Gambero Rosso Wine Travel Food n.138

year 22 - number 138 - march 2020 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

UNITED WE STAND

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year 22 - number 138 - march 2020 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

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Editorial News Wine of the Month World Tour Frescobaldi: Tuscany in a nutshell Rufina: discovering the most vertical Sangiovese in the Tuscan Chianti Universe Travel to Sarajevo. Exploring its Ottoman Roots and Contemporary Menus Portrait of a Chef. Philippe LĂŠveillĂŠ

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Wine at the time of quarantine I am locked up, like many of you, within the walls of home. In Italy we have been like this for over 3 weeks. I am sitting in the cellar with my laptop placed on a crate of wine and I look at the piles of bottles accumulated in many years of travel and tasting. Very little desire to imbibe. As I tidy up, now more than ever I understand how wine is pure sharing. Wine is the social food, that snare that brings people together, perhaps even cutting down this 3-foot distance that we will carry with us for who knows how long. In this dramatic moment we can learn a lot from wine and its values. Conviviality and sharing, of course, and that empathy charge capable of bringing out an emotion that we often hide in the midst of a hectic life punctuated by frenetic mobility that knows no pauses. But wine is above all respect and indulging the rhythms of Nature, that very Nature which is now sending us messages in bold writing. Reminding us, in a not entirely subtle way, that we are guests on this fragile planet, fragile like us. As David Quammen says, extraordinarily predicting what is happening today in his 2012 book Spillover, “we should realize that pandemics are not accidents that happen out of the blue, but consequences of our actions”. The American scientist and journalist puts at the basis of the evolution of pandemics man’s profound alteration of ecosystems, the destruction of the last rainforests, human overcrowding, the exasperated use of fossil fuels, intensive farming and nutrition industrial whose results we cannot predict. Look at the flip side of the coin. The deserted cities are once again populated by animals, geese wallow in Rome’s “Fontanone”, rabbits are back in Milan, the waters of the canals of Venice have become transparent. Likewise in other cities of the world. Sure, they sound like completely exceptional events. So I think of wine and the absolute respect of winemakers for their vineyards treated as home gardens, that sense of manic attachment to the single parcel, to the vineyards handed down from generation to generation. Of course, wine is the one sector that has made leaps and bounds in sustainability, in the coming years it will no longer be an additional condition included in company brochures, it will have to be the very essence of the mission statement. Wine can and must be an extraordinary opportunity to relaunch, a model of balance between human and environmental dimension, a narration of taste that speaks of respect. Wine is waiting and it is the essence of patience. The time of wine is what we are experiencing now, it is our lesson. And during these days locked up at home, don’t get carried away.

Wait to uncork the big bottles with your loved ones. At the end of this epidemic, there will be so much to toast to.

- Lorenzo Ruggeri

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NEWS

ALL THE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL WINE TRADE FAIRS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED

© Ennevi-Veronafiere

In the end, prudence prevailed. There will be no 2020 edition of Vinitaly as well: the event will jump directly to 2021, from April 18th to 21st. It’s the first time that this has happened in the history of the Verona wine fair: not even the methanol scandal had stopped the work, in fact the recovery of Italian wine had started from that very conference area. But this time it’s different. This time the “enemy” is not inside a batch of wine, but outside.

Around it. Everywhere. A difficult choice for Veronafiere to give up its 54th edition, but apparently inevitable. On the other hand, in recent weeks, many letters had arrived in which Consortia and individual wineries asked to renounce this edition, both in order not to weigh economically on companies in an already difficult year, and not to risk hosting a reduced affluence event, with few buyers and visitors from abroad. After ProWein, Vinitaly and also the Tokyo Olympics, the London Wine Fair (scheduled from 18 to 20 May) also had to yield to Coronavirus. If in the first weeks of March, the keyword was

being the one international wine event, it’s now “postponing”. Currently TBD. The possibility of relaunching in autumn is not yet ruled out. “Our goal in making this decision two months ahead of the event,” announced Hemming Group Ltd, “is to minimize unnecessary expenses and stress caused by uncertainty. The safety of our exhibitors, visitors, sponsors, suppliers and our team takes precedence over the overall picture.”

GERMANY INCREASINGLY LEANS TOWARDS WHITES: GROWING PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION. HERE ARE THE MOST GROWN GRAPE VARIETIES opment that coincides with the deThe German Wine Institute (Dwi) mands of German consumers, who, certifies the increase in hectares after the red wine boom that began planted with white grapes in 2019. in the mid-nineties” commented A trend that goes hand in hand with managing director of Dwi, Monika that of consumption, which is furReule “have increasingly chosen ther moving towards white grape white wine since 2009”. Among the varietals. According to the research grapes, the most important is Riesconducted by the country’s statistiling which, with 24,049 hectares in cal institute released a few days ago, 2019 (+89 hectares), counts for althe hectares with white grape varimost a quarter of all the vineyards. eties totals 68,911 hectares, equal Globally, German to two thirds of the national MOST GROWN WHITE WINE producers have a share of around total (103,079 GRAPES IN GERMANY 40% of the hectares).

The 24,000 ha Riesling global cultivaincrease is 500 7,000 ha Pinot grigio tion of Riesling. hectares (+0.7%) 5,700 ha Pinot bianco Pinot noir is the in a year and 2,200 ha Chardonnay most important 3.7% compared 1,500 ha Sauvignon blanc red wine variety, to 2006, when 1.400 ha Scheurebe with 11,717 hectthe lowest quo1,100 ha Gewürztraminer ares (–45 hectta was reached 460 ha Gelber Muskateller ares compared (63.1%). “A devel-

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to 2018). Globally, Germany is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir after France and the United States.

Considering the best performances among the new plants, Pinot Grigio proves to be the variety with the largest increase for the sixth consecutive year (today it has exceeded 7,000 hectares). While the ever trendy Sauvignon blanc reached 1,498 hectares in 2019, tripling surface in ten years. Other aromatic wines such as Scheurebe (1,417 ha), Gewürztraminer (1,097) and Gelber Muskateller (460) are also doing well. The largest German wine regions, Rheinhessen (26,860 ha) and Pfalz (3,684 ha) alone are worth almost half of the entire German vineyards; the smaller ones have areas of less than 500 hectares: these are Hessische Bergstrasse (463 ha), the Middle Rhine (468 ha) and Saxony (493 ha). – G. A.

“Et però credo che molta felicità sia agli uomini che nascono dove si trovano i vini buoni.”

rgbcomunicazione.it

-Leonardo Da Vinci

Pighin Aziende Agricole in Friuli www.pinotgrigiopighin.com www.pighin.com

NEWS

CORONAVIRUS: WINE DOES NOT TRANSMIT IT. GUARANTEED BY ASSOENOLOGI THE VIRUS DOES NOT SURVIVE IN WINE The virus is not transmitted in wine. Assoenologists also chimed in to explain the concept: “The survival of the virus in wine appears impossible” reiterated the association of oenologists after confronting the medical community “as the combined presence of alcohol, a hypotonic environment and polyphenols, prevents the life and multiplication of the virus itself”. Not only.

The group led by Riccardo Cotarella also explained that “moderate consumption of wine, linked to responsible drinking, can contribute to a better sanitation of the oral cavity and pharynx, the area where the viruses nest during infections.” So, drinking a glass of wine is never wrong, especially in time of Covid-19 (but after a few days a clarification by doctors arrived, who denied the truthfulness of the statement, strongly criticized by many: “There is no scientific proof of this statement, disinfection requires much more – explains Riccardo Gatti, director of Sert at Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital in Milan – it’s embarrassing to disclose a concept that increases confusion, by divulging people towards unnecessary practices that are unhealthy”).

As far as packaging, Assoenologi maintains that “the contamination appears very remote, if not even statistically non-existent, considering the short life of the virus and absence of a potential living biological host”.

BARS AND RESTAURANTS MUST CLOSE. THE SITUATION IN EUROPE risk of congregating, in an attempt to minimize social opportunities. Austria closed shops, bars and restaurants, which also limits the possibility of movement for citizens. The same is happening in the Czech Republic: stop for shops, bars and restaurants and food service. Spain is also armoured, currently third in Europe in terms of number of infections, where only essential commercial activities are staying open, such as supermarkets and grocery stores. Ditto Macron’s France and lastly in Russia or Australia.

In Berlin, Mayor Michael Muller was the first to impose the closure of bars and pubs until April 19, while restaurants that ensure compliance with the distance of at least 1.5 meters between the tables can stay open.

And Ireland closed pubs and restaurants, including hotel bars. Equally, all non-essential activities (including coffee shops, and long queues to get supplies) are closed in the Netherlands. Only Sweden is following a different path, here restaurants are stil open.

In addition to the most high-sound- ing names – which betray the mea- sure of how the virus does nobody any favours, effectively paralyzing the entire world’s high-end dining industry (to limit ourselves to what concerns us closely) – affected by the restrictive measures are bars and restaurants, forced to close al- most everywhere. Likewise, museums and places with high

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NEWS

GAMBERO ROSSO LAUNCHES A NEW WEBTV AND 3 SOCIAL FORMATS The second format #MessageinaBottle provides wine tastings directly from home, to travel through the world of wine through its production areas, people and flavours of the soil. The first line of videos is dedicated to the special wines of Vini d’Italia 2020, those wines which, in addition to being awarded the Tre Bicchieri recognition, contain a very special and strong message. From bubbles of the year to the great sweet wine of the latest edition of the guide.

Get all the best of Europe’s first food and channel dedicated to food and wine, Gambero Rosso Channel, founded in 1999, in a new webtv accessible from all countries outside Italy. The new domain www.gamberorosso.tv boasts over 900 hours of episodes, recipes, anecdotes, told by some of the greatest celebrities in this world, from Giorgione to Max Mariola to Igles Corelli. There are programs dedicated to individual products, such as Eleonora Baldwin’s ABCheese who travels in search of the best dairy products in Italy, broadcasts to learn to appreciate wine and much more: a full immersion in Italian beauty and taste.

A format dedicated to cooking could not be missing, so with #ICookItalian the greatest Italian chefs awarded abroad in the Top Italian Restaurants guide share their video recipes in this complex moment: messages of optimism and resistance from all over the world, a way to stay close and connected even from home, listening with attention and curiosity to the little secrets of the chefs who make Italian cuisine great around the world.

In addition to this, 3 new social formats have been conceived and launched on the international instagram and Facebook social platforms of Gambero Rosso. The first #AtHomeWithMarco with Marco Sabellico, curator of the Vini d’Italia guide by Gambero Rosso and great enthusiast and expert in bartending, shares his journey through the history of international mixology. Always on video, always from home, always guided by simple instructions, with Sabellico in the novel role of “your home personal bartender”, to reveal “all the secrets and the easiest way to make the most beloved cocktails of all time”, with juicy historical references and skilled and precise gestures.

www.gamberorosso.tv x @gamberorossointernational

b GamberoRossoInternational

#I Cook Italian

#At Home with Marco

#Message in a Bottle GAMBERO ROSSO

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NEWS

CORONAVIRUS. THE WHOLE WORLD HAS COME TO A STANDSTILL: FROM NEW YORK TO PARIS, BARS, RESTAURANTS AND SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED. APPEALS FROM THE GREAT CHEFS FOLLOWING THE ITALIAN MODEL, THERE ARE MANY COUNTRIES THAT IN THESE HOURS ARE ARMOURED TO AVOID CONTAGION. THE FIRST BUSINESSES THAT STOP ARE ONES WHICH ENCOURAGE SOCIALITY, BARS AND RESTAURANTS MOSTLY, WHICH ARE CLOSED IN FRANCE, SPAIN, NETHERLANDS, NEW YORK. THE LIST IS LONG, AND IT ALSO HAS EXCELLENT NAMES, FROM NOMA TO CELLER DE CAN ROCA, TO MOMOFUKU. HAUTE CUISINE CLOSES.

WHAT THE CHEFS ARE SAYING Three weeks ago, even before the national lockdown imposed on restaurant business, Massimo Bottura’s announcement (who in the meantime, every evening, has an appointment with his followers on Instagram, improvising homemade recipes) shocked us: “forced” to put on pause one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Now the same fate is shared by many other great chefs in Europe and the United States: “The emergency lead us to make the most difficult decision ever, but we are forced to close at least until

April 14” explained René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark; the same responsibility a few days ago – before all of Spain went into lockdown – the Roca brothers in Girona (also closed until April 14). While in Belgium, Kobe Desramaults sided strongly in support of the line taken by the government (closure of all non-essential activities), reducing the protests of some opposing restaurateurs. And in the United States the list of big names approving the shutdown is increasingly growing, in the absence (yet) of univocal measures that establish the closure of the restaurant business: Daniel Boulud is

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closing, also the venues of the Union Square Hospitality Group by Danny Meyer, Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin, all of David Chang’s restaurants. And everyone is facing the same difficulty of continuing to guarantee salaries for very large kitchen teams. José Andres, a Spanish chef and American resident, who is not new to solidarity initiatives to support those most affected in difficult times, also closed his restaurants: not surprisingly, his places in Washington D.C. are temporarily transformed into dark kitchens used for community take-out and delivery at low prices.

NEWS

WINE OF THE MONTH

BOLGHERI ROSSO SUP. GRATTAMACCO 2016 - GRATTAMACCO Loc. Lungagnano, 128 57022 Castagneto Carducci LI www.collemassariwines.it Average retail price: 65 euros Our wine of the month goes to one of Bolgheri’s star brands, a winery with a glorious, pioneering history behind them, and a radiant present. Founded in the 1970s, today the producer is masterfully (it must be said) managed by the Tipa brothers. As of late the property has been enlarged, and technically they appear to be living through a state of grace. Their vineyards, which are surrounded by woods, span various types of soil (though primarily sand and calcareous-marl). Their wines are as intriguing as they are complex. During the last vintage Grattamacco has definitely taken advantage of some new vineyards on the top of the hill. The 2015 was a memorable one, the 2016 is simply a masterpiece, a super rock-solid version. 2016 made for a Grattamacco marked by intensity, texture and complexity. It still exhibits its usual finesse, but with above-average aging power.

Extraordinary. Is extremely fine in its aromas of small red berries — delicious and unpredictable in its vegetal-balsamic background, and bubbling with gustatory tension. We can’t stop enjoying the super long lasting balsamic finish. The drinkability is more than dangerous, but be patient, stock this gem and uncork in the next 10 years. We strongly believe this is among the best Bolgheri wines ever produced.

Food pairing? Go for some pappardelle with wild boar ragout. Meltingly tender wild boar, stewed in rich tomato and red wine sauce, juniper berries and black pepper. Enjoy.

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GAMBERO ROSSO X CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA

Cigognola, the future aims at Nature suited for the production of excelThe tower of the Cigognola Castle lent sparkling bases for the Classic dominates the entrance to the ScuMethod. The hectares of Barbera ropasso Valley. The year of construcand Nebbiolo complete the vinetion is 1212, after the end of feudalyard park: in fact Piedmont is only ism it hosted a Renaissance court, handful of kilometers from here. while already at the beginning of The vineyards extend in a range bethe 19th century it became a place tween 250 and 350 altitude, with of wine production. Acquisition of important slopes. The climate is the Castle by the family of Letizia mitigated by good temperature Moratti, the Arnaboldi, dates back variations between day and night, to 1742, today the project is curated the soils alternate layers of clay and by their son Gabriele, while the role the presence of marl, the phenoof CEO is entrusted to Gian Matteo lic maturity of the grapes is perBaldi, along with a large support fect. After focusing for some years team. Here, in this valley where for on Barbera wine, the project has the first time already in 1865 the undergone important reinterpreCount Giorgi di Vistarino produced tations in recent years, involving the first Classic Method, the future new figures linked to pinot noir in of the cellar looks to a driven return red, young local winemakers and towards the naturalness of the ferprofessionals for a choral project mentative processes and towards that has decided to depart from the ever higher cleanliness and authe model of the classic sole ‘flying thenticity of the labels produced: winemaker’ consultant. in Cigognola a lot of work is being done on spontaneous fermentations, on a PASSPORT sulphite-free Barbera, and on the idea of an year the Castle was built ancestral sparkling wine, with some speyear of acquisition of the Castle cial projects and exby the Letizia Moratti family periments that will come out in small Start of wine production yields to raise the bar.

In total there are 36 hectares of property Importing countries surrounding the strucTotal hectares owned ture, of which 28 are vineyards. It could not Vineyard hectares be otherwise, pinot noir here in Oltrepò Bottles produced annually finds land particularly

1212 1742

1982 Japan, China and UK

42,08 29,09 150,000

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GAMBERO ROSSO X CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA

. The Castle on the hills dominating the access to the Scuropasso Valley: its construction dates back to the 13th century. Here, in 1865, the first Classic Method was born, also called “Italian champagne”.

2. A bottle of Castello di Cigognola: la Maga, a pure Barbera that ages 12 months in barrique.

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Classic Method and still reds The production core is the four Pinot Noir cuvées elaborated under the Moratti hat, while the Castello di Cigognola brand is dedicated to still wines. The Classic Method involves grapes harvested in boxes and a restp on the lees for at least 36 months. The entry product is the blanc de noirs Cuvée ‘More Brut. Always basic, but without dosage, is the Cuvée ‘More Pas Dosé, thinner and more delicate. In honour of Angelo Moratti, the Cuvée dell’Angelo Pas Dosé 2012: this is the first vintage produced and highlights a higher level in complexity and depth with its 72 months on the lees. The Classic Method Rosé Millesimato closes the catalog, the latest version 2013: a soft and elegant Brut in the finish reminiscent of green tea. Among the still wines, the stand-out is the Barbera La Maga 2016, which ages for 12 months in barrique; and Per Papà 2013, a Nebbiolo from a three-hectare vineyard: an important red with a long finish.

Castello di Cigognola - Cigognola (PV) - p.zza Castello, 1 0385284828 - castellodicigognola.com

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ITALY SEEN FROM THE USA. GAMBERO ROSSO TRAVEL DIARY Gambero Rosso Roadshow went on in the States, receiving a warm welcome and manyencouraging messages for Italy: “don’t give up.” We look forward to seeing youstronger than ever.

Words by Marco Sabellico

EVENTS

The incontrovertible fact is that Italian wine has entered the habit of highend consumption. We are sure that we will sell a lot of Brunello ’15 and Barolo’ 16… they are fantastic wines and Americans love them. In these situations, we must remain calm and organise ourselves for recovery. We will continue to support the wine of Italy and in a few months we will wait for Italian producers again: we will take them to meet their customers”.

EAST TO WEST COAST We left Italy on February 19 for one of the most important tours of the year, which opened with the Top Italian Wines Roadshow events in Mexico City and Miami. We left without knowing what would happen shortly thereafter and, while bad news continued to arrive from Italy, our events went ahead, reserving us at each stage, a warm welcome to say the least, despite everything.

CHICAGO AND NEW YORK After Florida we had four Tre Bicchieri events: on February 26 in Chicago in the Skyline Loft at the Bridgeport Art Center 130 companies offered their top wines to 1,200 guests who crowded the salon and the seminars: the Emilia Romagna region Special Guest with a handful of passionate producers

and the Special Wines of Italy 2020 Awards where Lamberto Frescobaldi who represented the Winery of the Year 2020 was applauded. On the 28th in a (at the time) carefree New York there were over 1,300 attendances at the most important event of the year for Italian wine, which was held in the usual setting: the Metropolitan Pavillion.

“Italian wine is now a certainty for the American consumer”said Dominic Nocerino, importer with almost fifty years of experience on this market, “It’s not an easy time, there is uncertainty here too, but I continue to buy and to sell. In my career I’ve had my fair share of crises, from methanol to 9/11 not to mention the collapse of the stock exchange in 2008. These are cyclical fluctuations that a skilled entrepreneur knows how to deal with.

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LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO A few days later, as the news from Europe and Italy became increasingly worrying, we moved to the other coast for the Tre Bicchieri events in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Beautiful locations and a well-established organization brought us two fantastic events: the first, on March 3 at the City Market Social House in the Fashion District, 90 producers, 700 guests and an exceptional guest: Alessandro Del Piero who collected his award Top Italian Restaurants in the World for his trendy and well-kept N.10 (péndant of the Milanese opening) signing autographs and smiling for fan selfies.

Given the rapid succession of events from hour to hour and the bad news from Italy, with some trepidation we arrived in San Francisco. A city that, given the success of the last editions, we now consider a second home, as much and maybe more than New York.

On March 5, we opened the doors of the immense Pavilion Festival in Fort Mason, overlooking the Bay. During the morning master classes (Emilia-Romagna and Special Awards), participation was at the level of expectations, but when we entered the Pavilion after the event started and we saw it full of visitors, a heavy knot in our insides melted.

WORLDTOUR

WE WILL COME OUT OF THIS THANKS TO TARGETED ACTIONS “New York is ahead, it is sophisticated and “old world” in dining as well, but there are great Italian restaurants in Los Angeles and San Francisco, too. It’s also thanks to the high and medium-range dining venues that Italian wine has conquered the market. But it can still grow, because between the East and West coasts, with evolved palates, there are 35 States still “to be colonized”, where the growth potential of our exports is very high. Additionally, did you know that out of 100 alcohol consumption in the USA, beer represents 83%?

Young people mainly drink beer and spirits, and they are an immense market to conquer. After a record 2018, then 2019 was a less brilliant year, now with the problems we are experiencing, 2020 will be very difficult. We will only get out of it by offering consumer education and a targeted presence.

I hope that the Italian and European governments will put in place all the support measures needed to cushion the social consequences of this dramatic moment.

We had just escaped the threat of Trump’s tariffs. But in a few months, God willing, we will have a vaccine and we will be recovering. That will be the time to invest in international markets – if they too will have overcome the virus nightmare – but with smart, targeted strategies, and with a lot of presence. We are the country of unmatched uniqueness, beauty and taste but we must work hard to make this heritage understandable and usable by the American consumer”.

Raimondo Boggia, strategic marketing consultant in the food, wine & hospitality sector on both sides of the Ocean.

The bestowing of numerous Awards to Italian restaurateurs, pizza makers and wine shops was a party underlined by thunderous applause. Deserved success also went to the Consorzio dei Vini del Sannio, headed by President Libero Rillo, who with his tasting counter dedicated to Aglianico and Falanghina held high the Italian flag in the States.

“San Francisco loves Italian wine and food” said Lorenzo Scarpone, Abruzzese Doc, for more than thirty years at

the centre of the food and wine limelight of the Bay City, first as a sommelier and wine expert, then as an importer and distributor of quality artisan wines.

“A city with sophisticated taste that loves good and natural,” he explains, “although Orange and Natural wines are a small percentage, the bulk of the demand is for high-profile wines, which can be compared with the neighbors of Napa and Sonoma. There is always a desire for novelty, and our modern style,

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clean and fresh, without weighed-down new oak and based on native grape varieties, is very strong here. And it also teaches Californian producers, who for some years have been trying to acclimatize our typical grapes. But pulling the biggest traction is a young, passionate, cultured and brilliant Italian dining scene. Not a month passes without new Italian restaurant openings. It’s a difficult moment, but we will keep going.

Here we can still grow a lot”. ››

EVENTS

LUCIO GOMIERO’S TESTIMONY: TRUMP AND THE CORONAVIRUS WILL NOT STOP US Lucio Gomiero, owner of Vignalta in the Euganean Hills, is an entrepreneur who arrived in the USA 32 years ago. Here he created solid agricultural companies and has a long-term vision of the sector. His wienry, meanwhile, has ended up in the eye of the Coronavirus Cyclone, his warehouses are in Vo’ Euganeo and the goods awaiting shipment are blocked by the red zone restricted area. The news of the release came to him right during the Los Angeles event, and he speaks to us with the relief typicl of those who have lifted a great weight off their shoulders.

“After the fear of tariffs, which blocked the market for months, now the virus… but let’s not panic. What we Italians have built on this market in thirty years is too important to waste in a short time. The United States is our natural outlet: pan American wine is 20% of the market. Chile and Australia are leaning towards the Far East markets due to a geographical fact. The important consumption of quality wine here is European. And Italy plays a decisive role. When my generation arrived here, it was a history-making moment. After generations of migrants with a cardboard suitcase, we arrived in the wake of fashion, Italian culture, great cuisine, art and sports cars… The myth of Made in Italy was born as stigma of a sophisticated lifestyle. We rediscovered the pride of being Italian and America fell in love with us.

No super-virus and a capricious President will ever stop us. Among other things, for the upcoming few months Trump should worry about the re-election rather than tariffs. Anyone who comes after him will bury the topic, for sure. And even if he is re-elected he will only be able to adjust the tariffs. The country does not follow him in this battle. To my colleagues I say: take courage, and don’t stop programming. As soon as it’s permitted, return to travelling. If you stay at home you don’t build anything”.

NAPA VALLEY Our trip didn’t end in San Francisco.

The following day we inaugurated a first small event with 20 producers in Napa at Copia, the beautiful and prestigious location of the Culinary Institute of America. Marco Sabellico and Giuseppe Carrus held the last masterclass – again the 2020 Guide Special Awards – with an inspired Silvia Vannucci di Piaggia who enchanted the American colleagues in the audience (almost all winemakers and producers) with the history of her Carmignano Riserva, which with the vintage ’16 was our Red of the Year.

Applause went to her and the other 10 award-winning wines and many notes were written on notebooks. The tasting in the large atrium gave considerable satisfaction to the Italian producers and to the competent local public.

We closed on a high note the following day with two very interesting tasting-visits to two iconic Napa Valley places that opened their doors for our small delegation: Opus One (Constellation

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WORLDTOUR

THE IMPORTER’S ADVICE “The real battle for quality Italian wine is in the most popular segment: $15 to $25 per bottle in a wine shop.

The prices of Californian wines are falling and this market attracts everyone. Consumers always look for value for money, so Italians must study their moves well. Italians have aces up their sleeve: quality grapes that no one else has and a contemporary style based on drinkability and freshness that sets the trend.

But better not sleep on your laurels, the other countries are rapidly taking action: Pinot Grigio is now a commodity with a narrow margin, while Provençal Rosés are registering staggering figures. Make full use of the dining sector, make beautiful bottles with useful, explanatory back labels, perhaps with QR codes that refer to more detailed information. Choose easy-to-remember and easy-to-pronounce names for an English speaker. Consumers here expect that. As they always expect an emotion from a bottle of Italian wine”. Mark Newman of Accolade Brands.

Brands) and Cardinal (Kendall-Jackson group). After a trip like this, we had our heads held high. And we were also heartened by the words of Erle Martin, Vice President of Winebow Import, head of the east coast market: “There is a great deal of attention for Italian wine. We are witnessing a revival of Barolo which is now positioned, with its crus and historic vineyards, on a par with Burgundy grand crus. International wines are less and less interesting for the most demanding consumers, who want terroir, native grapes and clear and precise winemaking styles.

The Prosecco phenomenon will continue, even if there is an increasing desire for high level products rather than basic levels. The winning card of Italy is the incredible diversity in the offer. It’s the only country in the world that offers a terroir and a different grape for each day of the year. Don’t lose this strength, this innovative charge, leave the battle of first price wines. Italian wine is worth much more than that”.

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Words to remember at a time like this, where every day we, like you, are forced to undo and write over the agenda of the next few months from scratch with a heavy soul, full of uncertainties even regarding the health of those who work with us and our families. But that must give us the strength to overcome this difficult moment. We Italians are a resilient, hard-working and creative octopus. And we often do our best in the most difficult situations where many others would otherwise surrender. This is one of those moments. We are all called to do more and to throw our heart over the obstacle. We are sure that in a few months we will return determined to travel the roads of the world again, offering the world what only we have. Let’s team up once again and move forward without fear.

The rest of the world, today as never before, is cheering for us. Are we or are we not Italians?

EVENTS

Coast to Coast with Emilia Romagna wines

I

New York San Francisco

t doesn’t seem real. A few weeks ago in Italy, and slowly all over the world, lockdown descended upon us.

It does not seem real especially if we think that only the last US tour began last month, bringing the best Italian wines around the main American cities, those awarded with the Tre Bicchieri score. While nobody (both in Italy and in the US) could have imagined what would happen shortly thereafter, American importers, restaurateurs and sommeliers were tasting, documenting and entering into commercial agreements with our most prestigious wineries. The tour, in addition to dozens of wineries from all regions of Italy, saw the participation of a number of companies from Emilia-Romagna, gathered in a corner in the heart of the trade showrooms where the tastings were being held. The same producers and their wines were the protagonists of the

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three master classes held in the cities of Chicago, New York and San Francisco (in each of which local buyers participated and about 15 samples were tasted including Lambrusco, Sangiovese and Albana di Romagna).

All this was possible thanks to the partnership between the Lambrusco di Modena Consortium, the Protection and Promotion Consortium of the Reggiano and Colli di Scandiano and Canossa wines, of the Vini di Romagna, the one protecting Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and, finally, the Consortium of Prosciutto di Modena DOP along with Gambero Rosso. The Lambrusco di Modena Consortium, leader of the project was born in 1961 and today can count on 41 members that include agriculture entrepreneurs, individuals or associates, and important cooperative social cellars. It’s

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Chicago

mainly thanks to the joint actions of the various Consortia in the region that the wines produced in Emilia-Romagna are increasingly known and appreciated abroad: the main market is Germany, while outside Europe we have concentrated mainly on North America, the United States in the first place, without neglecting the promising Canadian market. One of the latest actions put in place is precisely the participation in the Tre Bicchieri World Tour, through an agreement that strengthens the collaboration between Gambero Rosso and the entire regional wine sector.

“We are grateful for the organization efforts and the editorial staff of Gambero Rosso, ambassador of excellence in the world, for accompanying us through the United States on a path of informing consumers and bringing value to our names

– said Giacomo Savorini, new director of the Protection of Lambrusco di Modena Consortium since January – The continuation of a long-standing synergy and a new beginning for a promotion program will be increasingly effective for our members: close collaboration with Gambero Rosso will be decisive for us especially in the months to come. The first numbers on national exports – continued Savorini – gave us hope, but now I can’t hide my concern for scenarios that are currently difficult to imagine. The Consortium stays close to the producers, trying to manage the inevitable halt of promotional activities which for now are on standby, waiting to receive support from Italy and Europe as soon as possible.

In the meantime, work continues on new projects for the next three years, both in North America and in Europe, with the aim of involving the new generations of producers above all: we must be ready when it will be possible to resume business again. Much will also be done to support domestic demand and we are confident that we can count on the precious support of Gambero Rosso even in the current emergency status.”

A recovery therefore that could actually start from our very country, through actions carried out with Gambero Rosso which already in the past have put Lambrusco and its historical brands in the limelight. But curiosity and interest in Italy and abroad are now widespread for all the wines of the Region: from Sangiovese with all the various territorial expressions highlighted also by the subzones, in regards to Albana for example, a particular and multifaceted white grape that lends itself to different expressions, plus a multitude of native grape varieties that complete a truly vast range of wines that prove to be increasingly successful both in the domestic and international markets.

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EVENTS

The journey of Gambero Rosso in Northern Europe

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race of events for Gambero Rosso in Germany.

The classic Tre Bicchieri event in Munich on January 28th at the Isarforum opened the event with over 60 award-winning wineries participating at a rich tasting table. The best Italian restaurants in town were awarded at the opening. Once again the highest score went to Acquarello, the only Tre Forchette restaurant in all of Germany, thanks to the technical solidity of Mario Gamba who trained under Gualtiero Marchesi. While the Villa Sandi Best Contemporary Wine List award went to Mulino, thanks to a very well thought out wine cellar, with reasonable markups, vintage depth and good availability of large size bottles. At the end of the day, between journalists and trade experts, more than 900 participants registered. Two days later, on January 30th, the Vini d’Italia tour made a stop in the German capital. The event in Berlin was held in the central Hotel de Rome with 40 wineries reviewed in

Vini d’Italia 2020. Among the Italian cuisine venues awarded during the event, stand-outs included Pizzeria of the Year according to our guide, Futura, the local pizza chef Alessandro Leonardi and singer Alex Uhlman: Tre Spicchi. While the Villa Sandi Best Contemporary Wine List award went to the delicious Muret La Barba wine bar, in the Mitte district, a small restaurant with a brilliant by-theglass offer on rotation, very well-executed à la carte dishes and a young and very welcoming atmosphere.

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Immediately after Germany, the tour moved on to Scandinavia touched by one of the mildest winters of the past 30 years. On February 3, the Grand Hotel Stockholm hosted the Tre Bicchieri event with a truly massive audience and trade participation. Before the tasting, a meeting was organized between the cellars and the Systembolaget, for an update on the new sustainability projects carried out on the spirits monopoly in Sweden. Much attention will be paid to the weight of bottles, with fines applied for the heavier ones, and very high attention paid to sustainability, with a preferential channel for wines with organic and biodynamic farming certification. Among the restaurants awarded in the city, a standing ovation went to Mancini, Tre Forchette and Guardian of the Tradition Award for the exceptional and rigorous work on traditional ingredients and recipes, as well as an amazing wine cellar. Speaking of wine, the Villa Sandi Best Contemporary Wine List Award went to l’Avventura, a wine bar and restaurant with an impressive wine collection, extremely deep especially as far as Tuscany and Piedmont go, with stellar wines on offer by the glass.

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

SPONSOR

EVENTS

The new generation puts itself on the line A new label for Tenuta Luisa Tenuta Luisa is one of the best companies in the Friulian wine world, one of the most active wineries in the Friuli Isonzo denomination.

Like any family-run company, it proudly displays its peasant origins and loves to remember the beginnings. It was 1907 when Francesco Luisa, a widower at 37 with 6 children to grow up, had the opportunity to buy five hectares of land. It was then Delciso, one of the six children, who carried on the family business. Then Eddi Luisa started building a future on those few hectares, moving from traditional promiscuous agriculture to specialised vineyards. Today Michele and Davide, Eddi’s children, tend to the vineyard which has grown to 100 hectares, thanks to the experiences inherited from a close-knit and cohesive family group. The wines produced fall into the Friuli Isonzo denomination, a territory that goes from the Collio and Carso hills to the Adriatic. The vineyards are located on clayey, but also calcareous and pebbly soils and enjoy a unique climate due to the confluence of two winds: the Bora (cold and pungent) and the Scirocco (warmer and humid) coming from the sea.

The ripening of the grapes is slow and constant, the

An intergenerational chain towards the future

aromas are more concentrated and the taste is rich. In view of Vinitaly, there is no shortage of news: first of all, the winery presents the new labels of the Luisa line in Verona. «We’ve worked on it in the last two years together with the prestigious Minale Tattersfield studio in London in the person of our historical friend and collaborator Marcello Minale, in creating a brand identity that began 12 years ago - quoting Davide and Michele - with this new label we want to communicate in a more modern key the historical values of the company that see tradition on one side and innovation, the family and the link with the land on the other.

The crown logo, chosen to remember the small hamlet of the municipality of Mariano del Friuli which houses the headquarters of the winery and the wine resort, has been further enhanced in the dimensions and colours to highlight the three figures that make it up (father Eddi in the center, Davide on the left and Michele on the right)».

Tenuta Luisa - Mariano del Friuli (GO) - fraz. Corona via Campo Sportivo, 13 - 048169680 - tenutaluisa.it

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«It’s not always possible to personally meet the producer of a wine. For this reason we decided to communicate our values and our vision in an immediate and coherent way and with a language that is understandable both in Italy and abroad – affirm Davide and Michele – The focus of our brand is solidity and generational experience of the company, and the know-how transferred to us by linking to new opportunities and technological possibilities in a chain of continuity. If we stop to think about how many things have changed compared to when we founded our company, we are impressed by the evolution of materials, by the development of new technologies in the cellar and by the innovation of countryside techniques, by changes in the market and by consumer requests. Yet somehow everything has remained the same in the dedication, daily commitment and passion that we bring every day to this work, as well as the desire to take risks and get involved every day to improve more and more».

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A rich Chianti vertical in Germany

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true full immersion in one of the most famous wines and brands around the world was staged during the Gambero Rosso events in Munich and Berlin. The “I love Chianti” masterclasses were led by Marco Sabellico, curator of the wine guide, and Luca Alves, commercial director of

the Chianti Wine Consortium. A Tuscan journey through the provinces of Arezzo, Florence, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena. Let’s remember that this is a very geologically homogeneous area, located south of the Apennines and between the latitudes that include Florence and Siena, the altitude of the hilly land cultivated with vines is on average

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between 200 and 400 m altitude. During the tastings, 7 wines were proposed for a vertical ranging between all 7 subareas of the denomination, to discover the variety and richness of styles and flavours within the Docg area, and able to evolve and age in time that we know well about Sangiovese, protagonist in these lands.

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A taste of Lombardy in Denmark

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true taste of Lombardy in Copenhagen. This year, the classic in-depth analysis during the Vini d’Italia event held at the Moltkes Palace was dedicated to the Lombardy region, on a journey through the main denominations of the area. Today unfortunately this is the area most suffering in Italy of Covid-19. Lorenzo Ruggeri

and Marco Sabellico conducted the seminar, starting from Oltrepò Pavese with its 3,500 hectares of Pinot Noir, passing through Lugana, with two excellent examples of wines made from Trebbiano grapes, locally called turbiana, and then illustrating one of the smallest denominations in Italy, DOC Capriano del Colle which on the red wine front features marzemino, merlot and sangiovese grapes. Finally,

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the close is still in Oltrepò, followed by the province of Pavia, with Buttafuoco, made from croatina and barbera, and the sparkling sweet Sangue di Giuda, one of the very few sweet red wines of Italy always from made from croatina, barbera and rare grape. Paired with Varzi Dop salami, from the freshest version called filzetta, to the cucito which requires a maturing of at least 180 days. Simply unique.

STORIES

A global challenge can only be won with a global response CORONAVIRUS PROMPTS A FORWARD LEAP IN FOOD AND WINE E-COMMERCE

S

by Lorenzo Ruggeri olidarity expressed at all levels. Think neighbours exchanging quarantined bottles, expenses ‘suspended’ for the indigent, large fashion companies converting their production into lab coats and masks, plus donations, volunteer work and more. Acts of kindness and gestures of closeness abound, from illuminated skyscrapers to deployment of doctors and medical supplies. Many gestures that warm the heart in this climate of pain and great uncertainty.

Never before had we witnessed such widespread mobilization of solidarity. At the same time, the global pandemic has exposed the discrepancies of a planet logicized by compartmentalised reasoning, by nations, which still a world that thinks that what’s happening elsewhere is elsewhere in every sense. That’s until the enemy is

in our homes, and perhaps at that point closing the borders to an invisible enemy already well spread in our country.

In short, different measures and different times didn’t help prevention of Covid-19. A global challenge calls for a global response. Today we understand it, we hope tomorrow we will too. Let’s analyse what is happening in our sector.

One of the areas most affected by the crisis is undoubtedly the dining sector, globally. It’s literally on its knees, but also ready to find new formulas to start over. The economic crisis of 2008, you will remember, brought us a huge number of bistros and new trattorias in the years that followed. We can therefore expect a similar response, especially in terms of approach in the dining room, with some hygienic procedures that will persist over time and a probable integration between increasingly

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dense relationship between kitchen and dining room, for a more streamlined and formal offer even in haute cuisine contexts. In recent weeks in Europe, many high end companies aimed exclusively of the dining world have offered their products directly to individuals, skipping the intermediate step. An interesting aspect, difficult to think of a return back once the emergency is over, the same goes for many companies producing cured meats, cheeses and preserves who have approached the online adventure and direct sales for the first time.

And on the wine front? What’s going on with our favorite beverage?

The first response is the great boom in wine e-commerce which in many countries, starting from Italy, wasn’t otherwise taking off. “The growth of these weeks is striking: it feels like

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Christmas” says Mauro Bricolo, country manager Italy for Vivino, almost incredulous. The app that was created to scan wines and receive information, which has also become a marketplace in the sector says they’re seeing a +100% on sales as opposed to the previous month. The emergency fostered a decisive step forward, even older generations have taken advantage of it for the first time. And the clear feeling among experts is that consumers will continue using after the emergency with a modified use of the traditional channels. “E-commerce is beautiful, fast, fun” says Bricolo. “After, however, it’s hard to stop.” And similarly other apps such as winedelivery have seen impressive growth numbers, even in triple digits.

The most sought after wines during the quarantine in Italy? Research shows that the “preferred” denominations during the quarantine in Italy are proving to be Franciacorta, Prosecco, the whites of Friuli, but also Falanghina. For the reds, those of Piedmont and Puglia. In short, Italy continues to raise glasses. Stefano Pezzi of Xtrawine, one of the main e-commerce site in Italy born in Forlì in 2008 and which opened a branch in Hong Kong six years ago, is looking ahead.

“Think about the change in mentality that is taking place, the state of emergency is an accelerator of what would have happened anyway in less time: the shift of sales from off to online. When everything returns to normal, nothing will be the same because now new horizons have opened: those who started to buy online, finding themselves well, will continue to do so. Companies will also have to deal with what, until the other day, was considered a tricky situation. We are now laying the foundations for what the future will be with or without coronavirus.”

For wineries all over the world, e-commerce will be an obligatory step to review in light of what has happened in recent weeks. The feeling is that many companies, especially in Europe, haven’t collected even a fraction of the real possibilities offered by the web in terms of positioning and sales.

The other big question concerns Gross Domestic Output. At the same time, the sale of wine in the gdo has been increasing in Italy since the beginning of the emergency, in the four weeks between February 15th and March 15th, wine is recording a clearly positive trend, like what is happening to offshore sales consumption (there’s a boom in water, flour but also spirits), wine has posted a growth of 9.5% in the last week under analysis and the estimates are still rising according to IRI data. Further research in Europe has highlighted stress trend. We’ll see if this trend keeps up once the emergency has lifted. Certainly, there’s a great desire to toast to good news that makes one think of an extraordinary leap forward in the sales of bubbles.

We really can’t wait.

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FRESCOBALDI: TUSCANY IN A NUTSHELL Respect for tradition and the ongoing search for new projects are innate characteristics of the Frescobaldi family, passionate about wine since the 14th century. The estate extends throughout Tuscany, from Chianti Rufina to Chianti Classico, and on to Maremma, Val di Pesa, the Montalcino area and even the family’s social commitment to the Gorgona Island detention centre where inmates have had the opportunity to try winegrowing at a professional level supervised by the winery’s team.

words by Lorenzo Ruggeri infographics by Alessandro Naldi, photos by Philippe Labeguerie and Francesco Vignali

STORIES

“C

ultivating Toscana Diversity� is the motto of the Cellar of the Year for Vini d’Italia 2020.

The history of the Frescobaldi family has ancient roots, and is closely linked to the history of Florence. Once merchants and bankers, the Frescobaldi family also include poets like Dino, a friend of Dante Alighieri, or musicians like Girolamo. Florence itself, without the Santa Trinita bridge or the basilica of Santo Spirito, would not be the same. But since 1308 there is a common thread that runs through the history of this family. Wine production. Today they are among the most important Italian wineries, with seven estates in Tuscany, which become ten with Luce, Ornellaia and Masseto, and finally a Friulian offshoot, the historic Attems estate in the Collio Goriziano.

From 2013 at the helm of the maison is Lamberto, who represents the 30th generation.

What does the award mean in this Guide? The very high quality of the entire group proposal, a crazy solid integrity that demonstrates new energy and a stylistic maturity capable of bringing value to the specific terroirs of Tuscany. We now offer you a full immersion in the Group's estates, a journey proposed around the world, from Stockholm to London, from Paris to Monaco, through our tasting notes. Ornellaia 2016, a Tre Bicchieri possessing momentum for one of the most extraordinary versions ever, and Masseto 2016 stay put for the moment, but such fun.

THE WINES Let's start from the light of Castello di Pomino, an area hidden among the initial forests blanketing the Florentine mountains, with vineyards that climb up to 700 meter altitude. Let's start with bubbles that surprised us, Leonia Pomino Brut 2015, a classic method that's difficult to frame in a regional context: very fine texture, very creamy, perfect pairing with reserve wines to give the complexity and light spices, citrus freshness of chardonnay, and slightly vinous pinot noir for a balance that truly works. Also finding elsewhere for that very pleasant touch of pastry.

We remain in the historic estate with the Benefizio Riserva 2018, one of the Chardonnays that have made the history of national whites, proposed since 1973. Matured in new and

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first-pass barriques, precisely the extraction of oak has improved over time, more delicate, graceful. The vintage offers a white with anise, almond and white melon notes, the mouth is sweet, with toasted hints that take strength and fade up in the finish again fresh and still very young. The 700 meter-altitude is present in the lively acid vein and in the background energy: in 15 years this wine will still be standing and in great shape.

We move and make a suggestive crossing to say the least in the remote island of Gorgona, about 30 aerial kilometers from the port of Livorno. A very small, wild, beautiful island. There is no public transportation connecting it to the mainland. The only structure is the Gorgona Penitentiary Institute, the only island penitentiary in Europe.

In 2012, thanks to the col-

FRESCOBALDI

laboration with the institute, the Frescobaldi family developed a wine project that sees the inmates engaged directly in the production work, as part of a training course that will facilitate their reintegration into society. The vineyards are two hectares, planted in vermentino and ansonica, a white berried variety that we find on the Tuscan coast and in many small islands. Beyond history, beauty and commendable social commitment, the Gorgona 2018 is an enchanting wine.

It's an unpredictable white in its aromas of spontaneous herbs, the hints of sage and basil, the intertwining of citrus sensations that recall summer. The mouth highlights a charge of incredible flavour, a very deep and tasty saline texture, a slight tannic friction that lends rhythm, the finish owns great momentum, for a

wine that starts strong in the mouth, slows down and then rekindles, at large, in the very long finish. Very few bottles, of course, kept in a nice packaging with a suggestive ancient map of the island, full of coves and inlets, which thanks to the Frescobaldi family can be visited once a year.

From Gorgona to another historic estate, the Castello di Nipozzano, which has dominated the vineyards since the year 1000, we are within the Chianti Rufina appellation in the province of Florence. The Nipozzano Vecchie Viti is a Riserva of Chianti Rufina that comes to life from the oldest vineyards of the Castle, and then matures 24 months in large oak barrels. 2016 is a version that doses well the male and generous character of the denomination, with tones of ripe dark fruits, spices, to-

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On the left and in the opening, tasting in Stockholm Above, tasting at Vinexpo - Paris

Frescobaldi Firenze via Santo Spirito, 11 05527141 – frescobaldi.it

STORIES

THE FRESCOBALDI ESTATES IN TUSCANY Marina di Bibbona

Castello di Bolgheri

Ornellaia & Masseto Fattoria Casa di Terra Giovanni Chiappini

Bolgheri

Podere Grattamacco - Collemassari

Villanoviana

San Guido

Podere Guado al Melo Castello di Nipozzano Fattoria Terre del Marchesato

Pelago (FI)

Eucaliptus

Batzella

Tenuta di Vaira

Castello di Pomino Rufina

Prato

Marina di Castagneto

Firenze

Fornacelle Tenuta Castiglioni

Serni Fulvio Luigi

Donoratico 2 km

La Cipriana

Firenze

Castagneto Carducci

Tenuta Perano Gaiole in Chianti (SI)

Mulini di Segalari Arezzo Colle Val d’Elsa

Michele Satta Volterra Cecina

Gorgona Isola di Gorgona (LI)

Castagneto Carducci (LI)

Massa Marittima

Piombino

ISOLA D’ELBA

Grosseto

Tenuta Ammiraglia Montiano (GR)

Tenute di famiglia

ISOLA DEL GIGLIO

Le cantine di Bolgheri

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Montalcino

Tenuta di Castelgiocondo

Ornellaia

CAPRAIA

Tenuta Luce

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Montalcino

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gether with a delicious balsamic vein, for a rich, but also dynamic, dense and powerful sip, between sensations of pepper and licorice. From here we jump from the Chianti Rufina to the heart of the Chianti Classico, in Gaiole in Chianti. Tenuta Perano is located at 500 meters above sea level in a natural amphitheater, on steep rocky hills. The Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Rialzi 2015 is the product, as the term "rialzi" implies, of the raised parcels of the area, the cooler ones. In the glass we feel the essence of Chianti Classico, those aerial, delicate, fragrant perfumes, violet, red fruits, undergrowth. The mouth is light, creamy in the tannic texture, dry and continuous, with a crescendo in the finish, light, long and nuanced. A great drink today, and certainty for the future, too.

Still in the Sangiovese area, in this case focusing on Sangiovese Grosso, moving to the Castel Giocondo, west of Montalcino, at about 300 meters above sea level. The Brunello Ripe al Convento di Castelgiocondo Riserva 2013 offers intense aromas of coffee, undergrowth, with an already evident but intriguing tertiary profile. It pits a little in freshness but has a very refined pace and tannic texture, with a slow rhythm and cadence up to the long finish. Another dive into history takes us to Montespertoli, in the Val di Pesa, 20 kilometers from Firenza on the Castiglioni estate, where the family's passion for viticulture was born already 700 years ago. International varieties such as merlot and sangiovese coexist here, merging into Giramonte 2016 which ages for 16 months in new barriques. Growing in concentration and den-

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sity, in sensations of blueberry and cocoa, but also a dynamic mouth, refreshed by tones of juniper and mint, caressing tannins and a finish of juice and flavour.

The closure of the tasting was surprising and full of character. We end in Maremma, in Magliano, in southern Tuscany. Tenuta Ammiraglia opened its doors in 2011, in the glass we have an Aurea Gran Rosé 2018. A new idea that brings together the typical Vermentino of the area, vinified partly in oak, and Syrah vinified in white and aged in barrique. The colour is very light, a rosé based on white, slight pinkish backlight. The aromas are peach, pepper and sage, the mouth is delicately toasted, creamy, very valuable in substance, which is then the detail that makes the difference in the rosé. Fine finish, with character.

RUFINA: DISCOVERING THE MOST VERTICAL SANGIOVESE IN THE TUSCAN CHIANTI UNIVERSE Chianti is a composite mosaic, made of areas and subzones and of different disciplinary areas for quality and specificity. The denomination Rufina is one of the parts of this land puzzle historically suited to the wine that in Sangiovese find the most capable grape to express territory.

The wines of Rufina are savoury, angular and with character, long-lived...

In one word? Vertical!

Words by Emiliano Gucci – Infographics by Alessandro Naldi

STORIES

R

ufina is the smallest and most autarchic of the Chianti sub-areas, its feet on the north-eastern borders of the city of Florence, its shoulders on the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines; about 850 hectares of vineyards up to 500 meters above sea level on limestone soils, rich in galestro and alberese, for a production of around 3.5 million bottles per year.

It is a suitable land, included in the famous Bando di Cosimo III Medici who in 1716 defined the boundaries and assumptions of the best wines, divided into the municipalities of Rufina, Dicomano, Londa, Pelago and Pontassieve, all united by a vibrant, fine and elegant Sangiovese grape. And by a handful of tenacious, proud producers, in love with their land and their work, guided by the light of stoic, historical figures

who, even in the most difficult years, never thought of giving up; let alone call into question the denomination with its specific features. That's what differentiates it in the Mare Magnum of Chianti, on the one hand the viaticum for the global market but on the other hand condemns the approval and price war. «You live with Rufina or you die in Chianti», to quote Federico Giuntini at the head of Selvapiana, a pivotal winery for resilience and quality in Chianti Rufina, as well as long-time President of the relevant Consortium; «A strict and coercive vision of the territory, a strong thread linking vineyard and bottle–echoes Lamberto Frescobaldi from the nearby Castello di Nipozzano–Wine is made with grapes and grapes are made in the vineyard, this is the most revolutionary banality to find in the glass the qualities of our land, those that bring it out».

1

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CASTELLO DI NIPOZZANO The Frescobaldi family has a thousand years of history interwoven with that of Tuscany, with legacies without borders: think of the poet Dino Frescobaldi who allowed his friend Dante Alighieri, in exile, to have back the first seven songs of the Divine Comedy; or the patronage of works such as the Santa Trinita bridge and the basilica of Santo Spirito in Florence. Six more wineries joined the wine trade in the XIV century with the Castiglioni estate, in Montespertoli. Over time composing the mosaic that shows today's Tuscan viticulture, expressing loyalty to the territories and high quality in the importance of numbers, elements which earned the label the title of Cellar of the Year by Vini d'Italia 2020. Reaching the Castello di Nipozzano, at the time still

CHIANTI RUFINA

"without water wells", for the marriage of Angelo Frescobaldi and Leonia, sister of Vittorio Albizi, who from France had imported innovations and grape varieties like cabernet sauvignon, verdot and various pinot, with the noir that is still the strength of the nearby Tenuta di Pomino. Every season is good for reaching Nipozzano, all the more so today that the splendid 17th-century villa, locted below the castle of the Mille, is surrounded by undulating vineyards manicured as gardens, and stylized cypress trees that tug at the heart.

«The wine of this area has always been considered valuable – says Lamberto Frescobaldi, who carries on the excellent work of his father Vittorio and uncles Ferdinando and Leonardo – however, a strong change occurred with the economic boom of the post-WWII 1. The estate of the Castello di Nipozzano of Frescobaldi, historic Tuscan wine family with over a thousand years of history behind it In the opening, the ancient wine maturation room in the Selvapiana winery, in the municipality of Rufina

period, when the countryside was depopulated and the older peasants, who had landed in the city, demanded their good wine. This spawned a great impulse to bottle, and city retailers».

Lamberto keeps the wine at the centre of his thoughts, of everyday life, of his continuous research: «The wine does not allow distractions, he wants to be the protagonist». When necessary, he's severe with himself and with history, in general and the history of his family: «It's clear that we got a little lost, between the 60s and the 90s, chasing demands and losing quality, with Sangiovese becoming the most cultivated variety in Italy in the noose of prices that were to remain low». But now the bar is set: «In recent decades we were able to invest heavily in excellence, and I speak of the human factor, of skills and abilities that expressed our best selves in our group. The results

prove it.» The iconic wine is Nipozzano, a classic Chianti Rufina with an excellent quality/price ratio, from which Nipozzano Vecchie Viti (Tre Bicchieri score for the Riserva 2016) is born, extremely elegant and balanced, «but also exuberant, vigorous, from a historic surviving vineyard to the replanting, that since 1990 has affected all the farm holdings». The legendary Montesodi, which ironically the Florentines had renamed "mountain of money", is instead the result of a vineyard around Casa Sodi and since 1974, in unsuspecting times, brought the pure Sangiovese di Rufina in the bottle: «Apparently more shy and introvert but in reality betraying great character and strength: in longevity it expresses itself as complex and enveloping, profound». A prototype of the most identifying Rufina which we'll talk about again soon.

FOCUS ON THE EXPRESSIVE PARTICULARITIES OF THE TERROIR Chianti Rufina, also here in Tuscany, has always been seen a bit like the younger cousin of the most "prestigious" Chianti Classico, and as a sort of older brother of Chiantis. The labels that this denomination offers, however, despite some excellent examples (such as Frascole and Selvapiana, Colognole and Castello del Trebbio with their Riserva, or like the remarkable old vintages of Montesodi di Frescobaldi), struggle to find space in both local and national wine lists. When I try to ask myself why this is, the answer I give myself is the following: beyond the organoleptic sensations – I think of wild and/or more marked balsamic tones – which differentiate the wines from other Chianti neighbours. I am under the impression that the same "suffix" Chianti doesn't benefit the Rufina wines to mark specificity, to really stand out from its "relatives". And this creates confusion both in retailers (wine bars and restaurants) and in consumers.

Probably, if I also have to try to find a territorial marketing strategy for Rufina, perhaps greater awareness by the part of some producers that we should invest more on the selection of vines and on the definition of production methods able to better express the territorial specificity of the area. And then – thinking also of the great teamwork that the winemakers express, for example, in Radda – maybe also the producers of Rufina should join forces in a more cohesive and decisive way so as to make the denomination Rufina emerge more strongly.

– Walter Meccia, head sommelier at Four Seasons in Florence

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VINI D'ITALIA 2020 GUIDE: THE 7 BEST CHIANTI RUFINA

STORIES

CHIANTI RUFINA NIPOZZANO VECCHIE VITI RIS. ’16 - FRESCOBALDI FLORENCE - SOLD AT 23,50 EURO IT HAS AN INTRIGUING AROMATIC SPECTRUM, WHERE NOTES OF SOIL AND LEATHER BLEND WITH FRESH NUANCES OF MEDITERRANEAN SCRUB AND CHERRY; THE PALATE IS FINE, ELEGANT, WELL BALANCED WITH A LONG AND FULL FINISH.

2. A view of the Selvapiana vineyards, bordered by woods and scrub 3. The estate I Veroni of Lorenzo Mariani, in Pontassieve 4. The rows flanked by olive trees on the Frascole estate of Enrico Lippi and Elisa Santoni in Dicomano, towards Mugello: the winery takes its name from the hill on which it stands 5. The Lavacco Winery

CHIANTI RUFINA RIS. ’16 FRASCOLE - DICOMANO (FI) FRASCOLE.IT - SOLD AT 15 EURO CHIANTI RUFINA RISERVA '16 IS INVITING, MINERAL, HAS BODY AND BALANCE, BEAUTIFUL PERSISTENCE. RUFINA '17 BY FRASCOLE (DUE BICCHIERI SCORE) IS ALSO GOOD: BOASTS VEGETAL AND CHERRY TONES ON THE NOSE, THEN A BROAD, HARMONIOUS STRUCTURE OF SUBSTANCE. CHIANTI RUFINA RIS. ’15 - IL BALZO RUFINA (FI) - ILBALZO.IT - SOLD AT 17 EURO WINE WITH ELEGANT NOTES OF WILD FLOWERS AND LIVE FRUIT, CHERRY THAT COMBINES WITH FRESH NOTES OF MEDITERRANEAN SCRUB. ON THE PALATE IT IS FLUID BUT WITH EVIDENT ACIDITY, INTEGRATED INTO THE BODY, WITH A PROLONGED FINISH.

CHIANTI RUFINA TEGOLAIA RIS. ’16 - TRAVIGNOLI - PELAGO (FI) - TRAVIGNOLI.COM SOLD AT 14.50 EURO A RISERVA WITH TERTIARY NOTES OF

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TOBACCO AND LEATHER WHICH THEN OPEN ON TONES OF RIPE CHERRY AND HINTS OF CLOVE. WELL DEFINED OPENING IN THE MOUTH, WHERE IT IS SOLID AND STRUCTURED; IT HAS WELL-ARTICULATED TANNINS, THE FINISH IS A CRESCENDO.

CHIANTI RUFINA VIGN. BUCERCHIALE RIS. ’16 - SELVAPIANA RUFINA (FI) - SELVAPIANA.IT - SOLD AT 20.20 EURO COMPLEX BOUQUET, NOTES OF FUR AND LEATHER, THEN BITTER HINTS, FOLLOWED

BY CLEAR TONES OF PLUM. IN THE MOUTH IT BOASTS PUSH, BEAUTIFUL ACID VERVE, INTEGRATED TANNINS AND A FULL FINISH. GREAT WINE. CHIANTI RUFINA VIGN. QUONA RIS. ’16 - I VERONI - PONTASSIEVE (FI) IVERONI.IT - SOLD AT 25.00 EURO THE WINE HAS A RIPE BOUQUET OF WILD BERRY JAM, THEN LIGHT SPICY NOTES, THEN HINTS OF AROMATIC HERBS. THE TASTE IS ENVELOPING, WITH CRUNCHY TANNINS, EXCELLENT DRINK AND A SAVOURY AND LONG FINISH.

CHIANTI RUFINA VILLA BOSSI RIS. ’16 - GONDI-TENUTA BOSSI PONTASSIEVE (FI) - TENUTABOSSI.COM SOLD AT 16.80 EURO APPLAUSE FOR ITS FRESH AND CLEAR BOUQUET, WITH CHERRY AND BLUEBERRY TONES WITH BALSAMIC NOTES; THE BODY IS SOLID BUT NOT IMPOSING, WITH FINE AND WELL INTEGRATED TANNINS. THE FINISH IS LONG AND TASTY.

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THE MEDIEVAL ROOTS OF SELVAPIANA We move away a little to visit the other historical winery par excellence, in the town of the municipality of Rufina whose name it bears, Selvapiana, born in the Middle Ages as a watchtower before being transformed into a villa. The Florentine banker Michele Giuntini bought it in 1826, his descendant Francesco Giuntini then managed the estate since 1950, hiring Franco Masseti, farmer whom he shared a fraternal relationship, and adopting his children Silvia and Federico as worthy heirs to continue his work..

«Francesco is a luminary and has been an example for everyone – recalls Federico Giuntini – It's unimaginable how dramatic the agricultural crisis hit in the 1960s, the transition between sharecropping and direct management was difficult. It's not at all obvious that from bulk to bottled wine, from quanti-

CHIANTI RUFINA

new cru now emerged from the Erchi estate, in the municipality of Pontassieve, which immediately set the high benchmark of the area, juicy and solemn already in the first 2016 version; «It will be part of the Vigneto Unico project, although perhaps this will not be the name, with the aim that each winery has its own Sangiovese as a testimony to Rufina's uniqueness».

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ty to quality». Francesco was among the first to believe in a "wine of Rufina" that distanced itself from Chianti, Federico carries on the battle. «After leaving high school I was induced to enroll in Agriculture university, but it only lasted a year and a half: beautiful, a sort of sabbatical year that also coincided with community service, but then my life was always been here», among organically managed vineyards that still bear the names of the sharecropping era, and cellars among the oldest and most fascinating of Rufina, alongside the new airy structure inaugurated with the 2005 vintage.

«1978 marked the encounter between Francesco and winemaker Franco Bernabei, who in addition to technical knowledge posessed innate talent for Sangiovese. And a year later Luigi Veronelli's push contributed to the birth of the Bucerchiale». A "flagship wine" and among

the first single variety to force the disciplinary of Chianti Rufina: from a 12-hectare parcel that best expresses the characteristics of the area.

«Limiting errors, major cleaning for decanting and careful passages, but it's in the vineyard that the bulk of the work is carried out, and where the wine acquires its identity»: this is the motto of the work in the cellar. And in this perspective should the advice of Andrea Beconcini be mentioned. «We do not believe that Rufina should emerge because we are better or more exclusive than others – says Federico – we rather think Sangiovese speaks for itself. Here, it finds an elegant expression, combined with a drinkability that's facilitated by non-aggressive tannins and good acidity; in addition to a surprising longevity, the result of suitable terrains and an ideal microclimate, with an important temperature range».

From the 58 hectares of vineyards, a

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I VERONI Always in Pontassieve, we meet another person with vital enthusiasm, clear ideas in photographing the potential of the denomination but above all the importance of those who have held out in difficult times, including characters already mentioned above. «Nowadays it's difficult to understand what it meant to make quality viticulture here a few decades ago – says Lorenzo Mariani today head of I Veroni – The territory has the effigy of Chianti but not the strength of the Classico, nor does it have the same level of landscape nor marketing potential. It comes from years of bulk wine, of bottlers, downward pricing policies, and moreover it appear that not even the Florentines, at a stone's throw from here, come here too willingly». Inexplicable given the beauty of certain places. «For those belonging to my generation, who found themselves an agricultural property to abandon or relaunch, the encouragement of Vittorio Frescobaldi or Francesco Giuntini who urged us to stay put, bring value back to our countryside and our wine, was therefore crucial» recalls Lorenzo.

Lorenzo studied law, and still lives in Florence; but following the beacon of the great winemakers of Rufina he threw himself into the adventure of I Veroni «with all the vigour and presumption of the young, making mistakes but always starting over again, growing up, in a continuous struggle for change», including his mentality. "I've never seen a

10 TABLES CHOSEN

BY WINEMAKERS

STORIES

1 RISTORANTE DA SERGIO DICOMANO (FI) - VIA MONTALLORO, 1 055838075 - RISTORANTEDASERGIO.IT «TYPICAL TUSCAN, ACTUALLY FROM MUGELLO, WARM AND FAMILIAR, ALWAYS SERVING HOMEMADE PASTA».

2 TRATTORIA BAR BIBO FIRENZUOLA (FI) LOC. TRAVERSA VIA TRAVERSA, 454 – 055815231 @TRATTORIABARBIBO «LARGE SELECTION OF LOCAL WINES AND MEAT, MOSTLY GRILLED STEAKS».

3 LOCANDA L’ANTICA PORTA DI LEVANTE VICCHIO (FI) - P.ZZA VITTORIO VENETO, 4 055844050 - ANTICAPORTADILEVANTE.IT «MODERN, WELCOMING, THE MENU CHANGES EVERY MONTH, REINTERPRETS TRADITION AND SOURCING EXCELLENT PRODUCTS».

4 TOSCANI DA SEMPRE PONTASSIEVE (FI) - VIA FRATELLI MONZECCHI, 13 – 0558392952 - TOSCANIDASEMPRE.IT «RESTAURANT WITH STEFANO FRASSINETI'S CUISINE, HOMEMADE PASTA FOLLOWED LOCAL SPECIALTIES, AND ALWAYS RUFINA WINES ON THE MENU».

5 LA BOTTEGA A ROSANO RIGNANO SULL'ARNO (FI) VIA PRIMO MAGGIO, 10 –0558303013 BOTTEGAAROSANO.IT «AN OLD-FASHIONED FOOD SHOP WITH RESTAURANT. AS FAR AS THE WINES ONE COULD SAY: THIS IS THE RUFINA WINE SHOP».

6 ARTEMIDE PONTASSIEVE (FI) - FRAZ. MOLINO DEL PIANO VIA DI GALIGA, 21 – 0558317240 @ARTEMIDERISTO «VERY TUSCAN WITH LOTS OF WILD GAME, INTERESTING WINE CELLAR FEATURING BEYOND LOCAL».

7 AGRITURISMO RISTORANTE PODERE BELVEDERE PONTASSIEVE - VIA SAN PIERO A STRADA, 23 – 3338693448 - PODEREBELVEDERETUSCANY.IT «THE INSPIRATION OF CHEF EDOARDO TILLI FOR AN ORIGINAL GOURMET CHOICE IN THE HEART OF CHIANTI RUFINA».

8 PASSAGUAI BORGO SAN LORENZO (FI) P.ZZA G. GARIBALDI, 2 – 0558402137 PASSAGUAIBORGO.IT «NEWISH SHOP WITH KITCHEN THAT ALSO SERVES DELICIOUS APPETIZERS, CROSTINI, CHEESE AND CHARCUTERIE BOARDS, AND EXCELLENT PASTA DISHES, WITH LOCAL WINES».

9 OSTERIA VINANDRO FIESOLE (FI) - P.ZZA MINO DA FIESOLE, 33 05559121 - @OSTERIAVINANDROFIESOLE «QUIET, SIMPLE AND DELIGHTFUL, NOT TOURISTY YET IN THE MAIN SQUARE IN FIESOLE. ON THE MENU, ALWAYS BOILED MEATS AND LAMPREDOTTO OFFAL».

10 VECCHIA OSTERIA DEL NACCHERO FIRENZE - PIAZZA GAVINANA, 3R 0556587058 - OSTERIADELNACCHERO.IT «THE MAIN DISH IS THE "PRISONER'S SKILLET": SERVED IN AN EARTHENWARE COCOTTE, IT'S A MIXTURE OF TRIPE, LAMPREDOTTO AND BROCCOLI WITH A SPICY PEPPER SAUCE»

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farmer make money," his parents would say to him, and his mother who sometimes perceives this farmhouse with its olive trees and its 20 hectares of vines as a niusance, rather than a resource.

«It's been hard, and if the results are here it's because I owe a lot to my kids, to my team», a concept that is obviously very close to his heart: the first quote is for Paola De Blasi, production manager, and for Luca Innocenti who is in charge of the commercial aspect. «The mediation between their tasks, between those who produce and those who sell, is the synthesis of the wine that we can bring in the bottle, neither presumptuous nor pleasing, which, in parallel with the strengthening of the brand, can become even more daring and identitifying».

The transition to organic farming was "natural, shared", certified in 2013, the rooms smell of olden days (the first fermentation tanks were built by the noble Gatteschi family at the end of the 16th century) in a meticulously

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cared for approach that instead tastes modern. The tradition is all contained in the Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice, bewitching from the first nose to the last drop, while the Veroni style is already strong in the Rufina Vigneto i Domi, classic and territorial, a typical blend of Chianti with colorino and canaiolo alongside the Sangiovese, which is the only protagonist in the Riserva Vigneto Quona. Wines that are appreciated immediately but improve over time: «Another peculiarity that unites Rufina.

It's thanks to certain talents that we can team up and give a voice to our land, on our behalf, moreover it's unthinkable that the policy useful to a huge community like Chianti can represent a small and particular reality like this one».

FRASCOLE After climbing up towards the Apennine ridge, towards Mugello, we meet one of the most eclectic and significant wineries of the area, built on the

CHIANTI RUFINA

WINE CELLARS AND RESTAURANTS CLOSE TO FLORENCE

Ronta

Barberino di Mugello Scarperia

Trattoria Bar Bibo

LAGO DI BILANCINO

Passaguai San Piero a Sieve Locanda l’Antica Porta di Levante Borgo San Lorenzo

Vicchio Il Lago

Vaglia Ristorante Da Sergio Polcanto

Artemide

Loggia dell'Hotel Villa San Michele

Dicomano

Frascole

Colognole Castello del Trebbio Pratolino

Podere Il Pozzo Galiga

Fattoria di Basciano Scopeti

Caldine Podere Belvedere

Mulino a Vento

Rufina

Il Balzo

Fattoria Lavacchio Fiesole

Pomino I Veroni

Fattoria di Grignano

Il salviatino Osteria Vinandro

Selvapiana

Sieci Settignano

Selvapiana

Compiobbi

Diacceto Pontassieve

Pelago

Firenze La Bottega a Rosano

Travignoli Vecchia Osteria del Nacchero

Bagno a Ripoli

Toscani da Sempre Cantine Bellini Castello di Nipozzano - Frescobaldi

5 km

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STORIES

6 LOCAL DISHES FOR 6 LABELS Alessandro dossi,

Corra-

host

and

mastermind

of

Osteria in

Vinandro

Fiesole,

offers

pairings of six traditional Tuscan dishes with six labels of fine Rufina, including Vinsanto.

1 Legume soup Chianti Rufina '17 Fattoria Selvapiana

2 Ribollita Chianti Rufina '17 Podere Il Pozzo

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Frascole hill, from which it takes its name, located above the municipality of Dicomano. A cluster of medieval dwellings – where the Etruscans lived as well as the Romans – around which splendid olive groves and about 16 hectares of vineyards unfold, facing south west and divided into parcels some above 400 meterelevation.

«We were looking for a place to live together and to work on something that was our own. We immediately felt that Frascole was the right place. Here you feel the presence of the genius loci, in the respect of which to act, without distorting nature and things but rather taking advantage of the experiences of those who have already walked on and cultivated these lands». Enrico Lippi and Elisa Santoni found themselves – about thirty years ago, after collaborating with the family estate and their

Thyme scented rack of lamb Chianti Rufina Ris. '13 Frascole

commitment of fruit farming – united in starting the adventure of Frascole, now also a agriturismo farm. «We married each other as a couple but ideally also with our oenologist Federico Staderini, who was among the first to believe in the potential of the area». A collaboration that has never been interrupted, even if the meetings are less frequent now.

There is, unwavering, his experience, his hand, even in the new path taken with Pinot Noir.

«But here there were already all the typical varieties of the area – say Elisa and Enrico – excellent clones of Sangiovese and a nice selection of Colorino. Our idea was not to make drastic changes, but to get what these grapes could offer here, in this land.

To make a Rufina, even before a Chianti», and the theme of the native peculiarities is destined to always come back.

COMPARING THE LAST 4 HARVESTS

4 Fiorentina steak Chianti Rufina Vigna Quona Ris. '15 I Veroni

2019

Fresh wines with excellent acidity, contained alcohol grade, mature and abundant tannins

2018

Excellent quality of the grapes; excellence in the wine cellar during the fermentation phase

2017

Wines boasting excellent structure, complexity and longevity

2016

The 300th anniversary harvest was very interesting; tield slightly under standard

5 Florentine style tripe Chianti Rufina i Domi 2016 I Veroni

6 Cantucci di Prato Vinsanto del Chianti Rufina '01 Frascole

solar radiation rain

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temperature range

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abnormal frosts and snowfalls quantity of grapes produced

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However the era of jam-packed, concentrated and muscular wines came, for which the fine, elegant, almost ethereal Sangiovese of Frascole struggled to establish itself. «Yet we never forced the times, the nature, if anything we tried to make up for the mistakes,» says Elisa, while Enrico remembers that «coming back from the early Vinitaly events were anxiolytic, impossible to hide».

Then the wind changed, while fortunately the breath of the north and the cool nights guaranteed by Monte Falterona, behind it, have never been missing, «it's not surprising that this was a sacred mountain already for the Etruscans». Diverse vintages and fermentations, also for the variety of the land, maximum attention in the cellar «where we fight given the small spaces».

This is the first company in the area to work organically with certification

since 1999 and sensitivity for the social aspect, as in varied and somewhat bizarre humanity of Frascole. «It's natural for us to collaborate with those we meet along the way and have a desire or need to work with us».

Elisa's brother, Carlo Santoni, is also involved in the venture. After pausing his architect career was beguiled by the lure of the countryside and returned to farming.

In the excellent range of wines we find InAlbis, a white made from Trebbiano grapes also in the macerated version, Limine, pure merlot; and from 2016 the aforementioned Pinot noir. And we find the most vertical and mineral Rufina in the Frascole DOCG and in the Riserva, balanced and persistent, which doesn't fear comparison with time and with its Tuscan counterparts.

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THE MOST INTERESTING REALITIES The message is clear: if Rufina can emerge at higher levels, it will do so by investing in its typical features, starting from the excellent results obtained by the wineries that have invested so much, have grown and are growing in recent years. In addition to those investigated, we should at least talk about Castello del Trebbio, Colognole, Fattoria Lavacchio, Travignoli, il Balzo, Cantine Bellini, Fattoria di Basciano, Fattoria di Grignano, Lago. Encouraging team potential and widespread attention to the environment also emerge from the wealth of words collected. As well as the desire to affirm an identity in spite of the Chianti universe, perhaps too generic, now that the market also seems to have understood the importance of unrepeatability and recognizability of each individual territory.

TRAVEL TO SARAJEVO EXPLORING ITS OTTOMAN ROOTS AND CONTEMPORARY MENUS We are projected in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a neighbouring yet still unknown country.

Especially gastronomically. The lively capital, Sarajevo, is where cultures of coffee and hearty food have started to stimulate ideas and passion in those who live here. A journey through forgotten aromas, strong flavours and new tastes to discover a city (and a country) through ages-old recipes and traditions

Words by Francesca Masotti – Photos by Haris Zoranić

STORIES

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ts inhabitants call it the heartshaped country and Bosnia and Herzegovina, nestled in the center of the Balkans, is actually the heart of the peninsula. The exact place where western and eastern civilizations met and still collide (sometimes clashing!) giving life to a unique mix of cultures, architectures, flavours and traditions. The just over 50,000 sq km territory, still largely unexplored, sees rural stone villages alternating with suspended bridges over pristine rivers, large green spaces, snow-capped mountains most of the year and a lively capital, Sarajevo, which Lonely Planet, for years, praises as one of the mustsee destinations in the world for those who love street food. Today, alongside succulent burek (stuffed phyllo dough that resembles Italian savoury pies) and tasty baklava (desserts of Ottoman

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origin), new dishes have made room for traditional recipes prepared by chefs that boldly combine modern flavours by offering sophisticated menus and contributing to make Sarajevo a new unmissable destination for food lovers. If until recently getting to Bosnia wasn’t easy, things have changed since last November: airline Flybosnia has, in fact, finally launched direct flights from Rome Fiumicino to Sarajevo. No more excuses, therefore: now is the time to abandon the usual routes and organize a weekend to discover the traditional flavours (and not only, of course) of one of the most fascinating and mysterious European capitals.

TRAVEL BACK IN TIME The finely ground coffee powder is poured together with hot water into the džezva, a copper pot, where it is

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1. Traditional lokum, sweets made with starch and sugar typical of the Middle Eastern, Turkish and Balkan area, mandatorily enjoyed with a good cup of coffee 2. The Bosnian coffee service 3. A cup – or rather a small glass, as per Ottoman tradition – of tea: a very popular beverage enjoyed at all hours of the day in the streets 4. The preparation of Bosnian coffee – not to be confused with Turkish coffee as the Sarajevo natives are keen to point out – is a true ritual that marks the passing of days. The beverage dates back to the Ottoman rule in the Balkans and was simply called kahve

SARAJEVO

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boiled and then served in characteristic decorated cups, accompanied by sugar cubes and lokum, tasty and traditional Ottoman sweets made with rose water.

The preparation of Bosnian coffee – not to be confused with Turkish coffee as the Sarajevans are keen to point out – is a true ritual that marks the passing of days. They call it Bosnian (and elsewhere in various ways: in Greece, Greek coffee, in Cyprus, Cypriot coffee, in Armenia, Armenian coffee), but in the 16th century, when the Ottoman Empire ruled the territories of the Balkan peninsula, everyone simply called it kahve, a precious hot beverage to drink calmly and, above all, in company. The first kahvehane, the place where coffee was served, opened in Istanbul in 1555 by two Syrian merchants. Then, bars quickly spread like wildfire throughout the empire, from the Adriatic coast to

Persia, and became an essential meeting place for socializing. Over time, however, from mere entertainment venues the kahvehanas began to turn into hotspots of rebellion against the Ottoman Empire: from Thessaloniki to Belgrade, from Sofia to Sarajevo, the nationalist leaders of the Balkan territories governed by the Sultan met with the excuse to sip coffee to devise independence plans which in the 19th century, despite attempts to resist the empire, led to its disintegration with the consequent birth of new states.

The best place to taste it in the Bosnian capital is Aksaraj, in the heart of Baščaršija, an intricate tangle of alleys, from the time of the empire it was the economic and commercial centre of Sarajevo, to be visited with the awareness of getting lost, following aromas, scents and rhythmic beat of the crafts-

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men who shape copper creating jugs and cups. The coffee must be mandatorily paired with a piece of lokum, as per tradition. Take your time to enjoy a proper kahva: you need to sit at the table, wait and then finally sip the beverage calmly. Be patient: it’s the best way to start a visit to Sarajevo.

DISCOVERING TRADITIONAL FLAVOURS Aromas of the past, strong flavours and an incomparable views of Vjećnica, the town hall, a symbolic building of Sarajevo. These are the three ingredients behind Inat Kuća, the capital’s traditional restaurant housed in a historic city building. Literally, it means the ‘house of obstinacy’: the origin of this original name dates back to the dispute between the Austro-Hungarian authorities and the original owner of

STORIES

BOSNIA IN 8 DISHES

1 Burek Savoury pie filled with ground meat.

2 Ćevapi Cylindrical meatballs made from ground beef and lamb, and seasoned with spices.

They are usually served with potatoes, tomatoes and onions.

3 Japrak o dolma Vine leaf rolls stuffed with rice and flavoured with mint.

4 Begova Corba (zuppa del Bej) Chicken, egg and vegetable soup generally served at the beginning of the meal.

5 Filovane Paprika Peppers stuffed with ground meat. There is also a vegetarian version with a potato and onion filling.

6 Sogan dolma Caramelized onion, stuffed with ground meat, rice, spices and sour cream.

7 Baklava Sweet made with phyllo pastry, sugar syrup, honey and nuts (generally walnuts).

8 Klepe Dumplings filled with spiced meat and cheese.

the house, Mr. Avdaga Benderija, who categorically refused to have it demolished to make room for the new majestic town hall. After exhausting negotiations, an agreement was reached: the building would not have been destroyed, but transferred to the right bank of Miljacka, the narrow river that cuts Sarajevo in half. Today, to welcome visitors, in addition to the inviting scent that comes from the kitchen, also precious traditional furnishings, colourful textiles with typical Balkan designs and prints of old Sarajevo of the past. Here you can taste only the tastiest Bosnian specialties. «Our philosophy is to keep the local gastronomic tradition alive, to use the products offered by our land and to prepare them according to authentic recipes, without distorting them», says chef Zarko Marić. The recipes are in fact classic, presented with extreme care and served in an original way. Try klepe, Bosnian ravioli filled with spiced minced meat with mint and cheese, and Sarajevski sahan, with veal, peppers, tomatoes, onions; and japrak, typical of the city of Sarajevo.

ELEGANCE AND CONTEMPORARY TECHNIQES Among the new interpreters of Bosnian gastronomy, Vedran Kosić (with prestigious experience abroad, including at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon), is the chef of the moment. His signature cuisine––with strong European influences is served at BistroNomie Sarajevo, a restaurant with precious contents from every point of view––mixes carefully selected local products, with contemporary ideas and techniques. «With BistroNomie I tried to bring a breath of fresh air into the Sarajevo dining scene: working with the few, compared to the Italian, ingredients that we have available in Bosnia and Herzegovina I tried to create dishes other than those that sarajevo na-

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tives are used to and eat every day. I try to change the menu every day, so as to offer my customers an offer that is always up to date and attentive to novelty», says the chef. At his tables you can experience his passion for original dishes such as veal tartare, lamb rolls topped with blueberry sauce, carrots, zucchini and broccoli; but also some cornerstones of the most authentic local gastronomy, such as tufahija, a Bosnian dessert made with stewed apples stuffed with walnuts and sugar syrup. Delicious.

SMALL BOSNIA KITCHEN (AND MORE) No set menus, seasonal products and lots of creativity. Mala Kuhinja (translated into Italian: the small kitchen), by chefs Rasim Purivatra and Senad Bajramović, is the place where authentic Balkan flavours are mixed with the most sought after contemporary

5. A plate of burek, the best known and tastiest of all the Balkan foods: Layers of phyllo sheets stuffed with ground beef. It’s the dish that most of all represents Sarajevo: of TurkishOttoman origin it seems to date back to the migrations of the Turks to Anatolia

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SARAJEVO

LEARNING TO MAKE BUREK, THE SOUL AND SYMBOL OF SARAJEVO «I learned to cook from my mother when I was a child. I owe everything I know to her. During the war, to keep me away from the street and save me from snipers firing, she’d keep me busy in the kitchen, using the few products available at the time. So, sourcing from the garden outside the house, japrak were born, our vine leaf rolls (or cabbage, depending on the season) stuffed with rice and flavoured with mint; sogan dolma or a caramelized onion, stuffed with meat, rice and spices and decorated with a dollop of sour cream; and burek, the best known and tastiest of the Balkan foods, layered phyllo dough sheets stuffed with ground beef.

It’s the dish that most represents Sarajevo: each bite is an invitation to fully enjoy this dish present in every proper Bosnian menu. And it’s a bit like the city: made up of many different layers that are revealed to the visitor slowlt, one after the other. My mission is to teach and transmit this culture».

– Merisha Kevelj, bosniancookinglessons.com

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STORIES

tastes, creating a unique mix rarely found in a country like Bosnia and Herzegovina, so deeply rooted in local gastronomic traditions. A square, at a stone’s throw from the Italian Embassy in Sarajevo, with wooden tables overlooking the open kitchen, dishes with genuine products and a particularity: the restaurant has no menu. «We prefer to talk to our guests, understand their tastes in terms of food, if they have allergies, if they like one flavour instead of another and, finally, prepare the ideal dish, a completely tailored meal», the chefs explained.

The local and seasonal ingredients are carefully selected and prepared to highlight the original flavours of the dishes. «To make our dishes we only use local ingredients grown by a group of farmers in the area with whom we have collaborated for some time,» they concluded. Creative recipes and experiments, but also great attention to everything local.

WELCOME TO 1984 The name recalls the famous 1984 Winter Olympic Games, of which Sarajevo was the main venue. Although many decor elements – such as snowboards, a mural of the wolf Vuchko (mascot of the event) and paintings with a winter background

by Polish artist Karol Banach – constantly refer to that date, 1984 is the contemporary restaurant to take not of when wandering in the Balkans.

Housed in the Ibis Style Sarajevo, a hotel slightly outside the city center, «1984 offers a refined cuisine with the aim of re-introducing the locals, and for the first time to visitors, some traditional Bosnia and Herzegovina dishes, influenced however, with modern gusto», explained chef Adnan Rustempašić. The menu mixes typical recipes with modern influences and, just like Bosnian cuisine, it is a perfect combination of flavours from Central and Eastern Europe.

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7 6. Photos taken with our smartphones during a cooking class at Bosnian Cooking Lessons, a cultural and training centre dedicated to traditional Ottoman cuisine 7. A dish composed of Ottoman culture classics: japrak (or dolma filovane paprika (stuffed peppers) and sogan dolma (onions, always stuffed with ground beef) . urek in fin er version 9. Sogan dolma, caramelised stuffed onion topped with sour cream (photo by bosniancookinglesson.com)

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SARAJEVO

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17 SLOW FOOD PRESIDIA, FROM CHEESE TO POLENTA Goražde, Trebinje, Podgrameč: the three cities where the Slow Food movement was engaged in the defense of 17 traditional and local specialties including meats, legumes, cheeses and more, of which 9 are produced in Herzegovina, the southern most region and sunniest of the nation, known at home for its gastronomic variety. Cheese in the sack (raw sheep’s, goat’s and cow’s milk comes in a sheepskin sack, from which it takes its name), kajmak, legumes, figs, sage honey, Trebinje tomatoes and many other typical products of this sunny region are the base of traditional dishes such as prijesnac (savoury pie with fresh cow’s cheese), polkak (a soup made with local legumes) and pure (with cornmeal, pork fat and cheese in the sack): the Bosnian version of our polenta.

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STORIES

SARAJEVSKA PIVARA. A TOUR IN BOSNIA’S HISTORIC BREWERY It’s the first industrial brewery in Bosnia and Herzegovina, founded in 1864. Sarajevska Pivara is an unmissable stop for fans of pivo (beer in the local language).

It was inaugurated when Bosnia was still part of the Ottoman Empire (de jure until 1908, although from 1878 the country was de facto placed under the Austro-Hungarian protectorate). In the early 20th century, it became the largest brewery in the Empire of Austria and Hungary. After a period of decline between the two world wars and the atrocious siege of the 90s, Sarajesvko beer can now be enjoyed in almost every pub in the city, but the best place to discover its characteristics and to learn the techniques of production is the factory where it was born. Next to the production departments and the small museum, the headquarters also house the Pivnica HS restaurant, a room full of paintings and prints that recall the history of the brewery, where you can savour dishes with an exquisitely Central European flavour paired with mugs of beer. In addition to the classic Sarajevsko (blonde), also the Premium with a more complex taste, or the Tamno, dark beer with low fermentation. All excellent and still made according to the traditional production process.

The culinary proposal varies with the changing seasons, but there is a dish, almost an institution, always present on the restaurant tables and in every respectable Bosnian house: the Bej soup, made with chicken, vegetables and okra, an exotic plant very popular in the Balkan cuisine. Experiencing new flavours, of course, without ever forgetting tradition.

THE QUEEN OF BAKLAVA For proper baklava – a true must – the address to make note of is Baklava Dućan, in the heart of the Baščaršija, a red coloured wooden frame surrounding a small window from which all kinds of delicacies are sold: ružica, a sliced cake that looks like a blossoming rose from which it takes its name; lokum, swets made with sugar and rose water that accompany coffee, and inevitable baklava served in several versions. «Our motto is “respect tradition”. We only produce six types of baklava according to typical recipes handed down from generation to generation in my family», smiles pastry chef Bedrija Tulek. In the shop window, the ubiquitous dzandar baklava, typical of Sarajevo, rolled up like a cigar. «It takes three days to prepare.

It’s a ritual, from making the phyllo dough to chopping the best nuts, then the composition of the kaymak (a sort of fermented milk), to the slow cooking. No fusion, no change from the original recipe, no addition of products other than the traditional ones. Only a lot of passion and patience», she says proudly.

You sit at the tables overlooking the street watching people get lost in that maze of intricate alleys in Baščaršija, or buy a tray with all six types. To take home a piece of Sarajevo with you before coming home.

Aeroporto

10. A portion of baklava, the traditional Ottoman sweet, proposed by aklava u an a must-visit place dedicated to the most typical sweet that requires three days to make

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SARAJEVO

1 km

ADDRESSES Where to eat INAT KUĆA VELIKI ALIFAKOVAC, 1 +38(0)733447867 - INATKUCA.BA

Park Betanija

Bosnian Cooking Lessons

BistroNomie Sarajevo

Mala Kuhinja

Vratnik

Ciglane

1984

Novo Sarajevo

MALA KUHINJA TINA UJEVIĆA, 13 +38(0)733841076 - MALAKUHINJA.BA

Gorica Alifakovac

Pod Lipom Ga

zi

Otoka Sarajevo Alipašino Polje

Park šuma Mojmilo

Aeroplan

M Hu os sr ch ev ea -b eg o

Dženita

DVERI PROTE BAKOVIĆA, 12 +38(0)733537020 - @DVERI

Moschea Baščarsijska cka Mija

Moschea Ferhadija

DŽENITA PROTE BAKOVIĆA, 10 +38(0)733236248 - @RESTORANDZENITA

Baklava Ducan Inat Kuća Moschea Bakr-babina

1984 DZEMALA BIJEDICA, 169A +38(0)733483900 IBIS-STYLES-SARAJEVO.BA BAKLAVA DUCAN ČIZMEDŽILUK, 20 +38(0)761260450 - BAKLAVA.BA

Dveri va

BISTRONOMIE SARAJEVO HUSREFA REDŽIĆA, 3 +38(0)762881111 - @CHEFVEDRAN

100 m

POD LIPOM PROTE BAKOVIĆA, 4 +38(0)733440700 - PODLIPOM.BA AEROPLAN SARAČI, 6 +38(0)733535690 @RESTORANAEROPLAN BOSNIAN COOKING LESSONS HUM BRDO BB - +38761199920 BOSNIANCOOKINGLESSONS.COM

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An essential book for all who love Italian wine More than 70 experts spent months doing blind tastings in every region of Italy

Italian

EDITIONS

Italian

English

Chinese

Japanese

2542 PRODUCERS 22536 WINES 457 TRE BICCHIERI 121 TRE BICCHIERI VERDI

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

PHILIPPE LÉVEILLÉ A BRETON IN FRANCIACORTA Philippe – born in 1963 studied in France, trained around the world, but found fertile ground to express his talent in Italy: first with Vittorio Fusari at Maschere in Iseo and then thanks to the Piscini family at Miramonti who with him in the kitchen changed name to L'Altro, in '92.

Technique and sensitivity, love for territory and for the stories (as well as for the products) that he narrates: in his dishes he tries to put his soul, his story and his sense of taste and beauty

WHERE MIRAMONTI L'ALTRO Concesio (BS) via Crosette, 34 0302751063 miramontilaltro.it POINTS IN THE 2020 GUIDE Cuisine 45 Wine Cellar 18 Service 27 Total 90 OPENED IN 1981

by Stefano Polacchi – photos by Nicolò Brunelli

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RECIPES

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

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A PIGEON IN BRITANNY This dish stems from the desire to ennoble a popular dish of the Breton tradition, such as galette: a home dish, which is generally cooked in the family. A crêpe made with water, salt and bl noir flour buckwheat interpreted with pigeon meat: the breast must be cooked rare, the "greaves" of its skin made crisp, all accompanied by a hash of its entrails.

A dish intentionally kept minimal in aesthetics to reflect and respect its humble ori in

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RECIPES

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CUCUMBER, OYSTER AND CAVIAR My father was an oyster farmer and it often happened that the unsold was consumed at home. My mom delighted in making different combinations; what I most loved as a child was the combination of oysters and cucumber.

Hence the dish: cucumber is infused in honey and vine ar the oyster is a fin de claire left raw, the emulsion is obtained from the water of the oysters and lime. To complete, I use Oscetra di Calvisano caviar and fondnt shallot

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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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ANCHOVIES IN WONDERLAND This is a dish in constant evolution, like my cuisine: it's based on freshness and traceability of raw materials.

The vegetables are the protagonists and anchovies become gregarious; there is a lot of attention placed on ingredient selection and cooking technique. A dish that's apparently simple, but expressing at best the level of maturity at which I feel my cuisine has reached. At the base there's a seasoned tomato jelly; anchovies that we marinate in pomagranate vinegar and Gragnano lemons, sour and natural seasonal vegetables, finishin with an emulsion of anchovies mushrooms and salsa verde

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GAMBERO ROSSO www.gamberorosso.it SENIOR EDITOR Lorenzo Ruggeri PHOTO EDITOR Rossella Fantina LAYOUT Chiara Buosi, Maria Victoria Santiago CONTRIBUTORS Stefania Annese, Gianluca Atzeni , Emiliano Gucci, Francesca Masotti , Stefano Polacchi, Marco Sabellico

PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS Nicolò Brunelli, Alessandro Naldi, Francesco Vignali, Haris Zoranić GR USA CORP PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT Paolo Cuccia Advertising Class Pubblicità 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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March 2020

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