. Others pair with a moment.

Ricordi d'Estate, from Decugnano dei Barbi, was one of those wines that became much more than part of dinner.

Produced in Umbria, in the heart of Italy, this white wine comes from an estate with centuries of history. Its vineyards grow on ancient marine soils rich in fossils and shells, helping to explain the remarkable minerality and delicate salty character that make this wine so distinctive.

In the glass, it showed vibrant acidity, beautiful minerality and an elegant saline touch. Delicate notes of white and citrus fruits shaped a fresh and precise profile— the kind of wine that naturally belongs at the table, as an aperitif or paired with a light dinner. Given a little time in the glass, delicate aromas of mandarin blossom slowly emerged, adding another layer of elegance to the experience.

As I tasted it, I imagined it with a simple evening of tapas, sitting around a low table in a quiet atmosphere, almost inspired by Japanese spaces where time seems to slow down.

But before returning home and finally enjoying the wine with dinner, the day surprised me with something unexpected: a conversation. One of those conversations that changes the energy of the day and somehow becomes part of its ending.

My husband and I stopped at a furniture store in Limburg, a region where many of our days naturally unfold. We went in to look at a sofa and I left not only having decided to buy it, but also with one of those conversations that teaches you something new. And how wonderful it is to keep learning.

The sales consultant was a tall woman with short hair, modern glasses and a vibrant personality. Our conversation quickly moved to a subject that is becoming increasingly common across Europe — and, I believe, in many parts of the world —the growing difficulty of finding qualified professionals, especially for skilled manual work.

She explained that, years ago, the store had more employees and could offer a much broader service. Today, even delivering a sofa can become a challenge because of the shortage of workers.

In the Netherlands, delivering furniture can be quite an operation, especially in the historic buildings of cities like Amsterdam, with their narrow staircases and difficult access. Many companies now outsource these services, yet finding enough people remains a challenge.

Then she shared something I had never heard before.

During trips through German wine regions with her husband, they had noticed red crosses placed high above some of the steep vineyards. Curious, they asked about them.

According to what they were told, some of these vineyards, where mechanisation is almost impossible and harvesting is still done almost entirely by hand, face such a shortage of workers that different institutions have become involved in helping preserve these historic vineyards.

I honestly don't know how widespread this is, but I found the story fascinating. It immediately became another subject I want to investigate.

These are the conversations I love most—the unexpected ones. They leave us with new questions, new ideas and a different way of looking at the world. Talking with curious, open-minded people continues to be one of the best ways I know to understand how our societies are changing.

I returned home full of ideas.

Perhaps that is why dinner tasted even better.

I prepared an Italian antipasto with anchovies, onions, olives, capers, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also served an eggplant antipasto with lightly toasted German bread.

Only then did the wine reveal its true gastronomic personality.

Its saline character found a natural partner in the anchovies and capers. The lively acidity balanced the richness of the olive oil, refreshing the palate with every bite. Nothing dominated. Just like the conversations of that day, everything seemed to find its place.

Perhaps that is what I look for most in a wine. Not only clear aromas or flavours, but the ability to accompany a meal, inspire a conversation and remain in our memory long after the bottle is empty.

Only at the end did I realise how perfectly its name fitted the day. Ricordi d'Estate.

Because some memories are not created only by places or people.

Sometimes, they begin with a glass of wine. Or perhaps not.

Wine is Food. Wine is Culture, and always, Balance

Wine Stories, By Waleska Schumacher #001

This wine is available in the Netherlands at Aromi, in Maasbracht, Limburg.