Happy New Year!  How many times have you asked yourself "when will I finally take that long awaited dream trip to Italy?" Stop asking the question and take action toward your dream trip. Join Lombardi's proprietor, Kerri Lonergan-Dreke and husband Mark, on Lombardi's 2nd annual "Tuscany & Beyond Tour 2012." Departing Seattle on May 12th. Brought to you by "Italy4real," our Italy tour partner.

We will live, breathe, eat and drink our way through Tuscany and Bologna for 12 fabulous days. To learn more about this incredible journey, click here The tour is filling up fast so register now.

One of the most enjoyable parts of being the founder/owner of Lombardi’s is hosting our successful Dinner & Wine Pairing parties. The first one this fall will be on Wednesday, Oct 19^th at the Issaquah location. (Nov 17^th @ Lombardi’s at the Everett Marina)

 After a very successful trip to Italy in May of this year, I was anxious to get back to hosting these wine parties and to featuring the great wines of Tuscany. I have had a long love of wines from Chianti. Just the simple act of taking in the aroma of these wines lifts me back to Tuscany – the rolling hills covered in vineyards and olive trees, the winding roads lined with Italian Cyprus trees, and the many small villages dotted with those unmistakable stone buildings. One of  my favorite wineries in this area is Ruffino, located in the northern part of Tuscany, near Florence. The winery is over 130 years old!  Ruffino’s underlying philosophy is “Handing down the values of a land and a people through culture. Because culture is also wine”. These wines have never disappointed me and in fact they have become my “house” wine at home.

 It is so easy to find the right food to pair with Sangiovese and/or Chianti because these wines go with almost everything. It is the Pinot Noir of Italy – the perfect wine to have when there are several styles/types of food at your table. When the Executive  Chef Matt and I are talking food and deciding on a new menu item, we always try the new item with Chianti or 100% Sangiovese. And creating the menu for this dinner event was no exception. Ruffino produces  a wide range and style of Tuscan wines so we had many to choose from. Our biggest surprise came when tasting a red wine to pair with the Fall Roasted Vegetable Salad item. We like to offer the salad after the entrée – which is the Italian way – but sometimes finding that the right red wine after drinking big reds with the entrée is difficult. We were very surprised when the “biggest” of all the options, a Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, worked wonders – the ingredients in the salad actually enhanced this robust red wine. Chef Matt and I look forward to having you at our table to taste these amazing wines when paired with this special menu created from the flavors of Tuscany.

Diane Symms, Founder