Venice… sad? Impossible! Charles Aznavour sure thought it could be – in English, French, AND Italian – but with this wine and cheese pairing, we know you’ll experience pure bliss. And… why not look forward to Summertime in Venice next year?

Wine
Oh Amarone… you’ve always had my heart. Unfortunately, you aren’t always so nice to my pocket book, and so I don’t get to hang out with you too much. BUT when your neighborhood Trader Joe’s has one this good, well, it’s a no brainer and a total steal at $17. Aramone di Valpolicella from Italy’s northeastern region of Veneto is full-bodied and is made from dried (or passito) grapes: perfect for sweater weather. Fun fact about this region: it’s actually really small, smaller in fact that any of Italy’s other main wine-producing regions… but it produces more wine than any of them. So get stuck into this bottle of full-bodied, low-acid deliciousness!

Cheese
Parmigiano Reggiano (colloquially known by most of us as Parmesan) is so much more than just a garnish on your pasta dish… though you should aaaaalways have it as a garnish on your pasta dish. Like champagne, this unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese can only be called by its true name if it comes from the regions of Parma, Reggio Emilia (you see where the name comes from!), Bologna, Modena, and Mantua. The crumbly saltiness of this cheese works so well with the rich mouthfeel of this Amarone. Treat yourselves, friends… then tell us how much you loved it!