Our friends at Azienda Giribaldi tweeted this to us. Ah, the view of a small hilltop town in Piemonte in spring where the mountains in the backdrop are still snowy. Let’s go!
We’re going to be doing some explorations with friends and clients in the region soon and will be expanding our repertoire of winery related tour items. What a great way to see the best of the real Italy.
We are forever bugging our friends over at Sovereignty Wines to expand upon their Italian white wine selection (they have a good one already, but one can never be too careful, eh?) and they graciously keep us trying new labels all the time. They were nice enough to source Belisario‘s Le Salse, a DOC verdicchio from Matelica. Is verdicchio trebbiano? Is turbiana trebbiano? Is trebbiano in central Italy the same as in Lugana? The Internet speculates on this subject at great and fascinating length. All we know for certain is that this straw yellowish green wine is perfect with seafood and grilled or sauteed veggies and rich cheeses. So where is it from?
Here:
Matelica is found in a valley in the Marche region about halfway between Ancona and Perugia. Cantine Belisario is found in the heart of this ancient city:
Upon a closer look, this is certainly a place that looks like it’s worth exploring!
So what do Matelica, and specifically Belisario’s location, look like according to Google at the ground level? Not disappointing in the least:
In addition to the post war modern warmth of the place and knowing that the wine is good, the suggested images Google offered up served as invitation enough to dig further; pretty soon Matelica and Cantine Belisario have made their way onto our list of places to investigate in person, and soon. See what we mean for yourself:
When we visit, we’ll take in the Apennine Mountains off in the distance, and then we’ll take in the enoteca here, which looks amazing. If we’re not heard from for a long time, it’s because we took a job in the winery. More tempting employment we cannot imagine.
Got a lovely birthday present last week in the form of Baracchi’s Smeriglio (which translates as small falcon, as the bottle hints); dark, almost opaque in color for a sangiovese, this wine hails from a part of the world more foreign travelers are starting to discover (Cortona). It’s a bit off the beaten path, but worth the effort for the intrepid traveler according to friends who call it their roots; per our friend Valter at Valter’s Osteria in Salt Lake City, the best way to get there is Trenitalia to Arezzo, and then private car service from there. On our list of things to do!
On the nose, you can immediately sense that the ABV is pretty robust, and the label confirms (14%). Not overly floral or fruity, just solid Tuscan minerality as you sniff, and slightly underripe plum and dark fruit on the sip. Long finish. Was perfect with some ravioli, and would stand up to proteins and heavier sauces just fine. You should try it if you find it. $22 at Sovereignty Wines here in the Springs.
One of the more lovely treats Doug Sassi brought home with him from recent set of tours was a bottle of Badia e Coltibuono’s Chianti Classico. The 2010 is a perfect expression of the Sangiovese/Canaiolo blend style and the strong nose is instantly transportative, reminding the taster of the sights, smells, and tastes of Italy. Not content to just imagine? Let’s dig in via Google Earth:
As you can see they enjoy a woodsy area of Tuscany northeast of Siena and south of Florence–the heart of the Chianti region. This is the sort of place that has made traveling authors swoon for generations, and end up finding a way to move there. It’s not an accident. Scrolling in:
Italy isn’t a huge country (about the size of California), but it still makes more wine than any other country by a long stretch, and it is because they still respect the old ways of doing things while managing to incorporate them and improve upon them with modernity. Because they live predominantly in well developed and livable urban centers, they can preserve these large swaths of wine producing country nearby the big cities–they have managed to avoid suburban strip mall sprawl in a way that we Americans have not. Moving in:
To get there from the main road, you have to navigate through that lush Tuscan forest. Does not sound like a chore to me in the slightest.
Now you’re talking. I love the pool nestled on the property by the entrance to the woods. As you can see from the higher up shots, most of the grape growing appears to happen a bit further out.
Well, that’s awful. Cannot imagine any of our clients will want to go here. 🙂 But just to make sure, we will go inspect the place personally to make sure it is up to snuff and report back shortly. If we are not heard from in six months, send risotto, porcini mushrooms, prosciutto, and help in the form of wine fund replenishment….as we’re likely to offer to pick grapes and handle the landscaping for free and possibly sell off everything we own in order to get to live here. Wow.
Imagine touring this place, tasting their wines, and then taking a bottle for a walk in the woods here. You too will be looking for a black market organ harvesting operation to sell a kidney to in order to expatriate yourself here. It looks that amazing.
The kicker: they offer a cooking school and overnight accommodations, and a restaurant that opens March 15th and runs through early November. Sounds like a place worth investigating.
Tonight we were craving another taste of Azienda Giribaldi’s delicious Dolcetto, and we figured a traditional style porcini mushroom gravy with garlic and basil and some reggiano would be perfect on a brisk fall evening over some broiled polenta.
It was as good as it looks.
While Doug is off in Italy running tours, we’re home working and having a relaxing family night. While we don’t have the luxury of being in Italy tonight, here’s a fun alternative that just might be the next best thing.
It’s Friday, and thus we are enjoying a late dinner and a bottle of Giribaldi’s Dolcetto d’Alba (Crottino, 2012…an *excellent* buy at $10 at my local fine wine purveyor), which just tastes like…Italy! Tannic, little of the frivolous fruitiness sometimes ascribed to Dolcetto, and perfect with food. On the back of the bottle, I note that it is produced and bottled in Rodello, Italy, a sleepy little village in Piemonte. Using Google, you can actually go see exactly where your grapes are grown. It is a way fun to brainstorm for places to go exploring in Italy AND feel connected to the artisanal nature of wine making in the foothills of the Alps. Looking up Azienda Giribaldi, Rodello, Italia, Google takes me here:
Green hills, curvy hillside roads, and terra cotta roofs, what’s not to like? Needless to say we’re intrigued, and it’s time to click the zoom in button:
Even better. Rows of grapes and plots of farmland can now be made out from what feels like a 20,000ft view. I feel the aura of the place already. Lovely.
Another click or two and our virtual tour of Rodello clearly shows the individual houses near the farm plots and rows and rows in the vineyard. Yes. Time to click for the street view:
And there it is–not overly dramatic, just an understated structure but with vaguely Palladian symmetry about it that certainly looks inviting. That’s where our wine comes from! A small vintner on a hillside in Piemonte labors to produce something in the crowded marketplace that is our wine, and thanks to the distributor’s efforts and the sharp eye and palate of our friends across the street at Sovereignty Wines here in Colorado Springs, we’re able to enjoy it. It’s neat when you think about it for even a moment. Let’s explore further:
And we see minimalist sign inviting us into explore Azienda Giribaldi. Most of the places that are “must see” for first or second Italy visitors are within walking distance of train stations. I’m sensing that a visit to Piemonte to visit local grape-growers is as good a reason as any to rent a car! You can see the shadow of Google’s robot-on-the-car in the lower left. Moving deeper into the vineyard:
Well…that’s certainly not ugly. That’s where my Barbaresco, my Dolcetto, my Gavi are coming from? Yes, let’s go visit, and soon. (Composes email to the Giribaldi folks about a visit this spring–who’s in?).
Spring 2015: who wants to visit Alba and taste the best wines in the world? Taking applications to go on an adventure here.
This is so important to understanding Italian culture and culinary acumen.
It’s a hard to explain to folks who haven’t experienced it, but enjoying food in Italy is a process as much as an event–it’s time, place, environment. It’s taking in your surroundings and absorbing the local atmosphere. It’s taking time to reflect while savoring.
It’s not meant to include styrofoam.
It’s everything a meal should be.
I’d be surprised to learn the Italians even have a phrase for slow food–for them the concept is just what they call “eating.”
Tony Bourdain quipped during a visit to Emiglia Romagna that more Americans would eat their vegetables if they tasted like the veggies you can enjoy in Italy. We’re inclined to think he’s correct. This quick visit to Sant’Erasmo (the garden island of Venice) will have you agreeing as well.
Added some pics to our Facebook page, plenty more to follow. If you haven’t given us a like, please do!
As the sun sets on a lovely Saturday afternoon in fall, it makes me wish I was on Burano this afternoon enjoying a plate of Trattoria Da Romano’s timeless, unequaled, and definitive seafood risotto.
It’s a dish made with love, served with precision, and eaten with gusto. Try as I might, I can’t quite replicate it in my home kitchen–you need that Venetian fish broth! Will have it again soon, but you can define life in terms of days spent in Venice, and days not spent in Venice.
Pair it with a brolettino (a fabulous Lugana).
Sassi Italy Tours 