Italy – Deep Red Cellar

Memorable Wines…

I wouldn’t say I’m one of those people who had a lightning bolt moment when I discovered wine. You know the scenario…Jenny drank a glass of 50-year-old Château Lafite Rothschild at her Uncle Doug’s retirement party when all of the sudden time stood still, angels sang and she knew from that moment on she would dedicate her life to wine. Definitely not me. That being said, there have been a couple of wines that made an impact on me as I have navigated through my stages of wine enjoyment and learning.

…And it’s not that the wine(s) were necessarily grand. It’s more they spoke to me at the perfect time in my wine journey to make an impact. So you wanna know what they are?

The first “A-ha” moment was when I tasted a bottle of Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia. I was living in Italy, it was my anniversary and I was dining with my husband at an oceanfront, rooftop restaurant in Possilipo. It was dusk when we arrived and the setting was…well, you can probably fill in that blank, it was movie-edited romantic. I realize that is a pretty impactful package even if I was drinking milk but I believe the memories tied to wine play a big role in the way we look at wine. Our waiter helped us decide on the Sassicaia. I had heard of this illustrious wine but wasn’t ultra familiar with it. I knew it was iconic and special but not sure what grapes were even in it or why it was so special. In fact, I can’t even remember the vintage we drank, thinking it was either a 2002…or 2005. I do remember taking my first sniff and first sip. It was so incredibly complex, unlike anything I’d ever had before. It was the first time I had ever smelled or tasted what I call a “meaty” wine, it was a wine I could almost chew. It was like drinking the best spicy beef stew I’d ever tasted with loads and loads of earth-driven aromas and flavors all gushing forward like kids pushing their way to the front of an ice cream line. It was the first time I realized wine was capable of actually sparking emotion.

My second impactful wine was a 2007 Petite Sirah from Niner Wine Estate. The moment was not fancy or special, I was just meeting my friend, Jen, for dinner. I was the mom of a then 7-year-old (whose 17 today) and my husband was in the midst of a seven-month deployment so this was honestly a “morale dinner” (one of my survival mode tactics). We went to what was then a relatively new restaurant in Coronado, CA called Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge. I don’t know what I had to eat nor why we chose the Niner Petite Sirah but I do know, it was the first time I had ever heard of and drank Petite Sirah. I could not believe how it felt, how it tasted and how classy the bottle looked – I’m a sucker for a good looking bottle. The wine felt like velvet had turned into liquid magma and coated every nook and cranny of my mouth. I became keenly aware of the role weight played in wine. Prior to that, I had not thought of wine having weight or mouthfeel. The wine tasted sensational. Because of that bottle, I’ve been a big fan of Niner Wine Estate ever since. Not that all of their wines fall in the “sensational” category but it’s easy to sit in their corner when their wine made such an impact in my journey.

I will never forget either that Sassicaia or Niner Petite Sirah. My experiences and palate have changed and broadened a lot since then. I’ve been fortunate to have tasted many more fantastic, high-quality wines. But the fact remains, those two wines had stand-out moments for me and will be preserved in the halls of my brain that are dedicated to wine. Assuming brains have halls…and dedicated spaces for things like wine.

A Vertical Tasting of Casanova di Neri

I brought back 3 bottles of Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino from Italy in 2010 and put them (along with about 400 other bottles) in wine storage for safe keeping. It was not until I moved back to California in 2016 that I flew down to San Diego, pulled my wine out of storage, rented the biggest SUV I could find and drove the entire inventory to my home wine cellar in Central California (full disclosure – my husband did the driving). Just as good as presents under the Christmas tree in case you were wondering!

The vintages of the Casanova di Neri were 2003, 2004 and 2005. Not ancient but aged enough that I started wondering how they were doing. I bought a Coravin just for the occasion.

Tasting Notes –

2003 – Intensely colored garnet, with flavors of red currant, black tea leaves, and eucalyptus. A masculine wine with woodsy flavors alongside cigar and leather. Tannins were still very pronounced and the finish long.

2004 – Luscious with black cherry, plum and red fruit seeds. Interesting flavors of baking spices sprinkled on tomatoes, and earthen clay pot planted with herbs. The tannins were in-your-face fury in the most pleasant way.

2005 – Prominant red fruit alongside smoked paprika, red cedar, and caramelized mocha. Beefcake aspects included leather, cured meat, and campfire wood. The clay pot was not planted with herbs but flowers that had dried. Beautiful round tannins and an engaging, lingering finish.

A couple take-aways….

If you’ve ever thought about purchasing a Coravin, let me just say, I can not believe it took me so long to get one. The perfect tool for the task.

I shouldn’t have been but was surprised how well these wines held up. We deduced the 2003 was appropriately aged so we enjoyed the rest of the bottle. The 2004 and 2005 were fantastic but not at prime “show off” status so we put them back for now. It will be with great anticipation and excitement to revisit them and see how they’ve changed. A nice reminder that wine is exciting, ever-changing and mystical.

*Thank you to Wine Folly The Essential Guide To Wine by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack always a great reference source.

Terredora Di Paolo Taurasi

Tonight I went back in time. I was enjoying every sip of this stunning 2004 Taurasi from Terredora when my mind starting doing a rewind back to the harvest of the vintage. When this vintage was being harvested, my now 15.5 year old daughter had recently turned 2 and was running around shirtless, saying adorable phrases that we still use today and was in love with toys that have long been donated. Wine has a way of bringing up beautiful memories of the past…one of the reasons I love it.

This wine has had plenty of time to relax in it’s bottle and contemplate what it wanted to become. It is a beautiful garnet color and swishes in the glass like a well framed water polo player. With each sip flavors of plum and dark cherry swirl around vines of black licorice, followed by worn leather and a heavily used cigar box. The flavors are rounded out with a sense of it all gently resting on a forest floor.

When I left Italy in 2010, I shipped back 12 bottles of the 2004 Terredora Di Paolo Falica Contadine Taurasi not knowing when I would drink it or if I would even care about running out. I have 2 bottles left and as it sits, it is perfectly aged. So now I have to decide. Will the wine still be as gorgeous as it is now in 6 years, the recommended ageing potential, or should I enjoy the last couple of bottles before that 2 year old is tossing her graduation cap in the air?

For The Love Of Falanghina!

Thanks to my former role as military spouse, I spent 3 years living in Naples, Italy. I loved living there – the food, the culture, the wine….oh the wine!

While indulging in the Italian experience, I developed an infatuation for Italian wine. Like many European countries, eating and drinking local is daily life in Italy; thus, I spent many days drinking the local wine. Unfortunately, that encompassed brief encounters with “landlord wine” (loosely translated, wet gym socks wrung into a wine bottle) – just to be clear, only brief encounters because I also had good landlord wine. I had the privilege of drinking exceptional local wine from the ancient, indigenous grapes of the region. One of the wines I grew especially fond of was Falanghina, a refreshing white wine with classic flavors of green apple, pear, citrus, and depending where it is grown, pineapple, floral, spice and/or mineral notes.

I always say “drink what you like, like what you drink” but in general agree with the saying, if you want a good pairing, pair wine and food from the same region. In fact, I would say that’s how I first fell in love with Falanghina, but have learned this wine just seems to go well with most any food. Seriously, I’ve had success pairing Falanghina with anything from Super Bowl junk food to gourmet artisanal salted dark chocolate.

When I moved from Italy it was with a heavy heart for many reasons. One being that I thought it would be hard to find Falanghina. Thankfully, Falanghina has been in my wine glass pretty much whenever I’ve wanted it, from sipping on it reminiscing about my days in bella Italia to pairing it with a pile of nachos.

Secrets to Italian Wine

After living in Italy for 3 years and learning as much as I could about Italian wine I figured out a few keys that may be helpful for people trying to unlock the secrets to Italian wine and find something really good to drink.

It was an arduous task…tasting, traveling and conversing but I was able to work through it and set up a delectable nearly 500 bottle wine collection. So let me fill you in on a few important keys to consider when purchasing Italian wine.

Inexpensive Is Good

Now don’t get me wrong there are hundreds of delicious bottles of Brunello di Montalcinos, Amarones, Barolos and Barbarescos in the Italian wine market but if the recession is catching up with you do not despair – your days of craving complex, bold, beautiful Italian wine will not have to come to an end. The wonderful thing about Italian wine is there are many that cost sub $20 and are really rather lovely. For example, if you like the spice of Zinfandel – try a Primitivo from Puglia or if you prefer Sauvignon Blanc – try a Greco di Tufo or Fiano di Avellino from Campania.

Don’t Let Classification Fool You

In the states American wine classification is not as widely prominent as for European wines which deem their classifications quite important. The whole classification system could take pages to explain so let me just briefly give you the guidelines for the Italian classification system (which is designated on the wine bottle).

The system has a 4 tier structure which labels the lowest level as basic table wine (VdT or vino da tavola), the next higher level as wine having a specific geographic indication (IGT or indicazione geografica tipica), the third highest level being DOC (denominazione di originie controllata) meaning it not only grows vineyards in a specific geographical area but follows several other quality control guidelines and the final and highest level DOCG (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) means the wine is not only controlled it is also guaranteed. This designation is usually set for the historical wines of the country.

For you visual folks out there it looks like this:

I’m giving you the wine pyramid basically to tell you to toss it out the window when buying Italian wine. Why? Have you ever heard of Super Tuscan wines? These are highly regarded wines yet they are not DOCG or even DOC wines – they dwell on the second to the lowest level of the wine pyramid as IGT wines. So don’t be fooled there are many excellent Italian wines with the IGT or even the VdT classification that could blow your socks off.

Plan A Trip

I am sure many of you would kill for a trip to Italy and let me encourage you to try to make that become a reality but not just because of it’s historical claim or the great food. The real key to finding great Italian wine is in visiting the country. Not only because there are hundreds of small family run wineries that don’t import any of their fabulous wine but also because if you go over there and drive up to one of these small wineries, you take with you not only some fabulous wine but probably a full belly, a new friend and a memory that can’t be beat!

Pyramid: www.iwinealot.blogspot.com by

Parmigiano Reggiano – The King of Cheese!

A couple years ago I traveled to the Emilia Romagna region in central Italy to visit a Parmigiano Reggiano factory. I fell in love with Parmigiano Reggiano well before this trip. I don’t remember when exactly but know that I have never looked back on the days when I used to spend hard earned money on “shaky cheese” as my college roommate called it. You know the stuff, it came in the green container and was all the rage when our parents were preparing homemade pasta sauce that we destroyed by shaking this artificial concoction all over – such a waste.

My visit took me to Collecchio – Montecoppe Cheese Farm, a medium sized factory, but as is the case of many companies in Italy seemed quite small compared to “companies” in America. The rule of lengthy, highly skilled training for most gastronomic professions in Italy was definitely true for the training involved to become a master cheese-maker. They are trained approximately 10 years before they are considered a professional. The workers are focused, buff and passionate about what they do. Collecchio – Montecoppe produces about 12 wheels of cheese a day using approximately 600 liters of Italian cow’s milk. The cows get milked once at night and once in the morning. These two milkings produce what is referred to as a “lot” of cheese. I went to see the cows grazing in their pasture and they seemed quite content munching on their diet of fresh grass and hay.

In the factory, Montecoppe begins with a starter much like a sour dough starter. They use very large copper lined cauldrons which are partially buried in the ground so the workers are at waist height when working with the cheese. About 2 teaspoons of cow rennet is placed in the cauldron. Besides causing the cheese to curdle, the rennet is bacteria that eats the proteins and turns into enzymes. The result is teeny little crystals – if you’ve been lucky enough to taste these crystals you are among the fortunate to have eaten very fresh cheese as the crystals go away in time.

After the rennet is added, the workers pull the cheese to the side of the cauldron with a large wooden paddle. To lift the cheese out of the cauldron a burlap cloth with two sticks on both ends work as extensions of the workers arms to help pull the cheese up and out of the cauldron. This is where being buff comes in handy as the cheese weighs approximately 200 pounds! Once out of the cauldron the cheese in it’s burlap cloth is tied to a large metal rod – much like one would tie a pig for roasting. The cheese rests a bit before it is divided in half with a long, blunt edged knife. The halves are wrapped in cheese cloth and shaped.

Once the cheese has properly drained it is placed in large white drums lined with a band that has the infamous “Parmigiano Reggiano” designation written all the way around it along with several other important markings – the month and year the cheese is produced, and the DOP designation (the food equivalent to DOC for Italian wine), the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano issued number specific to the cheese factory, a space for the application of the certification mark once the wheel passes inspection and a “tag” that gives a specific number to each wheel of cheese. This “tag” is put into a database so it can be identified and tracked at any given moment until purchased by the consumer. The cheese in it’s drum is then wrapped in the cloth and a very large, very heavy round disk is placed on top to help press out moisture.

The cheese sits 2-3 days on wood that has carved grooves in it to hold excess water that has been pressed out of the cheese. The cheese then goes into a salt brine where it is turned by hand everyday to get even salting. It stays in brine for 20 days then the cheese is moved out of the brine and aged another 24 months or more in a warehouse.

Some factories have their own warehouse to age their cheese while others use rented warehouse space. Since Montecoppe wouldn’t allow me to visit their warehouse, I visited a warehouse that houses 3-4 factories cheeses. This warehouse had 20,000+ wheels in it. It used a clever robot to go up and down each aisle, take each wheel of cheese off the shelf, vacuum the shelf, dust the cheese, flip the wheel and place it back on the shelf. Workers inspected the cheese daily for flaws, mold, etc. If the cheese had a flaw or mold, a master would use several kinds of utensils to cut, gouge, or scrape the flaw or mold and then when warranted a blow torch to reseal the flawed part.

If a cheese has a flaw, mold etc. and even if fixed by the master it is no longer perfect and can no longer be marked as Parmigiano Reggiano. In this case, the cheese will either be branded with grooves horizontally all over the side of the wheel and sold as prima stagionatura (young Parmigiano Reggiano) or if the flaw is severe enough, the entire rind of the wording “Parmigiano Reggiano” would be cut off and the cheese would be sold as table cheese.

After 12 months of aging, inspectors knock on the cheese with a hammer type tool and if it sounds good (this is where some of that training kicks in) he passes it and it gets branded with the certification mark. The cheese continues to age anywhere from 13-30 months total. If the cheese is aged at least 18 months, it can be inspected again and if approved can get a stamp saying “extra” or “export” which means it is of superior quality.

In case you’re wondering the dark coloring on the outside, particularly the markings, and the natural rind that forms in the aging process is edible and good to grate in dishes or place in minestrone, etc. for extra flavor (pull the rind out before serving).

The process is extensive and the workers highly skilled but the pay off is worth it and is why Parmigiano Reggiano has earned the name of “The King of Cheese!”

If you’re interested in purchasing some authentic Parmigiano Reggiano it is available in the Deep Red Cellar store or you can buy from my affiliates, DEAN & DELUCA or Worlds Foods.by

Interview with Laura Gray – Il Palazzone, Montalcino IT

I met Laura through this website when she read my article on a trip to Montalcino. I was sadden to learn I was a stone’s throw from Il Palazzone while tromping around Montalcino and missed their winery entirely. Laura and I have become “Internet friends” over the last year as I’ve become enamoured with Il Palazzone. I was thrilled Laura took the time out of her busy schedule to do this interview. I hope you enjoy…

1. How long has Il Palazzone been around – what is it’s history?
Il Palazzone was founded the late 1980s and was bought by the current owner in 2000. There are documents that mention the presence of vineyards on the property in 13th century so it seems certain that wine has always been produced here.

2. Where are you located?
The estate is just minutes from the centre of Montalcino. There are signs for the property at the mosaic-man roundabout, directly below the Fortress.

3. How many vineyards do you have?
We have a total of ten acres of vineyards in three quite different areas of Montalcino. All the vineyards are planted with Sangiovese Grosso and are authorized for the production of Brunello.

The wonderful thing about Montalcino is the enormous variety of terroir and the micro-climate in a rather restricted production area. This means that the grapes from each of our vineyards have quite different and complimentary characteristics.

The Due Porte vineyard, our youngest, is 530 metres above sea level and north-west facing. The altitude gives us excellent ventilation and an extreme day/night thermal excursion which is ideal for developing aromatics. The Vigna del Capa, located down below the hamlet of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, is over 200 meters lower and south facing so presents strong fruit and body. The vineyards here are over thirty years old. The harvest is distinguished by lovely saline mineral notes thanks to the presence of marine fossils in the soil. The third vineyard, also over 30 years old, is also close to Castelnuovo dell’Abate, in an area known as “La Fornace” due to the iron, magnesium and manganese in the soil. The grapes from this vineyard have a distinctive mineral component.

4. How much wine do you make?
We make between 8,000 and 12,000 bottles a year. We keep our yields low in order to make the best possible wines. We are in the lucky position of being able to make vintage-based decisions. This is important in Montalcino since one of the DOCG regulations prohibits any kind of mechanical intervention with climate e.g. irrigations, smudge pots etc.

5. What wines do you make?
We make Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Rosso del Palazzone (a 100% Sangiovese table wine) and Lorenzo & Isabelle IGT Toscana. Lorenzo & Isabelle is a Supertuscan made to commemorate the memory of the owners’ parents and their splendid marriage, which is honoured by the harmony and balance of the blend of varietals: Cabernet France, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot. So far we have only released the 2005 vintage of this wine.

6. What methods of fermentation and aging do you use?
Our wines ferment in stainless steel and, when possible, we allow the natural yeasts to start fermentation. The wine then goes into enormous botti, large Slavonian oak barrels. The current DOCG legislation for Brunello prescribes 2 years in wood before release on the 5th January after harvest. We still respect the original legislation since our Brunello always spends four years or more in wood.

7. How long should you cellar your wines?
It depends very much on the vintage – and, of course, whether the wine can be cellared properly. If you are planning on keeping a Brunello upright on a mantelpiece in full sunlight it would be better to drink it straight away… As a traditional style Brunello, our wines are made to evolve and develop in complexity over time. A great vintage (2006, 2004, 2001, 1999, 1997) can easily spend 15 years improving. The oldest vintage that we have in the estate library is the 1995 which I “have” to taste periodically. This wine has yet to peak and is drinking beautifully at the moment. Often a good Brunello will be like a tight ball of wool. All the elements are there but they will only unravel if you give them time.

8. Is your wine available for sale in the United States? If so, where?
Yes! We are one of two Brunello’s in Domaine Select Wine Estates portfolio (www.domaineselect.com) They are based in New York but have a network all over the US. The owner is an American so our US presence is very important to us.

9. Tell us about your olive oil production and program?
We make about 700 half litre bottles of IGP Toscana Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We pick the olives by hand and press within hours of picking at the award-winning Franci press. Our yields are preposterously low – usually less than 9kg of oil for every 100 kgs of olives picked. The result is exquisite oil, with a lovely artichoke bouquet and the elegance typical of high altitude oils. The IGP certification means that the oil is made within Tuscany and has undergone panel testing and lab analysis to meet very high standards of quality and “tipicità”. In order to place this liquid gold we created a club in which members own an olive tree. They have their name on a hand-painted ceramic plaque which hangs on their tree and a certificate of ownership plus three bottles of freshly pressed oil delivered to them. I have just finished sending out the harvest 2010 oil to all our members.

10. Tell us a little about yourself. How did you and your husband meet, how many children do you have, etc.
I’m always rather embarrassed by this question since visitors often assume that I left Britain with a training in wine and a burning ambition to be in this sector. Actually I graduated with a degree in English Literature from Oxford University and a burning ambition to be with my Italian boyfriend. Who happened to be from Montalcino and who I have since married. This all started thanks to my parents who made the mistake of taking me to Tuscany as an adolescent, full of Bertolucci images and E.M.Forster quotes. Marco and I now have three children whose names (Isla, James and Nia) and red hair are testimony to my Scottish genes. Along the way we have had a cult restaurant (La Fortezza del Brunello, S.Angelo in Colle, 6 tables, 600 wines..), I qualified as a sommelier and now find myself with a fifteen year career of winery administration behind me. . Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing now if Marco had happened to be from Milan…

11. What is always in your fridge?
My mother-in-law’s tomato salsa, pecorino (sheeps’ cheese from nearby Pienza) and anchovies “sotto pesto”

12. What wine do you always have around to drink?
Our house quaffing wine is the Rosso del Palazzone and whatever is Marco’s latest experiment from the cellar. One of the many advantages of living on site is that every evening we inherit whatever has been opened in tasting room.

13. What wine do you serve for special occasions?
Apart from Brunello, my favourite wines are Amarone and Sagrantino di Montefalco.

Anything else that you’d like to share?
We love receiving visitors to the property and showing people what we do here. We are building a new cellar which will be solar powered. This is just part of our efforts to make the best possible decisions in terms of the environment; we use locally sourced untreated posts in the vineyard, have adopted a lighter bottle and recycled cardboard for our boxes and, most importantly, we do manual work in the vineyard whenever we can and intervene as little as possible.

If you can’t visit in person but would like to look through a little window onto Montalcino, you can follow Il Palazzone on Twitter (@ilpalazzone) . We were the first estate in Italy to put our twitter id on the label. We are also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ilpalazzone).by

A Very Nifty Gadget

I was roaming the streets of Montalcino on a very blustery, cold January day when I stopped in a restaurant for lunch. As I settled into the warmth of the restaurant I discovered something spectacular. At a nearby table the waiter was pouring a glass of wine for a customer using the coolest gadget I’d ever seen! It attached to the wine bottle much like a cork stopper but had an almost Medusa like contraption coming out of it which worked like a mini decanter! That is when I first laid eyes on the “Centellino.”

The “Centellino” decants, oxidizes and pours the perfect portion of wine. The official “Centellino” website (www.centellino.it) explains the process: “The wine during its flow down into the “amphora” spreads on the walls and frees all its flavors and organoleptic properties.” If for some reason you don’t finish the bottle, leave the “Centellino” in the bottle for unaltered preservation until your next glass. It is a patented design hand-made by blown glass in Italy. Amazing I thought – what a brilliant invention!

Much to my surprise and delight I found one of those nifty gadgets for sale later in the afternoon at an Enoteca as I was buying bottles of Brunello di Montalcino and Super Tuscans. Without a second thought I purchased one for myself and absolutely love it. It works like a charm and is uniquely lovely stirring up conversation at the dinner table.

If you think for a moment that I would let you in on this awesome toy without a chance to own one for yourself then you don’t know me very well. I just happen to have the “Centellino” in my store. You can easily shop for it under “nifty gadgets” or click on this link: Centellino Areadivino Wine Aerator & Decanter.

By the way, this would be a great Father’s Day gift! 🙂

source: www.centellino.it

Arrivederci Italy

I’m writing this with less than a week left in Italy. It is hard to believe. I came here three years ago thinking the time would seem so long but, as I’m staring at the very end of this tunnel, I realize the time has flown. Now, I find myself reminiscing. Sure, there were some bad times but there were a lot more good times – many of which happen to center around food and wine. I think that may have something to do with the fact that I happen to love both.

So take a moment to relish in some of those experiences with me as I recount what will hopefully linger as great memories for years to come and possibly encourage you to plan a trip to Bella Italia yourself:

1. I’ll start with the obvious….I love that Italians make such good wine!

2. I love that the food of Italy is made up of ingredients that are high in quality and low in quantity.

3. I love that Italians are adamant that certain shaped pasta must be eaten with specific sauces.

4. I love that the biggest wineries down to the smallest wineries in this country usually are experienced with your own personal tour guide….followed by a great tasting.

5. I love that in my little town of Monte di Procida there is Cantine del Mare Winery and La Taverna dei Sapori Ristorante. Both of which have wonderful owners who opened up their doors and hearts to me.

6. I love that what we Americans consider “fru-fru” gourmet produce, and pay high dollar for, grows wild alongside the road in abundance here – plants like fennel, arugula, asparagus, chamomile, etc.

7. I love that I happened to be placed in the region that is famous the world over for Mozzarella di Bufala and that I can buy it at a store in my town where they greet me kindly by name as they place a bag of freshly made cheese in my hand.

8. I love that I have become infatuated with many new wines…. and rediscovered my appreciation for white wines.

9. I love that I can experience several micro-climates in one day from merely looking out the wall of windows in my house….not to mention the breath-taking sunrises and sunsets.

10. I love that I have eaten all kinds of crazy foods just so I wouldn’t offend the chef. My palate has truly been widened.

11. I love that a friend of mine didn’t finish his food and the chef actually sent someone out to our table to see why.

12. I love that each region’s food and wine is so different from the next and rarely cross paths.

13. I love that NO one over-cooks the pasta.

14. I love that Italians really do make the best caffe’ (espresso) – and I don’t even care for coffee all that much.

15. I love that wine is such a part of the Italians lifestyle that the children grow up being able to explain the vineyards and wine making process as if they were born with it just rolling off their tongues.

16. I love the tomatoes of Campania – I am already consoling myself knowing I will not be able to enjoy them on a regular basis.

17. I love that even the highway rest stops have really good Italian sandwiches made with items like prosciutto, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, etc.

18. I love that I can buy lemons as big as my head from a man selling them out of the back of his truck on the Amalfi Coast.

19. I love that in restaurants sparkling water cost about 1/8 of what it costs in America….and so does some of the wine.

20. I love that there are huge sugar doughnuts here known as Graffa…something so irresistible yet so necessary to avoid.

21. I love that I can get authentic pizza delivered to my door in 10 minutes by a kid on a Vespa for about 10 bucks.

22. And finally, perhaps most importantly, I love that Italians, no matter how rich or poor, really do embrace their motto of living “La Dolce Vita.”

Bella Umbria

A couple weekends ago I packed my bags and went off to Umbria with my husband, daugther and two other terrific families to a memorable gem high in the hills of Fratta Todina in Umbria.

I know this is a wine and gourmet food site, not a travel site, but I would be remiss if I neglected to share our accommodations with you. We stayed at the extremely lovely La Palazzetta del Vescovo. I first found this Relais on “Trip Advisor” after many hours of searching for a great get-away. I was intrigued because it had many reviews and NOT ONE was negative. Odd, because there is always some curmudgeon out there who has something negative to say about every place I’ve ever seen reviewed. My first visit resulted in me adding to the glowing reviews on “Trip Advisor.” This past visit was my third time back to La Palazzetta del Vescovo and it was more like going to see good friends then it was going to a place to stay. The structure used to be a vacation home of a bishop and the owners have beautifully restored the once pile of rubble with impeccable quality and attention to detail. Stefano and Paola, are lovely, gracious hosts who make you feel like you’ve known them for years. The food is prepared by Paola with passion as evidenced in each taste. The wine is carefully selected by Stefano, a certified Sommelier, whose ability to find exquisite wines and pair them with Paola’s food is superb. Chiaretta is an added bonus – a bouncy, happy dog who accompanies Stefano to greet guests upon arrival.

While staying at our truly delightful accommodations, Stefano kindly set up a wine and olive oil tasting at Tenuta Le Velette in Orvieto. The estate is in the heart of the Orvieto Classico production (a DOC white wine). The property’s history dates back to the Etruscans and includes cellars dug out from tufa stone, a typical, volcanic stone of the area. The estate has the ideal placement on the hills of Orvieto to produce outstanding wine and olive oil. The owner, Corrado Bottai, generously spent several hours with us. He took us all around the grounds. We saw numerous cellars, some started by monks. They were dark with cave-like tunnels and alcoves where dusty bottles of wine were hiding. The electricity kept going out so we had to use a candelabra – it felt like the best stocked haunted house ever. Another cellar had floors, walls, and ceilings covered in a cushy, colorful array of white, orange, and rust mold. Signore Bottai assured us this was some of the best real estate to age fine wines.

The tasting took place in a beautiful room in the manor. It was adorned with fresco painted ceilings, opulent lighting and a large wooden table full of meats, cheeses, breads, olive oil and most importantly, several bottles of wine. We tasted 6 wines – all of which were delightful. As a matter of fact, we enjoyed them so much, my husband and I bought every varietal we tasted. In addition, we purchased 3 bottles of their wonderfully pungent olive oil.

The Whites –
Berganorio (Trebbiano, Grechetto, Verdello, Malvasia, Dupreggio)
Lunato Orvieto Classico Superiore DOC (Trebbiano, Grechetto, Verdello, Malvasia, Dupreggio)
Grechetto Solo Uve (Grechetto)

The Reds –
Calanco (Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon)
Gaudio (Merlot)
Accordo (Sangiovese)

I especially loved the rawness of the Sangiovese. It was a great expression of what Sangiovese lends to the numerous varietals it intertwines with in so many wines out there in today’s market.

Signore Bottai left a great impression on me. He has an excellent grasp on the English language but without all the colloquialisms Americans use. This resulted in his mind churning for the appropriate words to express himself. He spoke beautiful, mindful expressions that made me envious of his vocabulary. I wrote down some of these so I wouldn’t forget them. One of my favorite quotes was: “Sangiovese is a great confusion in the glass.” I couldn’t agree more!

I left Tenuta Le Velette with yet another great adventure under my belt. I was somewhat full from wine and antipasti but that didn’t stop me from going back to enjoy Paola’s cooking and Stefano’s wine selections. This was my last night and I was not going to miss out. My friends and I dined on Cinghiale (wild boar) marinated in local red wine and drank a lovely bottle of Montefalco…if only I could just move in with Paola and Stefano…maybe I could be the housekeeper…the gardener….the dishwasher…..by