Recently I was invited to a fabulous artisanal Neopolitan pizza dinner at La Pizza Fresca in Manhattan featuring a treasure chest of top Barolo from the very best producers, all from the 2004, 2005, and 2006 vintage. Producers Giorgio Ballarin, Andrea Giordana and Aurelo Settio attended the tasting of 23 wines (representing the 23 producers of La Morra).

The wines were of very different styles and all were enjoyable ...

... yet the MAIN reason for the dinner was that this band of 23 producers were part of an organiation called Annuziata di La Morra, with their goal being to rebuid the great historical landmarks in their ancient town. Among these is the church you see above, the Abbey of the Annunziata, which overlooks the vineyards of the Barolo valley and dates from the 12th century.

Each of the 23 producers donated their wines in an effort to raise money during the Christies auction to be held the next day ...

... though the total amount needed would be close to a million Euros, the producers came close to their goal of 150 Euros for immediate repairs.

During the dinner I had the good fortune to sit next to Giorgio Ballarin of Cascina Ballarin.  I learned a lot about production!

What made the tasting lunch so special was the passion of owner Andrea Sartori, who came across as a very traditionally-minded Italian of the classic world. In his introductions to his various wines, Mr. Sartori kept emphasizing the concept of terroir, and underscored the fact his winery had no interest in producing Merlot ...

.... what he meant by that was up for interpretation, yet my thought was that he wanted to produce balanced wine that tasted of the soil.

The Satori family's venture into wine making dates back to 1898 ... yet it was in 2001 that the family expanded their holdings by a partnership of sorts with farmers (a cooperative) that gave them access to a variety of terroir in different regions.

Consulting winemaker Franco Bernabei, hired in 2003, was another notch in the winery's success ... he made changes such as reducing yeilds, replacing the traditional pergola trellising with a guyot variant, and instituted a comprehensive analysis to better match individual grape varieties with specific vineyard locations.

Franco and Andrea also experimented a bit, paring traditional grapes and tradtional techniques in unconventional ways.

Take our first wine, Ferdi Garganega. This variety of grape is common in Verona, yet Sartori kicks it up a notch by drying the grapes for a few months to create a fuller bodied, richer, style of wine with a hint of succulence and twinger of sweetness, yet it is less than 3 grams of residual sugar per litre. I liked this wine a lot ... it was very elegant yet rich at the same time, and can pair well with many foods. For example, it went well with the Bufala mozzarella dish as well as the homemade fettuccine and even the seared sea scallops. The acidity was refreshing after all the amarones that would follow.

The second wine was The Sartori di Verona "Regolo" 2007. It was rich and well balanced between the fresh acidity and tannins. The vines were 15 - 20 years of age, and on the palate one could taste cherry and bramble. The oak was measured, from large format 3 year old casks.

The three aged Amarones were all fabulous ... the Sartori di Verona Amorone della Valpolicella 2008 was full bodied and elegant with a mineral/earth character. The Sartori di Verona Amarone della Valpolicella "Corte Bra" 2006 was delicious, spicy, with concentrated ripe fruit, very well balanced. The grapes were dried in small boxes and checked daily for if one burst, the entire box cold be ruined. The grapes were dried for thirty days, enjoyed a cold soak in must, and 'like a sponge" came back to life. They were aged in large casks with a small percentage new.

The last wine, Sartori di Verona Amarone della Valpolicella "Corte Bra" 1995, was incredibly youthful for its age ... though one can detect a luscious black chocolate covered raisin characteristic. Extremely drinkable wine.

The entire lunch paring was fantastic, and though most guests chose the Amarone braised beef cheeks for their main, I chose the seared sea scallops with summer truffle. One might think such a "light dish" would not pair with such powerful wines, yet the fact the scallops were roasted and laced with truffle really made a fabulous match!

What I remember most about the lunch, beyond the fabulous wines, was Mr. Sartori's passion for terroir and dedication to making the best wine possible, no matter how much effort it demanded.

One of the most interesting benefits of the Tuscan wine fair was the ability to see all the different labels.

While many producers had traditional labels, the producer above decided to kick it up a notch with a "Millennial friendly" label showing an image that appears to resemble a skeleton.

Millennials in America are aged 21 (the legal drinking age) to 30, and are important because they represent the new generation of wine drinkers.

There is much chatter about the importance of appealing to them on labels because they BUY on labels. For my WSET Honors diploma (representing a year of independent research) I had to interview dozens of Millennials about their wine buying habits, and all bought on labels.

In any event, this is not an ordinary skeleton ... it was found on the proprietors vineyard, and appears to be a very ancient cave drawing that he had replicated and put on the bottle.

Ah, the Buy Wine Fair ... full of clever marketing ideas!

Imagine entering a fantastic space (an ancient train station, from what I understand) rebuilt with the latest technology, and filled with some of the best wine producers in Tuscany.

This was the 2012 Buy Wine event, which allowed the trade to meet producers small and large, and taste some of the best Tuscan wines across several vintages.

As a fine wine journalist and as a student in the Master of Wine program, it was a great opportunity to meet with an assortment of producers, take notes, and taste the wine as the winemaker explained his (never met a 'her') process.

Mauro

I had the longest conversation with the owner of Montaioncino wine (http://www.montaioncino.it)

Mauro Cartechini is the proprietor, and has won many medals for his Vin Santo, Merlot, and Chianti. We spoke about his methods of producing Vin Santo (which was excellent) and about all the different styles (as well as fermentation temperatures, which I won't bore you with). In addition to making fabulous wine, his wife gives cooking lessons at his estate (their daughters help out).

The opportunity to taste dozens of Vin Santos, Chiantis, and other classic Italian wines in one space and talk to such fabulous producers was priceless.

"They're sacrificing their lives for grapes!" I remark  to a friend, after an amazing visit to Plan dell' Orino in Montalcino, Italy with owners/winemakers Jan Hendrick Erback and Caroline Pobitzer, who gave us a tour and tasting at their modest winery. It is literally an old farmhouse that they bought after spending many months (years?) searching for the perfect terroir.

The winery is certified organic though they practice biodynamic viticulture, and as Jan speaks about the terroir and his wines, "found dogs" (dogs found at a shelter) run freely over the vineyards.

Jan's quest for the perfect terroir was based on a Brunello Jan experienced many years back, with the taste so haunting he felt compelled to  replicate something even more magnificent.

This lead to endless months (years) of research, exploring various soil maps of the region until he found the the six hectares of land where we are now standing. The couple produce three wines: Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, and a Super Tuscan called Piandorino).

As Jan and Caroline speak, and then pour the wines for us to taste, one notices is the intensity of passion -- incredible passion -- they have for the soil and the wines they make. After meeting winemakers for more than a decade, passion is common ...yet this couple really seem to be living their lives for the vines.

The estate is located right next door to the most famous name in Brunello history, Biondi Santi. Yields are kept to a very low level, with green harvesting practiced in every vintage to reduce yields to only four bunches per vine. Selection at the sorting table as well as the vineyard is rigorous. Jan is particularly proud of his new and expensive vibrating sorting machine, though no cultured yeasts, extraction enzymes , or added grape must are used. The wines ferment on their indigenous yeasts before aged in a combination of barriques and large botti for one to several years prior to bottling, depending on the wine.

Please check back for more updates about these fabulous  wines and the terroir.

Az. Ag. Pian dell'Orino
Loc.Piandellorino,189
I - 53024 Montalcino (SI)
Tel./Fax +39 0577 849301

E-mail: info@piandellorino.it

Just imagine excavating a space for a winery and finding rocks so large and fascinating you are compelled to change plans and create a "glass cellar" so that visitors (and workers too, of course) can look out from the underground space and see the incredible collection of large rocks that form the basis of your wines!

This is exactly what happened at Le Mortelle (which means 'the wild myrtle' in Italian) when Antinori's new Tuscan venture revealed fabulous rocks. In the photo above, you can see the barrels in front of them. There are "windows" showing these large rocks in this, the bottom floor of the three story circular building, which is designed in a 'gravity fed' fashion with the arrival of grapes on the upper level, then the vinification process on the middle level, and the aging underground, leading to the departure of the finished wine.

The space is circular, with a winding staircase that connects all the levels.

The farm is based in the center of the lower Maremma, and had been owned by Leopold II in the mid 1800s and used to breed cattle. A farmhouse circa 1900 still stands on the property, quite in contrast to this high tech (yet unseen) winery as it is built into the hillside and underground.

The Antinori family bought the land in 1999 to showcase the expression of the land, with the focus on international varietals.

Organic fruit and conservation of the environment are key factors here -- the winery was built with energy conservation firmly in mind, and packaging includes lighter glass and environment friendly packaging. Varietals grown include Sangiovese and Caberet Sauvignon ... with a new Super Tuscan rumored to be out soon!

The tasting room above is very "old school" yet the cellar and vat room are located in this incredible structure ... a strange yet spectacular stairway to heaven (stairs cut through the middle of a circular structure, yet seem to go nowhere). It's an icon, just like the wines which include Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.

There are 741 acres here, and the soil includes "metal rich hills," calcareous outcroppings, clay, and alluvial. Merlot flourishes on the clay soils, and as I taste through the lines (value-priced Zingari, high end Quercegobbe) I am struck by a strong similarity to Pomerol.

Winemaking is old school here, mixed in with a bit of new technology. Hand harvesting rules, along with indigenous yeast ... yet  winemaker Francesca Moretti experiments with micro-oxygenation. The wines are very super-tuscan, big and bold, with robust earthiness from the magnificent soils.

Beyond the excellent wine, the real treat here is the vat room and cellars, which are designed in a circular formation and are almost more art than science.

Gaia is showing off the Gaja family's sleek new multi-million dollar winery in Bolgheri, near the Tuscan coast. It is freezing (well, it is for me) yet the upbeat, very positive and extremely charming Gaia Gaja doesn't seem to feel it.

"... all this gorgeous sunshine!" she says, "And just listen to the birds chirp! The sea is just a few miles away. Just think, Piedmont is a foot deep in snow right now!"

We walk around the perimeter of the winery, which is a garden of sorts with a walking path to observe the hectares of vineyards, and I am very pleased to enter the warmth and incredible beauty of this state-of-the winery with its gorgeous cellars located on many levels and its art, interspersed throughout the winery (even if it is only seen and appreciated by the workers).

The winery is located just down the road from Ornellaia, purchased finally in 1996. "My father was in his fifties and needed a project," she explains, explaining this as a possible Italian equivalent of American men buying fast sports cars when they turn that age. "Plus, after many years of just myself and my younger sister, he just had a son ... you know Italian men and their feelings about a son. It energized him to create a new winery in a new region."

Though Ca' Marcanda is a family project today it appears to be Gaia's project, as she is very much involved. The oldest child, she explains that her father named her "Gaia Gaja" on purpose ... "you have some idea of his sense of humor," she explains with a laugh.

At Ca' Marcanda, Gaja started with no history - the 150 acre property with eleven types of soils had been used for crops. Little Sangiovese is planted as he felt the soil was too flat for that variety. The focus is on international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.

We taste the wines - there are three, each meant to express a different type of soil. Flagship Ca' Marcanda is a blend of 50 percent Merlot, 40 percent Cabernet Sauvigon, and 10 percent Cabernet Franc. Magari is also 50 percent Merlot, with equal parts of the two Cabernets and soils that come from the lighter limestone and darker clay soils. Promis is 55 percent Merlot, 35 percent Syrah, and 10 percent Sangiovese (all planted on darker soils).

Fabulous visit and incredible wines.

Isn't this art incredibly gorgeous? Who would have thought that it is located in a Tuscan winery, not a museum!

It is part of a program created by Tenuta dell'Ornellaia in 2009 designed to celebrate the "marriage" between art and wine ... one that celebrates the character of each new vintage of Ornellaia. The program is called "‘Vendemmia d’Artista’ and it gives internationally-known artists the opportunity to interpret its nuances, to make visible and tangible an expression initially experienced only through aromas and impressions.

Yet before the art there is the wine ... Ornellaia was founded in 1981 with the mission to produce outstanding wines given that the site was chosen for its unusual marine clay soils and microclimate.  Conceived as a marriage between the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot grapes, this Italian "SuperTuscan" has evolved over the years from a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon to more Merlot, which yields more plush, supple, luxurious wines. Axel Heinz is the winemaker (he took over from Thomas Duroux who now makes the wines at Chateau Palmer) and the wines are fresh, elegant, and refined.

Beyond this ultra rare, difficult to procure, and very high-end wines (think Sassicaia) it's a rare privilege and extreme pleasure to visit this winery and taste these fine wines.

As is the case in Cru Classe Bordeaux, grapes are given tender loving care ... hand harvested, coddled, with special attention paid to growing grapes in specific terroir for their type, assemblage, and maturation in the correct vessel (large format barrels, small bariques, stainless steel) for the style.

You can see the entire line up here ...

Felidia is the fabulous venue for our Wine Media Lunches -- it is owned by PBS star Lidia Bastianich --

-- and you can imagine the pleasure in being invited to join Felidia's Executive Chef Fortunato Nicotra, along with Michelin-star Sicilian chef Patricia Di Benedetto and Azienda Agricola d'Alessandro for a Sicilian Food and Wine Dinner at Felidia on Thursday, January 19^th at 7pm.

I adore Sicilian wine and my crystal ball tells me that this will be the wine of the decade. The whites have a pleasant bitter finish that ends with a decisive finish ... they are not "fruity" in the New World sense of the word. The reds are also milder than most New World reds. Just very different and the difference is appreciated.

At any rate, the evening presented the opportunity to experience the flavors of Sicily interpreted by two Sicilian born and raised chefs and paired with the soulful wines of Azienda Agricola d'Alessandro based in the province of Agrigento.

This was actually a consumer event (yes, you could have gone too!) hence the reason I was curious why I did not see too many familiar faces.

The gentlemen distributing and selling Azienda Agricola d'Alessandro got up between courses to talk about the wines and the food of this region, and were better than any Broadway show (in a good way). They were 'educators' without this being part of their title, helping this lay audience understand how the wines were made and their best points.

Azienda Agricola d'Alessandro is a winery located near the ancient southern Sicilian seaside town of Agrigento, renowned during the golden age of Ancient Greece. The vintages are newer yet the wines were all extremely well made. Here is the menu:

SHAVED RAW TUNA AND AMBERJACK WITH OCTOPUS VINAIGRETTE
D'ALESSANDRO INZOLIA 2009

FISH STUFFED PACCHERI WITH FISH SOUP
CHOCOLATE RAVIOLI WITH HOUSE MADE RICOTTA, ANCHOVY AND CARDOON “BRODETTO”
D'ALESSANDRO NERO D'AVOLA 2009

ALMOND CRUSTED SWORDFISH
D'ALESSANDRO NERO D'AVOLA/SYRAH 2007

BASIL ICE CREAM, NERO D’AVOLA REDUCTION AND HONEYCOMB
RICOTTA MOUSSE WITH PISTACHIO CRUMBLE AND WARM BITTER ORANGE SAUCE

Fun Facts about Sicillian wine:

1. Sicily produces more wine than New Zealand, Austria and Hungary combined.
2. 90% of the wines produced in Sicily are dessert wines.
3. Although there are a bevy of dessert wines to choose from, there are impressive reds and whites as well. Among them is Nero d’Avola, the most prominent red grape variety on the island with smooth tannins and peppery notes.
4. Sicilians have been cultivating grapes and making wine since the 8^th Century BCE, heavily dominating their agriculture during Grecian rule. You can say wine now runs in their veins.
5. Sicilian wines make up 1/6 of all Italian wine production and are more heavily exported than ever before

About the Chefs

Patrizia di Benedetto learned traditional Sicilian cooking from her mother and in 1991, opened the Bye Bye Blues restaurant in Palermo – a great success from the very beginning, with its concentration on a lighter cuisine, using plentiful fish and vegetables and the fresh flavors of the Mediterranean. Patrizia was named Best Pastry Chef in Espresso’s Italian Restaurant Guide, and in the course of the last few years she has been broadening her experience in Los Angeles (Valentino Restaurant), Chicago (Margarita Inn) and New York (Hostaria Mazzei), as well as Italy (at the well-known Italian culinary centre Cast Alimenti at Brescia).

Fortunato Nicotra arrived in New York City to work for celebrity chef Lidia Matticchio Bastianich in 1995.  Hired as her Executive Chef of the famous flagship restaurant, Felidia, the restaurant earned three stars from Ruth Reichl from the New York Times only three months after his arrival. Nicotra earned his first Michelin Star at the young age of 23 at the Villa Marchese Restaurant in the beautiful seaside town of Milazzo, Sicily.  Although Nicotra is Sicilian by birth, he grew up in Torino where he completed his culinary degree at the prestigious Hotel and Restaurant School prior to working in several restaurants in northern Italy and then in Sicily where he left his mark.