Gambero Rosso Wine Travel Food - December 2019

year 22 - number 135 - december 2019 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

Best of the year all the best of 2019

THE VIPAVA VALLEY Small wine paradise in Slovenia, at a stone's throw from Italy. Fresh wines and of character with maceration on the skins...



TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS In Russia, wine undermines vodka. Drinking vodka is no longer fashionable. It's old stuff. It's no longer cool...



BIG CHEFS Enrico Bartolini, one of the most active Italian chefs on the international scene, in 3 signature dishes

SOMMARIO 3

year 22 - number 135 - december 2019 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

4 8  12   26   32   56 

Best of the year all the best of 2019

THE VIPAVA VALLEY Small wine paradise in Slovenia, at a stone's throw from Italy. Fresh wines and of character, farmed in biodynamic and with maceration on the skins...

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS In Russia, wine undermines vodka. Drinking vodka is no fashionable. It's old stuff. It's no longer cool...

 longer

 70 

Editorial News Wine of the Month In Russia, wine undermines vodka. And Italy moves ahead Top Italian Restaurants in Russia Wine, Food, Cities, Territories, Events, Chefs, Obsessions, Projects, Personalities, the best of 2019 The Vipava Valley in Slovenia. Small wine paradise at a stone’s throw from Italy Enrico Bartolini

BIG CHEFS Enrico Bartolini, one of the most active Italian chefs on the interscene, in 3 signature dishes

 national

12

32 70

56

We tell our world as protagonists, for everyone volving not only food writers and food critics in the magazine, but also intellectuals, politicians, poets, artists, writers, entrepreneurs. We have understood that authority is built by opening up, not closing ourselves in defense, rather giving space to all those who have something interesting to say, independently of circuits, friendships, dislikes, previous relationships or the alleged mutual position of competition: If there’s been friction but you are good and competent, you are welcome anyway because I don’t intend to charge my readers for that friction. We have clarified that in 2019 there cannot be a journalistic print analysis that presents itself without maps, rankings, lists, graphs, infographics and data journalism or anything that really helps ( for real!) the reader to understand and be involved: the copy is important, but the table with all the menu prices in the great Italian restaurants will be a tool for work and information even in thirty years. Again: we have seriously traced a clear graphic distinction between original content and sponsored content, without, however, renouncing to transform the latter into something really useful for readers and therefore appealing to advertisers. We have practiced the synergy between print, web and social networks as much as possible, but we will do this even more: if you’ll see QR codes and “clickable” photos appearing in the next few issues to bring augmented reality to these pages, consider yourself warned! And prepare your smartphones. We have insistently identified the importance of illustrations and the centrality of artists who create them: brilliant illustrations (perhaps even more than beautiful photos) are a very good reason to buy and keep a magazine. And identifying healthy reasons for buying is the first step to giving salvation to print magazines. In this and much more, to tell the truth, we have done nothing but recover the original approach of the visionary numbers of Gambero Rosso of the Nineties.

In this issue we truly put lots of effort! We rewarded the entire enlarged world of food and wine ( from architects to podcasts, from politicians to the best articles) over the course of a dozen pages, without showcasing any of our editorial work which however was ample in these last 12 months. I am quite convinced, just to give a concrete example, that for some time now we have been issuing the best food and beverage magazine (at least in Italy), but obviously in a ranking compiled by us we couldn’t reward ourselves: it wouldn’t have been serious or amusing.

And so if in dozens of pages we celebrate the top of our sector except ourselves at Gambero, all that remains is the space of the editorial column to partially compensate. And take the opportunity to make a point about this new monthly project that is two years old, which is about to turn a decade and which claims in these 24 months to have launched more than a few messages to our readers, the market, and publishing in a broader sense.

What messages am I referring to? Let me try listing a few.

First of all, we have indicated that – even in years in which printed magazines seem destined to become – you can take a magazine and take it on a positive course from each of the three basic points of view for its sustainability (sales, subscriptions, advertising). Specifically, we made it clear to our readers that no one should feel excluded and that everyone, even the less experienced, can approach our content, which is why we invented a mini-glossary for our more technical articles, and in which the more complicated terms are clearly explained. We have underlined the importance of images, which is why the monthly issue has increasingly focused on photos, opening a workshop for unpublished photographic projects in our portfolio section. We have emphasized that a magazine must not only place itself on the pedestal to give answers, but also and above all ask questions to promote debates, solicit reflections or maybe just try to open the mind of those who browse it: that’s why on every issue of the year, except on this one, there was always a question mark on the cover.

We pulled focus on outside signatures, leading to the writing of great names for Gambero Rosso who had never done it, and bringing back home those who had moved away; all without ever neglecting the internal bylines that have signed this year’s features, reports and crucial investigations. Every month we attempted to go beyond the fences of our sector, in-

GAMBERO ROSSO

In actual fact, we could go on a little more but space does not allow it. The intentions of a complex and much (too much?) thought out editorial line don’t end with the many points listed above. I am fairly certain, however, that the spirit has been understood. This is the latest Gambero Rosso editorial in this decade. With this spirit we salute the First Decade and we project ourselves into the Twenties with a bold desire to be the protagonists of it.

- Massimiliano Tonelli

3

DECEMBER 2019

NEWS

IMMIGRANT FOOD: THE WASHINGTON RESTAURANT THAT DEFIES TRUMP’S ANTI-IMMIGRATION RHETORIC

by Livia Montagnoli shown by the large number of foreigners employed in it on American soil. But certainly the closest, ironically (the founders call into question serendipity, totally unexpected), to the main advocate of the hard line against immigrants, Donald Trump.

THE DISHES ON THE MENU ARE AN UNUSUAL FUSION OF APPARENTLY VERY DIFFERENT FOOD CULTURES: MEXICO AND INDIA, ETHIOPIA AND EL SALVADOR, IRELAND AND RUSSIA. WITH THE IDEA OF HIGHLIGHTING THE CONVIVIAL TABLE AND THE ROLE OF IMMIGRATION AT THE CORE AND ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN CULTURE. ONE BLOCK AWAY FROM DONALD TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE. IMMIGRANT FOOD. THE RESTAURANT THAT CELEBRATES IMMIGRATION The project deserves to be chronicled for the idea and the ability to put it into practice effectively. But it’s certainly the proximity to the White House that gives it resonance on an international scale: an unusual neighbourly relationship that puts only a block between the official residence of the American president Donald Trump and

the restaurant opened a couple of weeks ago by Enrique Limardo and Peter Schechter in Washington DC, with the idea of showcasing the cisines of the world and providing a meeting point and support for immigrants in America. Certainly this is not the first such project in the United States that in recent years has seen dissent grow for a provocative and bold immigration policy, which is also a very important resource for the dining sector, as

GAMBERO ROSSO

4

DECEMBER 2019

UNUSUAL MEETING OF WORLD CUISINES Believing in the Immigrant Food project, as explicitly stated in the sign of the new restaurant, was initially a chef who was already very well known in the city, Venezuelan Enrique Limardo, who launched a fast casual dining format, that brings together in the kitchen added food stimuli, to highlight how the American table is the result of the encounter of multiple cultures. The formula chosen is single dishes that mix, from time to time, at least two very different gastronomic traditions, starting from the signature dish of the restaurant, which represents the two most numerous foreign communities in the city: Ethiopian and El Salvador. But the place also plays with the possibility of combining ingredients that are much loved in Filipino cuisine with sub-Saharan African traditions, or on the curious mix on the Lima-Beijing axis. The cuisine of the Italian immigrants, on the other hand––during the last century of American history has played an equally important role––is matched in a more predictable way to the Greek gastronomic culture, in a mix of Mediterranean ingredients which includes dried tomatoes, pesto, parmigiano, fennel pollen, broccoli, yogurt and garlic chips. Other unusual couples are Ireland and Russia, India

NEWS

and Mexico, starting from a long and documented research of the typical ingredients of each culture.

THE TABLE THAT ENHANCES DIFFERENCES The idea, in short, is once again reaffirming the value of diversity, and celebrating America as a place of welcome and encounter. In an area open to associations that provide assistance to immigrants from Washington, who can count on the restaurant to organize legal and health assistance for those in need, English lessons for foreigners and employment services. But customers are also invited to lend support, with donations or signing petitions in favour of immigration. The food experience, however, remains at the centre of a project designed to raise awareness without giving up having fun with a good and unexpected cuisine, in a space cared for in detail, with handcrafted carpets coming from all over the world, art photos that tell the joy of finding yourself at the table and lots of colour. The project, moreover, has solid roots: matured for more than ten years in the mind of Peter Schechter, as the son of immigrants arriving from Austria and Germany, can count on the support of one of America’s most celebrated chefs. And the idea is to set a good example, to encourage the spreading of a chain that celebrates the value of immigration at the table, “regardless of Trump and the need to oppose the antiimmigration rhetoric of the present day,” explains Schechter “Because meeting at the table is a fact that has always existed”.

top italian restaurants

©

ww

w.ga m

ts ran berorosso.it/restau

www.gamberorosso.it/restaurants/

GAMBERO ROSSO

5

DECEMBER 2019

NEWS

COSMIC CRISP, THE NEW AMERICAN APPLE VARIETY THAT KEEPS FOR A YEAR

by Michela Becchi predict that the number will increase over the course of 2020. But why buy this apple? The advantages are many, in particular its durability: “We wanted to combine the resistance of the Enterprise with the sweetness of Honeycrisp,” said Kate Evans, head of the project. Evans also specifies that this is not a genetic modification, but a simple inter-variety crossing, a union of several features that the New York Times has defined as “the most promising apple of the future”.

AS A SNACK, FOR BREAKFAST, AFTER MEALS OR USED IN DESSERTS: APPLES ARE AMONG THE MOST LOVED FRUITS EVER. IN WASHINGTON SCIENTISTS HAVE CREATED A NEW VARIETY, CAPABLE OF LASTING OVER A YEAR IN THE REFRIGERATOR. COSMIC CRISP: THE NEW APPLE VARIETY Honeycrisp is an apple variety that’s very popular in America, very sweet and crisp. The Enterprise is a dark red, sweet and juicy apple. From the union of these two types comes the Cosmic Crisp, a new product introduced on the US market last December 1 and the result of over 20 years of work. An apple with marked sweetness but above all a long shelf life: the most significant change, in fact, concerns its expiration date, over a year.

COSMIC CRISP: THE APPLE CREATED

BY WASHINGTON RESEARCHERS It’s called Cosmic because of the white dots that cover the red skin and recall a starry sky. This apple represents the end of a long project that has lasted

two decades. An idea born within a research program of Washington State University with the aim of creating a product with a “solid and crisp” texture and that was “surprisingly sweet”, as well as having a “higher level of acidity and sugar”. The researchers also stated that the Cosmic Crisp oxidizes more slowly, “and maintains consistency and flavour for more than a year in the refrigerator”.

HERE COMES COSMIC CRISP On Sunday, December 1, approximately 460,000 twenty-kilo packages of apples were shipped to retailers across the United States for the first time, while the first 600,000 Cosmic Crisp trees were sold to farmers starting in 2017. Since then, more than 10 million have been planted, and researchers

GAMBERO ROSSO

6

DECEMBER 2019

COSMIC CRISP: THE FUTURE OF THE APPLE IN WASHINGTON We will still have to wait a while to taste it in Europe and not only: for the next decade, the possibility of cultivating the Cosmic Crisp trees will be reserved exclusively for the State of Washington. On the other hand, this was the goal of the project, which cost a total of 10 million dollars: to create a fruit capable of “offering new opportunities for the State, guaranteeing work to local farmers”. A great opportunity for local growers, who currently produce 70% of the apples sold in the United States.

NEWS

BUGAN COFFEE LAB, FROM BERGAMO TO LIVIGNO:SPECIALTY COFFEE SHOP NEWS

by Michela Becchi

IT WOULD SEEM TO BE THE HIGHEST MICRO ROASTER IN EUROPE, SURELY THE FIRST IN LIVIGNO, AN ELITE SKI DESTINATION THAT FOR SOME TIME NOW ALSO HAS A DESIGNER CAFÉ, THANKS TO THE WORK OF MAURIZIO VALLI AND HIS TEAM. MEANWHILE, THE BARISTA HAS OPENED A NEW BRANCH IN UPPER TOWN BERGAMO.

BUGAN COFFEE LAB IN BERGAMO: MAURIZIO VALLIN Continuous study, plantation visits, roasting work, preparation for competitions, experience as a judge, a trainer, non-stop training, in front of and behind the professor’s desk.

In the world of coffee, Maurizio Valli doesn’t need much of an introduction: his coffee shop and micro roaster with Bugan Coffee Lab training school in Bergamo is a landmark in the city and not only for the quality of the beverage. A tireless researcher, Maurizio never ceases to innovate: after purchasing a new place exclusively dedicated to courses and roasting, he inaugurated a new specialty bar in Livigno.

KÀFE PECIALTY COFFEE BAR IN LIVIGNO The name is Kàfe and it recalls in style a typical high altitude chalet, surrounded by snowy peaks and sweeping views: the decor is essential, minimal, played on wood and black, with avant-garde equipment and a welcoming mountain atmosphere. The designer on the project is Manuel Castellani, with the complicity of Maurizio and his team: “He attended all the courses with us and then decided to take the empty space below the house house and turn it into a coffee shop with roasting facility”. Probably the highest in altitude in Europe, coffee lovers here can choose between espresso and filter coffee extracted in chemex, v60, cold brew, French press, all prepared with select Bugan beans.

GAMBERO ROSSO

7

DECEMBER 2019

BUGAN COFFEE LAB: THE UPPER TOWN BRANCH Meanwhile, Maurizio has also opened a second branch in Bergamo, in the Upper Town, “an essential tourist destination today for any traveler”. The purpose? “Make the project known even more by foreigners“, a goal quickly reached, thanks to the continuous flow of tourists, “I already have a collaboration with a Dubai coffee roaster, which has generated good word of mouth”. The formula is the same as ever: filter extractions, impeccable espressos, quality raw materials roasted to perfection (another novelty concerns the roasting department, now in the hands of Roberto Breno, “great kid and very passionate”).

BUGAN COFFEE LAB IN UPPER TOWN BERGAMO: PRICES The classic rules of the Bugan stay in place: no sugar, “I will never give up on this point: the palate must be educated, that’s why I don’t buy it either”, curiosity and desire to discover new flavours and aromas.

The prices in a similar position, of course, are a little higher: 2 euros for an espresso, 4 euros for a cappuccino, 6 euros for a filter coffee, 5 euros for a glass of cold brew. “Despite the high prices for the Upper Town, consumer don’t complain anymore. I hope that the time for protests in the coffee world can be considered concluded”. Because–– it’s time to make peace with this all-Italian heritage––quality coffee, from sustainable agriculture, made with technique and rigour, cannot cost only one euro.

NEWS

WINE OF THE MONTH

GHEMME V. RONCO AL MASO ‘15 GUIDO PLATINETTI Via Roma, 60 Ghemme (NO) Ph 3389945783 www.platinettivini.com Average retail price:18 euros The wine of the month bring us to Piedmont. This in an historic Ghemme winery, well managed by brothers Stefano and Andrea, has a long viticultural tradition behind it. Their five hectares of wellmaintained vineyards are part of that tradition, especially Ronco al Maso, a southwest-facing hill rich in minerals. Nebbiolo takes center stage, though they also cultivate Barbera and Vespolina. Their wines exhibit great charm, and are available at attractive prices, making for a traditionally-styled selection that pays homage to the peculiarities of the DOCG zone.

The Ghemme Vigna Ronco al Maso 2015 took home the first Tre Bicchieri. It comes from an enchanting version, which offers up a variety of flavors and uncommon complexity. It’s delicate, rich and potent, with superb gustatory cleanness, deep in its echoes of roots and licorice, extremely juicy in its fruit, closing long and rigorous. In short, it has the rhythm of a great wine. This a super wine which comes at a super affordable price. The North of Piedmont is full of this kind of surprises. Pair with some porcini tagliatelle and enjoy it.

GAMBERO ROSSO

8

DECEMBER 2019

CAMPAIGN FINANCED ACCORDING TO (EU) REGULATION NO. 1308/2013

Heart and Time, fundamental elements for writing a great story of life and wine

www.umanironchi.com

GAMBERO ROSSO X CONSORZIO DI TUTELA COLLINE TERAMANE

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo between hills and sea The many faces of Colline Teramane

1

On the one side is the Gran Sasso, on the other the Adriatic Sea: in the middle a series of hills that have always been favourable for viticulture. We are talking about the Colline Teramane – Teramo Hills – the only area in Abruzzo protected by a Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin, supported by the work of the Protection Consortium. «It was a long journey to acquiring the DOCG certification, one started in the ‘90s with the recognition of the sub-area within the regional denomination Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. We made the DOCG appellation in 2003.» The words of Enrico Cerulli Irelli, President of the Colline Teramane Consortium, at the helm of 41 producers who firmly believed in a territorial project and the indissoluble link with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. «The farsightedness and spirit of collaboration that the producers of this ter-

ritory have shown over 20 years ago is commendable. The need to have a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Docg comes from the consideration that today in Abruzzo wine-making is very different from what happened in the past. Teramo production has always been characterized by the presence of small and family-run

2

wineries where, without rhetoric, quality has always been present» explains Cerulli. Foresight that the Consortium has shown also in the modernization of the production disciplinary that a few years ago (entered into force with the 2016 harvest) underwent some changes: «Firstly we changed the name, put-

Pairing. Full meal versatility With the modifications of the disciplinary, the Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Docg also pursues the path of stylistic versatility, and consequently, also of varied gastronomic combinations.

1 Young, ready to drink wines Arrosticini; timballo alla teramana; soft spreadable salami; pasta and bean soup; scrambled eggs with tomato; tripe 2 More structured wines Medium-aged cheeses; beef stew; grilled lamb.

3 Riserva Slow braised stews; aged cheeses (such as Canestrato di Castel del Monte and Pecorino di Farindola); succulent roasts

GAMBERO ROSSO

10

DECEMBER 2019

GAMBERO ROSSO X CONSORZIO DI TUTELA COLLINE TERAMANE

1. The rows of vines sloping down towards the sea among the gentle rolling Colline Teramane 2. A beautiful ripe bunch of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 3. Vineyards in the heart of the denomination, close to the high peaks of the Gran Sasso massif

2019, quality harvest Balance and focus on the crus

3

ting the territory before the grape variety: Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – says Cerulli – it was a real change of philosophy on our part that is expressed in another important rule, namely the obligation of bottling within the province of Teramo. Then we reduced the aging time to one year, instead of the two foreseen by the previous specification, maintaining the period of three years in the Riserva version.

At the base of the choice was the need to differentiate the two types more clearly and increase the number of bottles produced to raise critical mass and gain new market shares». Alessandro Nicodemi, of the namesake company, former President of the Consortium, adds:

We can now trace an initial operational balance of the 2019 vintage.

We did it with Pietro Topi (Terraviva) and Marina Orlandi Contucci Ponno (at the helm of the winery that bears her family’s name and which is now part of the Agricole Gussalli Beretta group). According to Topi, « This is an excellent season for the quality of the grapes, even if there’s been a slight decrease of quantity compared to 2018». Marina echoes, «Despite the net climatic discontinuity compared to the norm, the vines have managed as always to find their own way, their balance. The Montepulciano harvest was less abundant than last year but the grapes are very healthy and beautiful, and the analytical data us balanced». Even Angela Velenosi, winemaker from the Marche region but born in Abruzzo, who recently decided to invest here, wants to spend a word on this territory: «Abruzzo wines are known on the Italian market, and beyond, too: they have a mature reputation thanks to the distribution work and marketing done over the years. However, I think there is still much explore and mainly in two directions. One towards the crus: the richness of this terroir is a real reservoir, and I am sure we can still grow. The second direction is the market. I believe it’s important to involve newer generations of consumers who are more attentive to quality. I think that Abruzzo wine still has a long way to go, but I also feel that Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is going in the right direction».

«We tread a proactive path, to enhance the uniqueness of our own Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The wine of the Colline Teramane DOCG, and in general our Montepulciano, is highly versatile: powerful and at the same time gentle. A wine that if made with the right care, aging

in steel and with brief maceration, can be a wine for daily enjoyment.

If instead it’s made with longer aging times, in oak and with more robust macerations, it becomes an important wine of great elegance».

 Conzorzio di Tutela

Colline Teramane collineteramane.com

Created thanks to EAFRD funds - PSR Abruzzo 2014/2020 sub-measure 3.2 - 2019

GAMBERO ROSSO

11

DECEMBER 2019

IN RUSSIA, WINE UNDERMINES VODKA. AND ITALY MOVES AHEAD The country of vodka now drinks wine. A true revolution that brings imports from Italy to 300 million euros: a boom that not even the embargo managed to stop. Gambero Rosso’s ninth time in Moscow and St. Petersburg where the new GB Wine Dates format was also presented

Words by Lorenzo Ruggeri

EVENTS

Once upon a time there was vodka.

These were the times when food was still seen as a mere need: little variety and lots of substance, and wine was the stuff of billionaires with mark ups tailored especially for them: exaggerated, showy, the highest in the world and out of any market logic. Well, that country is gone, that image of Russia is a distant memory. Today in Moscow or St. Petersburg it’s easier to find a good glass of wine than a proper vodka. The kind that doesn’t burn the palate, but rather enveloping and smooth, with clean and transparent finish. What happened? Many things have changed. For sure drinking vodka is no longer fashionable. It’s old stuff.

It’s no longer cool.

MARKET NUMBERS The irrefutable proof comes mostly from economic data: quite striking.

The Vinitaly-Wine Monitor Observatory estimates forecast that the end of the year will have imports of wine above €1 billion (+13.3% compared to the previous year). In 2018 it had not gone beyond +1.7%. This increase will be enjoyed mostly by Italy – which

SURGIVA TASTE & DESIGN AWARD Taste, design and hospitality. The Surgiva Taste & Design Award in Moscow awarded a venue with branches also in Rome, Milan, New York and Barcelona: Assunta Madre, a brand that has made its fresh fish their flag. In Moscow the quality of the offer is borne by chef and sommelier Michele Brogi offering great variety in raw seafood, pasta and risottos, and a wide offer based on the catch of the day, well accompanied by an extensive wine list with great Italian and French bubbles. In St. Petersburg, the prize goes to Il Milanese, restaurant opened two years ago in the centre of town

by Marco Tagliaferri, the perfect Maitre D; while the kitchen is entrusted to Marco Pennisi, Sicilian by birth. Few seats, warm atmosphere with exposed bricks and bottles on the walls, a lean wine list and all-Italian hospitality, warm and caring.

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS. AWARDED VENUES MOSCOW. Landing in town for the first time Tre Forchette arrive thanks to the work of Emanuele Pollini, chef of restaurant Ovo By Carlo Cracco housed in the Lotte Hotel: a deep taste experience. Due Forchette for Balzi Rossi and Semifreddo, the local historian by Nino Graziano. Una Forchetta for Assunta Madre and Quadrum, chef Christian de Nadai’s restaurant housed in the Four Seasons. The Italian scene in Moscow also includes La bottega Siciliana winning Due Gamberi and Pinzeria by Valentino Bontempi with Due Spicchi.

Incidentally, the popularity of pinsa is extraordinary: it’s easier to find in Moscow than in Rome.

GAMBERO ROSSO

14

DECEMBER 2019

WORLDTOUR

VILLA SANDI BEST CONTEMPORARY WINE LIST AWARD

Work continues to showcase the best and freshest Italian wine lists abroad. In Moscow, the Villa Sandi Best Contemporary Wine List Award goes to Bigati Bar, one of the most complete and lively wine bars in Moscow. The wine list is a compendium of character labels, with lots of small wineries that are the result of deep research and true passion: the small winery of the Langhe, Etna wines, a large selection of Italian and French sparkling wines. Lively, young and vibrant ambiance. Congratulations to Alan Bigati, who set up a successful wine bar, with absolutely reasonable mark ups, given the Russian average. In St. Petersburg, the prize goes instead on a typical Friulian host, Giovanni da Prat, owner of Vino di Vino, a classic Italian restaurant that focuses heavily on a collection of wines from native Italian varieties, from refosco to pignoletto, from sangiovese to Prosecco col fondo which is impossible to find in Russia. Tasteful restaurant, with a fine collection of antique corkscrews and classic-style cuisine, and a wide selection of stuffed pastas, risottos, seafood and meat specialties.

ST PETERSBURG. The only pizzeria listed in our Top Italian Restaurants guide in St. Petersburg is Pizza 22 cm, Neapolitan-style pies, while Vino di Vino excels for its wine list and deserves Due Bottiglie recognition; among the bistros, we point out Il Milanese with Un Gambero, Jerome with Due Gamberi, thanks to the talent of chef Antonio Fresa and the excellent management that contemplates fusion and respect for raw materials and cooking methods.

In the fine dining department, the historic Percorso stands out, managed by Valerio Andrisani and chef Alessio Scarola, housed inside the Four Seasons.

GAMBERO ROSSO

15

DECEMBER 2019

EVENTS

GAMBERO ROSSO WINE DATES In Russia, Gambero Rosso launched the Wine Dates, a fancy format for b2b meetings. The rules are few and clear: one wine, one producer, one buyer. Five minutes with a glass in hand to see if the feeling is mutual, if the sparkle effect happens, as the Americans call it. And if the spark is there, then there’s the mingling dinner to follow to start negotiations.

Speed dating applied to wine, a fun way to do business. The format debut was with the Consorzio del Chianti Docg, in two meetings: in Moscow, in the Italian restaurant Tinto, and in St. Petersburg in the beautiful Harvest, one of the symbolic restaurants in the city for Russian cuisine and a new sustainable philosophy with zero waste. 10 producers were involved in each round, each presenting a Chianti to 10 journalists, buyers and opinion leaders in the sector.

is clearly the first supplier on this market – which will be sending wine to Moscow for a value of 294 million euro (+11.1%). The positive moment of sparkling wines continues, starting at around 111 million euro (+13% in

2018), but the figure for still wines is even more resounding: if in 2018 imports from Italy were down (-3.2 %), year-end estimates show growth of almost 14 percentage points, for a value of 185 million euro. A trend that now

GAMBERO ROSSO

16

DECEMBER 2019

seems unstoppable. In general, Russia remains one of the largest alcoholconsuming countries in the world, but over the years – also thanks to the containment measures adopted by the Putin government – there has been a

WORLDTOUR

MASTERCLASS ON PROSECCO DOC The Prosecco fever is getting stronger in Russia, too. Istat figures smile again at the entire DOP Prosecco, in the first 8 months of 2019 values grew from 7 million euro in 2018 to 8.8 million in 2019, in equally great increase was also expenditure. We saw first-hand the opening of several bars dedicated to the most sold Italian wine in the world, from the Prosecco Bar in Moscow to other wine bars that dedicate so much space to what is now not simply a wine of the territory, but one of the best known Italian words worldwide. During the Tre Bicchieri event in Moscow, a special corner was dedicated to Prosecco Doc, set up in collaboration with the Consortium. The vice curator of the Vini d’Italia guide Giuseppe Carrus conducted a masterclass to talk about the territories of origin of the DOC, talking about numbers, stylistic diversity, expenditure, history and method, together with the producers who reported the work behind each cuvée. Needless to say, all the seats available sold out two weeks before the event.

progressive shift from spirits to wine, whose consumption fluctuates from 1.2 to 1.5 billion litres per year (World Health Organization report).

GAMBERO ROSSO EVENTS Gambero Rosso has been coming to Russia for 9 consecutive years, a period in which the supply increase has been portentous. Just look at the huge amount of wine bars that opened in the last 12 months in the two main cities of the Russian federation (clearly in

the rest of the country vodka continues to prevail). Young people mainly drink wine, they ask for different labels, mark ups finally are more human, despite the very high taxation.

In fact, wine has become a natural element of everyday life: something unthinkable a few years ago. And the two Gambero Rosso events – Tre Bicchieri in Moscow and Top Italian Wines Roadshow in St. Petersburg – also prove this, with a record number of participants: over 3,700 final regis-

GAMBERO ROSSO

17

DECEMBER 2019

trations. To further demonstrate how much our guide Vini d’Italia and our events are a reference point around here, we were surprised to discovered two wine bars bearing the name “Tre Bicchieri”.

THE DINING SECTOR AND THE EMBARGO The big change of pace, no doubt, was given by the dining scene. Even the Russian one, which has drawn extraordinary force from the food embargo

EVENTS

active since 2014, so much so as to be forced to rebuild the entire agricultural supply chain, rethinking the production of cheeses and cured meats through Italian and French experts, great quality meats thanks to American advice, rediscovering excellence never valued before and opening up to cross-fusion, like virtuous cases the likes of Luigi Magni and his delicious Pinch bistro.

Italian cuisine has never been so prosperous in Russia. To the detriment of whom? “French restaurants were zeroed after the embargo”, comments Mircko Zago, one of the pioneers of Italian cuisine in Russia, awarded for his new Officina (Un Gambero recognition in our Top Italian Restaurant guide). And in fact, touring Moscow non stop there’s no sign of a French place anywhere.

“Despite the embargo,” chef Luca Verdolini tells us, “we can still find everything, thanks to triangulations from other countries and other certifications. Of course, prices are affected above all: a kilo of Parmigiano aged 24 months easily reaches a price tag of 40/50 euro per kilo”. “When I arrived in 2005 it was very hard” reveals Nino Graziano of historic restaurant Semifreddo. At the table they always drank cognac and vodka, they knew nothing about our cuisine. Today there is not one table without wine. And the wines! Of the many wine bars visited – from Big Wine Freaks to Na Vina, to the brand new Zazazu in St. Petersburg – we noticed a common trend, “We seek organic and biodynamic wines, small wineries, something different”, says sommelier and manager Olga while taking a bottle from the shelf. Also here a lot of Italy, alongside Armenian labels and orange wines produced in Crimea. The Italian cuisine dish of the moment in Russia?

Undoubtedly cacio e pepe, confirming a strong demand for simple and tasty dishes and recipes, which we’re happy to report pair with sublime bottles.

CHIANTI MATRIOSKA STORIES The Chianti DOCG Consortium in Russia is a great protagonist. Many events were staged under the Chianti Matrioska Stories hat, the concept inspired by the famous traditional Russian dolls developed for the occasion. Within the events of Moscow and St. Petersburg, two tasting corners were set up dedicated to the Consortium with 10 producers present: a rich stylistic journey among the vintage Chianti, the sub-areas, the reserves. For the first time, Luca Alves, marketing director of the Consortium, and Lorenzo Ruggeri led a unique tasting both in the capital and in the former city of Leningrad, on the topic of Vin Santo del Chianti, a wine witness of centuries of history but also a wine that’s extraordinarily contemporary for combination and complexity of tasting registers. Seven Vin Santo del Chianti were presented, in a range of vintages from 2006 to 2015: a fascinating journey from the driest to the sweetest, ending with the legendary Sangiovese-based Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice. Few bottles, lots of flavour and lots of charm for a wine with a strong territorial appeal.

THE CHEF OF THE YEAR ACCORDING TO TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS 2020 IS IN MOSCOW The Chef of the Year according to the Top Italian Restaurants 2020 guide is native to Cesena. Emanuele Pollini, born in 1986, gained experience in the Basque Country, under Martin Berasategui, then New Zealand and then under Cracco, and then leading the bistro Carlo & Camilla. Today he is the chef of Ovo by Carlo Cracco, to dine there, guests climb up to the second floor of the not exactly somber Lotte Hotel in Moscow. We were bewitched by his cuisine: creative, risky, instinctive, authorial in a difficult context, among the most difficult in the world for Italian cuisine. Cracco left him with carte blanche, the trust was more than repaid: the menu has a creative touch and a very well articulated and deliciously technical execution. With caviar the chef creates a hook for his customers, then palates travel between flavours and memories of home. Extraordinary talent.

With great honesty we must say that we ate better here than at Cracco in Moscow. We look forward to following the evolution of his career.

GAMBERO ROSSO

18

DECEMBER 2019

Discover the

Prosecco Doc DreamlanD

There is an entire world of tradition, beauty and style inside every bottle of Prosecco DOC. That’s why Prosecco DOC is more than just sparkling.

The Prosecco DOC Dreamland welcomes you to www.prosecco.wine.

PHOTOGALLERY MOSCOW

EVENTS

GAMBERO ROSSO

20

DECEMBER 2019

PHOTOGALLERY SAINT PETERSBURG

WORLDTOUR

GAMBERO ROSSO

21

DECEMBER 2019

VALIANO CHARMS CHICAGO

by Marco Sabellico

It was a memorable evening at Pelago restaurant in Chicago. The dinner set up

by Gambero Rosso was a huge success.

Celebrated chef Mauro Mafrici created a superb Italian menu to accompany the great wines from Valiano, among which the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 6.38 ’15 awarded Tre Bicchieri recognition by Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia 2020 edition. A sumptuous red which won all the guest thanks to its finesse and elegance, one of the best labels of this great vintage in Chianti Classico.

The story of this dedicated wine family and its estates was shared by Benedetta and Michelangelo Piccini who represent the fifth generation of the family. Marco Sabellico, editor in chief of Vini d’Italia, added a touch of professional notes to entertain the guests, 30 well known professionals of the wine trade and food and wine journalists.

It was a beautiful evening on November 14th at the famous Pelago restaurant. Gambero Rosso and the Piccini family invited thirty eminent trade and press professionals in one of the best restaurants of the “Windy City”, owned by Trieste native chef Mauro Mafrici, boasting a long international curriculum, which this year witnessed winning the coveted Tre Forchette award by the Gambero Rosso Top Italian Restaurants in the World guide.

The occasion was delicious: the matter of presenting the wine that projected the Piccini family and its estates into the higher echelon of Italian oenology: the Chianti Classico Gran Selection 6.38 º15 of Tenuta di Valiano. A great red, one of the best 9 Chianti Classico tastings for this great vintage on Vini d’Italia 2020. Tenuta di Valiano is the spearhead of the Piccini family production, winemakers since 1882. It’s a beautiful winery that covers 230 hectares (70 of which are planted in vines) in Castelnuovo Berardenga, a southern offshoot of the Chianti Classico terroir. Benedetta and Michelangelo Piccini represent the fifth generation of the family that began its wine history in 1882, and received guests illustrating Valiano (formerly owned by Giovanni Gronchi, the third President of the Italian Republic) and other family estates in Tuscany and in the rest of Italy. The Piccinis also control Villa al Cortile in Montalcino, the Viticoltori del Chianti Geografico, Villa Moraia in Maremma, and the Regio Cantina in Basilicata and the Torre Mora estate on Etna in Sicily. “Valiano boasts great wines...

I love this style of Chianti Classico...

The 6.38 is a beautiful example of work on a single cru,” said Tamra Pres-

ley Weiss, wine director of Coco Pazzo, the most famous wine bar in Chicago, specializing in Italian wines – it’s elegant, soft, shows great character...”.

“The Piccinis are proving to be able to combine an important production in terms of numbers (15 million bottles, Ed.) with very high quality level in their estates,” added Alan Blum, manager of Sandburg Wine Cellar. In addition to the wines of Valiano, in fact, accompanying the rich Italian menu of Mauro Mafrici, guests were also able to taste wines from Torre Mora and Regio Cantina, in addition to the other labels of Valiano and Piccini, all technically “annotated” by Marco Sabellico, curator of Vini d’Italia. A great evening in the name of the Italian way of life that made Chicago less cold for one night.

EVENTS

A ROMAN NIGHT IN BROOKLIN

Introducing Roma Doc wines to NYC

by Marco Sabellico Gambero Rosso and Poggio Le Volpi Winery hosted a wine dinner in the most famous Italian table in Williamsburg, L’Antica Pesa. Lorenzo Panella created a perfect Roman menu, which showcased the flavours of the Roma Doc Wines by Poggio le Volpi. Guest – among which journalists, marketers and trade specialists – were enthusiastic, and expressed deep appreciation for all the wines tasted. The wines were annotated by Bernardo Brecci, manager of this brilliant Rome native winery belonging to the historical Mergè family, and Marco Sabellico, editor in chief of Vini d’Italia by Gambero Rosso, the most important publication on Italian wine, published every year since 1988 and translated into 5 languages.

POGGIO LE VOLPI USA TOUR Rome based Poggio le Volpi definitely focuses on the US market. Thanks to its critical acclaim and excellent sales network, it organized two evenings in collaboration with GamberoRosso, November 19 in New York and November 21 in Miami. The focus of the two food and wine meetings was presenting wines of the new Roma Doc, of which today the winery of Felice Mergè is the most authoritative interpreter for quality and quantity. Gambero Rosso chose two restaurants with typical Roman atmosphere, Antica Pesa in Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Baiocco restaurant in Miami. Lorenzo Panella and his New York staff enchanted guests with an all-Roman menu of delicious appetizers and desserts, all washed

down by Frascati Asonia Brut and Roma Bianco first, and then by Roma Rosso. High-quality breaded and fried lamb chops came before the delicious ricotta and sour cherry semifreddo, providing the spotlight for the two red highlights of the evening, the Roma Rosso Limited Edition ‘15 and Primitivo di Manduria Piano Chiuso Riserva ‘15 de La Masca del Tacco, the recent Apulian acquisition of the Mergè family, which has been producing and selling wine since 1920. The wines were excellent and received great appreciation from all the participants, journalists, opinion leaders and trade specialists eager to learn more about the new Lazio denomination and the company that embodies it. In short, for

GAMBERO ROSSO

24

DECEMBER 2019

WORLDTOUR

a few hours the relaxed, playful and flavourful atmosphere that has made Antica Pesa in Trastevere famous in Rome – a must for lovers of Roman cuisine – was recreated. Marco Sabellico, curator of Vini d’Italia, and Bernardo Brecci, commercial director of the maison, then illustrated to the guests the most technical aspects and peculiarities of the featured wines, with a focus on the Edizione Limitata, a blend of montepulciano, syrah and cabernet franc matured in oak barrels of different capacities that really enthralled those present.

ary. And there were also accolades for the wines of Masca del Tacco, in particular for the Primitivo Piano Chiuso, a family wine in the United States under the pseudonym Zinfan-

Two days later a similar show was hosted on a different stage in Miami, in Baiocco restaurant of the Ranucci family, Roman with also successful venues in Milan such as Giulio Pane and Ójio, Casa Tua, Abbottega. Baiocco offers a typically Italian atmosphere: an old restored farmhouse in the MiMo area, surrounded by a beautiful garden, recreating the ambiance of the typical Roman taverns located outside the city, more like a typical post station.

100% Roman cuisine and the affabile touch of Corrado and Chiara, who welcomed guests, put them at ease, as they were served a sequence of traditional dishes, from a typicl Roman fry to pasta cacio e pepe and the amatriciana, to name just a few, under the banner of simplicity and authenticity, values on which David Ranucci conceived the restaurant. Here too, wine journalists and professionals all showed great enthusiasm about the food and wine, offering a new perspective on a historic wine-growing area like Castelli Romani, a place of extraordinary vocation but little appreciated in recent decades. Fortunately now read with a more modern eye through the Rome Doc disciplin-

GAMBERO ROSSO

25

DECEMBER 2019

del. Genuine nature, research, loyalty to the territory and its flavours were rewarded, in the case of the wines as in that of food. Always forza Roma, then... with Doc at full throttle!!!

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN RUSSIA

QUADRUM

PINZERIA BY BONTEMPI

Novinskiy Blbd., 8/2

Ulitsa Okhotnyy Ryad, 2

Bolshoy Znamenskiy

MOSCOW +7 4952870515

MOSCOW

MOSCOW

www.lottehotel.com

+7 4992777100

Average Price: ₽ 7000.0

Average Price: ₽ 700.0

www.fourseasons.com

Valentino

Bontempi,

chef

Emanuele Pollini is our Chef of the

A refined Italian experience inside the

from Brescia, never stops. In

Year. We were literally bewitched

Four Seasons Hotel, with beautiful

Moscow for the past 15 years,

by his cuisine: creative, risky, in-

views out on the Red Square. We are

before launching forcefully into the pinsa

stinctive, authorial. The restaurant

in the realm of chef Christian de Na-

project, he wrote several cookbooks and

is housed within the Lotte Hotel in Mos-

dai, of Treviso origin, who has dedicated

today manages five restaurants. He suc-

cow. Appetizers start with fried nettles

perseverance and quality to his work here

ceeded in standardizing and re-propos-

and pork cracklings, then comes a warm

since 2015. Good opening appetizer, both

ing his format with great success, which

vegetable extract to open up digestion

the focaccia and the intensity of extra vir-

revolves around a long-leavened pinsa,

and spike appetites. This dish made us

gin olive oil, juicy olives and oil preserved

the result of deep research on flour, and

prick up our ears: seared squid, lime, pak

artichokes. We enjoyed the ricotta ravi-

sold at very affordable prices. To be on

choi. Depth of flavours, complexity, the fin-

oli on a Parmigiano mousse, the delicate

the safe and quality side, choose a Mar-

ish is very long, including a reduction of

branzino with pak choi, olives and black

gherita or the tuna version. The wine list

aromatic herbs. Never leave without the

truffle. Christian has an excellent hand on

is more than valid. Open a good bottle

mind-blowing lasagna-filled tortelli, what

risotto and could not be otherwise given

and enjoy.

a simple and magnificent dish. We warmly

his DNA, so be sure to order some. Wine

recommend the lamb chops, served in a

list with classic labels, well structured and

saucepan together with tomato, capers

graphically supported. The service is in

and their congealed fat: sopping up sauce

tune with the offer.

with bread is a must. Leave room for desserts, the chef’s penchant, to say the least, is his imaginative interpretation of tiramisu. Professional service and a wine list divided between Italy and France that could need a little update. This is an amazing experience.

MOSCOW

GAMBERO ROSSO

26

DECEMBER 2019

MOSCOW

MOSCOW

OVO BY CARLO CRACCO

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

The embargo and import restrictions have mostly effected the French cuisine but not really our cucina italiana. Actually, Italian restaurants in Moscow and St. Petersburg are surging, especially in term of quality.

There's plenty of good choices between fine dining restaurants, casual trattorie, and pinzerie. Young chefs and contemporary concepts are raising the bar.

ASSUNTA MADRE

Ohotnyi rjad str. 2 – MOSCOW

Kudrinskaya pl. 1 – MOSCOW

Povarskaya St – MOSCOW

+7 4956600383

+7 4951447414

+7 4957306666

bottega-siciliana.com

www.balzi-rossi.ru

assuntamadre.ru

Average Price: ₽ 2500.0

Average Price: ₽ 2000.0

Located at a stone’s throw from

MOSCOW

BALZI ROSSI

Emanuele

Mongillo.

There’s

Average Price: ₽ 5000.0

Located in Pvarskaja Ulitsa, this famous

the Bolshoi Theatre, the Red

room for everything. The dishes

Italian restaurant brand has branches

Square and the Kremlin, Nino

boast notable precision and in-

in Rome, Milan, in Sardinia, Barcelona

Graziano, the famous chef from Semifred-

cisiveness like in the flagship

and New York. The fame and notoriety

do, has opened this large Sicilian restau-

pasta mista with crab, potato sauce and

derives entirely from the cuisine based on

rant in 2012. Modern, elegant, with a few

scamorza cheese: creative, colorful and

seafood and from the celebrities in busi-

carefully chosen features evoking the land

possessing substance and balance. Chef

ness, politics and entertainment that fre-

of origin and an open kitchen, the place

Emanuele displays a brave and creative

quent it. Here the focus is mainly on the

offers pizza, homemade pasta, grilled

cuisine based on high quality ingredients,

product and on its freshness, therefore

meats and many delicious, tasty dishes

he gots a special hand with pasta. If you’re

wide with choreographic plateaus of raw

inspired by the aromas and flavours of

looking for some real pasta, al dente, with

crudo, including seafood and shellfish,

Sicily. The pizza is getting better over time

Southern Italian flavors, this is the place

well-made pasta courses and main cours-

featuring quality ingredients and a long

for you. Do not miss also the authentic

es based on the catch of the day, grilled

proofing time, it’s one of the best in town:

parmigiana. By the way, we suggest end-

or stewed. Pairings with a wide choice of

fragrant and crispy. The menu ends with

ing the meal with an excellent babà with

wines, very strong on the bubbles front.

the irresistible traditional desserts of the

orange confit. The wine list has increased

Oyster-friendly.

island, first and foremost almond-paste

over time and is still definitely France-

delicacies, but also artisanal gelato.

oriented.

MOSCOW

GAMBERO ROSSO

27

DECEMBER 2019

MOSCOW

LA BOTTEGA SICILIANA

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN RUSSIA

BIGATI BAR

OFFICINA

PIZZERIA VESUVIO

Ulitsa Zemlyanoy Val

Zabelina, 1 – MOSCOW

Bolotnikovskaya Ulitsa, 12

MOSCOW +7 9776742304

+7 4993910857

MOSCOW +7 9955079995

bigati-bar.ru

www.officina.moscow

Average Price: ₽ 300.0

Average Price: ₽ 2400.0

Average Price: ₽ 600.0

Wine bars in Moscow are popping

Mircko Zago does it again. We had

A vibrant breath of Neapolitan air in a shopping centre in the north-

up like mushrooms, every week

already appreciated the chef from

ern district of Moscow. Within a

there is a new opening. Among the

Aosta at Syr, a pioneer in fine Ital-

short time Vesuvio has become a solid

many visits we made this year, we were

ian dining in the city. Together with his

point of reference for Neapolitan pizza in

particularly impressed by this lively, co-

partner Pierangelo Carbonara, he put on

the city thanks to the work of pizzaiuolo

lourful venue with a vibrant atmosphere.

a very contemporary concept, a lean, di-

and owner Giuseppe Peluso. The crust

Meanwhile, the prices are more than

rect offer, with some great classics of Ital-

is thick and well-defined, dough has

honest considering the wine mark-ups

ian cuisine such as vitello tonnato, classic

high hydration, pies are soft and chewy,

in Russia, the choice is brilliant. There are

pasta dishes such as gnocchi alla caprese,

baked in an electric oven. Mozzarella and

two wine lists, the first one essential, the

tagliatelle with mushrooms or spaghetti

tomato are directly imported from Italy.

second is very deep, with true enthusiast

with clams. The choice of appetizers is

We went for the classic margherita, while

selections: there is research, love for local

good and ample, including croquettes, br-

among the special pizzas you’ll find the

wines, courageous choices and is consis-

uschetta, cured meats, cheeses and vari-

Vesuvio with spicy salami or the parmi-

tently strong offer, both Italian and the se-

ous vegetarian options. A solid offer, from

giana with eggplants. Order the pizza at

lection of excellent French bubbles, as well

noon to midnight, in step with the times,

the counter and eat it directly at the few

as other pearls from Old Europe. Oysters,

at affordable prices. Slender but effective

wooden tables. A proper coffee com-

bruschetta and the evening starts well. On

wine list.

pletes the experience..

until 4 am, starting with wine by the glass and ending with serious bottles.

MOSCOW

GAMBERO ROSSO

28

DECEMBER 2019

MOSCOW

MOSCOW

weekends the place stays open late, even

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

VINO DI VINO

Str. Timur Frunze 11, Building

Blagodatnaya Ulitsa, 39

Liteyniy Ave, 7

55 – MOSCOW +7 951815555

ST. PETERSBURG +7 8123888700

ST. PETERSBURG

Average Price: ₽ 6000.0

vinodivino.spb.ru

+7 9627248940

Average Price: ₽ 3000.0

ilmilanese.ru

This is the closest point to Sicily in

Moscow. Celebrated Chef Nino Gra-

The wine list of this Italian res-

ziano has been a true pioneer of Ital-

taurant truly pays tribute to the

Average Price: ₽ 3500.0

Marco Pennisi and Marco Tagliaferri’s

ian cuisine in the world. He flew to

name “divine wine”. The restau-

Moscow 15 years ago. Among the various

rant has been showing one of the

warm, with exposed bricks and bottles

collaborations the one with Semifreddo is

best Italian wine selections on Russian

on the walls. The cuisine is traditional,

certainly the most important. Here Gra-

soil for the last 5 years. There is a wide

with specialties such as risotto with cuttle-

ziano has developed a vast menu with

offer of labels by the glass and remarkable

fish ink and assorted seafood, ricotta- and

chef Luca Verdolini, that features island

depth and variety, carefully selected, re-

spinach-filled ravioli and tomato sauce or

specialties, grilled fish and Nino’s signa-

searched and professional approach, just

saffron risotto, tagliatelle with meat sauce.

ture dishes. From the rich menu we high-

look at the perfect wine serving tempera-

The sea bass or veal escalopes shine in

light the super classic Sicilian red soup

ture. The wine accompanies a very wide

the mains. The wine list has a keen eye for

according an old Graziano family recipe,

range of dishes, too, from homemade

value for money, let excellent host Marco

and the spaghetti with shellfish, fried zuc-

pasta and desserts. The quality of the of-

suggest what to order and what to drink.

chini and Bronte pistachios. The spaghetti

fer is matched by very correct prices con-

In the evening there’s often live music and

with bottarga, olives and capers also met

sidering the St. Petersburg standards. The

guests end up dancing. Surgiva Taste &

our expectations. The ambiance is mini-

welcome and service are of true Italian

Design Award 2020.

malist and clean in comparison with the

origin: warm.

local fine dining places, the wine list is

MOSCOW

IL MILANESE

impressive. Thanks to the Coravin system, you can order a glass of Sassicaia or Ornellaia from a list that welcomes both classic and niche products, with a portfolio of Barolo and Barbaresco that is applause worthy. Russian markups, which means expensive for Italian standards.

ST. PETERSBURG

GAMBERO ROSSO

29

DECEMBER 2019

place works very well. The place is

ST. PETERSBURG

SEMIFREDDO

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN MOSCOW

RISTORANTE FRANCESCO

Bol’shaya Morskaya Ulitsa, 25

Four seasons, Voznesensky Ave,

Suvorovsky Prospect 47

ST. PETERSBURG

1 – ST. PETERSBURG

ST. PETERSBURG

+79 8129186920

+79 8123398044

+79 8122750552

www.probka.org

www.percorso.ru

www.restoran-francesco.ru

Average Price: ₽ 2000.0

Average Price: ₽ 2200.0

Average Price: ₽ 2000.0

Antonio Fresa is undoubtedly

ST.PETERSBURG

PERCORSO

We can surely say that Percorso delivers

Situated in one of the most fash-

one of the greatest chefs in

one of the most refined and contem-

St. Petersburg. A young man

porary Italian cuisine in Russia. Located

Francesco is an institution. Two

who has traveled the world and many

inside the elegant Four Seasons Hotel,

elegant, sophisticated floors with a view

kitchens to find his home, finally, in St.

it displays an extensive menu, covering

over evocative Suvorovsky Prospect. The

Petersburg. His cuisine cannot be de-

raw crudi di mare, soups, a good array of

cuisine is clearly classic and traditional,

fined as Italian in the strict sense of the

pastas. Valerio Andrisani proved to be a

but there’s also pizza and a number of

term, because it’s rather the story of

very talented young chef. The quality of

evergreens of Italian cooking, with an

many different traditions, while cooking

the ingredients is high, flavours are clean

eye on seafood. The difference between

methods, so many ingredients, and a

and well articulated. Start with classic vi-

a high-end trattoria and a fine dining res-

certain creativity really do bring us back

tello tonnato or deep fried gnocco toppe

taurant relies in good attention to ingre-

home. As does the extraordinary home-

with ham and parmigiana, or a yellow-

dients and preparation: from mirepoix to

made bread. In our visit we tasted ex-

fin tuna tartare. Homemade filled pasta

stock and pastries, jams and ice creams,

traordinary fried sweetbreads, very well

are extremely good, light and cooked

everything is made on site in the kitchen

executed orecchiette with turnip tops,

just right. From the main course selec-

(employing advanced food preservation

with just the right amount of spiciness,

tion, grilled aged beef and sea bream in

techniques) from fresh products and

and lamb chops cooked to perfection.

herbs and sea salt crust lead the way.

many Italian specialities from small arti-

Young atmosphere, wooden tables,

The service is very attentive and profes-

sans. The wine list is extensive and well

decorative greenery, for a contempo-

sional. Very deep wine list with remark-

structured, with many big names, espe-

rary, stimulating, creative and success-

able mark-ups.

cially hailing from Tuscany.

ful bistro. Well done.

ST. PETERSBURG

GAMBERO ROSSO

30

DECEMBER 2019

ionable districts of St Petersburg,

ST.PETERSBURG

JÉRÔME

CALENDAR CALENDAR CALENDAR CALENDAR

2019 2019 2019 Worldtour 2020 Worldtour Worldtour Worldtour

2020 2020 2020

GamberoRossoInternational GamberoRossoInternational GamberoRossoInternational GamberoRossoInternational

2019 2019 2019 2020 OCTOBER OCTOBER OCTOBER JANUARY 27 ROMA - Italy 27 ROMA 27 ROMA - Italy - Italy trebicchieri trebicchieri

trebicchieri04

Top Italian TopWines ItalianRoadshow Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines Roadshow SEOUL - Korea - Korea 04 SEOUL 04 SEOUL - Korea APRIL

30 TOKYO -19-26 Japan 30 TOKYO - Japan 30 TOKYO- -IIJapan trebicchieri trebicchieri WINE&SEA EDITION

trebicchieri06

trebicchieri trebicchieri SHANGHAI - China 06 SHANGHAI 06 - China SHANGHAI - China ZURICH - Switzerland 01

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER

trebicchieri Vini d'Italia

28

MUNICH - Germany

trebicchieri

Top TopWines ItalianRoadshow Wines Roadshow Top Italian 08 CHENGDU - China 08 CHENGDU -08China CHENGDU - Italian China Notte Italiana - Best Wines of ItalyRoadshow DUBAI - UAE

30

BERLIN - Germany

Vini d'Italia

25 MOSCOW -19Russia 25 MOSCOW - 25 Russia MOSCOW - Russia trebicchieri VERONA - Italy trebicchieri

trebicchieri VINITALY Special trebicchieri

Roadshow TopWines Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines Roadshow 27 ST. - Russia 27PETERSBURG ST. PETERSBURG 27 ST.- PETERSBURG RussiaTop Italian -Italian Russia

MAY

FEBRUARY

03 STOCKHOLM - Sweden 05 COPENHAGEN - Denmark JANUARY JANUARY11 PARIS JANUARY - France

trebicchieri

2020 2020

Vini d'Italia

2020

04 MONTREAL - Canada

trebicchieri

06 CALGARY - Canada

Top Italian Wines Roadshow

08 VANCOUVER - Canada Top Italian Wines Roadshow trebicchieri Vinexpo Special MARCH MARCH MARCH 22 HO CHI MINH - Vietnam Top Italian Wines Roadshow trebicchieri 13 LONDON UK 02 LOS - USA 02 ANGELES LOS ANGELES 02 -LOS USAANGELES - trebicchieri USA trebicchieri WINE&SEA - II EDITION trebicchieri WINE&SEA - II- EDITION WINE&SEA - II EDITION 19-26 19-26 19-26 trebicchieri VINEXPO Special 27 HONG KONG - China 21 MEXICO CITY - Mexico Top Italian Wines Roadshow Vini-d'Italia Vini d'Italia Vini d'Italia trebicchieri trebicchieri trebicchieri 04 SAN - Germany - USA MUNICH MUNICH - Germany SAN DIEGO - USA SAN DIEGO USA 04 DIEGO 04 28 28MUNICH 28- Germany 24 MIAMI - USA Top Italian Wines Roadshow d'Italia Vini d'Italia Vini d'Italia 05 SAN - Germany BERLIN - Germany BERLINVini - Germany 30 30BERLIN 30 - USA 05 FRANCISCO SAN FRANCISCO 05 SAN - USA FRANCISCO - USA trebicchieri trebicchieri trebicchieri 26 CHICAGO - USA trebicchieri JUNE trebicchieri Special Edition 06 NAPA VALLEY - USA Special Edition trebicchieri Special Edition 06 NAPA 06 -NAPA VALLEY USA VALLEY -trebicchieri USA 28 NEW YORK - USA trebicchieri 01 BEIJING - China trebicchieri FEBRUARY FEBRUARY FEBRUARY PROWEINPROWEIN Special Special 14 DUSSELDORF - Germany trebicchieri PROWEIN Special 14 DUSSELDORF 14 -DUSSELDORF Germany trebicchieri - trebicchieri Germany - Sweden 03 STOCKHOLM Sweden trebicchieri - trebicchieri Sweden 03 STOCKHOLM 03 - STOCKHOLM trebicchieri 30 SALZBURG - Austria 30 SALZBURG -30Austria SALZBURGtrebicchieri - Austria trebicchieri trebicchieri Vini d'Italia Vini d'Italia Vini d'Italia Denmark 05 COPENHAGEN COPENHAGEN - Denmark - Denmark 05 COPENHAGEN MARCH- 05 OCTOBER - France - France APRILSpecial APRIL APRIL 11 PARIS 11 PARIS 11 PARIS - France trebicchieri Vinexpo Vinexpo Special Special trebicchieri trebicchieri Vinexpo 02 LOS ANGELES - USA trebicchieri ROMA Italy trebicchieri 01 ZURICH Vini d'Italia Vini d'Italiatrebicchieri Vini d'Italia 13 LONDON - UK - UK 13 LONDON 13 LONDON -trebicchieri UK trebicchieri - Switzerland - Switzerland - Switzerland 01 ZURICH 01-ZURICH Vini d'Italia 04 SAN DIEGO - USA Notte Italiana -Italiana Best of-Italy Notte Best of Italy Notte Italiana - Best of Italy DUBAI - UAE DUBAI - UAE -DUBAI 21 MEXICO CITY CITY - Mexico 21 MEXICO 21 -MEXICO Mexico CITY - Top Mexico Top Italian Wines ItalianRoadshow Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines Roadshow 29 TOKYO Japan- UAE trebicchieri 05 SAN FRANCISCO - USA trebicchieri VINITALYVINITALY Special Special trebicchieri VINITALY Special 19 Roadshow VERONA - Italy- Italy 19 VERONA 19 VERONA - trebicchieri Italy trebicchieri 24 MIAMI - USA- USA Top Italian 24 MIAMI 24 MIAMI - USA TopWines ItalianRoadshow Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines trebicchieri Special Edition 06 NAPA VALLEY USA - USA-26 26 CHICAGO USA CHICAGO trebicchieri - USAtrebicchieri 26 CHICAGO trebicchieri MAY MAY MAY NOVEMBER trebicchieri PROWEIN Special 14 DUSSELDORF Germany 28 NEW YORKYORK - USA28 28 NEW - USA NEW YORK - USA trebicchieri trebicchieri trebicchieri 04 MONTREAL - Canada 04 MONTREAL 04 - Canada MONTREAL - Canada trebicchieri trebicchieri SEOUL - Korea trebicchieri 30 SALZBURG - Austria trebicchieri 06 CALGARY - Canada 06 CALGARY - 06 Canada CALGARY Top - Canada Italian TopWines ItalianRoadshow Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines Roadshow SHANGHAI - China 08 VANCOUVER - Canada 08 VANCOUVER 08 - VANCOUVER Canada - Canada TopWines ItalianRoadshow Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines Roadshow MOSCOW - RussiaTop Italian 22 HO - Vietnam 22CHI HOMINH CHI MINH 22 -HO Vietnam CHI MINH -Top Vietnam Top Italian Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines Roadshow ST.PETERSBURG - Russia Italian Wines Roadshow trebicchieri VINEXPOVINEXPO Special Special 27 HONG KONGKONG - China trebicchieri trebicchieri VINEXPO Special 27 HONG 27- HONG China KONG - China JUNE JUNE

JUNE

01 BEIJING - China 01 BEIJING - China 01 BEIJING - trebicchieri Chinatrebicchieri

Sponsor SponsorSponsorSponsor

trebicchieri

WINE, FOOD, CITIES, TERRITORIES, EVENTS, CHEFS, OBSESSIONS, PROJECTS, PERSONALITIES THE BEST OF 2019 This time around we took inspiration from the great Anglo-Saxon magazines that commonly, once a year, naturally at the end of the year, try to take stock of the previous twelve months. Taking charge of making the choices and indicating what was the best in our personal opinion.

From the best politician of the year to the most sought after kitchen accessory in a list of about sixty items for readers to comb through.

coordinated by Annalisa Zordan art by Alessandro Gianvenuti

La soluzione logistica avanzata per il mercato Wines & Spirits Wine & Spirits Logistic Macrosystem Solution è il pacchetto logistico personalizzato per l’industria del settore “beverages”, un mercato all’interno del quale Giorgio Gori ha raggiunto elevati standard in termini di competenze, partnership, risorse, capacità organizzative e tecnologie. Procedure di trasporto modulari e sicure, contratti con i vettori più aff idabili, tariffe e condizioni eccellenti, sistemi di magazzinaggio ottimali, faciliteranno il percorso dei vostri prodotti dalla linea di imbottigliamento f ino al consumo f inale. Soluzioni informatiche web-based, arricchite da preziosi strumenti di controllo e previsione, vi forniranno informazioni in tempo reale sull’intero processo logistico.

w w w.ggor i.com

THE BEST OF 2019

BRAVE RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR 1

Salvatore Tassa

The first lunch of “his” restaurant (Le Colline Ciociare in Acuto, Frosinone) was conducted by feeding a group of soldiers in practice in the area. In 1993 he rejected a guest because he had not booked: he had to call and book from the nearby telephone booth. This is Salvatore Tassa: more than a reservation one needs an appointment! Either you go there on purpose or you can never go there, even if the highway runs only 20 minutes away. And he also opened a bistro: Nu’. Crazy, and brave!

2 Franco Franciosi

3 Norbert Niederkofler

MEGA-PROJECT OF THE YEAR

ITALIAN CITY OF THE YEAR

4,000 square meters on four levels, in the restored spaces of the former historic hospital of the city, Hotel Dieu founded in the 12th century on the western bank of the Rhone. A gastronomic citadel that pays homage to the history of a territory blessed by the patron deity of Paul Bocuse and winks at tourism in search of themed attractions, on the wave of the success of the Cité of wine in Bordeaux

Senigallia

Be it the good sea air that amplifies beautiful ideas, the fact is that this city is a concentrate of good tables and beyond: from the Tre Forchette winners Cedroni and Uliassi, to the new Tre Gamberi Wine and Food. But the focus on good food is contagious and touches all sectors such as gelato with the great Paolo Brunelli, mixology with the bartender and perfumer Oscar Quagliarini, bread with the beautiful Pandefrà project or the queens of junk food: it’s all made in Senigallia, but with Andalusian ingredients, the Patatas Nana project, potatoes from Valle Del Lecrín fried in sunflower oil and hand salted.

Cité Internationale de La Gastronomie di Lione GAMBERO ROSSO

35

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

BEST PRINTED MAGAZINE 1

FOREIGN MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR Club Sandwich

1

Cook Inc.

A quarterly magazine, published by Vandenberg Edizioni in Lucca, which tells stories of food and wine in an original, sometimes irreverent manner. Each issue has a very specific theme and, in coherence, explores different countries, cultures, uses, customs and tastes. No reviews or rankings, only unpublished material of big names and photographers who go to places to capture as many nuances as possible. A true collector’s item, which we believe has given its best this year.

The French magazine, published annually, was released in June 2019 with its third bilingual issue (French/ English), which we feel ows a reward for commitment, now confirmed, of treating the gastronomic theme with originality, freshness and depth, calling into question history, anthropology, art, economics, politics. The winning idea? Dedicating each issue to one product. Can you imagine 144 pages all spent talking about gherkins? Well, now you can!

2 Cook

2 The Gourmand

3 Food & Wine

3 Pipette

EMERGING NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE YEAR 1

Supra - Milano

“Supra”, or the area south of the Prada Foundation. Here is not only the posh Torre restaurant and its unforgettable cocktail bar, the Bar Luce, the fascinating space of the former Fabbriche Orobie which hosted La Città della Pizza, the brand new Piazza Adriano Olivetti with Kalamaro Piadinaro landed here from Riccione. There is also the Ica Foundation which has focused on quality street food to feed visitors.

And then, a few steps away, there’s the magic of agricultural Milan, with rye fields in Chiaravalle that make many bakers in the city happy. And still new projects like Mesté, Motelombroso, Cantina Urbana, Distreat and Cascina Casottello are all in this area. We are still at the border, but we will grow a lot and quickly.

2 Aurora - Torino

3 Centocelle - Roma

GAMBERO ROSSO

36

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 1

Alberto Blasetti

We know the young Roman photographer native from Abruzzo well.

For Gambero Rosso, in the last year, he has shot several beautiful covers (and features), without giving himself up to the most pop challenges (see the irreverent representation of the imagery of fast food, in the May 2019 issue). Of him we appreciate the sensitivity for portraits (we mention, among others, the cover of Fortune November 19) - the intensity of the atmospheres, both in interiors and in rendering of landscapes with natural light, attention to detail in his gastronomic theme sets.

WEBSITE OF THE YEAR 1

2 Marco Varoli 3 Zest food photo

collective

INTERNATIONAL WEBSITE OF THE YEAR 1

Dissapore

In the Italian website scene dedicated to food and gastronomic culture, Dissapore - following the experience of KelaBlu - has been a pioneer. Over the years it has reinvented itself several times, but its latest appearance, where there’s still room for improvement, has been accomplished in both graphic and contents sense, given the objective: to effectively and promptly cover the communication of gastronomic topics (sometimes to the detriment of the form), with prudent and sometimes unscrupulous web positioning strategies.

Gastro Obscura Almost two years ago, the brilliant inventors of the Atlas Obscura project a sort of online wunderkammer of the 2000s that collects stories of curious places and destinations from all over the world - have created the appendix Gastro Obscura, which in the last year found the its ideal physiognomy, mixing incredible food stories and stories of impossible foods. From the insane passion for mango in Mao’s China to the cheeses of the death in the Swiss valley of Anniviers.

2 Munchies

2 New Food Economy

3 Corriere Cucina

3 Mold

GAMBERO ROSSO

37

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 1

We Are the Weather - Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast

by Jonathan Safran Foer

It’s the topic of the year, both in the kitchen and out: climate emergency. Hot topic, yes, but only in words does Jonathan Safran Froer responds, who dips his pen again in environmental militancy (let’s remember the previous one If nothing matters) and signs a call to arms that spares no one. We must act now: change our habits, starting with food habits. A mix of essay, pamphlet and novel, literary puzzle, inquiry, memorial, intimate diary, it’s a text that beats the harsh reality in your face: time is up.

2 Noma. Guide to Fermentation by René Redzepi and David Zilber 3 Guerra e pane by Margherita Oggero

SOLIDARITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR 1

Cotti in fragranza a Palermo

It is the beautiful prison economy project born in the Malaspina juvenile prison of Palermo in 2016. This year ot added a new piece: after the baked goods, all the “fresh goodness” arrived for catering service and for a direct line with the Al Fresco bistro, in the secret garden of a former convent in Ballarò. An intelligent demonstration of how it’s possible to revive historical spaces of the city by betting on gastronomic projects of social and cultural value.

2 Il Forno di Vincenzo: the social

3 è Buono: Genoa solidarity

bakery of the Eboli community

GAMBERO ROSSO

gelateria

38

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

TASTING MENU OF THE YEAR 1

BEST LAW OF THE YEAR

Lido 84

Restricting the field to only Italian restaurants (Spain and Northern Europe in this are undisputed champions), the best tasting menu calibrated in timing and in dishes is “Oscillazioni,” the seven-course journey by Riccardo Camanini (in Gardone Riviera, Brescia) where class and vision without limits of time and borders emerge: references to the territory, pure study and the recent passion for tomato concentrate, spices hailing from Gaggan and sardines caught in the lake. After the meal one gets up happy.

2 L’Argine a Vencò - Dolegna del Collio (GO) 3 Condividere - Torino

SMALL-MEDIUM BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Four generations of millers in a heartbeat. This company, located in a very small town in the province of Padua, every year invests money and energy to innovate its products and the sectors in which it distributes them, be it bakery, pastry or pizzeria. To do this it organizes conventions, promotes courses for employees, writes books and involves professionals from completely different fields, from chefs to philosophers. Hats off for this far-sighted vision.

Molino Quaglia

GAMBERO ROSSO

39

DECEMBER 2019

“Guidelines and rules on the minimum quality requirements and standards for the exercise of wine tourism activities”. With the decree signed by former Minister of Agricultural Policies Gian Marco Centinaio, a regulatory gap was finally filled for a practice which, on the other hand - as often happens in these cases - had already gone much further than its regulation. “All training and information activities aimed at local wine production and wine knowledge are considered wine tourism”, the decree states.

Decree n. 2779 of 12/03/2019 THE ILLUSTRATOR’S TRAIT The graphic design for the cover and the opening of the “Best of 2019” feature is inspired by abstract illustration with references to publishing and the visionary covers of the past. To represent an idea of the future I designed and built horizons, imaginary landscapes through compositions, geometries and colours.

– Alessandro Gianvenuti

STORIES

NEIGHBOURHOOD MARKET OF THE YEAR 11 stand di street food, un ristorante guidato da un giovane chef di talento, l’enoteca e la scuola di panificazione. È il volto del piano rialzato che ha inaugurato quest’anno al Mercato Orientale di Genova, in attività da 120 anni. Un lodevole progetto che ha ripensato in chiave moderna il mercato più frequentato del capoluogo ligure.

Mercato Orientale in Genoa

POLITICO DELL’ANNO

FOREIGN CITY OF THE YEAR Singapore

1

There are no seasons, humidity beats down hard, yet Singapore is constantly at the top of the most desirable destinations for those who want to change their life and their work. Especially in the field of dining (and bars!). This is precisely how the city-state is growing stronger in the field of taste and food and wine trends. Of course, the work done by the tourist office and the strategic move in hosting the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 should not to be underestimated. We will certainly hear about it again..

2 Copenaghen

WORLD EVENT OF THE YEAR Despesques 2019

1

Claiming the value of traditional fishing in the urgency of protecting the marine ecosystem is the meeting created by Ángel León, “chef del mar”, who summoned 80 of the most influential contemporary chefs, representatives of the food industry and environmental associations for a total of 8 work tables and 8 concrete commitments to be implemented daily, transforming Despesques into an information and training platform for change.

L’uomo politico dell’anno è una donna.

Indubbiamente lei, Teresa Bellanova.

Amata, presa in giro, temuta, insultata per i suoi outfit o per il suo aspetto fisico ma sempre più rispettata da un settore che ha bisogno al contempo di autorevolezza e creatività. In un governo che dà fiducia a corrente alternata, il settore agricolo sembra essere in buone mani

Teresa Bellanova

3 San Francisco

2 Ein Prosit 2019 (Italia)

GAMBERO ROSSO

40

DECEMBER 2019

Parabere 3 Forum 2019 (Norvegia)

THE BEST OF 2019

CORPORATION OF THE YEAR

POLITICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

Ferrero

Duties and protectionism

The Alba group doesn’t look like it’s going to stop and continues to amaze. After the expansion on the international market with the acquisition of various confectionery brands, among which the most famous butter biscuits in the world (Kelsen), Ferrero has recently launched Nutella Biscuits, with majestic production and promotion in the first year. All winking at the topic of the year: declaring to make all packaging 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

The political event of the year, the matter that more than any other that risked and is still likely to have a significant and complex impact on the world of food and wine and agribusiness is undoubtedly the duties and the now multiple trade wars between protection and competition affecting very large world powers. In 2019 we lived with bated breath, especially on the Washington-Beijing axis. In 2020 we will understand more clearly what will happen...

BEST ARTICLE OF THE YEAR 1

Enrico Crippa: in the kitchen a bit of healthy nastiness is necessary

By Isabella Fantigrossi (Cook, Corriere, January 2019). In keeping with what has already been said in the magazine, the articles that struck us most this year in the Italian press appeared on the Cook publication of Corriere della Sera. Especially in the first issue of the year, with a profound interview by Isabella Fantigrossi with chef Enrico Crippa, who portrays an extraordinary leader, made up of lights and shadows, of enormous abnegation and iron discipline.

2 Carme Ruscalleda:In trying to be a great chef I was a bad mother

by Alessandra Dalmonte (Cook, Corriere, April 2019)

3 Oh Jeremy Jeremy, ou m’ami?

by Andrea Petrini (Cook.Inc n. 22)

GAMBERO ROSSO

41

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

ITALIAN CITY OF THE YEAR

REGION OF THE YEAR 1

Turin

Not a good time for the first capital of Italy. A sad atmosphere permeates the city, and the small Piedmontese metropolis risks big in its metamorphosis from propulsive centre to dormitory from which in the morning you go to work in raucus Milan. But in the restaurant business the scenario is quite different.

From haute cuisine projects (Unforgettable, Opera) to authentic gems (Uovo or the new Pastella) via the mega hubs such as the Mercato centrale. No other city did the same in 2019.

Abruzzo The Abruzzo folk are stubborn and intimate, and when it comes to banding together in honour of Abruzzo they are second to none.

So Abruzzo moves thanks to names like Niko Romito, engaging fifth gear thanks to artisans, cheesemakers, shepherds, much less known restaurateurs. Even outside the borders this year Abruzzo has been talked about with interesting openings that communicate the enormous heritage of this little big region that was the absolute protagonist of 2019

2 Piedmont

PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

3 Puglia

Bread

A wave that grows and spreads, opens up gaps and contaminates, and which today can count on a large number of professionals. We touched it with our hands, when we began to monitor the territory in search of the most interesting names in the art of baking, discovering a dense network with different styles and orientations, groups and associations of artisans: a vast and articulated scene that we continued to study, bread after bread (and thus launching the first Pani & Panettieri d’Italia guide). Undoubtedly 2019 was the year of bread.

GAMBERO ROSSO

42

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OF THE YEAR The farmers

Good news. Italy is first in Europe for the number of young people employed in agriculture. Let’s keep an eye on the authentic movement of competent and innovative young people being born, who cultivate in bio-intensive. We have dedicated the cover story of our monthly magazine to this and even the Mipaaft Minister Teresa Bellanova, following her oath to the Quirinale, has indicated as a priority the enhancement of a crucial sector such as agriculture, focusing on young people.

CRAZY MADNESS OF THE YEAR

CRAZIEST PAIRING OF THE YEAR Coffee & Artichoke

We talk a lot about pairings, with wines, cocktails and lately more and more with fruit juices (in this field, Northern Europe has been the forerunner), but one of the combinations that struck us the most is the one with coffee proposed at Undicesimo Vineria by sommelier Regis Ramon Freitas.

Certainly the artichoke by Francesco Brutto, presented with coffee made with artichokes and yolk marinated in moscobado, lent itself very well. So finally the perfect match was found for the difficult artichoke.

Shuffle by Gelinaz In the 2019 edition of Gelinaz! - designed together with Mat Gallet and Patricia Meunier - Andrea Petrini has once again mixed the cards on the table. 148 chefs from all over the world were invited to formulate each 8 new recipes that were then drawn and sent to other chefs. These were served to the authors on December 3rd, in an evening that began in New Zealand (in the morning at our time zone) and continued uninterruptedly until the next morning, when the American West Coast finally had its Gelinaz.

ITALIAN EVENT OF THE YEAR Roma Bar Show

With almost 10,000 visitors, press and amateurs, the first edition of the Roma Bar Show did not disappoint expectations of bartenders and experts. On the contrary, it went beyond everyone’s expectations thanks to its super organizers (Ribs by Andrea Fofi, Fabio Bacchi, Leonardo Leuci, The Jerry Thomas Project and Giuseppe Gallo), to a crazy location, such as the Palazzo dei Congressi in Rome, and an entirely respectable parterre of international and domestic guests. After a few delays, everything went smoothly. Rome Bar Show? Great start!

GAMBERO ROSSO

43

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

INTERNATIONAL ARTICLE OF THE YEAR 1

La normalización y la indecencia

by Ignacio Medina (elpais.com, column “La memoria del sabor”) Articles by Ignacio Medina - food critic, journalist and Spanish writer stationed in Latin America - are a mustread. In this cutting “columna” he paints the scenario of the Chilean restaurant scene, after the protests for social justice that invaded the country in October. He identifies a haute cuisine that’s increasingly detached from reality, which has built its golden ghetto on a “normalization of indecency” made up of insecurity and abuse of workers.

2 “How the orange-wine fad became an irresistible assault on pleasure”

by Troy Patterson (newyorker.com, column “annals of gastronomy”)

3 “Flor, Borough Market, London: ‘I feel like I’ve been at a tasting session’

by Jay Rayner (theguardian.com, column “Jay Rayner on restaurants”)

ILLUSTRATOR OF THE YEAR 1

Gianluca Biscalchin

Illustrator and journalist, Gianluca is a veteran of illustration, but this year (thanks to the rebirth of print) he distinguished himself for various editorial projects, including magazines and books, the latest being “Finché c’è Trippa” by Diego Rossi. Don’t accuse us of selfcenteredness, but one of the works that we liked the most is the cover of the Gambero Rosso October issue dedicated to the grandmothers of the great chefs. Yes ok, even the wallpaper designed for the Metropolitan Market in London are not bad!

2 Marcello Crescenzi

GAMBERO ROSSO

3 Cibo

44

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

INSTAGRAM PROFILE OF THE YEAR 1

@reneredzepinoma

To find out how to become one of the most famous chefs in the world, just take a look at René Redzepi’s Instagram page, chef at Noma in Copenhagen, where he shows all the backstory on the incredible research behind every single dish, without ever taking himself too seriously.

Not only that, photos are often patterns of ingredients that one could very well print and hang at home.

TV AD OF THE YEAR 1

Buondì and neomelodic

Buondì strikes again (there had been much talk about the Buondì as with the asteroid sweeping away decades of stereotypes about the happy family). And this time it’s done by choosing a neomelodic song as the soundtrack. In the new ad we see a family having breakfast and when the vocal assistant starts a neomelodic song immediately after hearing “Napoli music”, the children begin to smile and dance under the eyes of the two annoyed parents.

Neapolitans didn’t take it very well.

2 Burger King - Vietnamese sandwich

Coop - charge against herbicides,

3 illegal hiring and intensive farming

45

3 Symmetrybreakfast

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE YEAR The author of the video that has taken feeds and and sites by storm is Matteo Del Puppo, a young employee of a farm in Godega di Sant’Urbano in the province of Treviso. On YouTube he published the parody of the winning song of the last edition of Sanremo, “Soldi” by Mahmood. And the thing that we liked very much is the fact that he also spoke about technical wine issues, not at all obvious. As a parody it is actually culturally informative.

Parody of the song “Soldi” dedicated to prosecco

eaten with chopsticks

GAMBERO ROSSO

2 Wrightkitchen

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

ITALIAN TV SHOW OF THE YEAR

PRESS AGENCY OF THE YEAR 1

Pizza Hero

Gabriele Bonci won us over. It was interesting and stimulating to see him in the shoes of a new superhero of bread dough moving to different cities to evaluate the work of three ovens in each. It is a format that’s already popular, but the fact that it involves the profession of the baker is already a good sign in itself because it puts an accent on an entire professional category that deserves to emerge for the values it transmits.

Freel

The concept of press agent is now obsolete. We are talking about an agency, which as such takes on the responsibility of marketing its customers in a broader, more integrated and contemporary way. In our opinion this year the new Milanese agency has done a good job at that. On the one hand it’s a young start-up, on the other it’s the result of the commitment of two seasoned professionals the likes of Arianna Gandolfi and Cristiana Scateni. New headquarters, interesting customers, correct approach, never dull content.

We wish all old “press agents” were like this...

2 Aromi Creativi

FOREIGN TV SHOW OF THE YEAR

3 Giulia Dirindelli

Chef’s Table Street Food Again Netflix, again Chef’s Table. But this time with a series dedicated to street food. The food spectacle has openly moved into the street, to intercept the eating habits of a community, and the stories of excellence that have arisen almost from nothing, which even travel publictions have begun to reward in recent years. One above all, Jay Fai, a very dynamic street chef from Bangkok, awarded the star for the crab omelettes, served in a room with a street kitchen to say the least spartan.

GAMBERO ROSSO

46

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

ARCHITECT OF THE YEAR 1

Michele De Lucchi

Architect and interior designer based in Milan, already engaged in the design of Zero Pavilion and Expo Center for Expo 2015, designed the elegant space of Aimo e Nadia alle Gallerie d’Italia in Milan: a welcoming room overlooking Piazza della Scala, in continuity with the museum space that houses it. Likewise Voce - conceived together with Studio Amdl Circle - combines modern design solutions with timeless atmospheres, in a coherent functional articulation of the setting.

Saverino 2 Vudafieri fot Spica (Milano) Gamper 3 Martino for AlpiNN (Plan de Corones)

FETISH DISH 1

OVERDONE PLATING Swoosh

2 Homemade pickles

Or, to put it simply, an element resembling the famous Nike brand. We’ve had the year of the nest and the year of conceptualism where all the ingredients were perfectly separated from each other. Now it’s flower-shaped dishes (more widespread in the rest of Europe) and those shaped like a swoosh, especially here in Italy. Merit for this goes to the sovereignty of pasta, which fortunately has not yet disappeared from the tasting menus.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Tacos

Meat, fish, vegetable tacos made with Jerusalem artichokes instead of tortillas, using local products or inspired by our traditional recipes.

It’s a veritable taco mania - even some noble chefs propose them as amuse bouche or side dishes - and we don’t mind, on the contrary. The important thing, however, is not getting too carried away. As in all things.

3 Homemade salami

(meat of fish-based)

47

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

OBSESSION ACCESSORY

TOPIC OF THE YEAR Food waste

Reusable Water Bottle

Talking about a place without mentioning the word “sustainability” seems to have become an impossible mission. The theme of the year? Without a doubt the fight against food waste: chefs’ obsession, restaurant slogans, book topic, TV broadcasts, conventions. We should have enough, by now, yet it’s not. On the contrary: we have the feeling that something has just started to move and that the way to go is still very, very far. Moreover, all the big changes begin like this. No?

Colourful, with flower or polka dot prints, with shocking pink flamingos or natural fake wood: how many photos of water bottles have we seen this year? The “plastic free” movement, however, is much more than a youth fashion: plastic pollution is a serious issue, to be solved urgently. And we know that “we can’t do everything”, but perhaps a few small steps: buying a reusable water bottle, for example. Eco-friendly and also affordable: think about how many plastic bottles you will avoid buying.

COOKING TOOL OBSESSION

OBSESSION IN THE KITCHEN

The big green egg

Fermentation

Literally a big, green egg. It’s one of the most famous brands of kamado, or bbq type ovens of Japanese derivation, whose interior is made of refractory bricks. A growing number of cooks fuse it for roasting, smoking or grilling quickly single-portions. Some often have it designed according to their respective needs, and therefore ranging from big, to one with only a grill on the Japanese yakitori model. A real obsession: lately there is no new opening that does not include a Big Green Egg!

To be honest fermentations were widespread even last year, but in 2019 they became a true obsession. Today there is no chef who isn’t involved with fermentations, yet they represent an ancient preservation technique, practically coeval to man, as it ensured food even in adverse seasons, making them among other things richer in nutrients. Even bartenders have not remained immune to this fashion, yes we can now call it a trend.

GAMBERO ROSSO

48

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

VINEYARD OBSESSION

PIZZERIA OBSESSION It was Franco Pepe who goofed the Margherita!

It was 2015 when Franco Pepe touched the untouchable: the Margherita. With his wrong version (baked only with mozzarella, added after cooking with curly tomato sauce and a basil reduction) he played with the three simple ingredients, creating a pie that even won the pizza of the year award on the Pizzerie dd’Italian Gambero Rosso guide. Maybe to pay homage to the master (in some cases without mentioning the source...) or because the game was very popular, but this year many others goofed the Margherita (and the Marinara). By changing the order of the ingredients, adding different others, with results that were not always noticeable. Since apparently goofing the classics, at least on the menu, obviously works.

Amphorae No amphora? You’re a nobody, then. This container seems to be the obsession of contemporary winemakers; an object now completely accepted, in some ways fostered by the natural wine entourage to land in wineries of all kinds. What seemed like a radical technique, started in Italy by the genius of Joško Gravner, who introduced it from the Georgian tradition, is today something much less exotic. The need to impress?

Perhaps. But certainly also the need to experiment with alternative containers to wood. It’s been a long time coming since the obsession was the barrique...

GELATERIA OBSESSION Circular gelato

Repurposed gelato is certainly one of the latest trends in the research of modern gelaterias. From the use of waste and food leftovers new challenges arise. And new mixtures: with the white part of the watermelon rind; bisque made with mussel shells; cheese rinds or stale bread that marry jam and chocolate. A double meaning in which “recovery” is the circularity of food, but also the evocation of forgotten flavours and ancient recipes. Beautiful, as long as it doesn’t become just fashion.

GAMBERO ROSSO

49

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

MISSED OBSESSION

PASTRY OBSESSION Fruit-shaped single portions

Specialty coffee At the beginning of 2019 we would have bet on it: it was going to be the year of specialty coffee, small bars popping up, independent projects and initiatives everywhere. And instead, nothing like that. Incorrect forecasts.

Only a small movement and little else. And while the cities of the world are full of roasters and excellent coffee shops, Italy remains almost at a standstill. To drink coffee with the same style and flavour of 20, 40 or 60 years ago. Turnaround postponed to 2020?

Hopefully.

In the beginning it was the splendid trompe l’oeils by Cédric Grolet, super sweet influencer and dulcet soul of Le Meurice by Alain Ducasse, which won the herat of the public and the web with the spectacular single portions that deceived the eye by impeccably reproducing the shape of lemons, mandarin, figs, apples. Shells that once broken revealed that the fruit was hidden inside in the form of ganache, compotes, gelée. Slowly they spread a little everywhere, and it was all a flourish of apples, pears, peaches, brightly coloured cherries: as we know, fruit is good for you!

MIXOLOGY OBSESSION Mocktails

They are stylish, imaginative and elaborate, built with carefully studied balance and new ingredients for new taste experiences. We are talking about Mocktails (alcoholfree cocktails), which together with Low Alcohol are a real trend now, thanks to an audience – particularly millennials – who are increasingly aware and attentive to well-being favouring quality over quantity. Forget (finally) then “nonalcoholic beverage special”, now the category takes its revenge thanks to the creativity of the bartender.

GAMBERO ROSSO

50

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

WHITE WINE OF THE YEAR Lunae Bosoni - Colli di Luni Vermentino Et. Nera ’18

For many years now, the Bosoni family has been offering a range of authentic wines of great balance and longevity. Even in the latest tastings the Etichetta Nera has stood out among the many whites tasted. This is a Vermentino that succeeds both in offering the most classic notes of the semi-aromatic vine, and in the freshness and flavour of the Colli di Luni. A true terroir wine in short, which in the 2018 version enchants for its aromatic intensity, balance and complexity. This is why for us it’s the White of the Year.

ROSÈ WINE OF THE YEAR

RED WINE OF THE YEAR

Torre dei Beati Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Rosa-ae ’18

Piaggia Carmignano Ris. ’16

A very classic interpretation of Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo produced by Fausto Albanesi. Intense on the nose in its scents of red fruits, it has a pulpy, fruity and slender mouth that closes long on hints of cherry. We established the special Rosato award of the year last year, given the growing value of rosé wines in Italy. The Rosa-ae pays tribute to the great Italian wines, not only to the pink ones. It speaks of Abruzzo, speaks of the Montepulciano grape variety and speaks, finally, of a winemaking of high craftsmanship.

La Riserva of Mauro and Silvia Vannucci once again turns the spotlight on the Denomination: Carmignano is a small Tuscan Doc, but no less fascinating than the other fellow regional ones.

It includes both the use of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon. We found in the 2016 version a deep, balanced, complex wine, truly one of the great red wines of Italy. Indeed, the biggest this year. And it's a pleasure to see it coming from this incredible territory.

GAMBERO ROSSO

51

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

SPARKLER OF THE YEAR

SWEET WINE OF THE YEAR Toblino Vino Santo ’03

In Italy there are the large areas of the Classic Method, where mainly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are vinified. But we must not forget the Italian Method which, in some cases, succeeds in giving small bubbles of character and true expressions of an entire territory. A beautiful example comes thanks to Antonella and Ersiliana Bronca who carefully vinify the grapes from the best vines, making sparkling wines that identify with the individual vines. So here we have Brut Nature ’18, a Valdobbiadene that arrives precisely from the 232 particle: great balance, finesse and elegance led it to be the Bubbles of the Year.

Complex and multi-faceted nose, a veritable riot of yellow fruits, flowers, mountain herbs, sweet spices and balsamic touches. The mouth is sweet, but never cloying, freshness dominates the palate and the oxidative notes emerge slowly.

But it’s not only thanks to its harmony and pleasantness that the Vino Santo di Toblino is elected Sweet wine of the Year. It’s made from nosiola grapes and is part of the winemaking tradition of the Valle dei Laghi. A tradition that must be preserved because it is part of the history of an entire territory. And the Cantina di Toblino has believed in this for over 60 years.

Sorelle Bronca Valdobbiadene Brut Natura Particella 232 ’18

UP-AND-COMING WINERY Tenuta Santa Caterina

This is the award given to wineries that win Tre Bicchieri recognition for the first time, and that dempnstrate a serious project that will last over time. This year the recognition reaches one of the great and prestigious regions of Italian wine, but not for this unable to offer any good novelties, even through less famous and widespread wines. We awarded a winery born in the early 2000s with the aim of reawakening attention to a great variety of Piedmontese tradition which, as the owner Guido Alleva wishes to demonstrate, also has an incredible aging potential.

GAMBERO ROSSO

52

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

BEST RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Reale

There are two emblematic elements to understand application, the level of research and effort that Niko Romito employed to arrive in a few years to be a reference point: the training system within the largest system he has designed is entering many young people in professional milieus already at very high levels, and the menu has 45 courses, each with the year of creation (if possible, they should all be tasted!). There is little to say, Reale is one of those very few places that are always worth hours driving to.

And from where one starts thinking to the next visit.

RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR

NEWEST RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Christofer Carraro

Ciccio Sultano

31 years and a thick training curriculum behind him, he returned to his native Veneto and won a bet called Impronta, in Bassano del Grappa, the novelty of the year of the Ristoranti d’Italia 2020 guide. The opening that, in addition to gaining a significant rating as a new entry (in this case, 80 points and Due Forchette), is the best emblem of what is and will be Italian fine dining: a studied mix of appeal and content, personality and courage, sustainability and glocal soul. Focusing on the experience tout court, including drinking (i.e. effective wine list but also cocktails) and seating, in an informal, well-decorated room.

The most conscious entrepreneur, the most dynamic owner: the restaurateur of the year, for the each edition of the Ristoranti d’Italia guide whomever has best embodied the gift of “knowing how to do”, enhancing and, in many cases, expanding business. Just like Ciccio Sultano, awarded for 2020, who, starting from his Duomo in Ragusa, has created - and there’s more - a real virtuous system, which includes street food and high-level bakery of I Banchi, organic and sustainable self-production (vegetable garden, poultry, cheese), differentiation of spaces and experiences (a garden dedicated to aperitifs and relaxation).

GAMBERO ROSSO

53

DECEMBER 2019

STORIES

BREAD OF THE YEAR

PIZZA OF THE YEAR One in each category

A simple bread that plays masterfully on the flavour of two ingredients, delicious, intense and well-baked. It tastes like the snacks of our childhood, healthy breakfasts, but that at the right moment can turn into a refined table bread. Rye bread seasoned with Ivory Coast chocolate by Marco Colzani is the bread of the year for the first edition of the Gambero Rosso Pane & Panettieri d’Italia guide. The artist behind it is baker Giovanni Mineo, who since December 2018 keeps his hands busy at Crosta alsongside pizza maker Simone Lombardi.

The pizzas that this year have made us dream more than past ones, for harmony of toppings, precise method, taste and overall pleasantness, originality, but above all for mastery in managing that very thin balance between dough and topping. Tasting Pizza: Tartare Fassona de La Granda, caper mayonnaise, Taggiasca olives, crisp caper leaves and coarse salt flavoured with Piano B orange-flavoured olive oil from Siracusa. Italian Pizza: “Alici Marinate e Misticanza” topped with bufala, marinated Pellestrina anchovies, mixed baby greens, celeriac and fennel fermented with lemon scent of Grigoris in Mestre (VE). Neapolitan Pizza: “Oceano,” fiordilatte, bufala ricotta flavoured with seaweed, smoked amberjack, pink pepper, lemon zest, smoked Muraglia oil.

Not in Naples. Pizza by weight: “La Nostra Panzanella” with cod cooked at low temperature, tomato concassé, taggiasca olivea, confit tomatoes and edible flowers by Poggi di Lievito, Pizza, Bread in Rome.

Rye bread with chocolate Crosta (Milan)

OLIVE OIL OF THE YEAR Frantoio Franci and Nicolangelo Marsicani 1 EX AEQUO. Two avant-garde producers that year after year trace a straight path of Italian extra virgin olive oil.

Thanks to his obstinate nature, Giorgio Franci produces impeccable olive oils every year, they outperform the most important international competitions and succeed in being a model for the internationalization of the olive farm. Nicolangelo Marsicani has for years been positively changing production in his territory (and beyond), revolutionizing the quality of “third parties” and contributing to the training of technicians and experts.

GAMBERO ROSSO

54

DECEMBER 2019

THE BEST OF 2019

NEWEST PASTRY SHOP OF THE YEAR Harry’s Pasticceria

At first glance it would seem yet another fine pastry shop, but the originality is in the formula. The place is in fact housed in the Grand Hotel Duchi D’Aosta, a luxury establishment overlooking Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia, and is the sweet corner that completes the project by Alex Benvenuti, who has aimed high with his Harry’s Piccolo and Harry’s Bistro. The hands here are those of the pastry chef Antonio Tufano. Big hotelsalready cleared as perfect destinations for a great dinner, brunch with friends, or a cocktail in a special location, can now begin to be considered also as places for the purchase of a sublime dessert.

SEAFOOD DISH OF THE YEAR

BAR OF THE YEAR It represents a simple and informal but at the same time strongly identifying reception model.

It’s Niko Romito’s place, which sums up a modern all day proposal in a modern design environment. The shopping bag is filled with biscuits, jams, fruit juices, the famous bread, receiving the right sprint to the day with coffee and cappuccinos, sitting down to enjoy a home-cooked cuisine in honour of Abruzzo, where classic donuts or fried chicken are never missing. The afternoon welcomes guests with baked cakes, while during the aperitivo one can opt for a signature cocktail.

Gianfranco Pascucci has condensed, in a total black dish a complex protest and his childhood memories depicting the degradation of the marine and coastal environment. Fusilli with cuttlefish ink with scrub herbs and obulato, the twist that concretely evokes plastic.

And so even a dish can become a megaphone of a topic that has been deeply addressed in recent times.

Mare di Plastica by Pascucci al Porticciolo

Niko Romito Spazio Bar E Cucina

Fiumicino (Rome)

Contributors: Gianluca Atzeni, Michela Becchi, Antonio Boco, Giuseppe Carrus, Silvia Cittadini, Antonella De Santis, Indra Galbo, Valentina Marino, Livia Montagnoli, Stefano Polacchi, Marina Savoia, Loredana Sottile, Pina Sozio, Massimiliano Tonelli.

GAMBERO ROSSO

55

DECEMBER 2019

THE VIPAVA VALLEY IN SLOVENIA. SMALL WINE PARADISE AT A STONE'S THROW FROM ITALY The years of the Yugoslav socialist regime were hard, but in the end they also allowed the survival of a small but very interesting viticulture, safeguarding at least two of the native vines of this valley that winds along the Vipava river, on the other side of the Collio and of the Karst. Fresh wines and of character, often farmed in biodynamic and with maceration on the skins or in amphorae

Words by Alessio Turazza - infographics by Alessandro Naldi

STORIES

A

fter leaving the green hills of Goriška Brda and crossing the emerald waters of the Isonzo, the eye opens up to the broad horizon of Vipavska Dolina, the Vipava Valley. A valley of about forty kilometers, which from Nova Gorica descends towards the south-east, protected by mountains that run parallel until they tighten and graze towards Podbreg. On the southwest side the earth ripples and rises towards the first buttresses of the Carso plateau. On the opposite side stand the hills of the Trnovo Forest and the massive limestone form of Mount Nanos, with its steep rock faces. At the centre of the valley flows the Vipava river. The water course originates from springs that emerge in the namesake village, to then flow into the Soča (or Isonzo). The climate of the Valley is a fusion of Mediterranean, continental and alpine influences, which create very special conditions. The summers are hot and dry and the winters are mild in the valley floor, but with abundant snowfall on the nearby hills. The slopes planted with vines are always sunny and constantly beaten by the winds. The cold gusts of Bora blow from the north-east coming down vehement from the mountains until it reaches 200 kilometres per hour. In the rare moments of respite, from the southwest rises the Mornik, a warm wind that contributes to making the climate mild and temperate. The Vipava Valley is a true natural cradle for the vine, which, also thanks to thermal excursions between day and night, brings to maturity bunches with intense aromas.

VITICULTURE AND WINES Vipavska Dolina, along with Goriška Brda, Kras and Slovenska Istra, is one of the four wine-growing areas of the Slovenian region of Primórska. In the Vipava Valley, viticulture has very an-

cient origins, dating back to the Roman domination and perhaps even to the Celts. The first treaty on wine in the Slovenian language was written in 1844 by a Vipava priest: Matija Vertovc. Almost all the winemakers jealously keep a copy, as if it were a wine bible. In 1873 the first viticulture school was created in Slap and in 1894 the Cooperative Cellar of Vipava was born: the productive fabric is made up of small family farms with a few hectares of vineyard, inherited from the old rural Yugoslavian farms of Tito. In Slovenia, independent wineries have a recent history, dating back to the late 1980s.

During the socialist regime, the grapes were given to social cellars or vinified on their own to produce bulk wine for family use. But it is Klemen Mlečnik, one of the most passionate winemakers in the area, who tells us this story: «The state did not expressly prohibit the bottling of wine, but asked those who wanted to do it to follow a course to obtain authorization. This phantom course, however,

1

MINI GLOSSARY Spontaneous fermentation Fermentation that takes place without the addition of selected yeasts which are normally inoculated into the must to start the fermentation process: the enzymes present in the wine and in the cellar alone trigger the fermentation process In purity Wine made from a single type of varietal (grape) Spontaneous yeasts These are yeasts present in the cellar

GAMBERO ROSSO

58

Maceration on the skins The must rests on the skins to extract tannins and anthocyanins Clonal selection Selection is a vineyard improvement practice.

The clonal selection is based on the choice of clones (vines with the same characteristics) that over the course of a year have produced a type of grape of higher quality and quantity than the same variety taken into consideration: the chosen ones are then grafted onto all the stocks

DECEMBER 2019

Mass selection Plants with the best characteristics are chosen within a vineyard: before harvesting the vines and any pest activity or viruses are checked, during the winter pruning the part of the vine that will bear leaves and fruits suitable for grafting are taken and grafted onto American-style cuttingz (rootstock) Grape blend Different grapes that are pressed together (unlike the blend where different wines are combined)

THE VIPAVA VALLEY - SLOVENIA

has never been done.» The state organization, which considered the farms as small self-sufficient farms, has preserved the territory from intensive exploitation and agriculture based on monoculture. The 2,265 hectares of vineyards of Vipavska Dolina occupy only the best hilly exposures and are surrounded by large wooded areas. It is no coincidence that many companies work in organic or biodynamic agriculture, taking advantage of an uncontaminated environmental context rich in natural biodiversity.

The vines are cultivated on steep terraces and are rooted in stony lands, formed by the classic flysch of marl and sandstone.

The area is particularly suited for white grapes, which still represent the highest and qualitatively most interesting percentage of production. The historically most widespread vines are ribolla gialla, malvasia, zelèn, pinela, and the interna-

tional sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, italic riesling and pinot grigio. Red grape varieties were introduced in the twentieth century and with few exceptions, they do not reach the level of whites. Among the reds, mainly merlot, cabernet sauvignon and barbera are cultivated. The barbera, planted for its productivity, is vinified together with the merlot, creating a rather unusual and not particularly elegant blend. In recent years some companies have started to cultivate pinot noir, with rather mixed results. Today the modern trend of pure vinification prevails, but the traditional wine of the territory is a white blend. The Vipavec Belo is made with a short maceration on the skins, using an assembly of ribolla, malvasia, zelèn, pinela and Italian riesling.

ZELÈN AND PINELA, NATIVE GRAPES

GAMBERO ROSSO

59

DECEMBER 2019

The Vipava Valley has carefully preserved some rare native varieties, which give the wines a particular territorial peculiarity. Many historical Vipava vines are described in the aforementioned book by Matija Vertovc: zelèn, pinela, klarnica, pikolit, poljšakica, vitovska grganja and glera. Today many varieties have been abandoned, but despite the introduction of the most famous international grapes, the winemakers have preserved some zelèn and pinela vines, the result of mass selections from old vines. Today the area planted with vines for each of these two vines does not exceed 60 hectares. The zelèn produces a simple and harmonious wine with a bouquet characterized by scents of the plant world. It expresses above all aromas of Mediterranean herbs, notes of rosemary and fresh balsamic hints.

It has a harmonious sip, of medium 

STORIES

SOILS OF THE VIPAVA VALLEY From a geological point of view, the area of Slovenia was affected by the great tectonic movements of the clash between the Indo-European and African plates, which generated the Alpine chain. The compression forces raised the shallow waters of the primordial sea of the Adriatic plate and, over millions of years, the sediments were compacted and turned into a deep layer of flysch. These are soils of Eocene origin, dating back 50 million years, composed of crumbly sedimentary rocks with alternating stratification of sandstone and calcareous-clay marls. They are rocky, poor soils, very draining, with little organic substance and rich in minerals. Only the name changes: ponca in Collio, opoka in Brda and lapor in Vipava. In the valley floor, instead, we find rather fertile lands, with the presence of clays and alluvial deposits of pebbles and sands. In some areas there are ferrous red soils and lime white pebbles, carried by the streams that descend from the Carso plateau.

2

persistence and with a balanced acidity. Pinela-based wines impress with a vibrant freshness, a vertical sip of good aromatic intensity, with notes of citrus fruits, white fruit, peach and tropical hints. Its marked acidity makes it suitable also for sparkling wine with the Classic Method. Before the advent of international varieties, the most widespread vine in the valley was the ribolla gialla, followed by malvasia. In the past there were also many hectares of vineyards with Italic Riesling, which was used in assemblages for its substantially neutral and delicate profile.

A TOUR OF THE PRODUCERS We begin our tour with a small winery that is unique of its kind. We are in Solkan, near Nova Gorica, where Marinko Pintar runs a trucking company. Marinko spent his life on trucks

2

and was never fond of wine. When he inherited a small vineyard in San Floriano in 2002, he even removed the vines to plant olive trees. However, attending San Floriano and Oslavia, he began to appreciate the wines of the area. That for the vine was a slow falling in love, fed also by its bicycle rides. In October he still saw many vineyards with bunches that began to wither on the ground.

He discovered that many elderly people were no longer able to take care of the vineyards and left them in a state of abandonment. Marinko asked for permission to harvest the grapes and began to take care of the abandoned vineyards.

Soon he involved some retired friends in the initiative and for some years the small grape harvest and winemaking in the tiny Marinko cellar. This is how the UOU winery was born, producing about 3,000 bottles a year, mainly 

GAMBERO ROSSO

60

DECEMBER 2019

1. View of the Vipava Valley (photo by Alen Milavec) 2. Flysch soils of the Burja estate (photo by Marijan Močivnik) 3. Marinko Pintar cellar 4 e 5. Vineyards of the Vipava Valley (photo

by Oton Naglost)

THE VIPAVA VALLEY - SLOVENIA

VEGETABLES, FRUIT, TROUT AND PIGS...

7 FOOD PILLARS In the sunny and fertile valley floor of Vipavska Dolina, the main cultivation is vegetables, crops and fruit

1 Jota Soup made with sauerkraut or beetroot macerated in marc, added with beans, potatoes and pieces of cured meat.

2 Bleki Broadly cut and thinly rolled out tagliatelle, then cut in squares and dressed with tomato sauce or ragù.

3 Frtalja Frittata made with the valley’s greens.

3

of macerated white wines based on malvasia and ribolla. We tasted the latest vintages and some barrel trials with Marinko. The wines are genuine and genuine, with that sometimes slightly rustic taste typical of the vin de Garage.

But more than the quality of the wines themselves, the passion and love for the territory of this group of enthusiastic pensioners counts, who started a new adventure and maybe a new life.

At the entrance of the Vipavska Dolina we are still in a border land and among the rows we find the ribolla gialla, the malvasia, the sauvignonasse, the pinot grigio, the italic riesling, the chardonnay and the red merlot and cabernet sauvignon. The Mlečnik family has been cultivating this land for over two centuries and today at the helm of the company are Valter and his son Klemen, who explains a bit about this territory: «Tradi-

tion has always been linked to white grape varieties. Until the second post-war period, more than half of the vineyards were of ribolla, with a bit of Malvasia, Riesling Italico, Sauvignonasse and Chardonnay, then also Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon arrived. We have very old vines, malvasia was planted in 1938 and sauvignonasse in 1945. All the new plants were made with a mass selection of our old vines». In the countryside the principles of biodynamics are followed and in the cellar spontaneous fermentations with indigenous yeasts and no filtration are used. All the whites make a short maceration on the skins and ripen for a couple of years in large Slavonian or acacia oak barrels.

The Rebula '14 is the fruit of a fresh and rainy vintage, with grapes harvested in over-ripening in late October. On the nose it opens up with notes of yellow fruit, citrus peel and shades of resin. 

GAMBERO ROSSO

61

DECEMBER 2019

4 Trout Caught in the Vipava, at the heart of some of the traditional dishes, either served as carpaccio or baked in the oven.

5 Cured meats Among the most tasty of the typical products are the naturally cured meats, thanks to the very dry and windy climate.

6 Štruklji Similar to the "strucoli" made in Cividale, made with leavened dough, raisins, walnuts, ricotta and sugar.

7 Strudel Most widespread dessert: stuffed with cherries, plums, apples, pears, apricots, peaches and persimmon.

STORIES

4 PLACES TO STAY AMID NATURE AND VINEYARDS

1 Theodosius Forest Village

Vrhpolje 67C, Vipava This b&b is one of the most fascinating places in the valley. Nestled in a centuries-old pine forest, and located a few kilometers north of the village of Vipava. It's a diffused hotel, as in the rooms are scattered and housed in wooden cubes perfectly inserted in the environmental context. The ideal choice for a relaxing stay in touch with nature.

2 Boutique Rooms Žorž Winery

Slap 29, Vipava The Žorž Winery offers some rooms in a recently renovated historic stone building with modern comforts and amenities.

4

3 Wine cellar room

32 Lože, Vipava A b&b that preserves the charm of an ancient stone house, now perfectly restored. The rooms offer all modern comforts in an atmosphere of by gone times.

4 Cantina Guerila

111 Planina, Ajdovščina Lodging solutions in modern mini-apartments with attention to every detail, at a stone's throw from the vineyards..

3 MUST VISIT RESTAURANTS The gastronomic offer of the Valley is full of traditional taverns, but there are also some high quality restaurants.

1

2

Gostilna Podfarovž

Gostilna pri Lojzetu Dvorec Zemono

Ulica Ivana Ščeka 2 - Vipava A truly suggestive place, near the source of the Vipava river. The inn is famous for local specialties, inspired by ancient traditional recipes, reinterpreted with creativity. The ingredients are almost all local and the menu follows the seasons. In the cellar many excellent labels of the valley.

GAMBERO ROSSO

62

Zemono 7, Vipava The restaurant is located in a Renaissance palace in the village of Vipava. Chef Tomaž Kavčič offers cuisine inspired by tradition to serve innovative and original dishes. An absolute must

DECEMBER 2019

3 Restavracija Na Žagi

Budanje 8, Vipava For fish and seafood lovers, we recommend the Na Žagi Restaurant, which offers a seafood menu with tasty and refined dishes accompanied by a nice selection of local wines.

THE VIPAVA VALLEY - SLOVENIA

5

The sip is slender, dry and sapid, with a pleasantly tannic finish. The Ana '14 cuvée is more complex, born from a blend of sauvignonasse, chardonnay, ribolla and malvasia. It is the typical white of the territory, elegant, complex, fresh and salty.

With Franc Vodopivec, owner of the Slavček winery, we climb into the woods to the top of a hill. The panorama reveals a splendid amphitheater of vineyards immersed in a wild nature. The choice of organic farming appears obvious and made even simpler by a dry and windy climate. In addition to the Classic Method Viktorija, made with ribolla and a small balance of Italic Riesling, Slavček produces excellent level macerated wines. Pinot Grigio '16 has a beautiful coppery color and gives a rich and complex taste. His best wine is undoubtedly the Rebula, produced in the

classic version and reserve. The Rebula Riserva '15 is the result of a late harvest with 20-day maceration on the skins. It is a wine with an aromatic range that ranges from yellow fruit to medicinal herbs, with hints of black tea, spices and pine resin.

On the opposite side of the Valley, near the village of Šempas, we visit the small company JNK, managed by Kristina Mervič. In the vineyard we mainly cultivate white-berry varieties: ribolla, sauvignonasse, malvasia, chardonnay and sauvignon. Among the most interesting wines, the Jakot '15, sauvignonasse in intense and rich purity, the Rebula '11 (macerated) and the surprising cuvée Sveti Mihael '05, a blend of sauvignon blanc, pinot bianco, ribolla gialla and malvasia, which preserves a savory, deep and of great mineral freshness.

From Šempas we skirt the Trnovo pla-

GAMBERO ROSSO

63

DECEMBER 2019

teau to go down to Potoče from Tilia Winery - House of Pinot, a winery founded in 1996 by Melita and Matjaž Lemut. The vineyards are cultivated at high density with yields lower than 40 quintals per hectare and produce four labels of the noble vine of Burgundy. The Pinot Noir Vipava Valley '18 is the simple and fruity version, which comes from a blend of grapes from various vineyards.

The other versions of Pinot Noir are all produced by practicing a drain from the must to increase the concentration of the wine. The Pinot Noir Merljaki '17 is a single vineyard with an austere face, with a dense fruit, earthy sensations and an angular sip, with dry and incisive tannins. Pinot Noir Estate '17 is produced with grapes harvested at a slight over-ripening stage: at the end of the 16-month refinement in barrique, the wine is powerful, with notes of 

ADDRESSES

STORIES

Restaurants  Gostilna Podfarovž ulica Ivana

Ščeka 2 - Vipava

 Gostilna pri Lojzetu

Trnovo Solkan

Dvorec Zemono - Zemono 7, Vipava  Restavracija Na Žagi

 Theodosius Forest Village

Vrhpolje 67C - Vipava  Boutique Rooms Žorž Winery

Slap 29 - Vipava

Restavracija Na Žagi UOU Bizjak

Poljšak

Dornberk

Ajdovščina Štokelj

 Cantina Guerila

Mlečnik

Dolenje

Slavcek

Wineries

Branik

 Miha Batič  Pasji Rep

Komen

Podnanos - pasji-rep.si  Burja

Podnanos - burjaestate.com

 Guerila

Ajdovscina

Gorjansko Ristoranti

Vipava

Cantina Guerila

Zgonik

Šempas - batic.si

Dornberk - slavcek.si

Tilia Winery

Volčja Draga

32 Lože - Vipava

 Slavcek

Krapež

Gostilna pri Lojzetu

Šempas

 Wine cellar room

111 Planina - Ajdovščina

Theodosius Forest Village

Gorizia ia

Where to stay

Ital

Budanje 8, Vipava

JNK

Miha Batič

Miška

Boutique Rooms Žorž Winery

Gostilna Podfarovž Podnanos

Wine cellar room

Ita

lia

Dormire

Pasji Rep

Cantine

Burja

 Krapež

Vrhpolje (Vipava) - vinakrapez.si  JNK

Šempas - jnk.si  Mlečnik

Volčja Draga - mlecnik.eu  Poljšak

Vipava - vinapoljsak.com  Štokelj

Slap - stokelj.si  Miška

Vipava  Žorž

Slap - vino-zorz.si  Zgonik

Branik -

vinazgonik.si

 Bizjak

Branik - @VinaBizjak  Tilia Winery

Dobravlje - tiliaestate.si  UOU

Solkan - uou.si

wild berry jam, prunes, toasted hints and texture important tannin. Finally, the Pinot Noir White Label '16 comes from a selection of the richest and most mature bunches and is the big brother of the Estate version. Also in this case the attention is focused above all on the concentration, the maturity of the fruit and the density of the tannin. The style of Tilia's Pinot Noir is very particular, with strong ripening, a search for concentrated aromas and the presence of thick tannins. They are rather hard and rigid wines, which perhaps only with the passage of time will be able to acquire a more harmonious face.

It takes just a few kilometers to cross the valley and find yourself in Branik, on the first hills that rise towards the Carso plateau. Here Zgonik cultivates 5 hectares of vineyard with a limited production of bottles and a high per-

GAMBERO ROSSO

64

DECEMBER 2019

centage of bulk wine. Among the numerous tastings, we were convinced by Malvasia '18, with its harmonious fruit and sapid mouth, and the Rebula '15 which, thanks to the maceration on the skins and a long aging in wood, gives a rich fruit and a mineral and tannic sip .

The Bizjak winery produces wines with a taut and vibrant profile, with a great freshness and smoothness of drink. The Zelèn '18 and Sauvignon '18 represent well this style. The Rebula '16 is more structured, combining fruity aromas with soft notes of acacia honey and floral nuances.

IN THE CRADLE OF PINELA AND ZELÈN PRODUCERS The central area of the valley, near the small village of Vipava, is the cradle of white grape varieties zelèn and pinela.

Krapež produces classic and very 

STORIES

6

traditional wines. The Zelèn '17 conquers with its fresh vegetal, citrus and a savory and balanced taste. Pinela '17 is more intense and aromatic, combining a sharp acidity with notes of ripe and tropical fruit. Very interesting is the Lapor Belo '13, a cuvée of chardonnay, pinela and ribolla, which gives beautiful notes of yellow peach, pineapple and lime peel, lashed by a clear mineral vein.

Not much further away we meet Samuel Poljšak who runs a small family estate that dates back to 1830 and bears his name. Samuel (Samo per tutti) inherited two passions from his father, wine and music, and united them in his work: «My father did not know music, but he played the violin by heart so well that he was nicknamed Paganini. I have always loved music and I believe that both wine and music speak to the senses of man. So I chose images of musical

instruments for bottle labels and in the related barrel room in wines with classical music playing in the background».

We walk among the barriques and taste the wines on Mascagni's notes. It is not just a suggestion, the wines are particularly harmonious, elegant and balanced.

The labels perfectly reflect the atmosphere in the cellar and the sweet and gentle character of Samos. Among the various samples, one Zelen '18 stands out with its fresh and delicate aromas of wild herbs and green apple. Very good also the Pinela '18, which gives intense notes of white peach and shellfish melon, with a juicy and fresh taste.

On the first hilly spurs of the Carso we visit two Slap producers. The Žorž Winery is one of the oldest and largest in the area, with a history that began in 1696 and an estate of a dozen certified organic hectares. Although it also 

GAMBERO ROSSO

66

DECEMBER 2019

GREAT POTENTIAL: PLEASANT AND MORE DRINKABLE WINES THAN COLLIO Italian Collio is located only half a kilometre from Brda (the Slovenian Collio) and our soils and landscapes are very similar. But if we move a little further down, going from Gorizia to Ljubljana, the Vipava Valley offers a different landscape: higher hills and a wider valley that stretches for about thirty kilometres, a fantastic area. The composition of the soil is quite similar to that of Collio: what makes the difference is the vigorous windiness (of the bora type) and a wide temperature range. Riesling made in this Valley, for example, is expressed more clearly and explicitly than one of the Collio: the acidity and the aromatic component come are greatly highlighted. but the native grape varieties are 

 also very interesting, in particular zelen and the pinela which render slightly simpler wines, less alcoholic and with a greater ease of drinking than those of the Collio. But in the Vipava Valley they're also able to cultivate barbera giving life to excellent wines, as well as pinot noir which––without making any comparisons with Burgundy or Alto Adige––here certainly has an extra oomph, always thanks to windiness and colder temperatures. The potential of Vipavska is enormous, but still unexpressed.

But I also want to recommend 4 wineries––from north to south–– that are very dear to me, and which I think express well this very important terroir where it's definitely worth spending a few days.

THE VIPAVA VALLEY - SLOVENIA

1 Mlecnik - Bukovica - mlecnik. eu. Beautiful long macerations, managing to maintain a fairly low alcohol content and the wines have a beautiful and inviting drinkability. Aamong others, I'd like to highlight the Ana label, a cuvée of 4 international and 2 local vines

7

cultivates various international varieties, the focus of production is on the native Zelèn and Pinela varieties. The zelén vinified in steel conquers for the typical varietal notes, while the refinement in tonneau gives a wine with softer and more complex aromas, but which loses a bit of expressive vitality. The higher acidity of the pinela makes the wood version aromatically richer and multi-faceted, without compromising freshness. The Petrič family has been cultivating vines in Slap since 1689, focusing mainly on indigenous grapes and vinifications only in steel. We liked the Zelen ‘18 for a particularly elegant and harmonious taste. La Pinela '18 is a wine that conquers for its intense and rich fruity aromas, well balanced by flavor and acidity. The White Natura '16 label proposes the historical assembly of the Vipava: ribolla gialla, malvasia and

zelèn, which gives a wine with a complex, persistent and ample sip.

The Štokelj Winery specializes in pinela, with which it also produces a Classic Method with a sharp citrine profile.

Pinela '18 is a fresh and vertical wine, all played on citrus notes of lime and grapefruit. Planta Bela '17 is more complex and complex, a blend of chardonnay, ribolla and pinela, which opens on fresh citrus notes to stretch out towards more mature and persistent fruity aromas. From the Štokelj Winery we climb through the woods to reach the Guerila estate, which presents itself with a marvelous amphitheater of steep terraces.

We are already on the heights that rise towards the Karst, in a cool area and with strong temperature ranges. Zmago Petrič is bound to the earth by a feeling of sincere respect and love. In the countryside he applies the princi- 

GAMBERO ROSSO

67

DECEMBER 2019

2 Batic Winery - Vitovlje - batic. si - Located 20 km from Gorizia, Batic produces in biodynamic regimen and uses jets of hot air to strengthen leaves and plant health. His Merlot is interesting, the cuvée Zarja––a blend of 5 white grapes with a slight maceration––is extraordinary.

3 Guerila - Ajdovščina - guerila. si - The Zmagoslav Petrič winery is 2 km as the crow flies from Dobrovo Castle: here they mane a splendid Barbera.

4 Burja Estate - Podnanos - burjaestate.com - Primos, the owner, is the last producer in the Valley: do taste his Zlen and the beautiful Pinot Noir. Equally appealing is the Stranice blend, made with malvasia, rebula and riesling.

– Romano De Feo, maître sommelier at L'Argine in Vencò di Dolina del Collio (GO)

STORIES

8

6. Tabor Castle Bridge in Vipava 7. View of the Vipava Valley from Guerila estate 8. The vineyards of the Burja estate (photo by Marijan Močivnik)

ples of biodynamics and in the winery he works with spontaneous fermentations and very low percentages of sulphites.

While we are tasting his wines, Zmago tells us about his philosophy: «I've always wanted to make wines in which grapes and soil were the protagonists. My every choice has always been made to produce genuine and healthy wines. More things we can eliminate between the bunch and the glass and more the wine will be able to reflect the authentic essence of the terroir and the harmony of nature». From the Classic Method to the Rebula with long aging in wood, the style is always very consistent. If in the younger wines are mainly the varietal aromas to speak, the labels of the Selections bring to the fore the sapid and mineral character of the terroir. Very pleasant is the Pinela and the Malvasia '18, intense and complex the Retro '17, a cuvée of pinela, zelén, ribolla

GAMBERO ROSSO

68

DECEMBER 2019

yellow and malvasia. For lovers of macerated wines, two beautiful versions of ribolla: the Extreme '16, aged for 2 years in wood and the Amphora version '16, vinified and aged for 5 months in terracotta dolium.

We continue to climb towards the Carso plateau up to the Miška cellar. We are in a wild landscape, with a few isolated vineyards among the thick woods. The farm has existed since 1861 and the young Primož Šušmelj manages 5 hectares cultivated almost exclusively with local varieties: zelèn, pinela and ribolla.

Thanks to the altitude and a very fresh microclimate, the wines have a beautiful expressive tension. We especially liked the two labels that best represent the terroir, the Zelèn '18, and the Pinela '18.

On the steep hills of the Podnanos area we visit the two last wineries: Burja and Pasji Rep. Primož Lavrenčič, owner

THE VIPAVA VALLEY - SLOVENIA

of the Burja Winery, cultivates 7 hectares with the historic Vipava varieties.

Among the rows of vines, the principles of organic farming are followed and in the cellar interventions are reduced to a minimum, with spontaneous fermentation and maceration on the skins even for the whites. Among the wines, the two cuvées inspired by the old Vipavac assembly stand out. The Burja Bela '18, tasted as a preview, is composed of Italic Resling, Ribolla, Malvasia and other local varieties. Aged for half in cement and half in oak and acacia barrels, it expresses a full and satisfying sip, well supported by a lively freshness. The Stranice '17 is the result of a selection of white grapes from the best vineyards. Elegant and fresh on the nose, it has a fine and deep profile with a gustatory progression that extends from the fruit following a pleasant, sapid and mineral trail. The meet-

ing with the young winemaker Samo Premrn, owner of Pasji Rep, was a surprise. Seven hectares of vineyards on steep wooded slopes and splendid wines that impress with finesse, elegance and harmony. True coup de coeur of the tour.

Malvasia '18 opens on floral and citrus notes, with a delicate fruit and a long and salty sip. We found the Jebatschin '16 cuvée to be very good, composed of malvasia, ribolla and zelén. It sports a refined aromatic bouquet, ranging from floral to fruit scents, closing on balsamic hints. We were pleasantly surprised by the Pinot Noir '17: the delicate vinification brings in the foreground subtle aromas reminiscent of currant, small red berry fruits, shady sensations of undergrowth, aromatic herbs and slight spicy nuances. The tannins are subtle, well integrated and the sip is harmonious and smooth. We could not meet Miha Batič, but we did taste his wines. Miha is one of the most famous and appreciated producers of Vipava. Firm believer of biodynamics and the importance of working in harmony with nature, he planted very high density vines, between 7,000 and 12,000 vines per hectare, to lower yields and force vines to descend with roots in depth. Marlon '17, made with an assembly of different varieties of white berried grapes, is a fragrant wine, with floral aromas, citrus notes, a fresh and juicy sip. The Zelèn Riserva '15 is a particularly intense and persistent version of a wine generally declined more on youthful immediacy. La Pinela Seleckija '17 has a sunny character, with aromas of white peach, notes of apricot and tropical fruit, which find a perfect balance in a fresh and savory finish. The Grand Cuvée Angel Belo '16, made with chardonnay, sauvignon and pinela is a great white, harmonious and complex, with elegant and multifaceted aromas, supported by the acid tension of pinela. . 

GAMBERO ROSSO

69

DECEMBER 2019

THE 10 BEST TASTED

1 Angel Belo Grand Cuvée ’16 Miha Batič

2 Jebatschin Belo ’16 Pasji Rep

3 Stranice ’17 Burja

4 Rebula Riserva ’15 Slavcek

5 Pinela ’18 Guerila

6 Lapor Belo ’13 Krapež

7 Sveti Mihael ’05 JNK

8 Rebula ’14 Mlečnik

9 Zelen ’18 Poljšak

10 Planta Bela ’17 Štokelj

the first “wine cruise” in the world 18-25 January 2020 GRANDIOSA CRUISE FLAGSHIP

€ 581

€ 499

TAXES AND INSURANCE INCLUDED

PRIVATE WINE TASTING INCLUDED

come on board with the GIGANTI DEL MARE with the best ITALIAN WINE

booking@winesea.it

(ONLY FOR THE FRIST 100 BOOKING)

ITINERARY - 8 days / 7 nights

Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa

winesea.it

technical organization

PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

ENRICO BARTOLINI CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC «I define my cuisine as contemporary classic since I live with enthusiasm and practicality this modern era renewing the culture and ethics left to us by those before us». Enrico Bartolini, a former young prodigy of Italian dining and currently one of the most active Italian chefs on the international scene, adds: «I am proud of my work and the team of people I have working with me, and I am proud to be a cook and a restaurateur in a country like ours, so full of stimuli»

WHERE MUDEC Milan via Tortona, 56 0284293701 - enricobartolini.net RATING IN THE 2020 GUIDE Cuisine 46 Wine Service 18 Service 27 Total 91 YEAR OF OPENING 2016

by Polacchi - photos by Paolo Picciotto

GAMBERO ROSSO

71

DECEMBER 2019

RECIPES

“

ANCHOVIES, OYSTERS AND CAVIAR The dish was born in 2010, it has evolved and changed 5 times since.

It's a contemporary recipe inspired by the traditional sarde in saôr which I love.

It is by far the freshest, iodine and acidic dish I have ever created thus far.

I enjoy learning more about the culture of bluefish, oyster farming and artificial river fishing for caviar

GAMBERO ROSSO

72

DECEMBER 2019

PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

GAMBERO ROSSO

73

DECEMBER 2019

RECIPES

GAMBERO ROSSO

74

DECEMBER 2019

PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

“

BUTTONS, OLIVE OIL AND LIME WITH CACCIUCCO SAUCE, ROAST OCTOPUS Ten years ago I began to appreciate these fine "fresh" pasta bombs that allow the filling to explode in the mouth, and that are served with a creamy sauce.

Cacciucco is a Tuscan fish soup that fortunately I render better and more elegantly than the one I loved and was fed by my aunt.

This soup has a very complex and delicious structure and makes me definitely enjoy its explosion with lemon, olive oil and octopus cooked in the Neapolitan fashion

GAMBERO ROSSO

75

DECEMBER 2019

RECIPES

“

ZABAIONE WITH BITTER ORANGE TREE AND PISTACHIO GELATO If it's good, why not make it beautiful to look at, too? Desserts represent moments of great pleasure and fun provided they are able to renew the appetite, especially after a generous meal.

The sweetness accompanied by elegant textures thanks to the bitter orange, the flavour of pistachio and the gentle aromas of orange and Marsala in the zabaione, for me represent a good reason to dive in, even at the end of a meal

GAMBERO ROSSO

76

DECEMBER 2019

PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

GAMBERO ROSSO

77

DECEMBER 2019

GAMBERO ROSSO www.gamberorosso.it SENIOR EDITOR Lorenzo Ruggeri PHOTO EDITOR Rossella Fantina LAYOUT Maria Victoria Santiago CONTRIBUTORS Stefania Annese, Michela Becchi, Livia Montagnoli, Massimiliano Tonelli, Alessio Turazza, Annalisa Zordan

PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS Alessandro Gianvenuti, Alessandro Naldi, Paolo Picciotto GR USA CORP PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT Paolo Cuccia Advertising Class PubblicitĂ SpA Milano, Via Marco Burigozzo, 8 - tel. 02 58219522 For commercial enquiries: mprestileo@class.it Advertising director Paola Persi email: ufficio.pubblicita@gamberorosso.it Gambero Rosso and are registered trademarks belonging to Gambero Rosso S.p.A. GAMBERO ROSSO is a Registered Trademark used under license by GR USA CORP Copyright by GAMBERO ROSSO S.P.A. 2019.

All rights reserved. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher.

GR USA CORP is not responsible for loss, damage, or any other injury as to unsolicited manuscripts, unsolicited artwork or any other unsolicited materials.

December 2019

a www.gamberorosso.it/en & international@gamberorosso.it f GamberoRossoInternational