Wine Travel Food - March 2017

www.gamberorosso.it YEAR 21 N. 105 - MARCH 2017

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WINE 22 | Italian Signature Wines Academy: Better Together Eight historic premium wine companies have joined forces. Their strategic alliance, ISWA, or Italian Signature Wines Academy, will face international markets together, promoting the same values of family tradition, hospitality, and deeply rooted wine culture.

33 | Vinitaly Special: Preview tasting Each year, Gambero Rosso tours Italy’s best wine shops with the country’s wineries, old and new. Read our tasting notes on many not-yet-released recent vintages.

52 | Living Italy’s wine Italy’s wine is best sampled in the myriad, marvelous enoteche that dot the country. We have visited the best ones, and urge you to include a few in your next trip around the boot for a close encounter with Italy’s wine world.

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“I like on the table, when we’re speaking, the light of a bottle of intelligent wine.”

Pablo Neruda (poet, 1904-1973) 34

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NEWS & MORE

56 | What happens in Vinitaly doesn’t stay in Vinitaly The fifty-first edition of Italy’s key wine fair has branched out, finding space for international labels, olive oil, cheese, cured meats, craft beer and biodiversity.

4 | Editorial Vinitaly as a mirror 10 | Events Abroad Gambero Rosso on the road 18 | Wine of the month Grignolino del M.to Casalese ’15 Vicara 19 | Twitter dixit 18| Pairing Lab Veronese Cooking 20 | Design

FOOD 70 | Cucina italiana around the world With the publication of our new e-book, Top Italian Restaurants, Gambero Rosso is honoring the accomplishments of the talented Italian chefs who have made their way to every continent. They bring true Italian wine, food products and flavors to every major city in the world. Here we visit some of the best.

84| Niko Romito: The art of simplicity A brilliant Abruzzese chef shows that an extremely linear cucina, reduced to its simplest elements, can offer strong, unforgettable emotions. He is teaching the next generation of cooks to appreciate Italy’s extraordinary ingredients.

3 MARCH 2017

EDITORIAL

VINITALY AS A MIRROR the numbers of exhibitors and visitors to the latter increased so sharply recently that Dusseldorf is beginning to have some of the problems that Vinitaly has been facing for years. We just returned from Dusseldorf and we will be with our Tre Bicchieri event in Verona, then in Bordeaux with Vinexpo in June. We’ll go on to Hong Kong in November, the day before the most important wine fair in Asia.

Italian producers are taking a clear leap forward in their promotional work abroad. They are traveling more, and moving more in sync – incredible but true! In the Gambero events, in those of Slow Food and Vinitaly, producers now act in groups, forming systems like ISWA (our cover story), the Italian Signature Wines Academy. They have pooled resources and information in order to present a unified front on the world’s markets.

Export numbers continue to smile on us. The 2016 year closed with a growth of Italian wine exports up 4.3% over 2015, exceeding the 5.6 billion euro mark.

There’s optimism, a desire to work and to celebrate: an appointment in Verona. © Ennevi

Chaotic, full of life, as unpredictable it is disorganized, Vinitaly is a faithful mirror of our country. In its excesses, its lack of clear limits, in its vivacity, it is Italy in miniature. A sociologist could understand who the Italians were in just those 96 hours, Vinitaly’s four days.

In Verona, the entire community shows up, the entire production line, all those people who love wine: operators, aficionados, journalists, bloggers, aspiring bloggers. A great melting pot enlivens the streets of Verona. Vinitaly is more a party than a fair, a great festa celebrating Italian wine, a fair with remarkable beauty and many defects, a festival working within its structural limits to keep up with the growth of Dusseldorf ’s ProWein, an event that has always had a different international goal, in terms of both visitors and exhibitors. ProWein is a window on the world. Vinitaly is a photograph of Italy, a panorama of its differences, of the regional dialects that we find in our glasses in the shape of myriad indigenous grape varieties. Vinitaly is an overwhelming experience and it marks off the life of Italian operators exactly like New Year’s Eve does.

The efforts made by its organizers in recent years seem to be going in the right direction. Frankly, we don’t see those clear differences between the fairs of Verona and Dusseldorf any more, considering also that

Lorenzo Ruggeri

4 MARCH 2017

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NEWS FROM AROUND WINE AND THE ECONOMY WORLD

RUGGERI OF VALDOBBIADENE GOING TO THE GERMANS. The giant RMSK buys 100% of the stock of the historic winery.

After first promising to expand in 2014, finally they did it. The German group Rotkäppchen-Mumm Sektkellereien (Rmsk) bought 100% of the shares of the Ruggeri spumante house, an historic winery of Valdobbiadene, founded in 1950. Today it is run by Paolo Bisol and his children, Isabella and Giustino. The Veneto firm turns out an average of a million bottles annually, 60% distributed in Italy, the rest in 35 foreign markets. Its Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Giustino B. ‘15 won the Sparkling Wine of the Year 2017 award in the Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia guide. Ruggeri owns 17 hectares in all, including a small vineyard in the prestigious Cartizze zone, and works 30,000 quintals of grapes yearly, much of it coming from about

100 small growers. With the arrival of the important German group, with its turnover of 900 million euros and production of 253 million bottles between wine and spirits, of which 166 million are spumante (Rotkappchen, Chantré, Mumm & Co), the scene is likely to change. President Christof Queisser, from his headquarters in Freyburg, announcing the acquisition, guaranteed that the two companies share similar values and that RMSK will aim to develop quality and markets with Ruggeri. Both Paolo and Isabella will stay at the winery, as will their employees. The cost of the operation

was not made public. It is not the first time the Germans have come to Prosecco territory with new investments.

Since 2009, Mionetto has belonged to the spumante group, Henkell & Co. Sektkellerei.

MARKETS. CHINA, 2016, A RECORD FOR WINE IMPORTS. Italy number five supplier.

China has set a new record for its wine importation. In 2016, it bought 6.38 million hectoliters of wine (+15%) for 2.14 billion euros (+16.5%).

Bottled wine dominates this Asian market, representing 76% of imports in volume and 93% in value. This particular segment grew respectively 21.7% and 17.4%. Spumanti imports, which play a minor role on the

Chinese market, fell. A third of the imported wine comes from France, followed by China, Australia, Spain and Italy, which last year could feel satisfied with the progress made compared to the previous year: +11.8% in volume and +32.7% in value, according to an analysis of IHS-GTA data by the agricultural research institute, ISMEA (Istituto di Servizi per

il Mercato Agricolo Alimentare). In 2016, an agreement with the Chinese giant of e-commerce, Alibaba, influenced the value performance of Italian wine, fostering growth that was double the sector average. Operators greeted this result with satisfaction. For ISMEA, the increase indicated “the further potential of Italian wine.”

WORLD FRANCE AUSTRALIA CHILE SPAIN ITALY UNITED STATES SUDAFRICA ARGENTINA NEW ZEALAND PORTUGAL

2012

1,229,978 612,351 177,138 114,629 87,526 75,007 55,270 17,495 14,375 18,530 12,148

2013 1,170,757 533,024 178,069 125,553 80,725 79,273 59,554 18,357 17,415 15,100 14,278

2014 1,145,111 498,450 193,724 126,057 83,462 78,571 54,825 17,969 13,628 18,368 10,985 6 MARCH 2017

2015 1,839,734 814,257 410,183 210,945 117,031 90,626 51,649 36,289 18,490 16,936 15,151

2016 2,142,935 903,296 518,096 243,040 144,162 120,225 54,389 35,051 21,244 19,046 18,000

VAR.% 16/15 16.5% 10.9% 26.3% 15.2% 23.2% 32.7% 5.3% -3.4% 14.9% 12.5% 18.8%

Source: Ismea. Datas by Ihs-Gta

WINE IMPORTS (thousands €)

CALIFORNIA. Sustainability guides wine choices

ARCHEOLOGY. A 3,000-YEAR-OLD GLASS OF WINE. A first in Friuli Venezia Giulia They were drinking wine in Friuli Venezia Giulia three thousand years ago, long before the arrival of the Romans. Traces show that in this zone, viticulture was a wellknown activity. The discovery was made by researchers from the University of Udine inside the protohistoric village of Canale Anfora, in the Ca’ Baredi locality of Terzo di Aquileia (Udine). It is the most ancient example in the region and one of the oldest in northern Italy. The wine was found during an analysis of ceramic samples,

the contents of a cup abandoned, along with various items of tableware, at the edges of a hearth datable to between the 14th and 13th centuries B.C. (the end of middle Bronze and the beginning of the recent Bronze ages). The chemical and chromatographic analyses carried out at the University of Barcelona found organic residue impregnating the sides of the containers used for manipulation, cooking and consumption of food and drink.

“The discovery made at Ca’ Baredi is of great value, even on its own,” underlined Elixabetta Borgna, scientific director of the dig. “It is a key piece of the picture of the long-distance relationships between Mediterranean and northern Adriatic regions long before the arrival of the Romans in the 2nd century B.C.” 7 MARCH 2017

Sustainability is one of the decisive factors in choosing a wine, according to American tastemakers. This finding emerged from a study commissioned by California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA). Full Glass Research of Berkeley examined a panel of 4,700 distributors, retailers, marketing professionals, restaurateurs, media representatives and American educators. For 84% of those interviewed, profit was an important aspect of sustainable growth.

Another fundamental factor for 71% was social and environmental. And finally, 73% of wholesalers and retailers stated that sustainable practices represent one of the chief motives in their choice of products to sell.

Sustainability cost is not a key factor, since it is often the same as those of other products, or, in any case, not enough higher to discourage purchase. Among the weak points of the system was the inability to identify immediately wines that were the result of sustainable practices, especially in terms of logos, packaging and certification. The research showed how green conversion has grown exponentially in California, which now affords a particularly virtuous example: over 2,000 growers of wine grapes participate in the CSWA program, and represent 70% of the state’s winegrowing surface.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

MASSIMO BOTTURA AND THE REFETTORIO IN LONDON. THE CHEF’S TALE: HOW IT BEGAN AND WHERE IT’S GOING

For the last two years, everybody has been talking about Massimo Bottura’s Refettorio, a community kitchen for homeless shelters, cooking with a daily supply of supermarket waste. The impressive power of a project designed to conquer the world has pushed aside empty rhetoric and replaced it with action. The chef of the Francescana has invited everybody to answer his call. After opening in Milano on the occasion of Expo, the project (immortalized in a documentary, Theater of Life) continues to stimulate conversation and fascinate international groups. It is mentioned in conferences and meetings, interviews, marches and demonstrations and has become a splendid example of social sharing and cultural showcasing inspired by cooking. Massimo Bottura has met the challenge, becoming the ambassa-

dor and the spark, even though his commitments have multiplied and his telephone never stops ringing.

For example, at six in the morning a year and a half ago, the mayor of Rio de Janiero called to explain that the Brazilian Olympics and the favelas of Rio needed the revolutionary impact of Bottura’s project, and needed it urgently.

In the meantime, the foundation Food for Soul collected funds and joined a solidarity-inspired community with the dream of opening five, ten, fifty Refettori around the world. The objective: “not a charity, but a cultural operation.”

The goal: to rebuild the dignity of the human being, to transmit the values of Bottura’s own way of thinking.

No one better than the chef himself can tell the story of what’s been accomplished so far. Massimo Bottura recently appeared on 8 MARCH 2017

the stage of the Identità Golose conference with a lesson about cucina italiana becoming a Renaissance workshop, while only a few hours earlier, he had been the guest of the town of Courmayeur in Valle d’Aosta where a cycle of dinners was in progress under the supervision of David Jesus, a talented Portuguese chef. David served guests a menu inspired by the Refettorio experience, that is, one based on the cucina of discards, or leftovers, the most powerful weapons in a battle against waste. Bottura and his entourage were inspired by the event and the chef honored one of the dinners in the program, enchanting the guests with a lucid account, much more intimate than the lessons we’re used to, of the experiences he’s had with the Refettorio since it began. A London version will debut soon: a dish will cost 50 cents.

The location will open in June in Chelsea. “Everyone wants to be there, from Ducasse to Redzepi, from Uliassi to Cuttaia, from Atala to Mario Batali. They responded within half an hour.” Like the one in Milano, which was practically a museum of contemporary art, the Refettorio in London will also offer an artistic as well as a culinary context. Apparently Jay Jopling’s Whitecube Gallery will join the effort. It’s early to say what painters will be on show, but big names like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin have been mentioned. Following Bottura’s example, WastEd is open on the top floor of Selfridges, closing on April 2. The pop-up idea of American Dan Barber brings together colleagues from all over the world to cook with discards and waken public opinion on the subject of waste.

NEW CUISINE D’AUTEUR IN NEW YORK. Grant Achatz opens The Aviary

FLIPPY, the new robot helps cooks in the kitchen In Pasadena, California, a fast food chain has brought in Flippy, a robot with a mechanized arm developed by Miso Robotics and the Cali group, owners of the CaliBurger chain. Flippy cooks the meat and slips it into its bun. Besides placing ingredients on the grill, the robot can also monitor temperatures and degree of doneness. When the meat is almost cooked, Flippy calls for a human aide to prepare salad, sauces and other condiments for the hamburger.

The android can also help cut vegetables and plate food, Miso Robotics CEO David Zito explained. Cameras, sensors and learning software can find ingredients in the kitchen without continual reconfiguration.

The robot is still in the experimental phase, but once ready, Flippy will be installed in 50 locations over the next two years. The objectives of research groups such as Miso Robotic, they insist, is not to replace human beings, but to optimize work and quality standards of products, leaving room for personalization by staff. Flippy is intended as an assistant cook, not a substitute, a help for chefs in the production lines, especially at peak hours.

Those familiar with the food scene in Chicago tell us that the culinary and entrepreneurial talent of Grant Achatz has done a great deal in recent years to enliven local eatingout options. In Illinois’ great city, the chef/proprietor of Alinea (three stars) and his partner Nick Kokonas run a war machine that includes various locations, diversifying their activities among avant-garde tables, casual dining and extemporaneous formats inspired by Next that periodically pop-up around the world.

The Aviary, considered today one of the best cocktail bars in the world, is a project that concentrates on experimental mixing: “Where cocktails and service are given the same attention to detail as in a fourstar restaurant; where bartenders are trained as chefs.” Work in the kitchen goes on to study new formulas to delight guests. Costs reflect the exclusivity of The Aviary – close to $200 for the complete experience,

9 MARCH 2017

a tasting menu of seven courses paired to the same number of drinks d’auteur. Aficionados are cheering The Aviary’s expected arrival in New York this summer. Within a few months, the cocktail bar from Chicago’s Fulton Market will see a sister location opened by Grant Achatz in the Big Apple. The Aviary will replace the Lobby Lounge on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental New York in Columbus Circle. It will bring with it the socalled speakeasy, The Office, which in Chicago is in the bar basement.

Moving to New York’s skyscrapers, it will take over a space for 40 with a view, a venue still under construction. This new challenge will be the first experience of the two partners outside Chicago. And once again, it is a confirmation of the importance given to culinary experience by the Mandarin group, which gives work to many prestigious chefs around the world.

EVENTS ABROAD

by Lorenzo Ruggeri

Sydney. tasting

GAMBERO ROSSO ON THE ROAD The eleventh edition of the Top Italian Roadshow proved again that this is a good moment for the nation’s wine. The Tour that started in November of 2016 in Taipei, moved on to Osaka and to its first visit to Cape Town before moving to the other side of the hundredth meridian east – to Hanoi, Singapore and finally Sydney, Australia’s largest city, a one-time penal colony. This last trio, closing the 2016/2017 round, was also the occasion for recognizing places winning awards in our new international guide, Top Italian Restaurants.

ITALIAN WINE AND FOOD IN VIETNAM: OUR FIRST TIME IN HANOI Vietnam proved to be one of the most interesting wine markets. 350 professionals celebrated Gambero Rosso’s first event in Hanoi, demonstrating real interest in wine.

Attention to detail and powerful curiosity was evident in the many questions raised during the three seminars led by Marco Sabellico and Lorenzo Ruggeri. Taxation still puts a break on consumption. To 50% tariffs, add a 30% tax on luxury goods and 15% added value tax. “It’s a market that requires persistence, a long-term strategy. In 2018, a free trade agreement between the European Union and Vietnam is scheduled to go into effect, possibly triggering a boost for our wines,” said Cecilia Piccioni, the Italian

Hanoi. Masterclass

ambassador to Vietnam and the only Italian woman ambassador in all of Asia.

During the opening ceremony, Paolo De Piaggi, a Friulano who has lived in Vietnam for 20 years, received his award. His establishment, Da Paolo Westlake, was named the best Italian restaurant in the city, according to our Gambero guide, Top Italian Restaurants.

Sydney. Barilla

SINGAPORE, ASIA’S MOST SOPHISTICATED WINE CITY Singapore has a unique history, and that applies to wine as well. General knowledge about the subject is sharply superior to the Asian norm. Its consumers drink great labels, aged wines and increasingly more Italian ones. Gambero Rosso’s sixth visit to the city attracted more than 700 people to the church in the Chijmes complex. Ivan Scalfarotto, undersecretary of Economic Development, welcomed the 60 Italian wineries on the tour. Singapore presents an extremely competitive restaurant scene, especially for Italian eateries.

The best in the city were named: Gattopardo Ristorante di Mare was opened in 2010 by Sicilian Lino Sauro, and Buona Terra, an elegant example of Italian cucina, is led by young chef Denis Lucchi and sommelier Gabriele Rizzardi. Pizza Fabbrica won the pizzeria award, while Osteria Mozza had the best wine list, offering a contemporary selection that embraced all the Italian regions and many different styles, exploiting Coravin technology to offer a good choice of wines by the glass.

Singapore

SYDNEY, A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE TOUR STOP From Singapore we went on to Australia. The farther away you go, the greater the interest in Italy. The Italian community down under is numerous, compact, and protagonists in a wine and food scene that is one of the world’s most competitive. Italy is a favorite in the choices of local consumers despite the great local winegrowing tradition. Wine lists and wine bars systematically collect bottles from our regions. The event drew 680 visitors, with a high percentage of importers, restaurateurs and bloggers. Interest in the awards presented during the Sydney event ran high. The prize for the best pizza went to Pizza Lucio, an authentic Neapolitan version 16,000 kilometers from home. The best wine bar was 121BC, with exceptional offerings that include all the Italian regions. The best wine list was found at Pilu at Freshwater, a Sardinian restaurant on the beach where surfing was born. A list that is so deep, well-thought-out and elegantly described would be rare even in Sardinia. The best restaurant in the city was LuMi, thanks to the brilliant Federico Zanellato, a chef who worked for years with Heinz Beck at the Pergola, and who offers fabulous cucina italiana with an international vision and delicious Japanese twist.

Sydney. Top Italian Restaurants awarded

11 MARCH 2017

Sydney. Masterclass

EVENTS ABROAD

by Lorenzo Ruggeri

PROWEIN 2017. MUSIC & TASTING TOUR

One figure is enough to understand the nature of ProWein: one out of two visitors is not German. We observed this proportion even at our Tre Bicchieri event in Dusseldorf. Overall, 58,000 participants arrived during the fair’s three days, with 6,600 exhibitors from over 60 countries. ProWein is an enormous window on the wine world. It rests on a sold, organized, efficient structure. The airport is a 15-minute taxi ride away, and the city is accustomed to events of this kind. But the sensation we had, during our sixth experience, is that in recent editions, the exhibitors’ numbers have increased more quickly than those of the visitors. The competitive margin and the efficiency of services is affected. The quality of the operators attending is extremely high, and we are waiting to see how Vinitaly responds. For those who are tasting, ProWein is a paradise of pavilions and language mixes. Let’s begin with the scintillating acidity of the host country’s wines.

Riesling Forster Ungeheuer Ziegler 2016 Dr. Von Bassermann-Jordan Gunther Hauck, director of the historic winery in Pfalz, offers us a lively roster of wines.

We choose a middle label in the winery’s hierarchy: great aromatic precision, solid structure, powerful and balanced, crackling acidity and the deepest of flavors. About 18 euros in wine shops.

Riesling Trocken Quarz 2016 Peter Jacob Kühn We move on to the Rheingau.

Quarz 2016 starts quietly, but becomes airy in its balsamic aromas.

Palate is keen and cutting, with savory, mouth-filling rhythm. Great energy on the finish reaches in and fills the mouth. The 2016 vintage year was insidious thanks to spring rains. Yields dropped 30% but the quality was excellent, recounted Peter and Angela Kühn.

Marienburg Fahrlay GG 2015 Clemens Busch After adjusting to dry wines, we have some difficulty turning to the Mosel. We find our way with this multi-faceted pearl, with its timbre of nettles and wild herbs. A dancing evolution, creamy and displaying masterful flavor balance.

The finish is weightless, but flavor is infinite, with a light touch of tannin offering contrast.

Reiterpfad GG 2014 Dr. Burklin-Wolf A talented young Italian stands behind the well-known winery of Pfalz: enologist Nicola Libelli. Reiterpfad 2014 is a very interesting and elegant sparkling, Essential, clean citrus fruit profile, with a gradual, modulated step and penetrating development. It has less body and structure than usual, but offers longer sensations. The Riesling 2016 base label is also very good, and costs 10 euros in German wine shops.

New rhythms for southern Italy’s grape varieties

At ProWein, the grape varieties of southern Italy were showcased, thanks to a seminar organized cooperatively by Gambero Rosso and ITA, the Italian Trade Agency. “The mentality of southern Italian producers has changed. Led by a new, under-30 generation, they are increasingly aware of their own patrimony, with its own styles and identities,” commented Marco Sabellico, who led the seminar. In the tasting: Falanghina, Aglianico, Gaglioppo, Magliocco, Frappato, Nerello Mascalese and Nero d’Avola.

Among the producers present was also Bruno Vespa. “Puglia has already given a great deal to the other regions of Italy. It’s time to recognize what it has within its borders. It’s a magical place, home to great wines.”

Sauvignon Blanc Opoka 2013 Marjan

fruit, brilliantly defined, exquisitely Mediterranean in its aromatic breadth and elegant finish.

Simcic

Magnum-worthy white, over the top, like Marjan himself. It has savory notes, bitter tones, pungent aromas of Mediterranean herbs, imposing power and structure. Yet, everything is in astonishing balance, rhythmic, with a finish that defies words and description. Among the top three Sauvignon labels tasted in recent years. World-class.

L’Argile 2014 Saint Jean du Barroux Provencal rhythms in a glass.

The texture of this red made

by Philippe Gimel is supple and elusive, a blend of grenache, syrah, carignan and cinsault.

Subtle consistency, enchanting horizontal development: floral nuances, sweet, ripe berries and a light green stem note to add sting. One glass will never suffice.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Luì 2013 Terraviva From Slovenia to the Teramo province. Montepulciano Lui has a lively texture: tones of orange zest, peppery notes, delicate earthy hints – all in a spontaneous, delicious mouthful. A red for both aperitifs and full meals. Spontaneous like the CerasuoloGiusi, declared lost on the trip to Germany.

Valtellina Superiore Ris. 2009 Grumello

Sant’Antonio We close with the newest release from Ar.Pe. Pe,, produced from 50-year-old vines growing at 500 meters above sea level. Multi-faceted, silky, pure and radiant, it has a sure and very fresh step, with a dizzying balsamic vein. The finish shows that while speaking softly, you can say a great deal.

Pinot Nero Bertone 2013 Conte Vistarino A great Pinot Nero from the Oltrepò Pavese.

After leaving behind ambitions of concentration and muscle, a fine and caressingly extracted red emerges, elegant in its phrasing, tones of Mediterranean scrub. A savory, whispered finish and a fresh balsamic nuance.

Sabbie di Sopra Il Bosco 2015 Nanni Copé The first taste of the new vintage year released by Giovanni Ascione makes its mark. He says, “It would have been difficult to make a mistake in a year like that.” Full, meaty fruit, brilliantly defined, exquisitely Mediterranean in its aromatic breadth and elegant finish.

Sting. The voice of ProWein Among the 6,660 exhibitors at ProWein, there was also Sting. He showed up at a press . conference with his guitar around his neck. “I had promised myself not to sing anymore before nine at night. Today I’ll make an exception.” He then performed “Message in a Bottle” followed by a homage to Chuck Berry: “Without Chuck Berry, there’s no Rolling Stones, there’s no Beatles, there’s no me.” Sting will be showing off his Tuscan wines from the Palagio winery in Figline Valdarno, at the same time as he tours with “57th & 9th”, his twelfth album as a soloist

Sabbie di Sopra Il Bosco 2015 Nanni Copé The first taste of the new vintage year released by Giovanni Ascione makes its mark.

He says, “It would have been difficult to make a mistake in a year like that.” Full, meaty 13

MARCH 2017

GAMBERO ROSSO ACADEMY

Wine STUDYING SUSTAINABILITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SIENA A Master in Wine Sustainability is the new project launched by the University of Siena, in collaboration with the Santa Chiara Lab platform for innovation and Gambero Rosso Academy.

This ambitious initiative, begun in January, 2016 is part of larger plan that follows the directives imposed by the new rules of “Equalitas-Vino Sostenibile”. The Siena plan proposes a single approach to sustainability in the grape-growing and winemaking sector based on three pilasters – social, environmental and economic – and on the promotion of a collective brand that provides a guarantee to the consumer.

“In the wine world today, the need for training based on a new business paradigm is growing, one that looks after the environment and social relations but is at the same time highly competitive,” said Maria Pia Maraghini, the head of the scientific aspects of the Master. “It is on this basis that the Master in Wine Sustainability was established.”

The training project will take off in November, 2017.

Gambero Rosso, which has always been involved in food

and wine education, for both students and businesses, will also participate. “The idea is to join training and research.

In this context, Gambero Rosso is an indispensable player in our view thanks to its great competence in matters of laboratories of sensorial analysis and integrated sustainability in wineries,” added Patrice De Micco, operations coordinator.

The Master in Wine Sustainability will offer recent university graduates courses articulated in seven modules and three laboratories. Of these seven modules, three will be available singularly as training courses to permit those without university degrees but already working in the sector to deepen their own knowledge of government, marketing, communication and integrated sustainability in winemaking companies.

The objective is to offer a new opportunity to all winemaking enterprises determined to strengthen their strategies, improve their performance in a constantly evolving market, and approach sustainability no longer as a cost, but as a factor in profit and growth.

14 FEBRUARY 2017

Gambero Rosso & Dusit.

WORKING TOGETHER ON NEW TRAINING PROJECTS On January 23, 2017, Gambero Rosso Holding SPA and Dusit Thani Public Company Limited renewed their agreement. Dusit is a solid multinational which, besides having many luxury hotels and resorts in southeast Asia, the Arab Emirates, North Africa and the United States, is also one of the most prestigious institutions for culinary training.

This successful collaboration has allowed, over the years, the two different culinary cultures to come closer together, thanks to a series of courses aimed at explaining the secrets of true cucina italiana. First courses, main courses, desserts, pizza and bread-making have all been presented, enriched by wine tastings in a rapidly growing market.

The latest series took place at Dusit Thani College in Bangkok, from October 1 to November 20, 2016. The project presented fourteen theoretical and practical courses in English for both professionals and amateurs who were anxious to master the methods of preparation and cooking of typical dishes of Italian tradition.

Besides widening the scope of the courses offered, Gambero Rosso and Dusit are committed to promoting together activities of lifestyle and wellness, and to presenting their respective culinary cultures through all the multimedia channels available.

This timing of this major plan of communication, training and intensification is not an accident. Today in Bangkok alone there are over 300 quality Italian restaurants, a number that will certainly increase with the appearance on the scene of new specialized professionals who will be able to benefit from the new agreement.

The photo of the signature. From left: president of Dusit mr. Chanin Donavanik and mrs. Suphajee Suthumpun, Group Chief Executive Officier, with president of gambero Rosso, Paolo Cuccia and General Director Luigi Salerno

15 MARCH 2017

WINE OF THE MONTH

Grignolino del M.to Casalese ’15 Vicara 11,000 bottles ex-cellar price: 17,00 euros

IN LOVE WITH GRIGNOLINO

Domenico Ravizza is a dynamic, enterprising grower, born and bred in Monferrato Casalese, which he now promotes with his wines and a production philosophy that follows the local winegrowing traditions. He uses mainly native Piedmont grape varieties, along with a few international cultivars. Personalized fermentation techniques are used in the cellar, yielding both ready-drinking and ageworthy wines. The former are produced with brief maceration at controlled temperatures, and the latter with long maceration and ageing in oak. Moreover, Vicara is one of the best interpreters of Barbera in the zone, and above all of Grignolino, this interesting Monferrato red that doesn’t manage to travel outside of Piedmont.

But we are convinced that this variety represents a resource for the future and that Monferrato’s growers know how to have this wine recognized outside its regional borders. This year Domenico managed to introduce his Grignolino to the foreign wine press and a vast public of wine lovers. The label was widely appreciated and obtained a great deal of recognition.

Tasting notes This 2015 vintage has huge character, offering an inebriating nose of black pepper, quinine and tobacco followed by a stunning palate with dynamic tannin and a lingering finish.

Wine pairing: It has notable ability to enhance succulent foods such as cured meat or tripe, and to pleasantly pair with traditional Monferrato first courses such as fish soups, vitello tonnato and dishes based on liver.

16 MARCH 2017

TWITTER dixit Winetracker.co

Vinous

Int Wine & Food Soc.

Monica Larner

Walk on top of your wine cellar with the beautiful floor display

Late spring in Priorat, which boasts some of Spain’s steepest vineyards.

Raynolds covers

Tenuta dell’Ornellaia

The Wine Wankers

That’s good enough for us!

Tim Atkin

Bordeaux starting to tell us that 2016 is another “amazing vintage”. It may well prove to be better overall than the over-rated 2015.

17 MARCH 2017

PAIRING VERONESE

PAIRING

drawings by Chiara Buosi

SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

frappato

verdicchio

morellino

Polenta, salami and mushrooms

VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE FSOAVE

frappato

morellino

verdicchio

Pasta e fagioli

BARDOLINO CLASSICO SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

Potato gnocchi with butter and sage

18 MARCH 2017

SOAVE CLASSICO

WITH COOKING

SOAVE

SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

frappato

morellino

verd

Risotto all’Amarone AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA frappato

morellino

verdicchio

Boiled meats with pepper sauce

VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO

SCHIAVA

Pandoro 19 MARCH 2017

BREGANZE TORCOLATO

FIANO

DESIGN

by Francesco Seccagno

DESIGN & FOOD The optimism that spring brings is already in the air. We begin looking for lightness and colors that erase the difference between indoors and out.

The outdoors comes into our houses and vice versa.

We open up our homes, carrying our daily habits into the open air. Colors and materials, shiny and transparent, signal that spring is here.

NET | Nardi | via Arso, 4 | Chiampo (VI)| tel. 0444 422100 | www.nardigarden.com Designed by Raffaello Galiotto, NET is a fiber-glass resin single-unit armchair, painstakingly punched with a pattern of square and rounded slots distributed evenly over the three-dimensional surface of its body. The perfect decorative mesh of the chair appears matt, slightly rounded and pleasant to the touch. Its perimeter is bordered by a rectangular-section ribbon that encourages you to rest your arms, and proceeds seamlessly down the chair legs. It is perfect for outdoor use, but is charming inside as well. Its colors (white, coral, anthracite, dove gray, mustard), thanks to the perforations, change under different lights, creating new decorative patterns. NET, 100% produced in Italy, is stackable, requires no maintenance, and is completely recyclable. The chairs can be matched to Spritz tables, also designed by Galiotto.

Forbici Fiskars | Fiskars Italy | Civate (LC) | via Provinciale, 15 | tel. +39 0341 215111 | www.fiskars.it Whether it’s scissors for children or for kitchen use, tools to prune or clip or trim – Fiskars products have one thing in common. Their iconic orange handles and ergonomic design are unique. Perfectly shaped and honed stainless steel blades make everyday tasks easier. Fiskars was founded in 1649, turning out plows. In 1832, the Fiskars village established its first scissors workshop.

Today its designs are by Olavi Lindén and the scissors are exhibited in the New York MoMa.

20 MARCH 2017

Polka & Pearl | LSA Int| Sunbury-On-Thames (Surrey) | Windmill Road | Unit E, The Dolphin Estate | tel. +44 1932 789 721 | www.lsa-international.com LSA International celebrates its fiftieth anniversary with two collections

by Monika Lubkowska-Jonas, designer and art director, daughter of one of the founders of the brand. Polka and Pearl objects play with transparency and pastel colors, pairing elegantly on the table, whether inside the house or out, as warmer weather tempts us to linger outdoors with friends and family. Design and mastery in working glass is a legacy from the family’s Polish traditions, updated and modernized by Monika’s creativity and taste. The delicate transparency of softly colored glasses enrich and complement place settings, the mother-of-pearl glow of translucent white tableware.

Aella | Leucos | via delle Industrie, 16/b | Salzano (VE) | tel. 041 574 1111 | www.leucos.com Aella – designed by Toso & Massari –is the name of a legendary Amazon and means ‘tornado’. It is a large-scale suspension lamp in hand-blown glass. The glass diffuser is in clear crystal, the supporting structure in polished chrome. The soft, elegant shape of the lamp seems to emerge from a point in space, its evanescent cone of light a glow of harmony.

The technology of the dimmable LED circuit joins the centuries-old art of Venetian glass-blowing. Available also in a table version.

21 MARCH 2017

ISWA SPECIAL

Marilisa Allegrini Lamberto Frescobaldi

Giancarlo Moretti Polegato

Roberto Bruno

Marina Masciarelli

ISWA Better Together

H

istoric premiun wines companies are joining forces through ISWA, the Italian Signature Wines Academy, a strategic alliance between some of the top brands in Italian wine: 8 wineries, 8 families. Allegrini (Veneto), Arnaldo Caprai (Umbria), Feudi Di San Gregorio (Campania), Fontanafredda (Piedmont), Marchesi De’ Frescobaldi (Tuscany), Planeta (Sicily), Masciarelli (Abruzzo) and Villa Sandi (Veneto) have decided to create a synergetic alliance overseas and, in particular, in those markets where ‘Made in Italy’ products are not yet well established, thus founding the Italian Signature Wines Academy (ISWA), in a concerted effort to take on the challenges of the future together rather than separately.

The companies already total a turnover of more than € 260 million, produce over 50 million bottles annually and export more than 80% of their production. The eight member companies behind this initiative share common values: they are top brand family companies with a long tradition of wine making and a history of at least

Alessio Planeta

Marco Caprai

50 years in the wine business. The wineries also share the same concept and understanding of hospitality as an experiential appreciation that goes from the vineyard to the product and includes the promotion and enhancement of the specific historic, artistic, environmental, gastronomic and traditional features of the wine producing areas in which they live and produce.

The value of the mission set out by the Italian Signature Wines Academy also lies in the study and development of important initiatives aimed at improving the image of quality wine via the enhancement of environmental, architectural, historic, artistic and anthropological assets and the specific features of the territory and viticultural landscape.

Many events abroad are already organized, and numerous others are in the works. Presenting ourselves as a compact body, with a complete range of wines, is the key to making an impact on international markets.

This is a rare example of a unified system in Italy, the country with a thousand points of view.

23 MARCH 2017

Antonio Capaldo

ISWA SPECIAL

Allegrini The Queen of Amarone

Silvia, Marilisa and Franco Allegrini

M

arilisa, Silvia, and Franco Allegrini’s operation certainly needs no introduction, being one of the benchmarks not only in Valpolicella but for wine-lovers worldwide. More than 100 hectares of vineyard on hillslopes and in the high hills yield grapes for a line of wines uncompromisingly founded on deep respect for the genuineness of their fruit. Starting this year there will be another challenge. “We are coming out with a new wine, even if it isn’t exactly a new label,” Marilisa told us. “It is a wine we produced until 1985. Today it is born again, a Cru and a Riserva of Amarone, Fieramonte. It comes from a beautiful vineyard in a zone with a perfect microclimate for cultivating corvina grapes.”

Amarone is the undisputed leader of the Allegrini team. It pays tribute to tradition with its standout qualities, namely intensely fragrant, ripe fruit and spice, enriched by hints of fines 24 MARCH 2017

Poggio al Tesoro vineyards

herbes that announce an energyladen palate of great elegance, with a lovely partnership of power and crispness that concludes in a lengthy finish. “2012 was one of those vintage years that my brother calls elegant because maturation comes more from light than from heat. It wasn’t a particularly warm year. Indeed, we had major temperature excursions that led to good phenolic maturation. Therefore, the wine has good balance, good structure and promising longevity.”

But Allegrini is not only Valpolicella.

“Poggio al Tesoro, our estate in Bolgheri, obviously faces very different challenges than those of Allegrini.

We believe a great deal in this zone of Tuscany. This year we will start converting the property to organic farming. We will give more importance to the part above the famous Bolgheri road. It is from there that the wines with the greatest concentration combined with elegance come.”

Villa Sandi The art of Prosecco

Giancarlo Polegato

T

he Moretti Polegato winery is one of the leading operations in the Valdobbiadene area.

The vineyards are quite extensive, some belonging to the estate, others to grape growers who supply their grapes to the winery. The star of the show is Prosecco, a wine that has broken all records for international popularity. “The success of Prosecco exceeded even our expectations,” explained Giancarlo Moretti Polgato, owner of Villa Sandi. “It is probably due to a combination of factors. It is a democratic product, affordable for all. Women like it, and as we know, women start trends. It is extremely versatile, and goes well with antipasto, light first courses, fish, and international cooking.” But there’s no end to challenges, above all where quality is concerned. “We are working hard in the vineyard,” continued Giancarlo. “Again this year we certified other properties of ours with 25 MARCH 2017

Biodiversity Friend, the certification of the World Biodiversity Association. They have patented the only regulations in agriculture that attest to the commitment of farms to conserve biodiversity in their agricultural systems.”

Villa Sandi is certainly a benchmark for the Grand Cru of Valdobbiadene, Cartizze, for all of the aficionados of Treviso-area sparklers.

But what gives added value to this hillside? “We have a property of one and a half hectares here. It might seem like a small parcel, but we must remember that the cru is only 106 hectares in all. It has always been an area where the glera grape expressed itself to the fullest, thanks to both climate and soil factors. It is an extraordinary territory, a sort of pentagon shape at the foot of the Pre-Alps. A strong temperature excursion between night and day renders the grapes incredibly fresh and fragrant.”

ISWA SPECIAL

Planeta All-Sicily Experience

“T

Alessio Planeta

he last event of 2016 was the inauguration of the newest and smallest of our winery facilities,” Alessio Planeta began, when we asked him to go over the history of one of the most outstanding companies on the Sicilian scene.

“We began in Menfi about thirty years ago, in the western part of Sicily. Then we started down a path that took us first to Vittoria, then to Noto, and next to Etna. This voyage has concluded, ideally, with this recent project, a winery in Capo Milazzo, in the northeastern part of Sicily where there’s the ancient DOC of Mamertino. It’s an extraordinary place, a promontory above the sea with the Aeolian Islands ahead and a vineyard that seems to be floating on the sea. We planted the vines a few years ago, and this year we built the facility and inaugurated it. It’s an important moment for our firm, which now covers all the Sicilian grape-growing zones we wanted to explore.”

26 MARCH 2017

The individuality of each terroir is respected and brought to the fore, within a vision that embraces local culture and traditions, hospitality, art, communication, social commitment, and environmental sustainability. In terms of hospitality, Planeta has a structure that is unique in the world.

“Fortunately, in recent years, Sicily has been enjoying a great resurgence of tourism, high quality tourism that embraces wine and food, culture, archeologic sites, prestigious restaurants and wineries. We have believed in this for a long time and we have made all our wineries visitable in a structured and organized way. We also have a small hotel in the western part of the island, La Foresteria, which receives tourists, mostly foreigners, for 11 months a year. We offer a food and wine experience, but also a relaxing atmosphere. Sicily will do extraordinary things in the future, when it realizes that it has to aim high.”

Fontanafredda Crazy about that girl S erralunga d’Alba is one of the municipalities that fosters the success of Barolo. Fontanafredda is among the most outstanding wineries in the territory, a large firm that has won international prestige thanks to a combination of ancient origins and modern business vision.

It is a veritable colossus of Piedmont wine, with production in excess of 7 million bottles, owning around 100 hectares of vineyards, largely converted to natural methods, bolstered by the partnership with Luca Baffigo and Oscar Farinetti.

It is a winemaking business that is constantly evolving, always reinventing itself and accepting new challenges. “Our objective is to develop new models of wine on the international market by means of communication, our work in the winery, and our energy in the vineyard,” affirmed Roberto Bruno, sales and marketing director. “We want to penetrate foreign markets in such a way that our

Roberto Bruno

27 MARCH 2017

wines come to the consumer with the right message. The Italian wine world still has work to do to attain certain sales systems. ISWA can help to reach this objective through commercial synergy. ISWA is a challenge; it is the Italy brand on international markets.” It’s practically impossible to list all the different lines on the Fontanafredda roster, which includes selections and crus made with an “artisanal” approach, like the Casa E. di Mirafiore Barolos, commencing with the Paiagallo and Lazzarito. “Barolo Vigna La Rosa takes its name from Rosa Vercellana. She was a country girl with whom King Victor Emanuel II fell madly in love. He gave her the Fontanafredda estate,” concluded Roberto. “This is the Serralunga terroir, one of the 11 municipalities that, over the years, has managed to build a solid reputation for Barolo production. Here in particular, Barolo has more complexity and structure.”

ISWA SPECIAL

Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi The memory of Tuscan wine R

Lamberto Frescobaldi

28 MARCH 2017

espect 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, starting with the winery at Rufina and on to Maremma, the Montalcino area and even reaching Friuli. Worth mentioning is the family’s social commitment to the Gorgona Island detention centre where, since 2012, inmates have had the opportunity to try winegrowing at a professional level supervised by the winery’s team. Lamberto Frescobaldi has been the chairman of the group which has effected an extraordinary transformation in the vineyards and cellar, focusing mainly on the concept of eco-sustainability. “We wine producers always face new challenges over the years,” Lamberto said.

“The project we want to promote this year is the birth of a Metodo Classico from the Castello di Pomino. It is made from chardonnay and pinot nero, and represents a new challenge that we hope to meet successfully, given our long experience in the wine world.” As for the ISWA project, Lamberto concluded, “We producers all intend to bring our message of Italy abroad, and above all, we want to strengthen communication that connects joy and wine. This is the added value of ISWA.” The Rufina Vecchie Viti is one of the estate’s most representative wines. A stylish nose with hints of wild berries and blood oranges, opening out with tidy, harmonious tannic texture enlivened by wellbalanced acidity and a juicy tang.

Feudi di San Gregorio Shifting Gears

Antonio Capaldo

F

eudi di San Gregorio is the Sorbo Serpico-based leading light in Campania’s wine trade. Under the leadership of chairman Antonio Capaldo, ably assisted by agronomist Pierpaolo Sirch, the estate has successfully tweaked its stylistic identity.

It has become more terroir-true, increasingly geared towards bringing out the best in its vast wine heritage.

The reds have become livelier with time with less extraction, while some of the white selections offer significant performances. “This year, our winery celebrates thirty years of activity.

The desire to produce great quality wines is intact, despite the passage of time,” said Federico Graziani, area manager of Feudi di San Gregorio.

“The only thing that has changed is the style, which we have made subtler, more elegant, less rich than in the past. In 2016 we concentrated our energies on the distribution of Champagne from the Maison Boizel.

We are the only ones to distribute it in Italy. Moreover, Antonio Capaldo 29 MARCH 2017

bought a 12-hectare property in Bolgheri. The Feudi Studio project was started thanks to Pierpaolo Sirch and Antonio Capaldo. Each year they select the most important batches of grapes. From these parcels, come the grapes for a quality production that besides Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo offers a Taurasi from a vineyard that is 800 meters above sea level. Taurasi is one of the longest-lived and most structured wines in the country, made from dark but never overripe fruit. It is a red that is hardly known outside Italy.” The new Feudi Studi line, launched to express this new approach, embodies a change of direction and a giant step towards absolute quality.

Each label showcases the character of a single historic vineyard, with only 2,000 bottles produced. For example, Fiano Contrada Arianello 2014 is elegant and supple, with a wonderfully long balsamic finish. A powerful Taurasi 2011 displays elegant tannins.

ISWA SPECIAL

Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino Legend

T

Marco Caprai

he Caprai winery had a decisive role in the development of the wine sector in Montefalco and Umbria in general, not only in the showcasing of Sagrantino. The winery was founded in the 1970s with the purchase of its first forty hectares. At the beginning of the nineties it took off, and attracted remarkable international attention.

The path to success was not simple, and required imagination, competence, research and entrepreneurial evolution. Above all it called for focus on a precise idea about wine, one with unmistakable features. Caprai wines embody this process, and are continually in flux, modern and dynamic. “A new project that’s in the works is to better exploit Sagrantino’s capacity for longevity by making wines that can be uncorked even after ten years of bottle-aging,” said 30 MARCH 2017

Marco Caprai, president and owner of Arnaldo Caprai. “This project requires enormous investments, but we’re aware that research demands time before you can benefit from its results.” Today the Caprai family project seems to have entered a new phase. The foundations are the same as always, but the stylistic and technical supervision of the wines is in the hands of celebrated consultant Michel Rolland. The new approach is just starting, but is already giving excellent results. It will be the task of ISWA to consolidate gains in foreign markets and make the winery better known. “An alliance among the wineries permits us to focus our energies so we can grow and invest in new markets, something that would be difficult to do on our own. Seven families together can face the challenge.”

Abruzzo Chateau

A

Marina e Miriam Masciarelli

nyone who has observed developments on the Abruzzo winemaking scene in the last 30 years will acknowledge the importance of the work of Gianni Masciarelli. A man who put his heart and soul into his production, a man who was able to make his international dreams come true thanks to a simply spectacular vineyard estate, almost 300 hectares distributed around four provinces. His heritage was carried on by his determined wife, Marina Cvetic. With the help of her daughter Miriam Lee, she manages a firm turning out two and a half million bottles, distributed in 55 countries.

Two production lines stand out.

The Gianni Masciarelli line was established in 2014 and employs

Masciarelli

premium fruit coming from the vineyards of Loreto Aprutino, in the province of Pescara, a zone well-suited for wine grapes. The Villa Gemma line best embodies the stylistic research and taste of the late Gianni Masciarelli. “The wines of Abruzzo are getting more and more popular abroad.

Our first market is the U.S. but Asia is growing faster, thanks also to our incoming tours here at our Chateau”, added Miriam Masciarelli. added Miriam Masciarelli.

“Marina is the first supporter of Cerasuolo. She often says that Montepulciano is the past and Cerasuolo is the future. Our Cerasuolo is a powerful rosé, a versatile wine which can pair with meat, fish, even pizza.

It’s easy to win with our Cerasuolo,” said Miriam.

bortolomiol.com

GRANDE CUVÉE DEL FONDATORE

TWO CENTURIES OF LOVE FOR OUR TERROIR

2017

RIVE - Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore - Brut Nature Millesimato

VINITALY - April 9 - 12 2017 - Hall 4 Stand C5

VINITALY SPECIAL

The fourth edition of “Anteprima Fiere” (Fair Preview), the Gambero Rosso event that tours Italy’s best wine shops with the country’s wineries, both new and well-established, is over. Top starring roles were played by not-yet-released recent vintages. On the following pages, you can read our tasting notes.

Save them and check them out during the months to come.

ANTEPRIMA TASTING 33 MARCH 2017

VINITALY SPECIAL

PIEDMONT

The Wineries Roberto Sarotto

via Ronconuovo, 13 | Neviglie (CN) | Tel. 0173630228 | robertosarotto.com

Bel Colle

Fraz. Castagni, 56 | Verduno (CN) | Tel. 0172470196 | belcolle.it In August, 2015, the historic winery founded by two brothers, Franco and Carlo Pontiglione, together with Giuseppe Priola, officially became part of the Bosio Family Estates of Santo Stefano Belbo. One dynasty of grapegrowers empowered another to continue the work of improving the vines growing between Verduno and La Morra. The properties in the Asti province, in Roero and Barbaresco were later added.

The varietal roster focuses on pelaverga and nebbiolo, appreciated for their traditional nature, but also featured in newer approaches to maceration and aging.

Barolo Monvigliero ’12: Fresh grass and licorice aromas mark this Barolo. Impact in the mouth is self-confident and almost severe; great elegance. Remarkable persistence in the mouth, along with excellent clarity.

Roero Arneis ’16: Notes of anise, wild fennel, light citrus fruit. In the mouth, on first impact, white fruit, with light, sweet almond on the close.

Marchesi Di Barolo

Franco E Pierguido Ceste

via Alba,12 | Barolo (CN)| Tel. 0173564400 | marchesidibarolo.com

c.so Alfieri, 1 | Govone (CN) | Tel. 017358635 | cestevini.com

The Abbona family took over Castello Falletti some time ago, the place where Barolo and its legend was born, from Juliette Colbert onwards.

There’s no need to explain the added value of such a glorious legacy. It is harmoniously integrated with the contemporary viewpoint of Anna and Ernesto, the most recent generation heading Marchesi di Barolo.

Their approach is immediately visible in the stylistic options offered by the complete range of wines produced on the Langa, Roero and Monferrato estates.

Barbera d’Alba Peiragal ’15: This excellent Barbera d’Alba comes from the Paiagallo cru. It ages in small oak barrels for a year. The wood is not aggressive, and the wine is supplied with the cleanest of fruit and admirable freshness.

Barolo Ris. ’10: Ripe sour cherries and dried red flowers joined to a lightly earthy, forest floor note in the background.

In the mouth, fruity tones at the start, but then a solid, healthy tannic structure.

Guido Ceste is assisted in the family’s winegrowing activity by his son, Franco, who, when he completed his studies at the Istituto Professionale di Alessandria in the 1960s, began to intensify the work in the vineyard. They bought land and planted new vineyards to offer a larger and better range of wines. Since the 1990s, the winery has offered many labels in the principal denominations of the Langhe, and is present on foreign markets as well.

Barbera d’Alba Sup. ’14: Rich tones of red fruit, dried flowers, tobacco and notes of moss. The palate is well-structured, pleasant and displays good grip.

Langhe Pinot Nero Campo del Frate ’14: Very ripe cherries, both sweet and sour.

A change in the mouth, revealing freshness and good pacing.

34 MARCH 2017

Roberto Sarotto is at the helm of this Piedmont winery. He rules over a well-articulated vineyard patrimony with manicured properties in the best known regional denominations, from Barolo to Barbaresco, from Gavi to Moscato d ’Asti. Two aspects are noteworthy: the house style opts for intense, rich, substantial wines, and carefully calibrated prices encourage purchases.

Barbera d’Alba Elena ’14: Dedicated to Elena, Roberto Sarotto’s second daughter, the wine offers the nose intense aromas of ripe red fruit, black pepper and hazelnuts. On the palate, the balance and harmony between tannins and acidity is irresistible..

Barbaresco Currà Ris. ’11: Notes of incense and ripe fruit in Barbaresco Currà, with complex spiciness of ginger and cinnamon. In the mouth, tones of dried fruit.

Fat and alcoholic on the palate, it is very long on the finish..

CAMPAGNA FINANZIATA AI SENSI DEL REG. UE N. 1308/2013 CAMPAIGN FINANCED ACCORDING TO EU REGULATION N. 1308/2013

Amarone della Valpolicella Great family prestige from 5 generations

COME AND VISIT US AT VINITALY HALL 5 STAND G2 Via Costabella, 9 - 37011 Bardolino (VR) Lago di Garda - Tel. +39 045 7210022 - zeni.it

APULIAN PASSION, ITALIAN ROOTS.

SPECIALE VINITALY

LOMBARDY

Cantina Sociale Di Vinchio Vaglio Serra reg. San Pancrazio, 1 | Vinchio (AT) | Tel. 0141950903 | vinchio.com

The cooperative winery Vinchio Vaglio Serra was founded in 1959 by 19 producers.

Today, its 185 participating members work 420 hectares of vineyard. Among them are venerable vineyards, some over sixty years old, mostly in the municipalities of Vinchio and Vaglio Serfa, and partly in Incisa Scapaccino, Cortiglione, Nizza Monferrato, Castelnuovo Belbo, Castelnuovo Calcea and Mombercelli.

The wines are technically well-made and notably typical.

Barbera d’Asti Sup. Vecchie Vigne ’11:Sensations of red fruit and black pepper on the nose, while the palate is long, supple and balanced, well-sustained by acidic freshness.

Barbera d’Asti Vecchie Vigne 50° ’15: The 2015 vintage is intense and fruity on the nose, with pronounced notes of ripe fruit, spice, rhubarb, damp soil. The palate is substantial, savory, and long.

F.lli Giorgi

Perla Del Garda

The Giorgi family estate is one of the largest privately-owned wineries in the Oltrepò zone.

In recent years, in the hands of Fabiano, son of Antonio, helped by his sister Eleonora and wife Ileana, it has emphasized top quality bottles.

Only a few years ago, the firm produced just a few thousand bottles of Metodo Classico, while in the last vintage year, it turned out over 100,000.

Brut Top Zero: Monovarietal pinot nero, aromas of bread crust, red currant, white flowers and orange peel. The palate is rich in red fruit, has a mineral structure, acidic backbone, and a continuous, persistent mouthfeel.

OP Pinot Nero Brut 1870 ’12: Metodo Classico from ripe pinot nero grapes: complex, varied, with aromas that range from berries to floral notes and medicinal herbs.

Small, persistent bubbles, substantial fruit that does not mitigate elegance; a long finish.

Giovanna Prandini, who has been president of the Strada del vino and Sapori del Garda associations since 2006, has added wine production to the family estate’s dairy business. Today Perla del Garda has a beautiful stretch of 30 hectares of vineyard and quality production that is also exported. The modern winery is particularly committed (and certified) to the pursuit of sustainability and low environmental impact.

Lugana Bio ’16: A white that displays a generous bouquet of yellow fruit and spices.

Full and juicy on the palate, it is distinguished by an intriguing citrusy finish.

Lugana Madre Perla Ris. ’13: Fruity and floral nuances on the nose, with a subtle hint of sulfur. Palate is sustained by good acidity that contrasts with mouth-filling richness.

fraz. Camponoce, 39a | Canneto Pavese (PV) | Tel. 0385262151 | giorgi-wines.it

Avanzi

via Trevisago,19 | Manerba del Garda (BS)| Tel. 0365551013 | avanzi.net The Avanzi family has run this wine and olive oil estate since 1931. The Brescia-side shores of Lake Garda hold the four company properties in the municipalities of Sirmione, Desenzano del Garda and Polpenazze del Garda. From 50 hectares of vineyard come grapes for the wines of the territory’s classic denominations: Lugana, Valtenesi and Garda Classico. Besides growing grapes, the Avanzi family successfully produces its prestigious Garda olive oil from an olive grove of about 30 hectares.

Lugana Sirmione ’16: Boisé and exotic fruit aromas are enriched by floral nuances of broom. The palate is savory, fresh and mineral. .

Valtenesi Chiaretto ’16: Groppello, marzemino, barbera and sangiovese grapes go into the creation of this Chiaretto. Clean fresh nose suggests rose petals and wild strawberries. The palate is fragrant and lightly almondy on the finish.

37 MARCH 2017

via Fenil Vecchio, 9 | Lonato (BS) | Tel. 0309103109 | perladelgarda.it

VINITALY SPECIAL

ALTO ADIGE

VENETO

via al Ponte,1 | Isera (TN) | Tel. 0464433795 | cantinaisera.it

Ebner – Florian Unterthiner

Biancavigna

In 1907, Trentino still belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In Isera, the first nucleus of this cooperative winery formed. Today over 150 members cultivate 200 hectares of vineyard. The iconic label of the winery, Marzemino, is an indigenous Trentino grape that best expresses itself here, in Vallagarina, on the basalt terrain of Isera. The winery is a forge for ideas and innovations, both in the countryside, where members are involved in precise harvesting selections, and in the modern winemaking facilities. Besides marzemino, the house spumanti are also a focus of attention.

Trentino Marzemino Sup. Etichetta Verde ’15: A beautiful purplish shade, aromas of berries and floral scents that shade towards violets. Vinous and energetic texture. An all-meal red.

Trento Brut: Clean fresh nose on notes of lemon and meadow grass, enriched by light hints of yeast. Good progression in the mouth, wonderfully clean, fine bubbles and a hint of citrus that returns to tickle the palate.

The plateau of the Renon is north of Bolzano’s center, defined by Val Sarentino to the west and Valle Isarco to the east. Here is where the Unterthiner family – Florian and Brigitte – work. On their property, Tenuta Ebner, they have developed their parents’ activity and given it a future.

A handful of hectares are divided into different vineyards. The warmer, sunnier ones with southern exposures are devoted to red-berried grapes, while the cooler vineyards, facing southeast, are planted with white grapes.

A. A. Grüner Veltliner ’16: A white with elegant aromas, characterized by perfect harmony between ripe yellow fruit and floral freshness. In the mouth, generous, savory and easy to drink.

A. A. Sauvignon ’16: On the nose, intense fragrances of sage, followed by sensations of white fruit. In the mouth, juicy and sustained by savory acidity.

TRENTINO

Romantica

via Vallosa, 29 | Passirano (BS) | Tel. 030657362| romanticafranciacorta. com The Avanzi family has a long tradition of winemaking, starting in 1931 on the Brescia-side shores of Lake Garda. Romantica represents the Franciacorta offshoot of the winery. The modern and welcoming winery of Passirano is completely surrounded by a single vineyard of ten hectares, nine of which are devoted to chardonnay and one to pinot nero. The nearness of the vineyard to headquarters allows the staff to monitor precisely the grape ripening, favoring a perfect harvest and the preparation of ideal bases for the spumante process.

Franciacorta Brut: Jasmine and white flower aromas, vibrant bubbles, clean, juicy, tasty palate, flavorful and light-hearted. Truly a pleasure..

Franciacorta Brut 2013: Chardonnay with a nose of aromatic herbs, white flowers and nuts. The palate is soft and sustained, with a fresh, citrusy finish.

Cantina D’isera

fraz. Campodazzo, 18 | Renon/Ritten (BZ) | Tel. 0471353386 | weingutebner.it

38 MARCH 2017

via Monte Nero, 8 | Conegliano (TV) | Tel. 0438788403 | biancavigna.it Finally, the new winery in Ogliano is operative, perfectly fitted into the delicate fabric of the hills that surround Conegliano and the villages that spread out towards Valdobbiadene. Elena and Enrico Moschetta run the family winery, almost completely dedicated to the production of bubblies. Their vineyard extends for about thirty hectares and they collaborate with many growers in the zone.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Sup. Brut ’16: Aromas of lime tree flowers and white fruit. Savory flavor in which bubbles and acidity lend vigor and length to the wine.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Brut Rive di Soligo ’15: A Brut with a well-managed sugar residue. Appealingly clean aromas and good consistency on the palate.

Mosole

via Annone Veneto, 60 | Santo Stino di Livenza (VE) | Tel. 0421310404 In a territory that is certainly well-suited to grape growing, but has too often been limited by the idea of a simple, easyto-drink wine, Lucio Mosole’s winery is an exception. In Corbolone, Lucio has a vineyard that extends for thirty hectares, dominated by the presence of Bordeaux varieties. The search for ripe, solid fruit has been the focus of the work of the last decade. In the winemaking facilities, with the help of Gianni Menotti, production has attained a superb qualitative level.

Venezia Pinot Grigio ’16: Pear and white melon aromas lead into a coherent palate with an olfactory spectrum that is enriched by a fresh, citrusy note.

Hora Prima ’14: Pleasant notes of exotic yellow fruit and a marked citrus nuance on the nose. Juicy in the mouth, it has good tension and persistent flavor that makes it easy to drink.

Ottella

San Benedetto di Lugana, loc. Ottella, 1| Peschiera del Garda (VR) | Tel. 0457551950 | ottella.it

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

TUSCANY

Tenuta Stella

Argiano

via Sdencina, 1 | Dolegna del Collio (GO) | Tel. 0499318135 | tenutastellacollio.it Although it is new to the regional grape-growing scene, Tenuta Stella has been immediately recognized for the high quality offered by its wines. They are exclusively white, and made only from indigenous varieties. The winery can draw from about twelve hectares of vines in the higher part of the Collio, in the municipality of Dolegna, in the Scriò locality. The steep slope of the hills guarantees ideal exposure to the sun, but means that most interventions in the vineyard must be made by hand.

Collio Malvasia ’14: Partly aged in stainless steel and partly in tonneaux of French oak for ten months, this wine displays aromas of beeswax, punctuated here and there by notes of aromatic hydrocarbons. The palate echoes the sensations on the nose, with mouth-filling flavor.

Collio Malvasia ’15: Notes of aromatic herbs, lemon grass and hazelnut. In the mouth, smooth, dry, with fine mineral accents.

The Ottella winery is in a tucked away spot in terms of the Lake Garda shore, facing instead onto the less known and much smaller Frassino Lake. But this is the cradle of Lugana, a zone in which clay, with all its power, makes itself felt. Francesco and Michele Montresor interpret the terrain masterfully in a range of elegant whites. Alongside these is a pair or reds from the vineyards of Ponti sul Mincio, which are entirely devoted to red grape varieties Lugana ’16: A white with intense sensations of ripe yellow fruit, enhanced by a mineral note. In the mouth, fullness on the palate is marked by an intense acidic thrust and by good sapidity.

Valpolicella Ripasso Ripa della Volta ’14: Red cherry aromas gradually leave space for spices and aromatic herb fragrances. The solid palate is characterized by marked acidic thrust, which continues into the finish.

39 MARCH 2017

fraz. Sant’Angelo in Colle | Montalcino (SI) | Tel. 0577844037 | argiano.net Purchased in 2013 by a group of Brazilian entrepreneurs, Argiano is one of Montalcino’s historic wineries, a splendid estate of over 120 hectares.

Half are vineyards, located in the extreme southwest of the denomination. The landscape is fascinating, calcareous marl and clay, the basis for Brunello that is naturally generous and horizontal. To complete the range, the house releases a series of wines made with the addition of international grapes: merlot, cabernet, syrah and petit verdot.

Brunello di Montalcino ’12: The nose is still in its closed phase, from which notes of grass, forest floor, and cherries – amarena and marasca – emerge. The palate displays well-integrated fruit and tannin.

Solengo ’11: A Supertuscan with red fruit aromas such as black currants and blackberries. Soft on the palate, it has a great concentration of crisp fruit, with soft, delicate tannins.

VINITALY SPECIAL

Badia Di Morrona

Bruni

via del Chianti, 6 | Terricciola (PI) | Tel. 0587658505 | badiadimorrona.it

loc. La Marta, 6 | Orbetello (GR) | Tel. 0564885445 | aziendabruni.it

The Badia di Morrona, between Pisa and Volterra, is a very beautiful abbey of great artistic and historic value. Its origins date back to the year 1000, and it was a Benedictine monastery at one time. At the end of the 1930s it came into the Gaslini-Alberti family’s possession. The property is immense, about 600 hectares in all, of which over 100 are vineyard. The wines have a modern feel, and are some of the best-made in the zone.

Among the red varieties planted, sangiovese, cabernet, merlot and syrah stand out.

Chianti I Sodi del Paretaio ’15: An example of a well-made Chianti, I Sodi del Paretaio ’15 is a pleasant and immediate red. A juicy palate offers hints of wild plums and elegant spices.

Taneto ’14: Made largely of syrah grapes, with some sangiovese and merlot. On the nose, dark tones of forest floor and juniper. In the mouth, though, intense fruit, important tannic structure and good depth.

The Bruni estate, run by brothers Marco and Moreno, reliably releases impeccably made wines, easy to drink and with a decisive style that is capable, in some labels, of showing traits of complexity and marked gifts of originality. The barrels used for aging are, for now, generally small, but large casks have also arrived, underlining the ongoing research into stylistic evolution at the Fonteblanda winery.

This is one of the most dynamic firms in the Maremma wine panorama.

Maremma Toscana Grenache Oltreconfine ’15: Fine nose, fresh amarena cherries, black berries, black pepper. Mouth with good tannic structure, composed and clean, displaying the fruit and spices once again, on the finish. Continuous and rhythmic mouthfeel.

Maremma Toscana Grenache Oltreconfine ’14: Maremma Grenache Oltreconfine ’14 shows itself to be an elegant and complex wine.

Aromas are subtle, of intense sweetness and integrity, with berries evoking the wines of Burgundy. Slim and deep in the mouth.

Candialle

via Chiantigiana, km 34,00 | Panzano (FI) | Tel. 055852201 | candialle.com CCandialle is about twenty kilometers from Florence, not far from the Via Chiantigiana that leads to Siena, in the southern area of the celebrated Conca d’Oro near Panzano. The vineyards lie between 300 and 350 meters above sea level, on typical soil rich in galestro (that is, loose marl and limestone) mixed with some alberese (marl limestone with high concentration of calcium carbonate).

Most of the plots are planted with sangiovese, but there are also less traditional vineyards of syrah, petit verdot, merlot and cabernet.Chianti Cl. Ris. ’13: Aromas range from forest floor to fruity notes as well as balsamic and spicy ones. In the mouth, tasty and balanced, persistent and pleasantly savory.

Chianti Cl. La Misse ’14: Intriguing wine from sangiovese, canaiolo and malvasia nera grapes. Aromas of flowers and earth, savory flavor.

40 MARCH 2017

Ceralti

via dei Ceralti, 77 | Castagneto Carducci (LI) | Tel. 0565763989 | ceralti.com The small wineries in the Bolgheri area keep up well with the great brands that crowd the zone. Ceralti is an example, and in our opinion, one of the clearest and most brilliant ones. The Rutili family is at the helm of the enterprise, and involved in every phase of the productive and commercial process. Flourishing vineyards lie on the hills between Castagnetto Carducci and Bolgheri. The wines are well-made, rich in territorial references, with a praiseworthy personality.

Bolgheri Sup. Alfeo ’14: Fresh and young nose that attains points of complexity in its slightly vegetal and earthy elements. In the mouth, hints of sour cherries and fine-textured tannin.

Bolgheri Rosso Scirè ’15: Delicately herbaceous notes on the nose. In the mouth, dark-fruit texture, good density, long and slightly alcoholic finish.

Le Miccine

s.s. Traversa Chiantigiana, 44 | Gaiole in Chianti (SI) | Tel. 0577749526 | lemiccine.com Le Miccine is one of the many artisanal, family-owned wineries that flourish in the Chianti Classico denomination. The vineyards are cultivated without any forced operations, and in the winemaking facilities as well, the processes are reduced to the minimum. Aging is carried out in large casks or barrels.

From the point of view of style, the wines adhere closely to the character of the territory in which they are made, the subzone of Gaiole in Chianti, and are honest and agile. Sometimes their particularly slim profile can diminish their general complexity.

Chianti Cl. Ris. ’14: Made with the estate’s best grapes, its bouquet is amplified thanks to notes of ripe fruit and roots that define the nose. In the mouth, good substance is evident and properly paced.

Chianti Cl. Ris. ’13: Good underlying freshness in this Chianti Classico Riserva ’13.

It has fine, detailed aromas and taste progression is lighthearted and well-paced.

Monterinaldi

Pian Delle Querci

loc. Lucarelli | Radda in Chianti (SI) | Tel. 0577733533 | monterinaldi.it

via G. Leopardi, 10| Montalcino (SI) | Tel. 0577834174 | piandellequerci.it

The foundations of Castello di Monte Rinaldi date back to about the year 1000. Today the vestiges of the ancient castle are at the center of the winery, the property of the Ciampi family since 1961. The estate is divided into 18 parcels and covers 55 hectares of vineyard.

The family has always paid particular attention to the environment and the territory. For this reason, after four years of experimentation in some parts of the vineyard, conversion to organic farming was extended to the entire property and official certification will begin with the 2017 harvest..

Chianti Cl. Castello dell’Anno Mille ’14: Decisive ruby color. Vegetal tones alternate with fruity notes that resemble berries. Powerful and meaty in the mouth, with a finish that is both juicy and prolonged. .

Chianti Cl. Castello dell’Anno Mille Ris. ’14: On the nose, good articulation ranging from red fruit, coffee and earth tones. On the palate, honed structure that gives suppleness and length in the mouth.

Vittorio Pinti and his family are universally seen as the custodians of the most venerable traditions in the Torrenieri zone, the northeastern area of Montalcino. The family-owned estate covers 50 hectares of which 9 are vineyards. In the cellars, the wine goes its way without too many outside interventions: indigenous yeasts, very long controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks, aging in 50-hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels. The resulting wine has a strong territorial nature and a well-delineated personality.

Brunello di Montalcino ’12: Generous aromatic bouquet that alternates between dark tones and hints of dried red flowers, sour cherry and ripe cherry. Tasty and varied palate with calibrated acidity and intriguing sapidity.

Brunello di Montalcino Ris. ’11: Brunello from a warm vintage year, it displays a nose that hints at sour cherry and chocolate, with spicy counterpoints. Soft and open in the mouth.disteso.

41 MARCH 2017

Poggio Al Tesoro

via Bolgherese, 189b | Bolgheri (LI) | Tel. 0565773051 | poggioaltesoro.it The qualitative growth and stylistic definition of recent years, all of it quite original, is making Poggio al Tesoro one of the more interesting wineries of Bolgheri. The expanse of vineyards has great importance. The typical grapes of the denomination grow on a heterogeneous terrain, in some cases fairly heavy, in others sandy or rich in skeleton soil. The house style is personal, built on aromatic tones and vertical flavors. The winery is part of the Allegrini group, a celebrated brand of Italian wine with its base in Valpolicella.

Bolgheri Vermentino Solosole ’16: Clean notes of sage and basil on the nose return clearly in the mouth, joined to an undertone of green lemon. Very fresh and pleasantly savory.

VINITALY SPECIAL

Poggio Trevvalle

loc. Arcille | Campagnatico (GR) | Tel. 0564998142 | poggiotrevvalle.it Poggio Trevvale lies outside the Maremma, but became a good example of the winemaking craft of the zone.

Brothers Umberto and Bernardo Valle, originally from Naples and with winemaking experience in Puglia, in 1999 came to the south of Tuscany and founded a winery that was organic from the start.

Its vineyards take in the denominations of Montecucco and Morellino. They moved ahead with their approach and, along with the decidedly minimalist nature of their cellar, it gives pleasant wines of character.

Morellino di Scansano ’15: Sangiovese with small amounts of alicante and merlot. Aromas of strawberries and red flowers. In the mouth, ripe cherry impact fits into a tight tannic weave.

Morellino di Scansano Passera ’15: Sweet fruity and floral tones, with counterpoints of peppery notes on the nose, lead into a juicy, supple palate.

Tenuta Prima Pietra

loc. I Prati | Riparbella (LI) | Tel. 05771913750 | tenutaprimapietra.com

Podere La Regola

San Polo

The Nuti family purchased a piece of land only five kilometers from the sea at the start of the 20th century in the La Regola locality, to produce olive oil and wine for family consumption. A little more than 20 years ago, Luca, after finishing his degree in agriculture, decided to transform the little family business into a structured winemaking firm, planting other vineyards and controlling the process all down the line to obtain more natural and recognizable wines. After some years, Flavio, a lawyer, joined his brother and looks after the administrative area, marketing and commercial relationships.

La Regola ’13: Cabernet franc with small amounts of merlot and petit verdot. Vegetal and earthy notes shade into ripe black plum aromas.

Soft and savory in the mouth, closing on spicy notes.

Lauro ’13: 70% viognier; the rest is chardonnay. The wine spends six months in oak barrels, where it softens, becoming velvety and round, with truly inviting saline counterpoints.

The Allegrini family’s Montalcino project seems to have found its productive and stylistic personality. Everything rotates around the seventeen hectares of the Podernovi property located 450 meters above sea level on soil rich in clay and limestone. Vinified in cement tanks, with combined aging in barriques and in Slavonian or Allier oak 30-hectoliter barrels, these are Brunello labels that join definition and mobility.

Brunello di Montalcino ’12: The wine opens slowly on notes of ripe strawberry, spices and toast. The mouth is taut and vibrant, thanks to acidity that hints at red citrus fruit. Well-shaped tannin.

loc. San Martino | Riparbella (PI) | Tel. 0586698145 | laregola.com

Tenuta Prima Pietra is part of a Tuscan winegrowing project conceived of by Massimo Ferragama. Besides the Montalcino winery, Castiglion del Bosco, he also owns a 10-hectare property in Riparbella, near the Bolgheri zone, along the Tuscan coast.

The vines face the Tyrrhenian Sea at an altitude of 450 meters, in a natural, pristine environment. The zone is very sunny and breezy, with rocky, iron-rich soil that guarantees a perfect habitat for international varieties and gives wines with superb structure and expressivity Prima Pietra ’13: A Bordeaux-style blend with merlot prevailing. Expressive aromatic profile of ripe red fruit, flowers, and a light citrus note. Excellent in the mouth, good suppleness, delicately spicy on the finish.

Prima Pietra ’12: Nuances of red berries blend with delicately spicy notes. Soft on the palate, vibrant mouth-feel and well-integrated tannins.

42 MARCH 2017

loc. Podernovi, 161 | Montalcino (SI) | Tel. 0577835101 | poggiosanpolo.com

VINITALY SPECIAL

MARCHE

Tenuta Delle Ripalte

loc. Ripalte | Capoliveri (LI) | Tel. 056594211 | tenutadelleripalte.it Tenuta delle Ripalte takes up more than half of the promontory in Elba that faces southeast. It is undoubtedly the largest holding on the island. This vast territory includes a 15-hectare vineyard, much of it dedicated to aleatico, the typical grape variety of Elba. Mario Meletti Cavallari, a grapegrower from Bolgheri, now manages this property.

Aleatico Passito dell’Elba Alea Ludendo ’12: Intense notes of blueberries and currants, along with plum, refreshed by mentholated notes, hints of Mediterranean brush. Solid body, fluid, sweet, and long in the mouth.

Alicante ’15: Cyclamen, lavender, roses, and fresh cherry aromas lead into an intense palate in which the floral bouquet returns. Vibrant, very pleasant and light-hearted.

Santa Barbara

b.go Mazzini, 35 | Barbara (AN) | Tel. 0719674249 | vinisantabarbara.it

Conte Leopardi Dittajuti via Marina II, 24 | Numana (AN) | Tel. 0717390116 | conteleopardi.it

Stefano Antonucci, with his overwhelming personality, dominates any news related to his Santa Barbara winery.

One of his principal accomplishments, often overlooked, is to have over time built a cohesive team with Pierluigi Lorenzetti and Daniele and Roberto Rotatori, key members of the technical productive sector. New ideas, up-to-date style and constant competition have led the winery to fully express pleasant drinking and clean aromas in its wines.

The best labels manage to show unexpected longevity, a factor for Verdicchio in particular.

Mossone ’14: Marasca cherries and ripe blackberries combine with pepper and pencil lead aromas. Thanks to a cool year, the palate is supple and balanced.

Verdicchio dei castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. Stefano Antonucci ’15: Light aromas of white melon and anise, citrus notes of lemon and lime lead into a flavorful, clean, fruity palate, savory and rhythmic.

Many of this winery’s vineyards lie within the Parco Naturale del Conero, a limestone promontory and nature reserve that faces the Adriatic.

The particular composition of the soil, the nearby sea that acts as a thermal regulator, and the constant breeze make the Conero the northernmost site in which montepulciano grapes can ripen with regularity. Piervittorio Leopardi vinifies them with a contemporary touch, moderating their rustic nature and alcohol exuberance, diversifying his work in various labels Rosso Conero Villa Marina ’14: Produced exclusively from montepulciano grapes, this wine has a fruity texture that suggests cherry and occasional floral notes. In the mouth, agility on the palate and docile tannins.

Bianco del Coppo ’16: Notes of exotic fruit, in particular, pineapple, follow each other in an intense palate with a varietal character. Noteworthy savory tone.

44 MARCH 2017

Umani Ronchi

via Adriatica, 12 | Osimo (AN) | Tel. 0717108019 | umanironchi.com Although the numbers show one of Marche’s most important wineries in terms of hectares of vineyard and bottles produced, Umani Ronchi is still fundamentally a family estate. For many years, Michele Bernetti has led the firm founded by his father Massimo and his uncle Stefano, developing new quality projects. Among them is the conversion to organic farming of a good part of the vineyards, spread among the Castelli di Jesi, the Conero and Abruzzo: Casal di Serra is the first company wine sporting organic (bio) certification Pelago ’12: Elegant notes of marasca cherries and blackberries, Mediterranean aromas. In the mouth, lively tannin, freshness in the background, substantial body.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. Vecchie Vigne ’14: Sensations of anise and white fruit give Vecchie Vigne ’14 balanced and elegant nuances and characterize a long-lasting finish.

UMBRIA

LAZIO

ABRUZZO

MOLISE

Tenuta I Fauri

s.da Corta, 9 | Chieti | Tel. 0871332627 | tenutaifauri.it

Terre Margaritelli

loc. Miralduolo | Torgiano (PG) | Tel. 0757824668 | terremargaritelli.com Founded in the 1950s as a family farm, the winery found a new entrepreneurial impulse in the early years of 2000. Today it has 60 hectares certified as organic, of which over 50 are a single vineyard.

Miralduolo is a hill in the Torgiano municipality, which has always been suited for the cultivation of vines and for wine production. Among the many varieties grown are classic sangiovese and canaiolo for reds, grechetto and trebbiano for whites. The wines have a modern feel and are on their way up.

Rosato di Torgiano Venturosa ’16: From sangiovese grapes, this wine presents pleasant olfactory depth that opens to floral aromas and star anise notes. Elegant minerality. It leads into a dry and elegant finish.

Rosso di Torgiano Miràntico ’15: Blend of sangiovese, malbec and canaiolo, this is a red with crisp red fruit and a complex structure. Spicy nuances of black pepper and cloves preannounce an austere and persistent palate.

Tenuta Sant’isidoro loc. Portaccia | Tarquinia (VT) | Tel. 0766869716 | santisidoro.net

The winery run by Domenico and Valentina Di Camillo is a star in the competitive Abruzzese world, especially in the Colline Teatine, the hills between the Adriatic shore and the cliffs of the Maiella mountains.Little more than thirty hectares, it is devoted to the principal cultivars of the region, with stylistic solutions adapted for the various lines, from Baldovino to Santa Cecilia, Pecorino, Montepulciano Ottobre Rosso, spumanti and bubblies. Minimalist vinification, spontaneous fermentation, aging in stainless steel and cement – more attention is paid to substance than to form, and the results are wines well-suited to the table.

Abruzzo Pecorino ’16: Fragrant aromatic profile that calls up coriander and orange peel, enriched by a trace of thyme. Energetic on the palate, with good acidic backbone that lengthens flavor.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Ottobre Rosso ’15: Ottobre Rosso, again in the 2015 version, is particular successful, a Montepulciano with aromas of fresh red fruit, pleasant, easy to drink, and taut.

Founded at the end of the 1930s, the Palombi family estate is a large property of over 800 hectares along the coast of the Lazio Maremma. Its 57 hectares of vineyard between Tarquinia and Montalto di Castro, about ten kilometers from the coast, on mediumdense clay soil, were planted for the most part in the second half of the 1990s. Among the rows we find montepulciano, sangiovese and trebbiano toscano grapes along with the international varieties of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, chardonnay and pinot bianco, all perfectly acclimated to the territory..

Sora Luisa ’15: Monovarietal pinot bianco, it has tones of dried fruit and white flowers on the nose. Inviting on the palate, pleasantly fresh.

Soremidio ’13: A red with a strong personality, produced with monovarietal montepulciano grapes. Dark tones of Peruvian bark, ink and black fruit. Good substance and vibrant tannins on the palate.

45 MARCH 2017

Tenimenti Grieco

c.da Difensola | Portocannone (CB) | Tel. 0875590032 | tenimentigrieco.it With amazing speed, within only a few vintage years, Tenimenti Grieco has asserted itself on the Molise landscape.

Portocannone is the area in the region with the highest vine density. Four partners put together almost a hundred hectares and an impressive battery of wines articulated along various lines.

Their wines include a wide range of grapes (falanghina, sauvignon, chardonnay, pinot bianco, tintilia, montepulciano, cabernet sauvignon, syrah) and are made with a constant emphasis on fruit, flavor, and drinkability.

Molise Tintilia 200 Metri ’16: Fine, concentrated aromas of dark fruit with a lovely Mediterranean tone. Savory, elegant palate, sustained by pleasant freshness on notes of cherry.

Molise Tintilia 200 Metri ’15: Meaty and pleasant without being banal, it balances the powerful weight of dark fruit with hints of smoky, spicy notes.

VINITALY SPECIAL

BASILICATA

CAMPANIA

La Fortezza

Marisa Cuomo

via G. B. Lama, 16/18 | Furore (SA) | Tel. 089830348 | marisacuomo.com Great wines that come from particularly beautiful settings: these are the bottles turned out by Marisa Cuomo, Andrea Ferraioli and their children, Raffaele and Dora.

Furore, on the Amalfi coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has views that take the breath away. Cliffs stand above the sea, terraces hold old vines, indigenous varieties such as ferule, pepella, tintore.

These grapes are turned into white wines with a sunny and marine aromatic range unfindable elsewhere.

Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco Fiorduva ’15: Hints of mimosa, chlorophyll, and iodine precede a crisp and flavorful mouthful, tasty on the palate and wonderfully light to drink. Savory close, with fruity mandarin orange notes.

Costa d’Amalfi Furore Rosso Ris. ’13: Aromas of red fruit, rosehip and licorice in this new release of Furore Rosso Riserva. The palate opens out into a concentrated mouthful, with a dry, long, austere and compact finish.

loc. Tora II, 20 | Torrecuso (BN) | Tel. 0824886155 | lafortezzasrl.it

Vinosia

c.da Nocelleto | Paternopoli (AV) | Tel. 082771754 | vinosia.com

This dynamic winery in Torrecuso, in the Benevento province, works 50 hectares of vineyard. Of these, 30 are their own property, in various districts of the Sannio zone, specifically on the eastern slope of the Parco Regionale del Taburno Camposauro.

The range of bottles produced is wide, subdivided between the Classica line, and one called Noi beviamo con la testa or “We drink with our heads”. The principal grapes are aglianico, falanghina, greco and fiano. The winery itself is well-equipped, has a lovely view, and also houses a restaurant and appealing spaces with imposing stone arches.

Falanghina del Sannio Taburno ’16: The new version based on falanghina grapes is energetic in the mouth. Good aromatic complexity with hints of anise and citrus fruit zest. Harmonious on the palate for the good balance between acidic backbone and sapidity.

Falanghina del Sannio Taburno ’15: An immediate and straightforward falanghina, fragrant with citrus fruit and freshly cut grass. Supple, linear and well-sustained in the mouth.

Vinosia was created by Luciano Ercolino, who, together with a team that shares his passion, manages over 100 hectares of vineyard, a third of which he owns. Among the vines, all the zone’s champions: fiano, greco, aglianico, but also coda di volpe, falanghina and merlot. The winery extends its reach into Puglia as well, where they grow primitive and negroamaro. The grapes are vinified in the modern and innovative facility of Paternopoli. About 800,000 bottles are produced.

Taurasi Marziacanale ’11 : This austere Aglianico comes from the Marziacanale cru, a terroir near Taurasi. Aromas of coffee and tobacco alternate with hints of red fruit.

Good structure and well-integrated tannins.

Aglianico Neromora ’14: Lively wine with crisp fruit.

Generous intensity on the nose, with clear notes of Peruvian bark, roots, plums, while in the mouth it is rich and articulated with quite smooth tannins.

46 MARCH 2017

Elena Fucci

c.da Solagna del Titolo | Barile (PZ) | Tel. 3204879945 | elenafuccivini.com In the Solagna del Titolo contrada, near Barile, the one great wine from the Fucci winery grows, Aglianico del Vulture Titolo. Since 2000, Salvatore Fucci, his daughter Elena, the enologist and owner, and the rest of the family work their vineyards with passion and competence to produce this wine with its aristocratic, fresh, and elegant profile. The new, zero-impact winemaking facility, build according to bio-architecture principles, is finished.

Elena and her husband Andrea continue to interpret their terroir with sensitivity and skill.

Aglianico del Vulture Titolo ’15: Superb vintage.

Mediterranean character, aromatic persistence in this new vintage of Titolo. Solid and full on the palate, it is rich in fruit.

Lively tannin and good flavorful tension.

Aglianico del Vulture Titolo ’14: Despite a difficult vintage year, Elena Fucci gives us an excellent wine. We appreciated its elegant concentration, rich fruit, and the smooth texture of its tannins, its Mediterranean character and aromatic persistence.

PUGLIA

CALABRIA

SICILY

Statti

Carlo Pellegrino

c.da Lenti | Lamezia Terme (CZ) | Tel. 0968456138 | statti.com

via del Fante, 39 | Marsala (TP) | Tel. 0923719911 | carlopellegrino.it

Antonio and Alberto Statti, motivated by their passion for wine, in the last decade have revolutionized the family estate, investing heavily in their vineyards. By now they have almost 100 hectares and a new, modern winemaking facility with up-to-date technology and space for producing Metodo Classico spumante.

Attention to the environment and to alternative energy has made them independent from the grid, with a new biomass system that uses the by-products of the farm to produce energy.

Batassaro ’13: From monovarietal gaglioppo, this wine stands out for its clean fruit – marasca cherries and black currants. These sensations return on the palate in an elegant tannic frame.

Greco ’16 : A white with fresh aromas of fruit and citrus fruit zest, along with floral notes of magnolia. Delicately savory on the palate.

This winery, founded in 1880

by Paolo Pellegrino, offers a fascinating piece of Sicilyn history. Its success on the Italian and international market is constantly growing, tied at the start to the Marsala tradition, and then spreading progressively to other types of wines, all models of quality. Today the house, led intelligently by Pietro Alagna and Benedetto Renda, President and CEO, demonstrates the freshness of the ideas offered by the sixth generation of the families who are its owners..

Tripudium ’13: A blend of Sicilyn and international grapes, this wine wins us over with the intensity of its notes of red fruit, black pepper, rose petals and juniper berries. A warm, deep, elegant wine with suave and sumptuous tannins.

Extremely pleasing.e.

Zibibbo Gibelé ’16: An exquisite dry monovarietal zibibbo. Tones of yellow fruit and floral sensations of jasmine are delightful on the nose. The palate is pleasantly mineral and substantial.

spicy finish.

Risveglio Agricolo Cantine Paolo Leo via Tuturano, 21 | San Donaci (BR) | Tel. 0831635073 | paololeo.it

As the fourth generation of grapegrowers, Paolo Leo gave a new twist to the winery’s activities. In 1989 he built a new winemaking facility. He bottles wines that showcase the indigenous varieties of the Salento, from primitive to negroamaro to malvasia, both nera and bianca. The vineyards are on tufaceous and calcareous soil in the municipality of San Donaci. They are mostly planted with the traditional alberello method, and are more than forty years old.

Orfeo ’15: Monovarietal negroamaro with aromas of very ripe amarena cherries, alcohol-preserved fruit and cacao. The palate plays with the same notes of ripeness and concentration.

Primitivo di Manduria Passo del Cardinale ’15: Alcohol-preserved cherries on the nose, followed by plums and Peruvian bark. Passo del Cardinale is dense and substantial, with a pleasantly

c.da Torre Mozza | Brindisi | Tel. 0831519948 | cantinerisveglio.it Risveglio Agricolo is one of the best Pugliese cooperative wineries. Founded in 1958 by a group of grapegrowers from Brindisi, today it is an icon of viticulture for buyers of Pugliese wines, not only in the zone, but all over the country. The cooperative’s labels have traveled past the national borders, and these bottles now appear on Swiss and German tables.

Brindisi Rosso Ris. ’12: The Riserva version from this cooperative winery is fascinating. Fragrances of red fruit and Mediterranean underbrush are followed by a fresh and juicy palate.

Susù ’15: Intriguing aromatic bouquet with scents of old wood, gentian and plum jam.

In the mouth, at first warm sensations of black fruit, then space for toast, coffee and cinnamon.

47 MARCH 2017

L’EVENTO/I LUOGHIVINITALY SPECIAL

Living Italy’s wine Wine is at its best and makes perfect sense when you drink it in an enoteca, a wine bar. The vibe, the food, the conversation all make a great glass taste even better. As you travel around the country, you will find such places in towns and cities everywhere. It’s where you can meet kindred souls, share opinions, and get a feeling for that part of the country.

ROME Piero Costantini | p.zza Cavour, 16 | Roma |

Tel. 063203575 | www.pierocostantini.it When in Rome, every wine lover must visit this enoteca at least once. Walk down a few steps, and lose yourself in its 800 square meters, its shelves packed with bottles. Or let Rosy and Piero Costantini take you by the hand (almost) and lead you on a world tour of wine. Their labels have been researched and selected with experience and passion. They also stock an impressive variety of top-quality whisky and other spirits, spumanti, Champagne, and a range of wine-related accessories and objects. Consult their site for on-line ordering..

Casareale | via Caio Mario, 6 | Roma |

Tel. 063200260 | www.enotecacasareale.it Casareale is the magnetic pole attracting Roman enophiles in the Prati zone. Besides Italian wine, visitors can find whisky and other spirits as well as gourmet products: a vast selection of preserved foods, jams, and extra-virgin olive oils are arrayed on the wine shop shelves. Besides shopping, the store offers aperitifs accompanied by selections of cheese and sliced cured meats to enhance a good glass of wine. Producers periodically visit to conduct tasting courses.

Trimani | via Goito, 20 | Roma | Tel. 064469661 |

www.trimani.com The Trimani family has no need of introduction. They have been wine merchants in Rome since 1821, as their sign attests. They have witnessed the growth of the city, staying in step with the times while never losing their identity. The store is spacious and elegant, its meters and meters of shelves laden with the best Italian and foreign bottles. Many Lazio wineries are represented, as well as labels from the immense Italian patrimony of winemaking. The great French crus, rare Champagnes and top wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux are all on hand. There is a wide selection of pasta, rice, beans, jam, honey, chocolate and sweets as well.

48 MARCH 2017

Lucantoni | l.go di Vigna Stelluti, 33 | Roma |

Tel. 063293743 | www.webdivino.com The range offered by Lucantoni has few rivals in Rome: some 3,000 labels come from Italy and France, but also from New World countries, such as Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. A wide assortment of spirits, with a focus on the best Italian grappa, is at the same level. Extra-virgin olive oils, vinegars and other high quality foods complete the picture. Some labels can be sampled on the spot, along with a selection of cheeses and cured meats. On-line sales.

FROSINONE Enoteca Bar Celani | via A. Moro, 401 | Frosinone |

Tel. 0775884005 | www.celanienoteca.it The Celani family shop is a safe harbor for wine lovers in this city and all the Frosinone zone. The history of this store began right after World War II with the opening of a grocery.

In 1957, it was transformed into a coffee bar and gelateria, and in 1986 it expanded with a wine shop, an enoteca. Today, in addition to the classic coffee bar, which is excellent, its true calling is as an enoteca. Celani also sells pasta, jam, preserved foods, artisanal chocolate and sweets from all over Italy. Wines come from the entire country and from France, along with whisky, rum and Cognac. At aperitif time, glasses of excellent wine are accompanied by the best of little snacks.

MILAN Wineria | p.zza C. Caneva, 4 | Milano |

Tel. 0239464196 | www.wineria.it A young location, aimed at those who want to drink good wine at friendly prices. Stefano Rimassa’s enoteca opened in 2012 with the goal of offering his Milanese clientele wines with an excellent price/quality rapport. The innovative, practical project grew out of Stefano’s desire to leave his work as a journalist and devote himself to his dream. The result is a carefully designed space, modern and well thought-out, where the shelves hold bottles costing under 20 euros. The wines on offer have been chosen attentively and tasted by the owner in order to offer his clients the best of the territory.

Enoclub | via Friuli, 15 | Milano |

Tel. 0255182421 | www.enoclubmilano.com The Malfassi family, who figure in Milano’s wine history, know how to keep their clientele happy, whether they are aficionados or those who are approaching wine for the first time. Their labels are a perfect photograph of the country’s wine panorama, while a selection of French bottles also offers a decent depth of vintages. The shop’s large spaces often host tastings and events, such as meetings with producers, vertical tasting evenings and introductory courses to wine.

One corner is reserved for New World labels, for French bottles, and memorable Champagne years. Obviously, space is also dedicated to spirits and liqueurs.

49 MARCH 2017

VINITALY VERONA 2017 HALL 8 STAND D2

CAMPAGNA FINANZIATA AI SENSI DEL REG. UE N. 1308/2013 CAMPAIGN FINANCED ACCORDING TO EU REG. NO. 1308/2013

SPECIALE VINITALY

Gaboardi Pogliani | via Premuda, 34 | Milano |

Tel. 0276003321 | www.gaboardipogliani.it Gaboardi and Pogliani are two historic names in Milano’s food and wine panorama. Their shop is a great treasure house. Besides the wine offerings, which include numerous prestigious labels from the classic winemaking regions of Italy and France, they stock many food delicacies, a fine assortment of jams and preserves, tea and infusions, oil-preserved vegetables, extra-virgin olive oils, traditional balsamic vinegars, gluten-free foods and top quality chocolates. Their late evening closing makes it popular as an aperitif stop, a moment, perhaps, to open and sample a newly purchased bottle.

CAMPODARSEGO (PD) Osterie Moderne | via Bassa Seconda, 18 |

loc. Sant’Andrea | Campodarsego (PD) | Tel. 0495565236 | www.osteriemoderne.it Osterie Moderne is a restaurant, wine shop and wine bar, a trove of pleasures for the palate, a place to stop for a traditional dish or to buy a good bottle of wine. The place was opened with the goal of providing an alternative to ordinary restaurants, and to celebrate conviviality from the client’s first moment through the door.

The wine list offers more than 500 labels from Italy and abroad, all featuring good value for money. There is a wide selection of sparkling wines including Champagne as well as Italian bubblies from the entire country. At aperitif time, a good glass of wine can be paired with cured meat and cheeses, along with special pizza.

PORTO SAN GIORGIO (FM) Enoteca Pasquale Giuli | via Annibal Caro, 1 |

Porto San Giorgio (FM) | Tel. 0734070852 As soon as you cross the threshold, you feel the passion and care that Pasquale Giuli devotes to this place. He tries to communicate the culture of wine even to absolute beginners, with all the enthusiasm that characterizes him. Visitors can stop in to drink a good glass of wine, but also to purchase a prestigious bottle, important vintage years and food specialties such as chocolate and torrone. At holiday time, Giuli also prepares splendid gift baskets.

FLORENCE Enoteca Alessi dal 1952 | via delle Oche, 31r | Fi-

renze | Tel. 055214966 | www.enotecaalessi.it Not far from the Santa Maria Novella railroad station and a few steps from the Duomo, Alessi is a wine bar worth the few extra steps, especially if you want to buy a good bottle. The entrance, tucked in between wooden beams and vaults, is set up for tasting. If you have a little time, you can sit comfortably and order a fine glass of wine. Or else, looking around the shelves, you’ll find prestigious spirits, Italian and French wines, and a wide range of whisky and Cognac to take home. The cellar, a space of about 300 square meters, has a constant temperature, monitored to best store the wine.

51 MARCH 2017

VINITALY SPECIAL

Enoteca Vignoli | via Cimabue, 9r | Firenze |

Tel. 0552343220 A few steps from the center of Florence, Vignoli is one of the historic shops of the city, a point of reference for wine lovers. Founded in the 1970s, it offers many labels coming from the most respected winemakers. The personnel, professional and well-informed, can take you around the shelves to find your favorite producer or advise you on a bottle to pair with your dinner. The choices include Italian wineries and French houses, with an especially good selection of wines from France and Chile. High quality rum, whisky and grappa bottles are also on hand.

LUCCA Enoteca Vanni | p.zza San Salvatore, 7 | Lucca |

Tel. 0583491902 | www.enotecavanni.com A true temple dedicated to wine. In these spaces, the atmosphere puts wine lovers into a trance, thanks to the romantic beauty of the place and the quantity of bottles, perfectly stored, that crowd the shelves. The impressive number of wines includes great labels, bottles for aficionados but also ones from up-and-coming wineries, Tuscan and Piedmontese in particular. Other regions are carefully represented as well, and all are sold at fair prices. The heart of the enoteca, founded in 1965, is the cellar of the beautiful 13th-century palazzo in which it is located, and the medieval architecture means that between a corridor and a room, you must lower your head. Reserved tastings are organized, set among oil tubs dated 1805 and cases of Champagne.

BOLOGNA Enoteca Italiana | via Marsala, 2b | Bologna |

Tel. 051235989 | www.enotecaitaliana.it The Enoteca Italiana was opened in 1972, a temple to taste founded by two passionate lovers of food and wine, Claudio Cavallari and Marco Nannetti, professional sommeliers. This many-faceted shop is a safe harbor for those who want a special wine or food product. There is a wide selection of wines, spumanti, Champagne, grappa, Cognac, whisky, calvados. rum and more. The heart of the enoteca is the counter where individual glasses can be sipped along with top-quality cured meats and cheeses chosen from among the best: prosciutto, mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano, and such. The coffee bar provides delicious choices for breakfast, aperitif and lunch.

TRENTO Enoteca Grado 12 | l.go Carducci, 12 | Trento |

Tel. 0461982496 | www.enotecagrado12.it Grado 12 opened its doors in 1929, and since that year it has never stopped providing wine lovers with selections of local but also French wines. The enoteca offers a vast selection of labels, both still wines and sparkling, along with spirits, grappa, and liqueurs. There is also a wide choice of extra-virgin olive oils from various zones of Italy and the world, and great artisanal food products, both sweet and savory. Everything is presented with competence and passion, premium items that make each visit a special occasion.

52 MARCH 2017

L’EVENTO/I LUOGHIVINITALY VINITALY ANTEPRIME SPECIAL

TORINO Vineria 3 Galli | via Sant’Agostino, 25 | Torino |

Tel. 0115216027 | www.3galli.com The Vineria 3 Galli is located In the heart of the Quadrilatero Romano, an ancient Torino neighborhood. The atmosphere is elegant and welcoming, resembling the interior of a Parisian bistrot. The enoteca is one of Torino’s most complete, with over 1,200 labels on the cellar shelves. Its wine list also offers a wide selection of sweet and dried-grape wines, as well as bottles from small denominations, Champagne from great vintage years and Austrian ice wines. Besides the wine shop, the restaurant stays open until midnight, offering carefully curated, well-prepared dishes and quality products of all types.

NAPLES Mercadante | piazza Amedeo, 16a

(Passeggiata Colonna) | Napoli | Tel.0814207066 | www.enotecamercadante.com In this handsome shop devoted to good wine drinking you will find the best of Italian and foreign enology. Hundreds of bottles and a decent selection of spirits crowd the shelves of a venue arranged in various rooms. The enoteca is run by three impeccable professionals, Francesco and Stefano Continisio, brothers, and entrepreneur Fulvio Luise. Their enoteca isn’t only about wine, because they offer other Neapolitan specialties, such as cured meats and a wide selection of vinegars, olive oils, preserves, rice and artisanal pasta.

Scagliola | via San Pietro a Maiella, 15 | Napoli |

Tel. 081459696 | www.winebarscagliola.it An endless list of goings-on and tasting events are organized here all during the year. This venerable shop devoted to flavor was founded in 1940 thanks to persistence and the passion of grandfather Nicola Scagliola for quality products.

Today, the third generation is in charge, protecting a trove of traditional flavors and the ancient recipes used for producing sweets. This is the historic center of Naples, near the Conservatorio. You can enjoy artisanal pastries like sfogliatella or babà, or purchase Italian wines, some French ones, craft beers, Champagne, spumanti, whisky, rum, vodka. The shop is easy to reach and not far from Piazza Dante.

AVELLINO De Pascale | c.so Vittorio Emanuele, 205 | Avellino

| Tel. 0825781654 | www.depascale.it This is not just a coffee bar. Inside this attractive place, located along the main street of Avellino, you can buy Italian and foreign wines, liqueurs and top-ranking food products. All are in the enoteca section of the shop on the bottom floor, knowledgeably managed by Francesco De Pascale and always well-stocked. The upstairs, on the other hand, is the reign of coffee and artisanal pastry, such as creamy espresso with long-lasting flavor, cappuccino with fluffy foam, house-baked breakfast pastries. The dessert showcase is a triumph of cream-filled bignè or puff pastry, classic babà, with or without whipped cream, millefoglie (Napoleons) and flaky sfogliatelle. At aperitif time, savory, rustic snacks are paired with drinks or wine.

54 MARCH 2017

An essential book for all who love Italian wine PALERMO Enoteca & Bistrò Vino Veritas | via Piemonte, 22 |

Palermo | Tel. 091342117 | www.vinoveritasenoteche.it The wine shop belonging to Giuseppe Lisciandrello is paradise for those who like to drink good wine, and it is their favorite hangout. Almost 3,000 labels line the walls, the best of the entire world, and all at truly honest prices. Italy, France, Champagne, Burgundy in particular, but also Germany, Austria and many others are represented, with special attention given to natural and organic wines. The owner and his smiling, competent collaborators have nurtured an authentic cult where wine lovers spend time relaxing or enjoying a delicious dinner. Pair a well-chosen wine with top classic cheeses, premium cured meats, or delicious cold and warm dishes skillfully prepared in a kitchen that knows what it’s doing..

More than 60 experts spent months doing blind tastings in every region of Italy

2400 producers 22000 wines 429 Tre Bicchieri 88 Tre Bicchieri verdi CAGLIARI CUCINA.eat | via Galileo Galilei, 1 | Cagliari |

Tel. 0700991098 | www.shopcucina.it CUCINA.Eat is not only a wine shop but also a pantry of good things to eat, a wine bar, bistrot, book shop, house goods store, and a venue for meeting, tasting, and comparing gourmet experiences. There is an excellent selection of wines with many Sardinian labels on hand, certainly, but the enoteca is open to all national and foreign topquality production with a great choice of food specialties, local and not. Express dishes can be ordered at the counter, which circles around the open kitchen in the center of the place, or eaten at a community table.

www.gamberorosso.it

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VERONA

9 th- 12 th APRIL 2017

TOGETHER WITH

GRAND TASTING FINEST ITALIAN WINES Verona, 8 th April 2017

ORGANIZED BY

VINITALY SPECIAL

VINITALY

SPECIAL

Edition number 51 of the Italian event dedicated to wine attracts operators, producers and wine lovers from all the world to Verona. From April 9 to 12, the fair offers a full schedule of happenings. Wineries that have participated in Vinitaly since its birth explain its importance, changes and future projects.

57 MARCH 2017

VINITALYVINITALY SPECIAL

Vinitaly 2016

Vinitaly 1977

Gambero Rosso: dates to remember

TRE BICCHIERI 2017 Award-winning wines from the 30th edition of Vini d’Italia, tasting at Vinitaly April 9 | 11:30 am / 4:30 pm| Fiera di Verona | Argento Room| Gate A2 | Palaexpo | Floor -1 VINO...EX-PRESS: THE NINE PROTAGONISTS OF THE YEAR Gambero Rosso will lead a wine tasting for the foreign press featuring the nine Special Award winners of Vini d’Italia 2017 April 11 | 11 am LE TRE FOGLIE 2017 OLI D’ITALIA 2017 Gambero Rosso and Unaprol present the sixth edition of the guide to Italy’s best extravirgin olive oils, including the presentation of certificates to the top award winners.

Monday, April 10 | 3.30 pm| Vivaldi Room| Palaexpo We hope to see you at the Gambero Rosso stand, Hall 9, stand C16 with our partners: Sky, Acqua Panna-S.Pellegrino, Illy, Da Re- I Bibanesi, Ruliano, Gold Plast, Tannico.

What happens in Vinitaly

A

fter a gala celebration of its fiftieth anniversary last year, Veronafiere is getting ready to open the doors of the fifty-first edition of Vinitaly. The event promises to be the usual success, and as numbers show, it is undoubtedly the most important wine fair in Italy. Last year, the gate counted the arrival of over 130,000 participants, 50,000 of whom came from abroad. Registered top buyers numbered 28,000, and were selected

by Veronafiere from the countries most in demand by exhibitors. All in all, the event is increasingly international, with more foreign operators present, as well as more exhibiting wineries from abroad. Vinitaly 2017 will enlarge the Vininternational space to 1,600 square meters, sharing the pavilion with Tuscany. Among new arrivals this year are wineries

doesn’t stay in Vinitaly

from the United States and Hungary.

For the first time, a collective of six companies that produce sake in Japan will be represented, along with wineries from Poland, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Argentina, Portugal, Austria, South Africa, Switzerland and, of course, France.

As it does every year, Vinitaly will also host Sol&Agrifood, an international exhibit of quality food products. Here too, there’s news. Besides all the thematic areas present in past editions – Cheese Experience, an extra-virgin olive oil area, a craft beer space, and a recently developed Salumi and Biodiversity section – this year there will be a new zone dedicated to biodiversity and territorial productions. This section will offer a way to spotlight commercially one of the exceptional characteristics of Italian agriculture.

59 MARCH 2017

The new area will be called Biodiversity and Territories, and with guided tastings, walk-around tastings, workshops in English for foreign buyers and show cooking, it will promote the various expressions of biodiversity and typicity of Italy’s different origins of products and ingredients.

But Vinitaly is not only about business. With the aim of separating the moments aimed at operators and those meant for consumers, VeronaFiere has put together a dense program called Vinitaly and The City.

Events for wine lovers and fans will enliven Verona’s historic center. For five days, from April 7 to 11, Piazza dei Signori, the Loggia di Fra’ Gioconda, the Torre dei Lamberti, and the Cortile del Mercato Vecchio will host exhibits. tastings, cultural and artistic events.

VINITALYVINITALY SPECIAL

MICHELE BERNETTI

«How Italian wine became international»

«I

took part even before I worked full time at the winery, but Umani Ronchi has been at Vinitaly since the first edition.”

Michele Bernetti is the owner and CEO of the Marche winery. He has been present at the Verona event every year. “The first evident differ-

ence between then and now is in the number of exhibitors. My father described a Vinitaly that fit into two or three pavilions. Today that number is not enough for a single region like Piedmont, Tuscany, or the Veneto.

The other change is in the number of visitors. I don’t mean only 60 MARCH 2017

Italians, but above all, foreigners.

Vinitaly has truly become an international fair, with Americans, Germans, but also Japanese, Chinese, Australians – buyers from many different countries.”

Vinitaly, as opposed to many similar fairs, has always had a kind of double soul – the professional one, in which operators meet producers to make deals and sign contracts, and an entertainment side, in which passionate wine lovers come to taste their favorite bottles and find new ones, exploring the stands. “Vinitaly’s appeal for wine lovers is enormous. Sometimes it makes things a little complicated,” Michele com-

Umani Ronchi | Osimo (AN) | via Adriatica, 12 | tel. 071 710 8019 | www.umanironchi.com

mented. “But in all honesty, I don’t see the participation of the private aficionado as a problem. Vinitaly’s role is also to sustain the consumer.

At the end, they are the ones that buy and uncork our bottles.”

We ask what other changes he has noticed. “In the last two years, Vinitaly has taken giant steps to simplify life for us, the producers, above all introducing new electronic procedures that smooth a great deal of the work that precedes the fair.

Certainly, some small issues remain, but year after year, every aspect is improving – for example, viability, services, food inside the fair.”

Today the Veronese event is a topranking world wine event, along with the prestigious ProWein of Düsseldorf and VinExpo of Bordeaux. Fifty years ago, participating in the fair was not such an obvious choice for a winery. Umani Ronchi, though, was a believer from the start. “We participated in occasional fairs in those years. My family has described events in Milano and Rimini. The Verona event was something new. We were taking our first steps into the world of commerce and we needed a credible showcase. It was an opportunity to have a moment of comparison, another way of meeting others. And that’s how it has been for five decades.

Even today, Vinitaly is the time we meet our collaborators from over 60 countries. In Verona, we have built up important work relationships, contacts, friendships. We have also seen breakups and arguments. It is one of the most important dates on our calendar, and has been for fifty years.”

New in 2017 Pecorino in large barrels and a new look for Pelago “Again this year we will participate with a large stand and various new products. One of these launches a new label from our Abruzzese vineyards, the Montipagano property in Roseto degli Abruzzi. A pecorino from the 2015 harvest, it is aged partly in steel tanks and partly in large oak barrels.

An ambitious project, but it completes our range, joining our other pecorino, Vellodoro. We will also present a new label for Pelago. It is one of the historic wines of our firm, now in its eighteenth vintage year, 2o12. Since it has reached adulthood, we designed a more classic, thoughtful label.”

Three vintage photos from the Umani Ronchi archive. The winery has been in the front lines with its Verdicchio and with Rosso Conero since the first edition

William Pregentelli collaborated

61 MARCH 2017

VINITALY SPECIAL

CESARE CECCHI

«By ’67, the world was coming to Verona»

«V

initaly has always been an important opportunity to meet others, to open up to the world – an unmissable business moment. By 1967, without getting on a plane, we could encounter importers from the entire world, launch new collaborations and make plans with our existing contacts. Today Vinitaly gives a lot of space to communication and marketing issues, besides offering a chance to establish new professional relationships.” Cesare Cecchi, owner of the family winery, talked about the Veronese fair and its past editions. His company and its wines have always participated. Cecchi, with its Chianti Classico, has more than a century of production behind it, with four generations facing successes and difficulties, dealing with a range of different market situations.

The family has stored up a trove of anecdotes.

In 1893, Luigi Cecchi founder of the winery and a professional wine taster, Cesare and Andrea Cecchi with their mother

saw the potential in the Chianti Classico zone and in particular, the Castellare di Castellina area. He began exporting in the first half of the 20th century. Today Andrea and Cesare lead the firm, representing the fourth generation. They manage more than 300 hectares of vineyard located in various zones of central Italy: Chianti Classico, San Gimignano, Maremma Toscana and Umbria. “We were a family-run firm constantly looking for margins of improvement all along the production line, starting with the vineyards,” Cesare remembered. “Over the years, we bought four estates in Tuscany and Umbria, where we produce wines with excellent territorial expression and strong personalities. We have become a winery that is still family-owned but now manager-run. We have stepped up the expertise required for development, projecting the winery towards the future by means of specializations that would have been unimagi-

nable fifty years ago. Moreover, we have enriched the range of our labels, offering new wines. This year, we present a new monovarietal bottle at the Verona fair, produced in the Maremma zone of Tuscany. We will taste it together with dishes prepared by a great chef. But I don’t want to reveal anything else…”

The next edition of Vinitaly is coming up soon, and again this year it will not disappoint producers. “We expect an event with a strong sense of authenticity and identity, not only from the point of view of its organization, which we demand every year,” concluded Cesare, “but also in terms of our producer colleagues.

We hope to see great professionality on the part of all participants. It is an extremely important moment of visibility for our entire sector.”

Famiglia Cecchi | Castellina in Chianti (SI) | loc. Casina dei Ponti, 56 | tel. 0577 54311 | www.cecchi.net

What’s new A new rosé alongside Five Roses What’s new for De Castris in Vinitaly 2017? “This year we’ll have a new rosato. Made from primitivo grapes, it will join Five Roses, our number one bottle, which is made from negroamaro grapes,” said Piernicola. “The new wine will be different, with more concentrated color and a slightly higher degree of alcohol. In this case, Vinitaly will be a testing ground for its launch.”

Piernicola Leone De Castris

LEONE DE CASTRIS «A key meeting

place for the wine sector»

D

e Castris wine has shaped the history of Pugliese enology.

Gracing Italian tables for more than four centuries, Five Roses is surely the most famous rosé in the world. It was the first to arrive in the USA, thanks to the winery then called Conti Leone de Castris. The founding of the estate dates back to 1665, when Duke Oronzo de Castris sold his lands in Spain and invested his fortune in Puglia and the sale of bulk wine. In 1925, when Piero Leone Plantera married Lisetta de Castris, the winery took on its present-day form. It bottled, exported and expanded, first under Salvatore Leone de Castris and today under his son, Piernicola.

This year the winery will be participating in the fifty-first edition of Vinitaly. Its constancy was recognized in 2016 with an award conferred on the 42 wineries that have always been

active in the fair. “In 1967, my father Salvatore decided to participate in Vinitaly,” Piernicola Leone de Castris told us. “It was a forward-looking choice for the time. After that, we never missed a year. Today my father is no longer with us, and I have taken his place both in the winery and as a participant in this event. It is a reference point for national and international clients. Vinitaly is useful to us, a place for producers to meet, measure ourselves against others, and understand how the wine world is changing. Different ways of communicating, innovative packaging, even the very quality of the wines that companies release – these are all changes we have seen over the years in Vinitaly.”

In 1943, Five Roses was born, the wine that most represents the winery and that over the years has brought its producer great success. It has al63 MARCH 2017

Leone De Castris | Salice Salentino (LE) | via Senatore de Castris | tel. 0832 731112 | www.leonedecastris.com

lowed Piernicola, who has been at the helm since 1995, to present a varied range of products. Vintage after vintage, he adds new labels to the roster.

“In recent years, the wine world of Puglia has grown notably. Its potential is better understood, and the concept of the Salento zone as a great producer of wines with a favorable price/quality rapport has strengthened,” Piernicola affirmed. “Vinitaly contributed to helping our region become known, especially for its typicity, its range of grape varietals. Moreover, it taught specialized operators and even wineries to release competitive products more often.”

S. An.

VINITALY SPECIAL

NADIA ZENATO.

«This is how we express the culture of our land»

S

an Benedetto di Lugana is a few kilometers from Verona. This zone of Peschiera del Garda has been Zenato headquarters for over fifty years. Starting with its vineyards in the Lugana area, it has extended its reach towards Valpolicella, where it plays an important role today. Nadia Zenato, together with her brother Alberto and mother Carla, heads this winery of 95 hectares. The property is subdivided in two parts. One is in San Benedetto di Lugana, best suited for trebbiano di Lugana grapes. The other, in Valpolicella, grows corvina, rondinella and oseleta varieties.

Zenato is one of the 42 wineries that have always participated in Vinitaly

– perhaps thanks to their nearness to the fair. Looking through the list you see many firms from the Veneto. But, above all, Nadia said: “My father always believed in it and always took part, convinced that he had something important to present, a product in which he firmly believed.” Even today, the spirit of the new generation in the winery is unchanged. “We’re coming to this edition of Vinitaly with the same enthusiasm as always, and with the same values: passion, dedication to our land and to the showcasing of indigenous varieties, respect for the environment, attention to research and innovation. And with a fabulous vintage of Amarone! The 2013 year will 64 MARCH 2017

give us great satisfaction, we’re sure.”

Nadia spoke about the earliest editions of Vinitaly – she has participated officially only since 1998 – based on stories from her father, Sergio. “They were almost pioneering events. A small group of producers got together for each one to promote his (or her) own wines. How much has been accomplished since then!”

Nadia, who is mostly concerned with the commercial side of her firm, pointed out how, over the years, the fair has devoted itself more and more to promoting projects aimed at increasing understanding of the culture of wine, above all through important masterclasses and themed tastings. These

initiatives have presented, above all to foreign visitors, a style identifiable as Made in Italy, focused not only on the individual product, but on history, territory, methods and passion. “In the last few years, VeronaFiere has worked hard on internationalizing the event, bringing foreign importers to Vinitaly but also organizing tours and events in the most interesting markets.

They have been responding to the demands of an increasingly dynamic marketplace.”

We asked if Vinitaly had influenced Zenato’s growth in some way. She answered, “Vinitaly was the first fair in which we took part, the first true moment of comparison. The world of wine has changed enormously over the last 50 years, and so has the approach to these events. Vinitaly, like other fairs in which we participate, is an important opportunity for promotion, both for our own products and for our brand in general. In a world in which technology makes the exchange of information from one continent to another easier, direct and personal contact with clients, importers and collaborators becomes more and more important. That’s why we think our participation in Verona is crucial.

We are not just selling our wines. We are communicating an entire world of passion, history and emotion.”

W. Pr.

.

Research Trebbiano di Lugana

under the university’s x-rays “My father risked everything when he began producing wine in the 1960s. But soon, his path came to seem inevitable. He always focused on large investments in research, experimentation and grape-growing technology,” Nadia Zenato told us. “He had the foresight to believe in trebbiano di Lugana right from the start, and he rediscovered an old method, no longer in use, called ripasso. We created numerous partnerships with foundations and universities which led to important studies, like the one examining trebbiano di Lugana. We discovered that the variety, when ripe, contains an elevated amount of glutathione, an important natural antioxidant.

Research showed us the best method of enhancing it and bringing it intact into the wine. Fully aware of the potential of our terroir, we are strongly convinced of the importance of continuing on the paths of innovation and search for excellence that were laid out by our father.”

65 MARCH 2017

Sergio Zenato at Vinitaly in 1981.

Above, Vinitaly 2016: Carla, Nadia and Alberto Zenato have Veneto governor, Luca Zaia, autograph a 5-liter Ripassa bottle. On the facing page, the winery stand Zenato | Peschiera del Garda (VR) | fraz. San Benedetto di Lugana | tel. 045 7550 300 | www.zenato.it

VINITALY SPECIAL

MANTOVANI. LET’S INCREASE THE VALUE OF WINE Italy closed 2016 with a new export record, but producers had hoped to grow more than the 3 – 3.5% increase in volume. “Results were positive, considering the international situation, which overall was not favorable. In the last decade, great work was done to improve both quality and the image of Italian wine, even though world markets have not yet rewarded this strong commitment with increased prices.”

On the eve of Vinitaly, with Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere, we looked at strategies of internationalization and at the markets for the Made in Italy world of wine.

What contribution does Vinitaly aim to make in enhancing the appreciation of Italian wine on foreign markets?

“That goal can be attained by working on marketing, promotion and training, all of them activities that find concrete answers in the Vinitaly system. As far as the Verona event goes, we’ll continue along the lines already clearly set out last year on our 50th anniversary. We aim to attract a continuously growing number of Italian and foreign buyers, to create conditions that transform every contact into a business opportunity, and at the same time, structure an appealing and quite separate program in the city and the province for wine lovers. Vinitaly&theCity maintains our link with consumers. Last year’s numbers – 130,000 operators, 50,000 of whom came to Vinitaly from 140 countries and 29,000 who participated in Vinitaly&theCity – and above all, the satisfaction of our exhibitors proved that we were on the right track.”

Veronafiere planned considerable investments for the near future.

Will it change Vinitaly?

67 MARCH 2017

VINITALY SPECIAL

“The transformation into a S.P.A. guarantees that Veronafiere will have the tools to compete on the international marketplace, thanks to a juridical setup identical to other Italian and European fair organizers. A development plan until 2020 is tied to this change, and 94 million euros of investment is set to improve the infrastructure of the fair facilities and its services, starting with digital transformation. We will build 3,000 parking places, as well. A large sum is destined to the development of fair events. For Vinitaly, along with careful oversight of the Verona fair, the industrial plan also will create a task force for the internationalization of Italian wine, open to institutional partnerships and at the same time strongly oriented towards business, with innovative action both on-line, for example ecommerce, and off-line, such as events.

The fundamental goal of the Industrial Plan for Wine – presented last December 6 in the 2016 edition of wine2wine, along with the heads of Ice, Federvini and Unione italiana vini – is to consolidate the leadership of the fair event sector, giving Made in Italy wine new and decisive tools for taking a leap forward in foreign countries. The primary objectives are the USA, a market not yet fully mature, and China, along with Asia.”

Again, internationalization: a programmed approach…

“The objective is to increase the services available to businesses that want to export and to grow the promotional activities of the country as a whole. The positive results obtained so far, the experience of almost twenty years on the markets that are most important for our exports, from the USA to Canada and China, from Russia to Japan and the Far East, international recognition, but also that of Italian institutions, with the Vinitaly brand as a flagbearer for quality Italian wines, encourage us to move ahead in this direction. Part of this is our involvement in the Extraordinary

Plan for the internationalization of Made in Italy, backed by Mise, Mipaaf and Ice in the USA. We have commissioned important research about the consumption of Italian wine in that market. The first results were presented at Vino 2017 in New York, and will be illustrated at Vinitaly 2017 and on the Italian Wine Channel promoted by Mise, Mipaaf, Ice and Vintaly for the promotion of Italian wine on the Chinese market. These projects, now in the development stage, represent the latest in a long series of activities in which we work with the institutions in a logical, systemic way.”

Indigenous varieties: are they a competitive factor on foreign markets? And if so, are we using them well?

“The value of Italian grape varieties is immeasurable in terms of quality, whether economic or related to our image abroad. In Vinitaly, since we decided to arrange exhibitors by region, it is easier for foreign operators to understand the zones of origin, at the same time stimulating their spirit of

Sol & Vinitaly | Your dates with Gambero Rosso

9 april ARGENTO ROOM | PALAEXPO | 11.30 am -4.30 am Gambero Rosso . Tre Bicchieri 2017 at Vinitaly sunday

10 april VIVALDI ROOM | 3.00 pm Gambero Rosso – Unaprol. Presentazione Oli d’Italia 2017 monday

11 april IRIS ROOM | 11-12 am Tasting Ex...Press: The 9 leading characters of the year At the Gambero Rosso stand (Hall 9 - C16) Tastings, sale of 2017 publications, events and meetings in collaboration with our partners Sky, Acqua Panna –San Pellegrino, Da Re-Bibanesi, Ruliano, Gold Plast, Tannico, You Wine, Illy, Barlotti. tuesday

68 MARCH 2017

Other appointments research. To use diversity as a competitive weapon, it is also necessary to train people to become the ambassadors of Italian wine in the world. This is the objective we have set ourselves with the Vinitaly International Academy.

Educational experiences are always sought after during Vinitaly International events. Many different Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers have registered for the third certification course, which will take place in the days before Vinitaly, as well as educators, buyers and wine trendsetters. Most come from the United States, China and Canada, but some are also from South America, Asia and Europe. So far, the Academy has certified six Italian Wine experts and fifty-five Italian Wine Ambassadors.

Many groups are imitating this program, both in Italy and abroad. Promoting education about Italian wine is a fundamental element in Vinitaly’s international market strategy.”

A wine’s image begins with its production territory. In France and also in Spain, impressive, pioneering wine houses are springing up to emphasize the cultural aspect of a sector that also includes tradition and economy.

What’s missing in Italy?

“The extraordinary typicity of Italian wines and territories have nothing to fear from other countries’ wine worlds. The Italy of enology is just younger than that of the French. But there are many private companies, associations and consortiums that are carrying out very interesting systematic projects that join territory, enology, landscape, culture and tourism.

Vinitaly is doing its part in this direction too, and participates in projects of showcasing and promoting wines.”

The complete fair program is on www.vinitaly.com

10 april SALA VIA WINE2DIGITAL | 11 – 13 am VIA Seminar: A 21-year journey with Austrian Heiligenstein’s Riesling and Weingut Brundlmayer

sunday

9 april RESPIGHI ROOM| 9:30 am The new organic vineyard and wine regulations: ups and downs organized by Unione Giuristi della Vite e del Vino

monday

10 april VERDI AUDITORIUM |10:00 am Made in Italy and ethical work.

Traceability: the trump card for agro-foods Organized by Uila

VIA WINE2DIGITAL ROOM | 2:00 – 4:00 pm Via Seminar: Eisackthalwein - from the mountains to the wine glass: the great white wines from Valle Isarco

MOZART ROOM|10:30 am Organic and sustainability: why so beneficial to wine, too?

Organized by CCPB e Certiquality

TULIPANO ROOM| 4:00 – 5:30 pm Italy at Vinitaly - National Association of Wine Women - The Sardinian wine to women

VIVALDI ROOM |10:30 am Sales of DOC wine up in Italy

TULIPANO ROOM | 11 am – 3 pm Indietro nel tempo con Sassicaia verticale delle “annate difficili”: 1992, 1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014.

monday

through retail chains

Organized by Vinitaly in cooperation with IRi SALIERI ROOM |2:30 pm Wine! Common denominator Organized by Co.N.Vi RESPIGHI ROOM |3:00 pm Round Table: “New consolidated wine legislation” - Initial considerations

Organized by Arma dei Carabinieri tuesday

11 april

VIVALDI ROOM |11:00 am Russian wine market. New global tendencies as a response to the crisis.

What can Italian

winemakers expect

Organized by Banfi Srl & Simple Ltd

tuesday

11 april

VIA WINE2DIGITAL ROOM | 2:00 – 4:00 pm VIA Seminar: A brand new generation of Aglianico del Vulture takes power

Tastings 9 april IRIS ROOM, PALAEXPO | 3:00 – 5:00 pm Tasting Ex...Press: Premium wines from Hungary sunday

10 april IRIS ROOM, PALAEXPO 11 – 12 am Tasting Ex...Press: A celebration of Sparkling Wines - Champagne, Trentodoc, Franciacorta monday

RESPIGHI SALA | 3:00 pm IRIS ROOM, PALAEXPO Mergers and e-commerce: wine on 3:00 - 4:30 pm the internet Tasting Ex...Press: Slovenia wine Organized by ICCREA stars and hidden treasures BANCAIMPRESA

Wine Seminars 9 april MAIN STAGE WINE2DIGITAL | 11:00 - 12:30 am VIA Seminar: United Kingdom the new British sparkling wines sunday

frontier

Organized by Vinitaly International Academy

ORCHIDEA ROOM, PALAEXPO 3:00 – 5:00 pm Francia - Gilbert et Gaillard tuesday

11 april

ARGENTO ROOM| 11 – 13 am When the Champagne «Grandes Cuvées» meet the Chianti Classico «Gran Selezione» ORCHIDEA ROOM| 3:00 – 4:00 pm Pisco, spirit of Perù

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

by Lorenzo Ruggeri

CUCINA ITALIANA

A new generation of chefs 70 MARCH 2017

AROUND THE WORLD They are young and passionate, ambitious and motivated. They speak many languages, study and experiment deeply. These are the new faces of Italian cucina around the world. Cooks in their twenties have revolutionized the image of Italian food and lead the renewal of our culinary art and tradition. They are a far cry from the emigrant cooks of decades ago 71 MARCH 2017

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

A

bundant carbohydrates, heavy on the red sauce, and a good dose of folklore. Italian restaurants abroad have lived on that reputation for a long time. For years, eating Italian was the lowest common denominator choice. “We were the equivalent of Chinese restaurants here in Denmark in the 1980s,” said Elvio Milleri, who in 1983 opened Era Ora, the first restaurant to win a Michelin star in Copenhagen. Reading his menus of that time, he seems a visionary, with dishes impressionistically named “La Moresca” or “Thinking about Tomorrow.” He didn’t even list the ingredients. For years, Elvio commuted by car to Perugia weekly to stock up on authentic Italian products. At the same time, he built up a wine cellar that today numbers more than 80,000 bottles, an impressive collection of only Italian labels, with a breathtaking depth of vintage years. There are more magnums of Brovia and Giuseppe Cortese here in Copenhagen than in the original wineries.

The cucina is operated efficiently by a young kitchen brigade, none of whom are more than 28 years old, all Italian.

Until a few years ago, Italian restaurants were emblematic of an emigrant generation that shamelessly invented professions for themselves. Today, Italian chefs go abroad not out of necessity, but to add weight to their own cultural baggage. And they often never return. There are well over five million Italians living abroad, according to Consular records, a number that has almost doubled in the last ten years and is more people than have immigrated to Italy. Most are young, between 25 and 35 years old. “The new generation of cooks are more motivated and curious than the preceding one. They are the force behind Italian food services at the highest level and in all its forms, from trattorias to prestigious star-seekers. These young cooks see that the best way for them to work is to join the knowledge of the innumerable techniques at their disposal to their awareness of being

72 MARCH 2017

part of a people that has made eating well a profound aspect of life style! And do it with the humility of the great chefs,” said Elvio. This generation stands at a watershed, a before and after moment for Italian eating places around the world.

The marked leap in quality has been encouraged by a knowledgeable public, more aware and better traveled than before.

This observation convinced us to compile what will be the first digital guide to Italian restaurants around the world. Top Italian Restaurants in the World will appear in the coming months. If Italian exports of food and wine continue to break records, a good part of the credit goes to the work of Italians around the world: entrepreneurs, cooks, sommeliers, waiters. They are also the most efficacious defense against Italian-sounding products. This golden moment for cucina italiana in the world is confirmed by the choices of great hotel chains that, above all in Asia, are systematically replacing their in-house French restaurants with Italian ones. New,

high-quality openings, new formats are everywhere: Italian wine bars, wine shops, food emporiums, regional restaurants. The demand for Italia is powerful in intensity and energy. This led us to the necessity of distinguishing one place from another, of rating them.

Beyond the 250 Italian restaurants evaluated, we noted that in countries where food sensibility is well-developed and common, Italian restaurateurs change their approach. Japan and Denmark lead in terms of average quality. “Cooking Italian means having the opportunity to showcase our centuries of gastronomic history, in its most hidden and subtle manifestations,” added Elvio. In his Era Ora, it starts with extra-virgin olive oil, such as his Umbrian ones from Viola. Tomato purees and organic, oil-preserved vegetables come from the three sisters at Mediterranea Belfiore. Wild fennel is from Alain Borghini, coffee from Gianni Frasi. Wonderful bread comes out of Elvio’s ovens, made with organic Italian flours from small, artisanal mills. “Danish people eat a lot of Italian food at home, too. Availability of quality Italian ingredients has enormously increased, and with it, knowledge of our innumerable recipes.” Cucina italiana can be served every day without repeating a dish. Italy’s culinary history, with its 2,500 years of history, 3,500 ingredients and thousands of local micro-gastronomies to draw from has now encountered local culture and sensibilities. The melting pot history of Italian regional specialties is adapting and reacting to its new surroundings. The next step will be the return of this generation of cooks to Italy, bringing their experience of travel and culture with them, thus enriching and changing the food that stayed home.

Copenaghen: Elvio Milleri and his wife Edelvita Santos da Silva. Below, the dining room and the cellar

Copenaghen: Top Italian Restaurants award to Era Ora

73 MARCH 2017

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS | THE INTERVIEW

R

The young will make cucina

oberto Wirth is the general manager of the Hotel Hassler in Rome, a cosmopolitan temple of luxury, a splendid domain that faces Trinità dei Monti, the top of the Spanish Steps. Its unforgettable suites have hosted heads of states, Hollywood stars, royals, world-famous politicians, artists, musicians, jetset personalities. Wirth has dealt with his deafness since childhood, and has managed to become the first and only deaf manager in the world of an award-winning hotel. Today he heads a collaboration that links his Roman hotel to the best luxury hotels in India. He tells us about his adventure as an Italian in the world and his point of view…

How did the collaboration between the Hassler and the Indian hotels of the Oberoi chain come about?

“Years ago the independent hotels often consolidated partnerships and collaborations among themselves. At the time, the Oberoi were independent (in Mumbai, it was the first five-star hotel). The owners wanted to meet my father, Oscar, who at that time managed the Eden and the Hassler, also independent hotels. Years later they came to Rome to meet me, and they were so favorably impressed by the Hassler’s food that they asked to establish a collaboration. It began like this, out of a friendship.”

What differences are there between the restaurants that you coordinate in India? What difference is there between Travertino and Vetro?

“The type of cucina offered definitely depends a great deal on the context in which they are set. The talent and ability of the individual chef gives each the personal touch. The cucina italiana style must be present in both.”

In both cases, isn’t the culinary supervision in the hands of Francesco Apreda, the chef of the Hassler in Rome?

“Yes, Francesco Apreda supervises the two kitchens, and often, the chefs of

Travertino and Vetro consult and meet with him by means of email and Skype.

Apreda goes to India about once a year. Often, the cooks that go to India have already had experience in the kitchens of Imàgo in the Hassler in Rome.”

India and Rome: what are the most obvious differences between the hotel restaurants in the two countries?

“If we talk about the differences in the offerings of five-star luxury hotels in India and Italy, the most obvious thing is that in India, the top hotels have at least four or five different dining formats under one roof, which manage to represent the world. This is one way

Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai: the restaurant Vetro ed Enoteca

Dining hall of restaurant Ziya, Oberoi Hotel - Mumbai

The view from restaurant Imàgo at Hotel Hassler in Rome

74 MARCH 2017

italiana great Roberto Wirth to be able to satisfy a global clientele.”

Do you oversee the dining room, or only the kitchen?

“We are responsible only for the kitchen We select the chefs for the two restaurants. If, by chance, they don’t work out, we do new research and suggest other candidates. As for the dining room in India, I can say they have very capable personnel.”

Many chefs you have chosen to work at Oberoi come back to Italy and the west after a few years. Are there some specific examples?

“Many of these young people have come back and they stood out for their talent when in Italy once again. I’m thinking of Vincenzo Di Tuoro, executive chef at San Clemente Palace Kempinski Venice; Adriano Baldassarre at Tordo Matto in Rome; Davide Rebeccato, now the executive chef in various Italian restaurants in Sydney. Emanuel Lattanzi (who in 2008 saved guests in a terror attack on a hotel in Mumbai and received an Italian medal in 2011 for his bravery) is now chef in an Italian restaurant in Ireland. Certainly, all of them carry within them a powerful culinary experience.”

Is India an interesting destination for young Italian chefs who want to round out their experience? Or is every luxury destination the same?

“India is interesting because it can deeply influence a chef ’s culinary concepts. Just think of the myriad flavors that spices can give if combined with other ingredients, how many recipes can emerge.

But India is also an interesting experience because a chef can shape his character there. It isn’t easy to work in an Indian kitchen.

It is an experience that makes you strong, that helps to develop character. You develop strengths that can give your career a push. If a chef decides to stay in Italy, his professional path is slower, and it’s more difficult for him or her to rise. And let’s not forget the trend is towards more global kitchens. Staying in your own country keeps you from having a 360° vision of the world. It’s a minus. I think it’s important to have an experience abroad in the luxury sector, whether it’s India or another country. It’s important to move around.”

How has the profile of Italian chefs abroad changed? What did it mean 30 years ago and what does it mean today for a cook to go abroad?

“The levels of culture and education compared to the past are certainly higher. Expectations have changed, and are higher.

Thirty years ago, there was no global cooking.

Each country was tied to its own culinary traditions. Today everything is mixed, and it becomes one. To be frank, I’m a little sorry that true traditions have been lost.

Some dishes that always represented cucina Italiana aren’t on menus any more, and it’s a shame.

But, on the other hand, I realize that globalization can’t be stopped.”

Do you have advice for young people who want to work abroad?

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MARCH 2017

“To become a great chef takes a great gift besides talent: humility. I don’t like to see that good, competent cooks miss having careers abroad because of their egos. Oberoi continues to trust us because we, as a structure, can oversee and help chefs that we send to their kitchens fit in. Chef Francesco Apreda and I supervise every detail. Today one of the most common problems is that chefs see themselves as prima donnas. When they are abroad, that’s how they behave and they don’t manage to integrate with the staff. Above all, they don’t get tangible results. Humility, seriousness and intelligence are basic.”

Paolo Cuccia

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS | THE INTERVIEW

«At 27 I head Le Cirque M

atteo Fontana, 27, heads the kitchen at Le Cirque in Abu Dhabi, the restaurant belonging to the Maccioni family, owners of the New York restaurant of the same name since 1974. After hotel school, he spent almost four years in the kitchen of Ciccio Sultano, the Duomo, in Ragusa, Sicily. “There I understood what ingredients really meant. Fish came to the restaurant still alive. Vegetables were just harvested. Amazing place!” exclaimed the young chef.

Then, he had more Italian experiences in Milano at Aimo and Nadia. Next, the Middle East: seven days at the Intercontinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi, with Sultano, for an event.

“The executive chef of the hotel, Danny Kattar,

noticed me,” said Matteo, “They were opening Le Cirque in Abu Dhabi.

I was there a year as sous chef before Kattar put me in charge of the kitchen.”

Matteo’s story is exemplary. It shows perfectly the passion, depth and culture of the new generation of Italian chefs working abroad. We ask him what it means to work abroad, how Italian wine and food are seen, and how the export of quality products from the Belpaese work.

friends to eat those dishes.

They have to be educated, because they are used to a great deal of false Italians that set up in the shopping centers where they offer fettuccine with cream or chicken and potatoes. They think that’s the only Italian cooking.

Even when they come to a restaurant like ours that uses true Italian products, they don’t even open the menu. They sit down and order what they know.

Only 30% of our clients are local.”

How do the Arabs like our cucina?

“Arabs think of cucina Italian as pasta and pizza.

But when I have them eat something really Italian, such as ossobuco or risotto, they come back every two weeks with their

Is there a problem with Italian products?

How many authentic products can you find in Abu Dhabi?

“Here, if you want to, you can find absolutely everything. There are distribution channels and

resources from Italy for any product, from truffles to basil, from mozzarella to burrata. But there are also many Italian labels that produce directly here, such as, for example, burrata. Many Italian chefs use these products.

Then they sometimes put them on the menu at excessive prices, as if they really came from Italy. I know perfectly well what price it has to be because I know the provenance of the product – Puglia in the case of the burrata.

But perhaps you find burrata that can’t be the same as mine because it comes from Raisin Oman, but it’s on your menu at the same price…”

You have a good selection of Italian wines.

Does Italian food natu-

Risotto with quail Tiramisu

Tartare with salmon and beetroot

76 MARCH 2017

in Abu Dhabi» Matteo Fontana rally lead to the consumption of Italian wines. Or are they two different worlds?

“Usually our clients order more Italian wine than American or French labels. We don’t have a great many on our wine list because only a few Italian wineries are imported here. Only the large producers can manage. The Arab Emirates are a Moslem country and the tariffs on alcohol are very high. You can find companies like Sassicaia, Gaja, Castellare, Banfi, for olive oil as well.

Small producers rarely come here.”

But the importers are the same as in Dubai (which is a duopoly) or are they different?

“There are various ones there – the market is a little more open.”

Cucina italiana has grown a great deal in these countries..

“Definitely. The problem is that there’s also a lot to defend. Too many places are Italian-sounding, but there’s nothing Italian about them.”

Do the Arabs like cucina italiana or French cuisine better?

“For the Arabs, cucina italiana is number one.

They don’t follow French cuisine much. But, as I

said before, they have to be educated.”

Do the hotels all have Italian restaurants?

“You can find cucina italiana in 90% of the hotels. Competition has become very fierce for us.

Hotels, including the new ones, always have an Italian restaurant. Certainly, this contributes to the diffusion of a taste for Made in Italy and is a great support for cucina italiana.”

And where do you see yourself, Matteo, after Abu Dhabi?

“I would like to go to Asia. It is a more open world than this one. I come from experience in multi-starred restaurants and I have dishes on the menu that go beyond simple traditional cucina.

But here, they’re not often understood. Asia is more receptive, there’s more of a food culture, and there are many quality restaurants.”

Circo | Abu Dhabi | King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud St | United Arab Emirates | tel. +971 2 666 6888 | lecirque.com hard to understand. If you use duck, you upset people. For them, only chicken exists.”

Let’s use a concrete example. Isn’t your risotto with braised quail, porcini mushrooms, black truffles and quail eggs appreciated?

“I made this risotto for Fox TV. I have clients that come here from Dubai to eat it. I use an excellent Vialone Nano rice, the final blending is done with Parmigiano Reggiano and good butter. But it’s hard. I even manage to suc-

Where in Asia?

“I’d like to go China or Singapore, places where people know how to eat and how to choose restaurants. In the Emirates, you can do cucina at a certain level, but you always have to stick with the basics. You can’t experiment much. Some contemporary dishes are 77

MARCH 2017

cessfully make spaghetti with sardines in butter and anchovy sauce with a crumble of seasoned bread. I don’t use much dried pasta, but I have to say that Cavalier Cocco is very successful, stays firm when cooked and has great flavor.”

For dessert, what do you suggest?

“I always recommend Tiramisu, but it isn’t a classic one. It won a prize as the best dish in Abu Dhabi in 2015, and I have to say it’s very successful.”

Paolo Cuccia

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS | THE STORIES

PIZZA LIKE IN NAPLES P

eppe amused himself throwing handkerchiefs into the air. When he landed in Tokyo, in 2006, he supported himself doing acrobatics on the street. He washed dishes, and then made pizza. Finally, in 2011, he opened his own place, Peppe Napoli sta’ca’’ in Kamiyacho, near the Tokyo Tower. He never abandoned Japan, even in its darkest hour, after the earthquake and the Fukushima disaster. He held on and now he is feeling great satisfaction. In 2015, he opened a second pizzeria in Komazawa. Both

are always packed full. “In 10 years, I saw immense growth. At first, I couldn’t find good olive oil or even a good tomato. Now, you can even find stracchino. The Japanese have excellent palates and understand immediately if the mozzarella isn’t fresh or the tomato is too acidic.” Peppe imports canned tomatoes, fior di latte and buffalo mozzarella directly from Battipaglia with a brand created for the purpose. Quality ingredients enhance an excellent, tender, airy pizza base. Surrounded by the Napoli soc-

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cer team’s shirts and scarves, clients can eat one of the best pizzas produced outside its home country. The edges are high and fragrant, and the pizza itself is easy to digest. According to the tastings for our guide, it is the best in the city. Toppings are a little more abundant than in Italy, to satisfy Japanese tastes, Peppe admitted. The average quality of restaurants in Japan is among the highest in the world, and this food sensibility comes to play in the context of cucina italiana. It is not easy to find so many good Italian res-

TOKYO GIUSEPPE ERRICCHIELLO taurants and pizzerias together in any other part of the world. “They love everything about us: cucina, art, lifestyle. I advise everyone to have a work experience in Japan. But the Japanese are as good at working as they are at eating. If a Neapolitan thinks he can come to Japan and make pizza better than the Japanese, he’s starting off on the wrong foot,” insisted Peppe. His brother Carlo is the silent worker, the helmsman, while Peppe doesn’t try to hide his own overwhelming enthusiasm. His mentor is Salvatore Cuomo,

the pioneer of Neapolitan pizza in Asia. Today Cuomo has more than 100 places around the continent and imports over 10 tons of mozzarella per month. “I owe him everything.

He is my role model. I even dedicated Don Salvo, a pizza to him.” This creation is in the shape of a star, half Margherita, half calzone, and is one of Peppe’s most popular items. First courses are also good: the cooking of the paccheri we ate showed perfect Campania sensibility.

We wondered what his next step

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would be. “I want to open another, up-market place in which everything revolves around pizza and win a Michelin star. Then I’ll be ready to go back to Naples and finish my career by opening a small place that represents the life I spent abroad as an immigrant.”

Tokyo | N apoli sta ’ ca ’’ K amiyacho | Minato -ku | tel . +81 3 6459 1846

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS | THE STORIES

ESSENTIAL CONTAMINATIONS H e trained in the Trussardi restaurant kitchen in Milano, survived a period with Alain Ducasse, worked with for two years with Heinz Beck at La Pergola in Rome and another two with René Redzepi in his Noma, in Copenhagen. Today, Nello Turco leads a team of nineteen at Mio, the restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in Beijing that won a Tre Forchette Tricolore in the Gambero Rosso guide, Top Italian Restaurants. And he isn’t 30 years old yet.

“I left Naples very young. I was obsessed by cooking.

I worked even when I was at school. I liked kitchens better than discotheques.” Nello is ambitious, sure of himself, creative. Offering authentic cucina Italiana in China is a challenging business, he told us. Until a few years ago, the only mozzarella arrived frozen. “I asked the Italian embassy and the Chamber of Commerce for help to make some Italian products more available, but the problem became political right away. I have to adapt and I try to create a true Italian experience. I try to transmit Italian culture and passion.” The result is stimulating, not exactly what you expect in the restaurant of a grand hotel. He knows how to be daring and unexpected, drawing from southern Italian culture, but also from cooking techniques from northern Europe, including those of fermentation. “That is something alive that measures the natural flow of life. For example, my grandmother’s sourdough starter is 40 years old. It’s more important to her than the cat that lives in her garden. With my fermentations I try to evolve Italian taste, in a certain sense.

It is an extremely natural technique which expresses the evolution of an ingredient, completing its life cycle. An apple comes from a flower and becomes a fruit, ripens as a fruit, then falls from the tree and begins its transformation with fermentation. At this point, flavor is at its peak, and this is when I like best to work with it, control it, transform it.” For example, his black

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Beijing | MIO | 48 Liang Ma Qiao Road | Four Seasons Hotel | tel. +86 10 5695 8858 | www.fourseasons.com/beijing/dining/restaurants/mio/

WE ARE THE FUTURE BEIJING NELLO TURCO cod, one of the best dishes on his menu, has overwhelming intensity, acidic peaks and clean, clear contrasts. The fish is cooked at a low temperature. Condiment begins with a study of the local range of soy sauces. A cereal, either rice or wheat, is injected inside and left to ferment for four days until it forms a white patina. A second fermentation begins to increase acidity and consistency. “We obtain a liquid with a flavor that doesn’t resemble any element tasted before. It is a new flavor to which I add Sicilian bergamot and butter. For balance, I add shavings of dehydrated bell peppers to the fish.” Next to Nello in the kitchen is Paolo Belloni, sous chef at Mio, another young

world traveler. His sfogliatelle are an instant trip back to Italy.

“Like many of my colleagues, I chose a difficult path, bringing Italian style, including all the most typical foods of our beautiful country, around the world.” We ask Nello about his future. “I want to return to Italy. We are Italy’s future, those of us who are working abroad to enrich ourselves not with money, but with culture. I am already working on a project that will be modern, but a little difference from what’s been seen before,” he promised.

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS | THE STORIES

THE SECRET: THE QUALITY OF THE REAL FLAVOR T wenty-eight years old, chef. He has powerful feelings for his land, the countryside in Puglia around Vieste. “I grew up in a family of farmers, with vegetable gardens, animals and good food.” But Antonio Di Criscio’s story, with all its talent and overflowing enthusiasm, is taking place right now in a kitchen thousands of miles from his home in Puglia.

He came to Copenhagen when he was very young. At nineteen, he knocked on the door of Era Ora, the Italian restaurant founded in the Danish capital in 1983 by Elvio Milleri.

It is one of the oldest Italian restaurants in Copenhagen. He spent four or five years in the brigade, doing every job on the team, before being promoted to second in command. For those who carry a piece of Italy inside their hearts, but never lose the desire to see

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Copenhagen | Era Ora | Overgaden Neden Vandet, 33B | tel. +45 3254 0693 | era-ora.dk

COPENHAGEN ANTONIO DI CRISCIO the world, a city can start to feel like a tight fit. So, with a desire to learn even more, he traveled to France, then Greece, then California, each time working in prestigious kitchens. Finally, he was called back to home base, to Elvio, to lead the team at Era Ora, eight young people, all Italian, but not before he took the Grand Tour of the restaurant masters in Italy, Claudio Melis in Alto Adige, Mauro Uliassi and the universe of Mediterranean fish, Enrico Crippa to explore all the secrets of truffles. Today he has clear ideas: “With 22 starred restaurants for 600,000 inhabitants, eating out is a popular sport here. Copenhagen is a difficult city. Northern cooking is fascinating, but it doesn’t make sense to imitate others. To be competitive, we have to offer the best of Italian cucina. And the Danes are curious eaters.”

Fried ascolana olives came to the table, then eggplant alla parmigiana, oxtail, Livornese red mullet. “It may seem simpler when the clientele has no culture regarding these dishes. But these are very demanding people.”

He draws on all the resources of Italy’s regional cooking. “I must always have my turnip tops – rapini,” and

they are majestic, perfectly prepared, with elegant, clean flavors. “I have studied and tried Nordic techniques, but use them only to express Italian ideas.” His pride in his home country is almost excessive – all his ingredients come from Italy, including fish. This particular commitment brings problems with it. Only large pieces that can survive the trip are imported, except for some premium products such as Mazara red shrimp. “I have to give up some things. We can’t get many of the fish from Puglia’s sea.”

To make things work, at both lunch and dinner Era Ora serves only a tasting menu, about 200 euros per person for the more elaborate version (“Danes are happier if they don’t have to choose.”) Diners can go wild with their wine choices, though. Team work works well.

“The secret is to exploit the young people’s food memories, to attain the right flavors.” And his? “Right now in the menu we have venison with rapini, chanterelles and blueberries, a fruit I adored when I was little. I devoured them during the days we were in the fields.”

Livia Montagnoli collaborated

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by Stefano Polacchi

Can a cucina that is apparently extremely linear provide the palate with emotions so strong they are unforgettable? Yes, if the talent of the cook manages to handle each ingredient in such a way that it becomes the absolute star of the dish.

The Italian-style challenge of Niko Romito

Photo by Alberto Zanetti

The art of simplicity 84 MARCH 2017

NIKO

ROMITO Reale | Casadonna | piana Santa Liberata snc | Castel di Sangro (AQ) | tel. 0864 69382 | www.ristorantereale.it loc.

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I

It is painful to speak about Abruzzo, a region overwhelmed by a series of catastrophic natural events. And it’s even more difficult to speak of it in enthusiastic terms connected to the pleasures of the table. An interview with Niko Romito, though, lets us feel vital, lively hope. His words, his reflections, even in terms of dishes and experiments in the kitchen, have an energy that helps us forget avalanches and earthquakes. “In one year,” the Abruzzese chef explained, “at least five young people who emerged from our Casadonna school have opened their own places after having some experience in the field: in Pescara and Atri, in Roccaraso, Rivisondoli, and Teramo. I think it’s a very positive sign. Graduates with fresh enthusiasm trust, invest, and are turning around the mood that was taking hold in Abruzzo. Chefs don’t have to leave in order to cook. They don’t have to emigrate. They can invest here and they do, bringing many people into our region. Abruzzo is becoming a place worth visiting in order to get to know its fascinating landscapes, to experience flavors that are new and ancient at the same time. It’s no accident that despite the crises and tragedies of recent months, it’s wine, agriculture and restaurants that are giving hopeful signs of recovery, perhaps the only ones at the moment.”

One of the leaders in this renaissance is surely the school that Niko set up in Castel di Sangro, alongside his sister Cristiana, with whom he has worked since the start. The old Reale of Rivisondoli has become Spazio, a kitchen more tied to tradition and more immediate, where the students can take their first professional steps. It already has two other sites, in Roma and in Milano.

But Casadonna is not only a professional cooking school. It embodies the territory, working with traditions and prospects of cucina italiana based on what distinguishes it from all others – the extreme richness and variety of ingredi86 MARCH 2017

Photo byFrancesco Fiora-

ents. “I don’t like to see that many young Italians who come out of hotel schools are focused on cuisine that isn’t Italian.

I’m thinking of northern Europe or Spain. And they don’t see the wealth of possibilities they would have concentrating on our own production and tradition.” This comment is from a chef who had made a career of provocation, of turning the perception of traditional ingredients upside down. His artichoke in 2013 seemed like a dare, as did his chicken tortelli served simply on a plate, with no sauce.

“Because I cook focused on ingredients, tradition is my main source of inspiration,” said Niko, “my basic emotion.

My cabbage dish comes from the classic cabbage and potato of the Abruzzo.

The artichoke the same. It is almost an artichoke alla romana. The chicken tortelli begin with time-tested chicken alla 87 MARCH 2017

cacciatora.

Certainly, I continue to do research, to lighten, to concentrate, to find clean flavors. Think about stews. My tortello starts with the juices from chicken alla cacciatora. French cuisine, instead, focuses on sauces, on reduced broth. The sauce is a specific part of the dish in its birth, in its becoming.”

Seen from the concrete observation of his dishes, Niko’s kitchen expresses a sense of extreme simplicity. It seems almost bare, where removing is more a concern than pairing, adding. But in the mouth, that idea changes completely. The monumental centrality of the ingredient – and more and more of them are vegetables – speaks a language that was unknown up to now.

His dishes are as minimalist as they are complex and deep on the palate. They are also of an absolute lightness, with very few added fats, sometimes none.

Little salt or sugar is ever added. More and more, ingredients are presented raw, cold, in order to maintain, as much as possible, their nutritional and sensual qualities. “Even if this isn’t the principal motivation of my research,” Niko explained, “my aim, which has become my passion and my deepest interest, is the study of the ingredient, to give each its maximum expression and

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Photo byPhilippe Vaures Santamaria

centrality. Certainly, one of the results is the healthiness of the dish. Another result is that my cooking doesn’t only please critics, gastronomes, passionate food lovers and trained palates. It also pleases neophytes, those who haven’t had important culinary experiences.

They aren’t intimidated by my plates because they recognize them, understand what they’re about, both visually and in terms of flavor. The artichoke is an artichoke. Cabbage is cabbage.”

Remove, lighten, focus, subtract: these were the principles explained in the book Ten Cooking Lessons written by Niko with Laura Lazzaroni. If the starring ingredient is absolutely recognizable, it is also true that the complexity in Niko’s preparations almost has the force and depth of the great abstract canvases of the twentieth century, in which tone on tone amplified the possibilities of color. The work doesn’t only consist in removing, but in removing the ‘wrong’ things. “Perhaps,” Niko pondered, “I add in order to obtain the result of subtraction. It is a point of arrival after a very complex path.

Certainly, I don’t like dishes that are too complicated. I’m for simple things.

If I eat cabbage, I want cabbage at its purest. I was already working on extraction by 2000. Then on concentrations, and later on layering, ingredient on ingredient to accentuate flavor. My artichoke, which was born in 2013, wasn’t a provocation. It was simply a successful dish. Here the form in which it is presented changes, the form we have always known. The first step was the absolute onion, then came the artichoke, then the eggplant, and finally the cabbage. The absolute was pure extraction of the ingredient. With the artichoke, the extract was concentrated and became a sort of artichoke paint that lacquered, seasoned, was brushed on at the start. You always begin with extraction, while the structure remains that of the classic artichoke. With egg88 MARCH 2017

Photo byBrambilla Serrani Photographers

plant, instead, the form and structure change. It becomes a cube and its consistency becomes more important.

Cabbage is the final synthesis of all this work. It concentrates, it layers, it changes structure, it is eaten with a knife and fork. And, we introduce fermentation, which adds complexity. In this way, you recognize that it’s cabbage immediately – one of the most common vegetables. Tradition and poverty become the absolute stars of the dish. I have always worked with ingredients that everyone knows. I have never tried strange pairings. My cucina is very Italian, very much ours.”

In Italy, it was Gualtiero Marchesi in the 1980s who first spoke about ‘subtraction’ and absolute focus on the ingredient. His book, “My New Cucina Italiana” was a landmark. We asked how self-taught Niko, whose journey to the peak of Italian restaurateur careers started with an exam he missed, felt about that kind of approach. “I never spent time with Marchesi himself, although I have thoroughly studied his dishes, his books, his ideas. But I’m not a follower. Some of his dishes have exceptional modernity and relevance. For example, his cold spaghetti with caviar: it is explosive and intensely modern. My simplicity always starts with the ingredients, which have to be of the highest quality, but I use new and different techniques and technology. And for me, the vegetable is more and more important. It becomes more and more the center of interest. Working on the concept of simplicity means respecting the production process much more. The ingredient that a producer brings you, after having worked on it for years, gives the cook another responsibility. Those ingredients have to be studied, understood and respected, not turned upside down. You can’t mess with the life work of a person who has put his soul into producing it.”

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1 TEN LESSONS 4 6 8

90 MARCH 2017

3 2 5IN TEN 7 DISHES 9 10

Photo by Brambilla Serrani Photographers

1

DRUNKEN MISTICANZA AND ALMONDS

“This is a dish that represents Casadonna. The misticanza wild greens grow abundantly all around. They can grow only here. It is a starter vegetable course, and it changes during the year according to the different herbs that grow and make up the misticanza. April, May and June are the months when this recipe is at its best. The dish has a pathway and a logic that is totally connected to this location. It was planned and carried out with the help of Andrea Pieroni, the professor of ethno-botany who teaches the students in our school. He takes them around in the woods and fields to discover spontaneous herbs. He has introduced them to an amazing variety of local, edible wild greens. Here, as with the pancetta, we

use gin: Monkey is very vegetal and doesn’t cover the herbs, but brings out their flavors and aromas.

The work on the almonds finished the dish. I use them dried, rehydrate them in water for 24 hours, then freeze and puree them in a Pacojet. A dense almond paste results, which I serve at a temperature of about 6°C (43°F). I modify the structure, which is very dense, adding a drizzle of water. It is perfect under the misticanza of wild greens. It creates an incredible balance, a continual rapport between vegetal, bitter and sweet. As an opener on the menu, it activates salivation, but it isn’t a simple salad. It is a more complete and complex dish.”

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2

TENDENZE Photo by Brambilla Serrani Photographers

SPICY MUSHROOM INFUSION “This is part of the work we do on mushrooms and their structure. Usually mushrooms, no matter how they are cooked, are fairly soft, unless you eat them raw. So I aimed at obtaining a more solid consistency. I wanted to prepare the mushrooms with many herbs: thyme, tarragon, marjoram, garlic, parsley, rosemary. They are cooked sous vide at 65°C (150° F) for 20 minutes.

Once cooked, they stay sous vide for 15 days at 4°C (40°F). During this period, the herb aromas enrich the mushrooms. This aging makes the mushrooms very fragrant, the structure stays firm and doesn’t oxidize, so it keeps its natural color. When I cut the cardoncello mushroom in half, it is very white. It looks freshly picked. Because the central ingredient is the mushroom, I didn’t want to use other things that distracted attention.

So I thought of a broth of just cardoncelli, a classic vegetable broth, the mushrooms in infusion, and very reduced. From 2 liters, I obtain 400-500 grams of liquid at the end. Then I season them with the herbs that I used when cooking the mushrooms, but adding ginger, licorice and star anise. That’s why it ends up spicy and fresh, very Italian but also very exotic. Tarragon is an herb that is very commonly used in southern Italy. It feels like eating meat. Then with a pinch of rice starch, I give the broth a slightly thicker and almost shiny consistency. This increases the persistence of the broth in the mouth and reduces the contrast of structure with the mushroom.

And without a gram of fat.”

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Photo by Brambilla Serrani Photographers

3

CHICKEN TORTELLI

“This came out of our work on filled pasta. It is a dish with no sauce, served in a way that is almost off-putting.

There are two featured ingredients here, and they have to have the same dignity – the pasta and the filling. I love chicken. Here too, I began to work on many fronts. It was chicken alla cacciatora that inspired me, with its capers, anchovies, vinegar, rosemary. Once cooked, I realized I had two absolutely marvelous things in front of me – the sauce and the meat. I decided to make a pasta filling with the meat. The sauce, strained and completely clean and de-fatted, could be an element to reinforce the flavor of the filling. I also love celery, which I think goes very well with chicken. I freeze-dried the celery and reduced it to a powder, almost like powdered sugar. Then I focused on the pasta. It has to be very porous and consistent, but at

the same time very thin. It must be firm in the mouth, make itself felt and not melt. It has to have consistency. To bring the tortelli to perfection, I left them to dry for almost an hour under fans. Then they’re ready to be cooked, but not for more than 30 seconds. Next they are heated in a pan with the chicken sauce. The pasta absorbs it completely, reinforcing the flavor. I was missing a fresh, elegant element, and that was the celery. Sprinkled on the hot pasta, it melted and didn’t leave any trace on the surface. This is a very powerful dish, both sweet and elegant. The contrasts offer harmony to trained palates.

It is a difficult dish, despite appearances. It has almost no added fat, and not for health reasons, but because the taste is concentrated and cleaner. That is what led me to have a dish that was ‘simple’ and healthy.”

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4

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ALMOND TORTELLI IN FOREST BROTH on a broth that could play against the characteristics of the almond base: sweetness, bitter notes, fullness, earthiness (nuts are very good with mushrooms). I put thyme, marjoram and onion in the broth, but I wanted it to be even more complex, so I passed it quickly through smoky black tea, just enough to give the liquid a smoky flavor. Then I filtered it. The broth changed color completely and acquired great complexity with smoky notes. Then I infused it with dried porcini mushrooms to increase the forest flavor. It’s perfect with the almonds, a dish without a gram of fat, but still very rich, complex and powerful. This is a plate for winter, spring and autumn.”.

Photo by Brambilla Serrani Photographers

“This is a work that comes out of experiments with almonds and nuts in general, somewhere between cooking and pastry-making. I begin with the almond base that I use for other preparations, as we saw with the misticanza. The base is a preparation in which I modify the structure of the ingredient, without, however, modifying its flavor. Since I was enthusiastic about almond paste, I wanted to try to put it into filled pasta and give it a starring role. It is very fatty (but it’s a natural, healthy fat), dense and slightly sweet, although with bitterish notes, and it’s mouth-filling. All in all, it’s a basic product that is very complex and has depth. I’ve also had a passion for broth for a while. So I began to work

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5

Photo by Brambilla Serrani Photographers

SEA BASS, CAPERS, PARSLEY

“A very Italian, decidedly Mediterranean dish. I have never used parsley in my kitchen, except in a very few cases, I have asked myself why. At the end, I decided to work on the parsley leaves until I achieved a powerful sauce made simply with parsley, water, garlic and anchovy colatura – their liquid. I really liked it, but where and how to use it? So I archived it, waiting for the right occasion. For about a year I have been putting more fish on the menu. Obviously, I wanted to test myself with sea bass. Last winter I had already tried with white truffle, but I wanted a dish in which the sea bass was the absolute focus. As usual, I begin by working on cooking methods and consistency. I finally came to cooking it in two ways after seasoning it with wild fennel and garlic.

The first cooking is for 3 minutes. The whole fillet goes in a

very hot oven (220°C/425°F) and undergoes a thermal shock that toasts the outside, compressing the fibers, so they swell upwards. The fiber of the fish hardens, but doesn’t dry. It compresses, and the flesh becomes more compact. But I can’t go more than 3 minutes or it would dry too much. So I take it from the oven, lower the temperature to 55°C/130°F and put the sea bass back in for another 20 minutes. The fish finishes cooking and stays moist. It was delicious when tasted just cooked. But I wanted a more complex dish. So the parsley sauce came to mind. I thought it would be perfect for the sea bass. But still, sapidity was lacking, something that would be original, not just salt. I thought of capers. I dehydrated them and turned them into a powder, and sprinkled the powder on the fish.”

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6

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PANCETTA AND CELERY ROOT

Photo by Brambilla Serrani Photographers

“Everything here revolves around pancetta. Even from the photograph you can see the meat isn’t browned, the opposite of what we’re used to seeing in many dishes in which it is featured. This is cooked in a pressure steam oven.

Above all, I start with exceptional meat, handling it without the Maillard reaction or any treatment. Either the ingredient is perfect and great, or it’s better not to use it.

I didn’t want a crust or external toasting. The hardest part, mentally as well, was handling the fat.

Cooking at controlled pressure turned out to be perfect. The fat – very clean – keeps an important consistency and doesn’t dirty the palate. The pancetta, before it’s served, is passed through a mixture of gin, honey and lemon. You don’t feel that in the mouth, but it moves the flavor of the meat upwards. These are the invisible ingredients. They aren’t felt, or seen, but they bring out the flavor to its maximum. I liked that dish very much, but I needed to finish it with another element, and I wanted to work with another cube shape. I was already working on parsley and vegetables, so my thoughts immediately went to celery root.

It has almost the same consistency as pancetta, and the shape on the plate is similar, but they don’t unite. They march together and express themselves well, in harmony, their differences and particularities. The celery root is cooked in a pressure cooker with wine, white vinegar and water. It rests for two or three days and then is cut into sections. As far as form and consistency goes, it is another version of my earlier work on eggplant and on tongue.”

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Photo by Brambilla Serrani Photographers

CABBAGE AND POTATOES “This is the most recent entry into the vegetable section, one of the results of the work done on other great dishes, from artichokes to eggplant. I like to handle common, recognizable ingredients. Potatoes and cabbage are ingredients with identity – very territorial and very Abruzzese. I wanted to think of cabbage as a star player, with a form and dignity different from the way we are used to seeing it. Working on this cruciferous vegetable, taking it apart, cooking it, re-cooking it, I got results. Moving to steam I began to have a structure and a crunch that was raw. The idea was not to take it apart, but cut it in slices like a cake. During that period, I was in Seoul, and kimchi is a kind of national dish. It is a fermented cabbage that made me very curious. It has a more complex and deeper flavor that we are used to finding in cabbage. So I began a series of trials with fermentation. I realized that the more the cabbage aged, the more it gained in complexity, acidity, sweetness and freshness. The more the fermentation went ahead, the more interesting it became. Then, with the outside of the vegetable, I made a puree. Cabbage puree on steamed cabbage, in layers. I needed elegance. I tried with various spices but I decided on anise, which went very well with it. So I made a distillation of star anise in alcohol and added it to an emulsion of cabbage. Again, I was looking for creaminess, so I made a sauce with a very light potato puree, water and oil. When I bring this plate to the table, it seems almost like a veal roast.

It is a new form for a vegetable that has always been overcooked or drowned in overcooked soups. Besides, it is a dish that is strongly territorial and ties in well with my work, while going outside the canons of what’s usually done with this ingredient. Today, the aging of steam cooked cabbage continues for 40 days of fermentation, and I suggest it as a second course more and more.”

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8

LENTILS, HAZELNUTS, GARLIC AND WHITE TRUFFLES

“I wanted to make a dish with lentils, a classic legume that is used less and less. I adore it and it is at the heart of our territorial production. Today there isn’t a significant quantity grown, but the quality is great, like those from Santo Stefano di Sessanio. The lentils are steam-cooked for 40 minutes at 95°C (200°F). The external structure is unaltered, but inside, they become creamy. The individual legumes are whole, and all look the same. But how to use them? I began trying with the strangest things. At that time, we were studying hazelnuts in pastry-making and I wanted to try with lentils. They went very well together. So I began working on the structure, first with a hazelnut mousse at the base and lentils above. But it

lacked moisture. So I thought about a gelatin made with the water from the steam cooking of the lentils, but it was too bland. I added mushroom powder, which is very good with hazelnuts, thyme, rosemary, garlic, marjoram and chili pepper. The gelatin was very powerful. But how to assemble the plate? I decided to assemble it directly in the dish: first the gelatin, then the hazelnut mousse and then the lentils (dry) dampened in the cooking water of the lentils themselves to replace the moisture. The result was surprising. Gelatin under, hazelnut mousse and water next, lentils above, and on top, truffles. We finished it with oil infused in Sulmona red garlic, which added verve to everything.”

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9

LICORICE VINEGAR AND WHITE CHOCOLATE time it continues the pathway of savory, going towards the sweet without adding additional heaviness.

This dessert is made to order, assembled directly at the moment on the plate. The icy granita of vinegar and licorice is worked with rice starch, which gives greater creaminess and persistence in the mouth compared to the classic granita preparation which has only a water base. When frozen, it is grated like shaved ice, but has a longer-lasting structure. It is a precisely calibrated dish, playing on the balance of flavors, acidity and structure so that aromas and textures go well together. Temperature and amounts are gauged at the moment to give those sensations.�

Photo by Roberto Sammartini

“This is a sweet that, after Essenza in 2009, goes further in depth into my idea of a restaurant dessert. I didn’t want to create a break between savory and sweet, between the meal, whether a tasting menu or a series of savory dishes, and the dessert. The use of white vinegar, very aggressive and in some way anesthetizing for the palate, means that all the other flavors emerge gradually, little by little. The only sweet in the dish, the white chocolate, at that point gives a sensation of exaggerated sweetness. It feels like eating a real pastry dessert, even though there is very little sugar. After an important tasting menu, a dessert like this stimulates the mind, makes you smile.

It is startling in its progression, amusing, but at the same

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10

“The work on the lemon was a good job. The infusion was made working everything cold. We make holes in whole lemons and put them in cold water (1 kilo lemons, 1½ liters water) sous vide. We keep it all sous vide for 30 days at 4°C/40°F. The water acquires all the aromatic elements of the lemon. You might imagine an acidic juice, but it is a very, very complex infusion. You perceive acidity, but above all the bitterness of the lemon zest and the white of the skin, tone on tone. Here too, there’s a kind of stratification. I had tried to work with the lemon warm, but the results with cold amazed us. I think it’s a new frontier. You can do the same thing with other ingredients, for example turnip tops. Noth-

MIGNON PASTRIES

(infusion of lemon, peach, wholewheat wafer with hazelnuts, coffee and white chocolate wafer, bread and figs)

100 MARCH 2017

Photo by Brambilla Serrani Photographers

ing oxidizes, you don’t lose nutrients, they don’t change. And in this way, the lemon, at the end of a meal, can fulfill all its positive functions, contrasting acidity and aiding digestion.

The peach: fruit at the end. It is placed, whole and peeled, in water and salt (1liter water, 50 g salt) for 24 hours. It is sliced, and before being served, the individual portion is ‘pressed’ sous vide. Using low pressure, the structure becomes glassy, crisp and translucent. Sweetness and freshness join the hint of salt and make the dish amusing, interesting, healthy and natural.

The wholewheat wafer with hazelnut paste: you begin with the hazelnut base, the same we use for the lentils, with a creamy consistency that you can change by adding or removing water. Here too, there is no added fat, just a drop of extra-virgin oil in the wafer.

Wafers of coffee with toasted white chocolate: the chocolate

is placed in a 180°C/350°F oven for 30 minutes, in pieces.

It comes out toasted with lovely caramel notes. Puree with water and natural gelatin until it has a consistency a little denser than custard. Use it to fill a small coffee wafer. Season it all with a little bit of ground Sarawak pepper. It is very aromatic and balsamic, gives pleasant sensations in the mouth, and a button just a centimeter in diameter fills the mouth with an explosion of flavors.

Bread and figs: the simplest of preparations. Crumble fresh figs with your fingers and add a little Sambuca. Leave to ripen for a day. Serve on a round of pan brioche sprinkled with cinnamon and star anise.

These are all elements we normally use at the end of a meal.

Even etiquette books say that fruit follows dessert, because it closes the meal and refreshes, without being heavy, and it helps digestion.”

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