Wine Travel Food Special USA

Special february 2018 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

Tre Bicchieri are Coming to Town 436 REASONS TO DRINK ITALIAN

All the Tre bicchieri 2018, region by region. Piedmont and Tuscany lead the way but the Southern districts are growing up.

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS Check our top rated restaurants, pizzerias and wines bar in Chicago, NYC, LA, and San Francisco.

SPECIAL AWARDS 2018 Our special awards are a con densed version of our vision of the world of wine. The Red of the Year comes from Valtellina...

SOMMARIO  4

Special february 2018 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

 7  15  33 

8 Shows in 5 month by Lorenzo Ruggeri Vini d’Italia 2018 3 bicchieri Top Italian restaurants

Tre Bicchieri are Coming to Town 436 REASONS TO DRINK ITALIAN

All the Tre bicchieri 2018, region by region. Piedmont and Tuscany lead the way but the Southern districts are growing up.

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS Check our top rated restaurants,

Special Awards 2018 Our special awards are a con\

 pizzerias and wines bar in Chi-  densed version of our vision of cago, NYC, LA, and San Francisco.

the world of wine. The Red of the Year comes from Valtellina...

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trebicchieri 2018 USA Tour

We are proud to present a selection of Tre Bicchieri rated wines, awarded in Vini d’Italia 2018 guide

We are proud to present a selection of Tre Bicchieri rated wines, awarded in Vini d’Italia 2018 guide

Chicago

Houston

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28

MONDAY, APRIL 09

BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER - SKYLINE LOFT

BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER - SKYLINE LOFT

New York

Seattle

FRIDAY, MARCH 2

MONDAY, JUNE 04

THE METROPOLITAN PAVILION

THE METROPOLITAN PAVILION

Los Angeles

Washington

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

TUESDAY, JUNE 12

MAGIC BOX - THE REEF

MAGIC BOX - THE REEF

San Francisco

Boston

THURSDAY, MARCH 8

THURSDAY, JUNE 14

FORT MASON CENTER

FORT MASON CENTER

Super 8 Gambero Rosso comes to the US with an ambitious program: 8 shows in 5 months It’s the year of the US. The Gambero Rosso World Tour is going to hit the US 8 times within the first 6 months. This is the most extensive program ever organized by Gambero Rosso in the number one market for Italian wine. The agenda is full of tastings, lectures and news. During each event the best Italian restaurants in town will be honored, according to the digital guide Top Italian Restaurants. The guide rates restaurants, pizzerias and wine bars dedicated to Italian food and wine culture. Bottom line: the Italian scene is on fire, the quality has never been so high.

The wait for the Tre Bicchieri Week is almost over. The first stop will be Chicago on February 28, then NYC on March 2, L.A the 6th and San Francisco the 8th. Four wine growing districts will be on the spotlight: the Lambrusco area, Barbera d’Asti & Monferrato, Custoza and Sannio. Special masterclasses and ad hoc pairings (Neapolitan style pizza will be served in LA and San Francisco) will accompany the tasting focus. On April 9 the Top Italian Wines Roadshow will reach Houston showcasing 65 premium Italian wineries and more than 250 selected wines, Seattle is scheduled for June 4. Vini d’Italia Tour, which has always been focusing on the best value for money wines, will reach Washington DC. Two days later, on June 12 we will make it to Boston, the final pit stop of the the complex US tour.

During the tour, the English edition of Vini d’Italia 2018 will be presented. 436 Tre Bicchieri have emerged. With our Tre Bicchieri Verdi (Green Three Glasses) we make note of that are made through certified organic or biodynamic management.

This year there are some 99 over all, a number that’s growing (compared to 88 last year) – and so is the quality! More than 20% of the wines awarded this year are labelled as “green”. It’s an important figure that testifies the irreversible trend towards more ecological practices among Italy’s best wineries.

The growth of Italian wine on the US market is steady. Italy holds 34% of the wine market, with a huge rise on the sparkling sector which has almost tripled, from 13% to 32%, over the last 10 years (source: Nomisma Wine Monitor). Recent data seems to confirm that. In the first 9 months of 2017, Italian wine reached 1,21 billion euros, increasing 3% in value and 3,7% in volume compared to same period in 2016.

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Save the Date

• Chicago – February 28

• New York – March 02

• Los Angeles – March 06

• San Francisco – March 08

• Houston – April 09

• Seattle – June 04

• Washington – June 12

• Boston – June 14

About Vini d’Italia 2018 Gambero Rosso has reached the 31st edition of the Vini d’Italia guide, today translated into English, German, Chinese and Japanese. Vini d’Italia guide is the result of a year of work by an expert team of tasters who have travelled the country (including Switzerland’s Canton Ticino starting this year) interviewing producers and visiting wineries. The guide reviews 2,485 wineries and a total of 22,000 wines, awarding the classic scores ranging from 0 to 3 Glasses according to the quality of the label. This year, 436 Tre Bicchieri have emerged. Vini d’Italia is not just a collection of scores and ratings, it’s a fundamental and essential volume for all those who work in the sector or are interested in quality Italian wines. Available on Apple and Amazon: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/italian-wines-2018/ id1320675181?mt=11 https://www.amazon.com/Italian-Wines-2018-GamberoRosso/dp/1890142190 About Top Italian Restaurants Abundant carbohydrates, heavy on the red sauce, and a good dose of folklore: Italian restaurants abroad have lived on that reputation for a long time. That time is over. The quality of the “cucina italiana” abroad has reached the next level. This observation convinced Gambero Rosso to compile the first digital guide to Italian restaurants around the world. For rating places Gambero Rosso calls its well-known system: from one to three, forks for fine dining restaurants, shrimps for traditional restaurants, pizza slices for pizzerias and bottles for wine bars and enoteca. Authentic character, product traceability, purity of flavors (cucina italiana can’t exist without a proper extravirgin olive oil), service and the quality of the wine list were important criteria. From the 100,000 estimated eating places that serve up our traditions in wine and food, we selected 400 for now – as the guide will expand month by month.

Available for free: www.gamberorosso.it/restaurantsAnd finally, our marketing is also fragmented among the different denominations. It has not been able to convey abroad an image of the quality of Italian Metodo Classico production.

There it is – quality. About that there’s not much to say. It’s obvious to all. It’s a pity it can’t be as strong a factor as the others

-Lorenzo Ruggeri

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A GUIDE TO THE LEADING OVER 1200 COMPANIES PRODUCING FOODSTUFFS IN ITALY

Italian Wines 2018 2,485 WINERIES, 22,000 WINES, 436 TRE BICCHIERI WINES A basic, essential volume for professionals and winelovers

An indispensable tool for foodies but even more so for industry insiders promoting the best of Made-in-Italy available in bookshops* and at worldwide amazon.com

www.gamberorosso.it *Italian Wines 2018 is available in USA, Canada, UK and Italy

SPECIAL

VINI D’ITALIA 2018.

YOU’RE REALLY STILL DOING A GUIDE ON PAPER? YES!

by Marco Sabellico – drawings by Maurizio Ceccato

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VINI D’ITALIA 2018

Does it make sense, in the digital age, to publish on paper the thirty-first edition of a guide? Yes, because it isn’t just a list of ratings, but a great fresco of Italian enology over the years. It is an essential tool for those who work with wine and for those who are passionate about it

Gambero Rosso

2018

Italian Wines =

2485 PRODUCERS =

22000 WINES

= =

436 TRE BICCHIERI

99 TRE BICCHIERI VERDI

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tents are high quality, printed publications have an important role, even in the era of multimedia.

The real motive behind the production of this thirty-first brick, however, goes a little deeper. For thirty years we have been telling the stories of the best producers of Italian wines. We annually note the characteristics of their best wines in a careful and precise way. We draw a chronological account, year after year, of the facts and happenings in that world. These thirtyone bricks construct a single, larger history, that of the new Italian enology that was born in the 1980s, which still has a thousand and one stories to tell about a thousand and one grapes and a thousand and one wines, each with its terroir to summon up. We don’t limit ourselves to laying out enological events, but we ask ourselves why things happen, what are the trends – in taste, technology, economics – that influence this important sector of Italian agriculture. We employ our critical spirit to read the present, certainly, but we try to

ow that we’ve enthusiastically passed the thirty-year mark, here’s the new edition of Vini d’Italia, our thirtyfirst. When we finished our tastings, we asked ourselves, should we continue to print a guide on paper in the era of the app, the web, the smartphone and tablet? Gambero Rosso is also on digital TV, with programs that are broadcast today even in Switzerland and China.

It’s on webTV, and, translated into English, it’s approachable from every corner of the globe. The Gambero is present on social media and its products live in the app world, including our wine guide. We have always been part of the third millennium and its new media. But in a liquid society, where liquid communication rules, we continue to make a choice that seems conservative – opting to turn out a book that has the dimensions and weight of a brick. Why? There are professionals and wine fans in Italy and the world that continue to ask us for it, proving that if con-

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THE ILLUSTRATOR The fusion between two visual, apparently dissonant elements, placed together in the same context, or as part of the same story, generates other narrations. In the same way, the iconic elements that come from a relatively recent past, mixed with the knowledge and nihilism of the present, complete their visual journey and their timeless story, unrolling new ones.

That’s how I worked after being commissioned to illustrate this series of articles on the great Italian wines and on the newly-released Gambero Rosso guide.

– Maurizio Ceccato

ON THE REAL MADRID TASTING TEAM Usually, for a post-guide roundup, you begin with “It was an important year…”

The truth is, that was really true for me personally. Why? Because this was the year I returned to the Gambero Rosso, the guide where everything began for me (a few extra pounds ago). In between, I had the challenging, intense experience of working with my Espresso magazine wine guide colleagues. It is truly a great experience to be able to taste professionally again with what I describe as the Real Madrid, the championship team, of tasting panels, the Gambero. It would be hard to find anything more instructive, glass in hand. It’s no accident that out of these tasting sessions, certain themes and ideas emerge that then find confirmation in the vineyard realities of the individual regions, both at the level of climate change and their overall situations. What follows is my own personal experience of the tasting sessions for the Vini d’Italia 2018 guide.

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Let’s begin with Umbria. From the green heart of the peninsula, the series of Sagrantino di Montefalco labels from the excellent vintage of 2013 showed up with an extremely high level of quality.

We saw an unmatched parade of focused wines, above all in terms of tannins, the true challenge for growers dealing with this rich and untamable variety. It was a benchmark year for this label. We saw how the 2015 vintage year, with its intense heat, rewarded the whites of the region with sunny and seductive profiles, yellowish wines with clean, juicy fruit. They were probably not the favorites of those who love whites with sharp acidity and Nordic profiles, but they were a good example of whites that would satisfy many wine lovers, marrying a typical continental profile with an unusually Mediterranean feel.

The Abruzzo scene was different. Montepulciano lost its previously unchallenged leadership among regional types. It was challenged by Cera- 

VINI D’ITALIA 2018

THE GUIDE IN NUMBERS

45,000 21,600 53 2,485 1,959

wines tasted wines evaluated tasters wineries reviewed finalist wines

 suolo and Trebbiano, and many tasters were enchanted by the improving quality of Pecorino labels.

What emerged was a modern portrait of a region, the range of wines that this extraordinary territory can now offer. It no longer has to prove itself as a region of structured and full-bodied wines, but can showcase its fresher, easy to drink, easy to pair labels. The Abruzzese platoon is led by the great names of the denomination, but just behind is a fleet of well-armed wineries ready to take command of many palates.

Another region to remember is Romagna, actually a region within Emilia-Romagna. Sangiovese, refined and full of character, is the ruling variety. These reds are now agile and juicy, no longer compressed and inhibited by a veil of wood aging. The process of searching for identity is well delineated, above all in terms of territory. They have had to communicate individual quirks and special climactic conditions in order to emerge from the shadow of nearby, worldfamous Tuscany. The situation is

436 110 99 1,526 10

Tre Bicchieri Tre Bicchieri under 15 euros Tre Bicchieri Verdi Due Bicchieri Rossi special awards

even more confused with Albana, a variety in which richness of styles, interpretation and versatility is the rule. That’s why this variety doesn’t manage to transmit a clear, sharp image of its type and its vintage year. The passito, or dried grape version, does better, and the average quality of the samples tasted satisfied expectations.

One theme ran through all the post-tasting talk: drinkability is the real winning quality. The concept is so clear it seems almost overstated, but it’s an undeniable fact: the trend is towards wines that can play the role of a great and versatile table partner. Even among the more masculine and massive wines, my personal preference has shifted towards more agile wines, ones that are more relaxed in terms of tannins without losing character or detail, complexity or subtlety.

For example, a Sagrantino could never be a Ciliegiolo and viceversa, but playing their cards in the search for the difficult balance between freshness and character is by now an obligation for all producers.

— Alessio Pietrobattista

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1,943 446 419 25 238

Q/P wines (Best Buy) sustainable wineries organic wines biodynamic wines starred wineries

ow that we’ve enthusiastically passed the thirty-year mark, here’s the new edition of Vini d’Italia, our thirtyfirst. When we finished our tastings, we asked ourselves, should we continue to print a guide on paper in the era of the app, the web, the smartphone and tablet? Gambero Rosso is also on digital TV, with programs that are broadcast today even in Switzerland and China.

It’s on webTV, and, translated into English, it’s approachable from every corner of the globe. The Gambero is present on social media and its products live in the app world, including our wine guide. We have always been part of the third millennium and its new media. But in a liquid society, where liquid communication rules, we continue to make a choice that seems conservative – opting to turn out a book that has the dimensions and weight of a brick. Why? There are professionals and wine fans in Italy and the world that continue to ask us for it, proving that if con-

Vini d’Italia 2018 pages 1008 price 30 € available in bookstores, newsstands and on gamberorosso.it

SPECIAL

WHERE IS ITALIAN WINE GOING? A LESSON IN 4 GLASSES

by Eleonora Guerini - drawings by Maurizio Ceccato

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VINI D’ITALIA 2018

I

talian wine is in good health. It’s an everyday, ordinary fact, but – it should be pointed out – it wasn’t at all true twenty years ago. The proof is in the numbers (but not only in economic data). The sector has increased the value of wine and wine grapes production from more than three billion euros in 2005 to almost five billion euros today. The number of small and mediumsize wineries has increased, which has had an extraordinary impact on re-populating the countryside. The social fabric of areas often far from well-known zones has improved.

We need, though, to move away from numbers and talk about quality to understand what this success is made of. Years of tasting, reasoning and reflecting have brought greater definition to an image composed of territoriality, drinkability, unpredictability, and love.

Italian wine today is successful because it tells a story and, a little, because it is daring.

Here are a few examples (and a few glasses) to explain further…

Drinkability. A liquid is meant to be drunk. But…not so many years ago, it took a mental knife and fork to handle the density, ripeness, concentration and opulence of wines, with their excessive richness, sweetness and overdone oxygenation from wood.

An immoderate use of international varieties, even where they weren’t allowed, or, worse, even where they weren’t necessary, but rather harmful, was commonplace.

From the north to the south, the wines seemed to come out of a concentrator (and in many cases, they really did!). The New World had suggested a model that risked bringing Italian wines into the depths of homogenization, lack of personality, a soulless imitation of something far away and in fact, not very interesting. But in recent years, wines are sought out because they are light-hearted, airy, joyful, vibrant and crisp.

They impress because of their acidity, balance, sapidity and tension. Consumers feel the impulse to finish a bottle, rather than just look at it. Producers have to know how to translate this feeling, whether the wine is from nebbiolo, schiava or corvina grapes.

Territoriality, Drinkability, Unpredictability, Love.

These 4 concepts shape Italian wines’ pathway to the future.

Taste them in four glasses

Te r r i t o r i a l i t y.

The new phase is built on the continuous and relentless search for the ties between a wine and its territory of origin. That’s an expression that a neophyte might find completely incomprehensible. Wine is a product of its territory, its vineyards, soil, air and microclimate. The tie, therefore, would seem unavoidable. But wine is also the result of a relationship between human beings and their territory, and therefore depends on a cultural reading. It has taken years to understand how important this card is. It might be the only card, and not only for expensive wines. It is essential to transmit in the glass the origins, and therefore the originality of a wine, a mouthful that breathes and transmits the moods of a place, its bond with its vines, but in a contemporary interpretation of tradition, with the understanding that wine is an emotion, and not just a beverage.

(Romagna Sangiovese Castrocaro e Terra del Sole Crete Azzurre ’15 – Marta Valpiani).

Unpredictability. When the grammar is firmed up and technical aspects nailed down, when the right trajectory has been found and form is fully expressed – that’s the moment in which a deliciously anarchic move can have its say, when the winemaker can dare to deviate from the well-traveled road, explore the one less-traveled by. Unfortunately, what often happens is that the winemaker starts down an unknown path without keeping the main road in mind.

Generally, the producer needs some luck to achieve good results. But this isn’t worth talking about. What is useful is to explain

(Barolo Villero ’13 - Brovia)

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how exciting it is to find wines that move outside the norm, to point out courage and originality that surprises us, helps us forget the rules we know. These wines can pluck on cords we didn’t know we had. Such moments don’t come from big names or important denominations. Where we didn’t expect an emotion (like coming around a curve that hid a breathtaking landscape), the discovery affects us with the adrenalin of a daunting challenge. We serial tasters, avant-garde interpreters of what’s to come, constantly feel the need to reward labels that were unthinkable until a few years ago.

criticism, and is willing to excuse defects and evident lack of skill. But what does convince us is the passion that this trend generates. The world of the ‘natural’ can be extraordinarily fascinating because all the players, from the producers to the final sales people, are deeply committed. To feel part of something you believe in, to fully accept its principles, to adhere to something that transcends the limits of the product itself – all this generates a sense of community and belonging that communicates efficiently to the public. Even if hearing those who believe deeply in these wines speak reminds us sometimes of a riding a bicycle downhill without brakes, the effect is touching. We like their almost fanatic ardor, the power of their emotion, and we think the rest of the wine world can learn from that.

(Il Fric ’16 – Casebianche).

Love. A great deal has already been said about the natural wine world. There’s no point in repeating reasons why the movement, although it has offered many interesting experiences, doesn’t convince us. It is sometimes only ideological, lacking self-

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(Maremma Toscana Ciliegiolo Vigna Vallerana Alta ’15 – Antonio Camillo) 

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ALL THE 2018 SPECIAL AWARDS (AND THE 436 TRE BICCHIERI)

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LOMBARDY - RED WINE OF THE YEAR VALTELLINA SUP. SASSELLA ROCCE ROSSE RIS. ’07 - AR.PE.PE. – pag. 36

PIEDMONT - SPARKLING WINE OF THE YEAR MARCALBERTO EXTRA BRUT MILLESIMO 2MILA12 M. CL. ’12 - MARCALBERTO – pag. 38

TRENTINO - SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE AWARD - FERRARI – pag. 42

VENETO - WINERY OF THE YEAR - MASI – pag. 32 EMILIA ROMAGNA - BEST BUY ROMAGNA SANGIOVESE SUP. SIGISMONDO ’16 LE ROCCHE MALATESTIANE – pag. 40

TUSCANY - SOLIDARITY PROJECT AWARD - MONTENIDOLI – pag. 44

CALABRIA - UP-AND-COMING WINERY - SPIRITI EBBRI – pag. 43

TUSCANY GRAPEGROWER OF THE YEAR STEFANO AMERIGHI – pag. 41

CAMPANIA - WHITE WINE OF THE YEAR FIANO DI AVELLINO PIETRAMARA ’16 I FAVATI – pag. 37 SICILY - SWEET WINE OF THE YEAR MALVASIA DELLE LIPARI PASSITO ’16 CARAVAGLIO – pag. 39

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MISTER AMARONE: CULTURE AND ROOTS

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he love story that ties the Boscaini family to Valpolicella goes back centuries. The first documents that mention the name are from 1772 when Vajo dei Masi, a valley between Marano and Negrar, in the heart of the classic Valpolicella zone, came into the family’s possession after a marriage. Since then, the Boscaini have always made wine.

“Every generation contributed,” said Sandro Boscaini, president and CEO of the group. “Time consolidates your relationship with a territory, it lets you know the land where you live inch by inch. In the winery, work habits consolidate, even if they

have to be rethought as technology evolves. Tradition, not traditionalism: our history in two words.”

A family and Valpolicella This year, the Winery of the Year award goes to this family. They have inextricably tied their name to the story of Valpolicella and its most celebrated wine, Amarone. In seven generations, they have led it from the Age of Enlightenment to international markets. Overall production today is over twelve million bottles, with a turnover of more than sixty million euros and sales that reach 120 countries around the world. Besides

the historic Masi brand name, the Group also includes Serègo Alighieri, Conti Bossi Fedrigotti in Trentino, Bell’Ovile in Tuscany, Masi Tupungato in Argentina and the most recent acquisition, Canevel Spumanti, specialists in Prosecco Superiore from

6 wineries in the group 12 million bottles annually 60 million euros

annual revenue

120 countries to which it exports

WINERY OF THE YEAR  Masi -

Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella (VR) masi.it - @masiagricola

MASI

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Conegliano Valdobbiadene. Since 2015, the winery has been on the Italian stock exchange, but has always maintained its family house character.

Sandro Boscaini has worked at the winery since the 1960s, when, fresh from his study of economics, after a thesis about enlarging the Verona Agriculture Fair into what became Vinitaly, he joined his father Guido and enologist Nino Franceschetti and transformed the Paolo Boscaini e Figli winery into Agricola Masi. Beside him today, along with his brothers Bruno and Mario, are his children Raffaele and Alessandra, and his niece and nephew, Anita and Giacomo.

1. Planting a rooted vine 2. Sandro Boscaini 3. Amarone Campolongo ‘99 4. Il Masi Wine Bar Restaurant in Zurich 5. The barrel cellar of the Tupungato project in Argentina 6. Raffaele Boscaini

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A grand team effort Masi is synonymous with Amarone, and today the group is the leading producer of this historic Veneto wine. “Masi has always had a great sensibility,” continued Sandro, nicknamed Mr. Amarone in the wine world, now also the title of his biography. “We have consistently innovated tradition without forgetting it.

My father created Campofiorin, a ripasso wine in which dried grapes were added to a batch of Valpolicella wine for a period of extended maceration.

That product changed the economy of this territory. I founded the Gruppo Tecnico Masi in the mid-1980s. It is team of enologists, agronomists, chemists, marketing experts and other specialists that does research and is constantly in touch with universities and international organizations in order to improve Masi wines but also, in general, those of the Venezie, which is our territory.” The work of this group, led today

by Raffaele Masi, has spurred a series

of studies that have deeply affected not only the winery but the entire territory. The most important studies are those that deepened the understanding of grape drying at a microbiology level, explored the DNA sequence of the corvina grape, rediscovered top-quality ancient local varieties such as oseleta, selected indigenous yeasts for the fermentation of Amarone, and perfected the grape-drying technique Masi uses today (NASA, natural appassimento super-assisted). Each year these results are presented and made available to all in a course at Vinitaly during the celebrated Masi Seminars.

Masi Amarone today is an ancient wine of extraordinary modernity that comes from curated vineyards chosen from the best exposures in the classic zone. It is a sumptuous and mouth-filling wine that entrusts its softness to glycerin rather than to sugar, where the wood of maturation is fundamental, but never prevails over the fruit. Fruit is always healthy

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and not veiled by volatile sensations but sustained by the wine’s noble rot. The wine reflects its terroir and its stateof-the-art appassimento - grape-drying on bamboo racks - that creates the illusion of sweetness. Long maturation in Veronese 660-liter barrels is perfectly suited to the wine’s evolution. Alongside the most well-known label are the Famiglia Boscaini crus: Campolongo di Torbe (since 1958), Mazzano (since 1964), Recioto Mezzanella since 1967, and Vajo Armaron della Serègo Alighieri since 1979. Once again playing a pioneer role, in the 1980s, Masi’s Campofiorin replaced the use of pomace for Amarone with half-dried fresh grapes, acquiring a stylistic clarity that has been imitated by all.

We could continue for pages about the specific qualities of the Masi wines, vineyards and wineries, and how the group has successfully explored appassimento in wines with different personalities, origins and varieties.

2000

2003 – New distribution channels: Masi opens at Duty Free and at Travel Trasportation

7. Grapes drying on racks 8. Masi Wine Discovery Museum 9. A bunch of uva corvina, the basic Amarone grape along with corvinone and rondinella

Looking through the album of prizes is impressive. The Fondazione Masi is further committed to the spreading of the Veneto’s cultural values by means of two series of publications, one historical and the other technical, as well as a quarterly review in Italian and English, “Le Venezie – Cultura e Territorio,” distributed around the world to a network of journalists and influential personalities. As if that wasn’t enough, the Premio Speciale Fondazione Masi showcases the talent of the best interpreters of the Veneto’s musical repertory in co-promotion with the Concorso Internazionale di Musica da Camera “Salieri–Zinetti”. For fifteen years they have been giving scholarships to musicians who focus on Veneto’s music. The Fondazione also puts out a prestigious series of recordings, “Espressioni delle Venezie.” Almost 250 years after the birth of their firm, the Boscaini family, for all that they have done until now, certainly deserve an award. Masi is our Winery of the Year. 

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1979 – founding of Gruppo Tecnico Masi for research into grapes and vinification techniques

1970

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1990

1999 – Masi launches Progetto Tupungato in Argentina in the valley at the foot of the volcano of the same name

1973 – beginning of collaboration with Serego Alighieri 1972 – establishment of Masi Agricola

1964 – Sandro Boscaini joins the firm

1960

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2017 – The Wine Discovery Museum is opened in Lazise in Tenuta Canova 2016 – Masi takes over 60% of Canevel Spumante: it’s time for Prosecco 2015 – Quotation in AIM Italia (Stock Exchange) 2014 – Certificazione Elite on the Italian Stock Exchange 2013 – Purchase of Tenuta Canova on Lake Garda

2007 – partnership with Conti Bossi Fedrigotti 2006 – Alcedo SGR Investment enters Masi

1950

Wine and Culture At the heart of this success is Boscaini’s insight: explore your own roots, look for your own identity in the history and culture of the territory. The culture of the Venezie, that is, doesn’t only mean having vineyards in Friuli, in Veneto or in Trentino.

“It means creating structures in the world that tell our story through our wines in the places we build, for example the wine bar in Zurich or our Tenuta Canova in Lazise on Lake Garda, or the initiatives that bring the members of the Investor Club to our winery every year. Through our wines we transmit values, as we did 36 years ago with the Masi Prize, which is now managed by its own autonomous foundation. It was founded to recognize exponents of the Veneto culture, and over the years it grew, leading to two other awards with worldwide impact, the International Prizes Masi Civiltà del Vino and Grosso d’Oro Veneziano, awarded to people who have distinguished themselves in the grand world of winegrowing and those who have promoted that culture as a means of understanding among people.”

2010

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1950-1955 – New headquarters in Gargagnago, the beginning of exports to Europe and North America

1772 – Boscaini family purchases the Vaio dei Masi vineyard in Valpolicella and begins to produce wine

SPECIAL

HIGH-ALTITUDE NEBBIOLO

T

he Pelizzati Perego family has been involved in the Valtellina wine world since 1860. Its history was a complicated one, and ended in 1973 with Arturo and his brothers deciding to sell the brand and the business, dividing up their 5o hectares of vineyard. But in 1984, Arturo realized it was a pity to waste that valuable patrimony, and started again with his 10 hectares of vines. When the first winds of change began to blow, with the arrival of barriques and the production of denser wines, Ar.Pe.Pe. winery chose instead to swim against the current and maintain tradition with the wines they harvested, releasing them to the public only after many years.

When Arturo died in 2004, the fifth generation - Isabella, Guido and Emanuele – carried on energetically. Isabella handles public relations (“I spread the word about the winery and bring the world to Valtellina”). Emanuele has inherited their father’s talent as an agronomist and enologist. Guido is in charge of social media. Today, the winery has 13 hectares, with 9 in Sassella, 3 in Grumello and one in Inferno. Their focus is traditional agriculture attentive to the environment, and selection of grapes in a way that allows the winery to offer true mountain wines. One particularly significant element is this selection policy. Ultimi Raggi comes from the vineyards growing at the highest altitude, around 600 meters above sea level, from grapes over-ripened on the vine.

The general philosophy is to have the greatest respect for the vintage year and its potential, limiting the top wines to 3 or 4 releases within 10 years, when the grapes are able to undergo maceration that lasts between 40 and 120 days to guarantee many decades of longevity. Aging, which takes place in old barrels with staves of oak, chestnut and acacia, lasts from 3-4 years followed by long bottle-aging before release. The secret of the success of this winery lies in its having always held to a rigorously traditional style, without paying attention to passing fashions. Its wines are inimitable classics.

– Gianni Fabrizio

The first vintage of Rocce Rosse dates back to 1984, when Arturo decided to select the grapes of a vineyard in Sassella located between 400 and 550 meters above sea level. Six years after the harvest, he released the bottles on the market. Average annual production now varies from 12,000 to 19,000 bottles. Our Red of the Year has a brilliant mediumgarnet color, barely evolved.

Aromas are complex, with warm notes of tobacco and soot joining hints of plum, tar and licorice. The palate is graceful but powerful and persistent, with rich fruitiness, great freshness, and dense, deep tannins.

An exciting version of mountain nebbiolo.

13 hectares of vineyard 80,000 bottles 11 labels

RED WINE OF THE YEAR VALTELLINA SUP. SASSELLA ROCCE ROSSE RISERVA ’07 - AR.PE.PE

GAMBERO ROSSO

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FEBRUARY 2018

 Ar.Pe.Pe.

Sondrio arpepe.com - @arpepe1860

3 BICCHIERI

Smoky and volcanic, Fiano di Avellino Pietramara ‘16 displays an intense smoky quality. It offers a range of aromas, with hints of grain, straw and mint. The palate is energetic and rhythmic, and the finish is a crescendo of crystalline elegance.

A SMOKY WINE WON HEARTS

T

16 hectares of vineyard 100,000 bottles 9 labels

he White Wine of the Year takes us to the Irpinia zone, to Atripalda.

Even in a vintage year like 2017, the harvest began only on September 28. At the head of one of the most solid wineries in Campania we find Rosanna Petrozzielo, her husband Giancarlo and brother, Piersabino Favati. “We were all doing something else,” Rosanna told us, “when we inherited the family vineyard.

In 1994 we obtained permission to replant, and we sold our grapes to others.

I worked in a bank, my husband was in real estate. We remodeled the house and fell in love with the vineyard. It had a perfect exposure. Everything pointed in one direction.” In 1999, the Favati family began to make their own wine. “In 2000 it went well, so in 2001, in January, I left the bank, took a sommelier class in February and in April went to my first Vinitaly event. Since then, I’ve never left the countryside.” Fiano di Avellino Pietramara comes from a concave, five-hectare vineyard with a southern exposure and 2,500 vines planted per hectare. “Since

last year we have taken over the management of another vineyard, four hectares of fiano, 800 meters away from the first property, but with the same exposure and soil.” Both have a great deal of limestone and some layers of clay. “the 2016 year was difficult here in Irpinia. We had it all, freezes, hail…We harvested fewer grapes, but they were excellent. In the last two years we haven’t made Etichetta Bianca, our Fiano Riserva.” Is the Pietramara 2016 a hint of the future, with its penetrating smoky note? “The first year that we exported to America was 2002. The importer called us. He said that clients noticed smoke in the wine.

He asked us what it came from. We were just beginners, my husband and I. We didn’t sleep all night. We thought it was something really serious,” Rosanna smiled. That breath of smoke was a result of the enological sensibility of their winemaker, Vincenzo Mercurio, and his ability to bring the territory into the wine subtly, without making it the protagonist.

– Lorenzo Ruggeri

WHITE WINE OF THE YEAR  I Favati

Cesinali (AV) cantineifavati.it

FIANO DI AVELLINO PIETRAMARA ’16 I FAVATI

GAMBERO ROSSO

22

FEBRUARY 2018

SPECIAL

METODO CLASSICO, A QUESTION OF STYLE

I

n the middle of the 1990s, a producer from the Langhe zone of Piedmont brought a bottle of classic spumante into our Rome office. “A slightly crazy friends of mine in Barbaresco makes it, but it’s really worth tasting,” Angelo Rocca told us. He understood good wine. We tried it and immediately reviewed it in our magazine. Speaking on the phone with its maker, Piero Cane, an enologist who worked for a grande maison, we were swept away by this small edition made purely for love of the product. At that time, he made barely 4,000 bottles a year, and its name was a fusion of those of his two sons, Marco and Alberto. His little vineyard was in Calosso, and it was planted with pinot nero and chardonnay vines. Over the years, we continued to follow Piero’s life. Today he has five hectares between Calosso and Loazzola, he recently bought a beautiful amphitheater of land on a hill, and has vineyards in Cossan and in Santo Stefano Belbo. Over the course of 25 years, his output grew to 30,000 bottles and five labels. “The wonderful thing,” Piero said to us recently, “is that my sons believed in this. They are passionate about the project. Alberto became an enologist. Marco looks after the commercial side. I couldn’t have asked for more.” We decided to give an award to the style of these wines, their precision, structure, clarity, balance and minerality, qualities we find both in Pas Dosé Blanc de Blancs and in the Rosé, but also in Sansannée and even in Nature Senza Solfiti. Marcalberto Extra Brut Millesimo2Mila12 has something extra. It’s very good, but it also has the flavor of a wonderful family story, a challenge overcome.

For us, it’s the Sparkling Wine of the Year.

– Marco Sabellico

The wine has a lovely pale, brilliant strawyellow color and subtly elegant bubbles, the result of 40 months of resting on its lees.

The nose is complex and vibrant with notes of red berries and golden delicious apples interlaced with boisé and citrus fruit notes on the finish.

The palate is deep, savory and fruity.

Effervescence is creamy and its vibrant freshness carries it to a long, spicy and complex finish. A wine to fall in love with.

5 hectares of vineyard 30,000 bottles 5 labels

SPARKLING WINE OF THE YEAR MARCALBERTO EXTRA BRUT MILLESIMO2MILA12 - MARCALBERTO

GAMBERO ROSSO

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FEBRUARY 2018

 Marcalberto

Santo Stefano Belbo (CN) marcalberto.it

3 BICCHIERI

ANTIQUE WINE, CONTEMPORARY SWEETNESS

N

ino Caravaglio has worked especially hard on his Malvasia in recent years. “I began with the idea that a market in severe crisis like that of sweet wine would appreciate a versatile wine, focused more on elegance and freshness, than one all muscle and structure,” he explained. So he paid careful attention during the harvest to ripe grapes with acidity that would stay high even after the ritual of drying on racks.

At the same time, he avoided excessively high degrees of alcohol or sugar residues that would lead to a cloying effect. The variety with which Malvasia delle Lipari is produced probably came to Sicily with the Greeks during various colonizing periods in southern Italy beginning eight centuries BC. Genetically it is the same variety that produces Greco di Bianco in Calabria and many similar wines around the Mediterranean. Professor Attilio Scienza has theorized that the grape from Lipari is the same one that was used for a sweet wine called Monemvasia made in the Peloponnese. Malvasia delle Lipari comes mainly from the Aeolian island of Lipari, but also from vineyards on Panarea and Vulcano. Caravaglio has just planted five hectares of vineyard on another of the islands, Stromboli. An authentic vignaiolo, Nino began producing wine in 1992, vinifying practically in his living room the only hectare of vines he owned at the time. Now he has a little more than 15, spread out among 40 different parcels. All are cultivated strictly organically.

– Massimo Lanza

Malvasia delle Lipari Passito ’16 is a wine of rare elegance. The nose is rich and complex, with notes of candied citrus fruit, apricot, peach, medicinal herbs and lavender, on an iodine-mineral background. The palate is a masterpiece of balance between sweet but full-flavored fruit and alcohol, with a fresh acidic vein that amplifies the luscious pleasure of each sip and accompanies the mouthfeel through to the long, long, fresh finish.

15 hectares of vineyard 2,500 bottles

of Malvasia delle Lipari of .500 l

6 labels: 2 reds, 3 whites, 1 sweet

SWEET WINE OF THE YEAR MALVASIA DELLE LIPARI PASSITO ’16 - CARAVAGLIO

GAMBERO ROSSO

 Caravaglio

Malfa – Isola di Salina (ME) caravaglio.it

24

FEBRUARY 2018

SPECIAL

Dedicated to Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, a 15thcentury nobleman immortalized in a portrait by Piero della Francesca, this Sangiovese Superiore is made from grapes grown on the hills behind Rimini, Riccione and Coriano. The terroir is characterized by fairly deep soil rich in gray and brown clay. The 2016 vintage is very interesting, both for its quality and its style. Its aromas are linear and clean, finely embroidered on notes of wild berries, watermelon and orange, while the palate is juicy and fresh. Wonderfully easy to drink.

INTERPRETING THE TERROIR

I 800 hectares of vineyard 700,000 bottles 25 labels, which include

12 reds, 8 whites, 2 sweet, 1 passito, 3 bubblies, 2 sparkling

t’s not just one wine. The entire range of wines from the cooperative Rocche Malatestiane is impressive, a sign that there is a concrete, focused project at work, capable of producing significant results. The vineyards of this winery lie on the hills facing the Adriatic behind Rimini, a resort at its peak of popularity at the end of the 1950s. The Malatesta name belonged to the aristocrats that ruled the city between the 13th and 15th century. Today, 500 grapegrowers cultivate 800 hectares of vineyard. The overall project starts here at the Val Marecchia in Cattolica and extends towards the northern border of the Marche region. The soil is varied, a complex mosaic dominated by sangiovese, a variety perfectly suited for the contemporary goals of the Rocche winery. The project began in 2011 with the launching of “Terre Riminesi del Sangiovese”, a major overhaul that is changing the image of the cooperative and its very identity. Selection of ripe grapes from the best-suited properties, following a precise classification scheme, led to a series of different labels, including this one worthy of a celebration.

– Antonio Boco

BEST BUY  Rocche Malatestiane

Rimini lerocchemalatestiane.it

ROMAGNA SANGIOVESE SUPERIORE SIGISMONDO ’16 - ROCCHE MALATESTIANE

GAMBERO ROSSO

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FEBRUARY 2018

3 BICCHIERI

This is a magnetic wine which takes its time to open. Believe us, the wait is rewarded. It’s no accident it received a Tre Bicchieri award.

Aromas dance and turn, with striking elements of ripe fruit – currants, cherries and blackberries – then elegant spicy details.

The palate is coherent, three- dimensional, savory and refreshed by a good balsamic undertone. Enviable substance and length reinforce the mouthfeel.

THE SYRAH PROJECT

S

tefano Amerighi, one of Italy’s foremost winegrowers, has launched in Cortona a project related to Syrah. Without taking any shortcuts, Amerighi has manage to create an iconic wine by following a meticulous path, passionate and original, since 2002. It begins, obviously, with the land, namely a parcel in Poggiobello di Farneta, in the area of Cortona that is best suited for viticulture. Within the property are two distinct hills with southwestern exposures, which, when he bought them, were unplanted and used as pastureland. That was the foundation for his project. The next

was the selection of syrah clones from the Rhône Valley, the time-honored cradle of this variety. The vineyards were cultivated according to biodynamic methods right from the start, based on clear ideals of agricultural sustainability. The vines are still fairly young, so their future could be even brighter. In the winemaking facilities and the cellars, vinification is also natural, respectful of the terroir and able to deliver authentic wines.

The grapes are left whole and in part are pressed by foot, before being transferred to cement vats for spontaneous fermentation sparked only by indigenous yeasts. A fourteen-month period of maturation takes place in both wood and cement before unfiltered bottling.

– Antonio Boco

8.5 hectares of vineyard 28,000 bottles 2 labels

GRAPEGROWER OF THE YEAR  Stefano Amerighi

Cortona (AR) stefanoamerighi.it

STEFANO AMERIGHI

GAMBERO ROSSO

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FEBRUARY 2018

SPECIAL

Trento Brut Giulio Ferrari Ris. del Fondatore ‘06 is the 22nd Tre Bicchicri awarded to Cantine Ferrari. This parade of awards solidifies the position of this wine among the monuments of Italy’s wine production. The 2006 vintage was a great one. “It was one of those continental climate years that made Giulio Ferrari fall in love with this part of Trentino more than 100 years ago,” said Marcello Lunelli.

Emblematic of impeccable winemaking, it is the symbol of mountain Chardonnay, grown on a vineyard 600 meters above sea level. It rests on its lees for ten years, and then offers notes ranging from the exotic to walnut hulls; its profile is regal and its finish quite moving.

120 hectares of vineyard 4,450,000 bottles 15 Metodo Classico labels

HOW WINES SAVE MOUNTAINS

“I

n a small region like Trentino, using sustainable methods in winegrowing is fundamental,” commented Marcello Lunelli, vice-president of Cantine Ferrari, about the Gambero Rosso award. “Seventy percent of our region is mountainous. The rest is made up of agriculture, industry, service industries, cities and villages. A great responsibility for the environment rests on the shoulders of those of us who work in agriculture.”

That is why in 2009, the winery began its conversion to organic farming. Today its entire vineyard is certified organic. But it’s not enough. “We work with about 600 grapegrowers who grow their grapes according to a protocol (UNI 11233) that we call “Protocollo Ferrari di Viticoltura di Montagna e Salubre”. It is a guide that proceeds by graduated levels of attention to sustainability that our grape providers must observe in order to consign their grapes to us.” Trentino is among the most advanced regions in terms of respect for environmental protection. Since last year, it has adhered to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Sistema di Qualità Nazionale di Produzione Integrata. This protocol provides certification of production processes that join good farming practices to sustainable use of fertilizers and pesticides so as to guarantee the economics of agriculture at the same time as it assures low impact on the environment. “Our entire community is committed to a pathway of attention, even intellectual, to the environment,” said Lunelli, “and we at Ferrari are particular attentive to this theme. And after this award, we’ll do even more.”

– William Pregentelli

AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE  Cantine Ferrari - F.lli Lunelli

Trento ferraritrento.it

- @ferraritrento

CANTINE FERRARI - FRATELLI LUNELLI

GAMBERO ROSSO

27

FEBRUARY 2018

3 BICCHIERI

A CALABRIAN FIRST

T

en years ago it would have been difficult to imagine assigning the award for upand-coming winery to a Calabrian firm.

At that time, everything in Calabria seemed immobile, although the region has millennia of winemaking history and perhaps the richest patrimony of wine varieties in Italy. Very few wines were presented to our regional panels and they were always from the same few wineries that often were not shining examples of stylistic rigor and quality. It was in this context that three friends, Pierpaolo Greco, Damiano Mele and Michele Scrivano, united by a passion for wine, decided to take over the management of a small vineyard in the Lappano municipality. “It was crazy, thinking about it now,” said Pierpaolo, who looks after the enological aspect of the winery. “We were involved in completely different work at that time. But the idea of making a wine that was all ours excited us. Overcoming our first difficulties, we used an old carpentry shop of my grandfather’s, and in 2005, we vinified Appianum for the first time.” The idea of selling their wine came a few years later.

“Our primary problem was to find a space to use as a facility. A couple of years passed before we found an old, unused movie house in Celico. We fell in love with it at first sight and taking on a great deal of debt, we adapted it to use for winemaking. We had no doubts about our production philosophy, though. Michele, Damiano and I decided right away that we had to continue making natural wines and not give into the marketplace of the time that was not interested in that kind of wine.” Once they had the vineyards and the winery, they had to choose a name with which to present themselves to the market.

“This was also a group decision,” they agreed. “We didn’t want to take ourselves too seriously, despite our financial issue. The idea of making ‘liberated’ wines didn’t appeal to us, so we opted for Spiriti Ebbri (Inebriated Spirits) because winemaking requires time and discipline, but doesn’t exclude imagination, dreams, madness….”

– Massimo Lanza

From the up-andcoming winery of 2018, we spotlight three wines: 1. Neostòs Bianco 2016 From pecorello grapes, this Tre Bicchieri wine is fascinating for the intensity of its bouquet: fruit, white flowers, iodine, saffron and fresh hints of Mediterranean herbs.

On the palate it displays a lovely sensation of fresh sapidity wellgrafted on tonic and vibrant fruit, which slowly gives space for a deep and very long finish.

2. Neostòs Rosso 2015 Elegant, rich in fruit and balsam on the nose, the palate registers a lovely return of creamy fruit but well enveloped in fresh, savory acidity, tight, clean tannins and a fine finish of unusual aromatic persistence. It won Due Bicchieri Rossi.

3. Neostòs Rosato 2016 Elegant Mediterranean blend of indigenous Calabrian varieties with a touch of merlot added. A pale and brilliant cherry color, on the nose clean and complex aromas of Mediterranean herbs and berries.

The palate is powerful but elegant, harmonious, savory and richly fruity. Due Bicchieri.

2.50 hectares of vineyard 20,000 bottles 5 labels: 1 red, 2 rosés, 2 whites

UP-AND-COMING WINERY  Spiriti Ebbri

Spezzano Piccolo (CS) spiritiebbri.it

SPIRITI EBBRI

GAMBERO ROSSO

28

FEBRUARY 2018

SPECIAL

WHEN GENERATIONS MEET IN THE VINEYARD

“W

e are a big family on a little planet.” That’s how Elisabetta Fagiuoli commented on our award for Progetto Solidale. This is the first time the Gambero Rosso has given an award to her winery, Montenidoli. Elisabetta’s project emerges from the desire to build a more just way to live as human beings. Her comment continued, “We have to eliminate egoism and obstacles that prevent living together not only in a civil manner, but also in harmony with nature.” Our award goes to her commitment to Sergio Il Patriarca Onlus, a non-profit foundation dedicated to Sergio Muratori, a poet and elementary school teacher.

Together, they brought new life not only to the vines and the olive trees,

but also to many people who came visiting Montenidoli and made sense of life starting with this sentence: “How poor I became since I decided I wanted to be rich.” Fagiuoli’s foundation is open to those who believe that in a healthy relationship between the generations, between the young and the old, people can find a way of life that’s worth living and recounting.

Today, two properties in the upper part of the Montenidoli estate are already a live, concrete reality. The foundation, after completing a structure dedicated to the old, aims to build a site set aside for the young. From the relationship between the generations, a more harmonious, cohesive and united society can emerge..

– Gianni Fabrizio

MONTENIDOLI, VERNACCIA AND TRIASSICO Immediately after the purchase, in 1965, of the Montenidoli farm in San Gimignano, thanks to an inheritance from her grandmother, Elisabetta realized that to complete what was turning out to be a solidarity project where young and old, through better understanding each other, would learn to live better, great sums of money were required.

So she and Sergio made that property a real model winegrowing estate, as well as a welcoming home for young people with difficulties. Today, the 24 hectares of property produce a wonderful Vernaccia Tradizionale that won a Tre Bicchieri award and permits the estate to sustain the Foundation. In the upper part of the property, called Le Pianore, at 450 meters above sea level, 23,000 sangiovese vines were planted. The wine that comes from this vineyard, cultivated with criteria of absolute naturalness and calling for minimum intervention during vinification, Triassico (bottled in a few hundred magnum bottles) attained peaks of great elegance in the 2015 vintage.

24 hectares of vineyard 100,000 bottles 11 labels: 6 reds and 5 whites

SOLIDARITY PROJECT  Montenidoli

San Gimignano (SI) montenidoli.com

MONTENIDOLI

GAMBERO ROSSO

29

FEBRUARY 2018

ALL THE TRE BICCHIERI 2018 VALLE D’AOSTA  Valle d’Aosta Chambave Moscato Passito Prieuré ’15 La Crotta di Vegneron  Valle d’Aosta Chambave Muscat Flétri ’15 - La Vrille  Valle d’Aosta Cornalin ’16 Rosset Terroir  Valle d’Aosta Nebbiolo Sommet ’15 - Les Crêtes  Valle d’Aosta Petite Arvine ’16 - Elio Ottin  Valle d’Aosta Pinot Gris ’16 Lo Triolet PIEDMONT  Alta Langa Brut Zero Nature Sboccatura Tardiva ’11 Enrico Serafino  Barbaresco Albesani S. Stefano Ris. ’12 Castello di Neive  Barbaresco Crichët Pajé ’08 Roagna  Barbaresco Maria di Brün ’13 Ca’ Rome’  Barbaresco Martinenga Camp Gros Ris. ’12 - Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Grésy  Barbaresco Montaribaldi ’13 Fiorenzo Nada  Barbaresco Nervo ’14 - Rizzi  Barbaresco Ovello ’13 Cantina del Pino  Barbaresco Ovello ’14 Cascina Morassino  Barbaresco Pajoré ’14 Sottimano  Barbaresco Rabajà ’13 Bruno Rocca  Barbaresco Roncaglie ’14 Poderi Colla  Barbaresco Serraboella ’13 F.lli Cigliuti  Barbaresco Sorì Tildin ’14 Gaja  Barbaresco Vallegrande ’14 Ca’ del Baio  Barbera d’Asti Bricco dell’Uccellone ’15 - Braida  Barbera d’Asti Sup. Epico ’15 Pico Maccario  Barbera d’Asti Sup. Nizza Riserva della Famiglia ’09 Coppo  Barbera d’Asti Sup. Sant’ Emiliano ’15 - Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta  Barbera d’Asti Sup. V. La Mandorla ’15 - Luigi Spertino  Barbera del M.to Giulin ’15 Giulio Accornero e Figli  Barolo ’13 Bartolo Mascarello  Barolo Bricco Rocche ’13 Ceretto  Barolo Brunate ’13 Enzo Boglietti  Barolo Brunate ’13 Giuseppe Rinaldi  Barolo Cerretta V. Bricco ’11 Elio Altare Cascina Nuova  Barolo del Comune di Barolo Essenze ’13 - Vite Colte  Barolo Falletto V. Le Rocche Ris. ’11 - Bruno Giacosa  Barolo Gabutti ’13 Gabutti Franco Boasso  Barolo Ginestra Ris. ’09 -

Paolo Conterno  Barolo Lazzarito Ris. ’11 Ettore Germano  Barolo Monfortino Ris. ’10 Giacomo Conterno  Barolo Monprivato ’12 Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio  Barolo Monvigliero ’13 F.lli Alessandria  Barolo Ornato ’13 - Pio Cesare  Barolo Paiagallo Casa E. di Mirafiore ’13 - Fontanafredda  Barolo Ravera Bricco Pernice ’12 - Elvio Cogno  Barolo Resa 56 ’13 - Brandini  Barolo Ris. ’10 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli  Barolo Ris. ’11 Paolo Manzone  Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata Ris. ’11 Paolo Scavino  Barolo Sarmassa V. Bricco Ris. ’11 - Giacomo Brezza & Figli  Barolo Sarmassa V. Merenda ’10 - Giorgio Scarzello e Figli  Barolo Sottocastello di Novello ’12 - Ca’ Viola  Barolo V. Lazzairasco ’13 Guido Porro  Barolo Vigna Rionda ’10 Figli Luigi Oddero  Barolo Vigna Rionda Ester Canale Rosso ’13 Giovanni Rosso  Barolo Vigna Rionda Ris. ’11 Massolino  Barolo Vignarionda Arnaldo Rivera ’13 - Terre del Barolo  Barolo Villero ’13 - Brovia  Barolo Villero Ris. ’09 - Vietti  Boca ’12 - Le Piane  Bramaterra ’12 - Noah  Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Fausto ’15 - Vigne Marina Coppi  Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Ombra di Luna ’15 Cascina Salicetti  Costa del Vento ’15 Vigneti Massa  Dogliani Papà Celso ’16 Abbona  Dolcetto di Ovada ’15 Tacchino  Erbaluce di Caluso ’16 Podere Macellio  Erbaluce di Caluso Le Chiusure ’16 - Benito Favaro  Gattinara Osso San Grato ’13 - Antoniolo  Gattinara Ris. ’12 Giancarlo Travaglini  Gavi del Comune di Gavi GG ’15Cantina Produttori del Gavi  Gavi del Comune di Gavi Monterotondo ’15 - Villa Sparina  Gavi V. della Rovere Verde Ris. ’15 - La Mesma  Ghemme V. Pelizzane ’11 Torraccia del Piantavigna  Grignolino del M.to Casalese ’16 - Vicara  Marcalberto Extra Brut Millesimo2Mila12 M. Cl. ’12 Marcalberto  Moscato d’Asti ’16 Paolo Saracco  Moscato d’Asti Canelli

Sant’Ilario ’16 - Ca’ d’ Gal  Moscato d’Asti Casa di Bianca ’16 Gianni Doglia  Nizza La V. dell’Angelo ’14 Cascina La Barbatella  Roero Arneis Cecu d’la Biunda ’16 - Monchiero Carbone  Roero Arneis Le Rive del Bricco delle Ciliegie ’16 Giovanni Almondo  Roero Gepin ’13 Stefanino Costa  Roero Valmaggiore V. Audinaggio ’15 Cascina Ca’ Rossa  Ruché di Castagnole M.to Laccento ’16 - Montalbera LIGURIA  Colli di Luni Vermentino Costa Marina ’16 - Ottaviano Lambruschi  Colli di Luni Vermentino Lunae Et. Nera ’16 Cantine Lunae Bosoni  Colli di Luni Vermentino Sup. Fosso di Corsano ’16 Terenzuola  Dolceacqua Beragna ’16 Ka’ Manciné  Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato Albium ’15 Poggio dei Gorleri  Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato Bon in da Bon ’16 - BioVio  Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato U Baccan ’15 - Bruna LOMBARDY  Brut Rosé - Monsupello  Extra Brut Farfalla - Ballabio  Franciacorta Nature ‘61 ’10 Guido Berlucchi & C.  Franciacorta Brut ’12 Lo Sparviere  Franciacorta Brut Arcadia ’13 - Lantieri de Paratico  Franciacorta Brut Museum Release ’07 - Ricci Curbastro  Franciacorta Brut Naturae ’13 - Barone Pizzini  Franciacorta Brut Satèn Soul ’11 - Contadi Castaldi  Franciacorta Dosage Zéro Vintage Collection ’12 Ca’ del Bosco  Franciacorta Pas Dosé 33 Ris. ’10 - Ferghettina  Franciacorta Pas Operé ’10 Bellavista  Lugana Molin ’16 - Cà Maiol  OP Brut Pinot Nero ‘More ’13 - Castello di Cigognola  OP Brut Top Zero - F.lli Giorgi  OP Dosage Zero Vergomberra ’12 - Bruno Verdi  OP Pinot Nero Brut M. Cl. Cuvée della Casa - Francesco Montagna Bertè & Cordini  OP Pinot Nero Rosé M. Cl. NorEma ’13 - Calatroni  Pinot Nero Arfena ’15 Andrea Picchioni  Valtellina Sforzato Albareda ’15 - Mamete Prevostini  Valtellina Sfursat Carlo Negri ’15 - Nino Negri  Valtellina Sup. Dirupi

Ris. ’14 - Dirupi  Valtellina Sup. Sassella Ris. ’13 - Aldo Rainoldi  Valtellina Sup. Sassella Rocce Rosse Ris. ’07 - Ar.Pe.Pe. CANTON TICINO  Ticino Merlot Musa ’14 Fawino Vini & Distillati  Ticino Merlot Vinattieri ’13 Vinattieri Ticinesi TRENTINO  Ritratto Rosso ’13 La Vis Valle di Cembra  San Leonardo ’13 Tenuta San Leonardo  Teroldego Rotaliano ’15 De Vescovi Ulzbach  Teroldego Rotaliano Pini ’13 Roberto Zeni  Trento Brut Rotari Flavio Ris. ’09 - Mezzacorona  Trento Brut Altemasi Graal Ris. ’10 - Cavit  Trento Brut Conte Federico Ris. ’12 - Bossi Fedrigotti  Trento Brut Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore ’06 Ferrari  Trento Brut Rosé +4 ’09 Letrari  Trento Dosaggio Zero Ris. ’12 Maso Martis  Trento Opera Nature ’11 Opera  Trento Pas Dosé Balter Ris. ’11 - Nicola Balter ALTO ADIGE  A. A. Chardonnay Lafóa ’15 Cantina Colterenzio  A. A. Gewürztraminer Auratus ’16 - Tenuta Ritterhof  A. A. Gewürztraminer Brenntal Ris. ’15 Cantina Cortaccia  A. A. Gewürztraminer Nussbaumer ’15 - Cantina Tramin  A. A. Lago di Caldaro Cl. Sup. Pfarrhof ’16 - Cantina di Caldaro  A. A. Lagrein Abtei Muri Ris. ’14- Cantina Convento Muri Gries  A. A. Lagrein Staves Ris. ’14 Tenuta Kornell  A. A. Lagrein Taber Ris. ’15 Cantina Bolzano  A. A. Müller Thurgau Feldmarschall von Fenner ’15 Tiefenbrunner  A. A. Pinot Bianco Sanct Valentin ’15 - Cantina Produttori San Michele Appiano  A. A. Pinot Bianco Sirmian ’16 Cantina Nals Margreid  A. A. Pinot Bianco Tyrol ’15 Cantina Meran  A. A. Pinot Grigio Giatl Ris. ’15 Peter Zemmer  A. A. Pinot Nero Schweizer ’13 - Franz Haas  A. A. Pinot Nero Trattmann Mazon Ris. ’14 - Cantina Girlan  A. A. Santa Maddalena Cl. Antheos ’16 - Tenuta Waldgries  A. A. Santa Maddalena Cl. Rondell ’16 Glögglhof Franz Gojer  A. A. Sauvignon Renaissance ’14 Gumphof Markus Prackwieser  A. A. Spumante Brut 1919

M. Cl. Ris. ’11 - Kettmeir  A. A. Terlano Sauvignon Quarz ’15 - Cantina Terlano  A. A. Val Venosta Riesling ’15 Falkenstein Franz Pratzner  A. A. Val Venosta Riesling Windbichel ’15 Tenuta Unterortl Castel Juval  A. A. Valle Isarco Grüner Veltliner ’16 - Pacherhof Andreas Huber  A. A. Valle Isarco Riesling Kaiton ’16 - Kuenhof Peter Pliger  A. A. Valle Isarco Sylvaner ’15 - Garlider Christian Kerschbaumer  A. A. Valle Isarco Sylvaner ’16 - Köfererhof Günther Kerschbaumer  A. A. Valle Isarco Sylvaner Aristos ’16 - Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco VENETO  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Calcarole ’13 - Guerrieri Rizzardi  Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli ’13 Tenuta Sant’Antonio  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. ’13 - Allegrini  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. ’13 - Brigaldara  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. ’09 - Cav. G. B. Bertani  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. ’11 - Secondo Marco  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. ’13 - David Sterza  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Albasini ’10 - Villa Spinosa  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Campolongo di Torbe ’11 - Masi  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Capitel Monte Olmi ’11 F.lli Tedeschi  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Monte Ca’ Bianca ’12 Lorenzo Begali  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Ris. ’07 - Giuseppe Quintarelli  Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Sergio Zenato Ris. ’11 - Zenato  Amarone della Valpolicella Famiglia Pasqua ’13 Pasqua Cecilia Beretta  Amarone della Valpolicella Vign. Monte Sant’Urbano ’13 Viticoltori Speri  Bardolino Cl. Brol Grande ’15 - Le Fraghe  Bardolino SP ’13 Albino Piona  Breganze Cabernet Due Santi ’14 - Vigneto Due Santi  Capitel Croce ’15 Roberto Anselmi  Cartizze Brut V. La Rivetta Villa Sandi  Colli Euganei Rosso Gemola ’13 - Vignalta  Conegliano Valdobbiadene Rive di Ogliano Brut Nature ’16 BiancaVigna  Custoza Sup. Amedeo ’15 Cavalchina  Custoza Sup. Ca’ del Magro ’15Monte del Frà  Lugana Molceo Ris. ’15 Ottella  Riesling Renano Collezione di Famiglia ’12 - Roeno

 Soave Cl. Calvarino ’15 Leonildo Pieropan  Soave Cl. Contrada Salvarenza V. V. ’14 - Gini  Soave Cl. Monte Carbonare ’15 - Suavia  Soave Cl. Staforte ’15 Graziano Prà  Soave Cl. Sup. Vign. di Castellaro ’15 - Cantina Sociale di Monteforte d’Alpone  Soave Sup. Il Casale ’16 Agostino Vicentini  Studio ’15 - Ca’ Rugate  Valdobbiadene Brut Nature ’16 - Silvano Follador  Valdobbiadene Brut Rive di Col San Martino Cuvée del Fondatore Graziano Merotto ’16 - Merotto  Valdobbiadene Brut Rive San Pietro di Barbozza Motus Vitae ’15 - Bortolomiol  Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Giustino B. ’16 - Ruggeri & C.  Valdobbiadene Rive di Colbertaldo Asciutto Vign. Giardino ’16 - Adami  Valpolicella Cl. Sup. Campo Casal Vegri ’15 - Ca’ La Bionda  Valpolicella Sup. ’13 Marco Mosconi  Valpolicella Sup. Ripasso Campo Ciotoli ’15 - I Campi FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA  COF Picolit ’12 - Livon  Collio Bianco ’16 - Colle Duga  Collio Bianco Fosarin ’15 Ronco dei Tassi  Collio Bianco Giulio Locatelli Ris. ’15 - Tenuta di Angoris  Collio Friulano ’16 Russiz Superiore  Collio Friulano ’16 Schiopetto  Collio Pinot Bianco ’16 Doro Princic  Collio Pinot Bianco ’16 Villa Russiz  Collio Ribolla Gialla di Oslavia Ris. ’13 - Primosic  Collio Sauvignon ’16 Tiare Roberto Snidarcig  Collio Sauvignon Ronco delle Mele ’16 - Venica & Venica  FCO Bianco Identità ’15 Leonardo Specogna  FCO Friulano Liende ’16 La Viarte  FCO Malvasia ’16 Paolo Rodaro  FCO Pinot Bianco Myò ’16 Zorzettig  FCO Pinot Grigio ’16 Torre Rosazza  FCO Sauvignon Zuc di Volpe ’16 - Volpe Pasini  Friuli Friulano No Name ’16 Le Vigne di Zamò  Friuli Grave Pinot Bianco ’16 Vigneti Le Monde  Friuli Isonzo Friulano I Ferretti ’15 - Tenuta Luisa  Friuli Isonzo Sauvignon Piere ’15 - Vie di Romans  Lis ’15 - Lis Neris  Malvasia ’13 Damijan Podversic  Ograde ’15 - Skerk  Ribolla Gialla Brut ’13 Eugenio Collavini  Vintage Tunina ’15 - Jermann

EMILIA ROMAGNA  Colli di Parma Rosso MDV ’16 - Monte delle Vigne  Colli di Rimini Cabernet Sauvignon Montepirolo ’13 San Patrignano  Lambrusco di Modena Brut Rosé M. Cl. ’13 Cantina della Volta  Lambrusco di Sorbara del Fondatore ’16 Cleto Chiarli Tenute Agricole  Lambrusco di Sorbara Leclisse ’16 Gianfranco Paltrinieri  Lambrusco di Sorbara Secco Omaggio a Gino Friedmann ’16 Cantina Sociale di Carpi e Sorbara  Lambrusco di Sorbara V. del Cristo ’16 - Cavicchioli  Reggiano Lambrusco Concerto ’16 Ermete Medici & Figli  Reggiano Lambrusco Secco Marchese Manodori ’16 Venturini Baldini  Romagna Albana Passito Scacco Matto ’13 Fattoria Zerbina  Romagna Albana Secco I Croppi ’16 - Celli  Romagna Sangiovese Castrocaro e Terra del Sole Crete Azzurre ’15 Marta Valpiani  Romagna Sangiovese Modigliana I Probi di Papiano Ris. ’14 - Villa Papiano  Romagna Sangiovese Sup. Il Sangiovese ’16 - Noelia Ricci  Romagna Sangiovese Sup. Oriolo ’16 - I Sabbioni  Romagna Sangiovese Sup. Sigismondo ’16 Le Rocche Malatestiane TUSCANY  Al Passo ’14 - Tolaini  Altrovino ’15 - Duemani  Ameri Governo all’Uso Toscano ’15 Podere San Cristoforo  Baron’Ugo ’13 Monteraponi  Bolgheri Sassicaia ’14 Tenuta San Guido  Bolgheri Sup. Grattamacco ’14 - Grattamacco  Bolgheri Sup. Ornellaia ’14 Ornellaia  Bolgheri Sup. Paleo ’14 Le Macchiole  Bolgheri Sup. Sondraia ’14 Poggio al Tesoro  Brunello di Montalcino ’12 Biondi Santi Tenuta Il Greppo  Brunello di Montalcino ’12 Brunelli Le Chiuse di Sotto  Brunello di Montalcino ’12 Le Chiuse  Brunello di Montalcino ’12 Corte dei Venti  Brunello di Montalcino ’12 Poggio di Sotto  Brunello di Montalcino ’12 Salvioni  Brunello di Montalcino Giodo ’12 - Giodo  Brunello di Montalcino Poggio al Vento Ris. ’10 Tenuta Col d’Orcia  Brunello di Montalcino Ris. ’11 - Le Macioche

 Brunello di Montalcino V. Schiena d’Asino ’12 - Mastrojanni  Carmignano Ris. ’14 Tenuta Le Farnete Cantagallo  Carmignano Ris. ’14 - Piaggia  Chianti Cl. ’15 - Badia a Coltibuono  Chianti Cl. ’15 Borgo Salcetino  Chianti Cl. ’14 Castello di Albola  Chianti Cl. ’15 Castello di Monsanto  Chianti Cl. ’15 Castello di Radda  Chianti Cl. ’15 Castello di Volpaia  Chianti Cl. ’14 - Le Cinciole  Chianti Cl. ’15 - Le Miccine  Chianti Cl. Belcanto ’15 Fattoria Nittardi  Chianti Cl. Brolio Bettino ’15 Barone Ricasoli  Chianti Cl. Casavecchia alla Piazza ’15 - Buondonno Casavecchia alla Piazza  Chianti Cl. Gran Sel. ’14 Tenuta di Lilliano  Chianti Cl. Gran Sel. Riserva di Fizzano ’14 Rocca delle Macìe  Chianti Cl. Gran Sel. V. del Sorbo ’14 - Fontodi  Chianti Cl. Lamole di Lamole Et. Blu ’14 - Lamole di Lamole  Chianti Cl. Montaperto ’15 Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino  Chianti Cl. Novecento Ris. ’14 - Dievole  Chianti Cl. Ris. ’14 Bandini Villa Pomona  Chianti Cl. Ris. ’14 - Brancaia  Chianti Cl. Ris. ’14 Val delle Corti  Chianti Cl. V. Istine ’15 - Istine  Cortona Syrah ’14 Stefano Amerighi  I Sodi di S. Niccolò ’13 Castellare di Castellina  Lupicaia ’13 Castello del Terriccio  Maremma Toscana Alicante Oltreconfine ’15 - Bruni  Maremma Toscana Ciliegiolo V. Vallerana Alta ’15 Antonio Camillo  Maremma Toscana Rocca di Frassinello ’15 Rocca di Frassinello  Montecucco Sangiovese Poggio Lombrone Ris. ’13 Colle Massari  Montevertine ’14 Montevertine  Morellino di Scansano Madrechiesa Ris. ’14 - Terenzi  Morellino di Scansano Ribeo ’15 - Roccapesta  Nobile di Montepulciano ’14 Tenute del Cerro  Nobile di Montepulciano ’14 Maria Caterina Dei  Nobile di Montepulciano ’14 Salcheto  Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone ’14 - Poliziano  Nobile di Montepulciano Il Nocio ’13 - Poderi Boscarelli  Oreno ’15 - Tenuta Sette Ponti  Orma ’14 - Orma  Petra Rosso ’14 - Petra  Pinot Nero ’14 Podere della Civettaja

 Rosso di Montalcino ’15 Baricci  Rosso di Montalcino ’15 Capanna  Rosso di Montalcino ’15 Palazzo  Rosso di Montalcino ’15 Uccelliera  Saffredi ’14 Fattoria Le Pupille  Sapaio ’15 - Podere Sapaio  Siepi ’15 Castello di Fonterutoli  Terre di Pisa Nambrot ’15 Tenuta di Ghizzano  Valdarno di Sopra Galatrona ’14 - Fattoria Petrolo  Vermentino ’16 San Ferdinando  Vernaccia di S. Gimignano Sanice Ris. ’14 - Vincenzo Cesani  Vernaccia di S. Gimignano Tradizionale ’15 - Montenidoli  Vigorello ’13 - San Felice  Vin Santo del Chianti Occhio di Pernice Fonti e Lecceta ’11 - Torre a Cona  Vin Santo di Carmignano Ris. ’10 - Tenuta di Capezzana MARCHE  Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Cl. Lauro Ris. ’15 - Poderi Mattioli  Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Cl. Salmariano Ris. ’14 Marotti Campi  Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Cl. San Paolo Ris. ’15 - Pievalta  Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Cl. San Sisto Ris. ’15 - Fazi Battaglia  Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Cl.  V. Il Cantico della Figura Ris. ’13 - Andrea Felici  Offida Pecorino ’16 Tenuta Santori  Offida Pecorino Artemisia ’16 Tenuta Spinelli  Offida Pecorino Mida ’16 Maria Letizia Allevi  Offida Rosso Vignagiulia ’14 Emanuele Dianetti  Piceno Sup. Morellone ’12 Le Caniette  Rosso Piceno Sup. Roggio del Filare ’14 - Velenosi  Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. ’16 - Bucci  Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. Insolito del Pozzo Buono ’15 - Vicari  Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. Misco ’16 Tenuta di Tavignano  Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. Podium ’15 Gioacchino Garofoli  Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. Qudì ’15 Roberto Venturi  Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. V. V. ’15 - Umani Ronchi  Verdicchio di Matelica Cambrugiano Ris. ’14 - Belisario  Verdicchio di Matelica Mirum Ris. ’15 - La Monacesca  Verdicchio di Matelica Petrara ’16 - Borgo Paglianetto  Verdicchio di Matelica Vign. Fogliano ’15 - Bisci

UMBRIA  05035 Rosso ’16 Leonardo Bussoletti  Adarmando ’15 Giampaolo Tabarrini  Cervaro della Sala ’15 Castello della Sala  Montefalco Sagrantino ’13 F.lli Pardi  Montefalco Sagrantino Collenottolo ’13 Tenuta Bellafonte  Montefalco Sagrantino Collepiano ’13 - Arnaldo Caprai  Montefalco Sagrantino Fidenzio ’12 - Tudernum  Orvieto Cl. Sup. Il Bianco ’16 Decugnano dei Barbi  Torgiano Rosso Rubesco V. Monticchio Ris. ’12 - Lungarotti LAZIO  Baccarossa ’15 Poggio Le Volpi  Biancolella Faro della Guardia ’16 - Casale del Giglio  Fiorano Rosso ’12 Tenuta di Fiorano  Frascati Sup. Eremo Tuscolano ’16 - Valle Vermiglia  Habemus ’15 - San Giovenale  Montiano ’15 Falesco Famiglia Cotarella  Poggio della Costa ’16 Sergio Mottura ABRUZZO  Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Fonte Cupa ’16 - Camillo Montori  Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Myosotis ’16 - Ciccio Zaccagnini  Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Piè delle Vigne ’15 - Luigi Cataldi Madonna  Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Amorino ’13 - Castorani  Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Mo Ris. ’13 - Cantina Tollo  Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Ursonia ’13 - Il Feuduccio di Santa Maria D’Orni  Pecorino ’16 - Tiberio  Pecorino Casadonna ’15 Feudo Antico  Trebbiano d’Abruzzo ’13 Valentini  Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Sup. Notàri ’15 - Fattoria Nicodemi  Trebbiano d’Abruzzo V. del Convento di Capestrano ’15 Valle Reale MOLISE  Molise Aglianico Contado Ris. ’14 - Di Majo Norante CAMPANIA  Caiatì ’15 - Alois  Campi Flegrei Falanghina Cruna deLago ’15 - La Sibilla  Campi Flegrei Piedirosso ’16 Agnanum  Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco Fiorduva ’16 - Marisa Cuomo  Falanghina del Sannio Janare Senete ’16 - La Guardiense  Falanghina del Sannio Svelato ’16 - Terre Stregate  Falanghina del Sannio Taburno ’16 - Fontanavecchia  Falanghina del Sannio Taburno ’16 - Fattoria La Rivolta  Fiano di Avellino ’16 -

Colli di Lapio  Fiano di Avellino ’16 - Fonzone  Fiano di Avellino Alessandra ’12 - Di Meo  Fiano di Avellino Alimata ’15 Villa Raiano  Fiano di Avellino Pietramara ’16 - I Favati  Fiano di Avellino V. della Congregazione ’16 Villa Diamante  Greco di Tufo ’16 Cantine Di Marzo  Greco di Tufo ’16 Donnachiara  Greco di Tufo ’16 - Pietracupa  Grecomusc’ ’15 Contrade di Taurasi  Il Fric ’16 - Casebianche  Sabbie di Sopra il Bosco ’15 Nanni Copè  Sannio Sant’Agata dei Goti Piedirosso Artus ’15 - Mustilli  Taurasi ’13 Feudi di San Gregorio  Trentenare ’16 San Salvatore 1988 BASILICATA  Aglianico del Vulture Don Anselmo ’13 - Paternoster  Aglianico del Vulture Il Repertorio ’15 Cantine del Notaio  Aglianico del Vulture Sup. Cruà ’13 - Basilisco  Aglianico del Vulture Sup. Serpara ’12 - Re Manfredi Cantina Terre degli Svevi  Aglianico del Vulture Titolo ’15 - Elena Fucci PUGLIA  Castel del Monte Rosso V. Pedale Ris. ’14 - Torrevento  Gioia del Colle Primitivo 17 Vign. Montevella ’14 - Polvanera  Gioia del Colle Primitivo Marpione Ris. ’13 - Tenuta Viglione  Gioia del Colle Primitivo Muro Sant’Angelo Contrada Barbatto ’14 - Tenute Chiaromonte  Gioia del Colle Primitivo Ris. ’14 - Cantine Tre Pini  Gioia del Colle Primitivo Senatore ’11 - Coppi  Oltremé ’16 - Tenute Rubino  Orfeo Negroamaro ’15 Cantine Paolo Leo  Primitivo ’15 - Carvinea  Primitivo di Manduria Raccontami ’15 Vespa Vignaioli per Passione  Primitivo di Manduria Sinfarosa Zinfandel ’15 - Felline  Salice Salentino Rosso Per Lui Ris. ’15 - Leone de Castris  Salice Salentino Rosso Selvarossa Ris. ’14 Cantine Due Palme CALABRIA  Grisara ’16 - Roberto Ceraudo  Masino ’15 - iGreco  Neostòs Bianco ’16 Spiriti Ebbri  Terre di Cosenza Pollino Moscato Passito Mastro Terenzio ’14 Feudo dei Sanseverino

SICILY  Astolfo ’15 - Assuli  Cerasuolo di Vittoria Giambattista Valli Paris ’15 Feudi del Pisciotto  Contrada Sciaranuova ’15 Passopisciaro  Etna Bianco ’16 Planeta  Etna Bianco Alta Mora ’16 Cusumano  Etna Bianco Fondo Filara Contrada Monte Gorna ’16 Cantine Nicosia  Etna Rosso ’15 - Tornatore  Etna Rosso ‘A Rina ’15 Girolamo Russo  Etna Rosso V. Barbagalli ’14 Pietradolce  Etna Rosso Zottorinoto Ris. ’13 - Cottanera  Faro ’15 - Le Casematte  Malvasia delle Lipari Passito ’16 - Caravaglio  Mandrarossa Cavadiserpe ’16 Cantine Settesoli  Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé ’15 - Donnafugata  Quater Vitis Rosso ’14 Firriato  Rosso del Soprano ’15 - Palari  Shymer ’14 - Baglio di Pianetto  Sicilia Bianco Maggiore ’16 Rallo  Sicilia Catarratto V. di Mandranova ’16 Alessandro di Camporeale  Sicilia Nerello Mascalese Tascante ’14 - Tasca d’Almerita  Sicilia Saia ’15 - Feudo Maccari  Sicilia Syrah ’15 Feudo Principi di Butera SARDINIA  Alghero Torbato Terre Bianche Cuvée 161 ’16 Tenute Sella & Mosca  Cannonau di Sardegna Barrosu Franzisca Ris. ’14 Giovanni Montisci  Cannonau di Sardegna Mamuthone ’15 Giuseppe Sedilesu  Cannonau di Sardegna Senes Ris. ’13 - Argiolas  Cannonau di Sardegna Sincaru Ris. ’14 - Vigne Surrau  Carignano del Sulcis 6Mura ’12 - Cantina Giba  Latinia ’11 - Cantina di Santadi  Vermentino di Gallura Sup. Costarenas ’16 Masone Mannu  Vermentino di Gallura Sup. Maìa ’15 - Siddùra  Vermentino di Sardegna Stellato ’16 - Pala  Vermentino di Sardegna Tuvaoes ’16 Giovanni Maria Cherchi  Vernaccia di Oristano Sup. Jughissa ’08 Cantina Sociale della Vernaccia

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN CHICAGO

words by Lorenzo Ruggeri

Italy conquers the Windy City. Chicago is home to some of the most talented Italian chefs, who pair their cuisine with grand wine lists. In the home of Chicago style Deep Pizza there’s a growth of first-rate Neapolitan pizzerias, with especially built ovens and ingredients imported from the Campania region.

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OSTERIA LANGHE

DUE LIRE

SPACCA NAPOLI

2824 West Armitage Avenue – Chicago osterialanghe.com

4520 North Lincoln Avenue – Chicago due-lire.com

1769 West Sunnyside Avenue – Chicago spaccanapolipizzeria. com

Average Price: $ 40

Average Price: $ 30

Within only three years, Osteria Langhe has found its way into the hearts of Chicago’s food and wine lovers. It has a precise identity and a focused, solid menu. It’s one of those restaurants where you go happily, certain you’ll feel comfortable and it’s the perfect place to enjoy a bottle of real, territorial wine, whether it’s a Carema or a Grignolino, a Barbera or a great Barolo from a memorable vintage. We still remember risotto cooked to just the right texture, well-made ravioli al plin and a comforting panna cotta. For us, it’s the best tradi-

A corner of Italian simplicity on Lincoln Square. Due Lire is an unfussy trattoria serving generous, hefty and affordable dishes.

Start with fried calamari or cavatelli that reveal Massimo di Vuolo’s roots in Campania.

Or choose gnocchi with an oxtail ragout sauce and grilled chicken for a main dish.

The atmosphere is lively and the service speedy. We like the decision to feature lessknown denominations of wine – the list is not enormous, but the choices are interesting and prices less formidable.

Average Price $ 30

FORNO ROSSO RANDOLPH

1048 W Randolph St. Chicago fornorossopizzeria.com Average Price: $ 25

This place is the work of a well-oiled duo: Sicilian Salvatore Locascio from Trabia near Palermo – young pizzaioli trained under some of the best maestros – and Cefalù native owner Nicola Nitti. We visited the old Randolph street location in the old industrial West Loop neighbourhood. The bespoke oven designed by Acunto, equipped with a special lava stone slab pairs with the excellent ingredient selection: think “biscotti di Sorrento”, Caputo Blu flour, CIAO tomato sauce made with S. Marzano variety, mozzarella di bufala Campana DOP shipped every three days, red and yellow pomodoro del piennolo from San Nicola dei Miri in Gragnano, and tional Italian place in the city. more. All concur to shaping a

fine pie; among the ones we tasted was an exceptional mari nara. Davide D’Andrea, Gianni

Gallucci and Alfredo Pappalardo, skilled Italian pizzaioli who

alternate shifts, guarantee qua lity and continuity. The other citywide location on Harlem

Avenue is also worthy of men

tion.

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Jonathan Goldsmith trained under Enzo Coccia and other great pizza masters. In this way he managed to raise the palate of the Windy City to a higher level. Art is part of Jonathan’s family; his wife is a talented artist. The two ovens are the work of third and fourth generation Neapolitan dome oven builders. Ingredients and wines are personally selected in Italy, including small wine producers from the Campania region that are sometimes hard to find in the homeland. We tasted the city’s best pizza margherita with Asprinio d’Aversa, and topped with “alici alla Enzo”, smoked bufala, corbarino, ricotta, arugula and Parmigiano. That said, during our latest visits we noticed some ups and downs.

FEBRUARY 2018

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

RICCARDO TRATTORIA COCO PAZZO PELAGO TOCCO 300 West Hubbard Street – Chicago cocopazzochicago.com

201 East Delaware Place – Chicago pelagorestaurant.com

1266 North Milwaukee Avenue – Chicago www.toccochicago.com

2119 N Clark St – Chicago riccardotrattoria.com

Average Price: $ 80

Average Price: $ 80

Average Price: $ 30

Average Price: $ 35

Federico Comacchio brought a welcome breeze of innovation to Coco Pazzo. His origins in Lodi, in Lombardy, give him a special feeling for the foods of that region. His mother, he said, was a traditional homemaker with a passion for out of the ordinary foods. A masterful risotto expresses all its potential flavor, but so does cacciucco, a typical Tuscan fish soup, rustic and full-flavored. Each of Federico’s dishes showcases the character of the fresh ingredients at its heart. Both traditional and contemporary, they artfully represent the best of Italian food to the outside world. Bitter and sour, sweet and salty flavors are balanced. Service is impeccable thanks to the professional, well-established staff in the dining room. A superb wine list offers selections from all Italy’s regions. Quality/price rapport is good.

Chef Mauro Mafrici is simply one of the most talented chefs in the United States. His is one of the few restaurants that I feel are on par with the quality and fine-dining experiences found in Italy.

Everything from the bread to the main dishes are world class. We were amazed by a delicious roasted halibut fillet with fresh tomato, thyme, and white wine. We loved its super fresh, clean flavors and perfectly timed cooking.

Among the classics, we enjoyed some tasty lamb chops boosted with Mediterranean herbs. Excellent wine list, though prices are high. Very professional service and an elegant dining room.

Bruno and Melissa Abate display a modern, elegant version of cucina italiana that, while reflecting tradition, could satisfy international palates. Tocco offers sleek contemporary decor and its wine cellar showcases excellent Italian labels from every region. Basic ingredients are exclusively top quality Italian.

The cheese selection is varied and interesting. Extra-virgin olive oils are all DOP, from protected geographic zones. Even the flour used is carefully chosen and organic. Tortelli di ricotta, house-made, are enhanced with truffles from Norcia, in Abruzzo. Risotto 24, made with Parmigiano-Reggiano aged for 24 months, Abruzzese saffron and 24-karat gold, is finished in a silver pot and reflects the maniacal attention to detail of chef Domenico Acampora. Bruno Abate dedicates himself not only to his restaurant but also

to his community. For six years

he has been teaching Italian cooking and food services in

Chicago’s Cook County jail.

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Riccardo

Michi’s

reassuring mellow attitude is reflected in his solid Milan-inspired cuisine. In the US for the past 30 years, he has never forgotten about his roots and traditions. His cosy trattoria boasts a rich menu that changes often according to season: think classic vitello tonnato, pumpkin ravioli, and a delightful roast Guinea hen with lemon. Not to mention the house specialty, ossobuco served with saffron risotto.

Leave room for tiramisu and the homemade “cantuccini” biscotti. Reservations are mandatory. Across the street from the trattoria, Riccardo opened a more informal eatery a few years ago: a wine bar with functioning wood fired oven, perfect for a quick meal; a bottle of wine and snacks or an easy entree for a pleasant evening. Reasonable prices.

SPECIAL

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN NEW YORK

words by Lorenzo Ruggeri

Oh, those New Yorkers, they sure know how to cook a proper plate of spaghetti! Not to mention Neapolitan style pizza. And let’s not even go there when assessing wine lists featuring rare Italian bottles (even for Rome). In regards to Italian flavours, New York has it all. We tested more than 50 venues, including authentic and the more audaciously innovative, with historic names and novel openings.

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

ANTICA PESA

TARALLUCCI E VINO NOMAD

RIBALTA

MAREA

115 Berry Street - New York anticapesa.com

44 East 28th St - New York taralluccievino.net

Average Price: $ 30 “All ends well with tarallucci and wine,” says a popular Italian saying: is the best way to resolve any kind of dispute. It is an attitude to avoid conflict and focus on the little pleasures of life: there is much of Italy’s character in this saying. The project of Luca di Pietro, accompanied by Wine Director Lorenzo Baricca, was an immediate success. Born in 2001, Tarallucci e Vino is now part of a five-restaurant group in New York that includes the flagship store of Union Square and the lastborn, in the NoMad District.

An elegant, multifunctional place, which is open from breakfast to after dinner. Homemade pastas, such as cappellacci and gnocchi, but also great cocktails. The strong point is the wine list that seeks to showcase littlelist and attentive service. known grapes such as nascetta, petit arvine, olivella,

and schioppettino. Essential ly, a wine list made with love.

Average Price: $ 75 A legendary restaurant in central Rome, much loved by Italian and international celebrities, who have adopted it as a favourite haunt, has opened an offshoot in New York since 2012. It offers the same dishes as its Roman parent, made partly from the same ingredients, although the fresh produce comes from local farms.

Furnished in Fifties design style, it has a bar for panini and vegetarian dishes. However, the heart of the Panella brothers’ menu remains Roman: pasta all’amatriciana, carbonara and cacio e pepe, according to the traditional recipes or slightly reworked, with a careful eye to the selection of ingredients and presentation. Extentive wine

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48 East 12th Street New York ribaltapizzarestaurant. com

240 Central Park South - New York marea-nyc.com

Average Price: $ 30 Ribalta is a U.S. pizza certainty.

The effervescent Rosario Procino, ex owner at Kesté, and expert pizzaiolo Pasquale Cozzolino, have put together a well-oiled pizza machine. The selection of ingredients is attentive. Consider the fior di latte from Agerola as well as the bufala, the tomato passata made with pomodori del piennolo and Sicilian extra virgin olive oil.

Before addressing the pies, let’s spend a second talking about the sublime spaghettone of Pastificio dei Campi in Gragnano: a one-way ticket to the Campania region. Perfectly al dente pasta and fresh tomato sauce create natural goodness. The pizza dough is left to proof over 72 hours. The pie with mozzarella and brined zucchini is sumptuous; the pizza Ribalta with broccoli and sausage is just as phenomenal. The wine list features a number of small boutique vineyards selected by Tania, a young and talented wine expert. Simply put, this is the best pizza in NYC and one of the best outside of the boot-shaped peninsula.

This is one of the most refined wine collections we’ve seen in our travels, and it features many small producers. There’s evident research and love in this wine list, and a brilliant selection is available by the glass.

The setting (Relais&Chateaux) is elegant but welcoming and the choice of food is truly seductive, including a lunch menu and a Sunday brunch one. We had a superb dentice (Pacific snapper) and wellmade strozzapreti pasta with crab and chili. At Marea, the fish sings out with freshness and flavor. The bill is what you have to expect from a top quality seafood experience enhanced by Champions League service. Worth a visit.

FEBRUARY 2018

Average Price: $ 120

SPECIAL

CASA LEVER PAOLA’S RESTAURANT

RAFELE BABBO

390 Park Avenue - New York casalever.com

1295 Madison Avenue New York paolasrestaurant.com

29 7th Ave S - New York rafele.com

Average Price: $ 40

Average Price: $ 60

Average Price: $ 40

A fine and up-date wine list plus a menu of exemplary Italian dishes make Casa Lever a benchmark restaurant in New York. Dishes are elegant with interesting creative touches. The setting is a tribute to art, with a fantastic collection of Andy Warhol silk screen portraits.

Domenico Natale has unfurled his entire creative personality here, staying loyal to authentic themes while running the kitchen of the city’s most visible representative of Italy. The cucina is of the highest level, and although prices are also very high, they are justified by the quality. We enjoyed an amazing flounder, pasta with sea urchins, and grilled calamari on a bed of broccoli mousse. In the white truffle season, every dish is a taste experience. The wine list is well designed by the sommeliers curating it, and offers labels from all the great Italian wine territories.

This historic restaurant in NYC is among the most popular, especially among wine lovers. Paola’s offers traditional Italian cuisine that’s not limited, as is often the case, to the region of provenance of the owners.

The menu revolves around Italy with dishes that are slightly adapted for the US public, but which retain the peculiarities and full character of Italy. The amatriciana, for example, is impeccable. The “triumph of tomato on gorgonzola” is an unforgettable dish, the perfect blend between spiciness lent by the freeze-dried Gorgonzola, and the sweetness of the tomato. The service is excellent, the location is elegant, and the wine list is vast, well structured and modernized by the Maitre D, Ro molo Algeni.

2119 N Clark St – 110 Waverly Place - New York babbonyc.com

Average Price: $ 65 The era of pinot grigio is over. So, come to Babbo and enjoy one of best collection of Italian wine we’ve ever seen. In fact, is one fo the best articulated and most contemporary selections that we found anywhere in the world. In Rome, we would have trouble finding anything that was its equal. Big names, small producers, natural wines, traditional wines, right vintages: everything is just perfect. The selection by the glass is brillian, you can also go for a a homey quartino. The wine list covers all the Italian regions and every imaginary styles. The kitchen offers traditional dishes and original personal proposals. In short,

fresh produce, olive oils, balsamic vinegar and other Ital ian ingredients, meat, game

and seafood, along with plenty of pasta (also featured

in a tasting menu).

Raffaele Ronca, a native of Giugliano near Naples, five years ago created Rafele, a pizzeria and restaurant that combines good pizza with the best traditional products of Italy. The super Margherita pizza is well-leavened, well-cooked, savory, well laid and melty.

The staff is mostly Italian. On the restaurant front we found that the fish soup was delicious and light, with plenty of Maine lobster for a touch of sweetness. The cheesecake is reminiscent of the distinctive flavors of Neapolitan pastries with the classic essence of orange blossom obtained directly in the kitchen by freeze-drying oranges hailing from Sicily.

The complete wine list needs however more effective updating.

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

FELIDIA

SAN CARLO OSTERIA SISTINA PIEMONTE

PEPOLINO

243 East 58th Street - New York felidia-nyc.com

24 E 81st St - New York www.sistinany.com

Average Price: $ 90

Average Price: $ 60

This restaurant is owned

by Lidia Bastianich (that’s right, Bastianich), who emigrated to the United States many years ago from Istria. A standard-bearer

for

Italian

food in New York, she is also a television star, with books, DVDs and ranges of sauces and other products to her name.Elegance, tradition, service and hospitality are the key of Felidia. Pear and pecorino ravioli and baked sea bass are among the signature dishes, flanked by offerings from every Italian region created by chef Fortunato Nicotra. A selection of olive oils is available to complement dishes based on vegetables, meat and fish.

The award-winning wine list is very, very comprehensive.

90 Thompson Street New York sancarlonyc.com

Average Price: $ 80 A corner of Turin in the heart of Soho. er Giuseppe Bruno runs Seating about forty, a world-class operation. the minimalist and elegant Amazing food, great serdesign, has a well-marked vice, and a remarkable wine identity. The dishes are well crafted, beautifully presentprogram fit inside a stuned, for the most part Piedning Upper East Side locamont specialties that are retion. An Amazing collection produced with passion and of arts sits on the walls. A flair by chef Riccardo Zebro. great restaurant for a roEvenings can start with a mantic evening or a special good vermouth-based cocktail, just like in the old Torievent. Many long-time cusnese coffee houses, and contomers have been coming tinue with a portion of for 30 years. Fresh and tasty Fassona chopped beef, and seafood and the season continue with “tajarin” pasta food is notable. A tichet with truffles, or homemade “agnolotti” pasta pockets should be charget only for with roast sauce. The service experiencing the wine list is young and professional. which is simply amazing.

The kitchen is from Pied mont and so in this restau rant wine is abundant, and

not just Nebbiolo. Try the

peppery rhythm of a good Pelaverga.

A New York staple, own-

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281 W Broadway - New York pepolino.com Average Price: $ 40 A few meters from the former World Trade Center, Enzo and Patrizio in 1999 opened this restaurant that has held up the crisis that inevitably swept the entire area after the events of 2001. The casual Tuscan trattoria is a famous landmark in the Big Apple. The Italian cuisine here, and the essentiality of its menu, is appreciated for its simplicity, as well as for the crisp, clean flavours it creates. The spaghetti cacio e pepe with strawberries and clams is of great tasting impact, as is the tomato flan, whose flavours are well balanced. Even the thyme pappardelle and ricotta cake are Enzo and Patrizio’s happy intuitions.

Enzo’s training at Cibreo for sixteen years under Fabio Picchi and Benedetto Vitali is quite evident in the kitchen.

SPECIAL

LUPA 170 Thompson Street New York www.luparestaurant. com Average Price: $ 60 A corner of Trastevere in New York, with

Roman

food

and a family atmosphere (and servings). This may be what has made it a very crowded – and thus sometimes noisy – restaurant for over seventeen years, of which owners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich are rightly proud. There are all the stars of Roman cuisine, with dishes of the day and a handy extra menu for the evening. The classic starters are very popular: pasta all’amatriciana,

carbonara

and cacio e pepe; charcuterie products; saltimbocca, devilled chicken; and anchovies with raisins and pine nuts.

The wine list features several bottles for less than $50, which is no easy feat!.

THE LEOPARD AT DES ARTISTES

Kesté Pizza & Vino

KESTÈ WALL STREET

1 W 67th St New York theleopardnyc.com

271 Bleecker Street New York kestepizzeria.com

77 Fulton St, New York kestepizzeria.com

Average Price: $ 45 The Hotel des Artistes is one of New York’s most famous buildings, its history is permeated with art and allure. It was one of the biggest studio buildings in the city and attracted the greatest artists of the 20th century, as can be seen from the many paintings which still decorate it today. This is the location of Leopard, Gianfranco and Paola Bolla Sorrentino’s luxury Trattoria (Il Gattopardo is also theirs).

The cooking proudly declares its origins in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, embracing the whole of southern Italy: Sardinian fregola (semolina dough rolled into tiny balls); couscous with a shellfish ragout; bucatini pasta with sardines, onions, pine nuts, sultanas and wild fennel fronds; meatloaf; fennel, orange and Nocellara olive salad; Sicilian cannoli.

Average Price: $ 30 Te r ra c i n a - n a t i v e Roberto Caporuscio Giorgia Caporuscio is in fact the chair of is the youngest and most talAPN (Associazione Pizzaiuoli ented pizzaiola chef in New York. Twenty-seven years old Napoletani/Neapolitan Pizzaand daughter of a pizza icon, makers Assoc.) in the United after garnering several pizza States, proof that at Kestè pizmaking accolades, Giorgia zas are made exactly as they has opened her own space, should be. From the dough to Kestè on Wall Street. The rehand-tossing, from the crust fined restaurant boasts eight ovens and constitutes a New edge to a wood-burning York state-recognized interoven, everything is precisely national Neapolitan-style as Naples says it should be. pizza school. Giorgia’s pizzas The selection follows the are well-leavened, perfectly same rules: pizzas with or stretched and topped with fine quality ingredients. Our without tomato (gluten-free favourites were the fried pizalso available) with the claszas and the pizza Kestè sic toppings, albeit with a few topped with tomato sauce, creative options; calzones, mozzarella di bufala, arugula, salads, caprese (sliced mozParma ham and pecorino zarella and tomatoes) and a flakes. Flavours are generous and perfectly mixed, baking few delectable sfizi nibbles. is sublime and slices support Panini are also available at the topping to a T. The wine lunchtime. list is very good and spans

labels form all over Italy.

Average Price: $ 30

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

INVITATION

trebicchieri 2018 USA Tour We are proud to present a selection of Tre Bicchieri rated wines, awarded in Vini d’Italia 2018 guide

Chicago

IL GATTOPARDO

DEL POSTO

13-15 West 54th Street - New York ilgattopardonyc.com

85 10th Avenue - New York delposto.com

Average Price: $ 80 Owner Gianfranco Sorrentino is a Neapolitan with a passion for Mediterranean cucina shared with his wife Paula. Every detail matters to them.

Their careers began with a restaurant inside MOMA almost twenty years ago, which opened the way to success for this family of enlightened restaurateurs who hold high the standards of cucina italiana in New York. Il Gattopardo is the most prestigious of the family’s restaurants. Chef Vito Gnazzo is known for having refused to Americanize his dishes, while managing to adapt his own vision of Mediterranean cooking to modern palates. Il Gattopardo is located in the Rockefeller Townhouse, the Rockefeller residence until 1959. Paccheri alla genovese is memorable.

Spaghetti with grey mullet bottarga is a striking example of balanced flavor thanks to masterfully handling of the basic ingredients. Flavor fusion is perfection. The wine list is structured well and adds an extra dimension to the dining experience.

Average Price: $ 140 This is the flagship restaurant of the magical Italian-American food team formed by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich (flanked here by Lidia Bastianich). Elegant, sophisticated and somewhat sumptuous, it combines different styles and experiences, diverging completely from the group’s informal eateries. Creativeclassic and traditional-contemporary are categories that mingle, simply, in great Italian food that draws its inspiration from various regions. Quality ingredients, cooking techniques and sensitive treatment are fundamental here. The intelligent, tongue-in-cheek menu has two tasting options. The wine list is wholly Italian, except for a great selection of champagnes.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER - SKYLINE LOFT

New York FRIDAY, MARCH 2 THE METROPOLITAN PAVILION

Los Angeles TUESDAY, MARCH 6 MAGIC BOX - THE REEF

San Francisco THURSDAY, MARCH 8 FORT MASON CENTER

ABBONA ADAMI AGOSTINO VICENTINI ALESSANDRO DI CAMPOREALE ALLEGRINI ALOIS ANDREA FELICI ARNALDO CAPRAI ASSULI BADIA A COLTIBUONO BAGLIO DI PIANETTO BARICCI BARONE PIZZINI BARONE RICASOLI BARTOLO MASCARELLO BASILISCO BELLAVISTA BIANCAVIGNA BORTOLOMIOL BRAIDA BRANDINI BRUNO GIACOSA CA’ DEL BAIO CA’ DEL BOSCO CA’ VIOLA CANTINA COLTERENZIO CANTINA CORTACCIA CANTINA DEL PINO CANTINA DI MOGORO-IL NURAGHE CANTINA NALS MARGREID CANTINA PRODUTTORI SAN MICHELE APPIANO CANTINA PRODUTTORI VALLE ISARCO CANTINA SOCIALE DI CARPI E SORBARA CANTINA TERLANO CANTINA TOLLO CANTINA TRAMIN CANTINE DEL NOTAIO CANTINE LUNAE BOSONI CANTINE NICOSIA CASALE DEL GIGLIO CASTELLARE DI CASTELLINA CASTELLE CASTELLO DI FONTERUTOLI CASTELLO DI MONSANTO CASTELLO DI NEIVE CASTELLO DI VOLPAIA CASTORANI CAVALCHINA CAVICCHIOLI CAVIT CELLI CLETO CHIARLI TENUTE AGRICOLE COLLE MASSARI CONTADI CASTALDI COPPI COPPO CUSUMANO DECUGNANO DEI BARBI DI MAJO NORANTE DI MEO DONNAFUGATA ELENA FUCCI ELVIO COGNO ENRICO SERAFINO ENZO BOGLIETTI ERMETE MEDICI & FIGLI ETTORE GERMANO EUGENIO COLLAVINI F.LLI ALESSANDRIA F.LLI TEDESCHI FALESCO - FAMIGLIA COTARELLA FAMIGLIA CECCHI FATTORIA CARPINETA FONTALPINO FATTORIA LA RIVOLTA FATTORIA LE PUPILLE FATTORIA NICODEMI FATTORIA NITTARDI FELLINE FERGHETTINA FERRARI FEUDI DEL PISCIOTTO FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO FEUDO MACCARI FIORENZO NADA FIRRIATO FONTANAFREDDA FONTANAVECCHIA FONTODI FONZONE GIACOMO BORGOGNO & FIGLI GIAMPAOLO TABARRINI GIOACCHINO GAROFOLI GIODO GIULIO ACCORNERO E FIGLI GRAZIANO PRÀ GUIDO BERLUCCHI & C. I CAMPI I FAVATI ISTINE JERMANN LA GUARDIENSE LA MESMA LA VIS - VALLE DI CEMBRA LAMOLE DI LAMOLE LANTIERI DE PARATICO LE CANIETTE LE FRAGHE LE MACCHIOLE LE MICCINE LE VIGNE DI ZAMÒ LEONARDO SPECOGNA LEONILDO PIEROPAN LES CRÊTES LIS NERIS LIVON LORENZO BEGALI MARCALBERTO MARISA CUOMO MAROTTI CAMPI MASI MASO MARTIS MASTROJANNI MEROTTO MEZZACORONA MONCHIERO CARBONE MONTALBERA MONTE DEL FRÀ MONTE DELLE VIGNE MONTENIDOLI NANNI COPÈ NINO NEGRI NOELIA RICCI ORMA ORNELLAIA OTTELLA PALA PALAZZO PAOLO MANZONE PAOLO RODARO PAOLO SARACCO PASQUA - CECILIA BERETTA PATERNOSTER PETER ZEMMER PETRA PIAGGIA PICO MACCARIO PIETRACUPA PIETRADOLCE PLANETA PODERE SAPAIO PODERI BOSCARELLI PODERI MATTIOLI POGGIO AL TESORO POGGIO DEI GORLERI POGGIO LE VOLPI POLIZIANO PRIMOSIC RE MANFREDI - CANTINA TERRE DEGLI SVEVI RICCI CURBASTRO ROBERTO ANSELMI ROCCA DELLE MACÌE ROCCA DI FRASSINELLO ROCCAPESTA ROENO RONCO DEI TASSI ROSSET TERROIR RUGGERI & C. RUSSIZ SUPERIORE SAN PATRIGNANO SAN SALVATORE 1988 SECONDO MARCO SERGIO MOTTURA SORELLE BRONCA SUAVIA TASCA D’ALMERITA TENUTA DI ANGORIS TENUTA DI CAPEZZANA TENUTA DI FIORANO TENUTA DI LILLIANO TENUTA DI TAVIGNANO TENUTA LE FARNETE/CANTAGALLO TENUTA MAZZOLINO TENUTA SAN LEONARDO TENUTA SANT’ANTONIO TENUTA SETTE PONTI TENUTA VIGLIONE TENUTE CHIAROMONTE TENUTE DEL CERRO TENUTE GREGU TENUTE RUBINO TERENZI TERENZUOLA TERRE DEL BAROLO TERRE STREGATE TIARE - ROBERTO SNIDARCIG TOLAINI TORNATORE TORRE A CONA TORRE ROSAZZA TORREVENTO TUDERNUM UMANI RONCHI VALLE REALE VELENOSI VICARA VIETTI VIGNALTA VIGNETI LE MONDEVILLA RAIANO VILLA SANDI VILLA SPARINA ZANINI VINATTIERI VINCENZO CESANI VITE COLTE VITICOLTORI SPERI VOLPE PASINI ZANINI VINATTIERI ZENATO ZONIN USA ZORZETTIG

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN LOS ANGELES

words by Lorenzo Ruggeri

Italian restaurants in Los Angeles are on such different dimensions. We hadn’t calculated the immense differences when planning our visits. Lots of fine quality Italian dining, starting from legend Piero Selvaggio by way of the authentic pugliesi flavours in West Hollywood as well as new projects which make established gourmet destinations pale in comparison.

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

OFFICINE BRERA

VALENTINO

PROVA

ONOTRIA

1331 East 6th Street Los Angeles officinebrera.com Average Price: $ 40 The master of risotto has settled on Sixth Avenue.

Angelo Auriana originally from Bergamo was the resident chef at Valentino in Santa Monica for years. He opened his own gig in February 2016, repurposing a defunct industrial warehouse in an outlying area of town. The cuisine is based on prime quality ingredients and the foundations of cucina povera. The place is cool and contemporary, with a menu that skips the classic order and a brilliant wine list focused on northern Italian wines and a fine selection of cocktails, teas and beers. Fine starters include a proper farinata, and a delicious, juicy roast octopus. Classic saffron risotto is made with properly blended vialone nano rice, mixed with a thin layer of raspadura cheese. The slow braised beef is a reassuring embrace. Hands down, the best Italian restaurant in Los Angeles.

8729 Santa Monica 3115 Pico Boulevard Boulevard - Los Angeles Los Angeles pizzaprova.com valentinosantamonica. com Average Price: $ 25 Average Price: $ 90 Here Bari Vecchia meets West HollyPiero Selvaggio is a wood. Vito Iacopelli is legend. He’s not the third generation of Apulian only an ambassapizzaioli. He opened his pizzeria dor of Italian wine in 2015 and it quickly became a and food culture, but even magnet for Italian expats in LA. an authentic pioneer. He The pizza style is Neapolitan, so opened the historic Valentithick rimmed and fragrant no in Santa Monica in 1972 dough. The pizza Margherita is and since then he run the impeccable, as are the stuffed pizzas. The cheeses used in his best wine list in the city, toppings are sourced locally; thanks to a collection of over the San Marzano tomatoes and 100,000 bottles – a cellar flours are all shipped from Italy. unequaled in the United StaPrimitivo wine is obviously the tes for the depth of its vintaprotagonist, an Italian close relge years and varieties. Lots ative of Zinfandel. Our advice is of talented chef, suchs us do not forego the Vecchia Bari Angelo Auriana, has been pizza, in which Vito pays hompassin through this doors. age to his origins. It is topped with sautéed turnip tops and Our tips? Go for Lo Stinco, sausage. Classic and unfailing. bone marrow stuffed seal Best pizza in Los Angeles. shank, slowly Braised with Vin Santo and served with soft polenta. Then, open the wine list and dream with open eyes.

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2831 Bristol Street Los Angeles onotria.com Average Price: $ 40 The reign of Massimo Navarretta is in Costa Mesa. Local wine lovers, sommeliers and journalists know this. They flock here to open dreamy bottles and enjoy the solid cuisine that sources ingredients from a secure, organic supply chain.

Many tasty appetizers, generous pappardelle with wild boar ragout and seafood stews. The wine list is precious, featuring a fine selection of US, French and many Italian wines, including old vintages of Biondi Santi sold at correct prices, as well as great reds from southern Italy, such as Primitivo di Manduria by Nicola Chiaromonte.

SPECIAL

MADEO FACTORY PLACE KITCHEN DRAGO CENTRO ANGELINI OSTERIA

8897 Beverly Boulevard Average Price: $ 60 This is the Italian restaurant currently in favor with Hollywood’s actors.

It’s the story of Alfio and Bruno Bietina, two Tuscan brothers from Montignoso, Massa-Carrara. Armed with years of experience in the restaurant world, they decided to try their luck in Los Angeles. Today only Alfio is at Madeo; Bruno returned to Italy. Dishes are well presented and the ambiance is elegant. On the menu, mozzarella di bufala, mixed seafood risotto, tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, veal chop Milanese, filet mignon with green peppercorns.

The dessert menu is equally traditional. Appealing wine list with carefully chosen, interesting French, Californian and Italian bottles.

1300 Factory Place PI 101 - Los Angeles thefactorykitchen.com

525 South Flower Street - Los Angeles dragocentro.com

7313 Beverly Boulevard - Los Angeles angeliniosteria.com

Average Price: $ 40

Average Price: $ 75

Average Price: $ 40

The idea here is offering grandma’s cooking, direct, simple and homespun cooking. Results on the plate are aweinspiring. Angelo Auriana’s second space in the warehouse next to Officine Brera doesn’t disappoint. Hark, don’t do like we did: stuff ourselves with warm focaccia di Recco filled with cheese… we would have had room for the generous and hyper caloric portion of casoncei typical Bergamo stuffed pasta pockets filled with veal, pork sausage, cured pork, lots of brown butter and sage are delightful; or

the porchetta or a wild game

dish. Wine by the glass is well chosen. With our dinner

we were served a juicy and

biting kick of a fine Barbera d’Alba. .

Nothing is left to chance in chef Celestino Drago’s kingdom. Service is attentive, the rooms well-lighted, and the timing perfect despite large numbers of guests and constant activity. On the menu, we liked pappardelle with roast pheasant and morel mushrooms or simple, savory spaghetti alla chitarra with Sicilian almond, tomato and basil pesto. The wine list is impressive, with some cult wines included alongside small producers hard to find even in Italy as well as white wines seldom seen in Los Angeles

A sure thing in Los Angeles since 2001.

Gino Angelini, born near Rimini, has created a reliable, solid osteria, well supplied with top Italian ingredients and a careful selection of local products. Like any trattoria that knows its stuff, it starts with an antipasto board that includes prosciutto di Parma, mortadella and burrata. Pasta is made in-house and features pumpkin tortelli and generous portions of lasagna verde. The bombolotti all’amatriciana couldn’t be

more authentic. Among main

courses, go for the grilled Colorado lamb chops. The

wine list is head and shoul ders above the usual Italian trattoria, with skillful choices

of Italian labels, some Ameri can and French bottles, and a

delicious Riserva section.

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN SAN FRANCISCO

words by Lorenzo Ruggeri

San Francisco doesn’t follow fashion. It dictates it. Just look at the wave of organic products, of natural wines, and the long-established success of orange wines. The most European city in the United States, a rating that tourists have bestowed by word of mouth, also offers extraordinary Italian restaurants, ones that combine sophisticated yet pure cucina along with memorable wine lists. It’s all the byproduct of a sensibility unique in the nation. Even the pizza is exceptional – light, well-made, crisp.

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A 16 2355 Chestnut Street - San Francisco a16pizza.com Average Price: $ 40

TONY’S PIZZA NAPOLETANA 1570 Stockton St - San Francisco tonyspizzanapoletana.com

highway well, the long strip that crosses the Campania Apennine and connecting the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Adriatic, Naples and Bari. Shelley Lindaren, partner and wine director of another venue, SPQR, has fallen in love with southern Italy. She has therefore sourced lesser-known bottles, scouting out virtuoso winemakers and ultimately designing a wine list that’s hard to match even in Campania itself! Well and clearly written, and featuring small winemakers and denominations such as Lettere and Coda di Volpe, which pair wonderfully with Neapolitan-style pizzas and fine traditional cuisine. Lively vibe with lots of pirouetting glasses and corks popping, and a number of rare wines even for Rome and Milan, selected by a fine palate. If you love Italian wine, this place is a must, even for just aperitivo time with its fine wine by the glass service. In addition

108-B Carl Street - San Francisco inovinosf.com This wine bar with kitchen is the

Average Price: $ 20

Italian motorists know the A16 in

San

INOVINO

Plan time to enjoy a fine

brainchild of Claudio Villani, who

Neapolitan-style

pizza

opened it in 2013 in the Cole Val-

Tony

ley neighbourhood, and which is now

Gemignani shows his Italian origins in

Francisco.

American

very successful. The atmosphere is cosy,

both his pizza dough and his gesticu-

both at the counter and at the outside

lations. He is a pizza celebrity all over

tables. The wine list is designed with love

the U.S., recipient of several pizza

and great research, and includes lesser

championship gold medals and found-

known indigenous grapes and classic

er of a pizza academy. He is the owner

small producers. There are about twenty

of several pizzerias across the US, the

wines poured by the glass, also available

flagship of which is Las Vegas. The

in half-glasses, and a fine value for mon-

pride restaurant s the one on Stockton

ey selection of labels. It is difficult to find

street, on the menu Roman-style, Nea-

such good bottles on the $30 mark.

politan-style, New York-style, Detroit-

These are paired to delicious snacks

style pizzas. The Naples pies are elastic

such as vegetable flans, plates of cheese

and the ingredients are top-notch,

and cured meats, an amatriciana with all

starting from the tomato passata,

the trappings of the genre, a solid classic

which is custom-made for Tony. The

in tune with the rest of the cuisine. And

pies are all perfectly baked. Tony’s

they know how to cook sardines. Good

menu also includes other typical Ital-

lighting and warm atmosphere.

ian dishes and an ample wine list, with numerous Italian and New World labels.

to San Francisco, there’s a branch in Oakland too.

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

LA CICCIA

54 MINT

291 30th StreetSan Francisco laciccia.com

16 Mint Plaza - San Francisco 54mint.com

Average Price: $ 35 In San Francisco it’s hard not to know or never having been to La Ciccia. The Italian restaurant - pardon, Sardinian - is well known throughout the city and beyond. At the helm are Sardinian native Massimiliano Conti and his wife Lorella Degan. It is a small oasis of joy where one feels at home, thanks to fine meals and an always impeccable welcome.

Sardinian flavours and fragrances hold true to authentic recipes. The menu, strictly written in Sardinian, includes musts such as octopus stewed with tomatoes, fregula with endive and tuna, malloreddus Campidanese which are small pasta shells dressed with tomato sauce, saffron and fresh sausage. As far as entrées, choose the pork, lamb or the roast fish. There are plenty of glasses to choose from in an enjoyable wine list that includes unbeatable labels from other regions as well.

Average Price: $ 35 This Italian restaurant opened in 2009. The management is entrusted to Gianluca Legrottaglie, a Rome native partner, and his origins are immediately evident in the choice of many Roman cuisine dishes. Legrottaglie has lived in the States for almost twenty years. Preparations are classic, the ingredients are in season, and there’s a strong appreciation of the great Italian products at the base of the cuisine. Make sure to savour the mezzemaniche amatriciana, the chicken with sweet peppers or fish of the day, which is enriched with saffron, bottarga and eggplant. There is a great wine list with many labels belonging to small artisan wineries. And if you’re looking for a great cocktail you will be satisfied immediately.

GAMBERO ROSSO

MONTESACRO PINSERIA ENOTECA

ACQUERELLO

1722 Sacramento Street 510 Stevenson Street - San Francisco - San Francisco acquerello.com montesacrosf.com Average Price: $ 80 Average Price: $ 25 Acquerello probably The name of has the most prestithis pizzeria gious and up-to-date wine list of any Italian pays homrestaurant in the Unitage to the Montesacro ed States. Its modern, curatneighbourhood in Rome. ed menu provides incredible Rome native and California emotions even to palates resident owner Gianluca accustomed to great cuisine Legrottaglie was the first to d’auteur. Suzette Gresham bring pinsa to San Francisand Giancarlo Paterlini feaco. Yes, it’s pinsa, not pizza: ture stylistically pure cucina italiana - perfect, modern, the precursor of pizza and delicately influenced by made with a blend of humFrench cooking. Each meal ble cereal flours (millet, is an elegant and precise barley, oats) of ancient hisdance, stimulating the paltory. Nowadays pinsa is ate and reaching its peak at made with carefully selectdessert time. In every dish ed fours, extreme hydration you feel the heart and soul and long proofing time. of Suzette, the influence of her French grandmother, This makes it famously diand the quality of the fruit gestible. The classic shape and vegetables grown in the of pinsa is oval. Montesacro family garden. Even the opened in 2015 in the city’s most simple and traditional financial district; the menu plate brings a special touch offers a number of appetizwith it. The veal tartare with ers, a fine selection of charbottarga, Grana Padano and cuterie and Italian cheeses 25-year-old balsamic vinegar is exceptional. Superlaand salumi, a number of tive potato-filled ravioli are panini and the fine pinsa. flavored with goat cheese, Guanciale, bufala, ‘nduja smoked guanciale and carasausage, Sicilian capers, melized onions. Choosing a pecorino and artichokes wine is difficult: there are are among the toppings. thousands of labels stored in The enviable wine list three exceptional cellars. would make certain posh restaurants pale in comparison.

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