Category Archives: European Wines
Veneto Wines, NYC! December is the Month to Celebrate Veneto Wines.
MONTELVINI Tullia Prosecco di Treviso Brut DOC, NV. I tasted this light sparkling wine at an Eataly luncheon. December celebrates Veneto wines at Eataly.
The Veneto, Italy.
December is a great month to celebrate wines from the Veneto region of Italy. December we celebrate the holidays, Christmas and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. It is a time when we enjoy great food with family and friends and are looking for exceptional wines to pair with fish or are looking for sparkling wines to ring in the New Year without the gross hangoveR the next day.
I tasted some exceptional wines during a luncheon at Eataly’s La Scuola Grande. There the chef using Lidia’s, Mario Batali’s and Eataly’s recipes made delicious cuisine that paired seamlessly with the drinkable wines from the Veneto that were featured:
MONTELVINI Tullia Prosecco di Treviso Brut DOC, NV
ASTORIA Millesimato Prosecco DOCG, NV (DOCG PROSECCO)
CANTINA DI SOAVE Re Midas Soave DOC, 2012
CESARI Mara Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC, 2011 (a red wine)
The Veneto is the primary region for wine production in Italy. The variety of wines produced there is surprising. The Veneto produces whites and reds, sparkling wines to meditation wines. There are also niche-labels from small producers that are in demand and luxurious. Veneto wines are in demand globally. The region expots 75% of its DOC wines. The wines featured were so drinkable that I would enjoy them with appetizers, with cheese and with the full range and complement of meats including chicken and other fowl and certainly fish. They go down smoothly and are a great value. For NEW YEAR’S EVE, a Prosecco is such a tremendous value over champagne. My cousin recommended it for years and knowing little about great wines, I was a snob and drank champagne. Have you seen the prices of good champagne lately? Too rich for my blood. An expensive Prosecco is the greater value. A great and delicious wine, a great value. Why not?
U.Vi.Ve. is the Association or Consortium of DOC Veneto wines established in January 1980 to ensure the wine quality was the highest.
CANTINA DI SOAVE Re Midas Soave DOC, 2012 and CESARI Mara Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC, 2011 (the red wine)
Lidia Bastianich’s Fritto Misto (Mixed Fried Seafood & Vegetables)
As Lidia suggests, “The point of a fritto misto is to enjoy the flavors and textures of a variety of fish. You can vary the roster of fish according to what is fresh in the market and increase of decrease the amount according to the number of guests you’re cooking for.” Also, the vegetables are now in season and can be swapped out for other vegetables that are fresh and in season. The Fritto Misto was delicious with the featured Proseccos.
Striped bass, medium shrimp, winter squash and fennel.
Mario Batali’s Risotto al Radicchio
(Risotto with Radicchio & Red Wine)
You can find this in Simple Italian Food by Mario Batali, 1998.
Mario’s risotto which goes well with Soave.
Eataly’s Veneto Wine Events.
Move the Passion! December 3rd! A Fun Veneto Wine Tasting Tour in NYC.
Move the Passion, Veneto Wines walking/driving tour in NYC on December 3rd, 6-10 pm.
If you love the best of Italian Prosecco DOC and DOCG, Soave and even delicious lesser known red and white wines from the Veneto, you will appreciate Move The Passion, which begins this evening in New York City.
Move the Passion is a wine tasting event where you will be able to walk or be driven around to various areas of New York City to sample and discover the best wines from the Veneto which is Italy’s top wine producing region. The U.Vi.Ve. is the consortium of the Veneto wine producers to ensure the highest standards of Veneto wines, including their quality and uniformity. They have organized for the entire month of December a celebration of their finest wines highlighted throughout the city with various events.
Move the Passion is such an event. It offers wine lovers the unique opportunity to discover amazing Italian wines at 7 wonderful wine locations in New York City. The walking Veneto Wine tour will take place on December 3rd from 6 to 10 pm and will take in the following venues:
Arclinea: 21 East 26th Street
Astor Center: 399 Lafayette St.
Giovanni Rana Restaurant: 75 9th Ave.
Maslow 6: 211 West Broadway
Revel Restaurant: 10 Little West 12th St.
Urbani Truffles: 10, West end Avenue (between 59th and 60th)
Risotteria Melotti: 309 E 5th St.
Reds and whites from the Veneto.
You will be tasting sumptuous wines and fabulous food to go with them including truffles, rice (risotto), home made pasta, panettone, cheese and more.
REGISTRATION IS MANDATORY TO ATTEND THE EVENT.
TO REGISTER: CLICK AND SCROLL TO REGISTRATION.
Was it Jack Kerouac who said, “There is wisdom in wine?” Go for it!
Pausa di Luce! A Celebration of Elegance by Poltrona Frau and Luce della Vite for “Casa di Luce”
The presentation was held at Poltrona Frau on Wooster Street in NYC.
Last week I was invited to participate in a celebration of the presentation of “Pausa di Luce.” I must admit, though I speak some Italian, I was perplexed. Curious, I went to be educated. This would be a wine tasting of a delicious upscale wine from Montalcino, Tuscany with which I was not familiar. I adore Tuscan wines. They remind me of the fabulous experiences I’ve had touring that wonderful region of Italy. I wondered if I would like this wine, a combination of Sangiovese and Merlot a recent addition to the wine-making scene in Tuscany. What I discovered was novel. Luce was the first wine in Montalcino produced with Sangiovese and Merlot grapes.
Luce the vintage I tasted was delicious. It inspired the creation, Pausa di Luce representing the elegance of both the wine and the special edition of the “1919,” an authentic Poltrona Frau icon designed by Renzo Frau in 1919 created ad hoc by Poltrona Frau for Luce.
In 1995 in collaboration with the Robert Mondavi company, the Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi company which oversees its estate Luce della Vite created and produced wines from Montalcino, Tuscany. After the collaboration with Mondavi ended, Lamberto Frescobaldi continued his passion creating Luce wine, and in 2009 reached a turning point. He considered: what better way to express the elegant style of his wonderful wine Luce, than to represent it with Italian-produced, hand-crafted creations? From then on Frescobaldi partnered with different companies to create limited edition pieces which reflected and symbolized aspects of the wine, Luce, that he so enjoyed producing.
This year the wine estate Luce della Vite which produces Luce partnered with renown Poltrona Frau, a leader in the finest Italian-made hand-crafted furniture. Together in their joint project, they conceptualized, “Pausa di Luce.” What is “Pausa di Luce?” It is Poltrona Frau’s creation, an armchair to celebrate the exclusive and elegant style of this grand wine of the “Casa di Luce.”
The theme is laid back excellence, something rather far flung in this modern time of digital hyperspeed and modulated rat-race living. Italians are known for their ability to take the time to relax, to appreciate, to rest, to contemplate. Rest is vital for renewal and rejuvenation. Luce is a wine that needs time to peak in its brightness, full bodied flavor and supple mouth taste. There is a required period of resting and readying the wine, making it imminently flavorful. With its supple, comfortable armchair, Poltrona Frau conceptualized relaxation and comfort, hand-crafted, Italian-style to embody the finest elements of Luce since it is a wine to enjoy, savor, relax with.
“Pausa di Luce” presented for the first time in NY at the Poltrona Frau Showroom, 145 Wooster Street
It is fitting that The “Pausa di Luce” is a special edition armchair which heralds back to the armchair handcrafted for the company by artisan Renzo Frau in 1919. Naturally, master craftsmen-artisans have designed a resting area where you may put your wine glass, sip, relax, settle back and enjoy. And ladies, relaxation isn’t just for men any more. You, especially, should be able to “pausa,” sip this luscious wine and indulge yourself to contemplate your next endeavor. I understand why the winemaker is proud to brand his product with beautifully designed and hand-crafted Italian made products, this year collaborating with Poltrona Frau. There is nothing that beats relaxed style and elegance. No uncomfortable stiffness here.
Luce a Tuscan wine produced from Sangiovese and Merlot grapes by Luce della Vite
However, when I discussed the concepts further with Luce della Vite’s North American Director, Alessandro Lundardi, I understood something deeper: the need for conservation, for preserving the ancient, healthful ways, for not allowing the beneficial elements to be overtaken and destroyed by the new blighted ones. For example, the region of the vineyards of the estate is southwest of Montalcino. However, that entire region is in many ways still a relatively wild landscape; the Italians have established a respectful relationship with nature preserving it from excess building and land speculation. Its landscape is so exceptional that in 2004 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. Montalcino is an ancient village on a hilltop, and the earth is rich, the climate yields outstanding wines created over the centuries, carrying through the tradition back hundreds of years for Tuscan wine-making, one of the key cornerstones being sustainability, no intrusion with chemicals, organic principles and intervention only if a vineyard needs to be made whole again.
Now, what about the wine, Luce? The 2009 vintage is beginning to peak and is delicious. It was served with various savory canapes. However, I can imagine it with sharper cheeses and with stronger red meats with which it will hold up well and bring out the piquant flavors. You can buy Luce and the Tuscan wines from Luce della Vite HERE.
The “Pausa di Luce” armchair is available only on request in a select number of Poltrona Frau showrooms in Italy (Milan and Rome), Asia (Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong and Shanghai), and the US (New York, Miami and San Francisco).
What other armchair is ready for you to relax with a delicious glass of Luce?
Sensational Umbria! Steve McCurry and Umbria Make a Good Team
Sensational Umbria, photograph by Steve McCurry
Last year I was introduced to Italy’s region of Umbria at La Scuola Grande, Eataly’s events restaurant. It was then I savored my first Sagrantino wine made only in the Montefalco region of Umbria and tasted the regional foods, legumes, mushrooms, pork that were and are often the traditional mainstay of Umbrian cuisine. This year Umbria is being featured once again at Eataly, NYC and to highlight the region, Steve McCurry, world-renowned photographer has created an exhibit of his photos. These will familiarize viewers with the lifestyle of the region, its towns, marketplaces, textile trades, terrain, the wineries, cuisine, artisan crafts, in short, all that is wonderful in this region, known as “the green heart of Italy.”
L’Umbria Secondo, photograph by Steve McCurry
What impresses me about Umbria is the passion of those who are the leaders of the region who want to make sure that past connects with present-future. In other words, there is a great respect for ancient wine-making traditions, cuisines and crafts and the fervency to keep these traditions alive so they are transmitted abroad and actually sealed into perpetuity (that’s branding, folks). Part of keeping a record of what was and what will be is the “what is.” That’s where Steve McCurry comes in with his photographs. According to the President of Umbria, Catiuscia Marini, “The passion people have for the region of Umbria was captured perfectly by McCurry’s remarkable storytelling power.”
Sensational Umbria, Event Coverage. Photograph by Steve McCurry
An iconic voice in contemporary photography for more than 30 years, McCurry is a good choice to pick out mythic images of the Umbrian landscape, its people, its appeal of every day life activities. McCurry has been recognized with some of the most prestigious awards in the industry and he has published a number of photography books, for example The Path to Buddha: A Tibetan Pilgrimage (2003), In the Shadow of Mountains (2007), and The Iconic Photographs (2011) to name a few examples.
Olive Oil product from Umbria, sold at Eataly.
McCurry selected various photographs that were used in the exhibit and can be seen at the Italian Trade Commission until Saturday, November 16th. McCurry’s photographs will also be on display at Eataly, during their month long celebration of the region of Umbria in the month of November. Eataly is holding classes focused on wines and traditional regional cuisine and is featuring Umbrian products, including wines and the Sagrantino only produced in Montefalco, Umbria.
Products from Umbria sold at Eataly
Sensational Umbria is the title Steve McCurry has given to his project of 100 photographs. If you haven’t visited Umbria and don’t think you will have a chance in the next months, go to Eataly, NYC and take a peak at the exceptional photographs. Have a glass of Caprai wine with your pork or short ribs dish at Manzo Ristorante or Birreria. Peruse some of the Umbrian products seen here. You’ll be happy you got a chance to embrace Umbria in NYC and it will be an encouragement for you to eventually to visit that magnificent, less traveled and poetic region of Italy.
Umbria Has Come to New York City. Only Two Weeks Left to Celebrate the Best of Umbria
The beautiful Umbria: olive trees and valley beyond.
If you’ve traveled to central Italy and visited Umbria, you’ve explored the picturesque medieval villages, and enjoyed the breathtaking mountains and lush valleys of this “Green Heart of Italy,” or “il cuor verde d’Italia.” Umbria is known for its sumptuous cuisine (The wines and oil olive oil are exceptional.) remarkable artisan jewelry and Deruta ceramics. If you love fashionable cashmere knitwear, you know you will be able to purchase some of the most chic outfits in Milano, Italy. Well, Umbria is an important hub of a cashmere knitwear manufacturing district in Italy.
I Love Umbria Month in NYC
Though traveling to Umbria may be not in your immediate plans, you are fortunate because Umbria has come to the U.S. If you are in New York City the month of November until December 8, you will be able to experience the best of Umbria in various locations around the city like Eataly, Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria and Di Paolo’s Fine Foods.In an official proclamation Mayor Bloomberg has declared November “I Love Umbria Month!”For the rest of November until December 8th, the city will be hosting cultural and culinary events in celebration of the best that Umbria has to offer in its wine, ceramics, olive oil, cuisine, jewelry, even music.
The Sagrantino the signature grape found in Umbrian wine
Eataly’s restaurants are currently serving traditional Umbrian fare paired with Umbrian wines like the signature Sagrantino. Eataly chefs are hosting cooking classes that focus on typical Umbrian recipes. Their wine store is holding its final wine tastings the next two weeks on Fridays and Saturdays, and there will be tastings in La Piazza.
Additional trade and consumer tasting events have been featured at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria in the heart of NoHo. Around the city, participating jewelers are still offering exquisite Umbrian jewelry. In Little Italy, Di Palo’s Fine Foods has hosted olive oil tastings and wine tastings, some of the finest from the region.
Eataly’s La Scuola, site of the luncheon
The month long festivities were heralded with the first of a number of events, a luncheon: Umbria, “A Land Rich in Time.” Held Wednesday, November 7th at Eataly’s La Scuola Grande, it was hosted by the Centro Estero Umbria(Umbria Trade Agency) and renown chef Lidia Bastianich. The sumptuous luncheon featured dishes typical of the region with Umbrian wine pairings. For the Antipasto, diners lunched on Chef Alex Pilas’ exceptional “Porcini con Crescione, Finocchio & Tartufo,” paired with a white wine of the region.
Marco Caprai and Dan Amatuzzi
Eataly’s wine director, Dan Amatuzzi, Marco Caprai of The Caprai estate and Marco Petrini, President of Monini North America, Inc., discussed Umbrian cuisine at length. Amatuzzi and Caprai explained the wine pairings for each dish and emphasized the Sagrantino as the signature Umbrian grape whose wine with its gripping tannins and ability to be aged for years makes it a classic of the region.
Marco Petrini
Petrini spoke about the olive oil produced as unique to Umbria in its mild, nutty taste profile that marries perfectly with porcini and legumes, ingredients widely used in Umbrian cuisine.
After the antipasto, guests enjoyed the Secondo which was Porchetta con Lenticchie Umbre. The combination of roasted pork resting on a bed of lentils prepared with Umbrian olive oil, nutty, fresh, smooth, and accompanying regional seasonings was a sensational meld of flavors. The dish was perfection and exemplary of the region’s select recipe for culinary delight.
To describe the Dolce course as tasty would be an understatement. The Torta Umbra all’Olio d’Oliva & Gelato was not cloyingly sweet, nor heavy as one might expect as it was made with Umbrian olive oil. The cake was light, airy and extremely flavorful; its gentility coupled well with the dessert wine, Tenuta Rocca di Fabbri, Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito DOCG 2005. The pairing pinged my palate and completed the progression of dishes with an intriguing finish, leaving me with thoughts of returning to such dishes and pairings again and again.
Porcini con Crescione, Finocchio & Tartufo
Porchetta con Lenticchie Umbre
Torta Umbra all’Olio d’Oliva & Gelato
However, I will only be able to revisit Umbria until December 8th when the month long festivities in NYC come to a close. The event breakdown in depth can be found at the link for I Heart UImbria.
The schedule of the last two weeks follows below.
Week Three: (November 23-30) Focus on Truffles and Legumes
Week Four: (December 1-8) Focus on Cuisine
You will be missing out if you don’t make it to Eataly or one of the other venues during the “I Love Umbria” month’s remaining festivities. It’s not too late to enjoy a glass of Umbrian wine or dine on some superb Umbrian fare. You’ll be glad you did.
CAROLE DI TOSTI 