Muddy Boots

Almost live from Barbaresco

It's been too long since I've updated you on our sipping progress in Piemonte. The past few days have been a whirlwind of visits and tastings, all the while using the agriturismo of the fantastic Giovanna Rizzolio and Italo Sobriano (whose winery Cascina delle Rose makes lovely Barbarescos in small quantities). These people have a heart-wrenching story behind them -- I won't go into it here -- but let's just say that, for once, the underdogs persevered despite powerful and exceedingly arrogant adversaries in the wine world. 

Giovanna Rizzolio of Cascina delle Rose at Vinitaly last year. "Cascina" means farmhouse. "delle Rose" = of the roses. You could translate the name as "Rose Farm" in English. I can affirm that there are lots of rose bushes here.  

Domenico Selections is in the process of signing up a producer from this area, one whose tiny production has to be allocated to Hong Kong, Italy, Sweden and (soon!) the United States. This young man of 32, whose enologo is a very famous one in Piemonte, has been working in the vineyards and making wine most of his life. 

He makes four wines: a Dolcetto that beats the pants off any Dolcetto I've tasted in a long time; a Barbera and a Barbera Riserva that, to me, redefine the potential of Barbera (I say that because it's never been a particular favorite of mine); and a stunningly good Barbaresco that is thrilling even in its youngest barrel samples. All combine superior quality with prices that are highly affordable. When the contract's been signed, I shall tell all. This guy has quite a story to tell. 

We're off to Tuscany tomorrow. We have a ton of appointments all over the southern half of the region -- Bolgheri, Maremma, Chianti, Montecucco. 

We'll tune in again from Tuscany or, failing that, Rome late next week.    

  

Wine Heaven

Ladies and gentlemen, this will be a brief one. Strappo returned from northern Kentucky late last night and is about to depart for Milan (after doing the laundry and 100 other things). Kevin Keith and the staff at D.E.P.s Fine Wine & Spirits did a great job of supporting the Domenico Selections wines and generating a good turnout at the tastings in Fort Thomas and Covington. They're passionate and knowledgeable about wine. And, oh, they don't care about scores, only what's in the bottle.  

Click here for Kevin's summaries on his blog, Under the Grape Tree. 

Ciao for now. 

 

How to find new producers

Recently an importer of Italian wines told me, "You don't need to go to Italy to find new producers. You come to events like Italian Wine Week. You have friends in Italy who give you tips. Maybe there's an agent or two over there you can build a relationship with."

 

All good points. But they're not enough. You still need to go to Italy and root around the countryside. Here's why.

1. Tasting a sample bottle or two isn't enough. You get an idea of the winery's potential, but you have to go there and taste an entire range and multiple vintages. This is essential in evaluating the property's quality and character over the long haul.

2. Nosing around the countryside can be serendipitous. Sometimes you stop at a trattoria, start chatting with the regulars and pretty soon you've got a couple of names to call, wineries to visit, hidden gems to uncover. Most often they amount to nothing. But sometimes you find rubies.

3. Wine = (land + grapes) + (traditions x people). If you're going to make an investment in a wine, you'd better know the people you're investing in too. Is there a passion for what they do?  How are they doing it? Can you pretty much believe what they're telling you? Will they be easy to work with? Can you trust them to deliver what they say they will? While there's no foolproof way of knowing the answers to all these questions after you've met with them, it's infinitely harder to do if you interact only at a distance.

4. Firm, mutual commitment derives from trust and respect. And a shared belief in the character and quality of the wines.

  
 

I confess that I roll my eyes when people go on and on with the "wine is a living thing" bit. Wine is not a living thing. Just because it keeps changing in bottle doesn't mean it's alive. 

What is alive is the man or woman who made it. The family and workers who support this effort. The relationship these folks have defined with their patch of land and the realities of their locale -- climate, soils, grape varieties, traditions and constraints. This is what's alive. This is what you must know to understand and champion the wines they, and you, love.

 

 

Tasting in 'Tucky

Great news for you in the Cincinnati-Covington area -- this week we'll be pouring and tasting with the gang at D.E.P.s Fine Wine and Spirits at the Covington and Fort Thomas locations. We'll be at the stores on Thursday and Friday. Call stores for details.

 Covington Store

670 W. 3rd St. 

859-291-2550

Fort Thomas Store

90 Alexandria Pike, #1c

859-781-8105

And Don't Forget the Tasting Dinner at Vito's

 On Wednesday evening at 7 there will be a tasting dinner -- 7 courses, 7 Domenico Selections wines -- at Vito's in Fort Thomas. An amazing bargain at $35 a head, plus tax and tip. A great opportunity to taste some of DS's most interesting wines.

Vito’s Café

654 Highland Avenue

Ft. Thomas, KY 

859-442-9444

Key West needs our wines!

 
 Strappo has returned from a week in Key West, where below-average temperatures did not prevent him from receiving severe burns on his face. He'd forgot to pack the sunscreen and was too stubborn, or cheap, to buy more until the next-to-last day, when endless pain forced him to fork over too much money for some 30SP.

Aside from that, it was a pleasant enough week. A few beach days were eked out even on a day the mercury only hit 60F, thanks to the intense sun. And it was exceedingly restful; the first few days were spent in a bleary-eyed stupor.

Always a friendly Key West welcome 

As to food, Key West is wonderful for those of you who love deep-fried anything. The best food is local -- grouper or mahi mahi sandwiches, preferably pan-seared and not deep-fried. Drinks are plentiful and comparatively cheap (the food isn't). But the drinks are very weak and leave you feeling bloated but unbuzzed. 

After a while you get tired of watery beer and rum concoctions and yearn for a decent glass of wine.

Good luck with that.

Not every old Conch house has been gentrified (click to see more details)

Every wine list looks like it was dreamt up by the same distributor (who could that be, I wonder?), and it features mass-market California stuff (the same ones you find in the CVS on Front Street), a few Pinot Grigios from the usual suspects, some ultra-cheapies from the Southern Hemisphere -- and that's more or less it. 

Let's put it this way. The best wine of the week was a Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuisse' for $52 at a mediocre but $$$$ fish-and-steak place. 

Key West, you really, really need Domenico Selections wines.

The end of the line 

 

 

 

 

Italian Wine Week: An Air of Desperation

The big event started yesterday, giving the lie to its name. It's really more like "Italian Wine Two and a Half Days."  Despite the old-fashioned grandeur of the setting (the Waldorf Astoria Hotel), there is a hang-dog air of desperation hanging over the event. Never have masses of Italians been less ebullient. Never so many brows creased by frowns. Never have so many been so eager to play let's make a deal.

Producers ask if La Crisi is over with here, if we're on the rebound. No, not really. It's still like an economic Baghdad. A quagmire. A dull ache until the next mortgage bomb goes off. Message to producers: some dinky 20% discount won't even register. Go lower if you want to get rid of all that cellared wine the Germans and Scandinavians can't soak up.

Then there's still an issue of quality and style. I went to a seminar tasting moderated by Alfonso Cevola, aka The Italian Wine Guy. The subject was Calabrian wines. My personal verdict: No way Giosuè'.

Today should be interesting.  

 

 

Now in Massachusetts, Domenico Selections Wines!

 
We're happy to announce that Domenico Selections will be represented in the Bay State (Strappo's home state) by Hangtime Wine. Hangtime is owned and operated by Jeff Slavin and has a choice roster of customers in the Boston area. Among these is The Wine Bottega in the North End of Boston, the traditional heart of the city's Italian population, run by italophile Kerri Platt. 

See here for a wine-shop review by Robert Dwyer.

Grazie, Beantown!