Look back on top of the Monte Bianco Skyway, Courmayeur, 2017

Top of the Skyway, Montebianco

2014 Giuseppe Rinaldi, Dolcetto in a plastic bottle from earlier visit
to keep us warm on top of Monte Bianco in the freezing cold. =) 
(Photo: Nico Contenta, Stefano Niccoli)

Inside, historic photo.

Outside the old rifugio storico. 

The modern refuge with a view and a negroni. 

Wine by the glass inside the old refuge bar. 

Hail storm strikes Barolos precious vineyards

September 5th and 6th brought some unfortunate hail to the Langhe right before harvest as grapes were reaching optimal ripeness.  Giulia Negri posted this bunch of injured nebbiolo grapes from her Serradenari vineyard in La Morra.

"Unfortunately the hail hit almost all of our vineyards with estimated losses starting from 20% in some parcels up to 50% in others, with an average of about 35-40%.  In certain areas (fortunately a few) the leaf canopy was stripped, in others completely destroyed- proof of the severity of the damage.

Our incredible team, that saw a years worth of dedication and effort diminish in a mere 10 minutes, but who also know how to see the glass half full, will do everything possible to bring forth a great 2019. Now we hope for a little bit of sun."  

Visit to Giuseppe Rinaldi in Barolo

Entrance to the Cantina Rinaldi. 

On a slightly cold Friday winter morning in February a friend and I walked to the Giuseppe Rinaldi Cantina to meet one of the daughters, Marta.  The sun was shining magically on the Le coste vineyards as we approached.  

The annual production of Barolo here is around 16,000 bottles.  Rinaldi has 1 hectare of vineyards in Brunate and .5 hectares in Le Coste which produces perhaps their most famous blend of Barolo. The other vineyards for Nebbiolo are Cannubi San Lorenzo and Ravera. The biggest of the four plots is Ravera (3 hectares) which also holds Dolcetto, Barbera and Freisa vines and is used as well for the limited production of their excellent Langhe Nebbiolo. 

8 AM Early morning sun in the Le Coste vineyards of the Rinaldi estate looking south. 

Marta pouring us a sample of 2015 Langhe Nebbiolo from cask
which she explains is still a little nervous at the moment. This will be bottled in one week (at the end of February, 2017).  

Matteo Gatti manual disgorging a 2006 Franciacorta Extra Brut

From one cantina to another we discovered that Franciacorta winemakers are doing a lot of experimenting.  Here is an example of Matteo Gatti of Ferghettina disgorging a 2006 Brut that has been hanging onto the lees for ten years. They dedicate a section of their cellar they call the library for saving bottles and playing with aging capabilities.

The styles of Franciacorta from the big to the small

The van door closed one last time and I clumsily stumbled back towards the agriturismo buzzed and exhausted with the other four American wine writers for Franciacorta.  We just finished a memorable dinner of lasagne, donkey steaks and polenta and we gathered on the second floor deck to wind down with one last bottle.  After tasting over 20 wines a day we suddenly realized that we hadn't found one wine we disliked during our three days touring wineries.  That dinner we finally opened an offensive bottle that shocked us a bit but hey, it's bound to happen eventually and it actually helped put everything into perspective.  We needed a redemption bottle and we popped a delicious Brut vintage 2009 from Ronco Calino which spends 50 months on the lees.  The sharp cool air was a comforting shock on the skin and the healthy bubbles from Calino reminded us of all the great stuff we drank these last few days.

The wavy vineyards of Ronco Calino in the backyard of the winery

Consistancy and quality is a huge stand out here in Franciacorta and you can see it from a smaller 70,000 bottle producer like Ronco Calino all the way to the gigantic 1.5 million bottle production of Ca' del Bosco.  

Ferghettinas square bottle in the lights of the cellar

There are also many unique styles in production from one winery to the next. Mosnel swears by their horizontal stainless steel tanks to achieve more complexity.  They have some of the most drinkable and refreshing yet complex wines of the trip.  Ca' del Bosco puts all of their grapes through a jacuzzi bath to reduce sulfites before they end up in the biggest stainless steel tank I have ever seen in my life.  They even add Nitrogen to eliminate the presence of oxygen while Mattia Vezzola of Bellavista purposely adds oxygen to the must with his unique method to eliminate impurities, a campaign they call "air your wine".  Another interesting idea comes from Matteo Gatti of Ferghettina who patented a square bottle so there is more surface area for the wine to come in contact with the lees.  The Ferghettina winery is a great example of not judging a book by its cover and if you dig deeper into their story it is a truly fascinating one.  While most of the Franciacorta producers have an Industrial background in common, the Ferghettina family come from a background of sharecropping.  

But, whichever style winery you come across the end product that almost all of the producers want to acheive is a similar one.  Fresh, bright, healthy acidity, limited use of oak only for fermentation and usually the least amount of dosage as possible.  These are great wines that taste of the land and express the passion and thirst of the winemakers.

Jeremy next to the epic million bottle Cuvee' Prestige, stainless steel tank at Ca' del Bosco

First day in Franciacorta with team Classicmethod!

Jeremy Parzen aka Do Bianchi above showing us the topographic map of the Franciacorta vineyards when five of us arrived here on Tuesday.  One of the most important things we learned right away about Franciacorta is the diversity in soil types as shown in the different colors on the map.  The wine makers can vinify up to 40 different expressions of chardonnay seperately and combine those base wines in their own artistic expression for their finished product.  This is a mythical place to grow grapes posted up right underneath Lago d'Iseo.  The lake gives a maritime influence on top of the Alpine climate and a prehistoric glacier slide creates a natural amphiteatre almost enclosing the vineyards in the area.   There is an incredible consistency of quality and movement towards organic viticulture that is not easy to come across in any other wine region.  What a complex area to learn about and as Jeremy has said, "These wines aren't beginner wines and deserve some time and concentration to try and understand them."   So I take a deep breath of clean crisp alpine air before diving into this majestic land of grapes and sparkling wine. 

Last day in Milan, One last Bollito Misto at Al' Less

 

Last night, after multiple days of exhausting parties in Modena and Bologna I walked into Al' Less on a rainy Sunday night in Milan.  I knew we weren't going to walk far for dinner and luckily it was located quite close to Piazza Piola where I was staying with an Italian friend.

As soon as you step into the place you feel a rush of creative energy as the building is decorated very artistically and precise.  After this it is normal to feel a great appetite striking you the moment you smell the aromas from the kitchen which is located in the dead center of the restaurant.

Wine from Oltrepo' Pavese Pinot Nero and Bonarda were the popular choices of the restaurant.  This region just south of Milan by the river Po' is also known for its Sparkling wine from Pinot Nero grapes. The legendary Bruno Giacosa sources his Pinot Nero from this area for the production of his vintage Spumante Extra Brut made in the Metodo Classico.

As for the food, a small to medium menu with a wonderful collection of creative Northern Italian recipes.  Primi consisted of homemade pastas such as I pisarei e fasò (a type of gnocchi typical of Piacenza cooked with beans and Parmigiano Reggiano), Agnolotti in brodo and I tortelli alla Maremmana (delicate Tortelli stuffed with ricotta and spinach dressed with a wild boar ragù) which is what we went for.

I Secondi are a wonderful display of mouthwatering meat dishes like Lo stracotto di vitello al Barolo, Il brasato di puledro (puledro or cucciolo del cavallo would be a foal or baby horse from around 11 months old), Il cinghiale in dolceforte and finally the two dishes we ordered, La carne Salada con arancio, timo e limone (a cured meat from the Trentino, with its unique texture resembles more a type of carne cruda or carpaccio) and of course the dish for which Al' Less is known for, their Bollito Misto coming with four gorgeous salsette to dress the boiled meats ranging from chicken to beef toungue.

Everything was tasty, fresh and seasoned perfect.  For dessert there were some unique options like Salame di ciocolato and Castagnaccio (the Tuscan chestnut cake with pinenuts and rosemary).

La carne salada del trentino, served with tyme over a salad dressed in olive oil and orange.

Bollito Misto, the signature dish of Al' Less which comes with  four delicious salsette including the classic salsa verde.


Al' Less 
V.Le Lombardia 28
20131 Milano, Italia

Il Perseo, e come si parla fiorentino

Finishing up my last few days as a Fiorentino.  Always will come back to these lands which I consider a certain type of home.  Heading south again to Rome and San Donato Val di Comino.  And hopefully a trip to Calabria as well.  Picked up some useful Florentine dialect (below) to entertain.

Passando la Piazza Della Signoria, Il Perseo di Benvenuto Cellini. 

Una lezione di dialetto fiorentino per voi...

Casa del vino in Florence, and the beauty of raw pork sausage

Stopped into Casa del Vino today by the San Lorenzo Market in Florence.  This time around the Panino con Salsiccia e Stracchino caught my eye.  An incredible combination here of raw pork sausage and the soft creamy cows milk cheese from northern Italy all on a toasty warm unsalted Tuscan roll.  We drank a classic glass of Colli Fiorentini Chianti from Fattoria Poggio Romita, followed by some Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Trerose.  Raw pork sausage is not really something you find in the States due to the Trichinosis scare, but for me it captures the freshness and one of a kind texture of artisinal salsiccia.

I talked with Gianni Migliorini briefly who told me that the small panino, crostino and wine shop has been open since 1870 and owned by his family since 1930.  An amazingly tasty and affordable place for textbook Tuscan sandwiches and wine.

 Casa del Vino.

 Perfectly spicy yet delicate Crostino di Peporoncino.

 The Marvelous bowl to the left containing fresh raw pork sausage and stracchino cheese

 ready to be served up on a panino roll.

We went for an addition of a slice of grilled eggplant which paired wonderfully with the two.

In other Negroni News...

Jay and I stopped into Caffe Rivoire (where the recent Rape of the Polissena incident happened) in the Piazza della Signoria. Normally I would have avoided this caffe at all costs due to its super tourist appearance on the outside, but we found out that same day that this is the spot where the Negroni Cocktail was invented.  It was indeed an amazing Negroni and there were some locals inside enjoying aperitivo which was a comforting feeling.

 

Negroni Plaque that can be found inside of the caffè.

Roma Lungotevere

Photo: Jay Elling Photography.

Cycling to Fiesole for vino sfuso with a view

Yesterday charged it up the steep hill from Florence to Fiesole with my good mate Jay Elling.  We stopped for a spritz and a .75 L bottle of vino sfuso from the Colline Fiorentine at ''di Vino Paci'' for only € 1.80.

Vino Sfuso is a simple and wonderful thing to enjoy in Italy, and as fellow blogger/friend Alfonso just wrote today in his post, also tastes better than most Italian supermarket wines you find in the states for a fraction of the price. 

 di Vono Paci, vino sfuso, Fiesole.

 Out of shape but still going for it on the rental bike.

Jay looks into the distance towards florence from above.

Leaving Milano, momentarily...

 Clara Gipponi, taking one last stroll with me through Milano.

 Navigli nightlife, outside of Capetown.  Gents drinking on the streeet, 

the way it should always be in the summer.

Carpaccio with tomato and ricotta salata at Osteria della Stazione, A friulian inspiration in Milan.

The 5:00 am Scene at a Milanese airport. 

Milano, Bar Basso a mezzogiorno.

 Giovedi, c'é sole e fa caldo. 

Un signore manda un messagio mentre beve un bicchierone di aperitivo.

Negli anni sessanta, Il Negroni Sbagliato e stato creato qui, nel Bar Basso.

 

Camel! cos'é questo liquore? Io non lo so, e neanche il bartender a bar basso.  Sapeva solamente che viene usato per dare un po di colore a qualche cocktail. Tiene poco alcol e non esiste sul google search!

Mo' scappo a festeggiare... A Milano E' la notte di Italian Vogue, Fashion night out !

La magra raccolta di sabato scorso.

My friend and fellow shredder Filippo Kratter posted this photo today of his 250 Porcini harvest last week.  He hails from Sappada, Italy in the northern Veneto.  One of the most beautiful towns I have ever visited, and perfectly situated if you are a mountain man.

San Giovanni in Laterano

San Giovanni In Laterano Through a bus window.  Rome, Italy 2009

Remembering Caravaggio's Nativity

Natività con i Santi Lorenzo e Francesco d'Assisi 

Here is what Michelangelo Merisi's (Caravaggio) Nativity (1609) would look like if still hanging in the Oratorio di San Lorenzo in Palermo, Sicily.  This Baroque masterpiece was stollen in 1969 thought to be a Mafia related crime and is estimated to be worth $20 million.  Some think the painting to be destroyed at this point but who can say?  I took a boat from Calabria to Sicily in the summer of 2008 and made a visit to the Oratorio in Palermo to find the space still empty nearly 40 years after the crime.  I wonder if the Oratory has had more success in terms of visitors wanting to see the hole in the wall absence of the painting versus the actual painting when it was just another Caravaggio masterpiece.

Below, angels gasp at the outcome of one of the biggest art heists in history.

ananas in barchetta.

 

Just saw this classic Ananas in barchetta (Pineapple in a small boat, a typical way to serve the fruit in that area of Italy.) photo posted by my cousin Justine in Florence, Italy.  It brought me back to the restaurant Da Diego in Rome where we were serving these boys left and right.... 

maybe I miss Italy

the beauty of Italian advertising

Sometimes you can't help but love cheesy things like this Italian advertisement for Lavazza coffee (taken in the Ciampino Airport in Rome).   This man with his diesel biceps is so elegant with his miniature espresso cup and flowing vale around his face...

Cara Italia, 150 anni

''Cara Italia, perché giusto o sbagliato che sia questo è il mio paese con le sue grandi qualità ed i suoi grandi difetti.''

Enzo Biagi

Above, a bust of Luigi Bartolucci in Piazza Garibaldi in Rome.  A picture I snapped last month during the preparations for the 150th anniversary memorial.

Jeremy and Wayne COF 2011 Blogging Interview