Monday March snow got you down in the mouth?
There, there. You're in good company.
Despite being from a sunnier place and time, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is no braggart.
It doesn't taunt you with pictures of its bucolic Italian Apennine hood, teetering 9000 feet above the sparkling Adriatic Sea.
It loves pizza and pasta, but it doesn't need to be fed.
It doesn't ever ask for more than $10.
It doesn't play hard-to-get.
It just readily assumes the role of your oldest friend: easy, comfortable, reliable, forgiving, there in an instant.
Plump blackberries, baking spices, and truffles fill out a form as soft and cuddly as your most love-worn sweater.
It pats your back and tells you that everything is going to be alright.
And the more time you spend together, the funnier it all becomes.