Fine & Rare Dinner Vol. 3 by Maksym Demchenko

Water and everything that inhabits it has always unsettled me. But if, by some miraculous chance, I were to catch a golden fish offering three wishes, I'd gladly take the opportunity. Among my wishes, I'd ask to always retain the ability to marvel at the wonders of this world. Or perhaps I'd simplify it - grant me the ability to love, endlessly and deeply, for my entire life. After all, that feeling travels like a whisper on the wind - passed through the sparkle in someone's eyes, the warmth in their voice, the colours rippling through a glass of wine, and everything that follows. And what exactly happens next? A quiet ritual unfolds, a sacred moment between a person and a wine.

Of course, all of this eventually gets reduced to words - that cursed reduction, whether of human life or the experience of wine. It lingers, inescapable. But sometimes, you just want to dissolve into the moment, to let it envelop you completely. And then something extraordinary happens: you and the wine intertwine, becoming part of something far greater. This time, that "something greater" was Montalcino - with all its grit, its beauty, its deep history, and its promising future. The landscapes of Montalcino seemed to reflect themselves in the eyes of Mr Maksym as he shared the experience with us.

To put it plainly, Mr Maksym is a dangerous man. Like Odin from God of War Ragnarök, he manipulates and entices us by appealing to the best parts of you. And for the third time this year, he gathered the "kittens" from across Kyiv to share the joy of the beautiful. We began with Burgundy and moved to Champagne, and while Piemonte might have been the logical next step, everyone has their own geography, so this time we found ourselves in Montalcino. And who could complain? Especially with such exquisite wines and impeccable food pairings! I won't go into detail about the food, but let me say this: the team at 101 creates dishes so extraordinary, that they elevate the wines without ever overshadowing them. Ego may be a dangerous thing, but not everyone succumbs to its pitfalls.

As for the stories Maksym shared, they're his to tell. My words wouldn't do them justice. You can read about the beauty of the region and its history elsewhere. If you can't - well, let's open a bottle of wine and talk about it together. For now, I'll do what's inevitable - submit to that cursed reduction, as though Prokhasko's works had never passed through my ears.

So, here it is - emotions stored safely in the heart, and now, the pragmatic details: glowing scores from the participants of this sacred gathering, and my own tasting notes. Let's begin.

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