So the other week some friends and I went wine tasting up in the Santa Barbara area. We started with a nice tasting at Summerland Winery's tasting room in Summerland, CA, just south of Montecito on the 101 freeway.
We tasted a great Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, some great Petite Sirah and I really also enjoyed the Trio from Summerland. The staff there was knowledgeable, friendly and warm.
Not a bad bottle of wine. This photo was taken at a friends house.
We finally opened a bottle I was holding onto for a while. The 2001 Sancta Catharina from Dei in Montepulciano. This 'Super Tuscan' was okay - not amazing in any way but not bad either.
The batch was made of 30% Prugnolo Gentile, 30% Cabarnet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah and 10% Petite Verdot.
Not the greatest drink in the world, this sparkling beverage was given to us at the Walk for Her walk a few weeks ago.
The flavor was distinctly gingery but not very appetizing or friendly to the palate.
The ingredients were all normal for a canned beverage and the idea is nice, but I didn't enjoy it too much.
First off, thanks to Ronald and Katia of Love Sicily for hosting this months WBW. This is my second in participation and I hope it wont be my last!
With the perfect timing of VinItaly in Verona, and the perfect timing of WBW, I decided to put the two together and report on a special few wines from the Sicily section of the show.
A warning: We arrived at VinItaly at noon and left at 17.30 - in five and a half hours we might have visited fifteen booths. This show is immense, not nearly comparable to the Vinexpo in NYC.
It was a lot of fun!
At VinItaly, yesterday, I met with two old friends. It's been two years since I last saw them, and they remembered me - Francesca and Jacopo Biondi Santi. Once we (I and the sommelier from Al Vedel) arrived my first goal was to meet up with the Biondi Santis, catch up, and find out how I can get my bottle of Schidione '97 from Castello di Montepo to my house in LA! That will need some more work but the meeting reminded me of what a good time I spent with the Tuscan family two years ago.
Yes...that's a 1965 you see there in the middle...and yes...it was very tasty!!
Monday morning poor Alex had to awaken to a day of pork bladders and tying whereas I was getting ready to head over to Chianti and drink wine for two days…another perk for being such a damn good stagist!!
Marco picked me up, with Andrea already in the car and we were off. The three of us would return to Parma
Our first stop, and really the only stop for Day 1 was Badia a Coltibuono located in Gaiole in Chianti. On arrival, the windy uphill road could only really lead to pleasure as the hills were pure beauty.
The weather was perfect for these two days. We were first greeted by two young but beautiful cows grazing in the pasture just in front of the abbey.
The Continuation...
The next bottle of wine, our fifth, and not on our tasting, more a gift, was a bottle of Griotte-Chamber tin 2000, a Grand Cru from Domaine Ponsot.
I am not a true lover of the Pinot Noir but this Burgundy wine was great. It was soft and earthy yet the fruit tones were all present. A nice ‘gift’ from our Sommelier.
The fifth course was a quick taste for me. In an oversized bowl with just a tiny center laid a perfectly poached quail egg, sitting in a black truffle soup with a tiny piece of gold leaf as garnish. 
This plate was nice, the quail egg was perfectly poached with a runny yolk and the black truffle soup was just that. It was as if the chef put a few black truffles in a blender with a small amount of liquid and this black truffle milkshake was the result. Although at the end of the season, the soup was still rich and the perfume was pungent and strong.
The next wine up was the Castello del Rampolla 1995 vintage Sammarco. If you haven’t yet, you should!
Course six was a Braised Ox-Tail - the only plate that escaped the lens of my camera – so, no photo. Basically, it was the same bowl as the black truffle soup. Underneath a Black Pepper Tuille rested three forkfuls of perfectly braised tail meat. The braise was excellent and so was the rest of the dish – very nice.
The seventh wine, second to last on our tasting was the 1988 vintage Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – Poggio al Vento from Tenuta Col d’Orcia. That was an amazing wine!!!!!!!
The final savory course for the night was my favorite from the whole night. Pigeon was the theme here and it went like this…Roasted Pigeon Foot (Thigh, leg and toes) resting on the Seared Breast, Pigeon Liver enriched Reduction Sauce, Potato Tart and Toast with Red Jam.
Like I said, my favorite dish of the night, this plate was good! The pigeon was perfectly cooked, I picked up the leg with my hands and sucked all the meat, skin and sauce right off – it was amazing. The breast was perfect and so was the sauce. The toast was sweet and went will with the potato tart and the sauce. A truly yummy plate, how about seconds!?!
After the main course, the cheeses were brought out. There were three large cutting boards full of Tuscan-only cheeses.
My plate consisted of Crema di Capra, a very soft and liquidy goat’s cheese; Ambro; Stracchino Stagionato, another soft cheese that is normally eaten fresh as this was an aged version; Pecorino Buccia di Rospo, a sheep’s milk cheese; and finally, Toma della Valsassine. All were amazing but my favorites were the super soft Stracchino and Crema.
With dessert on its way, the sommelier brought over our dessert wine, just for a peak as it went right back into the iced water to continue its cooling down. We drank a bottle of Picolit made by Rocca Bernarda from the 1997 vintage. A very tasty wine made from a special grape, Picolit, which is a late harvest style. Very tasty and if available, get it! 
Okay, the desserts basically all came out in a grand orchestra of a mess. First out was a plate consisting of a Chocolate Cream cube with Honey, Roasted Pear topped with Semi-Freddo, a Chocolate Tuille and an Orange Sauce.
The chocolate cube t asted much like a tootsie roll, the semifreddo was the most amazing semifreddo I have ever eaten, the orange sauce wasn’t very good and the chocolate tuille was great. The semifreddo, truly an exceptional experience here at Enoteca Pinchiorri.
Then, from all angles, plate after plate of more sweets was brought to us.
There was a sorbetto – two flavors, each in their own tuille as a base. We had roasted pineapple as one flavor, and mascarpone and goat cheese as another flavor. Both were great.
Then there was the Chocolate Cream with Irish Whisky which was presented as a foam – very tasty with a heavy coffee flavor, not much whisky though. On the same plate there was also a Triangle of soft Spiced Bread with Licorice, and a Pudding of Lavender and Jasmine with a garnish of Rhubarb. All these tastes were good, with the lavender and jasmine combo the ‘weirdest’ of them all. The small Chocolate Coffee Cups were nice, as well as the Tangerine Gelatins. Small chocolates followed and that was our meal.
Throughout the night, I had a great time. At first, I felt like a putz with the borrowed jacket, but after the first few glasses of wine, I mellowed out. The staff that took care of us for the five and a half hours we were there were great.
At one point I remember a young guy coming up with our Japanese server. Our server introduced him as Italy ’s youngest Sommelier and this sommelier tried speaking his ‘dirty’ English with us. It was a great time. Followed was a tour of the wine cellar, one of three I may add, and then back up to pay the bill.
The tasting menu we ordered, the grander of the two offered, was 225 euros per person. The wine tasting was 170 per person. Total – 395 euro per person – the most expensive meal to date for me!!!
With the wines, the sommelier offered the next wine, if we still had wine from the previous bottle, he asked if we would like the glass refilled, or if we would like both glasses for the same course. It was very friendly and relaxed – not as rigid as at Dal Pescatore, where I dined the week after!
Well, as usual, feel free to ask away!
Enoteca Pinchiorri...Part I
We were a three-top and our third never showed up, but beside the point, we were off to a great night. Walking through the freezing winter air, we found the well lit building which housed Enoteca Pinchiorri. Once in, we were immediately greeted, our coats were taken and I was issued a jacket because I don’t own one here in Italy. The jacket I borrowed wasn’t Armani, but it didn’t look too bad!
Our table was changed from three to two and we waited a few minutes in the lobby/waiting area. Once ready, we were led up to a false balcony seating area. Our table was one of three in our area. It was us, another deuce and a six-top. Our ‘room’ had one waiter and one sommelier in it at all time, and they were ours – always there.
The waiter was a young Japanese guy who has been with EP for three years – I thought at first he must be staging from the EP in Japan, but no, he is an employee there like all the others – and never has worked at the EP in Japan. The sommelier, originally from Rome, but Eric and I though from France, spent time in Spanish and French Michelin starred restaurants before relocating to Florence one month back. He mentioned to us that there is no greater restaurant in the world for a sommelier to work – for him, he is at the best of the best, of the best!
The first thing from the staff was a glass of spumanti – from Antinori, poured from a magnum. It was a great way to start the night. Next out were the pink napkins. The napkins were given to us from a plate, the server using the classic fork and spoon as his finger-extenders.
The amuse bouche, or entrée as mentioned here in Italia was a trio of tiny tastes. 
Starting on the left was the Duck Mousse with Black Sesame Seeds, then the Fillo with Ricotta ‘Cannelloni’ and Sun Dried Tomatoes / Black Olive as garnish and finally the taste all the way to the right, a different Duck Mousse on Soft Spiced Bread.
All three tastes were good – nothing over the top on any, but good.
The next gift from the kitchen was a White Bean Soup with Pancetta Stuffed Ravioli.
The soup arrived at the table corked and the straw is what I used to suck the soup up. The soup was good, a bit on the acidic (beans going bad) side but the three crispy fried ravioli were out of this world. The pasta must have been the same for Torta Fritta because they were puffy and crisp and delicious. A nice plate – and yes, I made a nice, loud, straw slurping sound when I was at the last few drops of the soup. I will enjoy myself!
Our first wine from the wine tasting we chose was a 2002 vintage Bianco di Toscano Ancillo. This wine is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes and was very nice. It went well with the soup, cutting away the heaviness and cleaning the mouth for the next sip.
Another taste was brought out from the kitchen. This plate featured a Grilled Scallop sitting on Puntarelle with a Salsa alla Banana, a Chocolate Tuille and a piece of great tasting Bottarga.
The bitter greens from the puntarelle went very well with the sweetness of the scallop. The chocolate and banana combo are a classic, and turned slightly savory, they worked well.
Finally, our first course from the tasting menu had arrived, although, I don’t want to make it seem like we were in a hurry! This black plate transferred the taste of Smoked Foie Gras with an Apple Jelly cube, Salt & Pepper and three droplets of Balsamico Tradizionale from the kitchen to our mouths, perfectly.
This smoked foie was a first for me, and I thought the extremely thin slice was on the skimpy side. The smoke flavor was a bit excessive and the apple jelly was really there to call that over powering down. The apple cube tasted of apple sauce – just apple sauce. Then, you season the whole plate yourself, with however much salt or pepper you want. There were only three drops of balsamico so that wasn’t an option; I smeared through the droplets on the first bite! On the side, we were given a few pieces of pruned toast – toasted bread with a prune jam on it. Very tasty, but I would have preferred a kick ass piece of brioche instead.
Our third wine, second on the tasting, was a Tenuta San Guido vintage 2000 Guido Alberto. This wine took the prize for the most amazing nose from a wine. The nose was so compact with smells of ripe red cherries, tobacco, leather – it was awesome. The taste was good too, but not equal to the tease from the nose. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate this Tuscan blend from the famous maker of Sassicaia.
As for breads – throughout the night, we were served our choice from these:
· Parmigiano Crisps, Focaccia, Prune Toast, Chocolate Bread, Raisin Bread and Whole Grain Bread.
Our second course, a Crab with Mint and Red Pepper Foam Martini, Tempura Spiced Asparagus, was delicious.
The red pepper foam was very intense and well seasoned bug the foam itself, the power of the foam, was very weak. By the time it got to the table, it was dying quickly and before the waiter even announced the dish, I went at the foam to try and see what I could get before it disappeared. The crab was fantastic and so was the asparagus, with a pinch of paprika to season them.
The fish course was next. This was a plate consisting of perfectly cooked Bass with a Puree of Celery Root, Deep Fried Mussels and a Mussel Foam with Saffron Oil.
The fish was great – perfectly cooked and just great. The deep fried mussels were passed through some seasoned bread crumbs and fried, skewered with a piece of bone on the plate. The mussel foam was great, well made and very tasty. The celery root was also, very nicely done with a hint of sweet butter to richen it up.
Yes, if you were thinking it, all these courses were served with the Guido Alberto, and all plates went well with the red wine.
The fourth wine, third on the tasting was a bottle of I. Sodi di San Neccolo – Vintage 1997 – bottle number 12543 of Castellare – another truly amazing wine.
The pasta course was out next. This plate, Doppio Ravioli with a Burrata Cheese filling and a Pheasant filling served with Amaretti Crumbs and Butter, Black Sesame Seeds.
The idea of the double ravioli is brilliant. I have never seen this before and think this can open many, many doors to endless combos of tastes. Basically, think of a rectangular piece of pasta dough. Put one filling on the right end and on filling on the left end. Fold the two ends towards the center – now you have two fillings, separated, but one piece of pasta. Very cool!
This is the end of Part I. Part II will be up shortly. Thanks for reading...spread the Gold!
WBW #7 - Thanks to Spittoon for hosting this months event!
My first time at this, this WBW thing – and I hope it won’t be my last. It is late, I must make salumi bright and early but I hope that won’t take too much away from the post (please mind the buzz!).
I live in Italy now and with help from some friends I chose a bottle of Teroldego as my WBW# 7 grape varietal. Although not completely unheard of, this might be an available wine in some of the larger wine merchants in the US and elsewhere. 1998 was a great year for most wines in Italy, this bottle of Teroldego Granato 1998 – from Foradori was 26 Euro and was worth it. The wine is 100% Teroldego and was very nice in the mouth; balanced and yummy – I am sure you can find the ‘proper’ lingo elsewhere!
Personally, I prefer more body and tannins but this was my first and it was very soft and velvety in the mouth – with a balanced taste although without food, maybe a bit on the acidic side.
Once again, the wine is 100% Teroldego. The vines average about forty years old and the wine is aged a minimum of eighteen months in new oak before released. This is a wine with a concentrated nose of ripe/mature smells. This is a full bodied wine with a dry taste and a hint of cooked fruit.
I insisted it be the first of wines that we try this evening, so I can report at least some half way decent comments about the wine, as you can see, it wasn’t the only th
ing we drank. Not pictured are the three bottles of sparkling stuff, a nice rose sparkler and a Sicilian 100% Chardonnay. Most were magnums as the friends I am with have a thing for large format bottles – can’t blame them – they’re cool!
The next will be better, with more time to write.
Ore
Arriving around 19.30, it was a Friday night and the restaurants and enotecas in Firenze were all fighting for my business. After contact with Judy, the Divina, the decision was made to check out the Trattoria of Cibreo.
Cibreo, the original, is a fancier place with a long Florentine history. I was not looking for anything formal, just straight good food – and was lucky to find it there too! Eric and I enjoyed plates like:
Pate di Fegattini di Pollo; Insalata di Trippa; Passata di Pesce; Passata di Zucca; Cappello di Prete; Piedi di Vitello; Tortino di Pere; Tortino di Cioccolato; Cheesecake.
All the titles above are what I can remember now; this was not a dinner I wrote down, but much more for fun and being welcomed into Firenze. The Pate was creamy and smooth, perfectly made. The tripe was a cold salad with a ‘salsa verde’ dressing. Both passatas were great, the fish very clean and flavorful and the squash with a note of nutmeg – very elegant and rich.
The cappello di prete was a form of Zampone, served with an awesome tart of mostarda. The braised veal hooves were delicious. The hooves are de-boned and the meat and gelatinous tendons are separated and braised perfectly. When I received this plate, I asked if seconds were available because it came out on a 6” plate. The server assured me that this is the perfect portion size and after eating this rich plate, I would have to agree.
We opened with spumanti and drank a bottle of Avignonesi Grande Riserva either 98 or 99 – cant recall. I remember the wine being a bit warm but it was good.
The restaurant emptied out by the time we were on our mains. There were seven other tables and almost all were empty (it was about 23.30).
It was dessert time and I had my eye on a very tasty looking apple tart but when ordering, learned that it was pear – ok –so that is what I had. Eric had the chocolate cake and they gifted us a slice of the cheesecake. All three were brought out with a complimentary taste of Antinori’s Mufato for us to enjoy.
Overall, a great experience. Very good, homey, ‘rustic’ food with a few flares here and there. Everything was very tasty and properly done. The walk home was a freezing cold one.
At nights Florence was extremely cold, it wasn’t snowing but it easily could have with the low temps. We thought about going to a bar or club but we passed by a new concept we haven’t seen before. A large window for us to peek in from the street, we noticed one chef preparing food for the entire enoteca/restaurant.
The place is Cibo e Vino (I think) and from the looks, it was a hipper, newer place in Florence. It was late, they offered us no food, but we did enjoy a bottle of Umani Ronchi’s 25th Anniversary edition wine. I recall a ’99 vintage and I thought for the price, not a bad markup – 70 Euro. So that’s what we had.
I remember visiting the winery, Umani Ronchi, in Umbria, and that bottle was sold out – not available for sale – at the winery – so I had the chance and it was pretty good!
After the wine we kept walking in the cold, this time to the Duomo area where the hotels were. 
We found this boar on the way! Somehow, we ended up at JJ Cathedral, an American/English pub/bar in the center of Florence. It was a great time meeting many people and speaking English, like, ummm, like, ummm, like, ummm. 
Actually, it was pretty bad but it was fun! After two beers, Pilsner Urquel, my head was spinning and it was time to go (alone). Lots of pretty girls but they all traveled in packs, like wolves, and weren’t very open to others.
No Prob – early morning market meeting for me the next day!
(to me)
The other night I had a great meal at Trattoria dell’ Alba in Vho di Piadena (Cremona). I dined with the FOH manager and his wife, as well as two ‘cameriere’ from Al Vedel.
This Trattoria is much more like the true Osteria. One waiter, who knows everything about the restaurant (he happened to also be the owner) and its food/wine arrived at our table. The menu was announced and our order was placed.
The antipasto was a table-wide variety of salumi with the addition of house made baby onions in vinegar, marinated artichokes, insalata russo and crispy polenta squares.
The antipasti were enjoyed with a bottle of Bellavista Franciacorta Gran Cuvee ’99.
The second wine, our first red, was ordered. We decided to start with a Tuscan Cabernet Sauvignon & Cabernet Franc blend. The wine, Fidenzio, by Podere San Luigi, was a ‘99 vintage and drank wonderfully. After I a few minutes, it warmed up in the glass and was very nice and rich with a balanced tannic presence – I liked this wine very much.
The primi arrived at the table. I enjoyed fresh tagliatelle with a tomato sauce (thin) and grated bagos, a dry, aged, cheese (DOP) from Bagolino, near Lago di Garda. Others enjoyed tortelli di zucca; tortelli di erbette; a vegetable soup with lentils and artichokes.
The third wine was ordered. It took a while to decide which way to go on this choice because the two waiters who joined me argued and ‘threw out’ all the wine knowledge they knew, which was quite a lot, into the decision process. We decided on a bottle of Kurni – 1998. Kurni comes from the Marche region but from what I understood at dinner, it is made from the Montepulciano grape. It is produced by Oasi degli Angeli. At first site (the wet cork) I thought the bottle was bad. The cork had mold over the top and was very wet. The wine was tasted and needed confirmation from Marco, the FOH manager, because it had a bit of a ‘puzza’ (off scent). After Marco spoke with the owner/waiter/sommelier, and told him about the Al Vedel experiences with Kurni, and his own, the bottle was poured – just a taste – then decanted.
On first smell, I thought the wine was bad – it smelt of mold and stinky stuff – at first taste it had a bit of a re-fermented feel to it. A bit of effervescence, or something like effervescence was felt on the tongue. After about ten minutes, the wine was great – the stench floated away and was replaced by much greater, more characteristic tones.
For the main course I had fish from a nearby river (nearby??). It was served on the colder side – accompanied by a salsa verde and a salsa with bottarga – interesting. Others had ‘oca’ or goose, prepared the classic way, braised “confit”(…right!!) or salt cod topped with potatoes and roasted in the oven (best dish of the night).
We followed with a huge cheese plate – maybe ten or twelve types – too many to remember or even write down – but all great. After the first cheese plate, we ordered our last bottle of wine.
The last wine was the best wine. A truly new experience for me was enjoying the last wine almost like our dessert. We enjoyed a ’93 L’ Apparita (Merlot) from Castello di Ama (Toscano). This wine was very, very good.
All in all, a fun evening with lots of wine, good food and new friends.
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