GAMBERO ROSSO WINE TRAVEL FOOD - jANUARY 2019

year 22 - number 125 - january 2019 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

Balance and Pleasure The Bombana Way Prosecco Fever The New Skin Of Prosecco, The World's Most Popular Italian Spumante

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CICCIO SULTANO The chef who, perhaps, most of all embodies the concept of Sicilianity. A cuisine as rich as it is fascinating

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS Munich, the ‘northest Italian city’, has no lack of excellence among the many Italian restaurants between fine dining and trattorias.

SOMMARIO 4

year 22 - number 125 - january 2019 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

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Slogans and emergencies/1 News Wine of the Month Top Italian Restaurants in Munich Coffee with Bombana

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The new skin of Prosecco, the world’s most popular Italian spumante

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Ciccio Sultano. My Sicily

Balance and Pleasure The Bombana Way Prosecco Fever The New Skin Of Prosecco, The World's Most Popular Italian Spumante

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cIccIo sULTANo The chef who, perhaps, most of all embodies the concept of Sicilianity. A cuisine as rich as it is fascinating

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ToP ITALIAN resTAUrANTs The ‘northest Italian city’ has no lack of excellence among the many Italian restaurants between fine dining and trattorias.

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Slogans and emergencies/1 There are many topics in discussion in the Italian wine scene in light of the challenges of the coming years. Despite heated debate and proclamations on many occasions, the European Union has delayed banning glyphosate, powerful herbicide that (apparently) poses a risk to human health. Italy and France were against it, but until 2022 it will be used legally. There are even those who claim that it's one of the least toxic of possible herbicides and many contest the research that has come to contrary conclusions. So far, only the dairy farms in South Tyrol have banned it permanently in fodder crops since last July. Fruit growers and non-organic wine producers can continue to use it, and so can all those in other regions, even if the Province of Trento and various consortia (Venetian Prosecco Doc and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Docg in the lead) announce an imminent – but not yet effective – ban. To the Italian slogans the French respond in great style: from 2025 Champagne will no longer use herbicides and from 2030 all the vineyards of the appellation will have a sustainability certification. For those who believe that once this problem will be solved it will all be well, remember that another major problem of viticulture (and agriculture) including of the eco-friendly kind, is the accumulation of copper in the soil: the organica and biodynamic protocols (with different limitations) allow the use of copper-based compounds as treatments for downy mildew and others. Unfortunately, however, this heavy metal accumulates in the soil and jeopardizes micro-organisms and insects that are fundamental for the health of the vineyard and for the soil's biodiversity. For copper, the EU has set new quantity limits ( from 6 to 4 kg per hectare, annually) but has extended the possibility of using the current for a further 5 years, pending possible alternatives that as of now are nonexistent. The main opposition to this provision was advanced by organic and biodynamic producers, who see in copper compounds the only defense weapon they have, given they cannot use alternative synthetic molecules.

Certainly it's a paradox: those who make the natural approach their philosophy don't want to give up on a compound that is certainly harmful to the environment. Back onto the herbicide in question, glyphosate, whose danger has not yet been proven, its ban is a goal pursued (even if never achieved) by many in the name of the environment and of human health.

In short, these are all emergencies... But so far, although concrete research often provides alternatives, we have seen very little apart from slogans and policy statements. Italian wine, which should (and could) be the most natural and sustainable in the world, risks losing image and credibility. — Marco Sabellico

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TRE BICCHIERI 2019 IN MILAN

The Tre Bicchieri event lands in Milan A feast of Italian gourmet

The event occupied the Spazio MarcoPolo 4, catalysing the attention of Milanese in search of novelty and new stimuli. On December 3rd, sixty-eight wineries awarded with Tre Bicchieri recognition by Gambero Rosso guide Vini d’Italia 2019 arrived in Milan: around their glasses a veritable festival of bien vivre Italian style attended by over one thousand visitors, enthusiasts and wine professionals including many traders. In addition to starring label stands, also three dairy farm representatives: La Tenuta Bianca, Castellan Urbano and Podere dei Leoni. With these, as the main partners of the event, an important selection

Thousands attending the stands of Italy’s best wines including influencers, wine professionals and enthusiasts of gourmet products made in Italy: from Davide Longoni’s bread to the salami by Vecchio Varzi and pizza in slices by Pizzottella. In the evening, with the cheeses present as the best pairings for the wine, Giuseppe Carrus of Gambero Rosso conducted a Use this logo when: 8 mm ≤ a < 80 mm

THE FINE DINING WATERS

B ORIZZONTALE Dual Brand - Logo 27/03/13

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JANUARY 2019

tasting-seminar in which he paired some of the labels present with the cheeses chosen by the three farms.

Following this, a workshop hosted different field experts and influencers, in addition to a captive audience of enthusiasts.

TRE BICCHIERI 2019 IN MILAN

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NEWS

GAULT&MILLAU GOES RUSSIAN. THE HISTORIC FRENCH YELLOW GUIDE IS READY TO CONQUER THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET The Gault Millau brand was born in 1972 with the first issue of the yellow guide dedicated to national dining that since then has divided the scene as the eternal second opposite the French gastronomic publishing star, the Michelin group. Yet, in parallel to the most famous Red and its grandeur, even the Gault & Millau guide has survived the passing of time, even with very different numbers and ambitions.

However, demonstrating in recent years opening to the international market (if nothing else to the European one). The merit is due above all to the last property taken over in 2016, the company linked to the name of Come de Cherisey, in the group since 2011 and responsible for a commercial revolution that has revived the fate of a rather shabby project at beginning of the 2000s. The renewal was subordinate to the launch of the first foreign issues (20 countries in all). Now the new ownership is more talked about because for the first time Gault & Millau passes in foreign hands, those of Russian Vladislav Skvortsov and his company, who pledge and invest millions of euros to continue on the path of internationalization and the digitalization of its contents. Skvortsov is

linked to the Russian banking group VTB and guarantees great economic stability; at his side, and in the direct management of the publications and activities of the brand, however, there will be a Frenchman, his financial partner (in the holding NTI) and former director of the Gault & Millau Russia detachment born at the end of 2017. Jacques Bally, who becomes the new President of Gault & Millau, is already

well known in the French gastronomic scene, having in the past played the role of Vice President of the Alain Ducasse group from 1998 to 2006.

His first words after the formalization of the change of ownership were the promise to remain faithful to the principles that inspired the birth of Gault & Millau, supporting the mission of its founders.

PALACIO CHIADO IN LISBON. A FOOD HUB IN THE PALACE Palacio Chiado is the current name of the historic Palazzo Quintela built at the end of the 18th century in the center of Lisbon, one of the most elegant residential period buildings in the Portuguese capital. In 2014, a group of three entrepreneurs took over the palace with the aim of opening it to the public in respect of its past. For two years architect Frederico Valsassina worked on the construction site to restore the historic decorations and rethink the spaces according to modern needs.

And in 2016 it reopened its doors to the

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DECEMBER 2018

NEWS

OUTLOOK 2030. WITH THE GROWTH OF EXPORTS, PRODUCTION IS STABLE. THE FUTURE OF EU VITICULTURE

fonte: Euopean Union agricultural outlook 2018-2030

the greater demand from Eastern European countries, against a decline in other EU markets. Good news for exports, which already reached 24 million hectoliters in 2017/2018 and which in the last decade have grown by almost 2% annually. The positive trend is, in fact, destined to continue, despite strong competition from nonEU producing countries, to reach about 27 million hectoliters in 2030. This is mainly due to bubbles that have grown by 36% only in the last 5 years versus bulk wines. The natural wine sector deserves a separate chapter, which sees Italy in the lead for hectares of vineyards: 313 thousand hectares, although Spain is the country that has grown the most: +11% in 2017 bringing it to 107 thousand ha. From now until 2030, production is destined to grow further, but provided valid alternatives to copper spraying can be found, and that higher prices are expected to compensate the wine producers for lower yields and higher costs. The report also refers of an unknown factor that is incumbent on the sector: Brexit and, therefore, the future of commercial relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom. However, in order to make predictions, it will be necessary to wait for the negotiations underway, remembering that last year the UK absorbed 7.7 million hectoliters of wine from the other EU countries (in total amounting to 2.6 billion euros), Italy in the lead, with a 44% stake.

Production towards stability and export growth, thanks above all to sparkling wines and geographical indications. This is the summary of the European viticulture predictions, present in the European Union Agricultural Outlook 2018-2030, recently presented in Brussels. Specifically, European production is expected to reach 168 million hectoliters in 2018, stabilize at 165 million in the next 12 years. On the other hand, consumption will decline slightly, going from an average of 26 liters per capita in 2018 to 25.3 in 2030. With the main drivers represented by the increase in popularity of sparkling and light wines, and

EU AGRICULTURAL OUTLOOK FOR MARKETS AND INCOME 2018-2030

public as a concept restaurant, right in the heart of the city. So what Portugal protects as a national historical monument has changed its face thanks to the brothers Gustavo and Antonio Duarte, who financed the restoration, aimed at returning luster to the ancient rooms, recovering, among other things, a beautiful cycle of frescoes with mythological allegories that today is appreciated on the walls and on the vaulted ceilings. After two years of activity, the property has chosen to renovate the concept of restaurants gathered under the same roof, always respecting the spatial continuity

guaranteed by the magnificence of richly decorated frescoes, stuccoes and ceilings. Chef Manuel Boia (already at Beco di Josè Avillez) supervised the work in the kitchens, personally supervising the gourmet restaurant line, but coordinating the offer of all six other restaurants that define the new gastronomic proposal of the Palazzo. In the main hall, at the top of the monumental staircase that leads from the cocktail bar to the upper floor, a large golden winged lion hovers over the diners; but you can also eat at the "bar" - for an aperitif or a quick lunch - discovering the typical pastries

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(but also Italian gelato at Davvero by Filippo Licitra) in the Confetairia of the building right next to the main entrance.

Other options include having a drink at the lounge bar, experiencing the seafood cuisine of Azimuth and even the Italianinspired dishes of Rosmarino tasting the likes of risotto with truffles and a plate of tagliolini with cuttlefish ink. Among the novelties also the healthy menu at Seed, which tries to intercept an increasingly widespread food trend in the world, with vegan proposals (seitan steak, tabulè salad with tofu) and dishes that interpret more recent trends, like poke.

NEWS

CHINA. ZERO DUTY FOR AUSSIE WINES. AND SO AUSTRALIA NOW ACCELERATES With the new year the approach between China and Australia has also arrived.

In fact, since January 1st, the entrance fees for Aussie wine in China have been canceled. Nothing new, of course: the zeroing of duties was the last step of the free trade agreement Chafta-China Australia Free Trade Agreement, signed in Camberra in 2015. In these three years, tariffs have been progressively reduced, starting from 14% for bottled and 20% for bulk wines (the regime is still in force for other exporting countries) and arriving in 2018 at 2.8% for bottled and 4% for bulk. This came with immediate feedback on Chinese imports of Australian wine.

It's no coincidence then that Australia is the second largest supplier in China (in 2017, 682 million dollars in value) coming in second behind France (with 1.04 billion dollars). And there are those who are ready to bet that - with the reduction of duties - an overtaking is around the corner (France still has a percentage of entry barriers of 14%). Today, according to the China Association of Imports and Exports of Wine & Spirits, the market shares would be 41% for French and 27% for Australians. Italy - to be clear - reaches just 7% (fifth place, after France, Australia, Chile and Spain). Not only: in 2017, China became the main destination country for Aussie wines, taking the place of the United Kingdom, which is dealing with the yet to be defined consequences of Brexit. Moreover, in recent years, the affinity between the two countries has led many Chinese investors to focus on Australian viticulture (a bit like what happened in recent years with the continuous acquisitions in Bordeaux), so that today around 10% of Barossa Valley vineyards are speaking Mandarin.

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DECEMBER 2018

ABRUZZO. GOOD EXPORTS IN NINE MONTHS: GOOD UK, NETHERLANDS, CHINA AND SWEDEN The value of Abruzzo wine exports has exceeded 130 million euros in the 9 months of 2018. With +4.5%, higher than the national average (3.4%), it brings revenues to 130 million euros.

Cross-referencing data on wines and beverages (which account for about 2% of the total values) and considering the general framework of the commercial exchanges of all the commodity categories of the regional agri-food sector, viticulture today represents the main market share on the entire Abruzzo food exports with over 30% of the regional turnover (175 out of 505 million euros). An export mainly driven by Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine which, as the Consortium Vini d'Abruzzo knows, represents over 70% of the wines with a regional denomination, and that produces over one hundred million bottles. In the first nine months of 2018, underlines the president Valentino Di Campli, there were excellent performances in Europe: United Kingdom +34%, the Netherlands +21%, Sweden +21%, Belgium +9%, Germany +4%. Very encouraging signals are also coming from Asia: +4.94% and almost 12 million euros in turnover, with China (+22%) and Vietnam (+5% over one million euros in turnover).

"The figures for this part of the year are really encouraging and leave us hope for the conclusion of 2018 and, in general, for the future", says Di Campli, who adds: "These numbers are certainly underestimated, because a good slice of Abruzzo wine takes foreign destinations from extra-regional hubs". Two million euros were invested in the promotion in 2017 and another 2.1 million euro (from the Psr and Ocm vino funds) are available for next year.

WINE OF THE MONTH ROSSO DI MONTALCINO '16 RIDOLFI Loc. Mercatali, 1 - Montalcino www.ridolfimontalcino.it ex-cellar price: 15 euros + taxes The estate, which had already belonged to the Florentine family, bearing the name and the coat of arms on the label, was purchased in 2011 by the entrepreneur Giuseppe Valter Peretti, owner of the Rocchetto estate, in Larciano in Chianti.

We are on the north side of Montalcino, the coolest part, and the company’s 23 hectares of vineyards are cultivated, with environmentally conscious practices, on hills that reach an altitude of 300 meters. Long maceration on the skins, use of mostly large wood casks, bottle aging of at least one year to let the wine rest at its best: all this gives life to elegant and territory-driven wines, which are divided into a range that includes - in addition to different versions of Brunello - a “base”, a Reserve (produced only in the best vintages, and the Donna Rebecca, aged in barrique. We find a fresh and perky Rosso di Montalcino, and the Fiero, an Igt made with a Sangiovese blend from the Montalcino area and Merlot from Chianti.

USA. SPENDING FOR ALCOHOL GOES OVER $253 BILLION IN 2018 Spending for alcohol in the United States is growing. Americans in 2018 spent $12.4 billion more, for a total figure of $253.8 billion with an increase of 5.1%. Against a consumption in volumes for wine, beer and spirits, which recorded an increase of only just 0.2%, according to research company Bw166.

Total wholesale spending in the US rose by 3.61% to $125.3 billion.

In detail, in regards to wine, 431.8 million 9-liter cases brought an increase of 1.4% (including cider), compared to an expenditure that reached $72.2 billion (+ 4.91%). The average price for a bottle (0.75 liters) was $10.84 (excluding retail markups). Beer registered 200.2 million barrels (1 barrel = 117.3 liters) with a cost increase of 5% to $117.3 billion. Spirits grew by 2.9% in volume, with 235.6 million 9-liter cases, and an expense that reached $64.3 billion and an increase of 5.6%. The Bw166 analysts noted that in the United States there are 2.4 million more people (+1%) among those in the minimum drinking age, reaching 240.7 million units, with a tendency of older drinkers. Among the trends, we noted growth of direct sales as a phenomenon to keep an eye on, especially for wine and beer. According to Bw166, 2019 should be characterized by a growing fragmentation between purchased products and purchase channels.

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN MUNICH

MARTINELLI

ROSSOPOMODORO

IL BORGO

Wilhelm-Diess-Weg 2- Munich

Viktualienmarkt 15,

Georgenstr. 144

Average Price: € 50

Munich

Schrannenhalle - Munich +49

www.il-borgo.de

A flash of creativity in Munich. Luca

www.rossopomodoro.it

Average Price: € 60

and Elena offer an authentic and

Average Price: €

15

Since 30 years Vito Doino’s restau-

contemporary style of cucina itali-

Rossopomodoro, a well-known piz-

rant offers a very solid and classic cucina italiana in Munich. The atmo-

ana with a family vibe. The menu

zeria and cucina Napoletana brand,

follows the seasons and is changhing

has been in Eataly Munich’s Schran-

sphere is elegant and romantic, with

very often due to the availability of the

nenhalle since 2015. The chain has more

colorful panels, well distant tables and

ingredients. Our suggestion is to talk to

than a hundred locations in Italy and

comfortables seats. The menu changes

chef Luca before ordering, he will create

abroad. The menu, the same everywhere,

every week, we suggest the swordfish

a dinner around your preferences. When

offers dishes from the Neapolitan culinary

carpaccio with a proper caponata, the

is season, white truffles are very serious

tradition and well-made pizzas. The edge

rich and tasty paccheri with octopus ra-

here, and are well combined and served.

of the pie is high, and the dough, leavened

gout. The cheese selection is the perfect

Among the classics, we noticed the Min-

for at least 24 hours, traditional or five-

closure of the meal. The wine list is very

estrone Martinelli or the pigeon served

grain, is meltingly soft and thinner in the

extensive and diplays the most known

with foie gras. All the dishes display a cer-

inner part. Popular pizza variations are all

Italian Doc and Docg denomintations

tain eye for details, expect colorful and

available, including Margherita, sausage

with big names, and a good selection

tasty recipes. The wine list is made with

with greens, and marinara, but the kitch-

of lees known producers with medium-

passion and research. It features a deep

en also turns out original and tasty dishes

high recharges.

array of Italian classic labels with the ad-

such as lasagnette with ricotta, salami

dition of less known producers. The ter-

and Neapolitan ragout, saltimbocca, brus-

race is a big plus on a sunny day.

chetta, salads and fried pizza. The dessert choices include delizia al limone, babà and pastiera napoletana, all traditional in the Campania region. A fixed price menu features seasonal ingredients and Slow Food products.

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

Germans like to say that Munich is the northest Italian city. There is no lack of excellence among the many Italian restaurants in Munich, between fine dining to satisfy even the most demanding of palates, and trattorias where you feel at home, eating pasta cooked in the way only chefs from the Souther region know how to. The new big thing?

Pizza Napoletana. Some big names have just opened in town, the best is yet to come.

OSTERIA DER KATZLMACHER

HIPPOCAMPUS

Braeuhausstr. 6 – Munich

Mühlbaurstrasse, 5 – Munich

www.der-katzlmacher.com

www.hippocampus-restaurant.de

Average Price: € 35

Average Price: € 50

Who were the Katzlmachers? This is

Average price € 50

how Italian immigrants hailing from

If you’re looking for a very clean

Trentino and Val Gardena were called

and pure style of cucina italiana

because they carried around a wooden

don’t miss the restaurant of Sergio

spoon, a derogatory term used to ad-

Artiaco and Mimmo Ruggiero. Hip-

dress Italian migrants. Opened in 1983,

pocamups is a very solid and consistent

Osteria der Ktarzmacher is now managed

place, elegantly furnished with beautiful

by Giorgio Cherubini. Locals flock here

marbles and much attention to detail.

for solid and reliable Italian cuisine. The

The cuisine draws from the ingredients

menu changes with the season, much

and recipes of southern Italy, with pro-

more than any other Italian restaurant

fessional and skilled enhancement of fla-

in Germany. Among classics are pap-

vours. The highlights? Seafood, with no

pardelle with chianina beef ragout, sarde

doubts. Mimmo is coming from Apulia

in saor served with polenta, and bacon-

and he knows how to cook each fish very

laced rabbit roast with porcini. The wine

closed to perfection. Go for the risotto

list is well stocked, with over 200 labels

with artichokes, monkfish, fresh toma-

of both mainstream and small boutique

toes and thyme or a delicate grilled sea-

Italian wineries.

bass with vegetables,olive oil and lemon.

The meat lovers will be very satisfied with the crispy cockerel with green beans and pioppini mushrooms. The wine list offers an extensive selection of wines by the glass, and a collection of classic labels of national oenology. The service is very attentive an professional. In summer it’s pleasant to eat in the lovely garden.

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JANUARY 2019

DAL CAVALIERE Weissenburger Str. 3 Munich www.dalcavaliere.de Average Price: € 35 Traditional, genuine, ‘autentico’. Everything, starting from the cheese to the pasta or to the espresso, is authentically Italian, Neapolitan to be precise. The place is a sum of the history of the d’Orta-di Vincenzo owners’ family who opened the trattoria in 1987. Diego and Daniele take care of everything, the atmosphere is lively and friendly, with a warm vibe. Pastas are cooked perfectly al dente. There’s Naples’ sensibility in the strict execution of the paccheri, the flavors are intense as they shoud be, naturally sweet tomatoes and fragrant basils. Pasta provola e patate is a must as well the orecchiette with sausages. No frills but much substance and sapore. Quality meats and the house pizzas, which are fragrant and perfectly baked, complete the package.

The wine list is well-stocked with many Campania labels and other virtuoso wine makers of other regions who work under sustainable criteria. We confirm our opinion, this is the best trattoria in Munich.

We’re looking forward to test Lapizza, the new family’s project which will take over around the end of February.

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN MUNICH

ACQUARELLO

ACETAIA

36, Mühlbaurstraße - Munich www.acquarello.com

Nymphenburger Strasse, 215 Munich

Average Price: € 90

Average Price: € 40

Mario Gamba is a maestro. He sees

SURGIVA TASTE & DESIGN AWARD 2019

very few competition in regards to

Giorgio Meatzke’s cucina and Michele

technical skills; he embodies Italian

Perego’s wine knowledge. The result is

culinary creativity in Germany with

a delicious restaurant in a quiete and

a French twist. For choice in quality ingre-

elegant area. Expect a stylish art niveau set-

dients, his menu is an ever-changing one.

ting, with big candelabrums, warm wood

Since 1994 he has been evangelizing the

panels, and an old school service. The

idea that Italian flavours and recipes change

menu is based on carefully selected Italian

every 10 miles. The place is elegant, with a

ingredients, with great attention paid to fla-

fine Nineties retro ambiance, and courte-

vors dependent on aging and patience, in

ous service to boot. Mario’s style betrays his

foods ranging from Parmigiano to vinegar.

training with big name chefs, such Maestro

The signature dish is the Ravioli filled with

Marchesi, this is evident in is his egg cook-

fresh pecorino, butter, marjoram and cher-

ing technique, blending rich and fragrant fla-

ry tomatoes, topped with aceto balsamico

vours with truffle or gold leaf, or his mouth-

tradizionale. A truly tasty and preparation.

watering double-cooked pigeon. Among the

The secondi always include a selection of

homemade pasta, this year we point out the

three fish specialties, accompany by three

perfectly cooked potatoes gnocchi with ox-

meat recipes. The quality of raw materi-

tail and celery souce. At the same level we

als is high, flavors are balanced and clean,

found the roe deer saddle with chestnut pu-

while the service is more than attentive.

rée, brussel sprouts and horseradish mousse.

The wine list is serious business, one of the

Leave some space for the desserts because

best-articulated selections of Italian bottles

they’re simply delicious and well balanced.

in Munich, with a focus on native grapes,

Massimiliano, Mario’s son, is a perfect host

and a large amount of magnums. In good

and is in charge for the wine selection. A big

weather, you can eat in the delightful out-

plus, most of the wines paired with the menu

door courtyard.

top italian restaurants

©

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w.ga m

ts ran berorosso.it/restau

www.gamberorosso.it/restaurants/

are served from magnums.

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GAMBERO ROSSO X BINARI SENZA TEMPO – FS FOUNDATION

Vintage travel, 650 km to rediscover the charm of train travel You will have seen, in some of the most striking railway routes, those old trains full of cheerful tourists and hikers fascinated by the landscape... Well, those trains are returning on the most interesting landscapes of Italy. Telling us about the initiative – which also includes Gambero Rosso, indicating the best addresses along the railway lines – is Luigi Cantamessa, director of the FS Foundation, custodian of the historical and cultural heritage (and value) of railway travel in Italy.

Director, what is the value of re-proposing historical trains in a period of great technological innovations?

«The historical trains of the FS Foundation run through the entire national railway network, from the north to the south of the country, excluding high-speed lines. Through the ambitious project Binari Senza Tempo, we have reactivated 650 kilometers of suspended or underused lines to turn them into tourist railways where historic trains are the real keystone for economic rebirth of the areas crossed. Today there are 10 railway lines recovered and where only historical trains are used. Here is the true value of our initiative: where the commercial operation, for various reasons, was no longer sustainable, the arrival of steam locomotives, “littorine” and elegant vintage cars has positively revolutionized geographic areas that were always at the margins of large tourist flows».

In terms of the tourism market, what are the signs you that underline why it’s important to launch a large-scale offer linked to experiential tourism during the February Bit event?

«We want to tap into the main stakeholders of the international tourism market to bring visitors from all continents to the railway tracks of Italy.

We plan to connect the main cruise

1

ports with secondary lines of the hinterland to promote the rediscovery of the still untouched Italian province. We have already experimented with initial services in this sense, finding a high level of satisfaction on the part of tour operators. We also plan to consolidate our collaboration with the regions that are commissioning more and more services with historical and tourist trains to relaunch the territory».

How can historical trains help experiential focus on an area?

«Just try to imagine the charm of an ancient puffing steam engine that trudges on the tracks in a green spotless valley, hundreds of travelers glued to the window bewitched by the beauties of nature and a 19thcentury station restored to new life!

There are all the ingredients for a

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real slow-travel experience aimed at the rediscovery of fascinating areas of Italy. And over the past years, in this sense, we have obtained grand results: just think of the “Sebino Express”, which allows travellers to go from Milan or Brescia to the shores of Lake Iseo; or the “Reggia Express” in Campania, the “Train of Baroque” in Sicily, and more recently the “Treno del Monferrato”: initiatives that constantly record sold-outs in all seasons.»

How do you think you themes like travel-food-nature can co-exist?

«It’s the link at the base of the experience of the historic train journey: descending from the carriage, after having covered a route full of hairpin bends and breathtaking views, travellers arrive in small villages adjacent to the stations where they can taste typical products of the area and thus rediscover forgotten flavours».

What are the goals for the FS Foundation in the near future?

«We have achieved important milestones but we don’t intend stopping.

On the infrastructural front, we are working at full capacity for the Railway Museum in the Trieste station of Campo Marzio and for the restoration of the “Cabina” and the “Bunker” in the Rome Termini station. We are also strengthening our fleet of his-

GAMBERO ROSSO X BINARI SENZA TEMPO – FS FOUNDATION

1. Luigi Cantamessa 2. Ferrovia del Lago 3. The Tempio Vulcano stop in the Valley of the Temples 4. Transiberian railway (photo by L. Di Iorio)

7 itineraries of the historic trains

Delicious discoveries with Gambero Rosso

2

Along the routes of the trains, Gambero Rosso accompanies tourists and travelers with a series of places and tips to enrich the experience with small (or bigger) gourmet breaks, enjoying the journey and enriching it with the flavours of the different areas visited.

Gambero Rosso – partner of the “Binari Senza Tempo” project of FS Foundation – selects, proposes and describes the best places, products and characters along the itineraries. These are producers of excellence in the fields of food and wine and lodging, but also of stories and people who make the difference in our country and contribute to making the travel experience unique and authentic.

Gambero Rosso will then follow with its experts and video operators the first 7 Tours to create a Web Series for the project’s online and social media presence so as to contribute to the promotion of the territories crossed by the itineraries.

1 Lombardy. A day at the court Milan – Monza – Como – Milan

2 Piedmont. The treasures of underground cathedrals Turin – Asti – Nizza Monferrato – Turin

3 Tuscany. On the just path Siena – Asciano – Buonconvento – Siena

4 Abruzzo. The Italian Transiberian express: Majella adventure Sulmona – Campo di Giove – Sulmona

5 Campania. Art and ancient magnificence Naples – Caserta - Benevento – Naples

3

torical trains to meet the requests of various customers. Finally, 2019 is a very important year: it marks the 180th anniversary of the inauguration of the first railway network in Italy, namely Naples - Portici. The FS Foundation will celebrate this event with numerous initiatives that will be illustrated in the coming months.»

6 Sicily. Chocolate Baroque Syracuse – Noto – Modica – Ragusa

7 Sardinia. Saffron dreams Cagliari – San Gavino Monreale 4

 fondazionefs.it

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COFFEE WITH BOMBANA Balance and pleasure.

The Bombana way

by Lorenzo Ruggeri

STORIES

1.

"A

big name on the door is not enough. If you're famous in Italy and you go abroad with the idea of make it big, you're sorely mistaken. You have to immerse and understand the mentality of the place, the products you find, and grasp what people appreciate. You have to study the trend.

And then give personality to your restaurant: you have to be there in the kitchen, make people understand what it is you do, make customers understand this experience". This is Umberto Bombana's lucid advice, we met him among the skyscrapers in his Hong Kong, the city that he has called home for over 25 years.

"I'll give you an example, here people don't like beans, you have to use them with an eyedropper, but they like other things. We must focus on those foods". It's been clear for Umberto Bombana for some time, on precisely these intuitions he built a solid and successful group: Otto and Mezzo Bombana Hong Kong, his home,

2.

Otto and Mezzo Macao, Otto and Mezzo Shanghai, Opera Bombana in Beijing.

And, furthermore, two other restaurants in the former British colony: Ciak (pizza and cuisine) and Octavium. At the core we found excellent ingredients, stellar service and a solid mission. Solidity and constancy over time complete the picture. The focus, reiterated several times between cups of coffee, is the people, the pleasure of food: "You have to study the technique well and make a dish that is satisfying, this is the most important thing. You should not be too conceptual, combine many flavours, give excessive individual personality to the dish. We need balance and pleasure".

In short, the Bombana way. Quiet tones and few words, Bombana prefers to observe, study, ask questions.

Abroad people love traditional Italian cuisine, the family restaurant, Bombana has focused on a proven formula that fuses dining room and kitchen (and cellar), which makes the custom-

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3.

1. Umberto Bombana 2. Lobster Salad 3. The Sommelier Marino Braccu 4 .The Dining Room

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANS

4.

5.

4.

er feel pampered while enjoying a safe and exclusive experience. In Asia they are crazy for the flavours of the forest and truffles? Bombana offers the top of the range, selling more than a kilo of Alba white truffles a day. "It's a seasonal choice, of prestige, it's a status thing. It's a good feeling to have fresh truffles grated on dishes at the table, it's a nice experience, then there's the gesture, the scent.

I've never met anyone who doesn't like truffles, the real ones," he smiles. No other Italian chef abroad has earned so much, starting from the bond with the Michelin world: in total, the group has won 7 stars. Over the years he has selected talented young people, trained them and made them grow, transmitting the work ethic of a waiter like him. From Antimo Maria Merone (Otto and Mezzo Hong Kong) to Riccardo La Perna (Otto and Mezzo in Shanghai) to Valentino Ugolini (Ciak), to Silvio Ormanni (Octavium). And for the many Italian chefs in Asia, who find in him a

reference model. "I forsee a great future for Italian cuisine, I see a new generation of chefs who travel more, that are very prepared, passionate, and that do things with love. If they resist these rhythms, and with a little luck, they will go far". We ask the Cerea d'Asia or the Gimondi of cookery, jas far as Bergamo, what happens in terms of wines in this area. "I see much more interest in Italian vines.

Once it was French 'to show off ', now the new generation has turned and wants to discover other wines; we have many wines at very competitive prices. Up to 10 ten years ago nobody knew them, now the wines of Etna are very fashionable: and they're exceptional".

AT THE TABLE AT BOMBANA Sitting in the only Italian restaurant with Three Michelin Stars - awarded Tre Forchette in our Top Italian Restaurants guide - outside our borders: we're in an elegant atmosphere, windows overlooking the big fashion names,

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well-spaced tables. Classic, timeless, we could be in the 90s or in the future.

The ingredients? Italian and international: The future of Italian cuisine abroad is a reasoned fusion, Bombana agrees.

Why not take advantage of the potential of the place? Fish comes from Japan, spices from China or Thailand, and then a lot of Italian products with a craft dimension, starting from a wine list with a strong character of 2,200 labels, 80% of which Italian, designed by Marino Braccu, sommelier, manager and excellent host. We started with tuna tartare, yuzu and lemon emulsion, oscietra caviar, which paired perfectly with the glorious Riesling by Ettore Germano. The we followed with langoustine, zabaione and puntarelle, texture and sweetness all well calibrated by the late harvest Verdicchio Mirum de la Monacesca. Pasta time: Trenette, king crab and lemon, blended to perfection, next to the caress of the Etna Rosso a'Rina by Girolamo Russo.

And then the classic house special, taglio-

STORIES

9.

7.

8.

7. Tagliolini with butter and white truffle 8. Tuna tartare, yuzu and oscietra caviar 9. Coffee Trio

lini with butter and white truffle (from Alba) paired with Barolo di Brezza. EntrĂŠe was Fassona beef fillet, cardoncelli mushrooms and potato dumplings, and then the warm embrace of Lisini's Brunello. Intermezzo with the sgroppino prepared on the spot - again the importance of gestures and rituals - here the scent of lemon is on point. Closing with a classic among the classics: millefeuille, hazelnut ice cream and vanilla. There are no wow effects, but a solid path, punctuated by perfect service temperatures, perfect cooking that enhance juiciness and freshness ("Timing is everything"), overall very happy combinations. Marino and Umberto pamper customers in the dining room, make them feel at home, completing a series of actions that lead to a distinct feeling of pleasure.

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BOMBANA SENT ME "Hong Kong is a vibrant, international, compact city: in 10 minutes you go from skyscrapers to Country Parks. It's a city that has exchange in its blood and this translates into energy". And in crazy gastronomic vitality.

Italian cuisine is very popular, recently the Peruvian tradition is also increasingly appreciated, for sure Hong Kong is the right place to try some of the most exciting Cantonese cuisine. The advice of Bombana?

From Celebrity Cuisine to Central, only 6 tables and an abalone in oyster sauce that should not be missed. Then the refined Arcane, also in Central, which combines a modern approach and a more than deep cellar. Finally Ju Xing Home, a veritable hole in the wall in Prince Edward: spartan salt-baked chicken enjoys a certain fame.

"Three very good and inexpensive restaurants", says Bombana. We add a fourth, Pang's Kitchen, another Cantonese joint to consider: ah, the deep fried fish heads!

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05 SAN FRANCISCO - Usa 07 LOS ANGELES - Usa 07 LOS ANGELES - Usa 11 MEXICO CITY - Mexico

11 MEXICO CITY - Mexico 16 DUSSELDORF - Germany 16 DUSSELDORF Germany 26 LONDON - U.K. 26 LONDON - U.K.

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THE TALENT DINNER

With the Gambero Rosso Channel stars an ode to flavour for the new year

1

Hosted at Vetra theater in Milan, the pass partout can only be the 400 guests present. Yes, exactly.

400 guests arrived from all over Italy to attend the Christmas dinner of the Gambero Rosso Channel Talents, main stars portraying the best in Italian food and wine accompanied by the wines of the Mezzacorona Group.

Led by energetic Laura Ravaioli (and assisted in the wine pairings

by Giuseppe Carrus) the “magnificent seven” took to the stage with pots, knives, good ingredients and a few secrets.

Gianfranco Pascucci with a delicious tuna ham and Massimo d’Addezio open the meal: «In my welcome cocktail, a great Italian wine is a must». Max Mariola continues: «No worries, I’ll make you eat, my sandwich is coming!».

Next up is Ciro Scamardella who doesn’t forget his Neapolitan origins: «I couldn’t but prepare a dish of my origins: lettuce, but made like a stuffed escarole». Igles Corelli tackles the first course: it could only be a perfect risotto: «With saffron and sour cream: it’s an ode to Italian cuisine». And only a great professional

Presented by Laura Ravaioli the “magnificent 7” of the most gourmet TV. Guest of honor Ezio Santin - may we add - could prepare it impeccably for 400 people.

Next up is Giorgione who warms up the audience: «My cuisine is fat, yes.

But let’s not forget that it’s important to eat genuine products in just the

partner of the event ROSSO P 186 C

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THE TALENT DINNER

1. The “brigade” of talents who guided the Milanese dinner cooking their dishes for 400 guests 2. Giuseppe Carrus guided the pairings between dishes and wine labels 3. The evening took place in the evocative setting of Teatro Vetra in Milan 4. From the stage, on which all the faces of the Channel have worked, Massimo D’Addezio, Laura Ravaioli and Gianfranco Pascucci narrate recipes and ingredients

2

3

right quantities. Everything in nature serves our body, certainly not what a certain food industry would like to feed us... » We can’t blame him, we observe, while we sop up the sauce of his rigatoni with pork ribs.

The ending is sweet, thanks to Maurizio Santin. Who offers his chocolate, figs and cinnamon in three different textures with just the right emotion. In the room there’s also his father Ezio, great chef and historic ambassador of Italian cuisine, and among the noble fathers of modern dining: this wonderful evening is dedicated to him.

4

technical partner

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THE NEW SKIN OF PROSECCO, THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR ITALIAN SPUMANTE Simple and deep roots have led this wine to a boom in just a few years, same for glera grapes whose rows have also invaded neighboring provinces. Today Prosecco is changing its face, looking for those distant rustic and popular roots that represent its identity. On the one hand we find a deep connection with the environment in the name of sustainability, on the other less pleasing and more territorial versions are on the rise

words by Nicola Frasson â&#x20AC;&#x201C; art Marcello Crescenzi infographics by Alessandro Naldi

STORIES

U

ntil a few years ago, if we had to talk about Prosecco, considerations would have been tied to a few firmly planted roots. A story of men able to give an important dimension to an apparently poor vine, devoid of great aromaticity and ability to accumulate sugars but with a marked sapidity and lightness when turned into wine, better if with bubbles. A hilly area where the work is almost exclusively done by hand because of the slopes in a landscape of rare beauty.

PROSECCO REVOLUTION Today the same topic must be tackled in a much more complex and articulated way, the denomination has been enlarged to excess, involving all the provinces of Friuli Venezia Giulia and those of the Veneto region, with the exception of Rovigo and Verona. The production is almost tenfold and even the vine has changed its name: what was commonly called "prosecco" since 2009 is back to being called with the ancient name, "glera", while Prosecco means only the wine and no longer the vine.

And to defend the denomination from the numerous international appetites, the locality of Prosecco was identified, a fraction of Trieste. From a viticultural and productive point of view the great upheaval has essentially concerned the "external" territories, those where the historic Treviso vine was not particularly widespread, while in the heart of the historical denomination, that enclosed between its two capitals Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, the territory was already densely planted and very few spaces were available to expand the viticulture. In short, the bulk of the growth was by external means, in the vast plains of the DOC, while the historical area was identified with the DOCG.

SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE The landscape is therefore a dense plot of small villages literally immersed in the vineyards often touch the courtyards of the area's intense agricultural activity. The first step was the continuous monitoring of air and water quality and, while revealing that the picture was perfectly in line with that of a healthy environment, the effort was aimed at limiting or even prohibiting the use of all products that could, even in a minimal way, leave a trace of aggressive and potentially dangerous activity. Even from the purely aesthetic as well as environmental point of view, the prohibition to use weeding undergrowth that comes into force this year in the territory of the DOCG (but also the DOC is following with increasing sensitivity), aims to rebuild and protect a territory dominated by the growth of wild greens, punctuated by all the colored shades that the great floral richness that this territory has to offer.

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ď&#x201A;&#x201E;

THE NEW SKIN OF PROSECCO

PROSECCO STORY

1923 – Founding of the Istituto Sperimentale di Viticoltura in Conegliano

2009 – Prosecco di Conegliano and Valdobbiadene acquire Docg status, the remaining production areas, from Trieste to Vicenza, previously under Igt, become Doc

1966 – Strada del Prosecco is inaugurated. The first Italian prosecco route 1962 – Prosecco Consortium of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene: 11 founding producers

1969 – Prosecco acquires Doc certification in the 15 municipalities of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene

2004 – The Study Center of the Spumante District is founded 1997 – For the first time two Prosecco di Valdobbiadene wines win Tre Bicchieri recognition on the Gambero Rosso Guide: the producers are Bisol and Ruggeri

1973 – Doc Asolo and Montello is born

1920

1960

1970

2010 – Formal launch of the Unesco Heritage application for the hills

1980

1990

2000

2010

3 TYPES OF SPUMANTE FOR A SIMPLE AND TASTY CUISINE The lack of important courts in this area in the past influenced the cuisine with a frank and simple character in which ingredient quality is fundamental and often re-interpreted without major elaborations. Poultry, some freshwater fish, a wide range of vegetables, from the radicchio tardivo to the Castelfranco variety, asparagus from Badoere to those from Cimadolmo, and then an endless variety of wild herbs that, season after season , alternate on the tables of trattorias, restaurants and homes.

Prosecco, thanks to its transversal character, is well suited to accompany these dishes: better still if enjoyed as "spunceti", the equivalent of Andalusian tapas or Venetian cicchetti.

Read on for the various types of Prosecco (which vary substantially depending on the amount of sugar) and the ideal combinations for each.

discreet sweetness of Prosecco in this version.

1 Demi Sec Type produced in minimal quantities and by very few wineries. The sweetness, pronounced but not overpowering, makes these Prosecco wines ideal for a pastry crust that is not too sweet, but also pair well with blue cheeses.

2 Dry

Creamy bean soups, sarde in saôr (original Venetian, but also present in the Treviso area) and trout (along with all other freshwater fish) prefer the Brut versions.

5 Dosage Zero and Extra Brut

This is the traditional dosage for Cartizze, the most noble type of Prosecco. Here sweetness, acidity and sapidity blend perfectly and the wines lend themselves to daring combinations: excellent with oysters, which contrast the salinity and help clean the palate.

3 Extra Dry Sopressa, risotto with radicchio or grilled porcini mushrooms: all these foods enhance the savory and

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This is a new trend: Prosecco without added sugar which goes well with a dish that would normally call for a Bordeaux: Sopa Coada, a sort of pastiche that alternates squab meat with stale bread moistened with broth.

6 Col fondo The absence of sweetness, the marked sapidity and a contained effervescence make it the ideal companion of sausages, fresh cheeses, fried fish and battered vegetables.

THE NEW SKIN OF PROSECCO

ALL THE PROSECCO DENOMINATIONS

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco superiore DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco superiore di Cartizze DOCG

Prosecco DOC Belluno

Valdobbiadene Asolo Prosecco Colli Asolani Prosecco superiore DOCG Verona

Udine Gorizia

Conegliano

Asolo Trieste

Treviso Vicenza Prosecco DOC Venezia Padova

Prosecco Trieste DOC Prosecco Treviso DOC

Rovigo

GROWTH AND NEW TRENDS If limited to the territory of the DOCG (see map), from an orographic point of view we must divide the denomination in half, with the western half, belonging to Valdobbiadene, characterized by extremely steep slopes, often vines up to the summit, and where it's virtually impossible to mechanize the harvest. The wines coming from this area own particularly fine aromas and a subtle and agile sip. Instead, the eastern one with Conegliano is characterized by softer slopes in which the viticulture still alternates with short wooded areas or dedicated to other crops: here the effort of man is made less heavy by the use of mechanical means. In this case the wines lose a touch of their floral fragrance to become more fruity ď&#x201A;&#x201E;

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13 TABLES RECOMMENDED BY THE PRODUCERS Here is a list of tables––chosen by the producers of the area–– to drink and eat the best in a land of cuisine that's very linked to family tradition and local products. At these restaurants you can also find a nice selection of different Prosecco wines to accompany the dishes.

1 Da Gigetto Miane (TV) – via A. De Gasperi, 5 – 0438960020 – ristorantedagigetto.it Historical fine drinking local: the kitchen conjugates tradition and refinement with a cellar of great depth.

Nemeggio

DA ANDREETTA B&B

Anzù

2 Locanda da Lino Pieve di Soligo (TV) – loc. Solighetto – via Roma, 19 043882150 – locandadalino.it Historical locanda of solighetto offers a refined kitchen of great precision.

OSTERIA DAI MAZZERI RISTORANTE DA GIGETTO

3 Salis Valdobbiadene (TV) – s.da per Saccol, 59 – 0423900561 – salisristorante.it A wonderful terrace overlooking cartizze, offering modern cuisine and great attention to ingredients.

TRATTORIA ALLA CIMA

4 Osteria Al Castelletto Follina (TV) – fraz. Pedeguarda – via Castelletto, 3 – 0438842484 – alcastelletto.com Old-school trattoria, with a rich and substantial kitchen.

5 Osteria dai Mazzeri Follina (TV) – via Pallade 18 – 0438971255 – osteriadaimazzeri.com On the small square of follina, serving traditional dishes that exalt the products of the area. .

6 Trattoria alla Cima Valdobbiadene (TV) – via Cima, 13 – 0423972711 – trattoriacima.it A belvedere that spans the vineyards of valdobbiadene to the piave river. a simple offer with fire grilled dishes at the core of the menu.

7 Da Andreetta B&B Cison Di Valmarino (TV) – fraz. Rolle – via Enotria, 5 – 043885761 – andreetta.it In the small village if rolle the kitchen of annamaria andreetta offers trevigian tradition interpreted with style and elegance.

8 Ristorante La Corte Follina (TV) – via Roma, 24 – 0438971761 – lacortefollina.com A high profile restaurant characterized by a elegant light cuisine.

9 Mezzo Sale Conegliano (TV) – via XX Settembre, 94 – 3935045323 – locandamezzosale.it In the heart of conegliano, in a 15th century palace, chef luigi granzotto proposes join that join local ingredients to tHE MOST INTERESTING SPECIALTIES OF THE PENINSULA. 10 Mainor Fregona (TV) – via Borgo Piai, 30 – 0438585765 – mainor.it In a little village at the foot of the cansiglio highlands, mainor offers dishes of local tradition with an eye to world gastronomy.

11 Ca’ del Poggio San Pietro di Feletto (TV) – via dei Pascoli, 8 – 0438486795 – cadelpoggio.it A wonderful relais dedicated with passion and competence to cooking adriatic fish.

12 Ca’ de Lach Revine Lago (TV) – via Grava, 2 – 0438523010 – cadelach.it Steps from the lake revine, where the hills of the prosecco merge with the prealps, is a kitchen focused around the fire grill and a rich offer from the cellar.

13 Osteria da Conte Mira (VE) – loc. Marano – via Caltana, 133 – 041479571 A beautiful country osteria that offers traditional venetian dishes, reinterpreted with precision and authenticity.

RISTORANTE LA CORTE OSTERIA AL CASTELLETTO Guia

Valdobbiadene

LOCANDA DA LINO Colbertaldo

5km

Col San Martino Sernaglia della Battaglia

THE NEW SKIN OF PROSECCO

A27

CA’ DE LACH

Osigo

A27

MAINOR

Rugolo

Vittorio Veneto

San Martino

CA’ DEL POGGIO

OSTERIA DA CONTE

MEZZO SALE

Venezia

Padova

Conegliano

THE ILLUSTRATOR’S MARK For this feature on Prosecco I created more direct, unmistakable images than I usually do, focusing on the joyous, effervescent character and the relationship with the territory of this wine.

In the opening I crowned it king of the bubbles, as the feature confirms. – Marcello Crescenzi – Marcello Crescenzi

5km

A27

and with a palate that, while remaining light and snappy, manifests greater richness. Reading the numbers of the annual districts report published in partnership with the Consortium and the Conegliano Interdepartmental Center for Research in Viticulture and Oenology, we have the photograph of a denomination - the Docg Conegliano Valdobbiadene - that is in good health, where wine-growing companies, sparkling wine producers and the number of employees are on the rise, with an increasingly significant presence of young graduates, bearing witness to how this district is able to attract and offer opportunities to younger generations, with commercial activities now also present in smaller companies.

Today, the Docg numbers portray a vineyard area that has now reached 7,500 hectares, for a production exceeding 93 million bottles annually estimated for 2018 with a greater resilience of sales in Italy (about 54%) compared to the Doc,

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which with its large numbers (460 million), aims straight at overwhelming percentage of exports (about 75%). To complete the picture there's the Asolo Docg with a production of 10 million bottles and 60% of exports.

All this means the following: between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene there can no longer be growth in terms of production, they are saturated. It's therefore necessary to improve from the value point of view; to achieve this result environmental sustainability is an almost obligatory path.

TWO STORIES To give concrete shape to the overall effort that this territory is facing on the path of a an increasingly eco-friendly viticulture and sustainable enology on the whole, here are two significant stories.

It's not common that a new company starts from scratch, but when this happens as in the case of Elena and En- 

STORIES

HOW IS SPUMANTE MADE Here are the 3 ways in which spumante wine is made. The grapes of the Prosecco area are processed essentially with the Martinotti method (or Charmat, or Italian) even if some producers do not disdain, albeit with very marginal quantities, the other two methods.

1 CLASSIC METHOD Consists in refermentation of a still wine in the bottle thanks to the addition of yeasts and sugar. To obtain a perfectly clear product, disgorgement is carried out, to eliminate the remaining yeasts as deposits.

PROSECCO CAUGHT BETWEEN AUTHENTICITY AND TRENDS To talk about Prosecco is to talk about big numbers.

Big numbers that don't leave too much space to the "poetry of the vineyard" or to the other usual talk on the "small good and beautiful". Especially since infernal marketing has taken possession of the rhetorical abuse of the "going back to the roots", to "rural life", to "ancestral" refermentation... with the risk of becoming more and more grotesque, and self indulgent. Carolina Gatti and the late, talented Ernesto Cattel - Costadilà, at Loris Follador - Casa Coste Piane, and Maurizio Donadi - Casa Belfi, to Christian Zanatta - Ca 'Dei Zago and other resistors, are attempting to gather a cartel in a territory that in some ways is suffocating. Gatti is a winemaker in Ponte di Piave, she called her wine Bolle Bandite.

I asked her to explain the Prosecco colfondo between identity and trend.

She responded lucidly. Sharp. Scruffy more than her radial vines cultivated with the 19th-century system of "bellussera", a craft heritage of the Venetian rural civilization that looks like a vegetable hive. "The stalls of 60-100 lactating cows have disappeared. Pigs have disappeared from families you could rely on to make salami and Sopresse. Biodiversity in favor of Glera has disappeared. So my beloved bellusers are disappearing...".

– Gae Saccoccio, wine philosopher

2 MARTINOTTI METHOD The base wine, to which sugar and yeasts are added, is placed in closed and thermo-conditioned containers, called autoclaves, where the wine starts to froth. After the elimination of the lees the wine is bottled with isobaric machinery.

PROSECCO HIGHEST RANKED: INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION COMPARISON 440 411 Prosecco DOC 355

Called "col fondo" this method is almost a middle ground between the previously mentioned two. A light pressing of the grapes is followed by a fermentation in steel tanks, which is blocked to preserve a sugar content sufficient to ensure recovery after bottling. Not carrying out disgorgement, these wines are cloudy.

– Paolo Zaccaria, teacher at the Gambero Rosso Academy

242 194

180 142

Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG 66

69

69

79

72

83

90

91

11 8

1-11 MLN

3 ANCESTRAL METHOD

50-450MLN

307

Asolo DOCG

5

3 1 2010

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34

2012

JANUARY 2019

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

THE NEW SKIN OF PROSECCO

SALES EXPLOSION FOR SPRITZ AND PROSECCO Without a doubt, the Prosecco have to do with it? ever-increasing The spritz was neither orange nor sale of Prosecco, red, it was born long before you at least in the first think: it happened in the Triveneto, instance, has been or rather in the Lombard-Veneto strongly correlated with Kingdom of King Francis I. Italy the popularity of spritz. With the was not a state yet, rather part increase of the volumes of spritz of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. (and the cost of Aperol, over time Our occupants, who were beer more than doubled) there was also lovers, found themselves having a tendency to look for any kind of to deal with the local beverage: wine as long as it was sparkling, wine. Soon they discovered at their therefore not necessarily Prosecco. expense that the latter could not Alongside this, however, the be downed in pints without sore tendency to drink prosecco "neat", consequences, and therefore had the familiarly called "prosecchino" to make it more congenial to their which gradually grew not only palate by adding a splash (in their in the production areas but language, a "spritzen") of mineral throughout the world, established water or seltz, carbonated water itself. But returning to the spritz, from the Selters spring. When what's the story? And what does Italy became a nation under one

TOTAL 2017

542

MLN OF BOTTLES CHAMPAGNE

307

MILLIONS OF BOTTLES

252

MILLIONS OF BOTTLES

CAVA

rico Moschetta, the conditions are immediately clear: a reality that meets the new needs to reduce the environmental impact both on the viticultural management front - with production (certified by Sqnpi) and part of the vineyards under organic conversion and on that of the construction of the new winery. «From the beginning of our adventure we thought of a winery that, in a landscape of extraordinary beauty like the hills north of Conegliano, had to limit its impact on the environment as much as possible - Elena explains - the choice fell on a structure that would allow us to have all the necessary space to work carefully, with attention to detail but that respected aspects that we considered indispensable. The Biancavigna winery is certified as Casa Clima Wine, a structure built with structural criteria of eco-architecture and constructed using eco-compatible and recycled materials, with particular attention to the use of renewable energy sources and the minimi-

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single flag, the Austrians left us their legacy of diluting wine. Then in the '20s, with the flourishing of historic companies such as Barbieri, Campari or Select, we Italians also began to "stain" the wine, whether sparkling or not, with these local liqueurs and their typical bittersweet taste and citrus notes. This is how today's Spritz was born, which did not necessarily have Prosecco or fizzy wine as its base, but which today does. Then the marketing of the 90s took care of the rest. With a consequent sales boom.

– Julian Biondi, bartender and artistic director at Mad Souls&Spirits in Florence

zation of energy requirements during all phases of production. For example, waste heat from the sparkling process is reused for office heating. Also on the packaging front, we chose to use recycled glass and cardboard, thus significantly reducing the weight of the bottles. Last but not least, the new solar panel system which will be operational soon, will contribute to further reducing the use of energy produced from fossil fuels».

The story of the Bronca Sisters is different, a reality that has grown slowly, adding a bit of Bordeaux grapes and olive varieties to the glera grape cultivation. Antonella and Ersiliana Bronca lead the family business with great attention to the impact of agricultural activity on the environment. «The management of the vineyards limits the impact of chemistry: for at least twenty years we have eliminated the weeding subspile and while renouncing the organic certification we pursue the idea of "peasant agriculture" in the noblest 

STORIES

HOW WE BECOME SUSTAINABLE, ACCORDING TO THE PRESIDENTS OF THE 3 CONSORTIUMS A WINE INCREASINGLY IN HARMONY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT Since 2011, the Consortium has embarked on a journey towards the increasingly sustainable management of the vineyard, thanks to the Protocollo Viticolo that was adopted by the Municipalities of the Denomination through the Rural Police Regulation: for years it was the pivot of the sustainabile activity of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Consortium Prosecco, and to it are associated fundamental actions of companies in the area that demonstrate the widespread interest in protecting the environment and the society in which they operate. The synergy between the Consortium's actions, such as the Protocol and the actions of individual wineries, trace a clearer and more meaningful path towards the 2020 Agenda. Producing in ever greater harmony with the environment to safeguard our wonderful hills is a systematic commitment of us producers.

– Innocente Nardi – President of the Prosecco Valdobbiadene Conegliano Superiore Docg Consortium THE FIGHT AGAINST CHEMICAL WEEDING Defending the condition of our territory is a game in which everyone has to play. The Viticulture Protocol 2018 goes in this direction, ialigned with the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Consortium. The subjects in the field have the goal of bringing home a unique result: the defense of the soil and the protection of the consumer. Objective shared also by the other Denomination of our aeria, the Prosecco DOC. We move in the direction of sustainability and environmental protection starting from the integrated pest management strategy that embraces all aspects of vineyard management: the defense of the vineyard can't disregard the management of the soil and the plant. In every aspect of the defense of the vineyard in the Protocol are also detailed guidelines to be followed to implement the organic line, in addition to the ban on chemical weeding.

– Armando Serena – President Vini Asolo Montello Consortium PROHIBITION OF FUNGICIDES AND GLYPHOSATE IN THE VINEYARD The first step to act on sustainability is that the three Consortia work together. This is why the Sistema Prosecco company was founded, which brings together the three Consortiums appointed to protect Prosecco, the Doc and the two DOCGs: Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and Asolo. As a Consortium we have been adopting for several years the indications that go in the direction of maximum protection of the citizen and the consumer. All decisions are shared and have a precise and direct address. The choices we are making are innovative because no one had ever come to ask for a modification of the specification that imposed on viticulturists the exclusion of the use of two fungicides such as Mancozeb and Folpet and Glifosate which is a herbicide that, regardless of their danger even if they are generally used in agriculture, risk creating a negative effect on our production, for the social alarm they can create.

– Stefano Zanette – President Prosecco Doc Consortium

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THE NEW SKIN OF PROSECCO

RIVE. EVEN PROSECCO HAS ITS CRUS In many Italian denominations a zoning desire has arisen, similar to the Barolo MGA project, posing the question of micro-terroir. The Chianti Classico would like to indicate the villages as in Burgundy, the DOC Etna indicate the various Contrade, and in what appears as a sort of "terroir-pride" the culmination is reached with the toponym of the vineyard for single parcel wines, as for single vineyards or lieux-dits of Champagne. The Italian Prosecco is no less and it does so by grasping what nature already offers with the Rive, dialect term that indicates a vineyard located on the steep slopes of the hill, from the most favourable exposures which corresponds to almost heroic viticulture. The Rive thus became the Conegliano or Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG par excellence, with the Disciplinary that provides for 12 municipalities for 225 hectares, almost 2 million bottles millesimes born from lower yields and manual harvesting, symbolic of the tension towards sustainability. They are elegant Prosecco versions with an intriguing mineral complexity. Among the most interesting the Rive San Pietro di Barbozza is worth mentioning, with its laurels bestowed to the Motus Vitae of Bortolomiol, the Rive of Col San Martino with the Cuvée del Fondatore di Merotto, the Rive di Refrontolo di Santa Margherita and the Rive di Colbertaldo celebrated by the Vigneto Giardino of Adami.

- Chiara Giovoni

sense of the term, favouring the development of biodiversity, giving vitality to the soil with green manure and seeking highprofile wine production and healthiness.

Even in the cellar we have made choices that are certainly onerous but which we consider fundamental to offer a wine that is not only good but that faithfully reflects the vine and is not the result of anything forced. Today our flagship wines, Particella 68 and Particella 232, come from two well-defined vineyards and the sparkling process takes place directly from the must, a technique that allows us to obtain wines that are more closely linked to the aromatic expression of glera and which require less amounts of sulphites. Even the Brut and Extra Dry partially use this technique, with the sparkling bases that are mixed with large percentages of must that we keep in the cellar at very low temperatures throughout the entire year».

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CONSTRUCTING AN IDENTITY «The key to the success of this product is its simplicity, moderate alcohol content and the fact that compared to Champenoise methods prosecco is more affordable», says Angelo Lorea, sommelier at Beck at Brown's restaurant in London, one of the most interesting cities for Prosecco consumption. «15 years ago, even in a restaurant like ours, customers asked for Champagne, Barolo or Amarone. The economy was great and Prosecco was a supporting actor - says Giorgio Zampieri of Osteria da Conte di Mira - The economic difficulties have had the merit of rediscovering values such as territoriality, simplicity, immediacy. Today, almost 50% of the requests I receive are for Treviso sparkling wines, with a renewed focus on those realities that have been able to maintain a deep bond with the soil». So here is that sense of identity, even territorial, on which the Prosecco, especially the Superior of the DOCG, is building its image and the second phase of its tumultuous development. Ettore Nicoletto, CEO of the Santa Margherita company, speaks precisely of that identity, helping us to focus on the new challenges of Prosecco DOCG with slogans that will gradually be the inevitable heritage of the Doc: «I think it's time to underline the identity of Prosecco Superiore. We are not talking about "one of the many“ Italian sparkling wines made with Charmat Method, but of a wine that, through history, cultivation of hills and indissoluble link with the vine, has unique characteristics. This identity must be explained with clarity and courage, away from the trivialization of the past and avoiding productive drifts in search of consumer consensus at all costs. Identity is a value especially when it does not allow shortcuts. It's up to us, to the producers, to know how to defend this value and know how to propose it in the world, as well as at home. We need to understand what this Prosecco really is superior to and why».

The best ways to do it? Open up, show yourself, tell how you work. Communicate. Prosecco already does a lot, but it must do it even more. 

W E S AV E

S T O R I E S and T R A D I T I O N S T R O U B L E S and P A S S I O N S TO PRESERVE THEM IN BOTTLES

A g l i a n i c o Falanghina M a l va s i a Greco Fiano

www .q u a d r i g a t o .c o m Soc. Agr. TerreNovae s.r.l. - C.da Taverna Vecchia, 82034 Guardia Sanframondi (BN) Tel/fax: +39 0824 864296 - info@quadrigato.com - terrenovae@pec.it

PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

CICCIO SULTANO MY SICILY Starting from this issue is a column dedicated to the best representatives of contemporary Italian cuisine. Opening the column a feature on Ciccio Sultano, the chef who, perhaps, most of all embodies the concept of Sicilianity.

His complex, intimately baroque cuisine is the reflection of an island, the result of fusions, stratifications and contrasts like few others. A cuisine as rich as it is fascinating WHERE Duomo via Capitano Bocchieri, 31 Ibla – Ragusa 0932651265 – cicciosultano.it 2019 GUIDE RANKING Cuisine 54 Cellar 18 Service 18 Bonus 1 Total 91 INAUGURATED IN 2000

by Stefano Polacchi – images by Benedetto Tarantino IN THE FOLLOWING ISSUE, THE RECIPES BY: ENRICO CRIPPA

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RECIPES

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES

SPAGHETTI IN MORESCA SAUCE "TARATATÀ" WITH TUNA ROE AND CARROT JUICE

“

(SOUVENIR OF BYZANTIUM)

This is a dish in which the sauce is central: the blend of carrot and fish roe, which is redolent of white mulberries in flavour, brings me back to my childhood. The memory of Byzantium is in the roe: the Byzantines - before the Arabs were the first to preserve tuna roe.

Taratatà, furthermore, in Sicily indicates a great confusion, like the claging of swords in the pupi puppet operas. From this recipe, which i started developing years ago, grew the idea of other dishes whose core is the condiment sauce

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RECIPES

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

STUFFED LAMB YOGURT AND SAFFRON SAUCE, SEASONAL VEGETABLES I cook better in spring when there is more energy in the air. This recipe is a tribute to spring and to pastoral agriculture. Sheep and goats were the first domesticated animals 10,000 years ago. I dedicate this lamb dish to Polyphemus, a cyclops and shepherd. Here too the sauce and is the heart of the dish. The first peculiarity of the recipe is in fact the stuffing made with dates, dried figs, almonds, pine nuts, sultanas, toasted sesame: it fills the rib and the leg. And at the center of the plate is a sauce made with yogurt, cucumber, mint and garlic, seasoned with saffron and fennel pollen

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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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SICILY SEA CENTRAL The quadruple sauce that fills the plate (which is also replicated for a chicken dish called aia gaia) in concentric circles: squid ink, saffron sauce, fennel pollen sauce and last, in the center, tomato sauce. Everything is covered - as if protecting - with oyster jelly. Aside for dipping in the sauces, there are octopus, cuttlefish, squid, shrimp and raw vegetables: seafood salad

photos by Alex Majoli

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GAMBERO ROSSO www.gamberorosso.it SENIOR EDITOR Lorenzo Ruggeri PHOTO EDITOR Rossella Fantina LAYOUT Maria Victoria Santiago CONTRIBUTORS Stefania Annese, Nicola Frasson, Stefano Polacchi, William Pregentelli, Marco Sabellico PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS Marcello Crescenzi, Alessandro Naldi, Benedetto Tarantino GR USA CORP PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT Paolo Cuccia Advertising Class PubblicitĂ SpA Milano, Via Marco Burigozzo, 8 - tel. 02 58219522 For commercial enquiries: mprestileo@class.it Advertising director Paola Persi email: ufficio.pubblicita@gamberorosso.it Gambero Rosso and are registered trademarks belonging to Gambero Rosso S.p.A. GAMBERO ROSSO is a Registered Trademark used under license by GR USA CORP Copyright by GAMBERO ROSSO S.P.A. 2019.

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

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

January 2019

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

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