Friday, December 14, 2007

What’s So Important?

The path of the wine trail took me today to a Chinese family who has had their restaurant for 33 years. The father has passed on, and the son and his wife now gaze into the pond of his dream and are working to re-cast their nets into it for the next 33 years.


Restaurants are like trees. If they get planted into good soil and are watered and fed and pruned, then they will flower or bear fruit or perhaps just look pretty and create a little shade. Restaurants, a subject that I have been pondering over lately, can turn into a beautiful tall tree that gives pleasure to people for many years. If the family that has the restaurant, or if it is an individual, either way, as long as there is someone with a vision, and a fair amount of passion, then that can translate into something wonderful.

Just like the winemaker. It can start with one person, and then maybe the family, a son or a daughter, can take it into the next generation. In Italy we see it often, because it has to be carried forward. There is more tradition in Italy with the wine, but we’re also talking people’s lives being lived in the service of the land and the fruit and the miraculous process and lastly, the people who will open the bottles and hope to enjoy the fruits of the labors.

So it can be with the restaurateur. It could be someone like Sharon Hage at York Street, who invites you into her living dining room. There she offers you her fresh produce and ultra fresh, but oh so simple, catch from the seas. Maybe a little sample of a tartare, and then a close encounter with the 6th taste – heat. Little seared padrons, peppers that can be better than dessert, as they leave you teetering on the ledge of an experience that has your palate hanging over, peering into the precipice. Lingering, waiting to fall into the abyss, only to be caught and taken back to safety. The tightrope is still there if you care for another bite. And why wouldn’t you want to go around on that carousel one more time?


It’s like the lace curtains with the pattern of the hills on it and the actual hill behind the curtain. What’s so important? Everything and nothing.


The Chinese couple, meanwhile, is dreaming up this place where the classic Chinese dishes dance with the four corners of their culture. “People ask if we will do fusion, you know where we mix up the Japanese with the Vietnamese and the Thai foods. But with the Chinese, we have so much richness to draw from, how can we confuse people with fusion?”

Understood. The northern Italian restaurant run by a Southern Italian, serving Fettuccine Alfredo, a dish invented in Rome. An Italian restaurant that thinks it has to have French wines or Australian Shiraz because they want to keep their clientele supplied with what they think they want. As if a wonderful Gavi or an amazing Aglianico wouldn’t suffice? As if a little common sense couldn’t go a long way?

I was talking to a long time colleague today. He said, “We’re the only industry where the experts serve at the pleasure of those who haven’t a clue.” Yes, I have prostrated myself before one or two of those this week. They are usually young and bullet-proof. They’re not that interested in what I have to offer them.

Another colleague nailed it today. He was once a cowboy and he roped cattle. He had learned a few tricks along the way, but whenever he volunteered to tell a young buck how he could save himself a lot of trouble (and pain), usually they’d shoot back at him with the response that he didn’t know what he was talking about, and they could handle it. Well, this ol’ boy told me that when these young bucks ate enough dirt, they’d usually come back to ask him how he kept himself out of harms way. But they had to want to know what you have to offer them; you can’t volunteer it for free, because they see no value in it until they need the knowledge to keep themselves from getting hurt. But they gotta ask for the help – you can’t give it away – no value in that.

That’s what’s so important.







Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Life at the Table

Why do we eat out? That was the question I was asking myself today at lunch. I was in a little Italian-styled restaurant where we had convinced the owners to do a progressive wine list. Unfortunately they hired a manager, still wet behind the ears, who thinks he knows better. “The people can’t find the wines they are looking for; we need to make it easy for them.” We were – by arranging the wines in the order of their styles so they wouldn’t have to depend on the constant turn of wait staff and managers who have no real life experience in these matters.

Young people with old minds – old people with young thoughts – the argument about people wanting something more traditional is just not correct. If that were the case, this same style of wine list, which we put into use in the most traditional Italian restaurant over 10 years ago and which worked magnificently, well it would have failed there and then. But it didn’t. So what we have here is a failure to communicate.

The picture above was shot in 1969 on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California, in what is still known as Café Mediterraneum. It was a magic moment for me seeing the light coming though the windows and on to the table.

The table, that one ring circus where it all takes place; food, wine, romance, engagements, break ups, life and death.

All through the world we break our stride and stop. Today a friend and I just took the time to talk about our world, our families, our time on earth, and yes a little of the wine business. With this new crop of ill prepared restaurateur, it gives us much to ponder over; lots of mulch for the fields in which we still must toil.

The Italians have been wonderful for all of us. Who would have thought a simple plate of pasta would give so much pleasure day after day, throughout the generations? A little flour, an egg, some water. A little tomato or maybe some porcini. And cheese, my heroin.

Not just the Italians though. One day on a Good Friday in Frankfurt, we happened to walk by their Wall Street, the Börse. Outside, tents had been erected and impromptu wine bars were pouring Riesling and Muller-Thurgau to the businessmen and women. What a grand revelation – the leaders of business for one of the strongest industrial and economic powers, lollygagging outside, talking to each other on the eve of a holiday. Drinking wine, not making money. How civilized, I mused, how very wonderful.

The fabulous city of slow food, Eataly, in Torino. Table after table of the different stages of eating, with people, families, sitting together, enjoying prosciutto or gelato. The table, always the table.

A picnic in Perigord. A visit to the farmers market and a wine shop or two. A roasted chicken, some potatoes, and green beans. And red wine from Cahor. A light breeze through the trees that were shading and cooling us, and people we just met were strangers no more. Today one of the couples emailed me from New York. They were at Babbo and were wondering about a Traminer on the list. Not some traditional, tired wine list. They had their hands on a list with spunk, with balls. For lovers and fighters, with passion and purpose.

It doesn’t always have to be life changing. After all, it’s a meal, something we do thousands of times in our lives. But it needn’t be mundane. We have plenty of choice in the matter, how we nourish ourselves through the days of our lives. Sometime it might be a simple freshly baked loaf of bread and some cheese. And of course the wine. It could be burgers and Brunello or it could be Fontina and Fumin. Or it could be a bottle of cognac and a lifetime of stories.

But restaurateurs take notice – we are traveling more – we are expecting more from you and your concepts. It is too easy to make a simple, wholesome meal at home. We aren’t always looking for some epiphany over Peekytoe crab. We just want you to treat our future memories with the proper care and feeding.




Monday, December 10, 2007

A Menu for Hope 4 -- December 10-21

This is the fourth year of A Menu For Hope, the grassroots charity event for wine and food bloggers, started by Pim ( of the Chez Pim Blog) in response to the horrible Tsunamis of 2004. Last year's event raised more than $60,000 for the UN's World Food Programme, which set the stage for this year's remarkable event. Because of our success last year, the World Food Programme essentially told us to figure out what we wanted, and they'd make it happen.

Pim sat down with them and arranged the perfect donation scheme. 100% of the donations go directly to the people in need. We get to choose exactly where every cent goes, and we get to talk to the people it goes to. In fact, Pim has already been in contact with some of the families that will get our aid money. She sent them some disposable cameras and asked them to take pictures of their lives. The results are quite extraordinary, both for their immediacy, but also some of the images are quite beautiful in their own right.

So we're feeding some very needy farmers in Lesotho. And how are we doing it? By holding a virtual-global charity raffle, with prizes donated from bloggers all around the world.

HOW IT WORKS: The campaign is essentially a big raffle for prizes. You look through the prizes, figure out which one(s) you want to try to win, and then you buy "virtual raffle tickets" -- one for each $10 of donation you make to our cause on the special web site set up for that purpose.

When you make your donation, you simply specify the prize number(s) (each prize should have one) and the "number of tickets" your donation is buying. Donate thirty bucks, get three tickets, and use them for one prize, or for three. Just be specific in your request.


Here's the site to enter / donate.

THE PRIZES: So first of all, remember that these are just the wine blog prizes. There are many other prizes awaiting you over on Chez Pim’s site. Go check them out too. But not before taking a look at Alder Yarrow's Vinography and all the generous and creative donations from wine bloggers far and wide:

All of the wine donations are listed on the Vinography site

Specific instructions for entering the raffle can be found at the bottom of this post.

If you are interested, this is the On The Wine Trail in Italy item:

WB06 - 6 bottle lot of Italian wines -$295 value.
Principiano Barolo "Boscareto" 2000
Tenute le Querce Aglianico del Vulture "Il Viola" 2000
Gravner Bianco "Breg" 2000
Soletta Cannonau di Sardegna "Firmadu" 2003
Soletta Cannonau di Sardegna "Firmadu" 2003
Maculan Cru "Fratta" 2003
Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Riserva "Berardo" 2000


Principiano Barolo "Boscareto" 2000
$50.00 SRP
92 WS
“The last 15 years have seen a real revolution in the way wine is made. Back then there were just two or three wineries in Monforte d`Alba and today there are about 20, “Ferdinando says. “I don’t think the Langhe will change much more. We are at the right dimension and the right concentration of vineyards.” Ferdinando Principiano, who refurbished the winery 10 years ago with new equipment, is responsible for vinification and aging with consulting enologist Giuseppe Caviola. Fifty-year-old Nebbiolo vines are planted in the Boscareto vineyard in Serralunga d`Alba and 70 year- old Barbera vines are located in the Pian Romualdo vineyard of Monforte d`Alba called Le Coste. making two Barolos (Barolo Boscareto and Barolo Le Coste) They produce only 35,000 bottles per year.


Tenute le Querce Aglianico del Vulture "Il Viola" 2000
$20.00 SRP
Aglianico vines near Barile that grow straddling the caldera of the volcano Vulture produce striking reds with spice, unique licorice and dark cherry casts and an unfeigned sense of rusticity. Craftsmanship by the Pietrafesa family is sparing no expense in the field work, the winery, or in the bottle results.

Il Viola shows the purity cast with a small amount of wood. New wave wines of old world reality.

Gravner Bianco "Breg" 2000
$90.00 SRP
3 Glasses Gambero Rosso
Josko Gravner was for many years on the cutting edge of white wine production. He was one of the first to introduce new oak barriques in this region. Since then, however, the relentless passion for perfection through experimentation changed his whole philosophy, and his wine-making methods have changed greatly. Over the past decade he sold off all of his high-tech equipment to other wineries and began making wine the old-fashioned way. Indeed, Gravner started studying and reverted to ancient Roman texts for inspiration to fulfill his very unique vision of what wine should express.

Breg, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling Italico, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. The grapes come from his 18 hectares of vineyards. The terroir there is unique, and a number of vineyards are terraced. Gravner works organically and goes for maximum ripeness and concentration in the vineyards. The crops are very low and the vines (some up to 80 years old) are planted up to 10,000 per hectare. This gives the fruit a wonderful concentration and expression of terroir. “I am convinced that wine is a product of Nature, not of Man, whose role therefore is to accompany its maturation process while avoiding any artificial intervention”, says Gravner.

Soletta Cannonau di Sardegna "Firmadu" 2003
$20.00 SRP
This excellent wine comes from the Estate vineyard “Firmadu” and is made from the Cannonau grape
varietal which is the Sardinian version of Spain’s Granacha. The Firmadu vineyard is located in the mountains of Corona Majore, S’ Erenazu and Su Frigadore at 400 meters above sea level in sandy-calcareous soil with East-Southwestern exposure to the sun. The vines are 30-40 years old.

This varietal takes on styles of its own here in the potent reds under the Cannonau di Sardegna DOC. It is aged for a total of two years, part of which is in barrels and then six additional months in the bottles. The wine has an intense ruby color with granite reflections. The bouquet is very intense and persistent, herbaceous and delicate. It has a typical scent of dried fruits, walnut hull and prunes. Dry & Full-Bodied. Number of Cases Produced: 2,500 per year

Maculan Cru "Fratta" 2003
$80.00 SRP
91 Wine Spectator
94 Wine Enthusiast - Editor's Choice
“Seductive, succulent and hedonistic. This 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot blend is incredibly forthcoming and ready to drink immediately thanks to its rich toasted notes, chocolate fudge, blackberry, leather, tobacco, menthol and herbal aromas. There’s a ton of vanilla and sweet spice on the velvety finish and melted chocolate on the close.”

Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Riserva "Berardo" 2000
$35.00 SRP
4 Stars Decanter
"A gorgeous wine."
90 Wine Advocate
"...richly fruity and spicy on the nose, fuller and deeper on the palate, rounder and more polished in its tannins, and very persistent on the finish."

The Bossi Castle is located in the town of Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost appellation of Chianti Classico, amidst evergreen woods and long rows of vines. With a history dating back to the 9th century A.D., the estate embraces modern technology, while at the same time respecting the traditional character of the lands of Chianti. This balance has been a key part of Marco Bacci’s vision as he has brought Castello di Bossi to the highest ranks in the realm of international wine.


HOW TO ENTER:

If you're interested in buying into the raffle, here's what you need to do:

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope at http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2007/12/menu-for-hope-4.html

2. Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope4 and make a donation. Each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice.

3.Please specify which prize or prizes you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. The prize code for the 6 bottle lot of Italian Wine is WB06. Do tell us how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code -for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for WB02 and 3 for WB06.Example:

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

6. Check back on Chez Pim on January 9 when we announce the result of the raffle. (The drawing will be done electronically. Derrick at Obsession with Food is responsible for the application that will do the job.)

Thanks for your participation, and good luck in the raffle!

Sunday, December 09, 2007

A Gathering Storm

The road whisked us along the mountain trail, once a stream for winter runoff. As the autumn light faded, the ancient crags loomed ominously. We were on our way down now.

The life cycles of birth and destruction are all around us and found in everything. The animals accept it; the plants give in to it. Most of us are still fearful of it.

When forces large as fate descend upon us, we have no choice but to gaze upon them without shield or cloak. Nothing can stop it; no thing can protect us from the reality of it. Not wrapping paper, or holiday lights or seasonal music. Or sun lamps.

All we can do is wait for the harvester to pluck us and maybe turn us into wine. Or vinegar.

Waiting is what they are still doing, more than two years after Katrina hit. From above, one can still see the path of destruction that has reshaped a region. On the ground, hopeless folk wait for help from their countrymen. But a war must be waged on, we must all descend into Hell a little more. The grapes sit in the tank, fermentation is stuck, the barrels stop churning. Stopped.

From the north, the wind brings rain and snow and bitter cold. Inside, the juice waits, not yet wine, not anything but a tumbled mess of pulp and seeds and bitter fruit and a little spark of life in the light hissing of the gas put off from the massive weight of the crush.

More rain, more snow, more darkness is on its way. Hurrying to finish the tanks, filled with the blood of the gods, it presses on. Forcing their way into something useful, maybe even wonderful. One thing is certain, if it is to be wine, it must have a strong heart and a will to make it through the darkness and the bitter cold.
Once it has made its way towards becoming something other than a failed attempt, then it begins its long, solitary march towards refinement. Again, in darkness and silence, the new born waits, barely stirring. As if the mediation in the barrel would be enough. As long as all that it needs to be great came through the vine and made it through the hopper, the crush and the selection. Otherwise all it would become would be worthless plonk for a million barren shelves in anonymous supermarkets, in towns long forgotten by greatness or destiny. But that day of reckoning is still some time off. Now is the time for more slumber in the quiet and the dark of the secured cellar room.

And if time and the fates have showered light and greatness upon the miraculous liquid, then someday they will make their journey to far away lands. Just like the immigrants of the 19th and 20th centuries did, coming to a new world, looking for new paths to greatness.

They will have to overcome the barriers to entry into the new world. Just like the 21st century immigrants, often branded criminals, many for want of a better life. But in this case the barrier will be in the exchange of the price from the strong currency of their motherland to the weak one of this New Power. Once again they will have to prove their value, as if making it through the crags and the sticks and the storms and the flush of fermentation wasn’t challenge enough. No, now they will have to be subjected to the animal, known as man, and his market forces. Powers that restrict the flow of trade, manipulating the value of the currency. If the wine is strong and unmitigated and the agents and angels oversee their path to entry, then they will have made it in. But, even then, it is not finished.

Then the animal, known as wine, must rise above the inert forces of lethargy and make a solitary ascent to that last mountain. For in order to be seen and heard and loved, they will have to be known. And only if they are seen and heard and known by enough will they make it up into the craggy peak, where they can then release their precious nectar along the mountain trail, into the stream where it can runoff into glasses, to be loved by many. Only then.







Friday, December 07, 2007

Coffee, Pine and Bacon Fat


Guest commentary by Beatrice Russo

It’s 10:30PM and I get a call from IWG. He’s still at the wine dinner and has a 6:30AM flight to New Orleans for a meeting. Can I write a post for his blog?

Seeing as the last time I did one was in October and the one before that was August, I thought I had weaned myself from that activity. But he did let me use his car when he was in Italy and he helped me get a job. So I guess one more time won’t hurt.

I’ve tasted a load of wine lately and my palate is scorched. Too much Chile, New Zealand and Spanish wines. I miss the Italians. Those are the wines my friends like.

Does that come as a surprise to you? IWG said that too, but he had heard twice today from salespeople and accounts the same song. Hey, some of us in this generation like wines that have flavor profiles. Some of us actually like the combination of coffee, pine and bacon fat.

IWG has been telling stories about his recent Italian harvest trip. Yeah, some of the stories he has been writing here, but man he has worn me out with the other ones, the ones not yet written. I guess he has to tell somebody.

I’ve just been so busy with the gig and all the new wines I’ve had to learn. It’s like Italian wine is a memory from childhood, at this point. But when I get together with my friends, they all ask me to bring some wine from IWG’s house. First, it is free and second, they like Italian wine.

Hey Italian wine producers – young people in their 20’s aren’t all whacked out on beer and Jager. We go to wine bars, we read, and we spend money on wine. So stop making it hard for us to afford your wine and tell your politicians to book their round trip to the sun in time for the holidays.

Coffee – went over to a friend’s house. He just got a coffee roaster. I smell that aroma in all kinds of wine from reds from Tuscany to whites from Burgundy. I like it. It’s cleansing.

Pine – sometime ago I was in Yosemite and in the upper part the pine trees on a hot summer day sent out this smell that was pure and beautiful. I sometimes smell that in California wines and also in some French wines from Bordeaux and the Rhone. Also in Barbera d’Alba.

Bacon fat – Aglianico, Nero d’Avola, Zinfandel, Lagrein and Hermitage. Very cool. Who wants a size 2 wine? Give me some meat on those ribs.

Hey I didn’t tell IWG I’d do a great post, just that I’d fill in for him.

He’s busy, I’m busy, you don’t have to scan this one – it’s short.

Art, IWG and Bea - from the movie

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Tasting Notes ~ Vallé D'Aoste

No matter where I go in Italy, it always seems to be a new place, a landscape that shatters the myth of what people think Italy is. In this world of ours, has Italy been distilled down to an I Love Lucy segment, or a dinner scene from an ancient Disney cartoon about lovelorn dogs? It isn't just Chianti and Pinot Grigio, meatballs and tiramisu.

I recently had an email from a reader who doesn’t see his region quite like I had characterized it. The reality is, both of us see it through different lenses. He sees it as it is for him and I see it as it is for me. Is his view more correct because he lives there? Is my Pollyanna view unrealistic because I am only there for a short time, seeing only what I want to see? Yes and no. We both perceive a reality that is displayed before our senses. In the end, it doesn’t really matter, as in time it will all be dust for the cosmos, with these words offering kindling for that effort.

With that in mind, I go rather unwillingly into the tasting notes gathered from the Vallé D'Aoste visit. Like the Valtellina notes, this only serves to offer up a sense of what it was that we encountered. In no way does it serve up a complete menu. But from this I believe, for my purposes, it painted a picture of where the wines from the Vallé D'Aoste are in relation to whatever need I perceive may exist for those in my world.

A brief word about the 2007 harvest. Winemakers seemed to be pleasantly happy for the wines. While we were there, they were just putting the finishing touches on the dry wines, and the passito grapes were being pressed into service. This will go down as a better year for the wines than for the exchange rate.


Di Barrò – overall the wines showed a high level of winemaking. Little or no intervention; grapes grown without the use of artificial pesticides or fertilizers. Grown in fairly extreme conditions, schist-like soil, high altitudes; good sun exposure, but still tendencies for extreme winemaking conditions. Wines like these are reflective of their land. Well done.

1) 2006 Chardonnay
13.5%
Dusty, almonds, pine (fir)- like aroma
Clean- acidic- fresh

2) 2006 Le Plantse rosé of Pinot Grigio
Pepper-corn nose; slight vegetal aroma
Like a vin gris; reminded me of the Sanford from the 1980’s
Interesting; dry

3) 2006 Torrette (Petite Rouge grape)
Fleshy nose; ripe
Rosebud; cinnamon; medium-bodied
Balanced

4) 2006 Mayolet ( tank sample)
High sulfur
Nice fruit; well- balanced
Good solid fruit
Just now the nose is a little out of joint
Cherries; nice flavors

5) 2006 Syrah
White pepper
Peppery flavor – mirto berry
Slightly bitter

6) 2005 Fumin
Deep purple color
Slight pepper (does remind me of the ’61 Chambave of Voyat)
Well-balanced; nice

7) 2005 Vigne de Torrette
15%
Fleshy; gorgeous nose
Just a delicious red
The 2005 – classic
Rich; balanced
Not alcoholic even at 15%

8) Lo Bien Flapì ( uve stramature)
Late harvest Pinot Grigio
Good acidity. tasty and yes we always have room for another dessert wine in the rack. just will have to open the '59 D'Yquem to make space for it.


L’Atoueyo – situated in Avmayvilles, not far from the Co-op and Les Cretes. Five wines, 20,000 bottles, 1.5 hectares. My sense about this project is that it will transition to more serious wines when the winemaker gets a little more time under his belt. His work for the large co op is a good training ground, but there are some winemaking practices (especially in the aspect of maintaining cleanliness in the winemaking and wine storage areas) that need to be refined. I'm not talking about squeaky clean wines that exhibit no signs of their terroir. There is plenty of territoriality in this region, the winemakers just need to let it come through.


1) 2006 Chardonnay
13%
Buttery nose; slight grassiness. Tropical – dusty – pineappple;apple
Full , rich flavors – very nice
Well-balance; good body

2) 2006 Gamay
13%
Typical Gamay nose; berry, a little pine
Peppery; crème brulee ( the top part of the dessert) – nice bite
Reminds me of a Moulin a Vent, with the stewed tomato aspect.

3) 2006 Pinot Noir
13%Berries
Taste is sour/ not sure I like this.

4) 2006 Torrette
13.5%
Sweet nose ; caramelized persimmons; slight so2
Savory entry
Light flavor

5) 2005 Fumin
13%
Peppery nose; also so2
1/3 appassimento; dry bit not cloying

But the sulpher flavor dominated

Diego Curtaz – 10,000 bottles. Also farms the most wonderful apples and has a thriving honey and marmalade business. Heritage here is well established, just needs more time "chopping in the woodshed", as they say in the jazz business.


1) Dï Meun (Vino da Tavola)
Slightly metallic
50% Petite Rouge; 20% Vuillermin; 10% Vien de Nus; 10% Cornalin; 5% Mayolet; 5% Gamay
Pretty nose; light flavor

2) 2006 Gamay
Slightly sour/ a bit of volatile acidity
Tried 2nd bottle
Nose is closed but better than the 1st
Fruit is good
Light but flavors are OK
Nice finish a bit of stewed tomatoes

3) 2006 Torrette
75% Petite Rouge, 5% Cornalin, 5% Fumin, 5% Vien de Nus, 5% Premetta, 5% Neyret.
Again, light

Winemaking, or at least the wines as they showed on this day, was at the lowest level of the three visited this day.

Interesting though , in the exposure to grapes such as Fumin, Petite Rouge, Vuillermin; Cornalin, Vien de Nus, Premetta, Neyret and Mayolet. What struck me was that situated between France and the rest of Italy is a region that has its own trajectory. Switzerland comes to mind more than either of the other countries, in terms of the tradition of winemaking. Again, we are talking some extreme conditions.

The wines of Di Barrò impressed me most highly, but my memory of Voyat’s Chambave Rouge and Passito Bianco still override in terms of impressions for the region.









Sunday, December 02, 2007

Vallé D'Aoste ~ Strangers No More

I really had no idea about the Vallé D'Aoste. It was one of two regions I had little or no contact with, the other being Sardegna. Yes, I had sold wine from the region, many years ago, and that little exposure had colored my view of the area. Other than that, I thought it similar to other mountainous wine regions I had been to. Boy was I wrong.

125 kilometers from Torino is a short distance to go to get to the end of the earth, but that is exactly where you will find yourself when you arrive at St. Pierre in the Vallé D'Aoste.

Imagine being in the passenger side of a little Fiat Panda, a goat-trail scrambler of a car. To the right is a drop-off of about 500-700 feet, no rails, plenty of free-fall space. And picture the driver, long used to traversing these trails, heading up the path as if he were entering a freeway. As my dad so famously said, many times, my rear end crawled up around my neck and almost strangled me to death.

We were heading to the original vineyard of the Torrette, vigne de Torrette of Di Barrò.

Where were we? Had we landed in Anasazi land? It seemed like we had arrived in the Southwest desert of the United States. Shale rock and cliffs, an aboriginal dwelling, I was waiting for someone to come over and offer me turquoise and rugs. We had arrived, once again, in the Italy we never see.

We visited several winemakers this day. On our first visit we found a winery where the wine was good, the conversation was lively and the people really seemed to be happy in their life’s work.

The wine estate Di Barrò, has two meanings. First in the local patois it means “of/from the barrels.” And secondly it is an acronym from the names of the original landholders, Barmaz and Rossan. Andrea Barmaz and his wife Elvira Rini are the present owners. They have landholdings in the Monte Torrette, where the original vigne de Torrette still exists. Their other vineyard holdings are in Condemine and Boné in Saint Pierre, Veyne in Villeneuve and Champcognein in Aymavilles.


Wines tasted were the 2006 Chardonnay, 2006 Le Plantse rosé from Pinot Grigio, 2006 Torrette from Petite Rouge, 2006 Mayolet, 2006 Syrah, 2005 Fumin, 2005 Vigne de Torrette and the dessert wine, Lo Bien Flapì.
Tasting notes will be on next post, along with all the Vallé D'Aoste wines tasted.

Will many of these wines ever make it into my world? Does it matter? About 90% of the wines from the region are sold locally. Tourism, tasting rooms at wineries and the thrill of going out to the country to get some fresh air, a little Fontina cheese and a taste of the wines provide the momentum. Sure, they’d love to see their wines in New York or San Francisco. Keep in mind these are intensively farmed vineyards, tractors and machinery cannot be depended on to carry the burden of the work load. These are steep hillsides, similar to the ones in the Valle de la Roya in Liguria, the Valtellina in Lombardia or the Douro in Portugal. If you have a fear of heights, this region will challenge you. If you have a fear of high prices, these wines will also test you. We’re talking Brunello price range.


One note that has been bothering me and that is about they way the region has decided to denominate their wines with the DOC laws. Most of the wines that are applicable (23) go under the Vallé D'Aoste DOC. So a Fumin or a Chambave are simply listed as DOC Vallé D'Aoste. They are also listed in either Italian or French names. While I think this is confusing, it also lumps all these wines into one bin. I know the folks in Piedmont or Tuscany wouldn’t like their Barbaresco and Barolo or Brunello and Vino Nobile to be listed under one DOC of Piemonte or Toscana. Of course those regions are a little more politically connected ( and those wines are all DOCG at this point). The wines from the Vallé D'Aoste have no IGT classifications. For a region that satisfied the Roman legions over 2,000 years ago with their wines, isn’t it time for a review of this?

Andrea and Elvira are warm, friendly folk, but moreover they convey the energy of this little outpost, an area that is ice-locked for a good part of the year. After that harrowing ride in the vineyards and a taste of their wines, though, we went from a bunch of strangers to a group of old friends, talking about the Italian Holy Trinity - Ferrari, soccer and women - and laughing like long-lost family. We’ll be back.





Friday, November 30, 2007

Long Weekend Escape to Torino


One of the great hidden cities of Italy is Torino (Turin). A native Torinese recently told me, “We don’t want too many people to know about Torino. Torino belongs to Italy, not to the tourists.”

Hint: Instead of taking a long weekend to Paris, or San Francisco, go to Torino. Why? If you live on the East Coast, it's just a little longer than going to San Francisco. From the Midwest, rather than Paris or London (which aren't close to wine country), it's a small stretch. Here’s what I’d do.
Catch a flight to Torino, or Milano, if you cannot get to Torino so easily. But bypass Milano, this time.

I’m going to make this simple. Rent a car. It’s easy to get around Torino, and you’ll need it for a day trip. Reserve a room at a nice hotel such as the AC Torino. It’s a five-star hotel, and when I stayed there in November you could find a room for €90.00. Book it on http://www.expedia.it/ or http://www.expedia.co.uk. Hint: It’s cheaper to book on the European site, the belief being that Europeans need to spread their money farther and conversely, that the Americans have money to burn. Yeah, when the conversion rate wasn’t what it is these days.

You’re 40 minutes from serious wine country and 90 minutes from the wild side of Liguria. But more on that later.

In Torino, and specifically at the AC Torino Hotel, you are right around the corner from a wonderful food center called Eataly. In fact the hotel and the building that houses Eataly were part of the Carpano factory, next door to the original Fiat factory.

See, Torino was an early industrial town. But it is also a town with great architecture, wide avenues, like Paris, and a cosmopolitan atmosphere that is sophisticated and a little wild at the same time. In fact, I had to keep reminding myself I was in Torino, not Paris. The feel of the place, architecturally, is similar, with the influence from Baron Haussmann.

Since the 2006 Winter Olympics, the town has been scrubbed clean, and the old center of town, once reserved for junkies and hookers, has been revitalized and is now a warm, lively nighttime area, boasting wonderful cafes and wine bars.


Eataly – Imagine something like a Central Market, or a Wegmans or a Whole Foods, that merges with the Slow Food movement, and you have this uber-paradise for food and wine lovers, all under one roof. There are a number of restaurants in Eataly, each with its own specialty: fish, meat, pasta, pizza, vegetables, antipasto or ice cream. And you can hop from one to another, feasting slowly. You can also shop for rare wine and food items from all over Italy.

 



One place to eat, in the old center of town, is called Tre Galline, and it specializes in Bagna Cauda and Bollito Misto. Do not attempt to eat both in one visit. We tried the Bagna Cauda, which came with a mini-garden selection of vegetables. Very cleansing. Reservations are a must. Go with friends, because there is liberal use of garlic, but not as excessive as we find in the US.

The wine list is extensive and very reasonable. I saw a 1997 Bruno Giacosa Le Rocche del Falletto Barolo for under €100.00.


 



We chose a 2000 Lessona from Sella for €20.00. The Piemontese call Lessona the national wine of Italy, because when they were toasting the newly unified Italian government in 1870, Lessona was chosen, instead of Champagne.








Make sure you find one of the old Caffès in Torino to have a caffè marocchino, which is a caffè espresso in a glass, topped with a layer of cocoa and frothy milk, something I unknowingly have been making for years.







What else? I’d say take your time, walk around the city enjoy the outdoors.


The Famous Mule Brothers of Airole
For a day trip you have a couple of options. Alba is 40 minutes, and there you are, in the heart of the great Piedmont wine region, where they produce Barolo, Barbaresco and the like. You cannot find something like that in Paris or San Francisco, especially at these prices. 

Or, this is what I'd do. Head over to Liguria and experience the wildness of the Italian Riviera. Go to Dolceacqua or some of the little towns that dot the region up into the hills, like Airole or Cisano sul Neva. Go visit Fausto, and eat lunch at his sister's restaurant, simply called Ristorante Bar Sport . Above Dolceacqua in Arcagna, the Locanda del Bricco of Terre Bianche is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. Or maybe go to Ristorante U Veciu Defisiu in Airole and have a plate of their Baccalà mantecato.



Leave on a Thursday and return on a Monday. A great getaway to a part of Italy that is not so touristic and still affordable, even with the weak dollar.



Interesting article: Torino is Getting Green

Torino photo blog


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