Wine Solo

They walked up to the bar of a very elegant restaurant and asked for the wine list. After a few minutes they ordered a bottle of Talbott Chardonnay - and that was it. Food was not part of the equation. Not much attention was paid to the expensive bottle of wine. In fact, the only comment made was that it was too warm and they asked the bartender to ice it down. The two of them finished off the bottle without taking a bite.

This drinking wine without food is something I often forget people do unless it happens right in front of me. It is so out of my range of thinking. I just can't separate the two. The fact, of course, is that probably most American wine drinking is done in this way - as a cocktail not as a part of the meal.

This makes an interesting dilemma for winemakers as making wine for cocktail purposes is not the same as making wine that compliments food. The result of this dilemma are an awful lot of "dry" white wines that are not dry at all, as they contain significant residual sugar. That sugar tastes pretty good on its own, but pair that sweet chardonnay up with some oysters and the match is less than spiritual.

The beverage wine industry has nailed down the cocktail wine style perfectly producing sweet chardonnay, flavorless pinot grigio and merlot without a interesting edge to be found. These wines disappear down the palate without distracting the drinker with a lot of character that could interrupt the conversation.

This is why wine drinkers on a budget, that still want interesting wine that goes well with food, almost always have to look to Europe for their bargains as making wine to match well with food is too deeply ingrained in their society to be totally overwhelmed by industrial winemaking. Lovely, reasonable priced wines can still be found in places like Macon, Beaujolais, Loire, Abruzzo, Le Marche and Piemonte among many others.

It is a shame that the American wine industry has totally abandoned this type of wine.

Pinot Noir, Pisoni, Estate, Santa Lucia Highlands, 2003

What a lovely wine. Deep ruby in color, but still translucent. Expansive velvety nose full of spices, violets, vanilla and a rich earthy bittersweet black cherry fruit. Velvety and creamy on the palate, it still packs a crisp acid bite to hold it all in balance. The finish is very long and makes you stop and experience the full sensation of each sip. A shade hot in the finish, but the other qualities of this wine more than make up for this slight fault. It should age beautifully over the next five or six years. Expect to pay big bucks if you are lucky enough to find a bottle.

Élevage

Written words can be such beautiful things. Artfully used, they can communicate the emotions we feel inside of us. Wine is an emotional experience for many of us, but so often words about wine are only presented in a sterile textbook style or in the combative debate fashion of the wine forums. Every once in a while a writer succeeds in conveying the pleasure that the appreciation of wine brings to so many. This experience, which wine somehow brings to us, is lovingly described by Vincent Fritzsche, a Portland Oregon educator, in his charming wine blog, Élevage. (http://elevage.blogspot.com)

Fritzsche describes his blogging in this way, “Élevage is French for breeding or upbringing. It also refers to the maturing or raising of young wine until bottling. Élevage is also sometimes described as the educating of a wine, which got me thinking about my own education of wine. And so this blog, updated when I'm able. There's much more to write than I make time for.”

True, he does not post everyday, but when he does it is well worth reading. Best of all, reading of his experiences bring a reflective moment to your day to ponder your own experience with wine. I highly recommend visiting Élevage.

The Oregon Winter Blues

The days have now turned into months and I can’t tell you how much I miss it. I had heard about the dismal Oregon winter, but I never expected this – gray after gray day of…

No farmer’s markets!

I can only take heart from the telltale signs of coming springtime that our farmer’s markets will soon return. These markets are everywhere from early spring through late fall and Oregon is blessed with many small farms that bring their produce directly to the consumer through these markets. Every type of fruit and vegetable, meats, cured meats, cheeses, wines and anything and everything delicious you can imagine comes to market in this way. The market for the small farmer is strong in Oregon, where consumers go out of their way to buy local produce – even at the chain stores, which are forced to identify goods from local farms due to consumer demand. The fact that consumers here demand local produce means that new farms are popping up throughout the state and the fact the producers can command retail instead of wholesale prices for their goods creates a situation where a small farmer can succeed.

Without the farmers markets, we would be faced with only the bland choices offered by large corporate farms and grocers. Even the Whole Foods stores and their type cannot compete with the freshness, variety and great flavors brought to us by farmer’s markets. They are a national treasure.

Thanks to Adam Mahler at The Untangled Vine, we have become aware of the efforts of Congress-person Marcy Kaptur of Ohio (do we need to mention she’s a Democrat) to introduce legislation that will support the growth of farmer’s markets on a national scale. Needless to say, I think this is a great cause, not only for our stomachs, but for our environment, as small farms are less damaging to the planet than large scale corporate industrial farming. Check out The Untangled Vine for more details and here for Kaptur’s article in The Nation.

Take a few minutes to support small family farms and organic agriculture and write to your Congress-person in support of this effort. If your representative is a Republican, you may want to write twice.

Seven Hills, Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, 2001

Rich ruby, bright meaty aromas with bright black fruit. Very appealing across-the-board with full spicy flavors highlighted with toasty oak and bittersweet  current fruit flavors. Spicy and a bit too oaky in the finish. Drink up over the next several years as there is more charm and power here than complexity. A very enjoyable wine.

Château Léoville Barton, Saint Julien, 2002

Brilliant medium dark ruby. The nose is tangy with mint and tarragon with touches of cedar and black licorice. Still lean-and-mean on the palate, although it is not aggressive. Very refined and balanced and certainly approachable with some fat to counter it - like some thick lamb chops. The finish is still closed and needs a few more years to fully develop. A very good, but not great Bordeaux that at about $60 a bottle seems a little pricy. Still all-in-all a very classic and well-made wine that will please the Bordeaux lover.

Barbera d'Alba, Alessandro e Gian Natale Fantino, Vigna dei Dardi 2001

Bright light ruby. Very smooth and aromatic nose filled with spice, fresh lavender - all with a little tart bite at the end.  Bitter black cherry and cranberry fruit somehow ties into a very smooth package. Delightfully balanced and refreshing throughout, the finish just explodes with fresh acidity and a myriad of wild flowers and a sweet touch of candied lavender. Yumm.

Vietti Baroli - 1999

Vietti Baroli

Deciding between the Vietti single vineyard Barolo wines is like choosing between listening to Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday sing Body and Soul: they may be different, but you can't lose.

The wines of Vietti continue to defy easy characterization. The current fashion is to drop Barolo and Barbaresco producers into one of two slots: modern or traditional, but the wines of Vietti are neither modern nor traditional - they are Luca Currado in style. The wines of Vietti are the perfect example of how winemaking has evolved in Piemonte and each wine in the Vietti portfolio is an excellent wine worthy of your attention.

Winemaker Luca Currado represents the fourth generation of his family at Vietti and brings with him that feeling of history. Luca's father, Alfredo, was one of the first in Barolo to bottle single vineyard wines. Like a jazz singer sees a song, Currado sees the grapes from his vineyards as something to be interpreted, but with respect to the original creation - of the songwriter or the vineyard. To him the tools of the winemaking trade are vehicles for bringing the flavors of the vineyard to the bottle and not an end in themselves. During a tour of the Vietti winery you see all the bells and whistles of modern Italian winemaking: roto-fermenters and barriques, but they are alongside all the traditional tools of the Langhe: large Slovenian oak botte and open-top fermenters that allow the cap to be punched down by hand (well a mechanized version of it anyway). For Currado the tools of winemaking are to be carefully selected and used in the correct situation. On the controversial roto-fermenters he observed, "I don't like them and they are not something for great vineyards or vintages with a natural concentration of flavor. For grapes with concentrated flavors they extract too much and the wines start to taste artificial, but for grapes from lesser vineyards or years that are lacking in flavor they can improve the wine."

In fact, Currado will be removing detailed winemaking data from his new fact sheets as he feels it prejudices tasters before they actually taste the wine. "You don't ask Charlie Trotter (the famous Chicago chef) to provide you with the recipe before you taste his food," noted Currado.

"When it comes to winemaking both Elio Altare (an ultra-modern producer based in La Morra) and Bartolo Mascarello (an ultra-traditional producer based in Barolo) are probably both right considering their respective terroir," says Currado. "You need to make wine in the style the vineyards give you."

Nothing speaks better for Currado's philosophy than his wines. Tasting his single vineyard Baroli is a revelation as they are all aged in slightly different ways, but all arrive at the same point in that each speaks clearly of the vineyards and villages where they were born. In none of the wines do the winemaking techniques used overshadow the character of the wines. By selecting techniques with the vineyards and vintage in mind instead of following a set recipe Currado has created a group of outstanding and diverse wines. I strongly encourage Barolo/Barbaresco buyers to seek out the incredible 1999 vintage, which is still available in many markets and at lower prices than the super-hyped 2000 vintage releases. All three of these wines are equally highly recommended - just like Ella and Billie.

Raccolta selection: 1999 Vietti Barolo: Brunate, Rocche and Lazzarito (all $75)

1999 Brunate (La Morra): Brilliant scarlet/garnet, translucent. Expansive sweet plum and ripe cherry aromas blend with the pronounced tar characteristic of the Brunate vineyard. The mouthfeel is expansive and generous and filled with tar and black licorice over bittersweet black cherry flavors and luscious ripe raspberry notes. The tannins are well integrated, but substantial.

1999 Rocche (Castiglione Falletto): Brilliant scarlet/garnet, translucent. Elegant and delicate on the nose with spiced plum and expansive floral aromas. Very structured and lean on the palate with flavors that continually grow, evolve and expand. The dark fruit flavors are filled with spices and a delicate tar and leather note. The finish is still closed, but the promising floral hints under the firm tannins show great promise for the future.

1999 Lazzarito (Serralunga d'Alba): Brilliant ruby/garnet, translucent. Dense and concentrated on the nose which is full of smoked plums and black pepper. A big, brooding nebbiolo on the palate with intense tar and black pepper flavors riding on the massive sweet dark fruit with almost a cassis touch. The finish is long, powerful and tannic and the strong tar and black pepper flavors linger for many minutes.

Banfi

Raccolta Selection: Banfi, April 2004

Geppetto was a master craftsman who dreamed of building something so perfect it would become real. The Mariani master craftsmen had the same dream and invested all their skills in building the perfect winery. Pinocchio needed a little magic to become a real boy, but, as no magic was available, the Mariani family had to settle for hard work and a lot of money to make their dream a reality. While there is not a lot of romance or magic in the Castello Banfi story there is a tremendous level of professional skill applied to their vineyards and winemaking. The result is an extensive portfolio of technically perfect wines. With their Brunello di Montalcino wines they go beyond technically perfect and seem to have found a bit of that magic Pinocchio required to become a real boy for they are indeed real wines.

1999 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino

Every year it seems to arrive in your Inbox like clockwork: you could almost set your watch by it. It's the press release from Castello Banfi announcing that once again they have been awarded the grand prize at Vinitaly and crowned as Italy's best winery - for the 11th time in a row. At this point, we can assume it's more than luck.

Ninety wine pros swirled, swished and spat their way through almost 3,500 wines and at the end, when the last spit-bucket was dumped, Castello Banfi had yet again racked up more cumulative points than any other Italian winery and their 1997 Brunello di Montalcino was awarded the Grand Gold Medal as best wine of the fair. Success is a hard thing to argue with.

John and Harry Mariani invaded somnolent Montalcino in 1978 with their millions generated from the sales of Riunite in the United States and, "a vision to depart from conventional winemaking rules and craft products that would appeal to modern consumer tastes while continuing to satisfy the lofty demands of the connoisseur." It is fair to say that they have more than achieved this goal. However, the biggest gift the Mariani family has bestowed on wine lovers was not their own wines, but the fact that they almost single handedly caused the rebirth of Brunello di Montalcino and inspired a quality revolution that has improved all the wines of the Montalcino area. Before Banfi (b.b. on the Montalcino calendar) great Brunello was found at few estates. Today, (a.b.) there is a rainbow of interesting wines that range from austere, elegant classics to high extract, oaky fruit bombs. In 1977 b.b., there were less than 15 producers now, in 2004 a.b. there are more than 150 to choose from. As in Barolo and Barbaresco this revolution and the resulting explosion of styles and creativity has made these regions far more dynamic and the hot debate over which is best has propelled all of them into the international spotlight formerly occupied only by Bordeaux and Burgundy. A little controversy is a good thing for both quality and marketing.

I was glad to see the Brunello win the big prize for Banfi instead of the double capital letter duo of ExcelsuS and SummuS or the good student of the group, Cum Laude. As good as these wines are, for me, their Brunello di Montalcino wines have always been the most impressive. Research conducted by Banfi has redefined the brunello clones of sangiovese. Their study isolated over 600 clones of brunello and identified the best types for whatever results the winemaker is looking to achieve - be that quality or quantity. Banfi has used this research to maximum effect and produces excellent wines in the southern section of Montalcino, which was traditionally considered inferior to the more temperate northern area of the zone.

Whether you are a Banfi fan or hater, Castello Banfi has changed the entire meaning of the name Brunello di Montalcino and after three decades is now part of what Montalcino is and what it will be in the future. They are respected in Italy because they have given more than they have taken and Montalcino will be forever in their debt.

Raccolta Selection: 1999 Villa Banfi Brunello di Montalcino ($60)
Tasting notes: A radiant, brilliant ruby. Just translucent. Fresh ripe cherry, raspberry and violets lead the aromas, but the underlying tobacco and black truffle notes slowly grow and blend with the sweet fruit. Round ripe and full, but not heavy on the palate. The flavors are seamless and refined moving effortlessly from bittersweet cherries; to pungent tobacco; to sweet raspberry; to black pepper; to blueberries; to warm spices. The finish at this early stage is dominated by sweet dark fruits and round, integrated tannins.

Fattoria Zerbina

Raccolta Selection: Zerbina - May 2004

Sangiovese from Romagna has a well-earned bad name. Most of it is industrially produced cheap grocery store wine, a significant amount of which disappears down the throats of thirsty tourists crowding Ravenna, Rimini and other Adriatic coast tourist favorites. However, there is a small group of producers that are making wine lovers sit up and take notice - if they actually get the opportunity to taste the wines.

Clearly the finest wine estate in Romagna is Fattoria Zerbina where the dynamic and energetic Cristina Geminiani (pictured above) has taken her family's estate to the peak of winemaking excellence. These are probably the best Italian wines you have never tasted. Cristina is working tirelessly to change this situation and spends a significant amount of time on the road crusading for not only her wines, but those of Romagna's other top producers. The best Romagna producers, Drei Donà, Fattoria Zerbina, San Patrignano and Stefano Ferrucci, have banded together in an organization called Il Convito di Romagna to help spread the word that Romagna is home to some very fine vineyards and wines.

After graduating with a degree in agriculture from the University of Milan, Cristina's passion for the great sweet wines of Sauternes led her to continue her studies at the University of Bordeaux. Then after a stint with famed enologist Vittorio Fiore she began her personal quest to make great wines at Fattoria Zerbina. Her experience and drive has created one of Italy's finest wine portfolios that includes: the "Super-Romagna" Marzieno; Scaccomatto, one of Italy's best dessert wines; Pietramora, a stunning pure sangiovese and Ceregio, one of the tastiest red wine bargains you can find anywhere.

Cristina describes her winemaking philosophy in this way, "In my winemaking I aim to complete and integrate each of the values of each single vineyard, fully respecting the high potential of the fruit from each special area. Only by releasing the pure character of the vines in each microclimate can we show the real value and richness of our terroir."

The foundation of Cristina's success has been her dedication to the vineyards themselves. Comments Cristina, "In each vineyard you can find small areas where the soil is different and where the response from the clone (specific type of vine) and its rootstock can radically change. It is our duty to follow these small individual aspects and to keep them as a treasure and to use this knowledge for the following harvest so we can be always increasing the quality of our wines."

Over twelve years of experience came together with what Cristina calls "a perfect vintage" in 2001 to make some memorable wines at Zerbina. The warm dry summer created the perfect climate for the red wines while the white albana variety she uses for her dessert wines saw an excellent development of botrytis (noble rot) in the late fall. Cristina considers this to be a benchmark vintage for their wines.

Out of this great vintage comes two outstanding wines from Fattoria Zerbina. Each wine is distinct in character and deserves a place in your wine collection.

Raccolta Selections:
2001 Fattoria Zerbina, Marzieno, Ravenna Rosso IGT ($50)
(70% sangiovese, 15% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 5% syrah)
Aging prior to release: 15 months in 225 liter French and American oak barrels (70% new) and 12 months in bottle.
Tasting notes: A vibrant brilliant ruby, barely translucent. The aromas are complex and dramatic with dark fruit and floral perfume leaping out of the glass. This is an almost perfect wine with a seamless blend of power and complexity. Pungent tobacco notes highlight the concentrated cassis with bitter cherry fruit flavors. The oak components harmonize with the deep fruit flavors and round tannins. This wine is so lush now it may be tempting to drink, but five or more years will bring out a whole new layer of complexity.

2001 Fattoria Zerbina, Pietramora,
Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Riserva (100% sangiovese) ($65)
Aging prior to release: one year in 225 liter French oak barrels (70% new) and 18 months in bottle.
Tasting notes: A brilliant glittering ruby that is dark yet still translucent. The aromas are firm, still a little closed, but already showing a bright raspberry fruit with a touch of iodine and a hard mineral note. The wine starts a little slow on the palate then explodes with a layered complexity. The finish is still hard at this point with plenty of tannin, but leaves a very long bittersweet fruit finish full of spiced plums and baked cherries. Do your best to wait at least five or more years before pulling the cork on this structured, powerful beauty.

All too often only the top wines of an estate get all the attention, but in the case of Fattoria Zerbina it is not wise to ignore their fine pair of wine values at the lower end of their price list. Fortunately, winemaker Cristina Geminiani applies the same rigid standards to these wines that she does to her top-of-the-line selections and she produces two gifts for wine lovers on a budget.

rosso: 2002 Fattoria Zerbina, Ceregio, Sangiovese di Romagna ($14)
Brillant ruby. Just translucent. Racy, bright bitter cherry fruit flavors. While filled with gorgeous fruit, this is no Australian shiraz-style wine as it has a firm backbone of acidity, plenty of sangiovese varietal character and structure that clearly speaks of its Italian birth. This wine has become a perennial candidate for house-wine-of-the-year.

bianco: 2003 Fattoria Zerbina, Dalbiere, Trebbiano di Romagna ($14)
A more refreshing white wine you won't find. Absolutely packed with bright peach and apple flavors with a clean note of walnuts. The zesty acidity will leave your mouth watering and the fresh flavors will leave your palate satisfied. Fresh seafood anyone?

Ca' Rome Barolo and Barbaresco

Ca' Rome Barolo and Barbaresco, May 2004

Everything is in its place: each item in perfect order and sparkling clean in a perfect combination of art and science. "Everything is special here," says Romano Marengo (pictured left) "The wine, the lights and me"

Everything is indeed special at the Ca' Rome winery located just outside the town of Barbaresco where the Marengo family: father Romano and his son and daughter, Pino and Paola make some of Langhe's most elegant wines. The small winery is both a museum and working winery as the walls are carefully decorated with winemaking artifacts from the Langhe zone in a beautiful combination of art and functional design. This is one of the cleanest and most thoughtfully organized wineries you will find anywhere and all this attention to detail is reflected in the superb quality of their wines.

After thirty years as an enologist Romano realized his dream of having his own estate and Ca' Rome was born in 1980. The family produces wines only from their own vines and only in great years. Recently the Marengo's sold off their entire production from 2002 as not up to their standards. It is impossible to buy a bottle of Ca' Rome that is not of the highest quality.

Romano and his enologist son, Pino, make wines at Ca' Rome that are refined, elegant and extremely complex: not the kind of wines that hit you over the head. These are wines that grow and expand on the palate into a perfect harmony of the power of nebbiolo in Barolo and Barbaresco with a restrained elegance that is hard to describe, but an experience to taste. These wines dance across your palate -- not take it prisoner.

The Barolo and Barbaresco wines of Ca' Rome are traditional in style with most of the aging taking place in large 25 hectoliter barrels of Slovenian oak. Their color is textbook nebbiolo showing a translucent brilliant ruby with garnet hints and the flavors realize the promise of these beautiful tones. However, winemaking at Ca' Rome is not 100% old-style as about 30% of the nebbiolo is aged in 225 liter French barrels. This touch of new oak adds a layer of complexity to these wines without adding a bit of new oak flavor.

The Marengo family is fortunate to have some of the best vineyard locations in the Langhe with Barbaresco vineyards in Rio Sordo and their "cru" Maria di Brun and Barolo vineyards in two of Serralunga d'Alba's finest locations: Cerretta and Rapet. The character of each vineyard shows clearly in their wines and is accentuated by their light touch in the cellar. Considering the prices of Barolo and Barbaresco these days the wines of Ca' Rome are tremendous bargains. Also highly recommended is the excellent Barbera d'Alba La Gamberaja from vineyards in the Serralunga zone and their soon to be released 2003 is about as good as Barbera gets. "It's perfect," comments Romano with a sly smile.

He might be right.

Raccolta Selections:
2000 Ca' Rome Barbaresco Maria di Brun ($65)
While most winemakers are more enthusiastic about their 2001 wines, winemaker Pino Marengo is smitten by the pleasures of his 2000 vintage offerings. One taste of this wine and you understand his enthusiasm for the vintage. The color is a glittering light ruby with garnet and orange hints. The rich nose is very complex with layers of good Cuban cigars and tar blended with plums and bitter cherries. The wine is powerful, yet extremely balanced without a hint of over-ripeness. The finish is packed with bitter tar and baked cherry fruit. How can a wine have tannins so intense, but so refined at the same time? I would suggest at least five more years of aging before enjoying this excellent Barbaresco.

1999 Ca' Rome Barolo, Cerretta ($60)
Radiant light ruby with garnet. This brooding nebbiolo has a hard mineral/iodine note that blends with the aromas of dense tar with ripe spiced plums. The texture is wonderful seeming lean at first then expanding into a concentrated blend of dense wild berries, licorice and tar flavors. The finish is incredibly long with sweet tar flavors requiring a toothbrush before they go away. The tannins are still intense at this point and I would wait until at least 2010 before pulling the cork on this stunning wine. This wine is probably available at some great prices as retailers make room for the hyper-hyped 2000 vintage so keep an eye out and if you see a deal grab every bottle you can.

Raccolta Selection: Fattoria Le Fonti Chianti Classico

Raccolta Selection: Fattoria Le Fonti Chianti Classico, May 2004

When I first started tasting wine Bordeaux was the definition of sophistication. In comparison the wines of Chianti Classico seemed rustic - like wealthy country cousins. Not that there weren't excellent wines produced in Chianti Classico, but they just didn't have the polish of the wines from Bordeaux.

Comparisons between Bordeaux and Chianti Classico are inevitable because they are the same type of wine. Not the same in flavor or grapes used (although cabernet sauvignon and merlot have become an established part of Tuscan winemaking), but in the balance, structure and elegance these wines are capable when produced by skilled winemakers using grapes from fine vineyards. There are other similarities between these two regions: Wine estates in both regions were traditionally farms of aristocratic families -- many of which still own and make wines today. The wines in Bordeaux and Chianti Classico are tied to communes and estate names more than the specific vineyard names that define Barolo, Barbaresco and Burgundy. The wines of both regions are based on blends of several grape varietals as compared to the mono-varietal wines of Langhe and Burgundy.

Another critical aspect shared by both Bordeaux and Chianti Classico is winemaking. Today the techniques and winemaking philosophies of both regions have become striking similar because they are trying to make more or less the same style of wine. While there are certainly differences in the wines coming from the different varietals and unique soils and climates, the fact of the matter is that fine Bordeaux and Chianti Classico have become more or less interchangeable at the table. The style of winemaking in Chianti Classico today (with a few wonderful exceptions such as Montevertine and Monsanto) has eliminated all the rough edges creating a wine with similar structure, balance and oak flavors to Bordeaux. Chianti Classico is no longer the rough country cousin, but an urbane international citizen.

The tie to Bordeaux is part of the psychology of the region with the Poggibonsi in the Chianti Classico zone often being referred to as the "Pomerol" of the region. The warm exposures here produce a particularly rich and smooth wine. On these steep hillsides Fattoria Le Fonti produces wines with elegance and balance that even the most die hard Bordeaux lover will admire. It is interesting they have created their wines without a drop of cabernet sauvignon or merlot relying instead on the considerable charms of sangiovese to establish the character of their wines. If you love the textures of Pomerol you will most certainly love the wines of Le Fonti. No, they don't taste like Pomerol, but they most decidedly feel like it.

Raccolta Selections:

2001 Fattoria Le Fonti Chianti Classico Riserva ($35)
A very bright, radiant ruby, just translucent. The round, smooth aromas are filled with cherry vanilla, sweet black licorice and toasty oak. Smooth and seamless on both the nose and palate. This wine is medium in body, but not at all light in any regard featuring a lovely generous texture throughout. The finish is elegant with spiced dark bitter cherry flavors supported by round tannins with just a bit of an acid bite at the end. Drinking well now, this wine should improve over the next five years, but I don't see any great reason for waiting for this already delicious wine.

2001 Fattoria Le Fonti, Vito Arturo, Sangiovese, IGT ($45)
Dark brilliant ruby, just translucent. Forward ripe plum and tart cherry aromas are filled out with sweet cedar notes. The fruit is lush and forward on the palate with sweet toasty oak flavors blended with bitter chocolate and ripe raspberry. The finish is lush and filled with sweet baked cherry flavors with a hint of tobacco and round, easy tannins. This wine already offers great pleasure and like the Chianti Classico Riserva this is a wine for only short term aging. The great drink-ability of both of these wines makes them perfect for restaurants.
A Jens Schmidt Selection-Imported by Montecastelli

Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Rabajà

Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Rabajà

The incline of the hill is steep and every speck of the grayish soil bakes in the hot sun. The entire slope is a wave of vines and the southwest/south exposure means not a leaf misses a moment of sunshine. This is the famed Rabajà vineyard located just outside of the town of Barbaresco. Certainly this vineyard was created to produce exceptional nebbiolo and a vineyard of similar potential in Burgundy would be considered a Grand Cru. However, there is no such official breakdown of vineyards in Langhe; just an informal acknowledgement among those in the trade as to what the great vineyards are - an acknowledgment clearly defined in the selling price of the wines, grapes and land.

The sun drenched calcareous and clay-heavy soils of Rabajà produces Barbaresco wines with a unique combination of power and elegance that makes them approachable in their youth, but rewards those who cellar their bottles with wines of great complexity and refinement.

From vines in the very heart of this special vineyard come the Barbaresco wines of Giuseppe Cortese, a small producer making a fine range of wines only from their own grapes. In addition to Barbaresco Rabajà, Cortese produces the excellent Barbera d'Alba Morassina and Dolcetto d'Alba Trifolera from a vineyard area just to the south of Rabajà. The wines of Cortese have been improving consistently for years and in recent vintages they have been releasing some very fine wines. Giuseppe Cortese, after decades working as an agronomist for other top producers, founded his own estate and now with the next generation - son and daughter Pier Carlo, an enologist, and Tiziana - they are making this estate a must for collectors of traditionally styled wines from the Barbaresco zone. While the fermentations have a slight modern touch, their Barbaresco does not see a small barrel, spending the years in large casks of 17 to 25 hectolitres ranging in age from new to nine year old. Only the Barbera Morassina sees barrique and with excellent results, once again showing the affinity of the high acid/low tannin barbera for small French oak barrels in controlled doses.

Raccolta Selections:

Barbaresco Rabajà Riserva, G. Cortese, 1996 ($75) Bright light ruby with garnet. Quite translucent. Exotic earthy nose with ripe plums, burnt orange, porcini and tar. On the palate it is complex, powerful and still very tight. The finish is very long with layer after layer of tar, ripe plum and bitter chocolate tied together by the substantial tannin. A stunning wine in a classic style that is a worthy addition to any collection, this wine needs five or more years to open even though it spent three years in cask and another three in bottle before release.

Barbaresco Rabajà, G. Cortese, 2001 ($45) Bright light ruby with orange and garnet hints. Quite translucent. Elegant, floral nose with rose petals and violets blended with a buttery tar. Full structure on the palate with layers of complex flavors: dried leaves, tar, orange spice, warm tar and ripe plum flavors all of which continue into the long finish that has a touch of cassis to balance the considerable tannin. A wine with excellent aging potential.

Raccolta Selections: Primitivo

Raccolta Selections: Primitivo
Torre Quarto Tarabuso and Leone de Castris Santera

At this time of year grills across the nation are filled with steaks, chops and ribs of Flintstonian proportions. Such basic carnivorous meals have a certain primitive appeal. Perhaps that's why primitivo from Puglia makes a perfect match for charcoal-grilled meats - a big chunky wine for big chucks of meat.

Primitivo is not about finesse. When made well it produces a rich, intensely fruity wine of moderate tannins. Primitivo is for pleasure now: not for analysis, debate or hoarding away in your cellar for years. There is nothing wrong with pleasure now, right? The problem with primitivo is that it is always generous: even before it becomes wine. The generous nature of this vine and the warm sunshine of Puglia means that many producers let it over-produce and end up making a wine that is a shadow of what is can become in the hands of winemakers reaching towards quality over quantity.

Then there is the zinfandel problem. Some time ago scientists announced that zinfandel and primitivo were one in the same: genetically identical. Unfortunately this led to an identity crisis in Puglia with producers diving headlong into California style winemaking with some even changing their labels to read zinfandel instead of primitivo. Thanks to the work of grapevine geneticist Carole Meredith, we now know that both zinfandel and primitivo trace their parentage to an indigenous Croatian grape called crljenak. However, they are more likely very close cousins than exactly the same vine. Primitivo and zinfandel arrived in both California and Puglia at more or less the same time meaning zinfandel probably did not come to the USA from Italy. So, although they share the same parentage, centuries in their respective climates has created two unique strains of crljenak - not twins.

While most primitivo is bottled under the Puglia IGT, the Manduria zone has been recognized as producing primitivo worthy of a DOC. This is not to say that primitivo is always superior to those labeled Puglia IGT because it is not and excellent primitivo can be found in many vineyards outside the DOC.

These two selections show the broad range of styles being produced in Puglia today. The more modern Torre Quarto might trick your friends into thinking they were drinking a California zinfandel, but the Leone di Castris could come from nowhere but Puglia.

2003 Torre Quarto Tarabuso, Primitivo, Puglia IGT ($15)
A bright and brilliant deep ruby. Just translucent. Smooth raspberry fruit dominates the nose that is layered with touches of cherry vanilla and cassis. The cassis note continues on the palate giving a rich bitter touch to the rich, warm raspberry and cherry flavors. Medium, round ripe tannins give just enough structure to the deeply fruity finish, but not enough to require additional aging. A nice touch of bitterness makes the ripe fruit flavors more enjoyable. Very modern in style.

2001 Leone di Castris, Santera, Primitivo di Manduria DOC ($15)
Bright light ruby with just a touch of garnet. Just translucent. Expansive, dense bouquet with fresh cherry pie aromas mixed with ripe plums, sautéed mushrooms and hints of iodine and rosemary. Round and ripe on the palate with lively bitterness balancing the ripe, earthy fruit flavors. The sweet rich dark fruit finish is supported by medium tannins and a firm mineral note.

2000 Leone di Castris, Salice Salentino, Riserva ($17) Bright ruby with just a touch of garnet. Earthy, smoky nose with dense bitter cherry aromas. Good complexity and balance on the palate with hints of tar blending with a ripe Mediterranean earthiness. The finish is very long with many layers of complexity ranging from sweet cherry to a tobacco bite. This is a wine to drink now or in the next year or two as a little more bottle age is sure to add complexity.

2001 Leone di Castris, Salice Salentino, Maiana ($12) Bright ruby, just translucent. The nose is full of forward, earthy fruit with a touch of warm Mediterranean sun. On the palate the wine is multifaceted showing bright fresh cherry fruit with a touch of dried mushrooms and a bitter minty note. The finish is balanced with medium tannins well carried by the ripe fruit. Ready to drink now.

Exceptional wines from Italian vines

Grape: Greco - an ancient white wine variety probably of Greek origin grown in Italy for over 2,000 years.
2003 Torre Quarto, Hirondelle, Greco, Puglia IGT ($15) Brilliant medium gold showing just the slightest hint of bubbles at the edge. Beautiful ripe pear and lychee aromas with touches of honey and hazelnuts. Those gorgeous flavors expand on the palate into a rich, but lively and fresh wine. The finish is very long and expansive, but also refreshing from the touch of tart acidity, nutty bitterness and barely perceptible touch of effervescence. No oak is used so all the luscious flavors come from the greco grape itself.

Raccolta Selection: Cantina Sant'Agata, Ruché

Raccolta Selection: Cantina Sant'Agata, Ruché, July 2004

Ruché just doesn't taste like it comes from Piemonte. It is a graceful wine, elegant and floral with a body more defined by its lively acidity than its soft, round tannins. If there is a wine in Italy to relate to fine Beaujolais it is most certainly not the tart dolcetto, which is often referred to in that context, but the refined smoothness of ruché can be more than a little reminiscent of a Fleurie or Chènas. Of course, ruché is not Beaujolais and has its own distinct character, but as most people have not tasted this delicious wine it is a fair way to set a point of reference.

Ruché now sports its own DOC, Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato, and this small zone in the hills just outside of Asti is responsible for all the production from this rare variety. Now that DOC status has been awarded to this region you can expect to see production expand perhaps making ruché easier to find. This is one of those wines that one sip is likely to inspire gulps and case purchases. Ruché is pure forward fruit flavor.

Ruché is a bit of a mystery vine. Local wisdom says it is an ancient variety probably indigenous to the Monferrato hills. Even the origin of the name is unclear with some claiming it came from the name of a local monastery while another source points to a resistance to a particular vine disease. Whatever the case, little documentary evidence exists and the history of ruché is more folklore than fact.

Cantine Sant'Agata is making an exceptional assortment of ruché wines and excellent wines from Asti's two other important red wine vines: barbera and grignolino. Founded in 1916, the present generation, Franco and Claudio Cavallero, produces 150,000 bottles of wine from their own vineyards, which total 30 hectares. Other than a small amount of chardonnay all their vines are indigenous and all their wines are of excellent quality and value.

Raccolta Selection:
2003 Cantina Sant'Agata, Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato, 'Na Vota ($19)
Brilliant ruby with a just a touch of purple, quite translucent. Smooth, forward ripe cherry vanilla nose with a bitter tinge. a touch of cassis and lovely hints of wildflowers and violets. Firm and fresh on the palate with flavors that expand and grow mirroring the forward yet complex fruit and flowers of the bouquet. In the finish the cassis dominates carried by a refreshing acid zip.(89) The warm 2003 vintage produced particularly rich versions of lesser known Piemontese varietals like ruché. grignolino and freisa and you should keep an eye out for them as they are now in the market. They also offer a special selection ruché, Pro Nobis, to continue the Beaujolais reference, it is to regular ruché what Moulin-a-Vent is to normal Beaujolais. It has all the characteristics of the 'Na Vota on steroids. I will confess I prefer what I consider the more balanced 'Na Vota, but I am probably in the minority on that choice with most consumers preferring the chunky Pro Nobis.

2003 Cantina Sant'Agata, Grignolino d'Asti, Piemonte, DOC ($18)
Bright, very light scarlet. Very translucent almost a dark rosé. The delicate aromas are gorgeous filled with fresh wild strawberries, fresh cut mint and tart black cherries. This is a wine that dances across the palate with fresh crisp acidity activating every saliva gland you have. The flavors are pure wild strawberry with a bitter cherry tinge and a touch of tar. Just delicious - order another bottle. Serve lightly chilled.

Raccolta Selection: Villa Bucci

Raccolta Selection: Villa Bucci - July 2004

Ampelio Bucci seems to embody the elegance and style of Milan. Yet, he is making an impact in that most un-Milan of places, the rugged hills, mountains and coastlines of Le Marche. Since the 1700's the Bucci family has lorded over their estate in Le Marche, but despite the long family history, only under the current generation have their vineyards been raised to greatness. The aptly named Ampelio (coming from ampelos, ancient Greek for vine) has transformed this estate into one of Italy's most interesting white wine producers and a leading producer of Rosso Piceno.

The large property, almost 1,000 acres, not only produces fine wines, but sugar beets, corn, wheat, sunflowers and an extraordinary extra virgin olive oil from the ancient Carbonella olive. Since 2002 all the crops on the estate have been officially certified as organic by the EEU. Ampelio has taken extreme care in his vineyards, refusing to tear up old vines even though their production is severely reduced meaning his yields are less than half that allowed by the DOC. Old vines from extraordinary vineyards farmed with great care of course produce exceptional grapes and Ampelio is to be highly commended for choosing a winemaking approach that brings these essences from the vine to the bottle. No barriques, only large well-used barrels touch his wines. The resulting verdicchio wines literally sing with complexity, richness and fresh acidity. His efforts clearly show the potential of verdicchio from the right vineyards in the right hands and decidedly make the point that barriques and their resulting oak flavors add only confusion to the richly honeyed flavors of verdicchio.

While the labels are similar, wines labeled only Bucci are the regular cuvees (and lovely they are), while wines labeled Villa Bucci are reserve wines from the oldest vines and best vineyards.

As excellent as the red wines of this property are, it is their exceptional and age-worthy Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico wines that make them stand out in the crowded world of wines. Their unique flavors, textures and complexity make delicious companions to the finest meals. They are among Italy's finest white wines.

2000 Villa Bucci Riserva, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore ($35)
Bright light gold. Smooth crème brulee aromas open into toasted hazelnut, vanilla with touches of ripe oranges. Rich, yet firmly bitter on the palate. Creamy, nutty flavors blend with a lively touch of bitter orange and ripe mangos. The firm flavors dominate the full, but structured finish. An extremely balanced and complex wine that I recommend aging a few more years to allow all the components to grow and blend.

2002 Villa Bucci Rosso Piceno($35)
Bright light ruby, just translucent. An elegant, layered complex nose with touches of bitter and sweet plum, black cherry, blood oranges, spices and fresh mint. Exceptional balance and refinement on the palate as bitter cherry flavors dance with chocolate, sweet plums, spices and cranberries. The finish is long, and lively with each of the aromas and flavors repeating themselves. A lovely wine that is ready to drink now and over the next 5 or 6 years. Villa Bucci Rosso Piceno wine is 70% montepulciano and 30% sangiovese.

2002 Bucci Pongelli Rosso Piceno DOC, Marche $16)
Brilliant light ruby, quite translucent. Warm raspberry fruit aromas mix with spices and a tart cranberry note to create a lovely fresh nose. Smooth, yet lively and fresh on the palate with clean fresh dark plum fruit mixed with a firm mineral note. The finish is fresh and clean, but not simple with a bracing acidity that calls for another glass. Pongelli is 50-50 montepulciano and sangiovese.

2002 Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore ($16)
Bright light gold. The creamy, layered aromas are filled with caramel apples, hazelnuts, honey and mango. Luscious and rich on the palate with firm toasted hazelnuts flavors that are balanced by a bright tropical citrus tang and a touch of caramel. These flavors follow in the long finish that while rich, ends on a note of fresh, lively acidity.

The wines of Bucci are Neil Empson Selections: Imported by Empson USA.

The Risotto Lesson

Risotto - rice in the Spotlight

Like individual gold nuggets they sparkled on the plate. Everyone else at the table looked at me with jealously. They wanted what I had. “Tough”, I thought. “They could have ordered the Risotto Milanese too. It was right there on the menu.”

Risotto is rice in the spotlight - the star of the show. This is a very different concept than the way rice is usually used in the United States, as a backdrop, something to fill up the plate. Risotto is a classic dish of northern Italy and there are as many variations as there are ingredients available.
What’s the big deal? Rice is rice, right? Wrong.

Everything is special about Risotto. The rice, the ingredients and the way it is cooked makes it not only delicious, but the most elegant rice dish in the world. Risotto, like all Italian cooking, is first based on the quality of the ingredients. To make wonderful risotto you have to have just the right rice and a fresh tasting broth that brings out the flavors of the other ingredients. The right technique is also essential. Without it you end up with a rice mush. Forget those who argue for shortcuts like pressure cookers. There are no shortcuts to great risotto.

Why would you want to take a shortcut? Making risotto is like therapy and much cheaper than lying on your shrink’s couch for an hour. The rhythmic and peaceful nature of making risotto has a mantra like effect. Perhaps this is the start of a new self-help book, “Kitchen Therapy, the way to spiritual enlightenment through stirring”. Risotto takes time. It is not hard to make, it just requires patience and a little care. Like all things involved with fine dining, risotto is not about speed. Not that it takes that long, only twenty minutes form the time you start, but in that it requires your undivided attention for those twenty minutes.

Unfortunately there is a lot of poor risotto sold in restaurants at high prices. If your risotto arrives at your table in less than twenty minutes you know they are cheating in the kitchen. Risotto made using shortcuts never has the texture and complexity of risotto properly made.
Risotto is much more than rice carrying other flavors. If you can’t taste each grain of this special rice dish keep trying. The goal is to learn the technique and then start creating your own recipes.

Risotto is rice in the spotlight.

The Rice

No you can’t use that big bag of rice sitting in your cabinet to make risotto. Risotto can be made from only three types of rice – all from Italy. Sometimes you see Arborio or one of the other types of Italian rice grown in the USA, but I say avoid them. To get stellar risotto you have to seek out the best Italian brands. Yes, that inexpensive box of Arborio at the Italian grocery will work just find, but with a little more investment in time and money you will find brands that cook and taste better.

The secret to risotto is in the way these types of Italian rice absorb liquid – in our case the broth. Each piece of the rice used for risotto has two characteristics:

A very soft starch on the outside that melts away from the kernel and makes gives the creamy texture to risotto.

A very hard inner starch that stays firm and gives the risotto its backbone – the ability to have in the finished dish an ‘al dente’ or firm texture to each grain of rice.
This combination of creaminess and an individual bite for each grain is what makes risotto so special. You can only create this unique combination with three types of rice.

Arborio

Arborio is the Marilyn Monroe of rice, very amply endowed with the outer layer of starch that melts away, but it is a little light on the inner, hard starch that gives bite each kernel of rice. These characteristics produce the very rich and creamy risotto style of risotto loved in Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna and Piemonte. The famous Risotto Milanese was born of this rice. Warning: because of all the soft starch it is easy to overcook Arborio and end up with rice porridge instead of risotto. You always want to be able to taste each grain of rice. It is grown primarily in Piemonte and Emilia-Romagna. You must buy the ‘superfino’ grade of Arborio. The superfino name can be applied to only the plumpest grains.

Vialone Nano

The rice of choice in Veneto and Fruili. This is a short ugly little guy and is almost the opposite of Arborio in that it has a strong hard inner kernel and is light on the soft outer layer that melts away. This is perfect rice for those who really appreciate the ‘al dente’ style. While Arborio creates a very creamy risotto, Vialone Nano is more grainy and each kernel is very distinct in the dish. A perfect choice for seafood risotto and very fresh vegetables. To me this rice is so distinct from Arborio they are almost different dishes.

Carnaroli

The new kid on the block. Carnaroli only arrived on the Italian scene in 1945, the creation of a Milanese rice grower who created a hybrid by crossing Vialone Nano with a Japanese variety of rice. This is the most expensive or the three types of rice and combines the strengths of both Arborio and Vialone Nano. Carnaroli has more than enough the outside soft starch to make a creamy risotto, but also has a substantial amount of the hard inner starch to make an ‘al dente’ risotto with clearly defined kernels of rice.

I recommend using and experimenting with all three until you establish your own personal preferences. With experience you will probably want to use all three depending on what kind of risotto you are making.

The Broth

Cookbook after cookbook suggests using chicken broth for risotto. With few exceptions a delicate beef broth will give you a far more complex and interesting risotto. Some chefs argue that chicken stock can give a bitter flavor to risotto. I have used chicken broth with good results, but greatly prefer the flavor of risotto prepared with beef broth. This is true for all except seafood risotto which is often cooked with plain water using flavors from the seafood itself to flavor the rice.
First an important definition, the broth you use for risotto is not stock. A stock is made by simmering meat or fish with bones and vegetables the resulting liquid is strained and often reduced to concentrate flavors. An Italian broth is often the byproduct of making a main dish like Il Lesso da Brodo, a boiled beef main course that creates a wonderful broth. To make a beef broth for risotto you use a piece of meat, add a couple of bones if you have them, and some aromatic vegetables. This broth is much more delicate than the classic French style stock made with many bones to create the rich flavor that is the basis for sauces. A stock would produce flavors too intense for risotto as the flavors are concentrated as the cooking proceeds.

The easy broth recipe:
In a 6 to 8 quart pot of cold water add:
>2 carrots peeled and halved.
>2 stalks celery with leaves if possible
>1 onion, halved.


>Bring the water to a boil.
>Add a 4 to 6 lb. chuck roast or other inexpensive cut of beef and two chicken legs and thighs and return to boil. Make sure the meat is covered by at least of two inches of water.
>Reduce heat to a simmer, cover loosely and skim any scum that comes to the surface.
>After two hours add 1 tbl. sea salt.
>Simmer gently for about 4 hours in total, or until the meat is very tender.
>When done serve the beef with your favorite condiments – like extra virgin olive oil and lemon or horseradish and mustard. Though not very Italian the beef makes great hot or cold sandwiches.
>Strain the remaining broth and refrigerate overnight , discard the vegetables . When cold remove the congealed fat. If you don’t have time to refrigerate strain the broth through a cheese cloth that has been in the freezer for at least a half an hour.
>If you prefer to use chicken stock use the above recipe replacing the beef with a 4 to 5 lb. whole chicken. For the decadent version of Risotto Milanese replace the beef with meaty beef shanks with marrow.

Serving Risotto

Primo or secondo? Risotto can fill both roles with style. Following the traditional Italian manner of eating; first would come the antipasti (appetizers), followed by the primo (the first course usually a starch like pasta or risotto), which would be followed by the secondo (main course usually fish or meat). However we find risotto such a satisfying dish we often serve it as the main course.
If you are having a formal Italian meal and going through all the courses, any of the these risotti as a first course will help make your dinner an elegant occasion. Because these are relatively rich risotto recipes, I would recommend a secondo featuring meat as fish may seem a little delicate after either of these risotti. Also if you follow with a meat course you can easily continue with the wine you matched with the risotto.

In Milano, they often serve Risotto Milanese in a way that breaks the normal rules of primo and secondo. Instead of a first course the risotto becomes side dish (more equal partner) to Osso Buco, the famous braised veal shank dish of Lombardia. Of course this risotto is also served as a traditional first course both in restaurants and at home.

Serving risotto as a main course is also a great opportunity to present a more elaborate cheese course to top off the meal. The textures and flavors of the cheeses are a great counterpoint to the risotto.

Primo or secondo? It’s your choice and you can’t lose.

Basic Risotto

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a first course (primo).
Preparation time: 45 minutes (20 minutes cooking time)

The basics:the basic technique
>10 or more cups HOT beef broth - Yours!!! See the easy broth recipe on page 3.
TIP: Keep the stock hot, almost boiling, over heat throughout the preparation
>1 small onion -FINELY chopped (the sweeter the onion the better, use Vidalias in season, but red onions are not recommended)
TIP: Take the time to dice the onion very finely. I do not recommend a food processor.
>1/4 pound UNSALTED butter. I recommend Pulgra or a European style unsalted butter as it has a richer flavor than commercial American butter. Use the American butter if you can't find the European style butter it will still be good.
TIP: Feel free to use a little more butter- the dish will be that much richer.
>2 cups - Italian Arborio or Carnaroli Rice - do not replace. You HAVE to use these unique types of rice imported from Italy
TIP: The rice is critical because these type of Italian rice absorbs a huge amount of liquid.
>2 glasses good dry white wine.
TIP: If you won't drink it don't put it in.

The beginning:
>In a large, large heavy sauté pan, melt all but 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium high heat DO NOT LET IT BROWN!
TIP: I use a 5 quart Calphalon sauté pan as the handle helps steady the pan while stirring. I don’t like using a pot with sides that are very high.
TIP: Keep the pan as hot as you can throughout the process without burning or browning anything! As you add the hot broth it should come to a light boil in the pan with the rice.
Once the butter is melted put the chopped onions in the pan and lightly sauté until just translucent DO NOT LET THEM BROWN!
FROM NOW ON YOU MUST STIR RISOTTO CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL FINISHED!
TIP: I recommend a broad flat wooden spatula. Stirring should be slow and make sure to reach all parts of the pan.
>Once the onions are just cooked add the rice and toss with the butter and onions. Cook and toss like this for about a minute.
>Add 1 glass of the wine and cook until evaporated, drink the other glass while cooking the risotto.

You have now reached the point of variations! The beginning and the finish is the same only the middle changes. TIP: You must have made up your mind before you get to this point which risotto you are going to make as the process must be continuous, not stop and go.

Variation One—Risotto con Funghi (porcini mushrooms)
The basics on page above plus:
>Dried porcini mushrooms soaked in a bowl of warm water for 2 hours (I use just over half of the 1 oz. package), then chop half of them finely and half coarsely reserving the mushroom broth. Strain the mushroom broth through cheesecloth and reserve– heat before using. Dried mushrooms can be sandy and this sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl where you soaked—try to leave the sand in the bottom of the bowl when you strain the mushroom broth.
TIP:No you can't use the bland fresh mushrooms they sell in the USA and fresh porcini are not available.
TIP:OK if you forget you can put them in very hot water (microwave?) for 30 minutes but I think the flavors are better and there is less chance of sandy risotto if you soak it longer. I like to do it for at least 2 hours. This makes an excellent mushroom broth that adds a lot of flavor to the dish.
salt to taste (don't forget when you add the cheese at the end it also adds salt).

Continuing from the beginning above:
>Once the wine has evaporated and you are drinking the other glass-
>Add the hot mushroom broth and the chopped mushrooms.
>Once the broth is absorbed by the rice began adding the HOT stock one ladle at time.
>REPEAT patiently adding one ladle of hot broth at a time waiting until it is almost absorbed before adding the next ladle.
TIP: To make really good risotto you have to stand there and stir it slowly but continuously. I really mean it! Everything must be prepared and organized in advance.
>From here to the finish is simple - keep stirring and keep adding the hot both as it cooks into the rice and keep drinking the wine in your glass.
>The process now takes about 18 minutes from the time you add the first ladle of broth to the rice. Start tasting the rice after 15 minutes to check the cooking progress. Each grain should retain just a bite—not a crunch.

Variation Two—Risotto Milanese - Italian rice with saffron
All of the basics above plus:
>Saffron powder (at least 125 mg.) mixed with one cup of the hot broth for 5 minutes or, preferably, saffron threads (at least 300 mg.) mixed with a cup of the hot broth and soaked for at least 30 minutes (60 is better).
TIP: Saffron threads are best and are prettiest in the finished dish.

Continuing from the beginning above:
>Once the wine has evaporated and you are drinking the other glass.
>Begin adding the HOT broth one ladle at time.
>After you have added one ladle of broth add either the saffron powder mixed with a ladle of hot broth or the saffron thread that have been soaking in a cup of the hot broth for at least 30 minutes.
>REPEAT patiently adding one ladle of hot broth at a time waiting until it is almost absorbed before adding the next ladle.
TIP: To make really good risotto you have to stand there and stir it slowly but continuously. I really mean it! Everything must be prepared and organized in advance.
>Salt to taste
>From here to the finish is simple - keep stirring, add keep adding the hot both as it cooks into the rice and drink the wine in your glass. Start tasting the rice after 15 minutes to check the cooking progress. Each grain should retain just a bite—not a crunch.
>The process takes about 18 minutes from the time you add the first ladle of broth to the rice.Start tasting the rice after 15 minutes to check the cooking progress. Each grain should retain just a bite—not a crunch.

Finishing both:

But when is the rice done? You have to taste it frequently after you have been blending in the broth for 15 minutes. The rice should be firm to the bite - not crunchy but also not soft like the steamed rice we make in the United States. The risotto should also be quite moist - not dry at all. It will look and taste creamy in your mouth.

The Mantacare:

>When the rice is just short of being done remove from heat and blend in what is called the mantacare, the remaining butter and cheese - this adds a rich creamy texture to the risotto:
>Blend in the remaining butter and
>1/2 of a cup grated Italian Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
TIP: The American versions of this cheese are all terrible. Please after all this work use real Parmigiano Reggiano.


Sprinkle with a bit of freshly chopped parsley, preferable Italian flat leaf
Serve immediately with additional freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Terrabianca 2001 Vintage

Raccolta Selections Focus Report:
Terrabianca 2001 Vintage - Aug. 2004

The disco music is pounding and the lights flashing. The photographers jostle for position. It's another Milan fashion show on the 24 hour Italian Fashion Channel (there are two) and the models prance down the runway in strange concoctions that only faintly remind us of the clothing people wear in the real world. It is all flash and hype designed to get attention in a crowded market.

So it is with modern winemaking. You can almost hear the disco music pounding out of the bottle as you pour wines that are so big that they don't seem to fit even the gigantic confines of the huge wineglasses so fashionable today. New oak flavors and aromas titillate the wine fashion show crowd just as strategically revealed breasts draw the cameras on the ramps of Milan. The fashion world and wine world are the same in that they like to show off things that you can't really wear or drink on a regular basis.

Suddenly, the Fashion Channel changes shows and the mood shifts. The clothing is refined and elegant and you can easily imagine the models dining (if they eat) in an elegant Milan restaurant right after the show without changing a stitch. The designs are still modern and innovative, but they are not exaggerations designed mostly to shock. Fortunately there are modern-style winemakers with this sense of touch. Fortunately there is Terrabianca.

Terrabianca, the creation of Roberto Guldener, is located in the Chianti Classico zone and the continued improvement of their wines gives us hope for the future of fashion conscious Tuscany. If Milan is the capital of Italian fashion, Tuscany is the capital of Italian wine fashion and the wines of the region have been distorted out of recognition by the rush to the designer enologist of the moment. The misuse of barriques and the contest to see who can come up with the highest level of dry extract has created a sea of overpriced wines that just are not very interesting to drink and impossible to tell apart. However, while guilty of some over-oaked wines as they developed their style in years past, Terrabianca has evolved and is making some of the most refined, balanced and interesting modern-styled wines in Tuscany. Guldener's wines are not over-extracted or over-oaked and show clearly the character of the Terrabianca vineyards and the varietals they grow. The flagship wine, Campaccio is not only delicious, but a relative bargain in the world of top Super-Tuscans and can easily found for under $40.00 a bottle (sometimes well under).

All the wines of Terrabianca present a seamless elegance and balance, just like Roberto Guldener himself. They improve in the bottle, but are delicious and drinkable from the day they are released making them among the best choices for restaurants and their clients. With this kind of quality we can assume the wines of Terrabianca will remain in fashion for years to come.

Raccolta Selections: Focus Report 2001 Terrabianca

2001 Ceppate, Toscana IGT (cabernet sauvignon 75%, merlot 25%) ($75)
Brilliant rich ruby, just translucent. Smooth, seamless blackberry with a slight cassis tinge on the nose with touches of tree bark and cinnamon. The smooth, elegant flavors continue on the palate and the finish. The herbal notes are lighter than in past vintages: flavors and aromas that often mar Tuscan cabernet. The finish is elegant and very smooth with round easy tannins carrying refined dark fruit, but is a little too herbal on the finish for my taste.

2001 Il Tesoro Merlot, Maremma, Toscana IGT ($55)
Brilliant bright ruby, just translucent. Exotic plum and spice nose with hints of burnt cherry and mint. On the palate it is round and mouth filling without any heaviness. Ripe bitter cherry flavors blend with cranberry touches all brought together by touches of fresh mint and dark roasted coffee. The bittersweet ripe cherry flavors grow in the finish with soft yet apparent tannins that give a note of firmness to the smooth flavors. Very refined and balanced.

2001 Piano del Cipresso, Toscana IGT (sangiovese) ($35)
Brilliant bright ruby, just translucent. Firm mineral notes lead quickly into smooth cherry vanilla and light cedar aromas. On the palate everything is in its place with balance and elegance the defining characteristics. Clean cherry vanilla fruit leads to bitter cranberry notes with a touch of lively mint. The finish is lively and refined with firm, but very polite tannins to carry the minty sweet cherry fruit.

2001 Croce, Chianti Classico Riserva, DOCG (sangiovese 97%, canaiolo 3%) ($30)
Brilliant bright ruby, just translucent. Elegant mineral notes combine with bitter cherry aromas mixed with touches of porcini and fresh mint along with hints of fine cigars. Exceptional balance on the palate with earthy notes blending with bright fresh raspberry and touches of vanilla, yet not one component dominates. The tannins are firm, but not at all harsh and the earthy flavors grow and become more and more complex in the finish. A stunning combination of terroir and modern winemaking with a wonderful lively balance throughout. No barriques are used for Croce only large Slovenian casks.

2001 Campaccio, Toscana IGT (70% sangiovese, 30% cabernet sauvignon) ($45)
Brilliant bright ruby, just translucent. Beautiful blends of cooking porcini, roses, dark cherries, vanilla and cedar blend into a fascinating complexity on the nose. On the palate deep burnt sweet cherry flavors blend with mint, tobacco and a warm earthiness into an exotic whole. The finish is exceptionally long and stops just short of powerful as the refined tannins blend with flavors that mirror everything on the nose and on the palate. Stunning balance for such a rich wine.

Raccolta Selection: Amarone

Raccolta Selection: Amarone - August 2004

Somewhere between the sublime complexity of the wines of Giuseppe Quintarelli and the dramatic port-like extract and drama of the wines of Dal Forno lives the real Amarone. No other great Italian wine shows such an extreme range in style than that offered by these two renowned Valpolicella producers. Giacomo Conterno and Elio Altare in Barolo and Montevertine and Fonterutoli in Chianti Classico may vary dramatically in style and method, but it is nothing compared to the differences between Quintarelli and Dal Forno.

In between these extremes are many excellent producers and, unfortunately, many commercial producers who use the commercial appeal of the Amarone name to sell wines of inferior quality. Featured in this issue are four very good, but very different producers that fall between the extremes: Speri, Novaia, Castellani and San Rustico.

Currently the wines from the small, but lovely and balanced 2000 vintage are now in the market, but many bottles of the very good 1998 vintage are still on the shelves and may be relative bargains due to better exchange rates when they were released. While Amarone certainly improves with age, the up-front hedonistic character and bit of residual sugar often proves too tempting and pleasurable so few wait to pull the corks - although, if you do, your patience will be rewarded.

Raccolta Selections:
2000 Novaia Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Vigneto Le Balze (15.5%) ($65)
Brilliant, bright ruby. Just translucent. Warm, rich baked cherry aromas layered with dense fresh raspberry with an earthy note adding complexity. Smooth, yet powerful on the palate with concentrated super-ripe cherry flavors that blend sweet dark fruit flavors with a hard mineral touch. The finish explodes with brilliant fruit and a smooth warmth that is balanced by a fresh acidity. A Jens Schmidt Selection-Imported by Montecastelli Selections

2000 Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Vigneto Monte Sant'Urbano (15%) ($60)
Brilliant, bright ruby. Barely translucent. Rich sweet and bitter chocolate notes blend with ripe, fresh cherry aromas and a concentrated minerality. Exceptionally rich yet firm and balanced on the palate. This is an intensely firm and flavorful wine with great complexity and depth of fruit. The concentrated bitter chocolate flavors blend with sweet cherry, bitter oranges, build on the palate and flow into a the warm, structured finish that ends with touches of mint and iodine. Ripe, complex and delicious. A Neil Empson Selection-Imported by Empson USA

2000 San Rustico, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (15%) ($40 - best buy)
Brilliant, bright ruby. Just translucent. Delicate rose and violet aromas expand into cherry liqueur and bitter chocolate notes. Firm tart cherry flavors blend with ripe cherry notes balanced by minty cherry cough drop highlights. The finish is firm with warm cherry fruit balanced by complex earthy, minty and mineral notes.. A very firm wine that has great potential in a few years. Very classic in style. A John Given Selection-Imported by John Given Wines

1998 San Rustico, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Vigneti del Gaso (15.5%) ($50)
Brilliant light ruby, just translucent. Warm, earthy nose with layers of cooked porcini blended with baked cherry, cassis, cigar smoke and a touch of iodine. Smooth, velvety deep bitter cherry flavors blend with fresh raspberries, cassis and fresh mint. The finish is very expansive with the mint flavors growing joined by bitter chocolate, bright cherry and menthol. Complex and exceptional layered - the lively long cherry menthol finish is amazing. This is not an overwhelming, port-like Amarone, but a balanced wine with fresh acidity to counter the alcohol and ripe fruit. A John Given Selection-Imported by John Given Wines

1998 Michele Castellani, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Monte Cristi ($40)
Deep, bright ruby. Just opaque. Pungent, raspberry jam and cassis aromas. Clean deep cherry fruit. Ripe and big on the palate. Long huge bittersweet fruit flavors blend with bitter chocolate and cassis liqueur flavors. The mouth-filling flavors are long and complex. Warm, lush dark cherry flavors broaden into a warm satisfying finish. A Mario Belardino Selection-Imported by Bedford International

1998 Michele Castellani, Amarone delle Valpolicella Classico, Cinque Stelle, Collezione Ca' del Pipa
Dark dense ruby. Big bittersweet black current nose with a pungent iodine note broadening into tar and burnt cherries. Bitter cherry cough drops with big, tarry black raspberry fruit flavors. Very tight and firm even with all this sweet fruit power. The finish is hard and soft at the same time with firm tannins and very ripe cherry and dark chocolate flavors going into a warm almost brandy-like burn. A Mario Belardino Selection-Imported by Bedford International.

Tenuta Scilio Valle Galfina

08/04 

Sicily makes a lot of wine. More than most countries. Not so long ago Sicilian wine was not something anybody had any interest in except as thick cutting wines for thinner northern wines or as jug wine for everyday consumption. The last twenty years has seen a total change in the reputation of Sicilian wine and wine shop shelves are full of Sicilian wines with "artist" labels, big prices and bottles as thick and heavy as the wines.

Like the rest of Italy, Sicily has become a battleground between so-called "traditional" and "modern" wines. However, we should ban the word "traditional" from this debate. The real argument should start when a wine loses its sense of place. Without a sense of place, or terroir, wine is only a beverage to wash down a meal, not something worthy of debate. All the best winemakers today are modern in their approach introducing better vineyard practices, more controlled winemaking and consistent temperature control. There is no such thing as a true "traditional" winemaker, making wine exactly as they did 100 years ago - as least no one making great wine.

So the issue is not "traditional" vs. "modern", but between wines that have a distinct and therefore more interesting character and those made in a style that reveals more about how they were made than where they where made. A Sicilian wine that does not taste like it is from Sicily is simply a commercial product designed to be a wine beverage that pleases the broadest range of consumers possible. There is nothing wrong with making such a product and good clean commercial wines admirably fill the need for everyday wines. What is wrong is charging more than everyday prices for such wines. Sicilian wines like Planeta, Morgante, Cottanera and Firriato exhibit beautifully executed technical winemaking. They are quasi-perfect when you look at the numbers. However, they are also soulless international citizens: wines without a home or a need for one. Therefore they are nothing more than top-quality wine beverages that could come from anywhere and I believe that is the goal of the people making them.

On the BBC there is a very entertaining program called "Top Gear" where they compare various automobiles. In one program they were comparing three sports cars, one of which was an Alpha Romeo. For ten minutes they talked about the qualities of the other two cars and the problems of the Alpha, but in the end they all picked the Alpha because it was just so damn much fun to drive. I think wines are the same. Some brands may be very well-made, but wines that really sing of the place and vines that made them are so much more fun to drive.

There are many producers using modern methods while still maintaining the integrity of their terroir and vines. High on the north-east slopes of Mt. Etna lies the Valle Galfina estate of Tenuta Scilio. The Scilio family has done an excellent job of introducing modern wine making techniques while still respecting the traditions of this ancient wine growing area. From 20 hectares of organically grown vines, planted to only indigenous varieties, they produce a range of delicious wines that speak clearly of the mineral laden soils of Mt. Etna and the fine character of the nerello mascalese vine.

Raccolta Selections:
1999 Tenuta Scilio Orphéus, Etna Rosso DOC ($25) Brilliant ruby, just translucent. The rich, deep raspberry and black current aromas blend with cigar smoke and ripe menthol/cherry notes. Mouth coating without being a bit heavy, the flavors offer ripe sweet plum and bitter cassis notes blended with firm mineral and bitter cherry highlights. The finish is warm, but not overripe. The balanced tannins are approachable now, but a few years patience should be well rewarded. Beautifully made and a pleasure to drink, this is one of the most interesting wines coming out of Sicily and happily is clearly a Sicilian wine - not Australian shiraz. A blending of nerello mascalese(80%) and nerello mantellato(20%) this wine is aged for one year in 225 liter oak barriques followed by one year of bottle age before release.
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2000 Tenuta Scilio Sikélìos Rosso di Sicilia IGT Not unlike a tawny port in character and weight. Bright light ruby with garnet hints, quite translucent. Ripe plum and prune aromas blend with fresh raspberry and bitter chocolate. Warm and ripe on the palate with flavors of raisins and fresh, warm cherry pie. The finish is round, rich and sweet without being heavy. The round tannins disappear in a warm richness. This sweet wine is made by drying the grapes in the sun before fermentation.

A John Given Selection-Imported by John Given Wines