My buddy Ian and I had just been to Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies had survived a 9-run 4th at the hands of their hated rivals, the Braves. Phils came back and won 10-9. Ian had been living out in Chicago hadn’t been to a Phils game in a while and had never been in the “new” park. Did I mention that Ian got sucked into the Moore Brothers family vortex and works for us part-time?

OK, after the game, naturally, he wants to hang out in the big city, find a BYOB and eat well and drink even better. That means Moore Brothers stuff.

So, I call Canio at Mezzaluna (my favorite Philly eatery) and make a reservation – there was one small table for two left, next to my brother. The best part was that Pietro or “Pete,” the irascible but exigent chef was on hand. With great élan, he tosses away our menus and tells us what to order.

Meanwhile, I had stopped on home to get some wine, thank you very much. I brought Diego Bolognani’s Müller-Thurgau 2007 and Corte Gardoni Bardolini Superiore 2006.

To start, Pete had decided that he would make us an insalata di polpo, an octopus salad with string beans and arugola. Ian was stunned by the freshness of the Müller-Thurgau (I was too!) with its vibrant fruit and especially its aromas of flowers and herbs. I think its appropriateness with our antipasto was what really sold Ian. While precocious, he’s fairly new to all this and in that sense his reaction is even more relevant than my own.

Then, Pete whose English is impeccable but has a menacing tone to it often, says: “I got duck à l’orange tonight.”

Well, my South Philly thugishness got the better of me and I instinctively punched him thinking he was pulling my leg.He wasn’t.

So Ian and I had the duck, fine escalopes de canard with Gianni Piccoli’s lovely Barolino Superiore. The latter wine reveals itself immediately with fine dark aromas of cherry and plum and then caresses the palate with its velvety but virile texture.

The point was that my neophyte buddy really got it: the Moore Brothers experience. Simple: superb wine with fine food and the camaraderie to surround it.

Posted by Joe Diluzio PhD