Gambero Rosso Wine Travel Food - February 2018

year 21 - number 115 - february 2017 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

Lazio Smart Wines.

Great bottles under 15 euros MARCO FELLUGA WORLD TOUR VITERBO AND TUSCIA 90 years young, Marco Felluga A long journey connecting GerA city and its entire province continues to promote the winemany to London bolsters the boasting deep Etruscan herimaking potential of his area ď ś Italian wine market and tests ď ś tage offers wild nature and high while setting a new objective: the best Italian kitchens abroad, quality food production. An adding value to Pinot Bianco, thus exporting visions, wines Italian province begging to be Collio's great expression and territories discovered

SOMMARIO year 21 - number 115 - february 2017 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

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Lazio Smart Wines.

Great bottles under 15 euros MARCO FELLUGA WORLD TOUR VITERBO AND TUSCIA 90 years young, Marco Felluga A long journey connecting GerA city and its entire province continues to promote the winemany to London bolsters the boasting deep Etruscan herimaking potential of his area  Italian wine market and tests  tage offers wild nature and high while setting a new objective: the best Italian kitchens abroad, quality food production. An adding value to Pinot Bianco, thus exporting visions, wines Italian province begging to be Collio's great expression and territories discovered

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The king of ‘nduja raises the London game Food News Wine News Wine of the month Gambero Rosso World Tour Pinot Bianco the true expression of the Collio Marco Felluga speaks. A proclamation in 6 vintages Berebene 2018. Lazio Viterbo and Tuscia Gastronomy in Evolution.

Indolence and Innovation Recipes. Marco Ambrosino Colophon

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The king of ‘nduja raises the London game casing the versatility of typical soft and spicy Calabrian pork sausage, proof of this is the crazy boom in sales of his signature pizza.

The chef now focuses on flavours of the Italian South, because why shouldn’t a Basilicata peasant dish like sweet cruschi peppers and salted codfish have the same dignity as hare à la royale? In his restaurants, manicured to the last detail, and sometimes cleverly flattering yet thoroughly tried and tested, he puts classic recipes at the centre. Trattoriastyle recipes and service-forward context are star-level, like in the case of Sartoria, with its exceptional wine list and lesser-known labels.

Brits love the traditional appearance of Italian cuisine. Mazzei simply re-proposes it with a different, more elegant outfit. Tailor and chef. The tables are graced by eggplant parmigiana, Sardinian fregola, ravioli filled with burrata, Milanese style breaded cutlets, and the ever-present tiramisu, which is actually quite good in all his restaurants. His is a reassuring cuisine that risks little but always hits the target, allowing his British patrons to virtually travel along the sunny and uneven roads of the Italian South. His winning intuition was understanding that getting his hands dirty with humble flavours would be the winning move. Today he is a star in London. “Regionality is the future of Italian cuisine abroad.” And this is only the beginning.

– Lorenzo Ruggeri

“We can no longer be ashamed of our traditions.

If a French chef has dinner guests over, he will be eager to serve them his grandmother’s cheese, presenting it as his most treasured specialty. In a similar situation, an Italian would be ashamed of the smell.”

Francesco Mazzei, speaks frankly. Born in a small town in Calabria, Cerchiara, he escaped the mafia, travelled the world and came back to his native Italy before settling down in London, his second home. After routine entrepreneurial steps, the leap in quality came with L’Anima located in the heart of the City. He then re-launched the Sartoria venue on Savile Row, the street of tailored suits. The restaurant was ranked the highest with Tre Gamberi recognition in our Top Italian Restaurants guide.

Furthermore, in the last 12 months he opened two other restaurants, Radici, a southern Italian style trattoria, and then Fiume, in Battersea.

We visited him and here too everything is already running at full speed. Pragmatism, vision and entrepreneurial spirit: Mazzei managed to break the bank in the very city where the majority of Italian chefs didn’t make it. Think Cedroni, Barbieri, and also the non-native Heinz Beck.

Mazzei showcased his origins and the products of his land, betting everything on his beloved and ever-evolving homeland, southern Italy and its broken roads: the place he has dedicated his book to. They call him King of ‘Nduja for show-

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NEWS

GINO SORBILLO JOINS FORCES WITH SHINTARO AKATSU TO CONQUER AMERICA. A NEW PIZZERIA IN NEW YORK, THEN MIAMI AND L.A. His pizzeria at 334 Bowery, inaugurated in November 2017, quickly became a must on many New Yorkers’ lists, so Gino Sorbillo seems poised to expand in the United States. He and Japanese entrepreneur Shintaro Akatsu have a new agreement aimed at developing the Sorbillo Pizzeria format in America’s largest cities, including Miami, Los Angeles, and another location in New York. Recent years have shown Akatsu and Italy to be congenial partners. He often stays in Milano in his luxurious penthouse over the Galleria del Corso. In 2009, he purchased 5% of Grom, importing the celebrated ice cream into Japan. He also distributes various Italian brands – fashion, jewelry and foods – in his own country. For some time, Akatsu has shown interest in bringing Zia Esterina’s Antica Pizza Fritta to Tokyo. Now seems to be the right moment. According to Sorbillo, the agreement with Akatsu will guarantee the business rapid growth, with a significant number of new locations, and, within 2019, it will include the first Tokyo venture. Another pizzeria in New York is the next step, even though no details about time and place have leaked out.

IN CHINA, A COCKTAIL BAR INSPIRED BY WES ANDERSON. PASTEL COLORS AND A DREAMY ATMOSPHERE FOR THE BUDAPEST CAFÉ The Grand Budapest Hotel, director Wes Anderson’s masterpiece film, won many awards in 2014 and 2015 (Jury Grand Prix in Berlin, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Oscars for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design and Best Original Score). It is remembered above all for sets and costumes that brought to life the hotel in the imaginary country of Zubrowka and the people that lived and worked there in the early 1930s. The Budapest Café, in China, is inspired by the film. Australian interior design studio, Biasol, is creating the café in Chengdu, capital of the Sichuan province. The Budapest Café, backed by a group of investors interested in offering a comfortable but unusual setting, will feature made-to-measure décor. Its menu is secondary, so far. The space, on several levels, will impress visitors with stairs, steps, unexpected corners for seating and perspectives that suggest distance and flight. Elegant materials, specially designed marble and granite, leather couches and lamps, will evoke an atmosphere that is both modern and nostalgic.

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NEWS

THE GRAND PRIX DE L’ART DE LA CUISINE IN PORTUGAL FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE TOP PRIZE WENT TO JOSÉ AVILLEZ

Since 1990, the Academie Internationale de la Gastronomie has been giving a prize for culinary talent, considered by chefs to be one of the most prestigious awards in the world.

The Academy, which brings together national delegations from the entire universe of gastronomy, aims to promote and safeguard the development of regional and national patrimonies by contributing to cultural, educational, nutritional and travel-related projects, as well as scientific research in the sector. This year the award that recognized competence and creativity in the kitchen also marked the debut of a country that had never appeared on the winners’ list before, Portugal: it was José Avillez’ moment. The chef from Cascais is probably the most significant figure on the contemporary Portuguese haute cuisine scene, an example of creative talent and solid entrepreneurship. He heads a constantly growing group: besides the home base Belcanto (the restaurant partnered with chef David Jesus), it includes numerous more or less informal locations in the capital city, one in Porto (with a format already tested in Lisbon, Cantinho do Avillez) and three new concepts recently inaugurated on the top floor of the El Corte Ingles shopping mall in Lisbon.

DINDR: THE APP THAT ARRANGES RESTAURANT DINNER DATES COMES TO THE USA Tinder is one of the most famous and popular dating apps, serving every age group and nationality. One of its versions, the newest, is called Dindr and for the first time directly connects a meeting app with eating out.

Its program can monitor each user’s tastes, and put foodies that enjoy the same kind of eating experience in touch.

Originally, Dindr was invented in Austin as an app for restaurant reviews. After ratings, users organized meetings to eat together, a way of being able to sample more dishes, share a table and expenses as well. But from a group dinner to a date for two was an easy step, and so users began employing the app to look for kindred souls, starting with similar tastes in food.

Dindr’s creators decided to change format and began

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organizing dates by suggesting three restaurants for each couple who could agree on a time and a type of cuisine.

So, if two users have a yen for Chinese food, and both are free at nine p.m., the app suggests three restaurants, helped along by Yelp and Trip Advisor, leaving the couple to chat a bit before deciding whether or not to dine together. The rules, though, are clear: users can connect with the app only at noon, three p.m and seven p.m. During these hours, they can scan the various profiles, but have access only to one match at a time. If the two don’t want to get together, the chat deletes itself, and that day the user can’t make other dates.

Dindr has been made available for Apple only in certain selected cities in the USA, as of last January 26 th.

Vini d’Italia Worldtour 2018/2019

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STOCKHOLM - Sweden COPENHAGEN - Denmark BERLIN - Germany MUNICH - Germany

MAY trebicchieri

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ZÜRICH - Switzerland

Vini d'Italia Experience

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PARIS - France

Vini d'Italia Experience

Vini d'Italia Experience

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SINGAPORE - Singapore BANGKOK - Thailand HONG KONG - China

Top Italian Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wine&Spirits Experience - Vinexpo Special

SEATTLE - Usa VANCOUVER - Canada TORONTO - Canada WASHINGTON DC - Usa BOSTON - Usa

Top Italian Wines Roadshow trebicchieri trebicchieri Vini d'Italia Experience Vini d'Italia Experience

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LONDON – U.K. CHICAGO - Usa

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MARCH 02 06 08 17

NEW YORK - Usa LOS ANGELES - Usa SAN FRANCISCO - Usa DÜSSELDORF - Germany

trebicchieri trebicchieri trebicchieri trebicchieri PROWEIN Special

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER TOKYO - Japan

APRIL 05 09

SÃO PAULO – Brazil HOUSTON - Usa

Top Italian Wines Roadshow Top Italian Wines Roadshow

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VERONA - Italy

trebicchieri VINITALY Special

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DUBAI - EAU

Notte Italiana Vini d'Italia Experience

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BEIJING - China

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SHANGHAI - China

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HONG KONG - China

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2019 FEBRUARY

JANUARY trebicchieri

LONDON – U.K.

trebicchieri

COPENHAGEN - Denmark

Vini d'Italia Experience

CHICAGO - Usa

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BERLIN - Germany

Vini d'Italia Experience

NEW YORK - Usa

trebicchieri

MUNICH - Germany

trebicchieri

LOS ANGELES - Usa

trebicchieri

SAN FRANCISCO - Usa

trebicchieri

STOCKHOLM - Sweden

MARCH DÜSSELDORF - Germany

Sponsor

trebicchieri PROWEIN Special

NEWS

WINE FAIRS. OVER 1,700 ITALIAN EXHIBITORS AT PROWEIN, OPENING MARCH 18.

A PRESENTATION IN ROME The much-anticipated three days in Düsseldorf are around the corner and Italians are the top exhibitors, their numbers on the rise compared to 2017. The fair, due to open on March 18, will host 6,700 companies and more than 500 initiatives, including a new focus on artisanal beverages.

For Italian producers, ProWein is an important opportunity to be present at one of the three great historic markets for their nation’s wine, where, in the first 9 months of 2017, sales increased 2% to 710 million euros, expected to rise to 3% when the year’s figures close. The decision to present the fair in Rome, as explained by ProWein director Marius Berlemann, was dictated by the close ties between the two markets. “The bond with Italy has lasted 25 years and gets stronger with each edition. In 1994, for example, there were only 29 Italian exhibitors, and in 2017, that number reached an unprecedented 1600, more than 24% of the total and ahead of France’s 1,500. This year, we expect 1700.” The figures from 2017 show that there were more than 6,600 exhibitors in all, coming from 62 countries. Visitors numbered 58,500, and arrived from 131 nations. The German fair has be-

come a reference point for the sector because of the quality of the specialized public it attracts, a key factor in the overall satisfaction of exhibitors.

“Last year,” Berlemann pointed out, “two visitors out of three were managers at a medium-high level. Almost 60% of professional visitors conclud-

ed business deals either during or immediately after the fair, while 54% were able to find new suppliers.”

Gambero Rosso will be present in Düsseldorf the day before the fair opens with an exclusive edition of the Tre Bicchieri tour, to be held on March 17. www.prowein.com

MARKETS. THE UNITED STATES WILL POWER WORLD GROWTH FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS Once again, the most important world market for wine will lead the sector’s growth over the next five years. A study published by Vinexpo (based on data from IWSR) estimates that in the United States, by 2021, sales of still and sparkling wines will reach $45 billion, 11 more than the $34 billion attained in 2016. The figure is a not a surprise, because for 23 years the USA has been the principal force for world wine consumption.

Therefore, the global market should reach $224 billion, with 2.66 billion cases (of 9 liters) consumed, that is 24 billion liters. The American market leads in terms of volume as well, and will continue to do so in the years to come, with an average growth of 1%, including local products as

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well as imported ones. New Zealand and France will be the biggest winners in this gain. American consumption of sparkling wines, according to Vinexpo/ ISWR estimates, is expected to increase about 6% annually until 2021, a rate of growth triple the world average. Until the present day, the USA has been the fourth market in the world for the consumption of sparkling wine, but could surpass France within the next five years. This is good news for Prosecco which might see a strong increase in sales on the American market. The study further estimates that the USA will pass Germany in Prosecco imports, rising to the third position in terms of consumption, after Italy and Great Britain.

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NEWS

WINE OF THE MONTH VERDICCHIO DI MATELICA VIGN. FOGLIANO ‘15 - BISCI via Fogliano, 120 - Matelica (MC) www.bisci.it bottles 10226 ex-cellar price: 15.00 euros + tax In recent years, the synergy that has developed between Mauro Bisci and the winemaker Aroldo Bellelli has given new life to this historic winery. Working on their estate, situated between Matelica and Cerreto d’Esi, they have established a style that is increasingly focused on the attributes of the territory - and that means Verdicchio, in all its sharp, flavorful, elegant glory, achieved through proper maturation and aging in fibreglass-lined concrete containers. With the same lucidity, they have made their Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet less of a priority, as these varieties are less interesting than in the past and are, in part, explanted. The quality of their white grapes has been pleasantly confirmed.

Their 2015 Vigneto Fogliano transformed its intimate territorial character into a style that features mineral and aniseed infused citrus. The mouth has a sophisticated grace that’s capable of keeping together aromatic complexity and inspiring drinkability.

SPAIN. CONSUMPTION IN 2017.

FAMILIES PREFER DOP WINES

AUSTRALIA. RECORD GROWTH IN WINE EXPORTS

The upward trend in spending on wine is increasingly involving Spanish families, a tendency seen in other major wine-consuming countries. The data from 2017, up to October, as published by the Spanish Food Ministry (MAPAMA) indicates that still DOP wines, although making up only 37.2% of volume, accounted for 57.1% of overall spending on wine. Still non-DOP wines represented 23.6% of spending and accounted for almost half the volume consumed. The switch came in 2004, when the value of DOP labels consumed surpassed that of other wines. Since then, the difference has increased, and, according to the OEMV (Observatorio Espaňol del Mercado del Vino) the volume of DOP wine consumed will soon exceed those without DOP status: 140 million liters of DOP wines (80 in 1999) compared to 174 million without DOP status (480 at the end of the 20th century). To sum up, the Spanish have been drinking less wine, but more expensive ones, choosing those of higher cost. Overall annual spending on wine remains at about one billion euros (in 2010, it was 1.1 billion euros, the highest). However, for a complete picture, the numbers for the 2017 Christmas period are still missing. In December, average consumption usually reaches 51 million liters, about 200 million euros, compared to average consumption of 33 million liters in October and November, and spending of 80 million euros. In other months, Spaniards drink about 29 million liters of wine, at a cost of between 60 and 70 million euros monthly.

The race to export Australian wine shows no sign of slowing. Last year overall proceeds reached the highest level seen since the economic and financial crisis of 2008, that is, 2.56 billion Australian dollars (about 1.66 billion euros), an increase of 15%. According to the analysis from Wine Australia, a government agency, this is the highest percentage of growth in value since 2004. Another important jump of 8% was seen in the volume of wine sold abroad (811 million liters). Among the segments, premium wines are leading the increases, with growth of 17% in value and an average price per liter of 5.63 Australian dollars (+3%). Bulk wine is also doing well: its overall value grew 10% in 2017 to 440 million euros, with an average price of one Australian dollar (up 6%, the highest value since 2012). Where did Australian wines go? The free trade act signed with China in 2015 is giving the hoped-for results. For the first time, exports towards the northern areas of Asia surpassed a billion dollars, with an enviable 47% increase. It is the most important increase for Australian wines in ten years. And, according to the analysts, the trend is destined to continue. In China alone, the major market, export was up 63% in value and 54% in volume. The five principal markets for Australian wines in terms of value are China (33%), USA (18%), UK (14%), Canada (7%) and Hong Kong (5%).

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GAMBERO ROSSO WORLD TOUR Three legs over the course of January and February will travel from Germany to London.

The three events intend to test the market, bestow awards to the best examples of Italian cuisine and export vines, visions and territories

STORIES

GERMANY

THE NUMBERS OF ITALIAN WINE IN GERMANY Looking at Germany’s numbers in the period between January and October 2017, the country has imported 802 million Euro worth of Italian wine (+2,6% more than the 782 million in the same period in 2016) for a grand total of 470,3 million litres of wine. The average price was fixed at 1,7 Euro per litre. Over the course of 12 months, 2016 had imported wine for a total of 2,4 billion Euro. Average wine consumption is 20.5 litres per capita.

THE BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN BERLIN

After a two-year hiatus, Gambero Rosso returns to Berlin to present the German issue of the Vini d'Italia guide. More than 50 wineries gathered in the central Hotel de Rome. Half way through the event, during the award ceremony for the city’s best venues few doubts were raised in regard to the best Italian restaurant in Berlin. Located in the heart of Mitte, our first place went to Bocca di Bacco, the Mannozzi family’s historical business. Awarded with Due Forchette recognition, it gained the highest ranking in the city’s fine dining category. In the trattoria category, Lavanderia Vecchia stands out above the rest. The venue located in Neukölln won the Surgiva Taste & Design Award bestowed by Tim Kirchof, for the unique format. The character of the old laundry room is maintained in the elegant remodelling efforts, the hipster feel of the neighbourhood, hearty homestyle cuisine, unique menu calibrated by authentic flavours. In just a short time, Berlin has become a pizza magnet, there is extraordinary buzz in the milieu of Neapolitan style pies. The highest score, Due Spicchi, was given to: Standard–Serious Pizza, thanks to their exceptional dough developed by pizzaiuolo Alessandro Leonardi; to Prenzlauer Berg, and Malafemmena, the Cirillo family business is a true interpreter of the Neapolitan pizza art. Along with margherita pies and bite-sized montanare the menu also features authentic regional cuisine. In the wine bar category are Enoiteca Il Calice and Muret La Barba, both located in Mitte.

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GAMBERO ROSSO WORLD TOUR

ITALIAN DINING IN MUNICH

There are almost 500 Italian restaurants in Munich.

According to the Top Italian Restaurants guide, the city’s average Italian dining level is the highest in Germany. The only Italian cuisine venue in Germany awarded with Tre Forchette recognition is in Munich. At the opening degustation held at Isarforum, Mario Gamba, Italian maestro chef in Germany, was bestowed the highest recognition for his restaurant Acquarello, which has been in business since 1994 in the elegant Bogenhausen neighbourhood. The venue represents one of the best examples of high cuisine with a French twist. The cuisine is capable of reinterpreting Italian classics with a clear vision and thanks to a talented hand, without ever repeating itself. “More and more of our customers decide to not choose a bottle but rather trust our suggested pairings. We decided to pour wines from magnum bottles in order to provide something that was not usually found”, says Mario. Due Forchette were bestowed to Acetaia.

The restaurant managed by Michele Perego offers solid cuisine, boasting a beautiful wine list and a delightful summer garden. “I had to remove Lugana from the wine list, otherwise I wouldn’t have needed a sommelier: everyone always asks for it. I want to promote and teach customers about our native wines. I have a thing for mature whites.

They are sold very well now”, comments the manager Perego. In the trattoria category, Dal Cavaliere gathered the highest score with Due Gamberi recognition. The restaurant of the D’Orta family guarantees Neapolitan regional recipes and methods, in addition to one of the city’s most fragrant pizzas. Lastly, the Surgiva Taste & Design Award, handed by Hans Dieter Burgis went to restaurant Hippocampus. Chef Cosimo Ruggiero —aka Mimmo– offers a light and clean cuisine that perfectly places itself in the refined context enriched with precious Tuscan marble, warm walnut wood panelling, great attention to detail both in the dining room and in the kitchen. “Clients prefer to enjoy big labels and well-known bottles. It’s difficult to suggest something different even to our loyal clientele”, comments Mimmo who landed in Munich, almost by chance, thirty years ago.

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STORIES

LONDON, AMID BREXIT AND UNCERTAINTY At 18 months from the vote that shook Europe, the sentiment of producers, importers and distributors is actually far removed from the post-electoral catastrophic predictions. Consumed

wine is back in positive ground, and openings of Italian venues in town are at London speed: without pause. The Tre Bicchieri event of Gambero Rosso held on February 8th in the luminous Royal Horticultural Hall overlooking Vincent Square, created the opportunity to test the market with over 70 producers awarded, in addition to the Piedmont Wine delegation. “Our sales increased in 2017, we opened a third venue in Greenwich and we’re already working on a fourth”, commented Bruno Cernacca, owner of Vini Italiani, a wine bar with retail in an all-day operation, serving from breakfast to after dinner drinks. As far as trends,

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there is a normalization in regard to biodynamic and organic wine: buyers’ attention is focusing on wineries attentive towards social sustainability, as well as a net growth in vegan and vegetarian wines.

For the time being, new taxes and excise duties have been averted, so many producers are reporting significant growth. “We’re seeing increments along the entire line. We are firm believers in Lambrusco that’s very successful, but which could become a true asset”, comments Begault Thomas of Gruppo Italiano Vini. “Right now, the most important variable is uncertainty.

There is great anticipation to see how

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negotiations with the European Union will end. This unpredictable situation means that many import companies are currently waiting before investing.

Exchange rates with the Euro are close to the lowest standard, there are studies that foresee a significant drop in the consumption of foreign products, but there is also room for cautious optimism. It is no coincidence that Eataly, after years of conducting research, decided to open in January 2020 on Liverpool Street, after the Brexit results…”, commented Alessio Noè, wine expert present in the UK for the past 5 years.

Seminars conducted with Marco Sabellico are super popular. Among the

most appreciated wines are Sassella Riserva Rocce Rosse 2007 and Malvasia delle Lipari Passito 2016 made by Caravaglio, an extraordinary example of sweet wine with an out-of-the-ordinary profile. “This is the best sweet wine I’ve ever had”, was the common feedback around the room. As far as Italian restaurants, the Top Italian Restaurants guide has included 15 venues, highlighting a vibrant and growing scene. During the event Paolo Cuccia honoured a few examples of exceptional dining, among these Antica Pizzeria da Michele (on Baker Street) was awarded with Due Spicchi recognition; Rigo’, already recipient of the

Best Opening of 2017 award, scored Tre Forchette. This top rank creates original cuisine that wisely employs Italian ingredients and the Basque/ French background of chef Gonzalo Luzarraga. His offer is supported by a fine wine list developed by sommelier Federico Dadone. Lastly, the Surgiva Award for the attention to detail in the dining room and in the kitchen was collected by Francesco Mazzei, one of the UK’s most dynamic Italian chefs. In 2017 he opened Radici followed by Fiume. Sartoria which he manages since 2015 proceeds at top speed gathering Tre Gamberi recognition for the solid traditional cuisine.

Promotion consortium I Vini del Piemonte born thanks to important producers who were convinced that Piedmontese wines have great potential for success on international markets.

All Piedmontese winemakers producing wines with a Denomination of Origin may participate in the consortium, in whatever form they are established.

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PINOT BIANCO THE TRUE EXPRESSION OF THE COLLIO MARCO FELLUGA SPEAKS A PROCLAMATION IN 6 VINTAGES Work is tiring, but it isn’t always tedious. Marco Felluga, from the heights of his 90 years and 60 harvests, is the proof. As the father of the Collio and the great whites of Friuli, he has spent his life passionately promoting the winegrowing potential of his territory. He is still pointing out the path – indicating the true importance of Pinot Bianco, the great expression of this land so wellsuited for wine grapes, recognized as such since 1787. Witnessing this is a vertical tasting of six vintages of Pinot Bianco of Russiz Superiore

words by Stefania Annese – photography by Tiziano Scaffai

STORIES

“I’

ve had a lot of fun in all these years of work.” And he has never stopped doing his best to promote the Collio DOC, the potential of this territory, and the longevity of Italian whites. If Bordeaux can be compared to Tuscany for its great reds, the whites of Friuli (and the Collio in particular) measure up well to German wine technology. According to the classification of the Collio dated 1787, its wines were already considered precious by the Hapsburg Empire “for their goodness.” Marco Felluga, after his first ninety years (celebrated in a book by Walter Filipputti, “A Story of Intuitions”), doesn’t feel the fatigue of time passed, but rather nostalgia for events that went too fast. “In all these years, I have always tried to carry on a coherent conversation about territory, one of promotion and identity.

Thanks to the spirit of the local consortium, it has been possible to join the forces of the individual producers and strengthen the image of the Collio itself. But there’s no end to our work, because every year brings new projects, and we always try to make our wines better.” Marco’s view is that of a visionary, a clear-headed man of extreme sensibility. A relationship with wine has been part of the Felluga DNA for over a hundred years. Giovanni, Marco’s father, began producing wine in Istria, then moved to Grado in the 1920s to sell Refosco and Malvasia.

Another transfer took the family to 

1924 – Giovanni Felluga, originally from Isola d’Istria (today in Slovenia), a distributor and producer of wines, opens a warehouse in Grado together with his family

1920

1938 – From Grado, Giovanni Felluga moves to Gradisca d’Isonzo to launch his own wine production after recognizing the potential of Friuli

1930

1950 – Marco, the next-to-last of seven children, after finishing high school, attends the enology school in Conegliano Veneto

1940 GAMBERO ROSSO

1956 – The brothers separate. Livio moves to the Colli Orientali.

Marco Felluga stays in Gradisca d’Isonzo and founds his winery, creating the brand that bears his name

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1963 – The Friuli Venezia Giulia region is founded under a special law. From July 12, Law 930 makes it possible to ask for Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status for Italian wines

1960

1964 – The Consorzio Collio is founded. Its objective: obtain the specific, territorial DOC

PINOT BIANCO, THE TRUE EXPRESSION OF THE COLLIO

MARCO FELLUGA. RUSSIZ SUPERIORE. A STORY OF INTUITIONS Marco Felluga’s 90 years are celebrated in this book that also describes the 50 years of his masterpiece: Russiz Superiore. It is a story of intuitions, of entrepreneurial courage and of a vision that binds the father and his son, Roberto. Considering the winery’s future, he reflects, “If we do our work well, we can leave to those who come after us more than what we received.”

Editorial coordination and art direction by Kividesign Walter Filipputti ed. Marco Felluga pp. 98

Marco Felluga Gradisca d’Isonzo (GO) via Gorizia, 121 - 048199164 marcofelluga.it Russiz Superiore Capriva del Friuli (GO) via Russiz, 7 – 048180328 marcofelluga.it

1965 – La Serenissima opens.

A favorite project of Marco Felluga’s, it is the first Italian wine bar with a regional character. It becomes a place for producers and consumers to meet and understand the quality of Friuli’s wines

1967 – The Felluga family purchases one of the most beautiful properties of the Collio: Russiz Superiore. With it comes 700 years of history during which noble families and their wines succeed each other

1968 – 1980 – Roberto Felluga 1999 – Marco Felluga becomes The Collio DOC joins the business alongside President of the Consorzio Collio, is recognized his father, Marco a position renewed until 2005.

These are decisive years for the marketplace identity of Collio wines

1970

1980 GAMBERO ROSSO

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1990

1999 – Roberto Felluga takes the reins of the family winery

STORIES

PINOT BIANCO RUSSIZ SUPERIORE THE COLLIO IN 6 VINTAGES

88 Collio Pinot Bianco ‘16

A seesaw-style year, with hot, sunny days and strong temperature excursions. The wine confirms its varietal and territorial qualities, delighting the nose with citrus fruit notes followed by floral and iodine sensations. Then grassiness, juiciness and fruit suggest an extremely fresh wine that will be completed with time. The palate offers not only aromatic notes but potent acidity and sapidity. A Pinot Bianco of great power and a long finish, perhaps a little too taut.

91Collio Pinot Bianco ‘15

A year older than the preceding label but it also has better balance. Its edgi-

Gradisca d’Isonzo, in the Collio, where Giovanni discovered a unique territory. It was the first zone of Italy to be recognized as a DOC and, in 1964, to form a consortium of producers.

The family stayed together until 1956, when Marco separated from his brother Livio, another patriarch of Friulian wine, who died in 2016 at the age of 102. The Collio is a border territory and a crossroads of people and culture.

In 1956, in Gradisca d’Isonzo, Marco Felluga created the winery in his own name. In 1967 he bought the Russiz Superiore property, notable for bearing the emblem of the princes of Torre Tasso in Capriva del Friuli. That lion symbol goes on his wine labels, a reminder of the bond between the city of Venice and the Collio Goriziano zone.

“The hilly strip of the Collio has the shape of a horseshoe,” explained Alessandro Sandrin, Marco Felluga’s enologist since 2012. “It includes the hills of the Gorizia province between the Isonzo and Judrio rivers, stretching from Dolegna to San Mauro. We are in the central part. In the earth, in the 

MARCO FELLUGA’S FAVORITE PLACES  Ristorante Agli Amici 1887 Udine - via Liguria, 252 0432565411 - agliamici.it  L'Argine a Vencò Dolegna del Collio (GO) località Vencò 04811999882 - largineavenco.it  Campiello San Giovanni al Natisone (UD) via Nazionale, 40 0432757910 - ristorantecampiello.it  La Subida

Cormons (GO) - via Subida, 52 – 048160531 - lasubida.it  LoKanda Devetak San Michele del Carso (GO) režiči, 22 0481 882488  Osteria Altran Ruda (UD) località Cortona, 19

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 Da Nando Mortegliano (UD) via Divisione Julia, 14 0432760187 - danando.it  La Primula San Quirino (PN) - via San Rocco, 47 043491005 - ristorantelaprimula.it  Ristorante al Ferarut

Rivignano (UD) - via Cavour, 34 0432775039 - ristoranteferarut.it  La Serenissima - enoteca regionale

Gradisca d'Isonzo (GO) via Cesare Battisti, 30 0481960292  Ristopub Borgo San Quirino

Trieste - via Armando Diaz, 3 3398664770 - borgosanquirino.net

PINOT BIANCO, THE TRUE EXPRESSION OF THE COLLIO

ness was attenuated in the bottle, giving us a wine with elegant aromas but creamy and very assertive on the palate. The 2015 year was unfortunately marked by intense rains at the end of August and beginning of September, pushing ahead the vegetative cycle of the vines, but the results were excellent. Almond and vegetal sensations, fragrant and fruity, satisfying on nose and palate.

84 Collio Bianco Pinot Bianco ‘14

About 15,000 bottles were produced in 2014, an unhappy vintage and not a glorious one for many. A great challenge, therefore, for this Pinot Bianco, distinguished for its clean and pleasant fragrances, even if its aromatic character is more sustained than its body. Tones of ripe fruit on a backdrop of vanilla, with

a typical citrusy close. Acidity is present, although not very marked. Harmonious and immediate on the palate.

90 Collio Pinot Bianco ‘13

A truly good wine! It excels for complexity and elegance, thanks to a decidedly normal vintage year where everything went right, including the development of the entire vegetative cycle. The resulting high quality grapes give us a wine that reflects its territory with notes of white flowers and incense. Mineral notes enliven a sensual palate. Great length.

92 Collio Pinot Bianco ‘12

A great omen, a wonderful discovery: this 2012 marks the arrival of Alessandro Sandrin in the winery. He certainly

Ristorante Hotel Osteria La Primula

brought a fresh breeze to Russiz Superiore wines. On the nose, strong balsamic sensations, grass and chlorophyll, followed by tertiary notes. The palate is round, fine, and pleasantly peppery, leaving the mouth drenched in velvety aromatic notes.

82 Collio Pinot Bianco ‘10

Decidedly the archetype of Russiz Superiore Pinot Bianco, a wine already leaning towards a particular stylistic formula.

The change in tone from the 2010 vintage forward is clear and decisive. Here freshness is less evident, making room for sensations of more softness in the wine. Smoky notes prevail, flint stone and hints of vanilla. Creamy on the palate, the wine feels the lack of a refreshing acidic vein, although the saline element is still very present.

Cividale del Friuli Udine

Ristorante Agli Amici 1887

San Quirino

Dolegna del Collio

L’Argine a Vencò

Ristorante Campiello

Pordenone

Codroipo

Rivignano

Mortegliano

Cormons San Giovanni al Natisone

La Subida

Gorizia

MARCO FELLUGA Gradisca D’Isonzo Trattoria Albergo da Nando San Michele del Carso

Ristorante Al Ferarut

Osteria Altran

Ruda

Lokanda Devetak

Monfalcone

Portogruaro La Serenissima enoteca regionale

Lignano Sabbiadoro

Grado Ristopub Borgo San Quirino

San Donà di Piave

Jesolo

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Trieste

STORIES

1300 7%

hectares of vineyard in the Collio DOC

of the region’s total vineyards are in the Collio

8

municipalities in the Gorizia province participate in the DOC

166

The number of wineries belonging to the local Consorzio

6.7

million bottles average annual production in 2013-2016

2017

presentation in Brussels of the official candidacy of Collio-Brda zone for the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List

2018

vintage year for the market launching of the DOCG produced with historic varieties such as friulano, ribolla gialla and malvasia

center of the Russiz Superiore vineyards, we discovered an ancient coral reef that continues to lend a characteristic salinity to the wines. We frequently find fossil remains in the soil.

The terrain is characterized by layers of marl and sand that are called ‘ponce’ in Friulano, also ‘flysch’. It is a particular kind of land that stores water, guarantees a good reserve of moisture right through the harvest.”

Early on, Marco worked to build the Consorzio Collio. Then he labored to attain DOC status, which came in 1968. In 1970, he began pushing to transform the Collio into a premium zone for great Italian whites. “I tried to communicate my ideas by more audacious means. I remember meeting advertising genius Oliviero Toscani, and trying to revolutionize the image of Collio Goriziano wines using an unforgettable photo – a beautiful dark-skinned model pressing a bottle of wine to her nude breast. In the background it said, “The only white I love is

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the best white in the world.” The critics were fierce, so we shut down the ad, and our image campaign ended there.

But it was a great pity. I have seen many producers ready to spend money on their own wineries but not on marketing their own work. But if you don’t make your product known, no one will know what you’re doing and what you are,” Marco summed up.

Marco Felluga has lived through 60 harvests. His son Roberto has been at his side for more than twenty. His role is a custodian of the tradition of extreme respect for the territory and for flavor. “The winery isn’t certified as organic, but we operate as if we were,” said Alessandro Sandrin. “We always use manure to fertilize the soil, proving that agricultural tradition goes hand in hand with new technology.

Eighty percent of our entire production is concentrated on white varieties such as friulano, ribolla gialla, pinot bianco and sauvignon. They are perfect to drink young, but are also very inter-

PINOT BIANCO, THE TRUE EXPRESSION OF THE COLLIO

esting when left to age for some years.

They are all grapes from mass selections Marco carried out and that allow us to preserve the genetic patrimony of the best indigenous Friulano grapes.”

If Marco represents history and Roberto the present, it will be Ilaria, Roberto’s daughter to lead this empire into the future. Marco, though, still has a great deal to say. “I have one regret, a project that I hope the others will carry on – to show off the great potential of another one of the Collio’s indigenous white varieties, pinot bianco. It makes a wonderful, fragrant wine that still hasn’t found the place it deserves on the marketplace, suffocated by the media’s barriers and the international fashion for pinot grigio.

It would be good if producers worked to give it sufficient space and the visibility it deserves.” 

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S VIEW Braiding my own life into that Marco and Roberto Felluga’s family has had contradictory aspects: enthusiasm for the opportunity and a sense of responsibility about telling the story.

Images, like words on paper, stay in the mind only through emotion. Life impregnated Marco’s face with vineyards and wines. He is a creature of the earth who, over the years, absorbed passions, affection, light, and all shine out.

As we all became friends, I had to steal a spark of soul from them.

The collaboration continued with Roberto, an illuminated visionary.

I once again entered the heart of this story, this family, this unique and inspiring territory.

– Tiziano Scaffai

THE STORY

ALL EXCEPT ONE

by Nicola Ravera Rafele When Giacomo sees him coming, with the rapid stride and open smile of those who have had a long, happy life, he doesn’t have the courage to confess. At all. He shakes Marco Felluga’s hand and lies, complimenting him for that wine “he had always loved.” They give him a room on their estate, in the loveliest part of the Relais Russiz, as befits Italy’s most important enologist: a handsome rustic building set in the perfection of those gentle hills.

Marco Felluga watches him. Between them is the collection of wines to taste.

Giacomo has a tremor, and hesitates again. He knows the routine, the gestures, embedded over thousands of such times. How to pour the wine slowly into the glass, judge its transparency and intensity, wait for the floral bouquet to open on the nose, and then let it slide down the throat. It is said that Giacomo knows every wine produced in Italy and can recognize each with his eyes closed. It’s a lie. He knows them all except the one made by Marco Felluga. His hands tremble as he picks up the glass.

He is about to break a pact, a pact that has lasted for many years, since he received the only slap of his childhood. His father, a professor, was a silent, gruff man, but a good one.

That evening, a little before Christmas, his parents had guests for dinner and Giacomo had gone with them to do the shopping. He was nine. Outside their door, while the professor looked for his keys, Giacomo pulled a bottle out of the grocery bags, attracted by the play of coppery reflections from the light falling on the glass. He read the label: Marco Felluga, and then, Pinot.

He brought the drawing of a stylized lion closer to his eyes. He still remembers his curiosity. And he remembers even better that the bottle fell, breaking into bits on the hallway floor. His father, instinctively, slapped his face. Giacomo realized that the wine must have been something very important, since he had never been punished like that before. That was why, as an adult, he began to drink wine, and little by little, his passion became a career. His father died less than a year later. The first time that he saw a bottle of Felluga on a wine shop shelf, he didn’t have the courage to buy it.

It reminded him of his father, even more than the odor of cigar impregnated in the jackets he inherited. Many years had passed, many bottles, many awards and honors, but about Marco Felluga, Giacomo had always lied.

It was his mystery, the secret flavor that had shaped his life.

Now he brings the glass to his lips, looks at the stylized lion on the label, the same as many years before. He shivers. The wine goes down his throat.

Then Giacomo, without a word, goes close to Marco Felluga and embraces him. He holds him tight, much longer than the normal time for a mannerly hug, but the man does not resist. He thanks him for something he couldn’t understand, but that he seems to intuit anyway. His father, if he had lived, today would have the same age, and perhaps, the same satisfied smile.

Now it’s true, Giacomo thinks. Now I’ve tasted them all.

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RATINGS

BEREBENE 2018 LAZIO For twenty-eight years, our publication, Berebene, has been a guide to the best Italian wines in terms of quality/price rapport, the best buys. These are wines that manage to convey their territories and producers’ experiences as well as do labels that are more famous and costly.

To introduce them to everyone, Gambero Rosso will present, for the first time, the SmartWines event during the various stops on its world tour. It will be a new, intelligent way for wine fans to get to know and appreciate Italian wines The region’s production “mutation” has occurred. In recent years we have always stressed how the most interesting labels of Lazio, with the exception of a handful of high quality ones, have been shifting from so-called international grapes to native ones, with added and increased interest leaning towards origin denominations. This year’s overturn is total.

Of 24 wines awarded, only two boast as dominant grape variety an international one, both belonging to Casale del Giglio, the winery that more than any other in Lazio was able to interpret in an original way, and as an opportunity to promote the quality of these vines.

The majority of these –13 out of 24– are origin denomination wines. This is a situation that’s diametrically opposite witnessed only a few years ago, one which embraces typicality and recognisability. It should also be noted that, contrary to the situation in other regions, the grand majority of quality Lazio wines can be purchased at value prices, thus offering a much more interesting regional overview. Est!Est!!Est!!! Di Montefiascone and Frascati are the two most represented denominations, while in regard to grape varieties, it is cesanese and grechetto

curated by Stefania Annese and William Pregentelli

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BEST WINES UNDER 13 EUROS

Est!Est!!Est!!! di Montefiascone Poggio del Cardinale '16 - Antica Cantina Leonardi via del Pino, 12 Montefiascone [VT] tel. 0761826028 cantinaleonardi.it 9.00 euros

Antica Cantina Leonardi is a historic winery of the zone that focuses above all on grechetto. It is also among the principal flagbearers of the Est!Est!!Est!!! denomination of Montefiascone – this is its Poggio del Cardinale selection of this wine. In the 2016 version, fragrances of white and exotic fruit on the nose, along with hints of citrus. The palate has body, is taut and juicy, with a long acidic backbone.

Tufaliccio '16 - Marco Carpineti s.da prov.le Velletri-Anzio, 3 Cori [LT] tel. 069679860 marcocarpineti.com 8.30 euros

Helped by his son Paolo, Marco Carpineti has been directing his winery towards a biodynamic approach in recent years, without renouncing careful and technologically avant-garde work in the cellar. Tufaliccio ’16, a blend of montepulciano (70%) and cesanese, displays notes of licorice and sour cherries on the nose, while the palate is pleasant and shows good tension.

Nettuno Cacchione Neroniano '16 - Casa Divina Provvidenza via dei Frati, 58 Nettuno [RM] tel. 069851366 casadivina provvidenza.it 8.40 euros

The Cosmi family purchased this estate from the Vatican in 1921. By now, three generations have run it with the idea of offering a modern reading of traditional wines produced from the classic indigenous varieties of the Nettuno zone. A fine example of this project is Nettuno Cacchione Neroniano ’16, with its citrus fruit and yellow fruit tones. Good structure and a savory, long finish.

Merlot '15 - Casale del Giglio loc. Le Ferriere s.da CisternaNettuno km 13 Latina tel. 0692902530 casaledelgiglio.it 12.80 euros

Antonio Santarelli’s winery is a mainstay of regional (and not only) production.

Research factors into different varieties, vineyard practices that echo those in Bordeaux, California and Australia, and terrain exposed to the influence of the sea, as the Agro Pontino zone is to the Tyrrhennian, have helped the winery turn out a series of monovarietal wines that have met with great success. Merlot ’15 is richly fruity and substantial, with notes of aromatic herbs.

Satrico '16 - Casale del Giglio loc. Le Ferriere s.da CisternaNettuno km 13 Latina tel. 0692902530 casaledelgiglio.it 10.00 euros

Among the various wines made by Casale del Giglio, Satrico has a privileged place on our Berebene list – it has received our award often. In the 2016 version, sauvignon (40%) plays a dominant role in the blend, accompanied by 30% each of chardonnay and trebbiano giallo. The nose displays notes of yellow peach and hints of spice, while the palate is savory, with good substance and grip.

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RATINGS

Frascati Campo Vecchio '16 - Castel de Paolis via Val de Paolis Grottaferrata [RM] tel. 069413648 casteldepaolis.com 9.20 euros

Castel de Paolis is the winegrowing project that Giulio Santarelli launched in 1985 with the involvement of Professor Attilio Scienza. Produced in the Grottaferrata zone, on volcanic terrain that reaches 270 meters of altitude not very far from the Tyrrhenian coast, this Frascati Campo Vecchio 2016 has a fresh nose with notes of grass and sage. The palate is juicy and assertive, not at all banal.

Cesanese del Piglio Sup. De Antiochia '14 - Cantina Sociale Cesanese del Piglio via Prenestina, km 42 Piglio [FR] tel. 0775502356 cesanese delpiglio.it 9.20 euros

Cantina Sociale Cesanese del Piglio was founded in 1960. Today it has more than 120 members who cultivate 150 hectares of vineyard all over the territory of the denomination, from Anagni to Affile and from Fiuggi almost to Genazzano.

Cesanese del Piglio Superiore De Antiochia ’14 is truly typical. On the nose, notes of moist earth and black berries, with hints of vegetal tones. The palate is rich, full and assertive.

Castore '16 - Cincinnato This cooperative winery is one of the mainstays of the Cori zone for its quality and productive continuity. Add to this the great attention paid towards varieties such as nero buono di Cori and bellone, plus good price/quality rapport, and you can understand why the wines of Cincinnato always appear among our Berebene wines. Castore ’16 is an aromatic Bellone, pleasant and assertive, with notes of citron and white fruit.

via Cori Cisterna, km 2 Cori [LT] tel. 069679380 cincinnato.it 6.10 euros

Cesanese di Olevano Romano Sup. Silene '15 - Damiano Ciolli via del Corso Olevano Romano [RM] tel. 069563334 damianociolli.it 10.80 euros

Damiano Ciolli founded his winery in 2001 and is dedicated to producing Cesanese di Olevano Romano. The winery can draw on 5 hectares of vineyard, all within the denomination. Cesanese di Olevano Romano Superiore Silene ’15 is made from a monovarietal selection of cesanese comune grapes from vines planted between 1981 and 2002. Easy to drink, fresh and elegant, it shows notes of forest floor, cherry and pencil lead, with a hint of rosemary on the finish.

Saìno '14 - Cordeschi via Cassia km 137,400 Acquapendente [VT] tel. 3356953547 cantina cordeschi.it 10.60 euros

The Cordeschi family winery is one of the most interesting in the winegrowing panorama of Alto Lazio. It has little more than 8 hectares of vineyard that extend along the Paglia River, near the town of Acquapendente. Saìno ’14 is a blend of sangiovese (80%) with equal amounts of cabernet sauvignon and montepulciano making up the rest. Aromas of cherry and bell pepper on the nose, with hints of tobacco and licorice. The palate is juicy, full, and satisfyingly long.

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BEST WINES UNDER 13 EUROS

Cesanese del Piglio Colle Ticchio '16 - Corte dei Papi The Di Cosmo family manages this lovely winery in the heart of the production zone of Cesanese del Piglio. It is divided into one property for red grapes, Colletonno in the Paliano municipality, and one for white grapes, Villa Ferrari in the Anagni municipality. Cesanese del Piglio Colle Ticchio ’16 offers notes of red cherries and Mediterranean brush on the nose. The palate is richly fruity, with a finish that reveals assertive acidic grip.

loc. Colletonno Anagni [FR] tel. 0775769271 cortedeipapi.it 9.20 euros

Est!Est!!Est!!! di Montefiascone Poggio dei Gelsi '16 - Falesco - Famiglia Cotarella s.da st.le Cassia Nord km 94,155 Montefiascone [VT] tel. 07449556 falesco.it 8.00 euros

The Famiglia Cotarella’s Falesco is a habitué of our Berebene, above all with its Est!Est!!Est!!! di Montefiascone Poggio dei Gelsi, one of the most notable labels in the denomination. The 2016 version maintains the tradition and wins a place in our guide. Savory and immediate, it is fresh and pleasant, displaying notes of red oranges and mandarin oranges on both nose and palate, with a typical almondy finish.

Frascati Sup. Vign. Santa Teresa '16 - Fontana Candida via Fontana Candida, 11 Monte Porzio Catone [RM] tel. 069401881 fontanacandida.it 9.90 euros

Fontana Candida was established in 1958, and with its entrance into Gruppo Italiano Vini, it became one of the best known brands in the Frascati zone.

Frascati Superiore Vigneto Santa Teresa is by now a benchmark for the denomination. The 2016 version confirms the typical characteristics of this label – a light aromatic tone of sage along with pleasant sapidity, a lovely citrusy note, and a fresh, assertive finish.

Terra Marique '16 - Cantine Lupo fraz. Campoverde via Mediana Cisterna, 27 Aprilia [LT] tel. 0692902455 cantinelupo.com 9.90 euros

Cantine Lupo draws from 18 hectares of vineyard in Campoverde, located between the slopes of the Albani hills and the Tyrrhenian coast. The terrain has alluvial and volcanic components with partial silica infiltrations, and is exposed to the influence of the nearby seacoast. Terra Marique ’16 is a monovarietal Vermentino with typical notes of Mediterranean brush on the nose. The palate is coherent, savory and pleasant.

Frascati Sup. Sine Metu '16 - Cantina Sociale di Monteporzio Catone via Aldo Moro, 5 Monte Porzio Catone [RM] tel. 069449195 cantina socialempc.com 9.00 euros

Cantina Sociale di Monteporzio Catone was founded in 1962 and today numbers 250 members who work vineyards in the Frascati and Castelli Romani denominations. The approach is largely traditional, but some of the products are designed with a more modern slant, such as Frascati Superiore Sine Metu ’16.

Notes of white fruit and rosemary emerge on the nose, while the palate is pleasant, fresh, fruity and sufficiently long.

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RATINGS

Frascati Sup. Racemo '16 - L’Olivella via di Colle Pisano, 5 Frascati [RM] tel. 069424527 racemo.it 10.10 euros

L’Olivella is located between Monteporzio and Frascati, on the hills a few kilometers south of Rome, along the Via Tuscolana. It draws from 14 hectares of vineyard of volcanic origin, rich in mineral salts such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. The label to win our award is Frascati Superiore Racemo ’16 thanks to its typical fragrances of citrus fruit and sage, and a clear, pleasant, savory palate.

Roma Malvasia Puntinata '16 - Principe Pallavicini via Roma, 121 Colonna [RM] tel. 069438816 vinipallavicini.com 7.60 euros

Principe Pallavicini is one of the wineries that has written the history of the Castelli Romani. Today the property is divided between the Colonna estate, dedicated above all to Frascati, and the estate in Cerveteri, where we find red grapes. Roma Malvasia Puntinata ’16 is, without a doubt, the best example of this recent (and a little confusing) denomination. Fresh and varietal, it has good fruit and is savory and flavorful.

Grechetto 109 '16 - Tenuta La Pazzaglia s.da di Bagnoregio, 4 Castiglione in Teverina [VT] tel. 0761947114 tenuta lapazzaglia.it 10.10 euros

Tenuta La Pazzaglia is managed today by the second generation of its owners, the Verdecchia family. Pierfrancesco works in the vineyard, while his sisters Maria Teresa and Laura supervise the work in the winery. The winery has intensified its research into grechetto, and in recent years has produced some of the best labels made with this variety. Grechetto 109 ’16 offers floral and citrus fruit tones, while the palate is tasty, fresh and assertive.

Cesanese di Olevano Romano Tenuta al Campo Ris. '12 - Proietti loc. Campo via Maremmana Superiore, km 2,800 Olevano Romano [RM] tel. 069563376 aziendaagricola proietti.it 8.00 euros

The Proietti family winery is located on the hills next to the Simbruini mountains, at about 500 meters above sea level, on calcareous-limestone terrain of volcanic origin and rich in minerals. The Tenuta al Campo line represents the selection of the best grapes in the winery vineyards. Cesanese di Olevano Romano Tenuta al Campo Riserva ’12 is all about its fruit, long, juicy, and wonderfully pleasant.

Circeo Rosso Riflessi '16 - Sant’Andrea loc. Borgo Vodice via Renibbio, 1720 Terracina [LT] tel. 0773755028 cantina santandrea.it 5.70 euros

Andrea and Gabriele Pandolfo’s winery is known, above all, for its different versions of Moscato di Terracina, ranging from dry to spumante to sweet, but the Pandolfos also have vineyards in the best zones of the Circeo denomination.

Circeo Rosso Riflessi ’16 is a monovarietal merlot with fragrances of black berries and spices, and a pleasant, richly fruity palate.

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BEST WINES UNDER 13 EUROS

Primula Lucis '15 - Tenuta Le Quinte via delle Marmorelle, 71 Montecompatri [RM] tel. 069438756 tenutalequinte.it 8.10 euros

The Papi family has lived in the Montecompatri zone since the first half of the 19th century. Today Elio and Giovanna Papi manage Tenuta le Quinte, 20 hectares of vineyard located on the volcanic terrain typical of the Castelli Romani. Their Cesanese Primula Lucis ’15 is an excellent version of this variety, although ‘out of zone’. Aromas are of fresh berry fruit with vegetal hints; the palate is long and fresh, with soft, mouth-filling tannins.

Est!Est!!Est!!! di Montefiascone '16 - Trappolini via del Rivellino, 65 Castiglione in Teverina [VT] tel. 0761948381 trappolini.com 6.20 euros

Roberto and Paolo Trappolini successfully manage their family winery, one of the most solid on the Tuscia winegrowing scene. They offer a range of labels, for the most part from indigenous varieties, such as this Est!Est!!Est!!! di Montefiascone ’16, one of the best in the denomination. Lightly aromatic on the nose, with notes of loquat and apricot, it has a fresh, pleasant palate and a satisfyingly long, citrusy finish.

Grechetto Terrae Volcani '16 - Trappolini via del Rivellino, 65 Castiglione in Teverina [VT] tel. 0761948381 trappolini.com 9.60 euros

A key player on the winegrowing scene in the Teverina area, the Trappolini family winery has increasingly focused in recent years on the territory’s traditional varieties, in particular grechetto. Grechetto Terrae Volcani ’16 has a rich nose with notes of almond, yellow fruit, lemon and spice scents that give complexity.

The palate is long and lively, with light, typical, notably interesting tannin.

3Brosé '16 - Tre Botti s.da della Poggetta, 9 Castiglione in Teverina [VT] tel. 07611986704 trebotti.it 10.00 euros

Ludovico, Bernardo and Clarissa Botti devotedly run the family winery, founded in 2003, with great attention to sustainability. It has been organic from the start, Undoubtedly, their most representative variety is aleatico, which they vinify in various ways. 3Brosé ’16, a rosé from aleatico grapes, offers pleasant floral and fresh aromas. The finish is savory, with notes of currants and raspberries.

Sangiovese Le Piantate '14 - Cantine Volpetti via Nettunense, 21 Ariccia [RM] tel. 069342000 cantinevolpetti.it 8.70 euros

Founded in 1958, the Volpetti family winery is on the volcanic hills south of Rome, in the heart of the Colli Albani denomination. It can draw on 40 hectares of vineyard, which include both traditional and international varieties. This year, we especially liked Sangiovese Le Piantate ’14 with its fruity nose and assertive, pleasant palate, freshly acidic.

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GAMBERO ROSSO X VINIDABRUZZO.IT

50 years of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a territorial discovery NUMBERS

Among the celebrations linked to the 50 years since 1968, there are also those of an oenological nature.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Doc is celebrated by the Consortium for the protection of flagship wine of one of the most important regional districts in terms of agricultural roots and output volume.

Pioneering in many ways, obtaining doc recognition was unto itself a small revolution. The status recognition created the regulatory requirements for the full enhancement of the wine type, a labour-intensive yet exciting happening. It was not easy to free Montepulciano from the stereotypical rustic and colourful red reputation, destined only to enrich wines from other areas and a wine that travels well in tanks and large bottles. Yet the challenge appears to be substantially very well surpassed, as numbers testify: 80% of certified Abruzzo production comes from montepulciano, and 150 local wineries offer at least one label containing the region’s primary grape variety. « We want to seize the opportunity of the anniversary to make decisions that further increase traceability of the supply chain», announced the Abruzzo Wine Consortium’s President Valentino Di Campli. «Starting December 1st, we will be granted the State mark for all protected denominations, thus completing the supervision activity of productions as a guarantee for consumers ». Numerous initiatives will be launched by the Consortium to celebrate the doc’s 50th anniversary. This will be the leit motif of this collective presence –– with 38 producers –– present at the Prowein event in Düsseldorf (March 18-20), hosting workshops by Abruzzo Wein Fest, and after Vinitaly (in Verona, April 15-18 collectively gathering 45 producers and one restaurant space). Thanks to the project “Percorsi” and dedicated website (percorsi.vinidabruzzo.it) local action will also be implemented to strengthen the virtuoso bond connecting nature, gastronomy and wine. This is fortunately a movement that has virtually increased phenomenally in recent years, and which thankfully marks this part of Italy located between Adriatic Sea and the Apennine mountain ridge as an increasingly desirable destination for wine lovers and beyond.

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33 thousand ectares of vine planted surface

3.5 million hectolitres (average annual output)

over 1 million hectolitres from origin denominated wines

800 thousand hectolitres of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Doc

35 cooperative wineries yield 75% of production 80% of the regional grape is planted in “pergola abruzzese” system

PERCORSI. ONLINE GUIDE TO WINERIES, PARKS AND ART «The ideal itinerary is an absolute must». The Abruzzo Wine Consortium launches a project that promotes and supports tourist itineraries that combines cultural and artistic attractions with the warm welcome participants are offered in Abruzzo wineries. The project Percorsi for visiting Abruzzo wine and culture first, is an online platform that lends the opportunity of discovering this region thanks to specific itineraries, scouting–glass in hand–new wineries and particular producers. The website percorsi.vinidabruzzo.it acts as Abruzzo’s calling card and allows travellers in the region to access quality tourist information, plus artistic and cultural content in a single online resource. Users simply navigate online and discover different itineraries: with detailed road and territorial descriptions, hermitage retreats, monuments, museums, churches, and a list of wineries and contacts complete with the type of services available (wine tastings, dining, retail, lodging, cellar and vineyard tours).

Suggestions obviously come complete with tips on where to eat in the surroundings.

 percorsi.vinidabruzzo.it

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1. Rows of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo near the Adriatic Sea 2. Clusters of the area’s representative red 3. Vines planted at the foot of higher elevations

BY PAOLO DE CRISTOFARO

photos by Giovanni Di Prinzio

MONTEPULCIANO: VERSATILE GRAPE VARIETY WITH PERSONALITY

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With more than 27 thousand planted hectares, montepulciano is Italy’s fourth variety in terms of overall presence. (Source: Uiv). Along with sangiovese, montepulciano is the dominant grape in central Italy. It is present in the regions of Le Marche, Umbria, Molise and Puglia, but Abruzzo is transversally considered the grape’s land of choice for both historical origins and weight in the supply chain. Historically, the presence of this variety in the region is documented as early as the 1700s and montepulciano now covers approximately half of the whole vine-planted surface (17,000 hectares of 36,000 and 70% of new systems). The grape variety is vigorous and late-harvested, it produces reds of unmistakeable fruitiness and thickness of body, apt for long aging. By the same token, it works well for whimsical interpretations, including in the Cerasuolo version.

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TREBBIANO, PECORINO & CO. THE OTHER GRAPES… IN WHITE

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Abruzzo wine making doesn’t merely focus on Montepulciano. The Abruzzo growth in wine production also owes much to its whites. Consider the wines based in Trebbiano, grown in all the major wine areas of the region (approximately 14,000 hectares): the style panorama has never been this varied and convincing. Same goes for Pecorino; production areas increase, the interpretation offer grows beyond the authentically “surf and turf” characteristics. Still trailing behind are, for the time being, the productions connected to Passerina and Cococciola, yet their expression identity is defined with each vintage.

VITERBO AND TUSCIA GASTRONOMY IN EVOLUTION. INDOLENCE AND INNOVATION Viterbo is the capital city of Tuscia, the province where ancient Etruscans once thrived. Its food and agricultural production are high quality, yet tracts of wild land remain.

A series of young producers are dragging the sleepy territory into modernity while protecting the countryside and its landscapes

words by Stefano Polacchi – photography by Guido Landucci

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visitor arriving in Viterbo from the south is greeted, from above the battlements of Porta Romana, by Saint Rosa. The adolescent girl lived into the early 13th century, and is worshipped as the city’s patron saint. She stars in the only real city festival: 100 men carry a construction dedicated to her – 30 meters high and weighing 5,100 kilos – through the historic center of town. Young Rosa, other than performing a series of magicalfolkloristic miracles, stopped the advance of Frederick II of Germany, defending the Pope’s reign. Frederick, universally known as Stupor Mundi, or Marvel of the World, had his palace adjacent to Viterbo’s walls, behind the basilica now dedicated to the saint. Why this anecdote? Because Saint Rosa at the gate is a signal: this is an anti-modern town. Even today, rather than bragging that it hosted an emperor like Frederick II, Viterbo doesn’t even bother with a plaque to record the passage of a sovereign who brought a fresh breeze of culture and novelty to Italy. He was excommunicated for not having armed a crusade as he had promised the Pope.

To understand Viterbo’s crusade against modernity, a battle it has fought for centuries, suffices to remind that the notable citizens at the end of the 19th century protested the nearby national railroad line because it disturbed their grazing cows. In the 20th century, they fought to keep the new superhighway, the A1, from coming near Viterbo. That’s why the autostrada and the train both touch only Orte, a town near Umbria. They refused to make Tuscia’s provincial capital the home of the now-famous Festival dei Due Mondi – and instead, that annual cultural event went to Spoleto.

So is Viterbo a retrograde and obstructive town? Not really. The University of Tuscia, for example, although it has not had much influence on the daily life of the city, has brought many modern approaches through its prestigious Agriculture and Forest Sciences faculties. The zone’s farms had always been low key and managed through government subsidies by a shortsighted political class. They are now a ter-

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rain in which modern ideas have begun to take hold. Isolation, in fact, looking at the half-full aspect of the glass, has protected the environment and the landscape. A series of young entrepreneurs and agronomists from outside the area have begun shaping their dreams in Tuscia: small farms, niche crops, respect for nature.

They came because they found a positive atmosphere, or because they studied in the university’s agriculture department and decided to stay in the area. This trend has grown over the last 10-15 years and has also brought back to the land offspring of farmers who had gone off in other professional directions and later seen that their own properties offered opportunities.

An example of this new generation is Renée Abou Jaoudé. An Italo-Lebanese student, who moved from a degree in Forest Sciences to winning a Two Cakes (Due Torte) award in the Gambero Rosso guide for pastry shops, Pasticceri e Pasticcerie 2018. Nevertheless, her prize-winning bakery, Le Cose Buone, is about to close.

Renée wants to dedicate herself to research and free-lance work. “I am convinced that there are fabulous products in this zone, and, ever since I started, I resolved to use only local, territorial ingredients. But, even though there was fine production of hazelnuts on our nearby Monti Cimini, I couldn’t use that hazelnut paste. The operators, the roasters and peelers who transformed the nuts into paste, managed to ruin this wonderful product. I began to rethink hazelnuts only when Luca Di Piero made me try the products made by his farm in Civita Castellana. They were exceptional. Now I can use hazelnuts from Tuscia again.” One of Renée’s latest creations is a splendid hazelnut candy.

Luca di Piero, in fact, is an example of the generation that took family farms in hand.

He now cultivates his family’s 27 hectares of nut groves organically, tending them meticulously, studying methods of irrigating and nourishing the trees, choosing quality over quantity. The same approach rules in his vineyards and olive groves – he produces and transforms the fruits of the earth in the most conscientious way possible. 

A LAND FOR CHEESE. THE TOP 10 DAIRIES. PASTURELAND AND RAW MILK Cheese is one of Tuscia’s historic products. Animal breeders, in particular of sheep and goats, find a natural environment here. After World War II and in the 1960s, many Sardinian shepherds and cheesemakers moved in, between the Lazio Maremma zone and the Viterbo zone, finding perfect terrain for their herds.

Today, besides the larger dairies (among which it’s worth mentioning Sini, a dairy near Monterosi, for its Pecorino Romano), there are splendid pasture-animal breeders that produce excellent pecorino cheeses of various types with raw milk.

Don’t miss those of the Pira brothers in Ischia di Castro or those from the Circolo di Montefiascone (she’s from Germany, he's from Basilicata. They share a passion for a simple, natural life and have managed to make a beautiful grotto completely lined with white mold). Giancarlo Pitzalis in Vetralla is one of the brothers who founded the Gennargentu dairy in Anguillara Sabazia. He uses a fantastic ancient grotto dug out of the rock to age his cheeses. For goat cheese, there’s Monte Jugo near Viterbo on the Strada Martana. He raises his animals according to the rules laid out by Professor Bruno Ronchi at the Università della Tuscia. Another excellent dairy, making cheese from the milk of pastured brunoalpino cows, is the Fattoria di Lucciano. (They also make wine.) Try their mozzarella and aged cheeses.

Agriturismo Radichino dei f.lli Pira Ischia di Castro – località le Chiuse – 3286373125 – caseificioagricoloradichino.it

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Il Circolo

Montefiascone – via Coste, 121 – 3391287274 I Sapori Viaggiano Nel Tempo di Giancarlo Pitzalis Vetralla – strada statale Cassia, 1 – 3348877658

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Monte Jugo

Viterbo – strada Martana km 2,200 – 0761250610 – montejugo.it Fattoria di Lucciano – dairy and agriturismo Civita Castellana – Borghetto – 0761540464 – fattorialucciano.com

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I Buonatavola Sini

Nepi – strada Statale Cassia Km. 41 – 0761571197 – ibuonatavolasini.com

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Chiodetti – dairy

Civita Castellana - via Flaminia, 79 – 0761540005 – formaggichiodetti.it

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Fattoria Cavalieri – dairy

Civita Castellana – via IV Giornate di Napoli, 4 (piazza della Liberazione) – 3383066696 – fattoriacavalieri.it La Cascina delle Pantane di Giovanni Pesci Vejano – località Pantane – 3209086985

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Il Fiocchino di Antonio Brizi

Piansano – strada comunale della Doganaccia, 15 – 3384747562 – ilfiocchino.it

10 ENTERPRISES THAT LEAD TUSCIA TOWARDS THE MODERN AGE

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Danilo Ciavattini

Viterbo – via delle Fabbriche, 20 – 0761333767 – danilociavattini.com

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Apis di Gaia Garbarini

Viterbo – s.da Trinità snc – 3349737764 – apisorganic.com

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La Fattoria Biodinamica

Viterbo – strada Freddano, 20 – 3336026244 – lafattoriabiodinamica.it CibOfficina Microbiotica di Carlo Nesler Viterbo – località Castel d’Asso – via Risiere (agriturismo Arvalia)

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As a zone for quality agriculture, Tuscia is a fairly recent phenomenon. The part of the province near Rome and Umbria, for years after the World War II, was monopolized by the ceramics industry. The area around Civita Castellana was one of the major areas for Italian manufacturing of tableware, maiolica tiles and, above all, quality sanitary ware exported around the world. The zone from the slopes of the Cimini mountains towards the Via Flaminia was a working class fortress, with its own independent history, separate from agricultural Viterbo and its service industries. Here, the ceramic industry did for the environment what the

narrow cultural and political attitudes had done for the central town itself. The land, the fields, the pastures, the environment and the landscapes shaped by the Cyclopean walls of Faleri (Fabbrica di Roma) and the Treja River (up to Nepi) were left unspoiled. So much so that here – when the financial crisis reduced numbers and businesses – one of the first Organic Districts of Italy was formed. In all there are 3 or 4, but this one on the Via Amerina is the only one that is truly beginning to work right.

To learn about this province, we wanted to hear from those who discovered it as adults and made it their workplace. Carlo Nesler

Fornovecchino Molino e Pastificio di Claudio Pagliaccia Viterbo – str. Prov. Ombrone – 0761823654

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Piadineria Buongusto

Viterbo – piazza del Plebiscito, 17 – 3936619127 – buongustopiadineria.it

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Il Circolo Caseificio Bio

Montefiascone – via Coste, 121 – 3391287274

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La Belle Hélène

Tarquinia – via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 12 – 0766196387 –

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Luca Di Piero

Civita Castellana – via Nepesina, 53 – 3397967305 – aziendaagricolalucadipiero.it

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La Parolina

Acquapendente – frazione Trevinano – 0763717130 – laparolina.it

1. A view of the Medieval walls in Viterbo 2. Danilo Ciavattini’s interpretation of “acquacotta” 3. Lake Bolsena Opening image: a table at Burbaca, a dining format supported by chef Salvo Cravero, which has elected Viterbo as its test site

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– originally from Bolzano, with a long period spent in Sardinia – is a member of this new group of new-Viterbesi. He has done many jobs in his young life – wine cellarmaster, wineseller, pizzaiolo, carpenter – but above all, he has been a fermenter. Yes, fermentation has always been his passion, so wine and pizza were two of the first practical applications of this interest. His focus soon extended to organic and natural agriculture, especially permaculture. “I wanted to leave Alto Adige, and Sardinia fascinated me. But I realized right away that it was too limited for me. I came back to the mainland and stayed in Rome. I found a little piece

A LAND FOR EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL. THE TOP 10 OLIVE OIL PRODUCERS Tuscia Viterbese is proud of the extra-virgin olive oil it produces. The Canino DOP was officially established in 1996 but historically is a tradition of the town that is the door to the Lazio Maremma zone near the sea. The Tuscia DOP, set up in 2005, brings together top-ranking production that falls outside the area of the other DOP. The Caninese cultivar is the unchallenged queen of this land, where it lives alongside Leccino, Pendolino, Frantoio and Maurino cultivars. Recently, excellent monovarietal oils have been produced with these varieties. The extra-virgin of this area is a fairly balanced product in terms of its bitter and peppery tones. Its flavor is assertive without being invasive. Notes of more or less green almond notes prevail (in particular for the Caninese) alongside grassy ones. In some cases, hints of green tomato are found and, in the more elegant labels, lovely nuances of aromatic herbs characteristic of the Viterbese countryside (mint, chicory, estragon, calamint). Although production is present almost everywhere in the province, the most important zones are the Canino area (including Ischia di Castro and Farnese), Vetralla and Blera, as well as the surroundings of Viterbo. Among the new arrivals in the province, we must mention the Carma project. With its olive mill in Bagnoregio, it joins the productions of Tuscia, Umbria and Tuscany in the triangle where the three regions meet.

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Cerrosughero di Laura De Parri

Canino – strada statale 312 km 22,600 – 0761438594 – oliocerrosughero.it

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Coop. Olivicola Canino

Canino – via Pietro Nenni, 1 – 0761438095 – olivicolacanino.it

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Viterbo – località Commenda – strada Verentana km 9 – 3356740756 – oliodelmolino.it

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Vetralla – strada Poggio Montano, 34 – 0761477686 – oliotraldi.com 3

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Colli Etruschi

Blera – via degli Ulivi, 2 – 0761470469 – collietruschi.it Doganieri Miyazaki

Castiglione in Teverina – frazione Vaiano, 3 – 3332807985

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Boni Francesca

Frantoio Tuscus

Vetralla – viale Eugenio IV, 107 – 0761477889 – frantoiotuscus.com

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Il Molino

Tamia

Vetralla – strada Norchia, 20 – 07611768270 – oliotamia.com

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Ione Zobbi

Canino – località Gioacchina – 0761437601 – iandp.it

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Tenuta di Carma

Bagnoregio – località Podere, 6 – 3339865174 – www.concarma.com

OUR TUSCIA. ACCORDING TO GREAT COOKS AND PASTRY CHEFS THIS MAGICAL LAND, RICH IN EVERYTHING I was born and grew up in Rome. My husband is from Forlì. When we began to think about opening a restaurant, Tuscany seemed like the right compromise, but the call of my own countryside pushed me to stay, even if just barely, within the borders of Lazio. In Tuscia, to be precise. At the start, I lived the zone as a challenge. Exploring and getting to know the places and people of this territory, I soon realized that more than a challenge, it was an opportunity.

Tuscia, an unknown for many people, opened up in front of me, with breathtaking landscapes and all sorts of products. It varies from seacoast to lakes, from flatland to hills and plateaus. There’s history and nature. And although all this is already an enormous gift, it was being in contact with the producers and hearing their stories that made me fall in love definitively with this fragment of Italy. There are many beautiful, historical places in Italy, but Tuscia has all this while staying pristine.

On one hand, I realize it could publicize more what it offers (such as extraordinary extra-virgin oil, grand cheeses, products of the earth such as legumes, potatoes, hazelnuts, cured meats, lake fish and the traditional ways of preparing them, and much more), but on the other hand, having remained suspended in time allows constant surprises. Tuscia has welcomed us for 13 years. During this time, day by day I have felt its embrace in its flavors, fragrances and colors. It has helped me mature and transformed my approach to cooking. I added many aromatic herbs, I use freshwater fish and reinterpret traditional dishes. Hazelnuts are now part of my recipes both in pastry and in savory dishes. Garlic takes me to Proceno, lentils to Onano, chickpeas to Valentano – and I could continue kilometer by kilometer to tell about the ingredients that feel like home. And that’s what I try to do in the dishes we offer on our menu.

– Iside De Cesare (chef at La Parolina in Acquapendente)

of land in Sabina and began making olive oil. The countryside was wonderful, but life a little less so. Agriculture there was mostly a weekend-only matter and in three years I never managed to make friends, not with neighbors or townspeople. Once, though, I was invited to Viterbo to give lessons about fermentation. In that one day I met many people that I felt close to. They invited me to dinner, to stay over. I saw there was the possibility of a network and an exchange between people with similar views and practices, something I couldn’t have imagined from Sabina.” So Carlo rented a field and a workshop at the gates of Viterbo: vegetables, fruit, permaculture herbs and transformation into miso, oil-preserved and salt-preserved foods, jams and con-

A TERRITORY I REDISCOVERED AFTER PARIS After a beautiful, important period of working in Paris, seven years ago I returned to Italy, above all to be nearer my family. It was hard at the beginning. But I have always believed in this zone, and I still do, even though, when you decide to aim for quality, it gets complicated. From the point of view of ingredients, we are very lucky, especially with fruit and vegetables. There is exceptional produce, to say nothing of hazelnuts and extra-virgin olive oil. Even flour and berries are good. When we can, we always use local products, such as honey and ricotta. We manage to buy directly from the producers. Our surroundings give us a lot of satisfaction. After years of work, we have reached the point that our clients always ask if there’s something new and they’re curious. We made a white chocolate puff pastry with Muscovado brown sugar that cost 3.40 euros. Everybody wanted to try it. Perhaps in Piedmont and Veneto there are a slew of more important businesses that permit more sustained quality production. Here quantity counts most even if the trend is changing. What’s missing? Better sharing and exchange of ideas between producers, farmers, breeders and artisans.

Culturally, artistically and scenically, Tuscia is splendid. In Tarquinia, in particular, there’s a very lively cultural life, especially musical. I would never leave here. The recognition of the value of this area still has to grow, especially on the part of those who administer and organize it. We have to learn from places that have consolidated their experiences, such as Alto Adige.

– Francesca Castignani (pastry shop La Belle Helene, Tarquinia) ON THE PLATE, THE EXPERIENCE OF THE LAND I come from Soriano nel Cimino. After hotel management school, I left to see the world, thinking that this area had little to offer me. Later, though, I realized that I wasn’t right. This land has a great deal. I come from a family of true farmers, and I saw over these years how that world has changed. Then, agriculture had its rhythms and its rites. Today, it is all business. It’s not true that if you want a quality product, you have to pay a fortune for it. I have a 35-euro prix fixe menu, but it’s certainly not inferior. Why can’t something good also be for everybody? Food is more and more something that helps you understand people’s character. If you come to Viterbo and you don’t taste the things they eat here, you can’t understand the character of the people. You can’t just opt for steak everywhere.

You have to taste dishes such as acquacotta and lombrichelli. Some people say that I took a step backwards. I don’t think that’s so. I want to hold on to a bond with tradition. I want everyone who comes to this part of the country to know it well. My cucina expresses this land. The liquid olive oil raviolo, in a chickpea and chestnut soup traditional in the Cimini mountains, is a dish that comes out of recognizing the value of the land’s ingredients. Extra-virgin olive oil is a pillar of our diet. My buried potato, cooked in a mushroom broth, another element of this zone, is then reconstructed as if were coming out of the earth, dusted with mushroom powder. A tempura of suckling pig and anchovy gelato fits into the tradition of pig’s feet and pork tendons, as do veal sweetbreads with chestnuts. I don’t like to use products because they’re stylish, such as algae, coriander or ginger.

– Danilo Ciavattini (chef di Danilo Ciavattini a Viterbo)

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serves. Within a year it had become a reference point for many young farmers.

Let’s also talk about food. You can eat fairly well in Viterbo’s province. There’s no famous gourmet-favorite place, although there are some really good ones. Tradition is essentially tied to family "cucina" on one hand, and to the influence of Rome on the other. No food studies exist specifically about Tuscia Viterbese, except for one written by Italo Arieti (who died last year). He gathered together and published the research of years in provincial family homes, Tuscia a Tavola. The dishes that are popular today are different, and mostly they are rural versions of cucina Romana. But there’s one dish that is emblematic of this essentially agricultural zone: acquacotta – literally ‘cooked water’.

Chef Danilo Ciavattini, who recently opened his restaurant in the heart of Viterbo, returned home after working first at the Enoteca La Torre in the center of his town and then in Rome at Villa Laetitia. He put the dish on his menu as a fixed homage to his territory. Acquacotta is in many ways banal. But, when done to perfection, it has noteworthy complexity, reflecting the season with wild herbs and whatever is abundant in the pantry.

It calls for fresh eggs from real free-range chickens, a chunk of salted fish (such as cod or lake fish), a touch of pecorino or blended-milk cheese, a piece of lamb, various types of water cress and greens, beans collected from the last go round in the garden, grape or zucchini sprouts, wild hops, and inevitably a potato, two carrots and an onion. And of course – water. The liquid is left to simmer in a deep pot near the fireplace together with wild herbs. At the end of the day, when the family returns from the fields, the soup is ready. Acquacotta is not codified, it has no recipes. It depends on the day on which it’s made.

Much of this tradition is obviously lost, but in the mind of every Viterbese, acquacotta summons up ancestral memories.

If you go to the historic Trattoria dei Tre Re, they offer Viter-

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bese chicken (it’s not clear what that is), and very Roman-style dishes, tasty and homemade. But, they are very firm about acquacotta: “The chicory we use is always picked wild. When we serve it on its own, as a side dish, we use a variety that is cultivated, but absolutely not in acquacotta. That’s its identity,” explains Eleonora Di Ancrea as she takes our orders with a smile on her face. Danilo Ciavattini gives us his modern version of the story: “You have to have wild herbs, the largest number possible.

They change with the seasons. In winter, I use wild chicory, fennel flowers and potatoes.” A modern touch to this ancient dish is an egg, coagulated at 60°C. “The quality of the chicory is important, otherwise the whole thing doesn’t work. I think it’s the most representative dish in the Viterbese tradition, together with lombrichelli (a rough handmade pasta from water and flour) and pignattaccia. That’s made with all the usually-rejected parts of the young cow …what we call the ‘fifth quarter’. I mean hoofs, head, organs, tripe. It cooks for a long time, and is one of the deeply Viterbese dishes. The result is a boiled meat dish, but much tastier. Pignattaccia was invented by the cowhands in the part of Lazio called the Maremma. They took all the offal and discards of the animal, quickly browned them, and then left them to cook all day in the earthenware pot (the pignatta) over the ashes.”

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Anna Pia Greco is originally from the Maremma, but lived in Rome. She brings her experience of biodynamic farming with Australian guru, Alex Podolinsky, to the gates of Viterbo, in the countryside of Castel d’Asso. Besides being a vegetable garden, it’s also a beautiful Etruscan archeological site. Anna Pia had a farm in Capalbio (near the sea), but decided to move to Viterbo to be near her daughter and three grandchildren. She herself is descended from the scholar who found the key for interpreting the Etruscan language, Mario Gattoni Celli.

“There’s something that ties me to this land.

If you’ve lived in Rome, you appreciate finding yourself in a town with its own ancient history, like Viterbo. For my grandchildren, it matters that it’s quiet, green, and also has a university. I feel renewed here. I see great workers around me. It’s wonderful that everyone in the zone interested in biodynamics comes to my house on Wednesdays. It’s something I really need.” Anna Pia’s Fattoria Biodinamica produces yogurt and ricotta, honey and extra-virgin olive oil, jam and conserves. Her daughter, Albertina Marinelli, is aiming to develop an e-commerce platform for the best producers and artisans of the Tuscia region.

Gaia Garbarini has followed in Anna Pia’s footsteps. She, too, came to Viterbo from Rome, but in her case, the draw 

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was the Università della Tuscia. She too is dedicated to natural agriculture. She raises bees, with about 40 hives, produces honey, and often goes to help Anna Pia at the Fattoria Biodinamica. “I wanted to work with old-growth forests internationally. But after my experiences here in Forest Sciences at the university, I fell in love with this nature. I found it had the charm of the past. It’s primitive. I thought that before going abroad, there was work to be done here, too.” She found five hectares of land that bordered on the municipalities of Viterbo, Marta and Tuscania, put in beehives and also planted 140 fruit trees of heritage varieties. “They’re all typical 

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A LITTLE GUIDE TO TUSCIA’S WINE: 5 WINERIES TO WATCH I treasure many of my experiences and memories of this zone. I remember the wonder of suddenly seeing a lake in the midst of the woods. I recall my first sensory reactions to a glass of wine unexpectedly amber and sweet, and I unfortunately recapture my antipathies towards wine rigidity. It’s true that certain rules have bothered me for a while, so the movement that has developed around Lake Bolsena over the last ten years has offered me, and other curious wine-drinkers, a stimulating alternative to the flat panorama of regional wines and their somewhat narrow vision of wine. Today, in upper Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany, there is a handful of young and not-so-young winegrowers who are experimenting with a new, but at the same time archaic, way of understanding the vineyard and wine, the land, the environment, agriculture and artisanship. These new farmers, seen by the locals as senseless fools, and by some critics as clowns, often make those wines with a meaty, unpredictable flavor that once amazed the chroniclers of the time. Their project for the territory is neither heretical, nostalgic or rhetoric, but is completely directed towards protecting and enhancing the agricultural and cultural heritage of these places. That includes our vineyard patrimony, by means of the rediscovery of traditional varieties. The work and courage of this new wave of local producers will mean that an attentive traveler and a passionate wine buyer can go beyond the rigid denominations that regulate the production of insipid whites or pamphlet-ready reds and find, alongside the historic varieties of grechetto and aleatico, wines made with such varieties as malvasia and moscato, roscetto and verdello, or even canaiolo, ciliegiolo and grechetto rosso (locally known as greghetto).

A

Le Coste di Gradoli

Gradoli (VT) – via Piave 7 0761456685 Clémentine Bouveron and Gianmarco Antonuzi are pathfinders. She is French with a degree in oenology from Montpellier followed by internships with important vignerons. He is Roman, a great taster and writer about wine-related matters. Tireless workers, in 2005 they started with a few hectares and a small wine-making facility in the center of Gradoli, turning out a range of flavorful labels, all made with local grapes from numerous,

naturally-cultivated vineyard parcels. Today, after barely 12 years, they have already led the way for many new producers. Their winery is now larger, but they still respect all the principles and premises they began with: a serious, constant working of the land (carefully safeguarding the bordering woods and wild spaces) and meticulous attention paid in the winery. They offer a broad range of complex and territorial wines, energetic, saline and able to age well.

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Cantina Ortaccio

Latera (VT) – Corso Vittorio Emanuele III, 130 Massimo and Patrizia, after spending years in their wine shop in Rome, decided to turn to agriculture. They chose Latera, where they built two miniscule cellars, one for vinification and one for storage. They produce and age wine made with local grapes coming from numerous small vineyard parcels. Starting with an old vineyard of greghetto (a local clone of sangiovese, or grechetto rosso), they bottled Vecchi Filari Rosso, a wine with sweet and spicy aromas

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and a juicy, easy-to-drink, yet quite deep palate. Today, now at their third vintage year, they are also offering a well-structured fragrant white, a simple red, also from greghetto, and an appealing bubbly white, still in the experimental stage. One of the principal inspirations behind their project is the idea of rescue: “There’s too much abandoned land,” they hold. “The potential in this area is enormous. We’re in the crater of an ancient dead volcano. We’d like to see many more vineyards and olive groves, with many more young people working them.” Their wines are still inexpensive. Don’t wait.

PERUGIA

Lago Trasimeno

VITERBO AND TUSCIA

Assisi Tavernelle

4. “L’Albero”: a contemporary dessert by chef Danilo Ciavattini. In his newly opened restaurant in Viterbo the chef offers a particular outlook that stimulates subjective interpretation of the surrounding –and often wild– territory around the city of Viterbo in the Tuscia area 5. Lake Vico: a natural reserve, and important hiking and birdwatching destination 6. The countryside at the foot of the Cimini Hills

TOSCANA

E

A

Latera

Spoleto

Civita di Bagnoregio

Gradoli

Pitigliano

Todi

Orvieto

Acquapendente

Civitella del Lago

Lago di Bolsena

B

TERNI

C Montefiascone

Canino

Orte Tuscania

Il Vinco

Montefiascone (VT) – Strada Capannece – 3282061837 – ilvinco.it On the other side of Lake Bolsena, in the Montefiascone zone, a group of young enthusiasts lead a new winery founded in 2014. “The project was born with the intention of preserving and restoring an indigenous canaiolo nero vineyard,” they told us. “and other indigenous varieties.”

Right now the winery turns out a fresh, soft and fragrant red, Canajò, and a rosé from canaiolo nero. In 2018, another red wine will come out, grown in a vineyard of ungrafted grapevines, and the winery’s first white, also from indigenous grapes: trebbiano, roscetto and malvasia (the grape in Est Est Est). Could we possibly be going back to finally drinking those flavorful local reds that our teachers once spoke of?

Foligno

D

Capalbio

C

Deruta

San Casciano Fabro dei Bagni

Terme di Saturnia

UMBRIA

VITERBO Canepina

Montalto di Castro Vetralla Blera

Caprarola

Civita Castellana

LAZIO

D

ciliegiolo. Over the years, he put together two hectares of vineyard, from which he makes a few thousand bottles, a red and two whites. These fine, elegant wines, sometimes a little sharp-edged and not at all yielding, clearly represent the cool, dry territory they come from, and tell the story of simple, essential work in the winery.

Podere Orto

Acquapendente Trevinano (VT) sp. 51 – 0763476091 – podereorto.com North, towards Tuscany, lives another couple who decided to leave Rome for the countryside. Giuliano and Simona moved here, 600 meters above sea level and near the natural reserve of Monte Rufeno, about ten years ago. Their plan was to fix up an old, uninhabited farmhouse, turn it into a welcoming agriturismo, plant vines and make wine.

Starting from zero, Giuliano transformed the terrain into a marvelous mixed vineyard, with white-berried grapes such as procanico, grechetto, malvasia, roscetto, greco, moscato, and verdello, and red ones such as greghetto and

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Ajola

Orvieto (TR) Località Sugano, 26 A few kilometers from the memorable hill of Orvieto, you might notice Podere Ajola. Pull over. Not a wine drinker? Pull over anyway.

Here you’ll meet Jacopo Battista, an agronomist and farmer. He’ll tell you his story, and about his dream of producing an Orvieto Classico that a critic eighty

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years ago described as “dark, with a slightly fatty flavor, as if were a denser, heavier liquid.” It marked the shift of style of wines along the Italian peninsula. “From here down, wine doesn’t have any more flavors of violets or fruit. If it has a fragrance, it’s of celery, fennel, garden herbs.” Those are the scents in Ajola’s whites.

Jacopo, who dislikes ‘performance wines’, and competitive winegrowers, prefers to talk about working hard in the vineyard and the winery, about the concept of everyday professionalism, as opposed to oenological success. It may seem romantic, but unreal. Not so: it is both, romantic and real.

— Francesco Romanazzi (host and sommelier – Epiro, Roma)

STORIES

GLOSSARY Acquacotta Traditional dish based on water and wild greens, enriched, when possible, by animal protein such as dried fish, lamb, egg. In the past it cooked in a copper pot close to the fireplace.

Arieti, Italo Doctor, politician and food studies scholar from Viterbo who died in early 2017. He dedicated his life to the study of local traditions, in particular, family cooking.

His only complete book on the cucina of the province, "Tuscia a tavola".

Biodynamics Agricultural cultivation techniques that are more rigorous than those of organic farming regarding fertilizers and anti-parasite methods. Inspired by the teachings of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), founder of anthroposophy. After his death, a book published under his name, based on his lectures on agriculture, became the foundation for biodynamics, that is,

the practice of agriculture in better balance with the earth’s ecosystem. It incorporates some dictates of homeopathic medicine and some techniques of organic agriculture. Its holistic approach considers the soil and the life it supports as one single system.

Frittelloni Traditional dish of Civita Castellana, also known as "fregnacce" or "pizzacce" in other towns of the province. They are very rustic, very thin crêpes typical of Carnival season.

They are eaten rolled, cold, and seasoned with grated pecorino cheese.

Lombrichelli Thick, handmade spaghetti made with water and flour.

Topped in many ways, the most characteristic version is called "alla Viterbese", served with tomato sauce and fennel pollen.

of central Italy,” underlined Gaia. “I also have a hectare for raising edible flowers for restaurants and pastry shops, microgreens and in particular, heritage vegetables. I’m also planning a workshop for transforming material into bio-building materials. I also want to build something that the growers’ association has not managed to do – a place for transforming the fruit and vegetables grown by all those who share our agricultural practices. I love the idea that it could be a reference point for many people.”

After traveling around the world and running a restaurant in the Caribbean, Elisabetta Paonessa and Matteo Car-

Miso Traditional Japanese seasoning obtained from the fermentation of soybeans, sometimes combined with rice, barley or other cereals. It is used to flavor soup, stews, sauces. Fermentation in salt water is stimulated by the Aspergillus oryzae fungus and lasts from 12 to 24 months. It reduces the starches in simple sugars and is rich in enzymes (like yogurt).

Permaculture Permaculture is a method for planning and managing landscapes to satisfy the needs of the population, providing food and energy while maintaining the resilience, richness and stability of natural ecosystems. A contraction of Permanent Agriculture, a term coined

by Franklin Hiram King in 1911. The methods of modern permaculture for sustainable agriculture were developed beginning in 1974 by Australians Bill Mollison and David

bone decided to stay in Viterbo. The young couple has shown Viterbo what concept food is in their Piadineria Buongusto. “I was a chef, and I traveled a great deal in Italy and abroad,” Matteo told us.

“When Elisabetta and I came back to Italy, we wanted to go back to the traditional work that my family from the Marche had done, and at the same time, move out of the chaos of Rome. Viterbo was perfect for us. So my family gave me my grandmother’s traditional recipe for making piadina – a flat, pitalike bread – and we opened our shop. Four years have passed, and we are increasingly satisfied.” In the middle of town, the Pia-

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Holmgren, leading to an agricultural model of a polyculture based on perennial trees, bushes, grasses, funguses and root systems.

Pignattaccia A food originating with the cowherds of the Lazio Maremma zone, a stew made from the discarded parts of a butchered cow (the so-called fifth quarter).

The ingredients are left to simmer on the ashes in a terracotta pot (the pignatta) until evening.

Tuscia The name of Etruria after its defeat by the Romans.

Used until the Late Medieval period. A vast territory, it spans northern Lazio, Tuscany and western Umbria. In contemporary use, Tuscia indicates Alto Lazio and the bordering areas of Tuscany and Umbria. The university founded in Viterbo in 1979 took the name Università degli Studi della Tuscia.

dineria offers three versions of piadina that can be filled to order. “Our ingredients are organic and local, as much as possible,” Elisabetta told us. “Many Viterbesi asked us why we chose Viterbo, but we’re very content here. And we can find fantastic products. So why not?”

We saw that the trend in Tuscia is towards micro-businesses, minimalism, human scale farms, but also shared structures that can back up the work of agriculture. These seem to be the keys to Tuscia’s future, along with knowledgeable tourism. Moreover, there’s also the world of extra-virgin olive oil. There are

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7

two DOPs, Canino and Tuscia, pillars on which the agricultural economy of the province rests on. Efforts to concentrate and bring together olive-processing, aim to build a joint olive mill, rather than fragment the system of today where each grower has little more than a hectare of trees to work with.

Another answer to the question, ‘Why Tuscia?’ came from Mary Jane Cryan, an Irish journalist and writer born in the United States who arrived in Italy in 1965 “with a one-way ticket.” After working in Moscow for 4 years, 25 years ago she returned to Italy to find a place to live, 

8

THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S EYE Photographing Viterbo in black and white is absolutely natural to me. It is a city with little color except for a few occasions during the year.

The volcanic stone, Peperino, used for its construction is basically monochrome. Using black and white is a way to transmit an emotion or a message that can’t be otherwise communicated. Black and white suggests. Color affirms. Today, the ability to record images is available to everyone, but I think that a photography course should be obligatory in every school. It makes you not only look at the world, but also see it. – Guido Landucci

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7. Crisp sweetbread and crayfish with tumeric and champignon bisque: one of the dishes with which chef Danilo Ciavattini (born in Soriamno nel Cimino) conveys his interpretation of the territory in which he lives and works 8. A pier on the Bolsena lake

12 PLACES TO EXPERIENCE THE FLAVORS OF THE LAND

1

STORIES

Ai Tre Re

Viterbo – via Macel Gattesco, 3 – 0761304619 – ristorantetrere.com

2

Tredici Gradi

Viterbo – piazza Don Mario Gargiuli – 0761305596

3

Il Casaletto

Agriturismo and cured meats – Viterbo – frazione Grotte Santo Stefano – 0761367077 – ilcasaletto.it

4

La Tartuferia

Viterbo – via Cavour, 42 – 3282638818

5

Trattoria Da Benedetta

Vetralla – via della Pietà, 76 – 0761477032 – dabenedetta.com

6

Il Calice e la Stella

Canepina – piazza Garibaldi, 9 – 3289024761 – selvacimina.it

7

Da Benedetta

Vetralla – via della Pietà, 76 – 0761477032 – dabenedetta.com

8

Isanti – bakery

Corchiano – borgo Umberto I, 82 – 0761572518 – isanticorchiano.it

9

Ettore Brunetti La Pizzicheria

Nepi – via Giacomo Matteotti, 38 – 0761 557007

10

Trattoria del Cimino

Caprarola – via Filippo Nicolai, 44 – 0761646173 - trattoriadelcimino.jimdo.com

11

Marco Camilli

Onano – via Cavour, 80- 076378018 – 3284187301 – marcocamilli.it Danilo Capati – stone-ground flours and organic legumes Civita Castellana – loc. Tre Camini – via Falerina, 111 – 0761599005

12

not in Rome but nearby. She found Vetralla. “It’s a fairly sleepy place, but it’s still alive. It has lovely nature and countryside. I have a sort of Indiana Jones sensation when I visit the necropolis of Notcia or of Grotta Porcina. It was ideal for me. I began to work and study the art and culture of the zone.”

She accompanies foreign tourists who want to know Tuscia better. “I learned right away that people who come from the USA or Australia or New Zealand get tired of monuments pretty quickly. They often don’t have the background to fully understand them, unless they’re specialists.” Mary Jane has also written books

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about Tuscia. “They want storytelling, want to experience daily life, visit supermarkets and family kitchens, trattorias. The visitors from cruise ships docking in Civitavecchia want to enter into the soul of this place. If they go to Rome they see hamburgers and fries, but when they come here, they fall in love with the flavors of the area, of the stories of the people they meet. At the beginning, local people asked me, amazed, why I decided to live here. But it’s here that I met and interviewed Prince Charles. It’s where King Gustaf of Sweden came – he was passionate about archeology. Stanislao Poniatowsky, a descendant of the last king of Po-

VITERBO AND TUSCIA

THE STORY

GIULIA words by Giorgio Nisini

land, also came here. His palazzo is still on the Capodimonte Lake. It’s not hard to fall in love with this land. Often those of us who arrive from outside see and appreciate things that those who are born here barely notice.

In Vetralla, with Susanna Ohtonen and her husband Rudolph Hupperts, we restored the Dipinto palazzo, where we live and organize concerts and performances in the salons and secret gardens of what used to be the romantic Palazzo Piatti. Now, following our example, another historic palazzo is being restored. It took someone from outside to show the way. We, who are foreigners but love this land, try to do it every day.” 

They had been talking to me about Giulia for months. They said she’s marvelous, maybe the best in the province, and according to some, even outside the province – the queen of Tuscia, as they call it around here. My friend was even more explicit. “Giulia is not only an object of desire,” he said. “Giulia is desire.”

It’s enough to see the flow of people here to understand she’s not like all the others. Whoever passes by can’t help turning, even just to peek through the window, hastily admire her rounded lines. Some can’t resist the temptation to enter, and not only for the pleasure of looking at her, but because there’s something mysterious in her shape that is irresistibly seductive.

I wanted to try myself, this morning. I entered with my camera in hand. I sat down at a table near the door and asked for her.

When she was in front of me, I had the sensation of having already seen her.

I didn’t know on what occasion, or even if it was really true. It was a memory that I couldn’t put into focus. Maybe it wasn’t even a memory, just a confused impression, a tumble of images that came from who knows where – maybe television, or an ad in some magazine. Her fragrance reminded me of something. The comfortable aroma of a heated house, suffused light, the color of wet wood on an autumn day.

I gazed for a while as I readied my camera. The light was good, even if I couldn’t find the right positioning. I didn’t want to work on quantity, but on quality. It happens every time I have to photograph a model. I can shoot for hours, for days, indoors and out, drawing out all her states of mind and all her expressions. But the right shot is only one, always that one, always and only the shot that captures the soul of her beauty.

This time I didn’t find myself facing a model. I wasn’t here for work, yet Giulia’s soul has something ungraspable. I wanted to capture this something, but I couldn’t manage. Every image seemed insufficient to describe her nature.

When I put down the camera, I looked at her for a while. I like to look at things before touching them, as if sight anticipates touch, renders it more intense, thanks to that moment of waiting. But this time it wasn’t easy to control myself. As soon as I brought my lips near, I was aware of the warmth that came from inside, a sense of lightness and depth together, the autumnal scent that blended with a sweeter aftertaste. I had to close my eyes. It didn’t depend on an act of will. It was an automatic reaction that had to do with desire.

As soon as the flavor filled my mouth, I had no more doubts. Those who had told me about her were right. Giulia, or rather “Torta Giulia”, as they call it here in this pastry shop, in honor of an old love story of the owner’s, it’s said, was the most extraordinary hazelnut cake I had ever tasted in my life.

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RECIPES

MARCO AMBROSINO PLACE OF BIRTH

AGE

RESIDENCE

Procida (NA)

33

Milano

NAME OF RESTAURANT

RESTAURANTS BEFORE THIS ONE

28 Posti

OWNER

CONTACT

PARTNER

via Corsico 1 - Milano 028392377 – 28posti.org

EMPLOYEE

Il Melograno [Ischia] Noma [Copenhagen] Buongusto [Milano]

  

NAME OF SOUS CHEF

FAVORITE INGREDIENT

Filippo Mariani

The tomato

AGE OF SOUS CHEF

MOST-HATED INGREDIENT

37

I don’t hate ingredients

KITCHEN BRIGADE

THE DISH OF A LIFETIME

Filippo Mariani Franco Salvatore Caterina Mocellin

“La Chiajozza” MOST VENERATED MAESTRO

Libera Iovine

NAME OF SOMMELIER

MOST RESPECTED SAME-AGE COLLEAGUE

Riccardo Meconi

Oliver Piras

FRONT OF HOUSE

THE HASHTAGS OF MY CUCINA

Giulia Caffiero (maitre), Alice Masi

Discovery, new things, things forgotten

RESTAURANT SEATING

BEST-LOVED RESTAURANT ABROAD

28

La Huella a Maldonado (Uruguay) THE WINE ABOVE ALL OTHERS

IF NOT A CHEF, I WOULD HAVE BEEN

Trebbiano

A journalist LAST MUSIC ALBUM DOWNLOADED

THE DISHES I’M PRESENTING

“Better days” Osvaldo Di Dio

La Chiajozza; Tagliolino, leek, candied lemon, powdered capers; Pork belly, cauliflower, mint, wine garum; Ricotta, pollen gelato, citrus fruit ash, mullet bottarga

LAST BOOK READ

“Raccontare il Mare” Bjorn Larsson

IN THE FOLLOWING ISSUE, RECIPES BY: FULVIETTO PIERANGELINI

by Francesco Seccagno – photography by Marco Varoli (portrait)

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MARCO AMBROSINO

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RECIPES

La Chiajozza ingredients for 4 servings 8 mantis shrimp 80 g sea urchin pulp 200 g cappuccio cabbage 2 egg whites maritime pine needles grapeseed oil squid ink

For the maritime pine oil: in a Bimby, process equal weights of maritime pine needles and grapeseed oil to blend.

For the sea urchin gelato: combine sea urchin pulp, salt, pepper, lemon juice.

Place mixture in an ice cream maker.

For the ‘sand’: bake the shells of the mantis shrimp in an oven at 180°C. Beat two egg whites into peaks. Add a tablespoon of squid ink. Dry in a 60°C oven. In a processor, blend the meringues and the dried shrimp shells to obtain a thin sand.

Assemble the plate: season the shrimps with maritime pine oil.

Add julienned cappuccio cabbage, dressed with apple vinegar and mint. Complete with a scoop of sea urchin gelato and the fake sand.

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MARCO AMBROSINO

Tagliolini, leek heart, candied lemon peel, caper powder ingredients for 4 servings 300 g tagliolini 100 g salt-preserved capers 4 medium-sized leeks 2 lemons extra-virgin olive oil

For the leeks: cook leeks whole on a charcoal grill until completely burned on the outside. While still warm, place into a hermetic container. When cooled, open and extract only the soft heart.

For the caper powder: rinse capers well, then place in oven at 60° C until completely dry.

For the candied lemon peel: blanch the lemons in water three times. Boil in equal parts of sugar and water until completely candied.

Boil the tagliolini in salted water. Stir quickly in a pan with the leek and extravirgin olive oil. Complete the dish with a dusting of dehydrated capers and the zest of candied lemons.

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RECIPES

Pork belly, cauliflower, mint, wine garum ingredients for 4 servings 1/2 kg pork belly 100 g cauliflower 100 g Marsala 100 g soy sauce 100 g extra-virgin olive oil 50 g salt-preserved anchovies 20 g water 20 g butter 4 juniper berries 2 grains long pepper Juice of 1/2 lemon 2 celery stalks 2 carrots 1 onion 2 bay leaves mint

For the meat: simmer the pork belly for an hour in salted water with the celery, carrots, onion and bay leaves.

For the cauliflower: cut into thin slices and place in a pan with water, butter, salt and lemon juice. Cook over high heat for 10 minutes. Puree in a blender until smooth.

For the wine garum: rinse and fillet the anchovies. With a handheld processor, puree with soy sauce, pepper and Marsala until smooth.

To finish: grill the boiled pork belly over charcoal, arrange on dish and season with wine garum. Cover the meat with julienned mint and complete with a tablespoon of cauliflower cream.

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MARCO AMBROSINO

Ricotta, pollen gelato, citrus fruit ash, mullet bottarga ingredients for 4 servings 250 g milk 250 g fresh cream 200 g ricotta 100 g citrus zest 50 g sugar 20 g sugar 30 g mixed-flower pollen mullet bottarga

For the gelato: make a base of fiordilatte gelato, add mixed-flower pollen and place mixture in an ice cream maker.

For the citrus ash: burn in a 220°C oven equal amounts of zest of lemon, orange, mandarin oranges and lime. Process in food processor to obtain a fine powder.

To finish: spread ricotta in a deep plate, dust with citrus ash, complete with a scoop of pollen gelato and a dusting of grated mullet bottarga.

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GAMBERO ROSSO www.gamberorosso.it SENIOR EDITOR Lorenzo Ruggeri PHOTO EDITOR Rossella Fantina LAYOUT Maria Victoria Santiago CONTRIBUTORS Stefania Annese, Paolo De Cristofaro, Giorgio Nisini, Stefano Polacchi, William Pregentelli, Lorenzo Ruggeri, Francesco Seccagno PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS Cincinnato (cover), Guido Landucci, Tiziano Scaffai, Marco Varoli GR USA CORP PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT Paolo Cuccia Advertising GAMBERO ROSSO S.P.A. via Ottavio Gasparri 13/17, 00152 Roma tel +39 06 551121 - +39 06 55112206 fax +39 06 55112260 Advertising director Paola Persi email: ufficio.pubblicita@gamberorosso.it Gambero Rosso and are registered trademarks belonging to Gambero Rosso S.p.A. GAMBERO ROSSO is a Registered Trademark used under license by GR USA CORP Copyright by GAMBERO ROSSO S.P.A. 2018.

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February 2018

a www.gamberorosso.it/international & international@gamberorosso.it f Gambero Rosso International