Muddy Boots

Ode to Falanghina

Yesterday Franco Ziliani, well-known Italian wine critic and blogger (vinoalvino.org), published what I can only call an ode to Falanghina -- namely the Falanghina produced by the Mustilli family in the province of Avellino. (Link to article in Italian here.)

In the piece, Franco, pictured here, explores the various suggested etymologies of the word Falanghina, and then provides a bit of history of the grape, with its "modern era" starting with the research and advocacy of Leonardo Mustilli. (Blessed be he.)

I won't go into the etymological side of it, since the evidence that Franco presents -- like many others' before him -- strikes one as equivocal. To me it's Category We Really Don't Know. But that makes no difference to one's appreciation and enjoyment of one of the great white wine grapes of southern Italy. (Maybe one should just say Italy, no qualifiers.)

Anyway, allow me to translate Franco's enthusiastic review of the Mustilli Falanghina, with all my difficiencies as translator on display (spiacente!).

Cascina Roccalini. Again! Bis

Just a link to a rave review of the beautiful and still very young Cascina Roccalini Barbaresco 2007: link here.

Sorry to have been so lax about posting, but at this time of year it's run run run. 

Ciao a tutti!

Aquila del Torre: Good vibrations on Tanzer's site

If you follow Steven Tanzer's reviews at all, you quickly realize that he and his reviewers are not ones to indulge in grade inflation. Wines that others may deem a 92, Tanzer & Co. seem to mark 3-4 points lower. They do not subscribe to the Lake Wobegon philosophy of "illusory superiority."  

So it's with pride and pleasure that I inform you of some excellent scores and reviews by Ian d'Agata, Tanzer's man in Italy, frequent contributor to Decanter and Director of the International Wine Academy of Roma.

Aquila del Torre in late February. All organically farmed,

vineyards are set within a nature preserve

Recently, on Tanzer's wineaccess.com site, reviews of three of Aquila del Torre's wines were published. We applaud this, to us, new and very impressive producer from the Colli Orientali district of Friuli.

Here are the reviews, along with links to wineaccess.com. 

Friulano 2010 -- 88 points

<http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=11281000>

Green-tinged straw-gold. Rich nose of fig, lime blossom and almond. Fat, thick and sweet, with an almost syrupy texture to its apple and almond flavors. An impressively rich and big Friulano, but compared to the sauvignon it comes across as slightly blurry, in need of a little more acidity (or less alcohol) for better definition. Finishes long and rich, with hints of lime oil and cut grass.

Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - 89 points

<http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=11280999>

Pale, straw-gold color. Fresh nose verges on the exotic, offering pineapple, grapefruit, green fig and lime skin notes. Solidly built, but with lovely delicacy to the pineapple and grapefruit flavors. Has the flesh to support its very good acidity. Nicely done: Aquila del Torre, long known for an excellent picolit (the Savorgnano subzone is an absolute grand cru for the variety), actually makes one of Friuli's more interesting sauvignons as well.

Picolit 2008 - 90 points

<http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=11281072>

Bright yellow-gold. Pure aromas of lime oil, mango and ripe yellow peach complicated by dried apricot. Bright and sweet, with lime and honey flavors on entry, then rather gently styled in the middle. Could use a bit more length, but it's so pure and varietally accurate that it rates an outstanding score.

We have in stock the Friulano and the Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the relatively unsung Riesling, but the Picolit wasn't available when we placed our initial order in the summer. That luscious nectar, bright with enough acidity to make you want another glass, then another, will be here early in 2012.

The Producer responds: Sweetness of American food

I thought I'd share further eludication on the topic of the sweetness of American food from the lady who instigated the whole thread, Chiara Martinotti of Cascina Gilli. My few comments after her para.

...To be honest it took me a few days to realize how sweet the food was there in US. At the beginning I simply felt I was really enjoying eating out, then I realized that the big cheese plate was loaded with frosted peanuts, the apparently healthy salad had caramelised strawberries on top, while the steamed salmon was topped with cherries. No wonder eating was becoming such a fun experience (yeah...I have a sweet tooth). The point is: this kind of food is anesthetizing your palate, it makes you lose in complexity and shades. They are pushing you towards an immediate, short and childish taste. Adult tastes are savour, saltiness, acidity, adult tastes often require time as well. I think quite a few Italian wines also require an "adult palate" to be fully appreciated.

OK, first off, Chiara -- you ordered a salad with what on top? Salmon with what on top? No wonder you have this viewpoint!

Granted, too many salads and salad dressings here are loaded up with sugar in addition to gloppy with greasiness thanks to excessive amounts of what purports to be cheese. But you can always bypass (key word!) that my requesting oil and vinegar, or lemon.

As to the fish, what can I say? It sounds like the wrong thing to dump on salmon. I don't care if it was farm-raised. 

I'd have to say that the excessive sweetness in a lot of American food is, in part, a matter of habit as well as the desire of the restaurateurs and food-product manages to make the customer back for more. It's the path of least resistance for everyone.

Looking at this issue diachronically -- look it up! Google makes it easy to expand your vocabulary! -- I can remember back to about 60 years ago. As a little kid, I of course went crazy for anything sweet. We had things like "tonic" (soda in American) and ice cream as treats fairly seldom. Sure, we binged candy and Halloween and baked goods at Christmas. But holidays were a completely separate category regarding food, which was a major part of why we eagerly awaited them. Now that holiday/ordinary day dichotomy is blurred to the point of insignificance. We have the national obesity epidemic to prove it.

What has this to do with wine? Nothing and everything. Even among those who drink wine frequently, there is a common theme of "I don't like sweet wines." Yet ask them what they prefer, and it's something high in sugar and well as alcohol -- California Zinfandel or Cab, Amarone, some jammy monster from Australia. Chiara commented on this, and Jeff and I, observing this preference at tastings for civilians, laugh about it all the time. We laugh but we're crying on the inside.

Well, look, I have no intention of making a lot of profound observations on the topic, nor do I wish to devote my days to researching it. It's an interesting point, which I hadn't thought much about before Chiara brought it up. And it does shed some light, if obliquely, on the ingrained American preference for sweet drinks of all sorts, wine often included. That's all.

  

 

Terra di Vento in Vini d'Italia Guide for first time

We've always been big fans of the organic wines of Terra di Vento, which is located near the sea in southern Campania. Under Roberto Nicodemo, the winery has gone from strength to strength the past few years. The 100% Aglianico "Petrale" and the 100% Fiano "Faiano" have great fruit and balance, and they really sing their terroir. For the quality of the wines, they are an exceptional bargain.*

Imagine my delight this morning when I found an email from Roberto with the newest "results" of the 2012 Vini d'Italia, which is one of the better ones in the country, published by the magazine L'Espresso.

Below is a picture of the guide's review of Terra di Vento and the wines that it reviewed.

Enjoy! And brush up on your Italian...

"A brilliant debut in this Guide for this winery at the foot of the Picentine Mountains..."

*Note that the Italian prices to the consumer in euros are very similar to shelf prices here in dollars. We're lookin' out for ya.

The sweetness of American food

On her return to Italy, Chiara Martinotti, la Regina della Freisa, sent an email from Cascina Gilli. Most of the contents were business details about her recent trip to the States, but she stopped me short with a comment about the sweetness of American food.

"I found very sweet, almost childish flavors, especially in Ohio [take that, Buckeyes!]. I don't like this, but I do begin to understand the American preference for sweet drinks, including wine."

I hadn't thought about the sweetness of American food even though I've been in Italy dozens of times. It's very different here, granted, but I also don't glop up my food as so many people in America do -- you know, the sour cream on the baked potato, melty cheesoid product on everything from popcorn to noodles, heavily sugared prepared spaghetti sauce, etc. I also avoid chains like Olive Garden. But don't most aware food and wine geeks avoid that kind of thing anyway?

That observation doesn't address the larger issue of sweetness in the drinks we, as a people, prefer. After all, we oldsters have lived through many crazes having to do with sweet, unstructured alcoholic products: Mateus, cold duck (the nadir, IMO), hedonistic fruit bombs and, currently, those too-sweet fruit beers. There hasn't been one major marketing barrage pushing steely Muscadet or broad-shouldered Aglianico to the masses. Never happened, never will.

As I tiresomely point out to people, our national fondness for sweet drinks was firmly established in Colonial times. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. That rum, made from molasses, was aged in toasty oak barrels and combined with all sorts of sugars and spices to ease the weariness of the working man. Toddies and shandies and all sorts of concoctions that sound like a recipe for instant diabetes. (The rich had their Madeira and Port.) Bourbon -- treated in a pretty similar way. (Look at America's classic cocktails -- heavy on the sugars, whether via fruit or the cane variety.)

But I'd like to pose a question to all five of you who read this blog [people still write blogs? how cute!].

Do you find the food here all that sweet? That much sweeter than, say, in Italy or France? 

And are your food choices determined, in part, by the necessity of pairing them with the wines that you favor? 

Around Manhattan yesterday: One important stop

At one of our stops, the lovely and talented Francesca Ciani of Aquila del Torre (Friuli) and Chiara Martinotti of Cascina Gilli (Piemonte) 

Tuesday night at Eataly NY

Our experience pouring the wines of Cascina Gilli last night only reinforced what we already knew about that shrine to all things Italian, Eataly: The place was jammed on an ordinary Tuesday night. It's a phenomenon. It's a bloody goldmine.

Our little part in the attaction to Eataly was the tasting of three Cascina Gilli wines in the wine shop, which, according to New York State's antique laws, is required to have its own separate entrance (on 23rd Street right between the main entrance and the main exit of the food store.)

Whatever contortions the state made Eataly go through to create the wine store, this compact but ingeniously laid-out space provided us with one of the most commodious tasting stations in our fair city. Lots of glasses, lots of bread for palate-cleansing, attractive displays of the product, lots of product most conveniently on hand to be sold.

Which we did. I filled in for Chiara when things got very busy -- Friday-night busy at most shops -- but her charm and sense of humor, not to mention almost perfect American English, made her and her wines a big hit. The Barbera d'Asti in stock -- gone. The Freisa (my personal favorite), half gone. The sparkling Malvasia, at least a case down. In two fast-paced hours.

Thus is the magnetic magic of Eataly.

Of course, dealing with the public is always funny. One couple, well-born and high, enthused forever about the wines and kept asking for more tastes. Not a bottle did they buy.

A serious guy who lives in the neighborhood asked a lot of questions and went home with five bottles.

A quiet woman tasted the sparkling Malvasia and said, "It's sunshine on your tongue." We told her we were stealing that one. I guess we just did.

And I do believe that calling the Freisa "Nebbiolo in a bustier" really helped move some of that wine. Everyone likes sex, or at least something suggestive of it.

Anyway, at the end we wanted to go to the new beer garden atop the building. There was a 45 minute wait or standing-only at the bar. Waiting in line is something this one doesn't do. Sometimes you can get too popular. (I imagine so. Never having experienced it personally.)

Instead, we headed over to Apiary, and we had a delicious meal in attractive, unfrenetic surroundings. This was most welcome after the producers, both Chiara and Francesca Ciani of Aquila del Torre, had seen wide swaths of New Jersey all day long with the tireless Jeff Mazen. Tuesday was a long but highly productive day. 

 

In photo at top: La Bella e la Bestia

In the Decanter tome

Some days ago I received the October issue of Decanter. Due to busyness and the intimidating bulk of the issues 376 pages, I didn't open it till today.

Among any of the Domenico Selections producers who may have submitted tasting samples to Decanter, Cascina Gilli came up smelling like a rose. Or, rather, a "ripe grapey nose with floral notes," as was used to describe their Silver-winning Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco 2010 (page 182).

Cascina Gilli also fared well with the first wine of theirs that we championed, the Freisa "Vigna del Forno" 2008 (page 183). The description: "Inky, rosy, with herbal notes. Raspberries with freesia [!] and liquorice palate. Satin texture with coffee finish."

Let's hope some discerning folk in Our Leading Restaurants and Wine Stores read Decanter deeply enough to open their minds to this very charming grape, and the winning way Gilli has with it. It's a shame that Freisa is so little known or understood. On the bright side, Decanter's Ian D'Agata notes that 40% of the Piedmont winners of awards and recognition this year are not Barolos and Barbarescos. In truth, Piedmont is about lots more than all-singing, all-dancing Nebbiolo, or Barbera, a grape more sinned against than sinning.

To conclude with comments from Ian D'Agata's lead-in, under the subhead "What should we buy from here?" he singles out the Malvasia with this comment:

Even better, Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco, made with the Malvasia di Schierano grape, is a lightly alcoholic (5.5%!) sparkling, sweet red that's hard not to fall in love with.

And under "What should we keep an eye on?" he again mentions both Freisa and specifically the Malvasia from Cascina Gilli. About Freisa in general:

Freisa has a lot to offer, with both a light sparkling version [which we don't bring in -- yet] and a more important oaked one [ditto]... 

Well, we are abashed in that we currently offer neither the vivace nor the oaky versions at this time. The Freisa Vigna del Forno is unoaked and, as Ian writes, has a "satin texture with coffee finish." 

This Freisa really is Nebbiolo in a bustier.

 

  

 

3 Bicchieri gives the nod to Serra del Prete

Serra del Prete by Musto Carmelitano is a forceful, magnificent Aglianico del Vulture from the beautifully desolate region of Basilicata. Rich with brambly fruit and loaded with true Aglianico tannins, it's hardcore Southern goodness. Added points: it's aged in cement, the vines tend to be quite old (many 40-50 years) and it's totally organic. 

So you can imagine our delight when Elisabetta Musto Carmelitano emailed us today with news that Gambero Rosso has given the 2009 Serra del Prete the nod. The premiazione ceremony will take place on October 22 in Rome. We guess Betty will be going to Rome pretty soon. And the trip and the prize will be richly deserved. Her wines are a brilliant expression of Aglianico and of the best traditions of the Mezzogiorno.

Good news week: our producers go from strength to strength

Imagine our joy when, as we stumbled from the land of Nod this AM, we saw this missive from the Queen of Freisa & Malvasia Schierano, Chiara Martinotti of Cascina Gilli. Actually, it is a rave review -- 92 points -- by Ian D'Agatha of the International Wine Acadamy in Rome and reviewer for Steven Tanzer:

There you have it, folks, in two languages. Because accolades in one language fail to convince.

Commercial interruption:

Have a party in your mouth, if you dare. Cascina Gilli Malvasia. Sparkling fruit & sweetness balanced with refreshing acidity! 

 

 

Wines just in: New ones and old friends

At long last a passel of new wines have arrived and are now in our warehouse in New Jersey. Waiting for an order to get here is very much like being a little kid and waiting YEARS for December to pass and for Santa to squeeze down the chimney. Red-nosed as his reindeer, the cheerful old elf has finally landed and left us some fine new (and old) wines that we'd love to tear into and guzzle down immediately. 

Here’s what’s new in the warehouse:

• Wines from Aquila del Torre – a wonderful organic producer in the heart of the eastern Collio district of Friuli. We have their Friulano 2010, Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and their Riesling 2009. No oak, plenty of lively acidity and delicious fruit. By the way, Francesca Ciani of the family that owns AT will be pouring at our tasting on September 26. 

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• The zippy and easy to drink Pecorino 2010 from Costantini is finally — yes, in mid-August — finally here. To coin a phrase, “Try it, you’ll like it!” 

• And of course we’re thrilled to have the wines of Luca Fedrigo, L’Arco winery, finally here too. As you may recall, Luca is the young guy who worked for Quintarelli for 11 years and still collaborates with Giuseppe and the younger family members in myriad ways. The wines are gorgeous and, while not cheap, they are less costly than the famed master’s. At present we have Luca’s Rosso veronese, Ripasso, two extraordinary blends (Pario and Rubeo), and of course his Amarone. Quantities are small but our motto is: First come, first served. By the way, these are all from the 2005 vintage except for the Pario 2004.
  

        We're hoping that Luca will be able to make it to our         September 26 tasting. Fingers crossed.

By the way, in other news...

• Newly restocked & in the warehouse are some favorites -- the Boccella Taurasi 2005, Cascina Roccalini Barbaresco 2007 and the Pinot Grigio 2010 from La Prebenda.
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming soon!

• At the end of August we’ll be receiving the super value line (2010) from Costantini. It’s called Febe (Phoebe), and we’re getting the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and the Bianco d’Abruzzo. Meant to be floor-stacked and served by the glass. Impressive fruit and acidity.  And in spring we’re bringing in the Febe Cerasuolo 2011, the rosé made of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. If that doesn’t sound like a summer party wine, I don’t know what does. (Come to think of it, the Febe red sounds like it, too. And the Bianco. You get my drift...)

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• Lest we forget...we’re trying out the Cascina Gilli Barbera d’Asti 2009, also coming in at the end of this month. It’s unoaked, clean, straightforward — a tasty everyday wine with great fruit and balance. Sorry to say, this is the only wine that hasn’t been added to our website. Someone better remedy that real soon. By the way, the charming and very smart Chiara Martinotti of Gilli will be at the trade tasting on September 26. 

Gee, thanks, Santy Claus.

 

Jancis likes the Aglianicos. And one of them is ours

Our excellent biologico producer of Aglianico and Fiano, Roberto Nicodemo of Terra di Vento, sent us a link to Friday's article in the Financial Times. Jancis Robinson wrote an even-handed article about Aglianico, that noblest of Southern Italian grapes, in its Taurasi and Vulture (Basilicata) versions. (Link to article here. Link to the new Terra di Vento site here. Note the stunning new "agriturismo" -- which is of a very high class indeed.)

Interestingly enough, she lists as a "pick" the Terra di Vento Petrale 2007 even though the property is far from Vulture and Taurasi. In fact, Terra di Vento is a few kilometers from the sea in the area not far from Salerno (hence the appellation "Colli di Salerno") and the Amalfi coast.

The soft coastal climate and chalky soils make Petrale far less tannic and tough early in its life than wines from Taurasi and Vulture -- there is more immediate fruit on the palate and nose. It's extremely approachable. 

We love all versions of Aglianico. We value Petrale for its pleasing, up-front drinkability and its versatility with a wide range of food than the big, sometimes rather overpowering brothers up in the volcanic hills.

Buon lavoro, Roberto e Fortunato!

 

Langhe: A country for old men. Then there's Paolo Veglio

Jeff just passed me a wonderful link to a piece on Intravino by Alessandro Morichetti. (Here's the story.)

In his setup, Morichetti notes that the Langhe seems to consist of ancient partiarchs and hallowed names with, seemingly, nothing much new to be seen. Then he raises our friend, Paolo Veglio of Cascina Roccalini, as a shining exception and worthy standard-bearer for the production zone. Morichetti also raves about Paolo's wines and their very reasonable prices.

Paolo is only 34, but he has been farming since he was 14 -- and Morichetti notes how few young people want to devote themselves to the hard physical labor and constant attentiveness of farming. The author also notes that, while some vineyards of Gaja's Sorì Tildìn are very near to Paolo Veglio's property, the two producers exist to two different worlds, thanks to age, experience and the relentless grinding of the PR mills for Gaja, not to mention the other semi-deified winemakers of the zone.

At present, Paolo's Cascina Roccalini is making three wines: a Dolcetto, Barbera and Barbaresco. He has also begun work on a Barbaresco Riserva which will, of course, not hit the market for several years. (Go here for the Domenico Selections entry on Cascina Roccalini and the wines.)

Finally, I chckled when I read that thing were going slowly, but slooowly, forward for Paolo until February 2010. On the 15th a British importer came, tasted and, on the 17th, made a deal.

We arrived on, as I recall, February 28, tasted and said yes on the spot. That's how winning these wines are, and how much confidence and enthusiasm Paolo excites with his elegant, more than merely "typical" wines. We love them and, happily, so do our customers.

Sangiovese in purezza from Casale Pozzuolo

Overlooking the Val d'Orcia, in the emerging Tuscan wine area called Montecucco, there is a very old property named Casale Pozzuolo. The owner, Daniele Galluzzi, is an energetic, passionate man who strives for top quality in all things. You can see it in the design and construction of his facility, including an agriturismo, in the cellar, and in the vineyard. Assisted by his cousin, Giuseppe, his agronomo, Daniele makes wines of uncommon purity and elegance. To that end he grows one grape and only one. Sangiovese.

(Above: Daniele Galluzzi in his tasting room)

One grape, two wines: One a Rosso, one a Riserva. Completely organic and easy on the wood. The land is dry-farmed -- in stark contrast to his neighbors, whose vineyards are hooked up to hoses and sometimes languish under stagnant pools of water -- and the yields are low. Everything is done by hand, including, of course, the harvest. 

The result is a "base" wine (Rosso della Porticcia, no oak) that blows you away with its vibrant fruit and elegant balance; and a Riserva, a selection of grapes from the property, that seems like a Platonic ideal of "Sangiovese."

This Riserva has everything: red-fruit aromas and flavors, ringing acidity and a layered, subtle use of oak that reveals the wine's depth. Some intriguing, elusive quality keeps you sipping and discovering the wine's nuances. The Riserva has proven to be a big hit in steakhouses, and I suspect part of the reason may be the unencumbered way the oak enhances the richness of the prime beef.

 
The terroir of Casale Pozzuolo. Or, as we call it back home, dirt 

We're delighted to have these wines back in stock. They are seriously good wines. 

 

Beyond the sea

Cue up the jaunty sea music - click on the bar for a Django classic -- 

Beyond the Sea

 ladies and gents, we have a slew of new and reordered wines hitting these shores in July. 

Arriving next week, and not a minute too soon, will be our hit Pinot Grigio, "Vero" from La Prebenda on the Veneto-Trentino border, and the elegant, compulsively drinkable, unoaked Rosso della Porticcia from Casale Pozzuolo, the organic Tuscan producer of all Sangiovese, all the time. We recently ran out of these and are more than eager to get them back in our customers' cellars and glasses.

 

Another ship for these shores will be leaving Livorno in the next ten days, and this will be a larger, more varied cargo: More Barbaresco from Cascina Roccalini, the new 2010 "Selese" Soave from I Stefanini, yet more of the splendid 2005 Taurasi from Boccella, snappy 2010 Pecorino from Costantini -- and wines from our two newest producers, a trio of marvelous Friulian whites from Aquila del Torre and of course the stunning Valpolicellas with the Quintarelli "pedigree" from L'Arco.

As yet we have no Domenico Selections entries for the last two new wineries on our site. That would be your humble servant's job over this long weekend. Meanwhile, please visit the producers' sites at L'Arco and Aquila del Torre.

All of these wines will be present at the Domenico Selections trade tasting on September 26. We will be graced, at the New York venue, by several of our producers, notably Chiara Martinotti of Cascina Gilli, whose frizzante Malvasia is doing very well despite Strappo's personal misgivings about its sellability; Francesca Ciani of Friuli and the family winery Aquila del Torre; and, for one day only in New York, that up-and-coming wine star, Luca Fedrigo of L'Arco, he of the Quintarelli "pedigree."

 

There's joy in Mudville today, ragazzi

Last month Strappo posted an article about a thrilling new winery, L'Arco, whose proprietor, the talented Luca Fedrigo is an ex-pupil of Giuseppe Quintarelli.

With the joyful exuberance of that announcement came also a nagging fear that it would take so long to get TTB label approvals that the wine would arrive a shade too late to be entirely ready at the outset of the fall season. We had been fed gruesome stories about 3-month waits for approvals.

The not-so-gruesome fact is that it took one month. All the L'Arco labels have been approved and we are getting ready to arrange the shipment of these wonderful wines.

By the time September comes round, they'll be ready to taste with pleasure and sell with ease. Ottimooooooooooo!

E pluribus unum

Awards Galore

In the past couple of days we've received some delightful news from two Domenico Selections producers, Cascina Gilli and Costantini. Let's take them in chronological order.

The lovely and talented Chiara Martinotti wrote:

We are very proud to let you know that this year we submitted three of our wines at the Decanter World Wine Awards and all three of them were awarded!

* Silver Medal to Malvasia Gilli 2010 [one of our imports]

* Bronze Medal to Barbera d'Asti "Sebrì" 2007

* Bronze Medal to Freisa d'Asti "Vigna del Forno" 2008 [one of our imports]

We are happy to share with you this good news.

This is great news for the team at Gilli, especially Bruno Tamagnone, the young enologist whose wines keep on getting better. Bravo, Bruno!

 

The next bit of good news was from Costantini, which did itself proud in the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) in London. The azienda received a silver medal for the Tornese 2004 (Best in Class). This is one of our wines, a full-bodied Montepulciano d'Abruzzo that is destined to pair with red meat.

Another winning wine, which we will bring to the US quite soon, was the Pecorino 2010. It received a Bronze. It's a simple, clean and well-made example of the grape. We like the slight bit of natural spice that you get on the palate. It's "natural" because the wine spends zero time in oak.

Even better was a Gold Medal awarded at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles for the Tornese 2005. 

Bravissimi, Riccardo, Giovanni and Signor Antonio!

Wine, olives & horses

When we first met Roberto Nicodemo (pictured here with his wife, Marialuisa Zottola) a few years ago, he told us of his big plans for Terra di Vento, the estate where he makes delicious Aglianico ("Petrale") and Fiano ("Faiano", named after a nearby locality). In 2008 he was in the process of getting ready for biologico or organic certification, which is being granted on Monday. The entire farm is about to have this certification, so the olive oil and other products they grow and process will bear this on their labels. These organic products include hazelnuts, soaps and shampoos made from olive oil and Aglianico(!).

When we saw Roberto in Verona a few days ago he was like a kid with a new toy -- a big, expensive, hard-won new toy. We asked him how he had managed to do so much in so short a time (just over a year of construction) and at such a high level of finish  -- "Mutui!" he said. Mortgages.

Roberto's vision was, from the beginning, one that encompassed all forms of culture, not just the agri variety. He and his wife are passionate supporters of the arts and artists. They wanted to create a space for local artists to show their work, some of which has ended up in the winery's spotless cellars and on magnum bottles of Petrale.

That's not all. Integral to their vision is opening up their new facility to educational groups, whether schoolchildren or adults, for ecological and historical instruction. When we spoke to Roberto at Vinitaly he told us Marialuisa was dealing with 40+ schoolkids on a Saturday tour of the farm. (Brave woman!) The kids got a grounding in the benefits of organic agriculture and its precedents in the days of his grandmother early in the 20th Century. (We'll come back to his grandmother -- she was a key inspiration in Roberto's vision.)

It's not all serious study and political correctness on the Terra di Vento farm. For one thing, there are horses. And for another, a top-notch chef in the osteria. We got permission to use pictures from the new TdV website (www.aziendaterradivento.it), and some of them are here to give you a sense of the quality and the scope of things.

The vineyards face the sea, which is only a few miles to the west. Terra di Vento means "land of wind," so you get the idea that constant breezes make mold and other moisture-related pests a non-problem.

Click on these pictures to view them larger.

Tasting room and shop. Squint to see artwork on labels

 

Everybody loves horsies!

 

Exterior of the osteria (restaurant)

A view of one of the rooms 

 

La quercia. The oak. To Roberto this tree, dating to the late 18th century, is a visible connection to his family -- especially his grandmother, who worked right there in the fields as a young girl, and who raised five children the hard way after her husband was killed in WWI. 

This is a labor of remembrance even more than of love. That remembrance includes the knowledge of organic farming "the hard way."

As Alberto Moravia once famously said, "Il futuro ha un cuore antico." The future has an ancient heart. Here it means something specific, concrete, real.

 

 

 

Spring morning in Friuli: Aquila del Torre

At Vinitaly you see hordes of scruffy guys in jeans snapping pictures and shooting video of what is, essentially, the same mob scene every year. 

You'll be happy to know that we of Domenico Selections took no pictures at the fair. Nor video, which none of us is any good at editing. 

Here, instead, is a selection of photos taken one Sunday morning soon before the madness at Verona, on the 70-hectare (180-acre) estate of Aquila del Torre, our new producer in Friuli. You will begin to see their whites -- Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling -- here in the States, from Domenico Selections, early in the fall.

There was still a hint of morning mist. The soil was saturated from the winter's rains

This is one of several cru vineyards on the estate. Ronc de Miez is planted in Friulano, which in this case is aged in barrique. Don't worry, the wood is under control.

 

 

The Ciani family have set aside the majority of the land as a nature preserve. Trails are posted and people are encouraged to hike the terrain. Motocross hooligans are discouraged.

Frana! Landslide! The torrential rains of the past winter overwhelmed the extensive drainage system that the Cianis had had installed.

 

A view of the tasting room and new agriturismo called Oasi Picolit (Picolit Oasis). In foreground: the SolSiRe vineyard (Refosco cru).

It's so hard to resist one more vineyard shot.