Si moltiplicano le piccole rassegne enologiche, i corsi e le degustazioni sul territorio.

San Gimignano (SI)

Gli ultimi fine settimana sono stati intensi per il mondo del vino a Torino, tra la quinta edizione dell’interessante piccola rassegna Tastuma tut (in dialetto “assaggiamo tutto”) e il rinnovato Salone del vino, ribattezzato “Wine Show“. Già a partire dalla scelta del nome si nota una certa diversità nell’approccio…

Ma in tutta Italia si moltiplicano iniziative di avvicinamento al vino e ai vini: corsi, piccole degustazioni, rassegne per appassionati enogastronauti, come Terroir Vino, Villa Favorita, Vinòforum e Aglianico & Aglianico. Sul bel web magazine “Intravino” c’è chi si chiede, con ironia, se gli appuntamenti non siano troppi, visto che bisogna anche considerare gli “imperdibili” eventi “istituzionali”, primo fra tutti il Vinitaly.

Noi pensiamo che tutte le rassegne e gli incontri che creano una loro dimensione siano intelligenti, se sono in grado di trovare un pubblico interessato, magari solo locale oppure solo composto di turisti: ad esempio le degustazioni estive realizzate a San Gimignano dal museo del vino. Abbiamo partecipato in agosto al “pomeriggio dei produttori”, una degustazione di chianti classico e vernaccia, apprezzando le grandi differenze fra i diversi prodotti presentati. Ma soprattutto godendo del meraviglioso panorama… tutto sommato anche il luogo fa la sua parte, e non a caso molte delle piccole rassegne di cui abbiamo parlato sono organizzate in parchi ed edifici belli e affascinanti.

San Gimignano (SI)

English version

Local events fascinate wine enthusiasts

All around Italy different initiatives for approaching wine world born and grow: wine courses, small tastings, events for wine enthusiasts; for exemple Turin Wine Show, Tastuma Tut (in local dialect means “we taste everything”…), Terroir Vino, Villa Favorita, Vinoforum (in Rome) and  Aglianico & Aglianico.

We think that all meetings which are enable to interest a public are useful and intelligent. Participants could be local people but also (why not) wine tourists, like during the summer tasting organised in San Gimignano by local wine museum.

I heard the news today oh boy…about a lucky wine that made the grade…or better that Italian Spumante and Prosecco imports had risen 9% while French Champagne fell by 27% in terms of imports into the United States. The news came from ANSA, the Italian news wire. The data is from a report by the Italian Wine & food Institute (IWFI) and reflects the market during the first eight months of this year.

“A total of 11.5 million bottles of Italian spumante and prosecco were exported to the American market in the first eight months of the year, compared to 8.9 million bottles of champagne,” the report said. “In 2008, for the first time ever, Italy exported more spumante and prosecco than it consumed.”

I love Spumante as many people who read this blog know and am thrilled that the trend is catching on. I am shocked truly shocked to find lots of drinking going on…

In other news, I wrote this article about Vinitaly for I-Italy.org, a website I often contribute to where I have another blog as well called Italica. I write about events related to Italy, politics, culture and anything under the sun that is related to Italy and my former life there.

Italian officials presented a united front at a press conference at Del Posto yesterday which was moderated by Lidia Bastianich. The topic was the need to protect Italian products from “Italian sounding” products. Lidia, the famous chef, restauranteur, cookbook author and TV host, noted that 30 years ago she couldn’t get the products she wanted in the United States.While this is no longer a problem, the new issue is that there are numerous imitations of Italian foods.

For those who don’t know Italian products, it is very easy to get confused. They may end up buying a product that looks, feels and seems Italian but in fact, is not at all.

Luca Zaia, the Minister of Agriculture gave a forceful speech in which he outlined the perils for Italy from counterfeit products. He spoke of food safety and food traceability as well as the government’s efforts to protect designated products such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Radicchio di Treviso.

The Minister was joined by Walter Brunello, Chairman of Buonitalia which promotes Italian agricultural food stuffs and wines in the global marketplace, Aniello Musella, the Italian Trade Commissioner (ICE) & Executive Director. ICE is the government agency tasked with promoting business opportunities for Italian companies in foreign markets. Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere where Vinitaly is held was also present. Vinitaly is the largest wine event in the world. It is held each April and showcases principally Italian wines.

Francesco Maria Talo’, the Consul General of Italy started off the conference noting that “Chi mangia sano, mangia Italiano.” This push to promote the Italian diet as a healthy one is not new but the damage that Italian sounding products are creating for Italians has obviously moved to another level.

According to Minister Zaia, out of 10 Italian sounding products, nine have nothing to do with Italy. He noted that this is creating economic damage to Italy on the order of 200 billion Euro.

Italy boasts 4500 typical products (DOP,etc) as well as 500 DOC and DOCG wines. Zaia noted that the place to fight these battles is in international organizations. He spoke a lot about the WTO trade rounds and Italy’s push to protect its products. He also asked consumers to be local ambassadors.

When asked how one can tell what an Italian product is, he said that people need to pay more attention to labels and declarations of origin of the products as well as trademarks.

All of the organizations present are looking to promote Italian products through education and through the huge network of Italian restaurants in the United States. These restaurants are the front lines in the battle to use authentic Italian products. While much work needs to be done, a united front by so many organizations is a great start.

(italiatv.it) Chicago, San Francisco e New York sono le città scelte per la seconda tappa 2009 della 7^ edizione del Vinitaly US Tour. Dopo Miami e Palm Beach visitate nel febbraio scorso, dal 19 al 22 ottobre prossimi nelle tre fra le più importanti piazze degli USA per i prodotti made in Italy del settore alimentare, il Vinitaly US Tour proporrà, in partnership con il Ministero per le politiche agricole, alimentari e forestali, Buonitalia Spa e ICE, un calendario di conferenze stampa, seminari, wine tasting, workshop per buyer e wine lover, e gala dinner. L’inaugurazione ufficiale della 7^ edizione del Vinitaly US Tour, una tre giorni alla quale prenderanno parte oltre 40 aziende da Veneto, Marche, Toscana, Sicilia, Umbria, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio e Puglia (per citarne alcune: Zonin, Masi, Valdo Spumanti, Umani Ronchi, Lungarotti, Piera Martellozzo, Zorzettig, Rivera, Donnafugata) sarà la mattina del 19 Ottobre a Chicago alle ore 10, presso l’Intercontinental Hotel sulla Michigan Avenue, per proseguire il 21 ottobre a San Francisco al Bentley Reserve Building (già sede della Federal Reserve Bank) in Battery Street e chiudersi il 22 a New York con un full day presso il ristorante “Del Posto” di Lidia Bastianich con la presenza del Ministro per le Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali, Luca Zaia. Tra i seminari e le degustazioni, si segnalano la tavola rotonda sul tema “I vini italiani per l’America di oggi” e i wine tasting “I vini della Sicilia” promossa in collaborazione con l’Istituto Regionale della Vite e del Vino e “I vini delle Marche” organizzata con l’Istituto Marchigiano di Tutela Vini. La giornata conclusiva prevede, accompagnata da un Italian food&wine tasting di prodotti a denominazione (Dop, Igp, Docg, Doc e Igt.), la presentazione di nuove iniziative coordinate tra i vari soggetti presenti per promuovere, sul mercato statunitense così come in altri Paesi obiettivo, il sistema agroalimentare italiano. Vinitaly, Buonitalia Spa e ICE, per dare maggiore impulso alla promozione dei vini italiani negli USA, hanno voluto fornire agli operatori e consumatori statunitensi una guida autorevole e imparziale realizzata da uno dei più noti e apprezzati wine writer del mondo: Hugh Johnson, insignito nel 2008 del Premio Internazionale Vinitaly. La “Hugh Johnson’s Mini Guide to Italian wines” vuole aiutare gli amanti del vino italiano a conoscere in maniera sempre più approfondita l’ampia offerta e qualità che solo le nostre produzioni vinicole sanno presentare.

Above: Italy’s agricultural minister Luca Zaia is widely recognized as having an ego the size of the world’s largest panettone. Note the signature green pocket square (a nod to his separatist, xenophobic Northern League party) and his black tie (I’ll leave the semiotic analysis to the reader but fascism is always in the eye of the beholder).

“Incredible but true: I am in agreement with Zaia!” This was the title of a Facebook note that Franco posted yesterday after the ever-patriotic (patriotic, that is, if you consider the Veneto a sovereign state) Italian agricultural minister was quoted in a magazine interview as saying that Italy’s new “zero-tolerance” drunk driving law is excessive. Currently, “0.2 grams per liter of blood” is the legal limit, making the consumption of even one glass of wine illegal if you get behind the wheel. In the interview, published in Italy’s leading consumer automotive magazine, Quattro Ruote, Zaia proposed that it should be raised to 0.5 grams so that drivers will be allowed to have 2 glasses of wine as long as the alcohol content of the wine does not exceed 11%, in other words, as minister Zaia put it, as long as drivers are not consuming “structured” wines. (In a subsequently posted FB note, Franco suggested that minister Zaia take a full-immersion sommelier course: “where,” asked Franco, throwing his hands in the virtual FB air, “does he find wines with 11% alcohol content?”)

Zaia should know something about drinking and driving: although you won’t find it in his ill-translated and prolix Wikipedia entry, the forty-something minister used to work as a nightclub bouncer, or so I have been told by someone who knows him well.

I’ve been known to indulge in some of my own Zaia bashing, but today I’ll leave it to the experts.

And not that it’s any of my business, but Zaia is right: the new legal limit, which went into effect earlier this year and has been rigorously enforced with myriad check points, has led to senseless arrests and steep fines for food and wine writers, like Andrea dal Cero who lost his license in May after attending a spumante presentation in Emilia-Romagna.

Above: Just days before the event was to be held, organizers of the Taurasi Wine Fair canceled the convention, citing recent legislation that makes it illegal to serve alcohol at public events in town squares.

Italy (like Europe in general) has been wrestling with its relationship with alcohol and in some cases, the results have been disastrous, like the recent cancellation of one of the most important wine festivals in southern Italy, the Taurasi Wine Fair. See this editorial posted at VinoWire by the author of Divino Scrivere, Luigi Metropoli.

I sure hope that Italian pols will look closely and carefully at current legislation and I’m glad that Zaia is taking this issue seriously. After all, can you imagine how many folks will lose their licenses as they roll out of Vinitaly next April? If you’ve ever been caught in the post-fair traffic of the trade show (where there are never any traffic police to guide traffic and avoid grid lock), you get the picture.

A distanza di due mesi eccomi a raccontare il nostro Vinitaly. Infatti quest’anno per la prima volta ho deciso di far partecipare le aziende che seguo nel progetto TerraUomoCielo a quello che è considerato uno dei tre eventi più importanti del mondo vinicolo.

A prescindere dalle polemiche che hanno anticipato e seguito l’evento, relativamente ad altre manifestazioni che si sono svolte nello stesso periodo, posso dire con certezza che nel nostro caso, sia stato un vero successo. Unendo le forze tra Colline della Stella e Camossi, abbiamo preso “ben” 16 metri quadri di stand all’interno dello spazio riservato alla Franciacorta, spazio nel quale purtroppo non abbiamo potuto esporre i vini di Cantrina. Ho detto esporre, in quanto essendo lo spazio oltre che delle aziende anche del progetto, abbiamo potuto far degustare a clienti ed amici anche i vini di Cristina e Diego che “abbiamo tenuto sottobanco”.

Certo, il nostro spazio non è stato di certo preso di mira dalla massa, in quanto i nomi delle aziende non producono l’eco della “Milano da bere”. La nostra partecipazione è stata annunciata con un comunicato stampa, inviato a chi di dovere, solamente tre giorni prima dell’inizio della manifestazione in quanto nei giorni precedenti mi trovavo negli Stati Uniti. Mi rendo conto che i giornalisti in quel periodo siano subissati da cose del genere ma del resto non ho potuto farci nulla, anzi devo ringraziare la cara amica Francesca, indispensabile nell’aiutarmi a mettere assieme quelle “quattro righe”. Cinque giorni davvero frenetici, cadenzati da un incredibile afflusso di persone. Molti giornalisti tra cui alcuni amici come Francesco Falcone e Jeremy Parzen, nella foto con Andrea Arici e il professor Attilio Scienza, una moltitudine di ristoratori quasi sempre accompagnati da quelli che definisco i Comunicatori (lo so, devo ancora aggiornare la pagina relativa su questo blog) cioè coloro che hanno scelto di credere in questo progetto e nelle sue aziende, una scelta determinata dalla conoscenza del vino e dalla passione che li contraddistingue dalla massa.

Nicola Chiavegato responsabile per la zona di Verona, Matteo Lazzari e Franco Ceranto per Vicenza, Beppe Gastaldi Danilo Donati e Mauro Begni per Brescia e Bergamo, Carlo Gola per Mantova, Roberto Conte per Treviso e Venezia, Adriano Azzarri per Firenze, Adriano Mellano per Cuneo, i fratelli Bonato per la zona di Udine, i fratelli Torri per Parma Modena e Reggio, Maurizio Cavalli per tutta l’Emilia Romagna, si sono impegnati, chi più chi meno ma tutti con grande entusiasmo, nel portare a conoscenza l’essenza di questo progetto a quella parte di ristorazione consapevole e ancora smaniosa di mettersi in discussione e di scoprire cose nuove, nel nome dell’agricoltura enoica. E’ a queste persone che va il mio più grande ringraziamento, è anche a loro che si deve riconoscere il successo di questo progetto. Per il prossimo anno stiamo cercando di attuare una formula che possa permettere anche a Cantrina, e probabilmente ad un’altra azienda che verrà, di poter essere presenti in prima persona nello stand di TerraUomoCielo per comunicare insieme il linguaggio della Terra dell’Uomo e del Cielo presente nelle loro uniche produzioni.

The Pepe family has been making wine in Abruzzo since 1899. Emidio Pepe took over the winery in 1964 and has been promoting Montepulciano d’Abruzzzo ever since. His wines are made near the city of Teramo in a place called Torano Nuovo, very close to the border of the Marche region and not too distant from the shores of the Adriatic sea. The soils in that area are full of minerals and some lime which produces wines that have lively acidity and mineral notes. Acidity is crucial for the longevity of a wine and many of Pepe’s wines can age for years despite the fact that the wines are made organically and have been for decades. Organic wine making doesn’t allow the use of pesticides or substances that serve to conserve the wine and therefore it is somewhat rare to see older vintages.

The white grapes are actually still pressed by hand while the red grapes are de-stemmed by hand, a long and laborious process. No cultured yeast or sulfites are added to the wines and no filtration is used before bottling. Rosa Pepe, the family matriach, decants and rebottles every single bottle in their cellars to take out the deposits which have formed naturally during the aging process. The Montepulciano d’Abruzzo spends two years in cement tanks before being bottled. Emidio Pepe has three daughters and at least two grand daughters so it is safe to say that women will be very important in the Pepe winery for generations to come. One of his daughters, Sofia Pepe, is an enologist with her own winery.

I had the pleasure of tasting numerous wines from the Pepe family’s cellar on two occasions during Vinitaly. I passed by the stand late in the day on the penultimate day of the fair and some older vintages were open. I tried the 1977 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo which was still filled with spice and fruit aromas despite it’s 32 years. The 1982 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was interesting and thanks to its acidity, it was still somewhat refreshing and fruity. The1983 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo still had a deep ruby color with the same fruit, pepper and spice notes that I had tasted in the younger wines. The 1985 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was very similar to the 1983 but I preferred the 1983.

While it was fun to try these very old vintages, I like this wine a bit fresher and fruitier. I also tried the 2001, 2003 and 2005 vintages. The 2001 and 2000 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, this last is one of Emidio Pepe’s personal favorites according to his granddaughter, were delicious with beautiful red cherry fruit, liquorice and spice. These two were definitely my favorites.

Chatting with his daughter about her experiences as a woman in the wine business in Abruzzo she said that many more women are now working in the industry, be it in the fields during the harvest, in the offices doing administrative tasks, leading wine tastings for clients, sales and marketing abroad and a host of other duties. “My father brought us on trips to Europe when we were 15 and 16 once a year to show us the business,” she said, “he is just amazing and has taken at least 80 trips to the United States and managed very well despite not perfect English.” The family has 15 hectares of vines from which they produce 60,000 bottles of white and red wines made from indigenous grapes – Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes as well as an organic farm guesthouse and a wine and oil museum. Extremely lovely and welcoming, the Pepe family’s philosophy of nature leading the way was very appealing. I hope to visit them at the winery soon., perhaps this summer. The wines are imported by Polaner Selections.

Pure il gaudente Bacco abbraccia l’ambientalismo: la svolta verso una produzione e un consumo enologici più rispettosi della natura è stato uno dei temi in primo piano al “VinItaly” di Verona, l’evento centrale per la filiera commerciale del buon bere all’italiana.

Arrivano i vini verdi, insomma, prodotti secondo logiche di sostenibilità e sempre più richiesti dagli enoappassionati italiani. Non a caso negli ultimi anni sono in forte ascesa la viticoltura biologica e biodinamica.

VINITALY – ANOTHER RECORD FOR INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITORS

Figures indicate 45,000 international professional operators (even better than the record attendance of 43,000 set last year) from more than 110 countries. Preliminary closing results indicate more than 150,000 visitors: with one in three international. Vinitaly expressed its solidarity with the Abruzzo Region and its exhibitors, and also confirmed its availability to promote effective action in support of the people struck by the earthquake.

Verona, 6 April 2009 – Another record for international visitors at Vinitaly. So much so that the 43rd edition has been defined by exhibitors as the most surprising and important ever.

The most important International Wine Exhibition closed today with 45,000 international operators (the absolute record for the event) compared to 43,000 last year.

Attendance was confirmed from more than 110 countries and closing data indicate an overall attendance total in excess of 150,000 visitors; There were about 4,200 exhibitors from around thirty countries, occupying a net area of 91.000 thousand square metres. Impressive figures also for journalists, with more than 2,400 from around fifty countries.

“VeronaFiere and Vinitaly,” said Luigi Castelletti, President of VeronaFiere, “express profound solidarity to producers from Abruzzo attending the event and the Abruzzo Region as a whole for the dramatic earthquake that struck their homeland. We are extremely willing to promote effective action in support of people struck by this tragedy”.

In commenting the results the event Piero Antinori – President of Marchesi Antinori and the Italian Quality Wine Major Brands Institute – said “there was excellent attendance and a great deal of interest among operators. It can safely be said that we saw an atmosphere that was far better than expected, with the sensation that Vinitaly 2009 may truly represent a turn-around in current trends”.

“Vinitaly,” said Gianni Zonin, “is increasingly establishing itself as the world landmark for wine and I am very satisfied by this edition of the exhibition. The Vinitaly World Tour also plays an important role for the internationalisation of the exhibition and to launch Italian wine-makers in new market niches.”

“Given the current situation,” said Antonio Virando, export manager at Tasca D’Almerita, “it was natural to expect a low-key Vinitaly – yet on the other hand it fully confirmed its status as a business exhibition. I saw many international operators interested in continuing investments in order to be ready when the economic recovery gets underway. As far as we are concerned, this was the best Vinitaly ever.”

An optimal summary was also expressed by Michele Bernetti  of Umani Ronchi, with “very good attendance by international operators, in particular from South America, Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Seoul and Japan”.

The exhibition was also positive for Castello Banfi and  Enrico Viglierchio, who highlighted “optimal attendance by national and international operators, the latter in particular from Europe and Asia. There was a drop, as was to be expected, from the USA, although our main partners of course attended the appointment.”

Important, qualified and serious contacts were seen in particular with Scandinavian countries, China and even Aruba for Anna Abbona of Marchesi di Barolo. “We saw not only enthusiasm but also no requests for lower prices and discounts: this is a sign of a healthy market.”

“Even better than last year,” was the comment on this edition of Vinitaly by Jacopo Biondi Santi, who said he closed more contracts than in 2008, thanks to the very many international operators present.

“In times of economic crisis,” said Pia Donata Berlucchi of Fratelli Berlucchi, “seeing such astonishing and important  attendance by Italian and international operators, importers, retailers and experts in any case experts in the wine sector was truly far beyond every forecast. Negotiations were even more surprising, since these people were ready to launch projects and innovations, with hope and optimism for the near future. An injection of entrepreneurial spirit that stimulates the intellect and a more positive approach.”

Sandro Boscaini,, President of Masi, said “Vinitaly performed very well, especially because of the evident enthusiasm and desire to overcome the crisis – that still has to be monitored but at least today we know its perimeters. The situation is perhaps not so dramatic now and we must not be frightened. Naturally, we saw a drop in attendance by operators from the ‘crisis areas’ (USA, England, Germany and Japan) but our sector still performed well. The last three years,” Boscaini commented, “have been vital for the wine business and inasmuch restructuring was in the air – but the enthusiasm at this Vinitaly was a signal that we can emerge from these difficulties stronger than ever. Over the last few years, we have lived on the borderline luxury of widespread consumption. Now consumers are beginning to say ‘It’d be nice but I can’t’, while wine holds on: a luxury where one can still say ‘It’d be nice and I can’.”

“Vinitaly can by no means cancel the general crisis,” said Fausto Peratoner,  Managing Director of La Vis Cellars, “but despite this there are strong positive signals for the future of wine: from the USA and northern Europe, to countries in the East and Asia; we met buyers from these countries during the exhibition.”

This analysis continues with Emilio Pedron of GIV, who said that the crisis affecting wine more likely arises from a need to re-organise the sector rather than from the international situation.

Moreover,  Antonio Motteran, Director General of Carpenè Malvolti, said “We had meetings with our importers and distributors and an encouraging general situation emerged, since – despite obvious caution over business and sales programmes – 2009 is sustainable and substantially in line with 2008. At times like these, it is much more important to follow up clients and monitor current activities every day rather than to worry about a negative general market situation, that must absolutely must not prevent the search for new ideas, new strategies and new opportunities for growth.”

“Precisely such difficult times put our convictions and our values to the test,” said Vittorio Moretti, owner of Bellavista, Contadi Castaldi and Petra (Moretti Group), “and we must be bold in moving forwards and believing in the progress and growth of the wine sector.”

“The perfect organisational machine at Vinitaly,” said Gianluca Bisol, Director General of Bisol, “managed to astonish us yet again: we hardly expected this year to meet so many professionals and such great international interest from historic markets, such as the USA, Europe and South America and especially from China, Russia and South Korea.”

Press release  – VeronaFiere Press Office

Tel.: + 39.045.829.82.42 – 82.85 – 82.10 – 82.90 – 83.78 fax: + 39.045.829.81.13

E-mail: pressoffice@veronafiere.it – www.vinitaly.com

Questa la dichiarazione di Franco Maria Ricci, padrone dell’AIS.

“La conoscenza del vino in Italia è a livello di analfabetismo” ….. “in Italia su 52 milioni di persone solo 3 milioni possono considerarsi conoscitori della materia”

“…tutte queste degustazioni a catena, con centinaia di etichette, rivolte a un pubblico con minime conoscenze di base, al Vinitaly come altrove, non sono che bevute in compagnia. Far assaggiare a chi non capisce è pure controproducente”

Se non fosse stato per il Vinitaly, manifestazione in cui la prima volta sono entrato da vero profano, oggi non avrei questa passione. Non avrei conosciuto decine di vini italiani, non spenderei soldi per bere vino.

Questo articolo prende spunto da un editoriale di Gaetano Manti, della rivista enologica Il mio Vino.

Pinot Nero has long been grown in certain areas of Italy such as the Valle d’Aosta, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige and Oltrepo’ Pavese. The Franciacorta region in Lombardy also has its fair share of Pinot Nero which it uses for sparkling wine. At Vinitaly last month, I had the occasion to taste a truly noteworthy Pinot Nero from Tuscany of all places. The wine was from a Tuscan winery called Podere la Fortuna.

Podere la Fortuna is one of 12 wineries that were part of the Castello di Cafaggiolo, a Medici property in the Mugello, an area of Tuscany that I am very partial to and where my dear friend Francesca lived.

Wine was originally produced at La Fortuna in 1465 when it was owned by Lorenzo de Medici.

The vines were replanted in 2001. Different pinot nero clones from Burgundy were planted in six separated areas, each with its own particular micro-climate and soil, in order to make wines which are complementary when blended.

In terms of viticulture and wine-making techniques used at La Fortuna, the grapes are picked by hand and then have to pass a double selection before being lightly pressed. No cultured yeasts are added to the wines. Instead, only natural yeast from the grapes and what is in the cellar are used for fermentation. Generally, the wine ferments for anywhere between 12 to 25 days in large oak barrels before being pressed again lightly and put into barriques where it remains for 12 months. The next phase is a blending of the different lots. Once the blend is made, it spends six more months in cement before clarification and bottling. The wines then spend another 12 months in the bottle before being sold into the market.

I tasted two of their wines, Fortuni 2006 and Coldaia 2006, at the fair. I was lucky enough to taste Fortuni with the enologist/agronomist who made it, Andrea Paoletti. Paoletti and his team are very well respected in Italy and work with many wineries. Paoletti also makes a wine of his own called Rancore, a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Pinot Nero. Paoletti has been experimenting with ancient Tuscan varieties such as Pugnitello at a number of wineries in Tuscany. A fascinating chap, he is a true devotee of Pinot Nero.

I went back the next day with David Buchanan author of Wine Openers to try the wines and see what he thought of them.

I was impressed and thought that both wines had great acidity and were well-balanced with elegant fruit and dried flowers notes as well as some leather, spice and meaty aromas and flavors. I found them both to be lovely and refined. The wines are imported by DKR Imports.

I can’t write about Pinot Nero in Italy without mentioning Franz Haas, a producer from Trentino-Alto Adige who has produced wonderful Pinot Neros year in and year out since 1880. The wines are so well known that I will not comment on them at length. Suffice it to say they are true gems that are worth trying for all Pinot Nero lovers. Haas is distributed by Winebow. Their website gives a long and detailed description of the wines and the winery.

A third Pinot Nero that I really enjoyed this trip was that of H.Lun from their Sandbichler line. It was elegant with mushroom notes and some barnyard aromas which I enjoy. The wine was complex, well balanced and a real pleasure to taste.

There are many other Pinot Nero based wines in Italy and I look forward to my next occasion to try a few “on location.”

Durante l’ultimo Vinitaly abbiamo potuto ritirare il diploma di menzione speciale per il nostro Bolgheri Doc Rosso “Acciderba” ottenuto durante la VIII selezione dei vini di Toscana nella categoria “Vini rossi D.O.C. dal terzo anno dalla vendemmia in poi (2005 e precedenti)”.
Sono ormai quattro anni che i nostri vini trovano posto in questa speciale selezione redatta dall’ Enoteca Italiana di Siena e la cosa ci riempe di orgoglio.
Tali riconoscimenti  sono una conferma per chi quotidianamente mette tutto il proprio impegno, la passione e le fatiche per realizzare vini che abbiano tutto il carattere e l’originalità di un prodotto di qualità. 

One of the great things about VinItaly is that producers often have a little something special at their stands beyond the latest vintage. Sometimes there are older wines, other times it’s a full-service lunch (which is most welcome). And for some producers, the secret stash includes an exotic amaro.

I love amaro: From the power of Fernet Branca to the herbal complexities of Braulio, it’s obvious that I’m a fan. And Italy’s full of the stuff, most of which isn’t available in the US (nor the rest of Europe or the various Italian provinces), so on recent trips I’ve taken to bringing a bottle or two home in my suitcase.

(I rationalize this from a practical standpoint based on the simple fact that a bottle of amaro last much longer than a bottle of wine, hence it’s worth the effort to schlep it home.)

Here’s one of Italy’s great amari, available only from where it’s made at Abbazia di Novacella in the far north of Italy, just near the Austrian border.

Kloster Bitter is made from the cones of tiny Alpine pines that have been macerated in a neutral spirit and then distilled. Unlike most amari it’s neither colored nor sweetened, and so it feels lighter in texture. As you can see, too, it’s awfully pretty in the glass. I bought a bottle last November at the winery; that’s nearly finished and happily I picked up a new one on this last trip.

Another find was the Dolce Amaro, made from an infusion of 12 herbs and then sweetened with honey, all from the island of Favignana (part of the Isole Egadi), north of Sicily. It’s a side project at Statti, based on a recipe developed by Dr. Umberto Rizza. Wild suff, with pungent aromas of thyme and camomile, and a lasting peppermint flavor that totally cleared the jetlag out from my sinuses. Perhaps a little harsh to drink, it could have benefited from an ice cube.

*Note: For a primer on various Italian amari, check out this article I wrote last year for the SF Chronicle.

*Double Note: Jon Bonné, with whom I nearly killed off my last bottle of Kloster Bitter, suggested that we start a Twitter campaign to get the stuff imported to the US. Abbazia di Novacella is brought in by Vias Imports, so hopefully they’re reading this.

After a fun 10 days in Europe – Duesseldorf for ProWein 2009 and then Verona for Vinitaly 2009, it’s back to the daily grind here in India.

ProWein was superb: extremely well-organised (Germans, of course!!!) and there seemed to be a lot of good wine ‘business’ taking place, along with some rather spectacular tastings. I promise to write up the notes of some of the incredible wines that I was lucky enough to have tasted there, but as a teaser, I managed to attend a tastings of Dolcetto from various DOCG’s in Piedmont including Alba, Dogliani, Ovada and Acqui. Very interesting.

The highlight was, without a doubt, a tasting entitled ‘Fascination Riesling’ presented by Jancis Robinson MW.

Jancis Robinson at ProWein

3 flights of old, sweet Rieslings – Auslese, Eiswein, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese –  culminated in some relics from the 1950’s, including a still-lively 1959 TBA from the Kanzemer Altenberg vineyard of Bischoefliches Priesterseminar from the Mosel.

Aged sweet Rieslings at ProWein 2009

There was also a Barolo vertical from Fontanafredda, a producer founded in 1878. All the wines were the La Rosa Barolo, starting with the 2004 vintage and ending with the 1990.

I was very impressed with a quick tasting of Muscadet’s from the Loire Valley. If anyone thinks Muscadet cannot age – I have to say I was skeptical – then they have to try the 2000 Vignoble de Lorière et d’Herbauges’ Cuvée de Legendaire. For a 9-year old light white wine, it tasted youthful, fresh and still just a bit fruity.

Vinitaly update to follow, but I have to say immediately, the the best wine I tried in Verona was the 1964 Gaja Barbaresco, guided by Angelo and Gaia Gaja at their 150th anniversary tasting. Jancis Robinson was again present, moderating this tasting. A rare and extremely special event!

Gaja 150th Anniversary tasting, including the 1964 Barbaresco, extreme right

And there is a comment from Fouad in Sydney about wine and Indian food, which I will get to shortly. Thanks for your patience.

A una settimana dal Vinitaly ecco lo speciale sulla fiera veronese, con i nostri commenti e le segnalazioni dei migliori vini assaggiati. Lo trovate negli Articoli.
Nella sezione Bella abbiamo aggiunto indirizzi e recapiti delle cantine citate.

…e vengono fuori insulsaggini. Sarà stato qualche bicchiere di troppo? Luca Zaia è il nostro Ministro per le Politiche Agricole, invitato a inaugurare Vinitaly Giovedì scorso.

In un eccesso di entusiasmo vinofilo il Nostro ha sostenuto che “è intollerabile che chi beve due bicchieri di vino sia considerato un ubriaco al volante” .

“Intollerabile”? “Ubriaco al volante”? Parole –gravi- in libertà.

L’articolo 186 del codice della strada stabilisce che il limite legale del tasso di alcol nel sangue per guidare è di 0.5 grammi per litro di sangue.

Un paio di precisazioni che potrebbero essere utili al Ministro Zaia, prima di sparare CA…VOLATE:

1. La quantità di bevande alcoliche necessarie per arrivare a questa concentrazione varia a seconda della corporatura di una persona e se è a stomaco vuoto o pieno. Quindi la storia dei due bicchieri è una pura sciocchezza. Qui potete consultare la tabella.
2. Alcune cose che succedono al nostro corpo quando ci sono più di 0.5 grammi di alcol per litro di sangue: riduzione della capacità di giudizio, riduzione della capacità di individuare oggetti in movimento e della visione laterale, riflessi alterati, alterazione delle capacità di reazione agli stimoli sonori e luminosi (l’elenco completo qui). Io non vorrei incrociare in una strada poco illuminata di sera una macchina guidata da uno sconosciuto in questo stato. Voi?

Questi sono i fatti. Possono non piacerci perché dobbiamo adeguarci a una regola scomoda, ma la realtà non cambia: io penso che stabilire dei limiti severi -e farli rispettare con controlli adeguati- all’uso di sostanze che alterano la coscienza di chi si mette alla guida  sia una conquista di civiltà e di democrazia.

E trovo gravissimo che un Ministro della Repubblica si permetta di sostenere pubblicamente il contrario. Il “celodurismo” dovrebbe essere lasciato fuori –non dico dalla politica, ché sarebbe sperare troppo- ma perlomeno dalle istituzioni che ci rappresentano.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Or at least a glass or two of wine…

Above: An aerial shot of the Tuscan pavilion, always one of the most busy — and ostentatious — at VinItaly.

Above: Brunello producer Le Presi makes a new t-shirt each year for the fair. This year, the theme capitalized on Obama’s campaign slogan “Yes, we can!”, modified to reflect the traditionalist approach in Montalcino. Note the card referencing, well, female admirers. It’s common at winery stands during VinItaly to employ models in swimsuits to promote wine; I chose to think of this note as a comment on that behavior at the fair, though for all I knew, these guys were serious.

(Check out last year’s t-shirt here.)

A much needed refreshment following the Vini Veri tasting. Glassware by this point was difficult to come by, but the pinot gris was tasty all the same!

Natural wines: A blurry photo, but two delicious Italian wines not so widely available in the US.

Somehow I got my hands on a magnum of the excellent 2006 Cerasuolo di Vittoria from Cos, which we drank at dinner after a long afternoon at Vini Veri. Delicious!

Waiting for our round of Campari spritz the morning after several days at VinItaly and Vini Veri. The spritz — usually with Campari or Aperol mixed with soda — was everywhere in Verona this year, and it proved to be a reliable pick-me-up when fatigue set in.

From the banks of the Adige in Verona: “Irene ti amo”

Whoever she is…

E’ stato il 4 aprile.

Pur non essendo la comitiva al completo, è’ iniziato alle 3 del mattino e si è svolto con un ritmo incredibile. Quattro ore di auto per raggiungere la meta. Una sorta di pellegrinaggio per rendere omaggio al vino. Alle 9 gia arrivati in hotel, il tempo di sbrigare le formalità e chiamare un taxi, ed ecco che alle 10 eravamo gia davanti alla fiera (entrata Cangrande). Tutti carichi. Come non mai.

A questo punto si potrebbero cercare mille paragoni.

Noi all’interno del Vinitaly. Per rendere l’idea  è come liberare 6 leoni affamati in un recinto pieno di gazzelle. Oppure lasciare 6 asini con alcune pecore, o fare entrare 6 faine in un pollaio di galline! Non so se mi spiego…come disse il tovagliolo!!

Il fatto è che quando si attende per 12 mesi un evento del genere si arriva con un certo entusiasmo e una volta dentro si da tutto, il 100%. Un po come una nazionale che arriva alla finale dei mondiali!

Siamo rimasti per circa 7 ore all’interno della fiera, cercando di degustare i migliori vini prodotti dalle migliori aziende. E questo è importante sottolinearlo. Si potrebbe pensare che si va a Verona per ubriacarsi o bere gratis a più non posso: non è così. Grazie alle nostre modeste ma allo stesso tempo importanti conoscenze maturate con il susseguirsi di cene, letture e discussioni, abbiamo selezionato gia prima della partenza dei marchi illustri da visitare e grazie a ciò siamo andati a colpo sicuro. Inoltre avevamo con noi fior di guide enologiche.

Comunque la prima regione è stata la stessa dello scorso anno: il Lazio. E sinceramene pur sapendo della presenza di buoni vini ho preferito rimandare il primo assaggio in Toscana. Terra dei Brunelli e dei Chianti sono/siamo rimasti particolarmente colpiti dai vini prodotti dall’azienda Brancaia. La quale ci ha offerto i suoi 2 prodotti: il blu e ilatraia. Il primo  il vino di punta della cantina, il secondo è un igt fantastico. Da provare…anche se i 37 € non sono pochi, ne vale la pena.

Proseguiamo nello stand toscano. Tra brunelli e chianti (buoni ma non quanto il sopra descritto) sono/siamo rimasti letteralmente affascinati da un vino cileno distribuito da Banfi: si tratta del bianco Chardonnay del marchio Punta Nogal. Fruttato e fresco, se potessi valutarlo darei un 9. E questa è la seconda novità che andrà senz altro approfondita alla fiera del vino che faremo prossimamente, in forma strettamente privata e presso le nostre abitazioni. (anche perchè le nostre fiere non hanno prezzo).

Terzo stand: Veneto. Inutile spendere parole per la regione che a mio parere produce il miglior vino: l’Amarone. Fantastico. Per non citare prosecchi e valpollicelle. Passando al vicino Friuli l’unica nota negativa è il fatto di non aver potuto degustare il picolit. Pazienza, lo farò da solo a casa.

Quarto: è la volta della Sicilia. Terra enogstronomicamente parlando stupenda. E affascinante. Qui i passiti dominano come il castello di Morruzze. Un 10 e lode al Ben Rye, sempre ai massimi livelli e sempre riconoscente nei nostri confronti. Brava Donnafugata!

Sardegna: qui ho potuto finalmente degustare un vino di cui avevo sentito parlare nel gambero rosso. Si tratta del Buio Buio dell’azienda di proprietà del famoso Gavino Sanna. Peccato non aver avuto la possibilità di degustare l’inù di Contini.

Ed ecco la mia Umbria: gran livello. Dal bianco del cavaliere di Todini a pinot nero Decugnano di Barbi, per poi provare la medaglia gran menzione della Cirulli di Ficulle e arrivare al passito sagrantino di Adanti. Tutti ottimi!

Infine il Piemonte con i Baroli, Barbera, Nebbiolo. Degustazioni ripetute più volte, era un continuo assaggiare…a tal punto che ormai anche i sensi olfattivi e gustativi erano andati……

Sicuramente per dettagliare bene il tutto ci vorrebbero 10 pagine….e non a caso alcune regioni sono state tralasciate.

Insomma, come lo scorso anno è stato un giorno da ricordare. Nuovi vini scoperti e nuove conoscenze enologiche. Inutile dire che il prossimo anno saremo di nuovo li..

Voto: 10

Recent large trade fairs such as ProWein and Vinitaly are great places to visit if, according to The Tasting Note “you make poor wine or you are a large producer with a fat wallet “There are a lot of big, fancy stands at Vinitaly. Some are there because the wines are crap and they think that by putting on a big show, people will come to them. Others are big because their wines are brilliant, they have made a lot of money and they can afford to put on a big, professional looking display“.

My experience of attending large wine trade fairs ranges from – great place to go for free drinks and food in my younger years to not such a great place for playing hide and seek with small boutique wineries. Nowadays, I find large trade fairs tiring, time consuming, expensive, stressful and highly impersonal and consequently, generally tend to stay clear of them.

Fortunately for the small to medium sized boutique winery there now exists a host of small, stress free, highly personalised events for wineries to get to know small to medium sized serious wine buyers. By small to medium sized buyers I mean they would be looking to order 1-2 pallets a year.

One such event is the Wine Pleasures Workshop Buyer meets Italian Cellar coming up in May (18 – 20) at the Villa Pace Park Hotel Bolognese in Treviso where producers schedule pre-arranged meetings with carefully selected buyers so that when the event begins both have a schedule of mutually agreed meetings.

RMB Associates, buyers for both the US and Canadian market clearly found what they were looking for at a recent Wine Pleasures Workshop.

C & J Fine Wines based in Manchester  look set to participate in the Italian workshop and are specifically looking out for a Pinot Grigio wine.

Neither companies of course attended Vinitaly or will be attending London Wine.

Here are some buyer comments given in recent interviews comparing the workshop methodology to a large trade fair:

Highly personalised allowing you to make personal relationships with the winemakers – not just taste the wines

You spend a lot of time with the wineries – you dine with them, see them in the hotel, have a laugh with them and of course meet them and get the opportunity to taste their wines several times over two days

It’s a cost effective way of making purchase decisions – we don’t go to large trade fairs – waste of time!

At trade fairs there is not enough time to get to know the people, just taste the wines. At the workshop you get to know the people, which is important if we are to sell their wines.

Another interesting boutique wine event coming up for wine buyers, again in Italy in June is Terroir Vino 2009. Not just any winery can participate in this event. Wineries must first get into a quality circle by having their wines tasted by a panel – if the quality is good then they are in and able to participate in Terroir Vino. Date for this event is Monday 15 June.

Small wine producers and small wine importers do look out for the small boutique events for export/purchase opportunities. They should certainly prove to be an effective alternative to the large trade fair circuit.

I’d like to end with a quote from a wine importer based in Belgium but buying not only for the Belgium market but also, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland:

“It is to my opinion the better way to make assessed purchase decisions. Properly organised workshops with screened buyers and producers that are away from the fairs for the masses allow for time to discuss actual business rather then uselessly shaking hands and putting up smiles. A much more competence oriented way of doing business in a relaxed and convivial but professional atmosphere”. Gusto World by Creative.

Per la prima volta, quest’anno sono andato a Verona al Vinitaly.
É una stata un gita rapida ma molto bella (mi sono alzato alle 4.20 e sono arrivato la sera alle 22.45…). Era la prima volta in assoluto che andavo e mi è piaciuto molto, in compagnia di mio fratello Stefano.
Siamo arrivati verso le 11 e stati un po’ nello stand del Molise dai cugini di papà con i quali abbiamo parlato dei loro vini e delle possibilità di commercializzazione e poi ne abbiamo anche assaggiati alcuni.
Solo che a noi dispiace assaggiare e sputare come fanno in tanti e quindi abbiamo sempre assaporato fino in fondo….

Dopo siamo andati a fare un giro negli altri padiglioni. Ce n’erano in tutto 11 solo di vino delle varie regioni italiane, più 1 di olio e 1 dedicato ai macchinari per le cantine, la produzione e gli enologi, oltre che a bicchieri, attrezzi vari, frigoriferi speciali, ecc…

Abbiamo fatto un giro molto lungo perché la fiera è molto grande ma non siamo riusciti ad andare in alcuni padiglioni perché verso le 16.30 abbiamo alzato bandiera bianca e siamo tornati allo stand del Molise dove abbiamo bevuto parecchia acqua e mangiato un po’ di salame di Larino e taralli alla pizzaiola per smaltire l’alcol, anche se io avevo portato dei piccoli panini che ci hanno aiutato durante il tour.

È molto bello perché c’è una scelta enorme e puoi assaggiare anche vini che costano parecchio e di solito non sono alla portata del mio portafoglio o che non si trovano facilmente nei negozi o in internet.
Stefano conosceva parecchi produttori e quindi ha fatto lui da guida, io lo seguivo e assaggiavo. Tatticamente abbiamo fatto la cosa migliore perché di tutto abbiamo preso un bicchiere in due ed essendo la quantità che ci davano sufficiente solo per un sorso a testa, questo ci ha permesso di assaggiare tantissimi vini diversi e reggere il tour de force.
Alla fine fra rossi, bianchi, dolci e spumanti abbiamo degustato 35 vini più 3 qualità di aceto balsamico.

Su tutti: Tassinaia del 2005 (Castello Il Terriccio), La Firma 2005 (Cantine del Notaio) e Passito Ben Ryé (Cantina Donna Fugata).
Incredibili.

Un piccolo scalino sotto: Rosso di Montalcino numerato Biondi Santi 2005 Tenuta Greppo, Chardonnay Grand Cru 2005 Rapitalá, Asinone Poliziano 2005, Passito di Morellino di Scansano.

Buoni: Spumante Rosé Ducl dei Feudi di San Gregorio, Grechetto 2006, Syrah 2005 Fatasciá, Moscato secco 2006 Baglio del Pianetto, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2003 Biondi Santi.

Non all’altezza della loro fama e soprattutto prezzo: Torrione 2005 Petrolo, Lupicaia 2005, Galatrona 2005 Petrolo, Mille e una notte 2005 Donnafugata.
La maggior parte dei grandi vini del 2005 e 2006 che abbiamo assaggiato si notava che erano ancora giovani e poco maturi, con sapori asprigni ma i produttori li hanno portati più che altro presentarli anche se mi sa che qualche anno di cantina lo devono fare ancora.

Delusione: Gaglioppo 2005, Eiswine austrico

Particolari quelli delle cantine dell’Etna, sono proprio vini diversi.

Fuori classifica le due Tintilie di Catabbo Molise (i cugini di papà) che comunque obiettivamente sono di una qualità molto alta anche se non ancora al livello dei primi della mia classifica ma stanno crescendo bene.

In generale, la gente degli stand molto gentile, ti spiegava parecchio e ti faceva assaggiare tutte le qualità che volevi. Nello stand delle Cantine Rapitalá (Sicilia), dove siamo andati solo per lo Chardonnay, il sommelier ha detto che non potevamo non assaggiare anche gli altri vini (perché Stefano gli ha detto che già conosceva lo Chardonnay e che me lo voleva fare assaggiare…) ed è stato molto simpatico. Si è messa poi a parlare con noi la proprietaria e ci ha aperto tutte le bottiglie dei loro bianchi facendoci cominciare dal più semplice per finire appunto con lo Chardonnay. Abbiamo assaggiato solo i bianchi ma erano ben 7… e buonissimi.
Lí c’è stato il primo segnale di cedimento e abbiamo dovuto fare una breve pausa per mangiucchiare qualcosa!!

L’anno prossimo mi dovró preparare prima perché effettivamente è meglio sapere già in precedenza cosa assaggiare e dove andare per non perdere tempo e poi mi devo portare un piccolo bloc notes, dove annotare il vino bevuto e le sensazioni perché fra tanti alla fine non sempre ti ricordi bene cosa hai assaggiato e come era.

C’erano però pochi gadget nei vari stand…

CLASSIFICA COMPLETA (in ordine sparso)
VINO, ANNO, PRODUTTORE, NOSTRO VOTO

FUORI CONCORSO
Tintilia, 2005, Catabbo, 85/100
Tintilia Riserva, 2004, Catabbo, 93/100

ROSSI
Barrua, 2005, Tenute di San Guido, 90/100
Guidalberto, 2005, Tenute di San Guido, 87/100
Taurasi, 2005, I Feudi di San Gregorio, 94/100
Le Stanze, 2005, Poliziano, 87/100
Asinone, 2005, Poliziano, 89/100
Fontalloro, 2005, Felsina, 90/100
Rosso di Montalcino – Tenuta Greppo, 2005, Biondi Santi, 92/100
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, 2003, Biondi Santi, 89/100
Sagrantino di Montefalco, 2007, ?, 85/100
Flaccianello, 2005, Fontodi, 94/100
Vino del Presidente , 2006, Fatasciá, 92/100
Syrah Kailá, 2007, Fatasciá, 90/100
Il Sigillo, 2006, Cantine del Notaio, 94/100
La Firma, 2005, Cantine del Notaio, 100/100
Tassinaia 2005, Castello del Terriccio, 100/100
Lupicaia, 2005, Castello del Terriccio, 80/100
Torrione, 2004, Tenuta di Petrolo, 83/100
Galatrona, 2004, Tenuta di Petrolo, 83/100
Mille e una notte, 2005, Donnafugata, 86/100
Gaglioppo, 2005,?, 80/100
Etna rosso, 2006, ?, 87/100

BIANCHI
Grechetto, 2007, ?, 88/100
Gran Cru Chardonnay, 2006, Tenuta Rapitalá, 97/100
Casalj, 2007, Tenuta Rapitalá, 93/100
Bouquet, 2007, Tenuta Rapitalá, 91/100
Piano Maltese, 2007, Tenuta Rapitalá, 93/100
I Templi – Grillo, 2007, Tenuta Rapitalá, 93/100
I Templi – Catarratto/Chardonnay, 2007, Tenuta Rapitalá, 93/100

DOLCI
Passito di Sagrantino di Montefalco, 2007, ?, 96/100
Ben Ryé, 2007, Donnafugata, 100/100
Moscato, 2007, Baglio del Pianetto, 91/100
Eiswine, 2007, Austria, 80/100

SPUMANTI
Ducl Rosé, I Feudi di San Gregorio, ?, 93/100

ACETO BALSAMICO
10 anni, ?, ?, 89/100
20 ANNI, ?, ?, 91/100
OLTRE 25 ANNI, ?, ?, 94/100

Spero di non mancare l’anno prossimo!!

Above: Paolo Cantele of the Cantele winery (Puglia) and Dan Redman founder of Mosaic Wine Group.

Mosaic Wine Group has been making the rounds at Italy’s annual wine trade fairs, Vinitaly, Vini Veri, Triple A, and Renassiance du Terroir. Today, we head out to Valpolicella today and Alto Adige tomorrow, and we have been visiting with our producers, tasting their wines, and sourcing some of the best juice Italy has to offer.

Yesterday, we checked in with Paolo Cantele (above with Dan) of the Cantele winery in Puglia. Paolo will be visiting Texas later this month (April 19, 20, 21) and we will hitting the market with him and pouring his wines at a happy hour at Vino Vino in Austin (details to be posted shortly). His Primitivo was showing great and we also really liked his Rosato and his new Amativo, a blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro.

Stay tuned for details on his visit.