A video of our recent visit to see friends in Cuneo commune, Piemonte (Alba area). An unreal experience in hospitality, and the best wine you’ll ever have by the bottle tableside accompanying amazing meals. The hospitality of the Piemontese is unforgettable and a reason in and of itself to go back again and again. More soon on this amazing adventure.
Sassi Italy Tours is really versed in guiding folks through “must see” Italy–the cultural heritage and art history treasures of Rome, Florence, Venice, Pisa, Pompeii, etc, thanks to Doug Sassi’s encyclopedic knowledge of the Renaissance and Italy itself–but now we’re expanding our repertoire. We’ve made contacts (friends we haven’t met, really) in Italy in places we think best represent its aesthetic and culinary palates and its unbeatable viticultural pursuits (a fancy way of saying where great wine is made!). This fall we’re going to explore a few of these places in depth and “interview” them to make sure our take on them as places you the traveler *need* to see is accurate; watch this space as we add the food and wine trails of Italy (well off the usual tourist track, no doubt!) to our list of places we know in depth and can recommend whole-heartedly to the discerning traveler who wants an artisanal Italy experience close to the land, the people, the things that make its countryside like no other in the world.
One of the places we’re going:
One of the fun parts of writing about Italy, Italian wine, Italian food, Italian people, and going over there regularly is that sensation that you’re never quite seeing it all. There’s so much to see just beyond the typical tourist track!
Our focus is seeing places we haven’t seen before and forging new friendships; one of the ones we’ve struck up recently is a winery in Soave that we’re going to spend some time investigating and reviewing and documenting for you; you’ll see here posts soon reporting back from new spots on the Italian wine and food trail that you need to know about. We like to know where we’re recommending clients to visit! Looking at other places to visit in the Garganega capital of the world I saw this lovely video on YouTube, and thought you might enjoy.
Had the pleasure of trying I Sodi del Paretaio thanks to our friends at Sovereignty Wines, and we weren’t disappointed in the slightest. What a fantastic example of the Chianti DOCG.
After trying that we certainly wanted to know where our wine came from, and so off to Google Maps it was. I Sodi comes from the Pisa province and a little town called Terricciola, from a winery on the appropriately named Via del Chianti no less.
You’ll find it a little more than halfway to Pisa from Siena. What a lovely part of the world.
I love the names of the towns here. They roll off the tongue quite lyrically. You’re in the heart of Chianti country.
You can see quite clearly at this elevation that the land has been extensively re-purposed for agricultural purposes but is still green, rolling hills.
And as we descend, we see the winery amidst cypress trees and vineyards in the Tuscan countryside. Fantastic! And if you follow the little dirt road out of town toward the signs for Badia di Moronna, you see this:
If you’re like us, you dream about getting to visit places like this you haven’t been before. Time to add this one to the list.
And if you knew how good the smoked swordfish wrapped robiaola, pickled herring, and olive oil and herb soaked artichoke hearts were here, you would be too! Nothing beats a cicchetti bar off the beaten path a bit in a quiet Venetian neighborhood for a pre-dinner snack and bicchiere di vino!
Come find this place with us.
Tonight a lighter white seemed appropriate as it’s hot and humid, and our friends at Sovereignty Wines had just the ticket lined up: the Arneis from Azienda Agricola Matteo Correggia, by way of Canale, Italia. As always, we want to explore where our wine comes from:
The Roero district is nestled between Bra and Asti, with the Azienda lying just to the southeast of Canale town.
The Matteo Correggia azienda comes into view from above, with the lovely terra cotta roofs you’d expect to see in Northern Italy dominating the landscape, along with rolling hills of grapes and trees. Yes!
Looks like the estate has had to do some terracing and landscaping recently, but it’s lovely nonetheless. Almost every parcel of land that could be used for viticulture is indeed being used, and it makes for a lovely set of textures.
The front door view is wonderful. And if you scroll on Google Maps a little closer to Canale town proper, you see some lovely hilltop estates. All this beauty, great wine, and a view of the Alps?
Added to the bucket list! Hope to visit this azienda soon.
Some lovely shots on their FB page as well:
Via my good friend Valter at Osteria di Valter in Salt Lake City. I got into SLC late this evening for a business trip, and even though the kitchen was closing down, Valter still invited me in and had me wash down some breaded zucchini and garlic tomatoes (so fresh!) with some Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and a semi-freddo gelato with orange zest that was to die for.
It’s so wonderful to be able to get fresh ingredients and Italian hospitality when you’re traveling on business–makes the whole trip so much more enjoyable!
One of the places we’re going during the “Fall Special” is in the little village of Sinio; imagine waking up every day and going to work here. Not bad, eh?
Our friends at Sovereignty Wines have been doing a great job keeping us in Italian wines we’ve never had a chance to taste before; here’s a varietal you probably haven’t heard of before, but you definitely need to consider if you can find it–gaglioppo! It’s a sangiovese cousin (I had to look this up as I hadn’t heard of it either!) that grows well in the dry soils found in the toe of Italy’s boot. The version we had tonight was named for the town where it hails from (Ciro), via Cantine Librandi. We love it! It has the clarity and color of a Brunello, but is very cost effective at $11 a bottle, and definitely tastes like a full bodied southern Italian red.
So where does it come from? Here:
Ciro is located on the Ionian coast, on the ball of the foot of Italy’s boot. You can see why much of this region reflects a strong Greek influence.
As you drill in a little closer you can see where Librandi is located, and imagine Greek sailors landing here a couple millennia ago.
Cantine Librandi is found on the hillside overlooking the port.
Librandi sources all of its grapes onsite here in Ciro.
Street view shows us the entrance, looking welcoming. It’s a bit of a haul to get here for the typical Rome/Florence/Venice traveler, but I sense it’s well worth it! What a lovely spot in a part of Italy that everyone should see once.
Where the magic happens–beautiful bronze tanks and artworks adorning the walls. Yes!
Imagine sipping Ciro and looking out at these hills on a fall afternoon; the current fall special is a Northern Italian experience, but in coming years we might just have to do the same for the south.
We had a great time last week with our friends at Sovereignty Wines and their distributor Volio Vino! They were kind enough to help the Colorado Springs Italian Culture Meetup group host a tasting of Italian wines (followed by a movie night), and a great time was had by all.
First up, some snacks to get the palette ready:
And then it was on to Montecucco, where this lovely Vermentino from Azienda Peteglia was offered. Crisp but rounded, it immediately reminded of Lugana style Trebbiano, but didn’t let you forget its Tuscan origin; grown in the southern part of Tuscany, it would be a perfect mate for white sauces and fresh seafood dishes. If you see it, buy it!
Up next was a trip north to taste a Dolcetto and a Barbera from Cantine Povero (from the description from the wine rep at Volio Vino, “povero” is a bit of a misnomer for what is apparently a fabulous estate in Piemonte, one to add to our list to go visit):
A ridiculous bargain for a Piemonte red at around $10 a bottle, this one didn’t disappoint. Dolcetto gets overlooked by stuffy wine connoisseurs because it isn’t ostentatious; it doesn’t boast lofty or obscure floral notes and syrupy fruity complexity that requires a thesaurus to describe–it’s straightforward, savory, and wholesome, a fulfilling wine that doesn’t require effort to enjoy, and this iteration would be perfect with some porcini mushroom gravy or any savory dish.
Not generally a fan of Barbera’s occasionally bracing acidity, but Cantine Povero’s won me over; I had some with some spicy, fatty foods and it shone through nicely. Not something you’d cork to drink on its own, but that’s okay–most of the Italian wine spectrum is meant to be had with grub and this is no different.
The last wine of the night was in many respects the most compelling; from the small but remarkable DOC Bolgheri appellation, Tenuta Argentiera’s Villa Donoratico was a revelation. Here on the Livornian coast, the microclimate suits growing non-native varietals like Cabs, Merlot, Petit Verdot, etc, and this wine’s blend hit a lot of the right notes. It took about 30mins in the glass to really open up, but the wait was worth it. Not an everyday drinker at $25 a bottle, but it was a special treat to get to try this cousin to the super Tuscans.
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