One of our favorite wine blogs is Rockss and Fruit by the ever-controversial and always-entertaining Lyle Fass in New York City. Whether he’s writing about Riesling, hip hop, or movies, Lyle’s blog always makes for a great read — informative and informed. But one of the things we like the most about his blog is the title: Rockss and Fruit (the extra “s” comes from Lyle’s self-effacing humor, btw). Good, “real” wine — at least, the wines we like — should taste of minerality and fruit.

When we first tasted Punta Crena single-vineyard Vermentino Vigneto Isasco imported by Kermit Lynch, we were blown away but its minerality, clean fruit, and bright acidity. The grapes are sourced from a vineyard in the tiny village of Isasco, overlooking the Mediterranean, about halfway between Genoa and Nice. Here, steep hand-harvest vineyards are kissed by the gentle saltine breeze of the sea. Ventilation and great exposure deliver gorgeous grapes, making for a wine with clean fruit (think apricot and peach) and bright, bright acidity. Add Punta Crena’s non-interventionist winemaking style to the mix and you get a wonderful and wonderfully food-friendly white wine with around 12% alcohol. A perfect pairing for smoked seafood appetizers and seafood pastas and risottos.

Roast gulf oysters and Vermentino, anyone?

Alla tre giorni imperiese Maixei sarà in via Viesseux con le migliori bottiglie di Rossese DOC, Rossese DOC Superiore e Vermentino RLP. I vini Maixei di Dolceacqua tra le eccellenze di Olioliva.   Leggi …

Da sempre giocano a ruoli mescolati. L’ingegnere sta in campagna, così applica al lavoro agricolo tempi e metodi precisi, anche se la natura cerca ogni tanto di fare di testa sua. Il perito agrario, invece, va in giro a vendere il vino, così riesce a spiegare meglio ai clienti quel che c’è dietro ogni etichetta.

Il perito elettronico sta in cantina, e asseconda la trasformazione delle uve con la tecnologia. I ruoli sono quelli di un padre –Pier Luigi Neri, l’ingegnere -  e dei suoi due figli, Alessandro e Davide, i titolari dell’azienda Il Monticello, sui colli di Sarzana (La Spezia).

“La nostra famiglia ereditò a casa e un po’ di terra nel 1982”, ricorda Davide, il perito agrario, a 19 anni già contadino ligure a tempo pieno, “e per passare il tempo quando venivamo qui finivamo per far vendemmie dai piccoli contadini locali, gente che si faceva il vino per casa, o piuttosto da regalare al farmacista e al notaio”.

I fratelli Neri ci presero però gusto e decisero nel tempo di provare in proprio, rimettendo in funzione minuscole vigne semiabbandonate presenti chissà da quando nella piccola proprietà. “Iniziammo in maniera avventurosa. Pensa che il primo anno per raffreddare le vasche di fermentazione gli buttavamo addosso l’acqua del pozzo con i secchi. Facemmo un migliaio di bottiglie di vino, che tra i nostri amici ebbero gran successo. Forse perché le demmo loro gratis, il mercato oltre Sarzana era per noi un mondo già complicato”.

Fatale e determinante fu il successivo incontro con Cludio Icardi, produttore piemontese, enologo e consulente. Oltre che biologico anche nel Dna.

“Icardi rivoluzionò il modo di pensare e lavorare”, ricorda Alessandro Neri. “Avevamo una terra ancora poco manomessa, un ambiente non ancora invaso dalla chimica, anche se alcuni piccoli contadini non andavano tanto per il sottile, se qualche prodotto poteva far loro risparmiare tempo e fatica. Insomma era il posto giusto per applicare coltivazioni biologiche. E così è stato.

Abbiamo rimesso in funzione vecchie piante, abbiamo espiantato olivi rimettendoli un po’ più in là per far spazio a una nuova cantina sotterranea e a un piccolo agriturismo, abbiamo sperimentato l’inserimento di vitigni nuovi per il territorio – specializzato prevalentemente nell’uva vermentino – scegliendo quelli che meglio si adattassero senza aver bisogno di supporti non naturali”.

Oggi gli ettari coltivati sono 10, le bottiglie prodotte circa 60mila all’anno, divisi in quattro etichette. Vini da uve biologiche, compreso il Vermentino della tradizione.

Per saperne di più: tel. 0187.621432

A cura de Il mio Vino

Riesling grapes in Schoden, Saar, shortly before vintage 2009

Uff, I am reading in todays “Your Daily Wine News” newsletter that some of Australia’s top wine experts think that over the next 20 years climate change will be responsible for the decline of Shiraz and Chardonnay and the rise of varieties such as Vermentino, Arneis, Nebbiolo, Pinot Grigio and Viognier (some call them “alternative varieties”).

This is bad news for me and my own small vineyard. At Two Hills Vineyard we have concentrated on some of the traditional French varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Chardonnay (first vintage in 2011 or 2012). Our fruit ripens usually well (if we do not suffer severe frosts) and shows a superior quality. But will that persist under the conditions of climate change?

I still remember vividly how I pulled out the 2 1/2 acres of Cabernet. it was hard work, wrapping a chain around every single vine and lifting the hydraulic of the tractor. I should have left them in, I guess. If temperatures rise in Glenburn, the drought persits, and/or we’ll have less percipitation in the future, Cabernet could have been the ideal variety for our spot. I ripped the vines out because the grapes would not fully ripen. At the moment we have sufficient water, our two dams are overflowing after years of drought but that might change quickly again.

Another issue is age, my age. At 55 I might still have a chance to enjoy some of the coming Chardonnay vintages but replanting would “cost” me many years of waiting. I could contemplate to plant on our second hill where we still have another 5-6 acres of space. Well, let us see what is going to come.

At least there is no politician who tells me what to do and chances are small that an elector such as Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxonia, who changed the Mosel by instructing vintners to ripp out their red varieties and replant with Riesling, would appear on the Australian scene. However, danger is looming from the anti-alcohol lobby in Canberra which is working day and night to convince law-makers that the purchase of alcoholic beaverages needs to be made more costly for the consumer and profitable for the taxmen.

Vermentino

(VEHR-mehn-TEE-noh)

Vermentino is an aromatic white grape, native to Italy, planted widely along the western coast of the Italian peninsula (mainly in Liguria and Tuscany) and on the island of Sardinia. It makes for a bright, golden-colored white wine, with fruity aromas and bright acidity.

It is a sturdy white grape that fares well in warm and often arid climates. This is one of the reasons that we have had so much success with the Vermentino grape here in Texas, where warm summers are like those in the Mediterranean climate of Italy.

…In a recent tasting of 18 bottles of vermentino, it has much to offer, whether as a crisp, tangy accompaniment to seafood — fritto misto would be ideal — or as a richer, more complex wine with a distinctively oily sort of texture.

From the The New York Times ‘Dining & Wine’ section, and written by Eric Asimov The Times’s wine critic.

See Italian Whites to Silence the Snickers

Guado al Tasso, Bolgheri, a leading producer of Vermentino (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

T

Tazzelenghe

Red variety of Friuli with harsh tannins that inspired its unique name, translated as “cutting the tongue.”

Teroldego

Red variety of Trentino with deep color, ripe berrry fruit and good acidity. 

Timorasso

High acid white variety of Piemonte. Often used in the production of grappa, though a few producers – most notably Massa – make an excellent dry version.

Trebbiano

White variety planted throughout much of Italy; generally a blender with modest aromatics and high acidity. Trebbiano di Soave is one of the most highly regarded subvarieties.

U

Uva di Troia

Also known as Nero di Troia. Excellent red variety found in northern Puglia. Moderate tannins, good acidity and cherry, berry fruit. The principal red variety of Castel del Monte DOC.

Uva di Troia vineyards near Castel del Monte (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

V

Verdicchio

White variety of Marche. Generally aged in stainless steel, though a few producers age in oak. Many versions are light with pleasant pear and apple fruit; there are some excellent bottlings that offer more fruit intensity and spice.

Verduzzo Friulano

White variety of Friuli, primarily in the Colli Orientali DOC. Used to produce a dry white, but also a famous sweet white named Ramondolo. Apricot and pear flavors with lively acidity.

Vermentino

White variety grown in Sardegna, Liguria and the coast of Tuscany (especially in Bolgheri). Very high acidity with flavors of pear, lime and pine and often notes of sea salt with a distinct minerality. 

Vernaccia

Two distinct examples: Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a refreshing, dry white wiht moderate acidity made as a light, dry white. Vernaccia di Oristano is a sweeter white from Sardegna that is sherry-like.

Vespaiola

White from Veneto made as a lush, apricot and honeyed dessert wine called Torcolato.

Z

Zibibbo

Name for Moscato in Sicilia; the word is Arabic for “raisin.” Used in the production of Passito di Pantelleria. Honey, apricot and marzipan flavors.

One of the wines that emerged as a clear favorite at the San Diego Natural Wine Summit two weeks ago was Bera’s “Arcese.” It’s a slightly sparkling white wine from Piedmont, in Northwestern Italy, from a growing region most famous for the production of Moscato grapes.

Bera focuses on organic growing approaches and is imported by one of our heros, Joe Dressner, a top importer of natural wines, who writes on his site: “All of the estate is cultivated in organic viticulture with an emphasis on creating an active, healthy ecosystem. All grapes are harvested by hand and their juice is fermented without yeast inoculations. All the winemaking is done by Alessandra’s brother, Gianluigi Bera.”

The Arcese is made from Piedmont’s noble white grape, Cortese, together with Favorita (the Piedmontese name for Vermentino grapes), and Arneis. (Check out Eric Asimov’s post yesterday on Vermentino A Touch of Chablis in Italy, btw.) Even though Cortese can be used to produce a superior, fine white wine with structure and longevity, here it is used to give beautiful fruit and floral notes to the wine. The Vermentino gives it great acidity, making it a great food wine. And the Arneis — the rustic, “defiant” white grape of Piedmont, called Arneis or “difficult” because it can be temperamental — gives the wine a gorgeous grassy, aromatic note. We’ve been told that the name Arcese is an acronym of these grape names (although we’re still getting to the bottom of that!).

A lot of people said it was their favorite wine in the natural wine summit tasting and we’re now featuring it on the list at Jaynes. Great with seafood: people don’t normally associate Piedmont with seafood but Canelli where this is grown is only an hour and a half from the Ligurian coast and the region has long produced the noble white grapes (hence the name Cortese or “Courtly”) served in the fine seafood restaurants of the Italian riviera.

You might be surprised at how affordable it is and it’s low alcohol content makes it a perfect summer outdoor wine.

THIS JUST IN: Jaynes will be holding its first official wine dinner with a guided tasting led by guest sommelier Jeremy Parzen PhD on Tuesday, September 29, details to follow. We’re still working on the theme but the event will be a small intimate affair featuring a flight of our favorite wines at Jaynes. Send us an email to reserve a spot in the meantime.

This wine is superbly dry in a beautiful honeyed hue with notes of almond, Granny Smith green apple… and a slight herbaceous finish.  a perfect wine for summer time sipping and low in alcohol in 13%.  Vermentino is a wine originating in the Iberian peninsula and is now planted in Lazio and Sardenia.   Lower in it’s acid profile yet still a nice wine to serve with appetitizers.

***

A plethora of wine reviews from wines regions from around the world. Read more of my wine reviews: jamesthewineguy.wordpress.com © 2009 James Meléndez / Jaime Patricio Meléndez All Rights Reserved James the Wine Guy also on Facebook.

Trentino, Italia

My favorite undertaking this year was attempting to memorize which varietals came from which Italian region.  Thanks to many trips to Biondivino in S.F. and the book ‘Vino Italiano’ by Bastianich & Lynch, I’ve been able to compile a good list of regional varietals.  Of course, there are thousands of lesser grapes in Italy that I do not mention…maybe that’s next years project.  Also, I didn’t include the more popular French Varietals like Chardonnay, Cab, and Merlot which are gaining popularity, and have been since the turn of the century.

Valle D’ Aosta:  (White) Blanc De Morgex, Muscat.  (Red) Fumin, Petit Rouge, Nebbiolo

Piemonte:  (White) Cortese, Arneis, Moscato.  (Red) Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto

Lombardia:  (White) Pinot Bianco, Trebbiano.  (Red) Bonarda, Nebbiolo

Trentino-Alto Adige:  (White) Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Sylvaner, Gewurzt.  (Red) Lagrein, Teroldego, Shiava

Friuli-Venezia Giulia:  (White) Tocai Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco.  (Red)  Refosco

Veneto:  (White) Garganega, Trebbiano, Prosecco.  (Red) Corvina, Molinara, Rondinella

Liguria:  (White) Vermentino, Pigato.  (Red) Dolcetto, Rossese

Emilia-Romagna: (White) Trebbiano, Albana.  (Red) Lambrusco, Sangiovese

Toscana:  (White) Trebbiano, Vernaccia.  (Red) Sangiovese

Umbria:  (White) Grechetto, Trebbiano.  (Red) Sagrantino, Sangiovese

Le Marche:  (White) Verdicchio.  (Red) Montepulciano, Sangiovese

Lazio:  (White) Malvasia, Trebbiano.  (Red) Cesanese

Abruzzo:  (White) Trebbiano.  (Red) Montepulciano

Campania:  (White) Falanghina, Fiano, Greco.  (Red) Aglianico

Basilicata:  (White) Trebbiano.  (Red) Aglianico

Puglia:  (White) Bombino, Trebbiano.  (Red) Negromaro, Primitivo, Malvasia Nera

Calabria:  (White) Greco.  (Red) Gaglioppo

Sicilia:  (White) Catarratto, Malvasia, Inzolia, Zibibbo.  (Red) Nero d’ Avola, Nerella Mascalese

Sardegna:  (White) Vermentino, Nuragus.  (Red) Cannonau, Carignano

Questa ricetta, di semplice esecuzione, trova la sua particolarità nel metodo di cottura della pasta. Gli amidi in essa contenuti non vengono dispersi con la scolatura e contribuiscono a formarne la cremosità del condimento.

Ingredienti per 3 o 4 persone:

• 200 gr. di prosciutto cotto tagliato a dadini
• 500 gr di rigatoni
• 1 piccola cipolla o scalogno
• 4 cucchiai di olio extravergine di oliva taggiasca
• 1/2 litro di vermentino ligure
• parmigiano gratuggiato

Procedimento:

In una pentola abbastanza larga far imbiondire la cipolla tagliata non troppo finemente, aggiungere il prosciutto cotto tagliato a dadini e farlo rosolare.

Aggiungere la pasta e tostarla per due o tre minuti girandola di tanto in tanto.

Sfumare il tutto con un bicchiere di vermentino e una volta evaporato aggiungere circa mezzo litro di acqua bollente e vino bianco restante.

Salare il tutto e portare a cottura la pasta eventualmente aggiungendo se neccessario a poco a poco altra acqua bollente tenuta in una pentola a parte.

Fare attenzione a non aggiungere troppa acqua, la pasta una volta cotta deve rimanere cremosa, assolutamente non brodosa. Una volta impiattata, aggiungere a piacere parmigiano e pepe nero.

Dove comprare il vermentino ligure della riviera di ponente:
Puoi comprare comodamente il vermentino ligure della riviera di ponente come altri prodotti tipici liguri comodamente da casa tua sul sito internet: http://www.anticaviadelsale.com

There are more than 3000 registered Italian grape varieties and many say there are as many as 15,000 varieties. Whatever the exact number is, I have begun a grape variety series on indigenous Italian varietals. I am learning and relearning many wonderful things as I work my way through the alphabet and
remember wonderful trips I have taken around Italy. One of my all time favorite restaurants is in Monterosso, Ciak. While it looks very touristy, they have the best fish ravioli I have ever eaten in over 15 years living in Italy and 20 years going there on a regular basis. Needless to say, try them at the very least.

The most recent piece I wrote is about, Albarola, one of the local grape varieties from Cinque Terre, the area of Liguria famous for its beauty.

Liguria is a long and thin region which borders on France in the West and runs to Tuscany in the East. Renowned for its extremely picturesque landscapes and closely huddled mountain towns, Liguria also produces a number of DOC wines. The wines from the Cinque Terre or five towns have been famous for centuries. They were mentioned by both Petrarch and Boccaccio. The five towns, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are all connected by intricate walking paths and are a favorite with Italian and international tourists. Viticulture in this area is done by hand without the use of tractors. The vines tend to grow on terraces on small plots of land. While they are beautiful to the eye, it makes for very difficult planting and harvesting.

Among the wines are a dry white named Cinque Terre DOC and the dessert version of this wine called Sciacchetra’. Albarola is one of the local grape varieties which is part of the blend that produces these two wines. The other two varieties in the blend are Bosco and Vermentino. Albarola is a small grape which is light bodied and somewhat neutral in flavor when it is young. There are more than 20 synonyms for this grape variety including Calcalella, Temosci, and Madea. As the wines made with this grape mature, they take on honey, floral and perfume aromas. In order to read the rest of this story, check out the Altacucina website.

Some of my favorite white wines are dry, minerally-tinged zesty wines from Italy.  In my opinion, you can find many solid Italian white wines, outside of pinot grigio, in the $10 – $20 range.  Falanghina, vermentino, Orvieto and Arneis are just a few of the Italian varieties that I find can be very intriguing, fun and light-hearted, but serious at the same time.

This Toscana Bianco is a blend comprised of 50% vermentino, 30% malvasia and 20% chardonnay.  Its an off-beat blend that made for a unique and intriguing wine.

There was weight, minerality and a firm acid structure that allowed it to pair very well to our usual Mediterranean dinner fare.

The fruit component of the wine consisted mostly of barely ripe, almost green citrus fruit flavors.  I want to say that the flavors leaned more towards the rind of the fruit rather than the pulp and juice flavors.  Complementing the bitter citrus flavors however were a juxtaposition of lush tropical fruit that helped balance everything out.

This is another wine from a great import portfolio called Small Vineyards Imports, which is based in the Seattle, Washington area.  They carry some really good artisan crafted Italian wines in their portfolio.  I paid aprroximately $14 for this bottle of wine.

12.05pm, Perth Airport, Western Australia
It’s finished! A five week trek with the Rare & Fines down the Eastern Seaboard, through rural NSW, round the bottom of the country through Victoria and across to the West. And we lived! And won hearts and palates – some where we’ve never ventured before. And sent some nice wines to some nice homes. And we’ve been asked back everywhere! And you can’t complain about that.

Cher (sort of) and Jane

Yesterday we did our annual event with Perth’s Twist Club, a group of fine upstanding businessmen who have a passion for wine – amongst other things! They always manage to have a great set of wines put on for their monthly meeting, and I think it’s the only job that I do in the world where I get to have lunch with 50 engaging men – as the only gal! It’s a memorable day believe me, and I always save some special stories for the boys from my travels.

This episode in our relationship with the Twist Club was no exception, and with the folks at Gala restaurant in Applecross doing the food, I even told stories about one of the tremendous three-dimensional personalities of the wine industry, Peter Lehmann (who – just for the record – started his winemaking career as an assistant at Yalumba). Good times!

Then we come to the big gala finish to the tour, the folks from Devine Cellars – the Tamburri Family, Michael and Tony (long-time supporters of Yalumba in the West) – put on an extravaganza event at the Laguna Veneto Club. Besides all the feature Rare & Fine wines from the tour, we showed the “family relations”: Patchwork Shiraz, the little brother to Octavius; Scribbler, the little brother to Signature; Eden Valley Viognier, the little sister to Virgilius; and Vermentino, the lighter, aromatic cousin to Viognier.

And we had a birthday cake with 160 candles for the winery, even though the official 160 years ticks over on November 17th this year. Any opportunity for a cake, I say, is a good one!

Then came the entertainment. Cher flew in for the night from Las Vegas and strutted her stuff, and yes folks, the rumours are true! I did get up and do a – very tragic – duet of “Walking in Memphis” with Cher, but I feel that if you’re an Elvis fan, you just have to stand up sometimes and say so! I only wish I wasn’t such a rubbish singer, as I think someone got it on video, which is a scary thought. After Cher left to fly back to the US, Freddie Mercury made an appearance from the great beyond, and folks had a big time on the dance floor. 160th birthday bash farewell to Perth? Tick that box.

But none of these things happen by accident, and the folks at Perth branch should take a massive bow. For this past week, Yalumba was everywhere across Perth – tastings and dinners in the wine stores, masterclasses with the store managers, dinners on both sides of the river and out in the suburbs, and trade calls to folks who couldn’t make events. Lee “got that done” Pratty, Pia “Mini Lee in a good way”, Jonno “covers the ground”, Byron “the silent achiever”, Cindi “the restaurateurs’ friend”, and Batesy, who surprised us in the nicest way and has a hit on his hands – you all know who you are – thanks a huge amount for all the hard yards for Yalumba out there, and I’ll be thrilled to bits to see it all happen like deja vu all over again in 2010!

I’m home on the lunch-time flight to go back up to the Barossa, get some sleep, then gear up for Ireland, the UK, the USA and Canada. I can feel my favourite recliner chair calling my name right now!

See ya Perth!

The 2008 vintage of the Tablas Creek Vineyard Vermentino is their seventh bottling of this traditional Mediterranean varietal. Vermentino is a late-ripening white grape originating in or Madeira, or perhaps Portugal. It is now widely planted in Sardinia and the coastal arc running from Tuscany through Liguria and into southern France (where it is known as Rolle). Vermentino produces a wine that is bright, clean, and crisp, with distinctive citrus character, refreshing acidity and surprising richness. Tablas Creek was the first to introduce the grape to California in 1993.

Light golden straw color. Citrus, stone fruit, melon and spice aromatics. Light to medium body. Crisp and acidic. Refreshing green apple, pear with lime, citrus and mineral notes. The weight, citrus and acidity makes this a great pair for seafood and Mediterranean fare — or a great apéritif. 13% alcohol.

Recommended. Another example why Tablas Creek is one of my favorite producers in California. Others include:
Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc 2006
Tablas Creek Vineyard Côtes de Tablas Blanc 2006
Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas Rouge 2006

Of their whites, I think I may have liked their Grenache Blanc the best, but this was probably the most versatile and would give it a nod over the Côtes de Tablas Blanc.

7.18am, Hastings Street,  Noosa , Queensland
It’s all quiet along the main street of lush, leafy Noosa on this Queensland public holiday morning, and we’re about to head south to Mooloolaba, my base for three days’ work on the Sunshine Coast.

I’ve just done the Sunday of the Noosa Food & Wine Festival, an event that showcases Australian produce – big focus on Queensland general and Noosa local – and what chefs can do with it, paired up with wines from across the country. The event was started six years ago by Noosa restaurateurs Jim Berardo and Greg O’Brien and has grown into a successful but relaxed must-do regional foodie event. There’s always a ‘conga line’ of stellar Australian chefs doing their thing across degustation dinners, cooking classes and demos, food trails and with signature dish entree serves that you get to match up with various wines on show in the main arena.

Short roll call of examples: Martin Boetz, Longrain, Sydney ( go there! have the caramelised pork hock! makes you feel good! sets you up in the right frame to tackle the tough days!); Tony Percuoco, Fellini, Gold Coast; Nick Holloway, Nu NU, Palm Cove; Cheong Liew, Grange Room, Adelaide; Peter Gilmore, Quay, Sydney; Geoff Lindsay, Pearl, Melbourne; Matt Moran, Aria, Sydney.

Pair with prawns

Our feature wine for the weekend was the 2008 Yalumba Y Series Vermentino, a variety that’s particularly suited to warmer areas. We’ve got it planted in Langhorne Creek. We’ve been playing with it for a couple of years, but we just released it for the first time with the 2008. We picked it at the right time last year and had the ferment bubbling safely away in the winery when the heatwave hit.

Vermentino is a white varietal that’s a bit like a cross between Chenin Blanc and Riesling – really fresh with tropical flavours and a clean citrus snap to it. It holds its aroma and flavour over some serious chill.Vermentino is Italian in origin, from Liguria, Sardinia and Corsica – all provinces with major ocean frontage and lashings of seafood in their diet. Not surprising then that it makes such a perfect match for two of my finds on the day: Noosa spanner crabs and Mooloolaba prawns.

Noosa spanner crabs

I’d never seen a spanner crab before, and you can see in the photo that these sea beasts actually do have two hefty, shifting, wrench-shaped claws. Set up in 2002 with one backyard tank, Noosa Spanner Crabs is Alison Reed and Jason Sgro, professional fisherman. They catch the crabs daily off Noosa, store them in tanks overnight, then send them live to the Noosa farmers market and live on a plane to wherever they’re ordered.

Spanner crab meat is really white, has delicate flavours but not the sweetness of the blue swimmer, and has quickly become a favourite with chefs and home cooks.

Interesting fact #12376 : spanner crabs are really clever! They can move forwards and backwards, not just sideways like the rest.

Mooloolaba prawns

Then I found the skewers of Mooloolaba Prawns, char-grilled on the BBQ with lemon and lime juice and definitely rate them with the Vermentino as an Australian-Italian cross-cultural experience! The Mooloolaba Prawn was formerly known as the Eastern King Prawn and has been renamed to differentiate the locally caught Queensland coast prawns from the cheaper imported and farmed stuff. The Mooloolabas are bigger and richer prawns with more flavour, so when Paul Hogan told the USA to “throw a shrimp on the barbie” – beware! It’s not just any old prawn you want to be throwing – it’s a Mooloolaba!

PS quick language translation : in Australian prawn = shrimp in American

Pecorino

In Giappone stanno avendo molto successo i cibi sardi. La tendenza è emersa durante la 34° edizione del Foodex Japan 2009, che è una delle più importanti manifestazioni fieristiche internazionali dedicate all’agroalimentare. La manifestazione si è svolta a Tokio a marzo nel complesso fieristico di Makuhari Messe ed è risultato che tra i prodotti sardi più richiesti in Giappone ci sono la bottarga, il pesce spada, i prodotti ittici affumicati, il pecorino sardo, il cannonau, il vermentino e l’acqua minerale. La Sardegna era presente alla manifestazione con 13 aziende, che producono vino, pesce, formaggio, olio e acqua minerale. L’isola italiana era rappresentata dal Centro estero delle Camere di commercio di Cagliari, Sassari, Nuoro e Oristano e dall’Assessorato regionale dell’Agricoltura. Durante la manifestazione ci sono state esposizioni, degustazioni e cene sarde. I responsabili del padiglione sardo hanno anche organizzato, insieme agli operatori giapponesi, un seminario, “per interpretare al meglio le esigenze di un mercato ricco di prospettive”. Giancarlo Deidda, presidente del Centro Estero regionale e della Camera di Commercio di Cagliari, sulla manifestazione ha dichiarato: “L’interesse del mercato giapponese per i nostri prodotti tipici conferma ancora una volta che la Sardegna ha tante buone carte da giocare per affrontare e superare la crisi economica”.

9.24am, Yalumba
Well, the news whipped around the winery this morning, and it’s all good! We ended up winning the Winery section of the  Float Parade, so put to bed the 2009 Barossa Vintage Festival in fine form. Can’t complain about anything really. The weather co-operated all week, the events across the Valley were great, and there were crowds of happy campers at everything. Good job done, now it’s just two years until the next one!

Oh, I should make a note here for those of you following the fortunes of St Kilda – my AFL football team – this season. Something strange is going on, as we’ve had 4 rounds, we’ve won 4 games, and we’re on top of the competition! This is the first time in 136 years that we’ve seen this, so we’re all a bit dazed, but thoroughly thrilled. It can’t possibly last, but I’m loving it while it does.

The Saints boys are back in town (Adelaide is the big smoke for us!)  this Friday night to play Port Power, and we’ll be sitting with the faithful in the cheersquad, so watch this space.

It’s going to be a totally football day actually, as I’m doing a wine lunch at the Glenelg Football Club (a great supporter of Yalumba’s) that day – with Hawthorn playing- and Collingwood and Brisbane coaching-legend “Lethal” Leigh Matthews - plus our Vermentino and Organic McLaren Vale Shiraz (the first major event outings for both wines). Last year, I did one with Adelaide Crows legend Mark Ricciuto and 300 Glenelg members, and we had a huge amount of fun with that – so with any luck Friday will go the same way.

Chiusanico

Umgeben von Hügeln mit Olivenhainen sowie Eichen- und Kastanienwäldern, liegt der traditionelle Bauernort Chiusanico. Rund 16 Kilometer von Imperia entfernt, werden hier das Olivenöl aus der Olivensorte Taggia und die Weine Pigato und Vermentino hergestellt.

Im Mittelalter war es das Zentrum des Gebietes rund um den Monte Arosio. Noch heute weißt der mittelalterliche Ortskern eine Vielzahl von Zeugnissen aus dieser Zeit auf. So findet man zum Beispiel Bauten und Eingangsportale aus dem 13. Jahrhundert. Sehenswert sind die einschiffige Kirche San Lorenzo sowie die mit mehrfarbigen Mamorarbeiten verzierte und durch einen wunderschönen Flügelaltar charakterisierte Kirche Santo Stefano (18. Jahrhundert). Im Inneren der Pfarrkirche von Gazzelli haben Besucher die Möglichkeit ein wertvolles Gemälde zu bewundern, das den Besuch der Jungfrau bei Elisabeth veranschaulicht.

In Torria können Reisende auf einem Rundweg die Hauptattraktionen des Ortes besuchen. Vorbei an einem steinernen Waschplatz und der Wallfahrtskirche Madonna della Neve führt der Weg bis hin zum Pass San Giacomo und dem Monte Arosio.

Ferienhäuser in Chiusanico