mondosapore

Di recente in Italia..

Recently in Italy...

Here are some pictures of Italy -- in Tuscany, when I was still fresh and felt like playing Paparazzo -- complete with my usual clever commentary in the captions.

We stayed here. New place, very welcoming, great dinners. Located near Lucca

A view of the pool at Corte Benedetto

Favored transportation at Corte Benedetto

Inside the city walls at Lucca. Near via Elisa, which seems to have been named for Jeff's wife

A view from the ramparts at Lucca. There used to be a moat -- quite a wide one -- where the green grass is today

Lucca is very pretty and laid back

There's always a via Roma. Uncle Silvio is watching you

Then there was Pisa...uffa...

Qualcosa di nuovo

Something new

Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the first podcast of a series that Susannah Gold and I are planning to create over the next fews months. 

 Susannah is based here in Manhattan but she lived in Milan as a financial reporter for 12 years, meanwhile discovering a great affinity for all things Italian -- not least of which was the wine.  She studied hard, became a certified sommelier there (and here) and now uses her wine knowledge to act as PR counsel to various branches of the wine trade here and in Italy.

Each in podcast we'll take on a different topic -- this outing devoted to a discussion of organic/biodynamic viticulture and wine-making in Italy, next time (unless we change our minds) one devoted to aging wine, specifically if wine people have made a fetish of older wines.  

We'll plan to publish every two weeks but, then again, it might not quite work out that way.  

Click here to listen to Dom & the Somm 1.  (26:23).  

Buon ascolto!

Aleatico & Soaves

Sorry, folks, another cross-post:

Here!

But of course, I'm not a mere blogger anymore.  I'm a Personage in Italian Wine.  

And how much time do you think I have to fart around blogging?!?!

I've just begun two sentences in a row with a conjunction.  I'm sorry, but I'm done now.  Buona notte.  

Let's hear it for lighter bottles

Senselessly heavy, expensive wine bottles are bad business and ecologically irresponsible. 

For a heartening development anent lighter bottles, please check out this post on Muddy Boots:  Click. 

A winery we're bringing to New York

Please see the post and the linked article on Villa Monteleone, an excellent Valpolicella producer whose wines we will be carrying very soon:  Click!

Una nuova realtà salernitana

A new development in the Salerno area

We first visited with Rino di Maggio and Tiziana a year and a half ago.  Lunarossa, the winery they run together about an hour south of Salerno, produces about 55,000 bottles a year of reds and whites on 7.2 hectares, or about 17 hilly acres.  While they have received favorable recognition since their foundation in 2000 from a slew of high-profile Italian publications (Bibenda, Veronelli, Gambero Rossi, etc.) the wines didn't especially appeal to us. The main problem was that Rino pushed really hard on the international varieties; in addition to the local Fiano, Aglianico and Falanghina, he made a lot of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blends.  They may have won praise in some circles, but we thought they weren't distinctive enough to introduce into the US market.  I mean, really, we have plenty of such blends already on the shelves and wine lists of our suffering land.  We weren't going to load up on another one, or two, or three.

Above: Some dreadful Yank giving Rino an earful

Ciao. Again

In a few days I'm off to Italy again, this time in a sprint from Rome to Montecucco and then, subito, down to Campania.  Many tastings, negotiations and, I hope, a couple of days off at the Amalfi Coast to catch my breath before the climax of the trip, Vitignoitalia, in Naples. 

Photo:  See Naples and...

I attended Vitignoitalia last year and thought it was very worthwhile.  A lot of small and/or emerging wine producers can afford the time and money to go there, as many cannot afford to exhibit at Vinitaly.  If you are into southern Italian wines, it's terrific.

Sorry, very little time or energy left for posting.  Alla prossima.

Real and blogging worlds meet

Every so often you meet someone you got to know through blogs, and who got to know you.  I always marvel at the precise way a wine blog (for example) draws a virtual string between me and someone far away -- Australia, Turkey, Poland, Brazil...and North Carolina.  

Yes, yesterday I met, in person, a fellow winelover, Thom Calabrese, who lives in Asheville, NC.  We met at Gabrio Tosti's store (another plug for you, boy), where he went especially to buy a couple of my wines (another plug for me, the shameless whore of self-promotion, fiddle-dee.  Thom didn't spring for the $55 one even though it is very rare and highly unusual and fascinatingly delicious.  But let's not quibble about a mere 55 bucks in a time of macrocosmic financial uncertainty, though billions have been thrown at less sure bets like Chrysler and Bank of America.)

But the point was...well, what was it?  

Oh yes, right, sure, uh-huh.  

That it's a funny, serendipitous old world on the Internet.  Thom C. found this blog via a wine friend in Asheville who used to live in Italy, and who moved to Asheville last year, a certain Michael Culley aka Michele Colline. Thom's been in the wine biz at various times, mostly on the retail side, and he shares a certain Strappo's life addiction to Italy and all things Italian, mainly the wine and food.  Not the execrable TV shows, however.  Or the habit of wearing those choking scarves, a mom-inspired fashion that leaves me both puzzled and annoyed.  Still, except for those things and the Camorra, there's more to love about Italy than not. (I even like the tight jeans. But I would.)

Whatever.  Thom was a great guy to meet.  We went to Schiller's, an outpost of the Balthazar empire, shared a flagon of rosado de Rioja and merrily killed a couple of hours.  

Image below. I did a search on Google Images for Thom Calabrese and this is one of the things that popped up to torment me.  Shit!  Fuck!  Hence the absence of "Oscars" on my notional mantlepiece.  Yes, Mum, I am indeed my own worst enemy.  By the way, "Thom Calabrese" may be the creation of the witness protection program.  There are no online pix of the man.   

  

 

      

Corrections

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea minima culpa.

It's Good Friday, Lent is winding down, and I must admit my errors of information before my own personal resurrection on Sunday, i.e., my birthday.  Don't ask the number.  Suffice it to say that if you tried to clap through the years, you'd wind up with some nasty blisters.

First, when I walked up to the Vinitaly stand where Nunzio Aurisicchio (Angelarosa) and his wife were on duty, the missus immediately exclaimed, "Why did you call me Matilde?" She was referring to one of my posts. I got her daughter's name right, but somehow managed to understand Matilde for hers.  "My name is Flavia!"  

Oh snap.

"Matilde", allegedly Flavia, with Dalila and Nunzio 

*****

There are a few more errors on the Domenico Selections site, which I swear will be corrected rather soon.

* On the specs page of I Stefanini's Monte di Fice, I wrote -- again unaccountably -- that the wine resides a while in oak.  No, not true.  No wood.  It's the minerality of the volcanic soil and the holding-back of the wine for over a year before release that creates the impression.  And the partial malolactic fermentation.

* On the Borgo di Gete page of Reale's winery, I incorrectly wrote that the wine spent 10 months in oak.  No, no, it's 15 months.  

To err is human, to forgive uncommon.

Vinitaly odd and ends

Fine cuisine at Vinitaly

We had an absolutely wild day yesterday -- a solid schedule of meetings and negotiations from 9 AM to 6:30 PM.  We have a few today and some tomorrow as we segue out of Verona.  We signed contracts and began price negotiations, tasted and retasted, etc. 

As in my brand-new post on Muddy Boots, I'm too rushed and tired to spend a lot of time writing.  The contemplation of this week's events will have to wait till I return to New York.

A few stray comments and amusing little stories...

* The professional part of the fair seemed less crowded this year than last. Was it my imagination or was there much less American English spoken in the pavilions?

* The domestic wine market in Italy is shriveling, at least as far as good wine goes.  The economic crisis is driving people more and more to supermarket wine.  Bad for producers, occasionally very good for importers.

* Yesterday Angelo Gaja held forth for an hour and a half at a retrospective of his wines.  Amazingly enough, he had brought Jancis Robinson in to share the dais and to explicate the historical significance of his contribution, etc.  She sat there and was given no time to utter a peep.

* Speaking of Jancis, of whom I am a gushing fan, Jeff spotted her in the press room this morning, about to have a sit-down with some Italian journalists. I got up from my laptop and rushed over, gushed, "I am a fan," and she actually knew who I was!  She thanked me for some information I'd given to her Julia Harding regarding Luigi Reale's Tintore wine ("Borgo di Gete"), at which I blushed and said something inane.  I quickly recovered, as I'm never nonplussed for long.  "I heard you had an easy day of it yesterday..."  She laughed and made a face. 

Ah la predica lunga!     

By the way, I'll never wash my right hand again.  Jancis...

 

Photo: Verona's Roman main street (decumanus)

Vinitaly, days 1 & 2

The old soldier has risen from his bed of pain and staggered forth with his merry band on days 1 & 2 of the Grande Fiera del vino.  It's been a very busy and highly productive fair so far, despite the wretched health of your 'umble servant.

I've another appointment in a few minutes so will keep the commentary, and also the "witticisms," to a minimum.  I'll let the pix speak for themselves, mostly.



 Aristide & Lizzy plotting world marketing domination at the press room












Sandro Cavicchioli, enologo of the fantastically alive Francesco Bellei spumanti and Lambrubscos

















One of several stunning wines made from the Sorbara grape




















Italo Sobrino Cascina delle Rose of the Asti zone.  Serious Barberas and Barbarescos. 

















Italo's hand and some of his wines.  The hand of his wife, Giovanna Rizzolio, is evident in these elegant wines as well.

Italian views: March 2009

I'm not up to writing a long post -- never mind three or four -- about the recent wine search in Tuscany and Abruzzo.  I'll content myself with a few photos.  Hope you find them interesting and/or pleasing. 

A dopo.

Some of the terreno of Castello di Poppiano in the Colli Fiorentini (Florentine hills) sub-appellation of Chianti.

Typical of the soil in that area.  Clay & stone.

Lyle, I love you man!

Mr. Fass posted a very nice review of Rasott, the Aglianico that Domenico Selections has brought into the US market.  Well, currently just the New York and New Jersey slices of the US market so far.  You have to start someplace.

Here's the link to Lyle's post on Rockssandfruit:  here!

Le variazioni

Yesterday's Amarone lunch, featuring Sandro Boscaini of Masi, was pleasant and informative.  I sat with Tyler Colman, aka Dr. Vino, and we had a good chat about one thing and another.  As ever, Tyler took copious notes.  As ever, I took none. 

I have mixed feelings about many of the Amarones that were open at the tasting.  The wildly varying styles and organoleptic profiles served to restrict the very name of Amarone to a technical term, restricted, that is, to a specific methodology of appassimento (partially drying grapes for greater concentration), attracting a small amount of botrytis, rendering the first pressing of said grapes into the must that will be named Amarone, etc., etc.  Any mutual resemblance was quite absent.  Many of the wines were indistinguishable from ripasso (second pressing of said grapes), or in some thin acidic instances, from a rather full-bodied Valpolicella Classico. 

 

Photo from Veronissima

Boscaini diplomatically, as his playful title "Mr. Amarone" required, criticized the relentless expansion of the Amarone zone and production levels* over the years as well as the impossibile explosion of alleged ripassos, which simply could not be produced in such large numbers if they were legitimate second pressings. 

The other thing that struck me was the rhapsodic way in which a number of attendees were describing -- and heartily drinking -- the older Amarones available to us (back to 1972).  Maybe I'm just a slob or a barbarian, but I found many of those older wines to be distinctly underwhelming.  Tired, rather flabby.  I much preferred the newer ones, whether from 2004 or 2001 -- at least they had some life to them in the form of a balanced acidity and fruitiness.  And they actually complemented the food, which yesterday consisted of a polenta, a fowl risotto and other hearty cold-weather plates.  The younger wines' acidity balanced out the rich heaviness of the yummy grub. 

But I never cease to be amazed by the cult -- no, the fetish -- of the old in wine, especially in Italian wine.  Italy is the country where people drink even the big reds quite young, and, you know, "bring on the tannins."       

* In the linked article posted by Jeremy Parzen, Franco Ziliani shows no such restraint.

Sandro Boscaini of Masi will talk about Amarone

Well, what else would the man come all the way from S. Ambrogio in Valpolicella to talk about? 

Sant'Ambrogio hillside. Taken from the estate across the lane from Masi, Villa Monteleone, whose Ripasso is a knockout.

Mr. Boscaini will offer wine and insights at the Wine Media Guild's monthly luncheon tomorrow at Felidia. 

What I want to know is this:  Just how bad was the weather in Valpolicella in 2008 and what can we expect from the wines of the vintage, Amarone and otherwise? 

Understandably, it my be hard to get a straight answer to the question.  Still, I wonder if I can win some points with Boscanini by declaring my friendship with two fine personages he knows quite well, Giampiero Nadali and Elisabetta Tosi.  As I mentioned the other day, this dynamic duo have created an embryonic social network for Amarone (and more), called Terroir Amarone.  It's all in Italian now, but an English version will come soon, as Giampi tells me.

Meanwhile, I'm glad the weather will be cold and gross tomorrow -- perfect for Amarone!

Benvenuto Brunello, etc.

Yesterday we all met at the Hilton on 6th Avenue for the big event, the Brunello tasting and so on.  The weather was miserable, the crowd more or less the same, and the event over all had some of the clusterfuck qualities of Vinitaly, on a much smaller scale, of course.

As always, the crush of people in the most prestigious exhibit/tasting areas was intense.  You had to have your badge rescanned to get into the Brunello room, which had the allure of a Mumbai railway station at rush hour.  I managed to get a taste of a couple of well-known Brunellos -- quite nice but if they were 100% Sangiovese, I'll eat my cappello. Too drinkable and round too young, too darkly grapey.  To me it was all redolent of the Merrill Lynch bonus scandal:  Have these people learned nothing? 

Allora, as they say. We spent most of our time scouting other wine-producing areas, Chianti and Abruzzo (successfully) and Calabria (more disappointments -- stop the new-American-oak barrique madness!) among them.

We spent a lot of time tasting and chatting with Stefania Pepe, winemaking daughter of the iconic Emidio Pepe, and her husband, who has the wonderful name Adone Del Negro ("Adonis Black").  Each of them owns vineyards, some certified biodynamic, some certified organic but working through the stringent, seven-year process to be biodynamic as well.  Every one of their wines was highly individuated and utterly compelling.  What knockouts. 

I mentioned to Stefania that her father's wines can be off-putting; they not only require a very long ageing to show their stuff but are also uneven and too particolare.  Not to mention very expensive.  She handled that one nicely.  "I want to make the best wines I can.  Not to be the most expensive or particular.  I want everyone to like them." 

By the way, like Emidio, Stefania and Adone are making more of their wines in cement rather than stainless steel.  The contrast between two of Adone's -- from the same vineyard and 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo -- illustrated the distinctive character each fermentation container imparts to wine. When asked which of them we preferred, we declared, "Both!"

Speaking of asking awkward questions, I'm never one to shy away.  We found another good Abruzzese producer, whose wines are very well priced.  His low end, super-economy line was impressive.  A lot fuller and rounder than is typical of Montepulciano.  So what did I ask him?  "Any oak?"  No.  "Trucioli?"  (Oak chips?)  I admire the gentleman for keeping his composure.  Well done, sir.  

 

Domenico Selections Website: Live at Last!

Domenico Selections dot com.

We asked for something simple, clean, functional.  With a warm, sunny look.  Suggesting Mediterranean light and vitality.  Free of red-white-and-green clichés.

Yes, we do have the useful traditional map of Italy with clickable regions where we have producers.  Short but sweet regional intros - not the standard boilerplate, either, but a personal viewpoint based on our experiences and observations.  Ditto the producer profiles.  Short, factual wine spec sheets.

And watch this site grow. More producers are on the way.

Still missing: the Muddy Boots blog.  Soon, kids, soon.  And the listing of where you can find the wine, mainly because this is in flux. 

Bookmark this link.

Baci per May Matta-Aliah, who designed the Domenico Selections corporate identity program as well as the site.  She is the owner of Red-Dot-Solutions here in New York. 

Strappo, whore of self-promotion

As if you hadn't suffered enough, you have two opportunities in the next two days to encounter Strappo in the more or less real world.

Photo: Strappo in a sniffing pose.

Spectacular event numero 1:

Pouring at Frankly Wines, 66 West Broadway, in warm and sunny Tribeca.  Strappo will be on hand to pour a couple of his authentic yet absurdly inexpensive wines from 5:30 to 7:30 tomorrow -- Friday evening.  The lovely and talented Christy Frank will chaperone.

Spectacular event numero 2:

Strappo will dispense his usual "wit" and wine "humor" with the easily inebriated Jon Krasney and Gorgeous (aka Heather) on WMTR-AM somewhere in North Jersey.  (All I know is, it's a long long walk from the subway.)  The show is "Krasney on Everything Financial", 9:30 - 10:30 am.  WMTR is at 1250 on your low-tech AM dial.

Fass, rising

Lyle Fass is an almost ubiquitous personage in the New York wine world.  Although he's just 34, he's been in wine retail since he was 19 and a student at my alma mater, Boston University.  Until recently he worked for Chambers Street Wines, one of Manhattan's most prestigious wine stores, but the economy has taken its toll on many in the wine biz; Lyle's been out of CSW for a couple of weeks.  Count him out but not down.

Last evening we met for a glass or two of wine at the bar in the prime Bastianich outpost of Felidia, which is located close to both our apartments.  We talked about what was happening in general, both about trends and the usual industry dish.  And I was struck by the fact that sometimes, if you're young and resilient enough -- and without a family to feed -- being let go from a job is the best thing that can happen to you.  Being let go and maintaining mutual respect is even better, since Lyle and Chambers Street Wines continue to work on various projects together. 

He's got some other interesting irons in the fire.  He's reinventing himself or, should I say, he's reinventing his role in the wine business, which he clearly loves and is totally committed to.  Shocked as he was by leaving CSW, it seems to me he's having a great time exploring, testing, creating. 

Whenever you're tempted to get cynical, you need to sit down with an energetic, passionate guy like Lyle.  You come away with a new set of ideas and plans, too. 

Meanwhile, you can follow Lyle's blog, Rockss and Fruit.  When you go through the archives you're struck by his absolute love of German wines, especially the noble Riesling in all its styles and subtleties.

I taste La Gramière at last

The lovely (she really is) and talented (the proof's in the tasting) Amy Lillard visited our fair city at the end of November.  I met her at Thirst Wine Merchants in Brooklyn, which is the home of a whole slew of highly interesting wine shops, where she was pouring her one and only wine, La Gramière. 

I met Amy for lunch the next day at some Cubano-Peruvian joint on Second Avenue (good grub, which reannounced itself repeatedly till dinner time at nine.)  We talked about the difficulties of the wine trade these days, and the challenges facing a couple of young Americans who buy a farm in southern France with the intention of making wine.  I won't even try to recount all of her and husband Matt Kling's [mis]adventures, but of course you all know that she was an early and innovative blogger, whose site you can access here.  The ups and downs are all there. With appropriate editing, of course, since she clearly runs a family blog.  (Unlike this fucking shithole of a site.  There.  I do feel better.)

Oh, Strappo, Strappo, must you be Caliban?

Defective and ugly internally as Charles Laughton's face, we limp on. 

Above: Amy with husband Matt cut out, pretty much.  In person she is

far more beautiful, trust me.  Not enough to convert me, but damned fine.

****

I told Amy that I wouldn't open the bottle she brought me until after the new year.  It was important to let the wine settle from its travels.  And because it's a 2007, I wanted to give it a little time to age in bottle.  I thought it was a little shut down when I tasted it at Thirst.  No fault, to be sure, of Michael