Wine Travel Food n.137

year 22 - number 137 - february 2020 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

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FOOD

Vinegar.

Why have we undervalued this extraordinary product?

CHIANTI CLASSICO. THE SECRETS OF RADDA WORLD TOUR

FRANCESCO APREDA IN 3 DISHES NORTHERN AUSTRALIA. BEYOND THE FLAMES

SOMMARIO year 22 - number 137 - february 2020 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

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Vinegar.

Why have we undervalued this extraordinary product?

CHIANTI CLASSICO. THE SECRETS OF RADDA WORLD TOUR

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Editorial News Wine of the Month World Tour Everything about vinegar. But the real thing!

Why and how Radda in Chianti became the Mecca of sangiovese purists Into the wild in Northern Australia. Amid aborigines and extreme flavours Portrait of a Chef. Francesco Apreda

FRANCESCO APREDA IN 3 DISHES NORTHERN AUSTRALIA. BEYOND THE FLAMES

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Terroir rhymes with quality?

For the French, terroir is at the core of the concept of quality for every great wine. Apparently a linear and easy-tounderstand assumption. In reality, this sentence rests on two unclear terms. The first, terroir, is a French word that does not have an equivalent word in our language. A term that alone contains countless elements: soil, geology, but also grape variety, climate and above all the sum of all the empirical knowledge brought by winemakers in the management of the vineyard and in the production of wine.

The second, quality, is still too subjective. So it’s completely normal that on this binomial communication conditions the reputation of a wine-growing area. And, to make matters worse, the concept of fashion is often grafted onto this combination.

None of us would dream of questioning the greatness of the Chambertin in Gevrey-Chambertin or of the Romanée-Conti in Vosne-Romanée, but there are very likely other Cru that, having not enjoyed the same kind of advertising over the centuries, have remained in the shadows. There are also other plots that remained unknown or even uncultivated before some talented and enlightened winemaker brought them to light for the first time, such as the Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parentoux. Among the factors that make a certain terroir famous, the human one is also understood as the genius of the individual both in terms of production and image. Take for example the path of Bruno Giacosa who first made Vigna Rionda famous in the world, and then freed Falletto from the subjection to the very vineyard: thanks to this man, Falletto now enjoys, for fans worldwide, the same reputation as Vigna Rionda.

It’s certainly not my intention to oppose fashions that praise certain terroirs. On the other hand, I do not accept single-track thinking. Returning to this month’s issue, no one will ever take away from Radda in Chianti ( feature on p.54) the merit of being one of the great terroirs of the Chianti Classico. This scepter, however, must be divided with numerous other areas of the territory (such as Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti or Castelnuovo Berardenga, for example). In the same way, the great Barolo is not born only––as a large part of the current dominant idea and fashion wants––in Serralunga d’Alba. It can also be born in Castiglione Falletto or in La Morra.

- Gaianni Fabrizio

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NEWS

VEGAN CUISINE GLOSSARY: PRODUCTS FOR THE PANTRY

by Michela Becchi INTEREST IN PLANT-BASED NUTRITION IS INCREASINGLY GROWING, BUT HOW CAN WE REPLACE SOME OF THE PRODUCTS? HERE ARE ALL THE VEGAN HACKS.

Pro or con. Vegan or omnivore. Food choices is a topic that clearly divides the world population, drawing a line between those who favour and those who instead reject the idea of diets containing animal-based foods.

Debates that soon turn into heated ideological battles, which often risk obscuring the motivations that push both sides to change – or not change – alimentary habits. Beyond individual decisions, what is certain is that the plant-based diet, devoid of any animal products, continues to have followers almost everywhere, including Italy, and not only for ethical reasons.

THE GROWTH OF VEGAN PRODUCTS In addition to love for animals and an anti speciesist view of the world – the philosophy according to which all living beings have equal rights – which are the basis of veganism, many also approach the vegetable-based regime for environmental reasons (the impact of intensive farming was discussed in the review of Foer’s book, “We can

save the world, before dinner”). Whatever the reason, demand and supply of plant alternatives is on the rise (this is proven by the growth of companies such as Impossible Food, Beyond Meat or Novameat, i.e. the vegetable steak invented by an Italian). And according to Whole Foods Market experts, vegan snacks and meat substitutes will be among the major gastronomic trends of 2020. Not to mention the many people suffering from food intolerances – primarily lactose – and allergies, who rely on vegan recipes.

Glossary of vegan cuisine products In any case, it’s good to have a list of basic vegan cuisine products, some less known and others present on all tables, but which in the vegan pantry play a leading role.

KOMBU SEAWEED Rich in potassium and phosphorus, kombu seaweed is a Japanese dark brown color seaweed rich in antioxidants. It’s usually used while cooking legumes legumes: adding a piece of it in a pot of beans, chickpeas and the like

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will be softer and therefore more easily digestible. In addition to lending a typical marine flavour to dishes, it contains a good percentage of vitamin B12, of which the vegan diet is generally lacking (it’s always recommended, in fact, to integrate this element).

Fatty and protein-rich seaweed In Italy, the only brand that sells them is In-Vece, of brothers Dario and Matteo Beluffi, professional pastry chef and coffee expert, respectively. Both vegans have chosen to create a business that brings together various unique plant alternatives. Among many, algae that can replace eggs (whole in the case of the protein-rich algae, just the yolk in the case of the fatty seaweed). These are valid allies especially for those who love baking.

AQUAFABA That is, the cooking liquid of legumes (yes, also the liquid contained in precooked legumes, but the latter could be added with salt or other preservatives, so better use simple cooking water). It’s used in place of egg whites and can be whipped in the same way, to obtain mousse, meringue and create soft and airy cakes.

Vegetable beverages This is the official name for beverages made from soy, rice, oats and the like, which can’t officially be labeled as milk.

Everyone has their favourite, depending on taste but also needs: they differ, in fact, in amount of sugar, calories, fats and proteins. To find out more, we refer you to our insights on vegetable based beverages: rice, coconut, soy.

Potato starch or rice starch Commonly used in confectionery for

NEWS

the preparation of creams and spreads, potato starch, as well as rice starch, is among the most popular ingredients among vegans who want to try their hand at preparing cakes, pancakes or other desserts. A simple and effective home remedy to compensate for the absence of eggs.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST FLAKES Precious source of vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids, nutritional yeast is obtained by the same Saccharomyces cerevisiae of the common fresh brewer’s yeast, but it’s used in a completely different way. In fact, it cannot be used to make dough rise, but only to enhance the flavour of dishes. Low temperature drying allows the product to retain all its original properties, making it ideal for adding flavour, as well as a good dose of nutrients such as B12 and iron..

MOPUR Product derived from the processing and fermentation of wheat, known by many as “vegetable meat”. On the market it’s sold ready-made, but it can also be prepared at home from pure wheat gluten (you can buy it at pharmacies or at health food stores). Add chickpea or other legume flour, spices, salt, sourdough, olive oil and water, and the mixture is then kneaded. The mixture is then left to rise for 4-5 hours. Once ready, just give it an oval shape and wrap it in a clean tea towel fastened like a candy, before dipping it in a vegetable broth and cooking it for 50 minutes.

WHEAT MUSCLE As you can guess from the name, this is a product made with wheat flour, to which legume flour, oil and various other flavours are added. The dose of wheat sulfur amino acids, combined with the lysine of the legumes makes the wheat muscle a nutritious and well balanced food, rich in fiber, low in saturated fats and cholesterol-free. It can be enjoyed

in various ways, as steak, stew, charcuterie or roast.

AGAVE SYRUP Honey is also not part of the vegan diet, it can be replaced with agave syrup, obtained from the sap of blue agave, a typical plant of the Mexican desert. It has a low glycemic index, rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron, slightly more fluid than honey and with high sweetening power (about 25% more than white sugar).

SEITAN Other dough made from gluten and used as a substitute for meat, for making sauces, stews, meat sauce and other veg-based specialties. Just like mopur, it can be prepared at home from gluten, cooked in boiling broth for about 40 minutes. Once ready, seitan can be sliced and enjoyed in the way you prefer. It’s always advisable to add seaweed in the broth to make the product softer.

SEEDS AND NUTS Present in all diets, seeds are fundamental in plant-based nutrition due to their high content of omega-3 (which is also found in other vegetable ingredients such as avocado, but in smaller quantities). In particular, flax seeds, chia, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame; nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds are also highly recommended.

TAHINI Lovers of hummus – a creamy chickpea compound typical of Middle Eastern cuisine – know this sesame seed sauce well, the basic ingredient of the recipe.

As mentioned above, sesame seeds are an essential omega-3 concentrate in the vegan diet, but not only: they also contain magnesium, iron, potassium and phosphorus. Tahini can be purchased ready-made at the supermarket, or made at home by blending lightly toasted seeds.

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TEMPEH If tofu is the cheese of vegans, then tempeh is their meat, made from yellow soybeans and rich in fiber and vitamins. It’s obtained by fermented soybeans and is stored in a salt brine.

TOFU For many it’s the vegan cheese par excellence: in fact, just like any dairy product, tofu comes from a curdling process, but not milk, rather soybean juice. There are three variants: delicate tofu, which retains more liquid and has the consistency similar to pudding, solid Asian tofu, produced with the use of a fabric that wraps it and absorbs more liquid during the coagulation phase, and western dry tofu, a particular variety with the lowest quantity of liquid. There are many ways to use tofu in the kitchen, whether cooked, lightly grilled or fried, or raw.

VEGANISM Movement closely linked to anti speciesism, which offers an entirely vegetable diet and the exclusion of any product of animal origin. A vegan person does not just change eating habits, but rethinks the entire lifestyle, abandoning all resources from the animal kingdom. No wool, therefore, leather or silk, and high attention also to cosmetic products and house cleaning products. In short, a philosophy that embraces every aspect of one’s life.

NEWS

WHY IS OLTREPÒ PLACING ALL BETS ON PINOT NERO?

by Lorenzo Ruggeri IN OLTREPÒ IT HAS INCREASINGLY BEEN UNDERSTOOD THAT THE TRUE IDENTITY GRAPE VARIETY IS PINOT NERO: STUBBORN, MULTIFACETED AND DIFFICULT. HERE IT FINDS EXPRESSIONS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO REACH ELSEWHERE, AND THE WINEMAKERS HAVE STARTED TO CONCENTRATE THEIR EFFORTS ON IT.

From Ponte della Becca we already think of Pinot Noir. We leave behind the Po and Ticino rivers, which meet here, and set foot in Oltrepò Pavese. The bridge marks a break, creates discontinuity and prepares for a territory that is truly a beyond.

Also from the wine point of view. We travel a couple of kilometers in flat terrain, segmented by the ubiquitous roundabouts, and then the hills emerge, entirely covered with vineyards.

We are in the cradle of Pinot Nero: more than 3,000 hectares of vineyards, the third area in the world for size of the most sensitive and capricious variety in the world, after Burgundy and Champagne. It’s easy to get lost here: to appreciate this place it takes patience and time, but the taste of discovery is around the corner. Most of the best wines, here, are not part of the denomination.

The cured meats – often worthy of a world championship – do not bear tags or labels, and are handled by small artisans. There are excellent truffles and sold at incredible prices, plus risotto is artfully made.

But please keep it on the hush hush: Oltrepò is terribly loyal to its secrets!

Despite achieving great results on the authorial restaurant dining front for some time.

FRONTIER LAND Map in hand, we are talking about a South within the North: and this is so in many respects. For sure, it represents the southern part of Lombardy,

an authentic crossroads on historical, social and cultural levels. To the east there is Emilia, in Stradella and in the Versa Valley the Emilian influence can be felt very well, starting from the way people talk, for their certain joie de vivre. In the center there is the Scuropasso Valley, with the Cigognola Castle guarding the middle ground. Then there’s Casteggio, the historic core, a little further west the spoken cadence changes already. In fact we are now in Piedmont; going into the more inaccessible mountainous areas we touch Liguria. With so many hot rods under a single hat, it’s difficult to find a common denominator. Well, one can be Pinot Nero, present everywhere and available in three main

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versions: Classic Method, Classic Method Rosé, Cruasé dream. Plus the declination in red. We neglect the fourth, as widespread, of Pinot Noir Frizzante, which still resists in bars and old-fashioned trattorias.

Big, pointy bubbles. We are in the Po River Valley, the fizzy way of Italian wine, the Via Emilia, which acts as a glue between the different areas, with the productive fulcrum in the pre-Apennine hilly area. Valleys and streams are the units of measurement to tune into a panorama that is nothing short of complex and varied in terms of soil composition, altitude, exposure, rainfall. In principle, we must note a first distinction is between low and high Oltrepò.

Pinot Nero for the reds is the pro-

NEWS

tagonist in the first range, between 150-250 meter elevation. Going further up we find the ideal grounds for the sparkling wine bases. Among the many streams, there is one well imprinted in the mind of those who love big bubbles: the Versa. We cannot find a happier Italian territory for the great sparkling wines of the Alta Valle Versa.

THE “CASA DEL PINOT NERO” “This is the home of the Pinot Nero.

The phenolic maturation is perfect, with marked acidity and perfect alcohol balance, low pH and mineral verve“, says Francesco Cervetti, winemaker who for many years followed the production of La Versa, one of the symbolic cooperatives of the area, founded back in 1905 and brilliantly led in the 60s-80s by the Duke Massimo Denari, one of the fathers of Italian sparkling wine. Traveling often to France, he understood that in Oltrepò, and in Italy in general, there were no numbers and impact strength enough to compete with Champagne. He dreamed of a single denomination for the Italian Classic Method produced with the grapes of Oltrepò, Franciacorta and Trento, the characteristics

were perfectly complementary to each other. On the chessboard, Oltrepò was the hypothetical Aube in terms of style: power, structure and acidity. Today’s numbers? Still the sore point. In Oltrepò the Classic Method does not exceed 800,000 bottles, against 18 million in Franciacorta and 9 million in Trentodoc. Champagne travels around 330 million bottles per year. Yet there’s so much beauty in the bottle.

Intertwined with the happenings of the Vistarino family, is a native of the Scuropasso Valley: Fabio Marazzi.

«The so-called 7 Piedmontese sisters came here and took away the raw material: our oil, our gold. Before, we went around the world with the names of others. Today we go out with our brand and our own label».

Roccapietra, the name of the Classic Method line, was born from the merger of Rocca de’ Giorgi and Pietra de’ Giorgi in order to summarize the territorial sense of belonging. Here Pinot Nero takes on more fleshy traits, a maturity that gives it a more enveloping consistency, more flavour than tension, more bright red fruits. It rains less than in the Versa Valley. «These Pinot Nero vineyards are a heritage, they do everything by on their own, the ripening is perfect. For the harvest, better one day more than one day less, with a long rest on the yeast, from 48 to 60 months, no final sulfur. Simple things, done well», Fabio says. In his bubbles we sense truth and territory.

We continue the journey to Casteggio to meet another long-established winery, founded by Angelo Ballabio in 1905. «For me, pinot nero is a diamond in the rough. We have decided to produce only Classic Method, working to enhance its finesse, preserving acidity and drinkability. Here in the Valle del Coppa there are many white soild, in the Calvignano area there is a limestone vein that recalls the Versa Val-

photo©CT M - flickr

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ley», says Mattia Nevelli of Ballabio with passion. The former Berlucchi winemaking center has become a beacon for the production of the Oltrepò Classico Method: increasing numbers and quality, at hyperadvantageous prices.

MARKET IN CONSTANT RISE Only a few kilometres and we are the flagship company of the typology thanks to the intuitions of Carlo Boatti who founded it in 1959. «The Pinot Nero from Oltrepò is crisp, decisive and structured. Among the first we believed in the zero dosage, it was 1982. We went from 20,000 bottles to over 120,000 with this type. We have launched a trend», say Pierangelo Boatti of Monsupello, proudly. He found in the winemaker Marco Bertelegni one of the greatest interpreters of the Classical Method in Italy. Again, requests continue to increase, the trend is clear. And the quality improvements are also evident in regards to the pink version. «At the beginning we thought a lot about colour and maceration. Today we do a soft pressing and vinification almost in white, only flower must and steel, no oak», explains Luca Bellani, who found his way precisely on rosé bubbles with long refinements. Slowly, even those stubborn from overseas are giving in to the evidence: Pinot Nero is the future. It expresses all the complexity of the territory, gives identity and value, finding a character of great personality and freshness in various variations. It’s time for redemption: «The Oltrepò has been a large container at the service of bottlers for too long. We need to rebuild the agricultural supply chain and the value chain to make the values of the land grow, they are our wealth», summarises Francesco Cervetti. Aim high and head down.

NEWS

WINE OF THE MONTH

CAMPI FLEGREI PIEDIROSSO TENUTA CAMALDOLI RIS. ‘16 CANTINE ASTRONI via Sartania, 48 80126 Napoli phone 0815884182 www.cantineastroni.com Average retail price:25 euros Astroni is one of the Phlegraean Fields area’s most heavily engineered wineries due to the terracing of its 25-hectare vineyard park clinging to the external slopes of the Astroni crater. The powerful, severe landscape, composed of layers of small volcanic rock and ash, makes its presence known in authentic wines such as the crus Vigna Astroni and Vigna Camaldoli. There are two additional two plots called Villa Imperatrice and Vigna Iossa. Gerardo Vernazzaro drives the work with the support of his wife Emanuela Russo and cousin Vincenzo. Their Campi Flegrei Piedirosso Tenuta Camaldoli Riserva ‘16, made with grapes cultivated in sandy, tuffaceous terrain, stood out during our tastings. It pours a garnet red, the prelude to vibrant, complex and multifaceted notes of quinine and pencil lead. Its fruit is meaty, interwoven with highly charming smoky sensations, only to close complex and assertive. Pair with aubergine Parmigiana and mezze maniche pasta with tomato sauce and meat ragout.

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GAMBERO ROSSO X ISOLA AUGUSTA

Isola Augusta: the treasure under the sand

“The history of the company started from a love affair, sparked in my father Renzo after tasting two bottles stored in the sand by a farmer years ago”, says Massimo Bassani, owner of Isola Augusta, a splendid winery on the Friuli Riviera. And he continues: “It was the 1950s. He was fascinated by the quality of those wines which he then introduced to the most qualified people of the time.

The outcome of those tastings was exciting: and the course was set.

Gino Veronelli (among the forerunners of food and wine journalism in

Italy, Ed.) considered our territory a veritable cru, with vineyards planted in a mostly clayey soil, not far from the sea, conditions that were very similar to those of the great Bordeaux wines. Then it was my passion that led me to take care of this little jewel”. Isola Augusta counts on an estate of 75 hectares, 50 of which are vineyards, plus a vineyard of another twenty hectares in the area of Cormons, in the Gorizia province.

The vines planted in the rows are typical of the area: friuliano, ribolla gialla, verduzzo; and then glera,

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GAMBERO ROSSO X ISOLA AUGUSTA

1. Massimo and Jacopo Bassani, owners of Isola Augusta

pinot grigio and schioppettino.

“Most of our production, following the natural market trend, is aimed at white wines but also some reds, which are actually a little set aside in Friuli, but that are now having a remarkable success, especially the more aged ones”. The company is also one of the pioneers of sustainable practices in the vineyard and in the cellar. “In the 1950s, my father’s intuition was extraordinary and he created the slogan ‘Isola Augusta Vino Vivo’, anticipating what would later become a trend.

Our company, one of the first in the 90s, has used geothermal energy for heating our buildings. Solar panels cover the entire energy requirement and the vineyards are conducted with low environmental impact systems. Small curiosity: the very first private charging station for electric cars, connected to the solar panel system, available to the public free of charge in Friuli, was installed many years ago, right here”. But Isola Augusta is also hospitality and wine tourism: “we have successfully started an agriturismo farm-hotel stay that allows guests to experience the company at 360° with overnight stays, guided visits to the vineyards and the cellar, wine tasting paired to products from our area”.

 Azienda Agricola Isola Augusta Casali Isola Augusta, 4 - Palazzolo dello Stella (UD) - ITALY +39 0431 58046 - www.isolaugusta.com

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GAMBERO ROSSO ON THE ROAD

Here’s the report of our international events.

From the Wine & Sea cruise to the first edition of Vinexpo in Paris, we love to connect the best Italian wineries with the Top Italian Restaurants abroad.

Words by Lorenzo Ruggeri

EVENTS

FRANCE: the results of the debut of Vinexpo and Gambero Paris Week VINEXPO AND GAMBERO PARIS WEEK IN FRANCE ARE OVER. HERE ARE THE RESULTS FROM THE FIRST TRE BICCHIERI EVENTS BY GAMBERO ROSSO.

NUMBERS In total it was 29,000 visitors who attended over the course of the three days, representing 126 markets and 2,800 exhibitors.

The presence of foreign operators at the Gambero Rosso event coming from Ghana, South America and Northern Europe was very strong and qualified.

The Asian participation was less than at Vinexpo standards, foreseeable given the coincidence with the moment of crisis that China is experiencing due to Coronavirus. Meanwhile, the dates of Vinexpo Paris 2021 have been announced, the event will take place from February 15 to 17.

The new adventure of Vinexpo has once again taken off from Paris (10-12 February), which opened this year’s great season of international wine fairs, leaving the sprint to ProWein and Vinitaly. A first in France also for thebevent by Gambero Rosso which, after several thematic events, landed in the French capital thanks to a collaboration in force since 2014, passing from Hong Kong to Bordeaux to the banks of the Seine. Over 60 participating wineries were awarded by the guidebook in a very rich and participated tasting, and much more popular than other pavilions of the fair, as pointed out with a smile by the new Vinexpo director Rodolphe Lameyse.

ITALIAN WINE IN FRANCE An Ice study of the FranceItaly interchange in the wine sector shows that the 2018 trade balance is positive for France (+33 million euros), although decreasing compared to 2017 (–8.9%).

The main category of wines that France imports from Italy in value is made up of wines in containers of less than 2 litres (mainly bottled) for 88.3 million euros (53.8%), followed by sparkling wines (especially Prosecco) and in bulk or in 2+ litre containers (respectively 25% and 21.2% of the total).

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NUMBERS In total it was 29,000 visitors who attended over the course of the three days, representing 126 markets and 2,800 exhibitors. The presence of foreign operators at the Gambero Rosso event coming from Ghana, South America and Northern Europe was very strong and qualified.

The Asian participation was less than at Vinexpo standards, foreseeable given the coincidence with the moment of crisis that China is experiencing due to Coronavirus. Meanwhile, the dates of Vinexpo Paris 2021 have been announced, the event will

WORLDTOUR

THE WINNERS

During the Tre Bicchieri event, Le George was also awarded, the only Tre Forchette and Villa Sandi Contemporary Wine List award recipient thanks to a very deep, articulated wine cellar, the result of great research as not often found in large hotels. And again, gaining Due Forchette is Mori Venice Bar and Armani, always followed by the Due Forchette of Carpaccio and Penati al Baretto, Una Forchetta for Il Vicolo. Among the bistros, Due Gamberi for Dilia, Un Gambero for Le BB Pizzeria Trattoria; finally Due Bottiglie recognition goes to Retrobottega. For the entire selection, we invite you to visit the website at www.gamberorosso.it/restaurants.

GAMBERO PARIS WEEK But there’s more beyond the trade fair. In fact it was a week full of Italian flavours on show from 10 to 16 February last, the first edition of Gambero Rosso Paris Week, a flurry of events related to wine and many moments that brought attention to Italian restaurants in Paris awarded in the Top Italian Restaurants Guide, which for the occasion offered particularly refined and stimulating food-wine pairings, confirming the most sought-after wine lists and an average level of cuisine that only Copenhagen internationally can match, albeit with lower numbers. On Monday February 10th, an event entirely dedicated to rediscovering woodfired cooking, from dough, to cecina, to vegetables, to suckling pig, was held at Bijou, at the foot of Montmartre, closing the meal with a dessert made with pears cooked buckwheat over a wood-stoked heat source. The Cotto a Legna event featured Gennaro Nasti, Tre Spicchi in the Top Italian Restaurants 2020 guide and Michele Farnesi of Dilia, alongside the talented pastry chef Marion Goettle, from CafÊ Mirabelle.

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EVENTS

SEMINARS. OLTREPO PAVESE AND FRESCOBALDI Two moments of in-depth study were organised on the trade fair days.

The first featured Pinot Noir from Oltrepò Pavese in a vertical of 10 Classic Method magnums, between white and rosé versions, the Cruasé, with a range of vintages from 2008 to 2016, curated by Lorenzo Ruggeri and Gianni Fabrizio, together with the Director of the Consorzio Carlo Veronese.

A demonstration of the longevity and surprising evolution of Oltrepò Pinot Nero, which is the third area of Europe, with its 3,000 hectares, for the most capricious and sensitive variety.

The second masterclass featured the wines from the Frescobaldi estates, Cellar fo the Year in the Vini d’Italia guide, on an all-Tuscan journey, from north to south, from Chianti Classico to Montalcino and Val di Pesa by way of the remote island of Gorgona, where the Frescobaldi family, in collaboration with the correctional facility, produce a wonderful and rare wine from ansonica grapes.

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WORLDTOUR

LONDON 2020 December 2020 will be a crucial moment for Brexit, that’s when the transition moment will end and there are different hypotheses on the table regarding the wine trade, from the possible introduction of tariffs, new labeling or supplementary lab analysis for bottles, in short, variables that would significantly lead to a rise in price of European wines. Yet the climate that reigns in London continues to be very positive, the only ones worried seem to be the visiting Europeans.

“The first months of 2020 started well, in growth compared to 2019 which was a year of slight decline”, says Francesco Mazzei, who directly manages a number of successful venues in the city. As if the moment of indecision had passed, expenditure somehow recovered more clearly. Our Tre Bicchieri in città event, last February 13, shone the spotlight on one of the emerging areas of London, Hackney, with 50 participating wineries. Among the moments of in-depth study, there was a seminar dedicated to the culture of extra virgin olive oil curated by Olivicola, aimed at recognising strengths and identifying defects. On the wine front, the wines of the Cellar of the Year, Frescobaldi, were the protagonists, with the same tasting experience already experienced at Vinexpo.

THE BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

The best Italian wine list in town? It belongs to Sartoria according to the Top Italian Restaurants guide. Enrico Bucci and Francesco Mazzei work was awarded with Tre Bottiglie recognition. The only Tre Forchette in town is the historic Locanda Locatelli which thanks to a first-rate service, attention to detail and authenticity of flavour also won the Surgiva Taste & Design Award.

Theo Randhall has Due Forchette at the InterContinental, also awarded the Villa Sandi Contemporary Wine list award for the completeness of the selection designed by sommelier Umberto Luberto.Una Forchetta to Satyrio in Aldgate, a gourmet restaurant and wine shop, new entry like Osteria Napoletana, Due Gamberi recognition, and via Emilia, Un Gambero recognition.

For pizzerias Due Spicchi go to Antica Pizzeria da Michele, while standing alone with Tre Spicchi is Ciro Salvo’s 50 Kalò, one of the best pizzas and fried starters, outside Italian borders.

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EVENTS

WINE & SEA 2020 The wine and the sea. A relationship that spans far and wide, and that has ancient ties, if it’s true that barrels full of wine were once transported along the rivers and the sea. The 2020 edition of Wine & Sea is the project created by Gambero Rosso, Agenzia Ruffo and MSC Crociere cruises to promote quality Italian wine along the historic routes of the great ports of call in the Mediterranean. The brand new MSC Grandiosa with 25 wine producers on board sailed from Genoa on January 19th, to touch Civitavecchia, Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona, Toulon and return to Italy on January 25th. On board were many tastings, including tasting

tables and seminars led by Gambero Rosso experts. The Grand Tasting ended with the election of the best cruise wines with the participation of over 2,000 people who came to taste and vote. The winners? The best bubbles was Fushà, a Grillo Charmat method made by Baglio di Pianetto. Ex-aequo as far as the best white wen to Malvasia Bianca 12 and Mezzo 2018 by Varvaglione, and Lugana Molceo 2016 by Ottella. For the most voted red we move to Puglia, where the winner was Paolo Leo’s Primitivo Passo del Cardinale 2018. The awarded wines automatically enter among the wines poured on board all MSC Crociere vessels.

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EVERYTHING ABOUT VINEGAR. BUT THE REAL THING! It's easy to say "vinegar". But under this simple and immediate term hide all manner of ingredients, worlds, cultures (and even byproducts) that have been part of human history since its inception. It's not at all easy today to find "real vinegar" that's made correctly and starting from quality raw ingredients.

Yet we're talking about an indispensable ingredient in the Italian pantry. Here's to the rebirth of the vinegar tradition in the kitchen.

words by Luciana Squadrilli - photos by Modestino Tozzi infographics by Alessandro Naldi

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mong the five fundamental flavours – bitter, sour, sweet, salty, umami – whose play creates infinite gustatory combinations, sour is perhaps the most appreciated in contemporary cuisine for its ability to enhance taste sensations, smooth cloying tones, lending depth to dishes, stimulating the palate with well-modulated lashings. Chefs seek it through strong fermentations, rare berries, meticulously foraged wild herbs, exotic citrus fruits and a repertoire of other products. On the other hand it happens less frequently that chefs choose to use the par excellence acid element as an ingredient tout court: vinegar!

Its origins are lost in the mists of time, inextricably linked to those of wine or, more precisely, to the fermentation of fruit or mead, as it historically happened in Mesopotamia or in Egypt. Here, as shown by finds in Egyptian tombs, it was used as payment for embalmers. In ancient Rome vinegar was the basis for posca, a thirst-quenching and invigorating mixture of water and vinegar enjoyed by gladiators, legionaries and farmers. In the Middle Ages the "remedy of the four thieves" – or Marseille vinegar, infused with medicinal herbs such as sage, lavender, rosemary and thyme in various types of vinegar – was considered capable of protecting against the plague, and still today in France it's marketed as a mild broad-spectrum remedy.

CLASSIC, BUT LITTLE CONSIDERED Essential (and classic) complement to extra virgin olive oil in salad dressing – giving origin to vinaigrette, from the French term that takes its origins from vin aigre, sour wine – vinegar is a fundamental ingredient (but often hidden) for many home preparations, or in familiar menu items, such as bearnaise sauce or the typical Piedmontese bagnet, pickled giardiniera, deglazed fonds, gastrique, marinades, cacciatora. Often, however, it's also one of the products purchased most absent mindedly, putting random bottles in the shopping cart without paying too much attention to 

EVERYTHING ABOUT VINEGAR. BUT THE REAL THING!

3 ACETIFICATION TECHNIQUES The common assumption is an alcoholic liquid – otherwise the result would be more like a kombucha – obtained from a fermented sugar: wine, apple juice or other fermented fruit, water and honey or other. Acetobacteria intervenes to transform alcohol into vinegar which, through their metabolism, transform alcohol (ethanol) first into acetaldehyde and then into acetic acid (vinegar) resulting in a second acetic fermentation.

Being aerobic bacteria, to make this process more efficient, the oxygen present in the fermented mass to be acetified must be increased; while raising the temperature increases the metabolism.

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Static surface acetification: air is let into the barrels which are not completely filled to activate a slow oxidation process on the surface; it takes at least a year for a 250 liter barrel to be completely transformed into vinegar.

Then there is the aging in oak, barrels or carats: a "living" material that helps the oxidation-fermentative process, and that rounds, enriches the product with nuances.

Slow woodchip method (aka German or Schüzenbach method, by name of the chemist who perfected it): the wine is pumped over in special vats, making it percolate and increasing the surface in contact with the air through wood chips, reducing the time needed to transform thousands of liters into vinegar to 5-7 days. A generally poorer product than the previous one is obtained.

Frings or "submerged" method: used by the industry to produce hundreds of hectoliters in less than 48 hours, it involves the use of turbines (to aerate and allow the acetobacteria to survive) and higher temperatures (about 28°C). Almost all the aromatic parts are lost, possibly recovered – with "vapor recovery" systems then condensed and returned to the liquid state – and re-added to obtain a "superior quality" vinegar (compared to the base).

H H

H2

C

H

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CH 3 ethanol

O2

alcohol dehydrogenase

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H2O

H2

OH

O

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CH 3

CH 3

acetaldehyde acetaldehyde dehydrogenase

acetic acid

O2

O2

28°

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5/7 days

48 hours

250lt.

1 year

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STORIES

the label, perhaps used also for polishing the stove hubs. For special occasions – or simply for some slightly more elaborate or satisfying dishes – we break open the bottle of traditional balsamic vinegar (which we omit here, given that it already gets much more attention than its more“simple brother”, except for a brief clarification study. (see box).

AN UNKNOWN HERO “Unknown hero”, as defined by Michael Harlan Turkell, American journalist who fell so much in love with vinegar that he set up a veritable laboratory where he vreates almost anything that can develop an alcoholic component obtained from the fermentation of sugars (a necessary condition for acetification). He also travelled the world on the tracks of the many possible incarnations of vinegar and of those who value it with careful productions, capable of combining ancient traditions and modern knowledge, in order to write a book: Acid Trip, whose subtitle reads "A journey into the world of vinegar, with recipes from

great chefs, advice from the best producers and detailed instructions on how to make your own".

A nice tribute to such a precious product with an ancient history that's however relegated to gastronomic commodity. Consider that the average quality of products on sale for a few euros is rather low, the result of hasty industrial processing and poor raw ingredients.

And, basically, scarce knowledge about it.

HOW TO MAKE GREAT VINEGAR So let's try to understand what is behind a "great" vinegar - or rather, behind the many types that can be made - by interviewing those who put quality at the core of their production: the "Acid Friends". We are talking about a group of producers and friends (of vinegar but also of wine, spirits, honey: Andrea Bezzecchi, Andrea Paternoster, Mario Pojer, Joško e Mitja Sirk e Andreas Widmann) who, in addition to making excellent vinegars, have decided to commit to creating culture around this product, complete with its own Manifesto, debunking some false myths to

JAPAN’S SENSE FOR (RICE) VINEGAR L'aceto Vinegar is one of the 5 pillars of the traditional cuisine of the Rising Sun: Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So. "Sa" sugar, "Shi" salt, "Su" vinegar, "Se" soy sauce and finally "So" which is fermented miso paste. The sequence is not random and indicates exactly which ingredients to add progressively during the preparation of a washoku dish: starting from sugar and ending with miso which is the most sensitive to cooking. The typical Japanese vinegar is made from rice and boasts light golden yellow colour and a sweet taste. It's produced starting from sake (not for nothing the ideogram of sake 酒 resembles that of vinegar 酢) and has a lower acidity than ours. Su is essential for the preparation of sushi rice, and in daily cooking it has multiple uses such as for the preparation of dishes based on raw vegetables and seafood "Namasu" and "Sunomono"; plus sauces, condiments for meat and fish, or for preserves (prevents discolouration of vegetables).

Unfortunately, as Nobuaki Fushiki, chef of the Sensento restaurant in Himeji and a great fermentation expert, tells us: «Today in Japan there are very few producers of rice vinegar that follow the traditional method. Industrial production is much faster and can take place in a single day while classic production takes from several months to over a year of fermentation. The traditional method is being lost because consumers are not aware of the difference».

Among the traditional producers, Fushiki suggests two: Iio-jozo (www.iio-jozo.co.jp), the only one to deal with the entire production process starting from the cultivation of rice; and Maruzan: the latter also has a dedicated site to the US market (www.marukan-usa.com) with a series of unexpected recipes that bring together rice vinegar with North American cuisine.

Francesco Fondi, , Journalist (Hobby Media, Wired, La Repubblica)

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FROM WINE TO VINEGAR, THE ITALIAN SCENE In Italy vinegar production is traditionally linked to wine. And while the industry generally uses poor quality raw materials, there are several producers who've decided to use excellent wines, often from native grape varieties, to enhance their products' characteristics. Irene Guidobaldi – at the helm of Olio Flaminio and marketing manager of Olio Trevi company – asked Bezzecchi to make Umbria IGT Flaminio red wine vinegar, from Merlot and Sagrantino, transferring the character of the Umbrian grape par excellence in vinegar. In Chianti Classico, since 1984, Castello di Volpaia also houses a vinegar factory, where with a slow woodchip method (with the addition of vine branches) wines from Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes are used for their delicate white vinegar, and Sangiovese for the decisive red; both are also available in aromatic versions, with flowers, seeds, leaves, herbs, vegetables and spices. In Mantua, the Mengazzoli family has been in vinegar making for generations. Giorgio, now joined by his children Elda and Cesare, is responsible for the "modern" turning point that has led to diversification since 1962 while maintaining more than valid quality: from Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP to single grape vinegars. In the Langhe, Oscar Giaccone continues the production started by his father Cesare in the 70s for Ristorante dei Cacciatori in Albaretto Torre (CN): starting from wines of local producers he uses the traditional Langarolo system with gradual decanting of the wine in mulberry, oak and cherry barrels where the "mother" continues to do her job (in this case, with good results).

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promote conscious and virtuous use, both at home and at the restaurant.

«Of the three existing methods for making vinegar – explains Andrea Bezzecchi, founder of the Acetaia San Giacomo in Novellara and President of the Consortium for the protection of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia Dop – what we are interested in is what we we define as primitive method, that is very slow static superficial acetification».

In the other two methods, which aim to drastically shorten production times (see sidebar), heat determines the loss of volatile components (therefore of aromas and scents) of wine, the raw material most frequently used in Italy. On the other hand, faster processing and the use of poor quality raw materials cause aceto-bacteria to be "doped-up" in some way with the addition of nutrients like glucose, yeast, vitamins, minerals to maintain their performance, to stay on a sports metaphor. In addition, the product is usually diluted with water both at the beginning 

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THE BIG NAMES IN ITALIAN VINEGAR THE COOKS THAT EXALT VINEGAR

ALESSANDRO NEGRINI E FABIO PISANI Il luogo di Aimo e Nadia

Milano Venezia

Torino

GUGLIELMO MIRIELLO Ceresio7

MARCO GALTAROSSA Zanze VXI San Gimignano (SI)

Senigallia (AN)

MORENO CEDRONI La Madonnina del Pescatore

MATTEO BARONETTO Al Cambio Roma

FEDERICO DELMONTE Acciuga

Castel di Sangro (AQ)

NIKO ROMITO Reale

ERNESTO PARISI E ALBERTO SPARACINO Cum Quibus LUCIANO VILLANI La Locanda del Borgo ad Acquapetra

Telese (BN)

RICCARDO DI GIACINTI All’Oro

ALESSANDRO FEO Alessandro Feo Ristorante

Casal Velino (SA) FRANCESCO CAPUZZO DOLCETTA Marzapane DOMENICO STILE Enoteca La Torre a Villa Laetitia

STEFANO GUIZZETTI Ciacco

CARMELO CHIARAMONTE Cuciniere Errante

Catania ACETAIA DUCALE ESTENSE CZARNOCKI LUCHESCHI Quarto d’Altino (VE)

VINEGAR FACTORY CIVIELLE Moniga del Garda (BS)

MENGAZZOLI Curtatone (MN)

KANDLWAALHOF LUGGIN Lasa (BZ) BARON WIDMANN

Vigo di Ton (TN) WAISSERHOF Vilpiano (BZ)

POJER & SANDRI Faedo (TN)

ALLEGRINI Fumane (VR)

RAMO D’ORO ACETAIA MERLINO Castelnuovo Don Bosco (AT)

JOŠKO SIRK Cormons (GO)

GIGI ROSSO Castiglione Falletto (CN) CESARE GIACCONE Albaretto della Torre (CN)

GUERZONI Concordia sulla Secchia (MO)

ACETAIA SAN GIACOMO Novellara (RE)

GIUSTI Modena

AGRICOLA DUE VITTORIE Soliera (MO)

LEONARDI Formigine (MO)

LA BONISSIMA Formigine (MO)

VENTURINI BALDINI Quattro Castella (RE) COMPAGNIA DEL MONTALE Sassuolo (MO) CASTELLO DI VOLPAIA Radda in Chianti (SI)

MANICARDI Castelvetro di Modena (MO) FATTORIA DELL'AIOLA Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI)

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EVERYTHING ABOUT VINEGAR. BUT THE REAL THING!

of the process (to lower the alcohol content of the wine, thus favouring the work of bacteria) and at the end, to avoid having a product that is too acidic. The final content of a bottle is usually between 20% and 40% water which doesn't have to mandatorily need to be reported on the label. There may also be an alcoholic residue of 1.5% vol. for commercial vinegars and up to 4% vol. for those made with static surface method.

An exemption – established by the Consolidated Law on the organic regulation of the cultivation of vines and the production and trade of wine in 2016 – which somehow sanctions the difference (implicitly also a qualitative difference) between "artisan" vinegars (ie those "obtained by static fermentation and maturation in wooden containers, or even of a different material only for white vinegars, with a capacity not exceeding 10 hectoliters for no less than six months") and the so-called common vinegars. In Italy, thanks to the regulations in force, we are still fine given that for the production of vinegar it's still necessary to start from alcoholic fermentation of an agricultural raw material.

In the United States, on the other hand, says Turkell in his book, industrial producers can use synthetic ethanol, extracted from wood or

oil, as a base. Stuff that to think of it makes you lose your appetite.

THE PRIMITIVE METHOD AND THE “MOTHER” MISUNDERSTANDING In any case, it's evident that it's difficult to deal with excellent products, such as those obtained by slow, patient, natural manufacturing and by the use of quality raw ingredients, whether be they wine, fruit or other. The starting base must in any case be an alcoholic liquid, that has gone through an initial alcoholic fermentation, be that a fruit juice or mead, with the possible use of starters or by the action of bacteria present in the environment. With the "primitive" method, only time – aided by the temperature of the vinegar factory that never drops below 20°C and doesn't exceed 30°C, yet never forcing the temperature range – causes the acetification process (therefore a second 'acetic' fermentation) to be accurate and complete. The goal is to create the ideal conditions for "good" bacteria to transform all the alcohol into acetic acid in a slow ans steady process. The presence of said bacteria is noticeable when a very thin film forms on the surface of the liquid, under 

FROM SAÔR TO AVANT-GARDE: THE CHEFS WHO LOVE VINEGAR If in traditional cuisine vinegar has above all a preservative function - see the many variations of scapece or the typical Venetian saôr, born for preserving food during long sea crossings, in modern cuisine the main purpose is to give the dishes freshness, multi-dimensionality, fragrance.

The absolute master is Michel Troisgros who in Cuisine Acidulée (title of his book published in 2002) explores the various acid nuances, reserving a leading role for vinegar. In the United States, Daniel Boulud, a native of Lyon and author of the preface to the book by Michael Harlan Turkell, celebrates it. Here in Italy, among those who have studied – perhaps first, certainly the most thoroughly – the use and nuances of vinegar is Niko Romito, who at his Reale restaurant uses dif-

ferent types of vinegar to add elegance and body to his dishes, from appetizers to desserts: incredibly tasty was in fact the dessert of white chocolate, balsamic vinegar, licorice granita and white vinegar, perfect for a fresh and clear finish with prunes marinated in rice vinegar.

At the Del Cambio restaurant in Turin, Matteo Baronetto plays on homemade infusions in (excellent) white vinegar to bring agro-aromatic nuances – from lemon flowers to coffee – to his dishes.

While in Cilento, chef Alessandro Feo – who recently inaugurated the restaurant that bears his name in Casal Velino – collaborated with the Albamarina winery to develop a velvety condiment with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP with the local Cilento White Fig DOP, which

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combines acidity, sweetness and an intense fig flavour, perfect for example, on his signature ricotta mousse with dried tomato powder and pesto pearls. But there are also those chefs who start from scratch: at the Cum Quibus in San Gimignano, many dishes by Alberto Sparacino are enriched with the acid notes of vinegars and fermented potions made by sous chef Ernesto Parisi – coincidentally, namesake of the Sicilian who first studied the chemical characteristics of vinegar – who ferments fruit and vegetable extracts (often leftovers from kitchen prep, with a zero waste perspective), oxygenating them with aquarium pumps to speed up the acetification and obtaining acid nuances that close the circle in base dishes of the same ingredients: 

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which the vinegar remains pure and clear, maintaining intact fragrance and perfumes of the basic ingredient for long time, moreover, enhancing these thanks to the volatile component. This however, does not always happen given the lack of selected colonies of acetobacteria. It may happen that instead of the veil, the famous "mother" is formed: a thick layer of cellulose in which colonies of dying bacteria remain suspended. This is the result – or rather, the residue and dejection – of the production of acetic acid by some less noble species of acetobacteria. These should therefore be eliminated as soon as possible. «The quality of the vinegar produced by those species of acetobacteria is poor and the "mother" constitutes a sort of cork on the surface which over time stratifies, becomes heavy and falls to the bottom of the container – continues Bezzecchi – It also gives rise to unpleasant odours that distort the fine starting wine. In short, it does not bring anything positive to the vinegar, as opposed to what normally is said on this product».

TRADITION AND EXPERIMENTS Having taken up the family tradition of balsamic vinegar production – by expanding   from the melon vinegar used to revive melon gazpacho that accompanies the sweetbreads served with sour melon balls (in a sweet and sour solution with the same vinegar), to the blackberry vinegar aded to the jus which accompanies the venison with zolfini and blackberries.

Federico Delmonte at Acciuga, in Rome, uses only Marche wine and the "mother" – which he eliminates every two months – to make a good "base" vinegar to be flavoured with infusions of herbs, spices and vegetables, which he doses carefully to expand the taste of dishes such as anchovies with whipped cream of butter, raw Jerusalem artichoke with rosemary vinegar and black truffle, revised and corrected version of the classic "bread, butter and anchovy" snack. For the new acid-tendency menu of Marzapane,

Francesco Capuzzo Dolcetta (whose significant training includes Troisgros) collaborates with Andrea Bezzecchi. In Novellara they're working on a prickly pear vinegar, the chef uses the acetic water (sour but neutral liquid, at the center of Bezzecchi's PhD dissertation on starters for homemade acetification) to create "acid essences" of fig leaves, wisteria flowers, elderflowers, verbena and more. Capuzzo uses them for marinades, sauces and condiments obtaining a more affordable acidity with floral or vegetable notes; for example, in his quail salad, in which the intense quail base is enlivened by the freshness of the sour note with rosemary. Also in Venice Marco Galtarossa, chef of Zanze VXI – the new “elegant osteria” created by Nicola Dinato – prepares elegant and persua-

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sive fruit vinegars and seasonal flowers (rosebuds, acacia flowers, fermented in water and honey) lending a particular and fragrant acidity to the dishes he creates accordingly, such as in the creamy sheep's ricotta with glera grapes, blackberry vinegar and capers which is prepared ideally for his desserts. But there is also room for vinegar in the mixology department, where shrubs, acidic fruit, sugar and vinegar drinks that lend freshness to many drinks are great. For example, they appear frequently in the drink list of Guglielmo Miriello at Ceresio7 in Milan, who prepares them with the products of Acetaia San Giacomo and uses them in cocktails such as Port Elizabeth: Americano Cocchi infused with rooibos tea, Bulleit Bourbon, lemon, shrub cherry, ginger beer, absinthe.

his father's batteries and then starting the vinegar factory now housed in a farmhouse in the Emilian countryside – he produces practically every possible fruit of acetification, mainly from wine. In addition to the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia Dop, in fact, there are several balsamic wines aged less than 12 years (but made with the same care), Saba (cooked grape must), Balsamela (aged and reduced apple vinegar), and the whole range of "raw": unfiltered and non-pasteurized vinegars, obtained from wines based on local native grape varieties or from other regions, think Pignoletto and Lambrusco, or the Timorasso by Walter Massa. Then there are the experiments with time (as in the 6 Year Reserve, made from the red wine of Cascina degli Ulivi) and materials used for aging, from juniper barrels to Georgian clay amphorae. Each product has its own character: from the honey sweetness of the beer vinegar, to the bitter notes of the vermouth vinegar, to the silky minerality of the amphora one. Just the quality of the raw materials and the firm "no" in regards to the "mother," says Bezzecchi, are the main points around which the Acid Friends were born. In the name of the complexity of a product that instead is very often trivialized by consumers (but also by some manufacturers), for the moment rather unaware of the articulations of the vinegar universe.

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THE ADVENTURE OF HYDROMEL «We carry a positive idea of the term "mother" that comes from bread baking, or perhaps even from the typical maternal attachment of us Italians – echoes the Trentino-native Andrea Paternoster, beekeeper and supporter of the floral biodiversity of Italy with the range of Thun honeys – But in this case it's not good for us». Naturally, Paternoster started making vinegar with honey. Or rather from hydromel: an ancient alcoholic beverage similar to mead, made with fermented honey and water (otherwise impossible, given the high sugar content that makes honey a difficult environment for bacteria, also making it an excellent preserva-

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tive), which perhaps was the basis of the first acetification in history. He initially swore he never would make vinegar: «It seemed like a distraction from honey. But then I saw that there was a lot of attention towards this product and I thought, since we are close to Trento, to make it a sparkling version with a technique similar to the Classic Method. It all started in 2001 from the idea of making honey vinegar, so first I needed to create an alcoholic base». To do this, he chose two products that are representative of the richness of the Italian flora: citrus honey (light, fresh and elegant, typically Mediterranean) and fir honeydew which embodies the alpine character, dark and with notes of malt, caramel, resin, slightly smokey. From this two very different vinegars are born, which reflect the ingredients' characteristics and that lend themselves to different uses. The emulsion of vinegar and honey can season a fresh floral gazpacho; the addition of a few drops in an Asian "miso type" broth, in which the meat is first browned in honey and then vinegar is 

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1. Andrea Bezzecchi, founder of Acetaia San Giacomo in Novellara (MO) and President of the Consortium for the protection of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia DOP 2. Andrea Paternoster, beekeeper for Thun honey 3. Joško Sirk: co-owner with son Mitja of Al Cacciatore de La Subida in Cormons 4. Mario Pojer: with his business partner Fiorentino Sandri creates elegant wines from native grapes in Trentino where they have also built a beautiful vinegar factory.

5. Andreas Widmann: he too is a wine producer in South Tyrol who also decided to make a good vinegar from his own grapes in the vinegar farm of Maso Auhof in Niclara.

Photos of Modestino Tozzi were shot at Un Posto a Milano at Cascina Cuccagna in Milan

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added gives the whole a sweet, umami, salty flavour. «A bit like in the Emilian sorbir, with a splash of Lambrusco added to bone broth».

STARTING FROM THE GRAPE In the Collio near Gorizia, Joško Sirk and his son Mitjia - supported by Michele Paiano, sommelier of La Subida who also is in charge of the marketing of vinegar - have instead recently chosen to start making vinegar not from wine but directly from grapes, i.e. specially harvested ribolla gialla grapes. «In addition to being "our"grape» - explains Paiano - ribolla is perfect because it has high starting acidity, develops little alcohol and has a thick skin that allows it to be kept in fermentation stage in large wooden vats for 11 months».

The ripe, healthy and de-stemmed grapes are fermented for a few days in large wooden vats; then "graft vinegar" - not the bacterial mother, but rather ready-made and "alive" vinegar - is added to start the acetic fermentation, which ends with the arrival of the cold months and starts again in the spring. Be- 

BALSAMICO, DIFFERENT NUANCES It's one of the most appreciated Italian products around the world but also the most imitated and counterfeited. And if in Emilia Romagna the tradition of starting a traditional Balsamic battery at the birth of each female daughter as a dowry is still alive, today there is a remarkable range of variously "balsamic" products.

How Traditional Balsamic Vinegar is made. The difference with “sour” vinegar is the starting raw material: not wine but grape must cooked over direct heat or in a boiler, which is acetified, mature and slowly age in small barrels of different woods (minimum 3, usually 5: oak, acacia, ash, cherry, chestnut, in Reggio Emilia we often use juniper which gives particular aromatic notes) and decreasing capacity, to naturally concentrate the sugars. Concentrated must is not added and acetobacteria are not inoculated but the barrels are prepared for acetification by filling them with "dry" vinegar (wine vinegar) still rich in bacterial colonies, which is then eliminated. The minimum aging is 12 years.

Origins and denominations. The overabundance of denominations is likely to be confusing. There are two PDOs of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar: Modena and Reggio Emilia. Since 2009 there is also the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP, with its own related Consortium, which today represents most of the production (99%, of which 92% intended for export) while the traditional PDOs are a very small niche. To distinguish them, pay attention to the words used on the label: Traditional and Dop or Igp! The DOP. For the two PDOs, the starting raw material and the slow aging process in cask (for at least 12 years, over 25 years it's considered Traditional Extra-Aged Balsamic Vinegar) are the essential conditions for having a viscous, rich, naturally dark and full of nuances product; aging and quality are further sanctioned and coded by a system of numerical scores or, for Reggio Emilia, different coloured seals (lobster, silver and gold for the Extra-aged).

IGP. In the case of Igp, instead, we start from wine vinegar to which at least 20% of cooked and/or concentrated must is added (raw materials that can come from anywhere), and with the possible addition of caramel, which is allowed for a maximum of 2% of the volume to give colour. The minimum refinement is 60 days (if it rests for over 3 years it is labeled as "aged") and the assembly of raw materials, the processing, the refinement and aging must take place in the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia, while bottling can be done anywhere.

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AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 (PLUS) VINEGARS Vinegar made from wine, apples, rice, red fruits, beer, honey. But also tomatoes, cucumbers, purple potatoes and exotic berries such as jabuticaba, a prodigious fruit of the Amazon areas of Brazil from which an almost sweet vinegar is obtained, appreciated by super chef Alex Atala. If you abandon the usual, surprising discoveries can be made, in a real "trip" that's more acid than lysergic. The nuances and stories told by the globe's acetic fermentations are infinite; here are some of the most interesting.

1 Asia Let's start from afar: here rice vinegar reigns supreme (see box), but there is also room for flavourings as in tosazu, infused with katsuobushi to give an unusual smokey note. Always in Japan – but also in Korea and Taiwan, and now also in the USA – drinking vinegars are equally successful thanks above all to Mitsuyasu Uchibori, representative of the fourth generation of family vinegar makers, and to his line of Dessert Vinegar®: fruit vinegars (from mango to yuzu) that are sweet and refreshing, to drink diluted in water or soy milk or to accompany ice cream or desserts.

2 Scotland In Mainland, the largest island in the remote Orkney Islands, former chef Sam Britten has started making sustainable and "ultralocal" vinegars alongside the fermentation of the native barley malt drink and honey to that of others products, often personally foraged, such as seaweed, herbs and rhubarb. The collaboration with the island distillery Highland Park, whose barrels are used to age malt vinegar, completes the picture. Orkney Craft vinegars, made with a "mother" and unfiltered, are particularly soft, round and deep.

3 Austria In Austria, Erwin Gegenbauer – who in Vienna also produces oil from seeds and fruit kernels, as well as roasts coffee – is known as "the godfather of vinegar". Son of an industrial pickle producer and preserves, since 1992 has opted for quality vinegar. His products, appreciated by chefs and mixologists from all over the world, are characterised by complexity, elegance and creativity.

Eclectic and meticulous in his experiments, Gegenbauer ferments and acetifies almost everything and in addition to balsamic vinegars he produces, for example, cucumber, asparagus, melon and fig vinegars.

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fore the next harvest, the mass is pressed and the liquid obtained rests for at least another three years passing in smaller barrels, then in the tank and finally in the bottle, losing the roughness of the tannins and becoming soft, full yet round; perfect in the Sirk Vinegar sorbet proposed by chef Alessandro Gavagna at Al Cacciatore de La Subida restaurant.

THE UNION BETWEEN WINE AND SPIRITS Mario Pojer – who in 1965 together with business partner Fiorentino Sandri started a different kind of project on the hills of Faedo in Trentino, creating elegant wines with great personality and made from grapes at the time considered minor such as schiava and nosiola, as well as big spirits and unique products that unite the two worlds – instead has decided to create an acetaia in the ancient Maso Besleri in the Val di Cembra. Here, over the course of two summers wine and fermented fruit become vinegar. The red wine vinegar is made with solaris grapes, a variety resistant

EVERYTHING ABOUT VINEGAR. BUT THE REAL THING!

to fungal diseases created in Freiburg with a long cross-pollination process, from which a wine with zero chemical impact and without any additives since 2013 is obtained: Zero Infinito. But the vinegar factory was born first, in the 90s, when Pojer has the idea of using a part of the first phase of the distillation of the local fruit (quince apples, elderberries, currants, raspberries) to make vinegar, in the wake of the typical tradition of Styria and the work of the Gölles family, historical name of the Austrian distillation and acetification.

TIME AND LIVE GRAFTS Andreas Widmann, in Cortaccia since 1991 has taken up the ancient family and peasant custom of making vinegar, parallel to the production of wine, however changing many things. If once the "mother" was used and the following the moon's guidelines were followed – filling the barrels with new wine before and after the full moon – today in the vinegar cellar built out of a part of the Auhof farm, on the hills of the hamlet of Niclara,

surface static acetification is used as well as “graft vinegar” to slowly transform, without forcing, the wines into fragrant, decisive but elegant vinegars: mostly red, from a blend of schiava, merlot and cabernet, but also white wine vinegar made with pinot bianco, only on request. And then there are the fruit vinegars, made in small quantities with what grows in the family orchard: apricots, peaches, plums, persimmons. «I decided to change the method in order to have more control over the fermentation and not to disturb it with onstant refilling. Following tradition is not necessarily always the best choice; however, I must say that there are also excellent vinegars made with the "mother» he explains, betraying a "softer" than others on this issue. On the other hand, each of the Acid Friends has his own character, just like the vinegars they produce.

United however – in addition to the 50 ml bottle adopted by everyone, with a vaporizer nozzle – by the common goal of bringing vinegar out of the salad bowl and giving it nobility, role, complexity. . 

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BALSAMIC VINEGAR ACCORDING TO THE NEW EUROPEAN LAW The recent ruling of the European Court of Justice (December 2019) confirmed that "the protection for Balsamic Vinegar of Modena does not extend to the "individual" and "non-geographical" use of the term balsamic. In essence, you can continue to freely use the word "balsamic" (without territorial references) for various kinds of condiments. The institutions and bodies involved see it as an act of lèse-majesté and as a potential economic damage, but it must be said that it is difficult to "lock in" a term in common use; and that, also given the wide links of the IGP appellation, it may be the case of "generically" balsamic products that are of greater gastronomic interest than those with the seal.

WHY AND HOW RADDA IN CHIANTI BECAME THE MECCA OF SANGIOVESE PURISTS The divide between the provinces of Florence and Siena, Radda is a central sub-area for Chianti Classico that's increasingly loved by Sangiovese purists. Through the analysis of its history, terroir and more than twenty labels, we explain why

words by Antonio Boco

1

I

f there were a stock exchange in the Chianti Classico sub-areas, the Radda stock would risk being suspended due to an increase in price.

We're not talking about any place of the denomination: Radda has always been pivotal in the Chianti scene, starting from the political-administrative level. The capital of the Lega del Chianti was established here and from the end of the 13th century it became the seat of the podestĂ appointed by the Florentine Republic. The events related to wine are no less significant, premise and consequence of a centrality that in this area has never neglected the topic.

GRANDEUR THAT COMES (NOT STRICTLY) FROM THE PAST So why be surprised? Isn't it normal to see Radda's wines at the top of the denomination? It's not enough to look at the most remote past, nor is it enough to

fix one's gaze on the pressing topicality.

Terroir is a dynamic concept, forced to deal with history, time and trends. And with contradictions, too.

Meanwhile, the administrative centrality of Radda has never brought the area out of its peripheral orbit, especially from a logistical point of view. In 1773, the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo upon visiting, found it "far from everything."

He started implementing infrastructure aimed at improving the roads which, however, contributed only minimally to bringing the territory out of its isolation and consequent poverty.

However, history takes curious twists: sometimes it jealously guards what it considers most precious, hiding it to reveal it at the right time. Radda and its wines seem among these hidden treasures, generated by a land that, today more than ever, reveals its greatness to ď‚„ the world.

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Radda has been a focal location in the political geography of Chianti Classico, since the Middle Ages. But its present greatness is not only linked to past history

THE ASSOCIATION OF WINEMAKERS SMALL FARMERS ON A BIG TEAM Many winemakers, in some cases rather small, for a large team: Radda.

The Associazione Vignaioli di Radda was born to promote and bring added value to the local wines, but also to team up and engage in solid collaboration and mutual support. Among the fundamental points of the Statute, which includes 24 wineries, there are respect for the environment and biodiversity; knowledge of the area it belongs to and its cultural and oenological traditions; wines produced from local grapes and central status of Sangiovese. The municipal area is 80.56 sq km, with 30% occupied by of agricultural setups. The vineyard is organically managed for over 60% of the 700 total hectares, which are capable of an average annual production of 3 million bottles. The current President is Roberto Bianchi of Val delle Corti, while Vice President is Martino Manetti of Montevertine, whose wines do not belong to the Chianti Classico appellation but, as everyone knows, represent an authentic reference for Italian enology on an international level. The complete members are: Borgo La Stella, Borgo Salcetino, Brancaia, Cantina Castelvecchi, Caparsa, Castello di Albola, Castello di Radda, Castello di Volpaia, Castello di Monterinaldi, Colle Bereto, Fattoria di Montemaggio, Istine, L’Erta di Radda, Monteraponi, Montevertine, Podere Capaccia, Podere l’Aja, Podere Terreno alla Volpaia, Poggerino, Pruneto, Tenuta Carleone di Castiglioni, Terrabianca, Val delle Corti, Vignavecchia.

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Above, the producers gathered in the Radda Winemakers Association.

In other photos, the vineyards landscape and hills surrounding Radda, in the Chianti Classico The tasting photos were taken

by Alessandro Boletti In the opening, a classic view of the hilly vineyards around the town centre of one of the most famous and important wine terroirs in Italy and in the world (photo by Alessandro Moggi)

STORIES

TERRITORY, WINERIES AND GOURMET MEALS

Osteria Rifugio del Chianti Lamole

Panzano in Chianti

Forno di Volpaia Osteria di Volpaia

Podere Terreno alla Via della Volpaia

Castello di Volpaia Borgo Salcetino

L’Erta di Radda

Montevertine Pruneto

Osteria Le Panzanelle

Montemaggio Castello di Albola Volpaia Fattoria Poggerino

Santa Maria a Grignano

Monterinaldi

Castelvecchi

Caparsa

Istine

La Penisola - Chianti Kashmere products Birrificio Chianti Brew Fighters

Vignavecchia

Radda in Chianti Casanuova di Pietrafitta

Tenuta di Carleone

Hotel Radda CDH

Colle Bereto

La Ceramica di Angela Pianigiani

Podere L’Aja

Castellina in Chianti

Vertine

Val delle Corti

Gaiole in Chianti

Monteraponi Croce Fiorentina

Galenda Adine Brancaia

50m

RADDA IN CHIANTI Da Giovannino B&B

Borgo La Stella

Enoteca casa Porciatti

Hotel Palazzo Leopoldo

Fonterutoli

a

m Ro Via

Dormire amid tra le vines vigne Sleeping Macelleria Rocchigiani

Ospitalità Hospitality San Leonino Pausestops golose Tasty

Via

Vagliagli

Shopping Shopping Mangiare Where to eat Cantine Wineries

XX

Terrabianca

Set

tem

Enoteca Bar Dante

1km

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bre

Gelateria Sampoli & Lapis

RADDA IN CHIANTI

SLEEPING EATING SHOPPING Radda, land of wines and cellars. Understandable that many have planned to welcome visitors with quality accommodation, starting from agriturismo working farmhouses. Here are our choices for sleeping, eating and shopping: WHERE TO SLEEP Poggerino, Castello di Albola, Castello di Volpaia, Monteraponi, Val delle Corti, Caparsa and Podere Terreno (which offers half board). Outside the wine companies, you can stay overnight with satisfaction Da Giovannino (B&B in the heart of the village), the Hotel Palazzo Leopoldo (which has good offers in the "off season") and the Hotel Radda CDH (with a splendid panoramic location and spa).

FOODSHOP Non In Radda there is also a place for gelato lovers and high-level pastry (Sampoli & Lapis) and for craft beer lovers, thanks to the Chianti Brew Fighters brewery.

Beer purchasers are also spoiled for choice. To stock up on bottles of local wine, there's Enoteca Porciatti (with kitchen) and Enoteca Bar Dante.

WHERE TO EAT For lovers of fine food, there is the timeless Osteria Le Panzanelle, as well as Volpaia which offers a complete wine list managed by two young connoisseurs. In Volpaia, in April the Forno reopens, a historic traditional restaurant. macelleria Rocchigiani (sublime meats prepared before your eyes, to be eaten on the spot) and the Osteria Rifugio del Chianti (in the hamlet of Badia a Montemuro).

SHOPPING There is no shortage of solutions for those looking for fashion items: consider visiting La Penisola - Chianti Kashmere Products, to find creations made with the wool of Kashemere goats bred in Tuscany in the first and largest breeder in Europe. For art lovers there's Angela Pianigiani's handcrafted ceramics, in the atelier-shop located in LocalitĂ La Malpensata.

A land that almost renounces the soil, in the literal sense of the term. Here is the interplay between galestro and alberese to colour the soils, drawing a varied territory and making the wines shine in a different way, albeit in a continuous and defined wave. Rock and limestone: "hard as the head of the Raddesi", says someone. Certainly the wealth of skeleton characterises the whole area and guarantees vibrations, tensions and, in the best cases, finesse.

ON THE DIVIDE BETWEEN DENOMINATIONS A first division of the area, following the map by Alessandro Masnaghetti and the precious insight of agronomist Andrea Frassineti, draws a line that separates the north from the southern part of the municipality. Radda is in fact a true dividing line of the denomination, divided in turn into two areas: that of the ď‚„

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LE STORIE

A MOSAIC OF DIFFERENT SOILS The precious geological and elevation maps of the Radda area, created by agronomist Andrea Frassineti (see charts), immediately highlight the characteristics and discontinuity of the area. The most dense part planted in vineyards is in the north, while in the south the woodland component is decidedly relevant and often "hides" the rows. In the former, boulder and sand play a leading role, but there is also a less planted portion with shaleclay character. In the south Monte Morello formation dominates, characterised by marly clays that give life to the so-called Alberese. To act as a buffer between the two, a kind of transition zone (Sillano formation, Pietraforte) particularly rich in galestro.

In regards to the elevation map, it's evident at first glance how the bulk of the vineyards exceeds 350 meters, while cases of vines in the valley bottom are quite rare. The altitude 351-600 is indicated on the map by three varying levels, highlighted by as many

2016: A STELLAR VINTAGE IN 13 LABELS Gambero Rosso asked the Associazione Vignaioli di Radda to organize a large exclusive tasting, held at the Chianti Classico headquarters in April. Antonio Boco, Giuseppe Carrus, Gianni Fabrizio and Franco Pallini attended the tasting. The vintage chosen to feel the pulse of the area was the extraordinary 2016, truly magical, capable of giving mouth-watering wines in the short term as well as guaranteeing long-pitched bottles, with great balance, complexity and finesse. In Radda, this vintage has brought value to the classic Sangiovese traits of the area, delivering airy and refined wines, nuanced and rich in chiaroscuro, undoubtedly capable of defying time. The tasting did not lack some old bottles, inserted in random order to evaluate their evolutionary capacity. The results provided a more difficult picture to read, due to the very nature of the tasting (different vintages and evolutionary phases of the companies not comparable) but certainly the large bottles were not lacking. Among these we point out the most significant labels in our opinion:

green shades, capable overall of occupying a large part of

1

3

the surface (but the bulk is

Montevertine Montevertine 1996

Caparsa Chianti Classico Doccio a Matteo 2006

2

4

Poggerino Chianti Classico Riserva Bugialla 1996

Val delle Corti Chianti Classico Riserva 2007

between 350 and 450 meters).

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RADDA IN CHIANTI

Radda in Chianti is the divider of the composition of the territory: a line clearly divides the production area into a northern and southern part

5

10

Monterinaldi Chianti Classico Riserva 2009

Istine Chianti Classico Riserva 2012

6

11

Monteraponi Chianti Classico Baron’Ugo 2010

Borgo La Stella Chianti Classico 2013

7

12

Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva 2010

Tenuta di Carleone Il Guercio 2015

8

13

Colle Bereto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2010

Podere Terreno Chianti Classico 2015

9 Pruneto Chianti Classico Riserva 2011

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Pesa stream, which flows towards Florence, and that of the Arbia river, which proceeds towards Siena. The northern part is the most relevant, in terms of the area planted in vines and the density of cellars, most characterised by boulder and sandstone. The south is the most jagged, with the exception of the section near the town, marked by a large woodland, as well as by soils of a significant limestone weight. Another fundamental question to understand the wines of the area is altitude. The peaks are not lacking in any quadrant but, in general, the highest vineyards are located in the north, in some cases above 800-meter elevation. This data, immediately capable of evoking steep rows and off-scale slopes, continental climates and sensational temperature ranges, crossed with poor soils, gives us a clear picture and makes us understand how, from these contexts, Sangiovese can give its best in terms ď‚„

TASTING NOTES

LE STORIE

Terrabianca – Campaccio ’16

87

Blend from classic Supertuscan, with Sangiovese embracing Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; maturation in barrique for 12 months and another 6 in the bottle.

Dark-coloured wine, with aromatic touches of ripe fruit alongside spicy hints of vanilla. Balanced, dense and rich mouth but capable of good freshness.

Brancaia – Chianti Cl. Ris. ’16

88

Very attributable to the style of the house, judiciously modern, this Sangiovese with a share of merlot needs a few minutes to open but will show its best face, intense and decisive as it is multifaceted. Cacao and dark fruits, coffee roaster and spices, both on the nose and in a mouth that's still contracted on the tannic front.

Podere Terreno – Chianti Cl. ’16

85

Light color with garnet nail, with an open and legible nose. The Chianti Classico 16 of Podere Terra lends toasted notes and some hints of vegetables. The sip is flowing in the first part but closes rough and rather tannic.

Tenuta di Carleone – Uno ’16

94

Unmistakable and superlative wine of its kind. Sangiovese in purity, made with 20% whole bunches, vinified in cement and steel. The maceration is very long, up to two months, the consequent aging still in cement and a small part in tonneau. Burgundy-inspired wine, electric and delicious like few others.

Castello di Volpaia – Chianti Cl. Ris. ’16

91

Magical place and wonderful wines. Volpaia is worth a visit and a tasting, starting from this super Reserve of strictly Sangiovese grapes, fermented in steel before ripening in 30 hl barrels. The fruit is ripe, the spice notes are never intrusive and the hints of Mediterranean scrub are engaging. Classy and complex mouth. 

of finesse and depth. Easy to say today, less obvious in past years.

A TREND… IN COUNTERTREND Radda ranks high with lovers of the most authentic, sharp and nervous Sangiovese, perhaps with some edge and rusticity but never lacking in acidity, flavour and longevity. Positive characteristics for many now, but not at all shared in the years of the so-called "Italian wine renaissance" (between the late 1980s and the early 2000s), an era in which a model made up of extraction, roundness, exaltation of the fruit and toasted references dominated.

Another issue to consider is the ongoing climate changes. These are capable of making an area full of uncertainties, including those relating to the perfect ripening of the grapes–– never simple or obvious––into a more

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benevolent and comfortable cradle.

From this point of view, also thanks to a certainly more modern and precise viticulture, things have changed radically compared to the past, with the obvious consequences reflected in the wines produced.

THE HUMAN ELEMENT Finally, the most exquisitely "human" piece of information: it's rare to find a territory with many brilliant wineries and excellent producers like in Radda, capable however of creating a "wine community" that talks, reasons, compares and collaborates in substantial fashion. A fundamental fact, without which the concept of terroir would be incomplete and the area unable to make so many great wines; but above all to boats the identity, the recognizability and the extraordinary character  that distinguishes it. 

RADDA IN CHIANTI

Caparsa – Chianti Cl. Ris. Doccio a Matteo ’16



89

Very fascinating wine, made almost exclusively with Sangiovese grapes (the amount of colorino grape is minimal). Spontaneous fermentation and aging in oak and concrete barrels for a nuanced red, Radda native to the core in the texture of small red fruits and in the pleasantly rustic and tasty sip.

Montevertine – Le Pergole Torte ’16

95

Pergole 2016 will remain in the annals, like the great historical bottles of the best vintages, period. A wine that will excite us in many years, of deep clarity, but just for this reason best to wait. Welcomes with intense fruity and floral notes, it captivates in the mouth for the sweet/savoury contrast, tension and refined tannins. But the best is yet to come.

Castello d’Albola – Chianti Cl. Ris. ’16

91 SANGIOVESE? HERE IT AQUIRES FINESSE, ACIDITY, ELEGANCE Sangiovese is a chameleon grape variety. It lets the territory speak, changes and transforms itself in relation to where it grows. The area of Radda in Chianti translates the grape into finesse, acidity, elegance, thanks to a high, fresh, rocky, Alberese and galestro area. Elevation here also reached 500 meters with constant ventilation, even on sunny summer days, with high temperature ranges. This is a territory with a wild charm, a difficult terrain for “hard men” to cultivate, where the rock under a few centimeters of soil forces the Sangiovese roots to go deep to draw nourishment. The Chianti Classico of Radda is frank and juicy, with great expressive integrity. The aromas focus on floral traits of violet and pulpy red fruits such as morello cherries. The palate develops with linear growth, in which softness and precise but smooth tannins contribute to the agility of drinking highlighted by freshness. With a tapered and sharp profile, this wine captivates those looking for Chianti Classico, that elegant rustic component that is typical of the quintessential Tuscan grape. Those who are intrigued by vertical and rarefied atmospheres love it, those who flee from muscularity and fatness but are fascinated by the whispers of wine, are beguiled by its detail and subtleties. .

– Valentino Tesi, Best Italian AIS Sommelier for 2019

Here is one of the most beautiful realities of Radda, with vineyards that reach dizzying heights and slopes. The wines are a faithful reading of this terroir, starting from the Riserva. Boasts delicious fruit, between notes of red cherry, wild strawberries and lashings of citrus. The mouth is precise and deep, of impeccable extraction.

Borgo La Stella – Chianti Cl. Gran Selezione ’16

87

Sangiovese and merlot (20%), 18 months in tonneaux and 12 months in the bottle before going out on the market. The result is an intense but not completely open wine, of excellent material and good fruity pulp. The end of the mouth is still quite nervous.

Monteraponi – Chianti Cl. Il Campitello Ris. ’16

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Over the course of a few years Monteraponi has become one of the reference wineries of the Chianti Classico and Michele Braganti, its creator, one of the most inspired winemakers. It was 

therefore reasonable to expect a great Riserva from the splendid 2016 vintage. Campitello is a jewel of grace and flavour, with fine floral references, impeccable texture and deep finish.

STORIES



Val delle Corti – Chianti Cl. Ris. ’16

96

A masterpiece. Difficult and perhaps useless to use other terms for Roberto Bianchi's Riserva '16. A wine that smells of cellar humors and in the mouth is the most faithful to the idea we have of Radda and the Sangiovese of Chianti Classico in general. Mouth of sensational flavour and length.

Colle Bereto – Chianti Cl. Gran Selezione ’16

83

Sangiovese in purity, fermentation in truncated conical wooden vats and aging in barrels of 25 hl, for about 36 months. This is the path of the Gran Selezione di Colle Bereto, a wine with floral hints of poppy, rather ripe fruit and coffee grounds. The mouth is open, perhaps not as dynamic as one would expect.

Podere L’Aja – L’Ingegnere ’16

81

L’Ingegnere derives from pure Sangiovese grapes, vinified in whole bunches. Scents recall red currant, and with citrusy fingers of pink grapefruit and macerated rose petals. The mouth has a similar set up, although it seemed a little poor in flavour and length.

Monterinaldi – Chianti Cl. Vigneto Boscone ’16

89

Among the realities on the launch pad, Monterinaldi looks equipped to take flight. Vigneto Boscone is Sangiovese in purity, fermented and aged in cement tanks. Blood orange and iodine sensations on the nose, well blended with slight spiciness. Delicious and tasty mouth. 

THE VINEYARDS WHERE LANDSCAPE-WINES ARE BORN In the first "tasting trip" of Vino al vino, dated autumn 1968, Mario Soldati writes that the Chianti Classico region "seems strangely mountainous, higher than its actual altitude."

Every time I go back to Radda, I also have a similar feeling, like travelling at higher altitudes than the actual elevation of the places. The vertical profile of the landscape, the stony character of the vineyards I like to find in the wines: innervated with tension and acid freshness, straight in the posture and vibrant with juiciness, the best Chianti Classico di Radda are for me landscape-wines in the most persuasive of the meaning of the term. True, they speak an essential and quick language, which maybe someone will percieve as a little abrupt. On the contrary, I feel at home in this deliberate absence of frills and pleasantries; and the fluidity of the best Radda wines seems to me anything but a limit, indeed a precious resource of expressive transparency, capable of revealing the genius loci with honesty.

– Giampaolo Gravina, critic and wine writer

SUSPENDED ON THE HILLS OF CHIANTI Radda is central, on top of the hill; it is the jewel in the crown of the true Chianti. The vineyards that surround it are suspended in the Chianti mountains. The soils are the classic mosaic of the area: galestro, alberese and boulder gravel. Here the Sangiovese, thanks to the care of caring vintners, gives life to wines of exceptional finesse and delicacy, with more colour, astringency and power than Lamole wines but less than those of Panzano and Monti. The producers range from large estates, such as Castello d'Albola (Zonin), to dynamic family businesses such as Volpaia, up to small winemakers such as Poggerino or Caparsa, who personally tend to the land. For all, one mission: loyalty to place.

– Bill Nesto, Master of Wine, Master Lecturer at Boston University and co-author with Frances Di Savino of Chianti Classico: The Search for Tuscany’s Noblest Wine (University of California Press, 2016)

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RADDA IN CHIANTI

Istine – Chianti Cl. Vigna Istine ’16



93

Angela Fronti has accustomed us to the best, it's no coincidence then that she has quickly become one of the most talented interpreters of the Radda territory and of all the Chianti Classico.

Vigna Istine '16 is a light but tough red, finely spiced, with beautiful floral and aromatic herb notes. Appetizing, precise and dynamic mouth.

Poggerino – Chianti Cl. Bugialla Ris. ’16

89

Absolute high-level cellar and wines always at the top of the appellation, Poggerino confirms expectations with a Riserva Bugialla '16 that recalls watermelon, red apple and fresh flowers. The mouth is of flavour and substance, with tight tannins and a slightly too strong alcoholic perception.

Vignavecchia – Chianti Cl. Odoardo Beccari Gran Selezione ’16

87

Sangiovese (90%) and small balance of canaiolo (10%), vinification in cement and maturation in large barrels for two years, before being bottled for another 6 months.

Charming wine, with a soft colour and pleasant aromas of red fruit and fresh flowers. Rhythmic and tasty mouth.

Pruneto – Chianti Cl. ’16

89

We hadn't had a chance to taste the wines of this fascinating artisan reality in Radda for a while and we must say that we found them in great shape. The Chianti Classico 2016 is wide, fine, embroidered on tones of small complex berries, with a spicy touch coming in after a beat. Mouth is hard and juicy, sweet and tense. 

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

Montemaggio – Chianti Cl. ’16

88

Sangiovese with a minimum part of merlot (5%), vinification in truncated cone vats with spontaneous fermentation for 35 days, maturation in large casks for about three years. The result is an engaging wine that opens with toasted notes, touches of graphite, fresh red fruits and a dynamic sip, sometimes rough but always tasty and pleasant.

Castelvecchi – Chianti Cl. Gran Selezione Madonnino della Pieve ’16

80

The wine derives from Sangiovese grapes, coming from a single vineyard (Madonnino). The maceration on the skins is quite long (40 to 50 days), the aging in barrique lasts two years, before resting in the bottle for another 12 months. The result is a dense wine, with mature and soft features, perhaps lacking a touch of grit and tension.

Borgo Salcetino – Chianti Cl. Gran Selezione I Salci ’16

87

The Chianti winery of the Livon family is always a safe haven for drinkers seeking elegant and beautiful Sangiovese. The Salci, compared to the rest of the range, has perhaps a more modern and mature trait, however enlivened by a fresh mouth, with a fine acid spike and a snappy finish.

L’Erta di Radda – Chianti Cl. Ris. ’16

91

A recent reality but already among the best in Radda, at least judging from the latest samples. The Riserva '16 is made with Sangiovese grapes vinified traditionally, and with a long maceration on the skins up to 40 days, and maturation in small oak barrels. Delicious wine in a chace between its fruity and floral and (slightly) toasted parts. Beautiful mouth, hard and tasty, rhythmic and long.

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5 TRADITIONAL DISHES FOR RADDA WINES Elegance, a certain rarefaction of tones and scents, but also a lot of freshness and intensity of tannins: these are the characteristics unanimously assigned to Radda wines. Not to mention that in this sub-area of Chianti Classico we also have interesting white wines, both from international and native grapes. Here are 5 dishes to make a quick but comprehensive overview of Radda wines according to Andrea Gori, owner of Da Burde restaurant, a Florence venue that this year conquered the Tre Gambero recognition in the Gambero Rosso Restaurant Guide to Italy:

1 Liver crostini The white of Monteraponi (Tuscan Trebbiano) is very savoury but it also has sweetness redolent of fruit and citrus: it can accompany this dish very well

2

A PIONEERING AND EXCITING COLLECTIVE PATH The initial activity carried out in Radda in Chianti represented a key moment in the growth of the Sangiovese Purosangue project. In 2010, for the Radda nel Bicchiere event, I held my very first seminar on the old vintages of Sangiovese, in the Radda versions. I still remember with amazement a Sodaccio di Montevertine 1988 intact and very vital, but also other excellent expressions such as the Riserva 1999 Bugialla di Poggerino, the Doccio a Matteo 1999 by Caparsa, the Chianti Classico 1996 by Pruneto, the Campitello 2004 by Monteraponi and the Chianti Classico 1999 by Val delle Corti. The potential of the Radda producers was perfectly perceived, but at that moment the only one really known to the public was Montevertine. Martino Manetti had the great merit of trying to form a group among the producers and to stimulate their quality growth, in the name of Sangiovese, in the specific and unique Radda version. There's a lot left to do stil, but I remember those pioneering times with great affection. – Davide Bonucci, Founder of Enoclub Siena

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Chickpea cacciucco For this territorial soup I chose the Chianti Classico vintage of Volpaia, a classic

3 Pici with slow-cooked meat sauce For a hearty pasta and a slow cooked sauce, here is an austere but perfectly ripe Riserva by Montemaggio

4 Scottiglia bianca game The game here means roe deer, wild boar and hare: I combine the feminine elegance of Pergole Torte 2014, another masterpiece from Montevertine

5 Zuppa inglese A traditional home-made trifle-like dessert: Istine's Vermouth, from Sangiovese base wine with absinthe and other botanicals, is a perfect pairing

INTO THE WILD IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA. AMID ABORIGINES AND EXTREME FLAVOURS Among Aborigines, alligators, green ants, national parks and boundless territories, we toured Northern Australia, the region that was untouched by the dramatic fires that devastated the east and south of the country last month. With some advice for where to eat (including raw worms, if desired) and, above all, to drink beer

words by Giovanni Angelucci - infographics by Alessandro Naldi

STORIES

“T

he real journey, as an introjection of an 'outside' that's different from our usual one, implies a total change of food, a swallowing up of the visited country, its fauna and flora and its culture [...] making it pass through the lips and the esophagus.

This is the only way of traveling that makes sense today, when everything that is visible can also be seen on television without moving from your armchair." The quote is by Italo Calvino who wrote it in the collection of short stories Under the Jaguar Sun,. The quote doesn't impress much for the incontrovertible truth contained in the few lines, but above all because the consideration dates back to half a century ago. And now more than ever the concept of tasting a place visited to learn of its soul, in a real and not a metaphorical sense, is quite current.

One of the destinations that can best convey this idea is - with a good dose of certainty - the Australian Northern Territory, Aboriginal Australia where you can immerse yourself in a millenary culture made of unimaginable traditions and flavours. This is especially so for us Europeans. Truth is that we know very little about that part of the world, perhaps because it's too far and difficult to reach: few people decide to travel there to discover the territories, even if the number of curious travelers is growing increasingly, especially among the most ardent and daredevil foodies.

That Australia is a huge and boundless country, however, is well known: anyone wishing to undertake this journey without resorting to organized packages must have an idea of where to go and what's in store, in particular if interests are stimulated by gastronomic attractions.

1

ABORIGINAL CUISINE IN 5 DISHES

1

4

Barramundi Tasty fish caught in the rivers of the Top End and cooked under ashes

Kangaroo The is typically grilled in the form of a burger. But it's also enjoyed raw, as carpaccio

2 Crocodile Grilled as a great burger, or as an ingredient for a soup

3 EmĂš The largest native bird of Australia: its lean meat is enjoyed raw or barely seared

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5 Saratoga A freshwater bone fish, also called guluibirr: normally stuffed with the leaves of the paper tree that give it a very particular flavour

NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

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FROM RED CENTRE TO TOP END As can be easily imagined, the Australian Northern Territory covers the northern part of the continent called Top End, but its desert extension begins from the centre of the country, the so-called Red Centre. Compared to the size (almost one and a half million km²), the population only counts 230,000 inhabitants, a quarter of whom are Australian Aborigines. When packing your suitcase, be prepared to learn that you will be a corner of the planet that is still very authentic, at times wild, even if largely evolved. If wondering about the gastronomic places to visit... well, consider that there are no gourmet restaurants, but the authenticity is as rich as the heritage you'll discover. With a long flight you will arrive in the capital Darwin: a lively city, where the majority of the population lives, and which offers a good place to start explor-

ing, and a happy welcome. Along the main road, Mitchell Street, you will find various shops, bars and restaurants: for a good ice cream go to John John, for an excellent pizza visit Italian native Alfonsino's, for an exquisite barramundi (the most popular local fish) go to the waterfront and book a table at Wharf One. For a more upscale dinner, reserve at Char. For a fine craft beer the One Mile brewery will welcome you. Take a half hour to explore a well-stocked old-fashioned deli that sells every quality food, Parap Fine Foods: it's always been in the hands of a Greek family and here you will also find a section dedicated to spirits including the famous Australian Green Ants Gin inside which you will see floating small green ants, rich in formic acid and widespread in the area, used as a botanical during the producď‚„ tion of the distillate.

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1. Palm fronds torn and selected to be woven (photo Tourism NT/Michael Costa) 2. Local caramboola, in English "star fruit" (photo Tourism NT/Michael Costa) 3. A tasting inside the Kakadu National Park (photo Tourism NT/Jewels Lynch) 4. Cooking barramundi fish (photo Tourism NT/Michael Costa) In the opening: bush walkabout in search of herbs and wild roots (photo Tourism NT/Archie Sartracom)

STORIES

LEAN AND UNIQUE MEATS, A VERY LIGHT CUISINE Here we do Aboriginal cuisine which I call "unique and lean": there are two traditional ways to cook, either on direct heat or underground. At the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel we combine local and western ways of cooking respecting and using 60,000 years of culture and tradition. I use a lot of crocodile and kangaroo meat, both particularly lean so there is not much margin for error and I can use all the different cuts. I also like to use green ants that have a citrusy taste as they live on the lilipilly tree. Among the native ingredients that I use in my kitchen is also Australian myrtle, native finger lime (aka lemon caviar), kakadu plum, spinach, old man evergreen saltbush, and then buffalo meat, camel and our typical barramundi fish. One of my favourite dishes, however, is kangaroo tail that I cook similarly to oxtail. My two most popular recipes are the crispy skin barramundi with native lemongrass, and kangaroo loin served with cauliflower, broccoli and potatoes. – Duane Hateley, chef at Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel

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AN IMMENSE TERRITORY But don't forget that distances here are remarkable, so vast that if you wanted to take a beer tour around local pubs to taste the best Australian labels, you should do it on a helicopter. Yes, that's right: Airborne Solutions (airbornesolutions.com.au) actually offers a Heli Pub Crawl to discover unique places that can only be reached by helicopter, considering how far they are from each other. A unique experience that will allow not only to realize the extraordinary vastness of this immense territory by seeing it from above, but also to reach remote and fascinating places and drink Australian beer. One of such places is the Crab Claw Resort, where the affable owner John Roodenrys offers a vast islet for the night, and also boats to go fishing and barbecues to cook the spoils paired to over twenty different types of beer. Then there is Scott Olive's Darwin River Tavern whose 3 articulate and tasty project consists of a pub where you can taste over fifty labels paired to the powerfully Australian cuisine that includes pork ribs, fried chicken and large cuts of meat. There is also a farm with shelter for "homeless animals" where ducks, dogs, black pigs, hens, emus, chickens and various species of other birds are housed. Scott cares about animal welfare and the well-being of his customers to whom he serves the best products from nearby companies; his micro brewery is also in the works. Finally, an unmissable stop: in the middle of nowhere is Goat Island Lodge, where Danish owner Kai Hansen lives with his crocodiles. He decided to settle here decades ago, and as a fine host he will welcome you, tell you a tangle of stories and introduce you to his thirty-two year old crocodile that wanders among the vegetation like a pet... after all, not many people pass by here!

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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE ABORIGINES Back on dry land, treat yourself to a regenerating and romantic aperitif overlooking the ocean at Nightcliff, enjoying a truly special sunset paired with the food of several quality food trucks that take care of your dinner. Names?

The small food truck Needle in a Haystack serves excellent cuts of goat meat and cheeses. But you will have to think about the wine by buying your bottles and uncorking them on site. You will experience one of the most fascinating sunsets ever.

Darwin will certainly give you a pleasant welcome but you'll realize where you actually are when you take a plane (barely 2-hour flight) to reach the heart of the outback. We could say the "hearts" because different scenarios feed this spe-

cial world: for sure, Alice Springs, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kakadu National Park and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park are the most striking (remote and lost) within a wonderful context, surrounded by the desert and in an atmosphere that's hard to imagine. A veritable living cultural landscape that has been home of the local Aborigines population for over 65,000 years: one of the rare places in the world included in the UNESCO World Heritage list for its natural and cultural values.

Culture since nature has unique and spectacular expressions: the presence of Aborigines civilization is the protagonist with its ingredients and fascinating ancient traditions. This is definitely the deepest experience you can have in Australia.

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DEEP AUSTRALIA AND FORAGING QThe word foraging is now very fashionalbe in Europe, especially among chefs.

Around here it's done fo real! You will enter the bush: a natural space that's opposite to the civilized one, an immense and boundless area in which nature rules, the sacred place where the Aborigines have learned to live along side nature, and with them you will realize what it really means to live in an openair "market". In a feature published a couple of years ago (Gambero Rosso n.

322) we presented the famous chef from Adelaide, Jock Zonfrillo. He is in close contact with the Aborigines and the keyword bush, and continuous relationships with the Australian remote communities whose knowledge and flavours are condensed in his Orana restaurant.

Here, the immersion in that world is ď‚„

STORIES

ADDRESSES Where to stay  Sails in the Desert Hotel

163 Yulara Dr, Yulara NT 0872 +610889577388 ayersrockresort.com.au A hotel created in the middle of the

Dormire Mercure Crocodile Hotel

Mangiare

desert characterised by the art of the

Anangu people original of this area.

Absolutely go for the experience of the Tali Wiru dinner organised in the desert under the stars. You will enjoy four courses and the view of Uluru at sunset.

Darwin Darwin River

Darwin River Tavern

Gilruth Avenue, Darwin +61889438879 - skycitydarwin.com.au Darwin's only casino is inside this modern hotel. For those not interested

AUSTRALIA OCCIDENTALE

in gambling there are four restaurants to choose from, as well as a rich

Alice Spring Yulara

QUEENSLAND

Brisbane AUSTRALIA MERIDIONALE

breakfast.

 Mercure Crocodile Hotel

Perth

1 Flinders Street, Jabiru +61889799000 accorhotels.com.au/hotel/mercurekakadu-crocodile-hotel This hotel is shaped like a crocodile

NUOVO GALLES DEL SUD

Sails in the Desert Hotel VICTORIA

and is a pleasant desert retreat in

Melbourne

Australia's largest national park, Kakadu. It hosts temporary Aboriginal art exhibitions and the restaurant serves excellent crocodile, kangaroo

400km

and emu dishes.

 Vibe Hotel and Adina Apartments

Darwin Waterfront 7 Kitchener Drive, Darwin +61889829998 vibehotels.com/hotel/darwin-waterfront Independent bungalows facing the ocean. Perfect for staying in the city centre and having your own barbecue.  Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters

93 Barrett Drive, Alice Springs +61889507772 crowneplaza.com/hotels/gb/en/alicesprings

A modern hotel with all the necessary facilities for short stops, great breakfast. Among the best hotels in town.

Where to eat  Wharf One

Building, 3/19 Kitchener Darwin +61889410033 - wharfone.com.au Located in the modern Waterfront area, full of bars and restaurants, this place is great for eating fine fish

(barramundi highly recommended) with ocean views.

70 Esplanade, Darwin +61889814544 - chardarwin.com.au In the city centre, Char is the place that offers Darwin's most gourmet formula.

From the menu is a wide offer of meat and especially fish; must taste: Golden Snapper served whole. 

Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters

TERRITORI DEL NORD

 Skycity Darwin

 Char Restaurant

Jabiru

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Sidney

NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

DARWIN Needle in a Haystack

 Alfonsino’s Italian Restaurant 20/69 Mitchell St, Darwin +61889421586 - alfonsinos.com The young Neapolitan Alessandro Bellomunno opened his Italian restaurant in the main street of Darwin: Australians are crazy about his babà and authentic Neapolitan pizzas.



 Needle in a Haystack

Nightcliff

205 Casuarina Dr, Nightcliff 0401190481 - needleinahaystackbistro. com

A travelling food truck run two young kids who cook food around the city. On alternate days they are in the Nightcliff area where you can enjoy a superb sunset.

Darwin International Airport

Skycity Darwin

 Darwin River Tavern

195 Darwin River Rd +61889886044 darwinrivertavern.com.au A place in the middle of nature ideal for a full day. A large pub where you can enjoy the cuisine performed by a

Alfonsino’s Italian Restaurant Bayview

Charles Darwin National Park

Wharf One Char Restaurant

Korean couple who with Asian touches embellishes overwhelmingly Australian dishes such as ribs, fried chicken and large cuts of meat. All paired to over fifty different Australian beers.

The Gardens

Vibe Hotel and Adina Apartments

real and physical. We were accompanied

by Patsy Raglan, an Aboriginal lady who grew up here and who works as a guide in the ancestral Kakadu National Park which represents the home of contemporary indigenous culture and which this year celebrates its fortieth anniversary: «In the eyes of many we live as savages – Patsy smiles – but probably nobody like us has currently remained so in contact with nature, having a pantry of food to choose from, according to the seasons». Some examples include kutjera, a wild plant from which small tomato-like fruits are obtained and which, dried, are used as a spice. There are six different varieties of apples; and kakadu plums containing the highest amounts of vitamin C ever, even 50 times what oranges contain. Then there's lilly pilly, a bright pink berry with a floral taste, slightly acidic and spicy, which is usually

2km

combined with kangaroo steaks; and lemon myrtle used to give fish a mint and lemony flavour. Also, pine nuts from large pine cones whose flavour is reminiscent of chestnuts and which the Aborigines eat raw, roasted or boiled and from which they also obtain flour to make bread. «Here we hunt kangaroos, crocodiles, emus and wallabies (almost always without rifles but with boomerangs and the ancient woomera, a propeller that throws a dart), we fish in rivers using some of the numerous poisonous plants, we find small colonies of green ants on trees, these are rich in formic acid and from which we make a paste used to flavour our recipes. In periods of drought we have our reserves of water in the baobab trees, not to mention the various leaves used as medicine», says the guide with the smile of someone who knows a lot. However, arousing the most amazement is the delek (local- 

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5 and 6. Tasting of a local fruit, wild roots, berries and seeds collected in the bush: photos were taken inside the headquarters of the Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Experience & Tours center in Wanmara (photo Tourism NT/Matt Glastonbury) 7. A local guide explains how to recognize and treat wild fruits and roots after foraging, always within the Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Experience & Tours (photo Tourism NT/Archie Sartracom)

STORIES

VARIED AND DEEP FOOD CULTURE There are many typical native ingredients, surely among the most valid is lemon myrtle and wattleseed (edible seeds of any of the 120 species of Australian acacia widely used by the Aborigines); but also rivermint (a cross between green mint and peppermint), toasted wattleseed (coffee and chocolate), anise and myrtle, to name a few. The regions of the country where the Aborigines live are traditionally very different but always united by food cooked in the wilderness according to season and climate. Today much has been lost, but a new cuisine is emerging expressing its uniqueness. Australia is the only country in the world to eat its coat of arms: the kangaroo! The meat, as well as that of the emu, is extremely rich in protein and iron, but being very lean it must be cooked and prepared accordingly. Crocodile is an excellent meat to marinate to combine with other flavours such as tandoori or curry. Then there's opossum and wallaby: important meats in the local cuisine, but not very present in the country's menus. Furthermore, let's not forget the spectacular range of exotic seafood that we have available. Many famous chefs have started reproducing Aboriginal recipes in their restaurants by using bush ingredients and I am thrilled about this! I love working with them for a greater circulation of knowledge, I like to see how often colleagues are amazed by the great versatility of Aboriginal products. For example, dugong or turtle can be purchased for cultural ceremonies. We eat larvae and green ants, but it's not so different if we think of other countries where donkey, horse, crickets, cockroaches and other insects are cooked only for the high protein content.

– Mark Olive, star-chef and host of the TV show The Outback Cafe 7 6

ly called witchetty grub): a large larvae that lives in the roots of acacias. Patsy knows where to find them, she walks up to one of the trees, makes a small incision in the root and extracts a larvae: «Today we cook these worms by roasting them under the ashes, but my grandmother ate them raw, at peak season, when they reach size and considerable weight and they provide 900 kilocalories and therefore represent a fundamental protein intake in our diet». Raw delek has a distinct flavour reminiscent of potatoes, peanuts and soil.

With the necessary permits, and guided by a ranger, you can enter the Kakadu National Park and gather the wood to roast game in a small underground oven called kunkerri: a traditional cooking method for buffalo

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NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

11 BUSH INGREDIENTS

1 Quadong Fruit also known as native peach, used mainly in pastry and desserts

2 Green Ants Green ants, with a sour lime-like flavour with which gin is also made

3 Bush Tomato Small berry boasting very high concentration of vitamin C

4 Native Basil Aromatic herb similar to basil

5 Witchetty Grub The large white larvae that thrive in wood (and which kangaroos also appreciate)

6 Lakadu Plum Fruit boasting very high concentration of vitamin C

7 Blackcurrant Bush Delicious berries that can also be boiled to obtain a purple pigment used to also dye

meat. More often, however, the food is placed on hot coals and covered with layers of tree bark under which it cooks slowly for several hours until it's extracted and eaten as nature commands: sitting on the ground and with your hands, using pieces of bark as dishes. «We can't say goodbye without drinking a cup of Billy Tea together first,» Patsy announces. It's customary to drink this black tea added with eucalyptus leaves, brewed in a tin sitting on the open fire.

Unique experiences that shape the unimaginable and that obviously excite those who live them, to the point that since May of last year the Kakadu National Park has decided to organize the first edition of "A Taste of Kakadu". An event where you can interact directly

with the local indigenous population and experience Aboriginal gastronomic traditions (parksaustralia.gov.au/ kakadu/taste/).

Here in an instant you are transported back a thousand years, gazing at the starry skies or contemplating the ancestral nature of the stones which for the Aborigines are a source of immense spiritual power. Take Uluru (Ayers Rock) for example, also a UNESCO World Heritage site: the sacred mountain of the Aborigines, an absolute must if travelling here.

The majestic monolith (3.6 km long and 348 meters high) within the Kata Tjuta National Park, will move even travellers most accustomed to the splendours of nature, you won't see a sunrise like this one anywhere else. 

natural fibers woven into baskets

8 Red Bush Apple Wild fruit of the prairie (the scientific name is syzygium suborbiculare). The Aborigines call it andjarduk

9 Water Lily Aborigines call it andem, it's a small plant that grows in water and whose seeds and roots are ground to obtain a paste used in cakes

10 Wattlesseds The seeds of the Australian acacia: traditionally used as a condiment

11 Noci di macadamia Used with native thyme or to season King George Whiting fish (aka spotted blue whiting), it's very common along the Australian coast, cooked with leeks and eucalyptus.

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top italian restaurants www.gamberorosso.it/en/restaurants/

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

FRANCESCO APREDA NAPLES - ASIA - ROME Francesco Apreda's cuisine has a well-defined soul.

«I fuse Mediterranean flavours that recall my origins from Campania on the Roman scene with Asian influences I matured during trips and experiences abroad, between London, Tokyo, Mumbai and New Delhi," the chef smiles. Peculiar to Apreda is the harmonious and elegant use of spices which – without suffocating his roots––that gives his cuisine a very particular character

WHERE IDYLIO BY APREDA DEL THE PANTHEON ICONIC ROME HOTEL Rome - via di Santa Chiara, 4/a 0687807069 thepantheonhotel.com POINTS IN THE 2020 GUIDE Cuisine 46 Cellar 17 Service 27 Total 90 OPEN SINCE 2019

words by Stefano Polacchi - portrait by Alberto Blasetti

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RECIPES

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

“

FOIE GRAS, NUTS AND SPICES Foie gras, since my experience in London at Le Gavroche, has always been appealing to me, for its complexity of execution and its great taste.

Always present on my menu, today more playful than ever.

Small explosive morsels, memories and mementos: so the burnt cream becomes a log of foie gras and pistachios, burnt and spiced with my personal blend; the compote of mandarin oranges and brioche with coffee and anise accompany it. The hazelnut cream puff is garnished with a cream of foie gras and Masala spices; the cannolo is stuffed with a marinated foie gras cream and mint (almonds and ginger); the panna cotta with foie gras and miso ends the journey: with a toasted peanut crumble, rose, coriander seeds, sesame and fennel seeds, it balances and leaves its mark.

photo by Francesca Brambilla - Serena

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RECIPES

“

STUFFED PASTA PARMIGIANO AND TUNA BROTH This is one of the dishes that best represents me, with that healthy contamination that I like so much. The idea starts from the story of my Japanese experience, when in summer, with my cooks, we found solace from the heat by eating soba in frozen and spicy broths. Hence the desire to immerse an all-Italian and traditional product in this liquid: hence cappellotto pasta filled with Parmigiano Reggiano 36 months, a flavour concentrate. As well as in the tuna broth: from the Japanese school, but balanced with Italian beer and a spicy blend with lots of Mediterranean aromas, lemon and orange zest. The first surprise lies in the cold broth, the second in the explosion of the warm cappellotto, the third in the meeting of the two Umamis, the Italian and the Japanese: a dish that remains in your memory like when tradition hurls you back to childhood.

photo by Andrea Di Lorenzo

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

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RECIPES

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

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BREADED SCALLOPS, MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA AND BLACK TRUFFLE " My" scallop follows me everywhere. She was born in Tokyo where I wanted to evoke an all-Italian flavour: to date, however, she has undergone many evolutions and contaminations that have made her grow in flavour and betray my various journeys. Now it's fried and expresses the taste and tradition of the bread coating: it becomes Japanese-Indian with the use of panko and poa (dry and compressed rice fillets that after frying resemble many crisp scales).

The filling remains the original one: buffalo mozzarella, celery leaf and black truffle. It's now paired with a garlic and shitake sauce and it's served with a sipping broth: Japanese culture (kombu and shiitake seaweed), but with Vesuvian infusion to make it intriguing (with dried tomato, cedar peel, oregano and basil). The summary of my cuisine, personal, Italian and always travelling.

photo by Alberto Blasetti

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GAMBERO ROSSO www.gamberorosso.it SENIOR EDITOR Lorenzo Ruggeri PHOTO EDITOR Rossella Fantina LAYOUT Maria Victoria Santiago CONTRIBUTORS Giovanni Angelucci, Stefania Annese, Michela Becchi, Antonio Boco, Stefano Polacchi, Luciana Squadrilli

PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS Alberto Blasetti, Alessandro Naldi, Modestino Tozzi 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. 2020.

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