The Weekly Word of Vino, Italian Wine & Spirits

In This Issue:

October 4, 2006

•	New Chef at I Trulli and Upcoming Events at Vino

•	Wine Opinion: Nebbiolo beyond Barolo and Barbaresco

•	Wine Tastings: New Flights at Enoteca I Trulli

•	Fall 2006 Class Schedule

New Chef at I Trulli and Upcoming Events at Vino

It's official: I Trulli has a new chef. When Florence Fabricant writes it in the Times, you know it's news: today's Dining In section reports that Florentine-born Patrick Nuti has officially taken over the kitchen at Ristorante I Trulli as the restaurant's new Executive Chef. Patrick (pictured right carving a whole stuffed goat that he prepared for the Tenuta del Portale dinner) has worked at a number of New York's top Italian eateries but he made his name as the chef of the legendary Florentine trattoria Cibreo. Although I Trulli will continue to feature Pugliese cuisine and Dora Marzovilla's handmade pasta, Chef Nuti will be unveiling his new menu at the end of this month. Weekly Wine Tasting Thursday and Friday October 5-6 5:30-7:30 FREE!!! Sample the new flight list at Enoteca I Trulli... for free!!! For more information see below. Vertical Dinner featuring Produttori del Barbaresco moderated by Charles Scicolone Wine Director, I Trulli and Vino Tuesday, October 24, 8:00 p.m. Ristorante I Trulli Limited seating to reserve, please send an email to events@vinosite.com Like the appellation itself, the Produttori del Barbaresco winery is one of the world's greatest, yet also one of the most misunderstood. When vinified in the traditional manner (long maceration followed by aging in large, old oak barrels), Barbaresco can take 20 and even 30 years (for exceptional vintages) to reach its peak potential. While many Barbaresco producers have turned to new oak and concentration to create wines drinkable at an earlier age, Produttori has refused to change its approach to and philosophy of winemaking. Thanks to our relationship with the winery and its importer, we have obtained a lot of old Produttori del Barbaresco going back to 1978. The wines are coming directly from the winery to us. Highlights will include: 1978 Pora (cru) 1979 Asili (cru) 1996 Barbaresco and 1997 Ovello (cru) For more information and to reserve, click here. To shop and browse our wines online, click here.

Wine Tastings: New Flights at Enoteca I Trulli

This week's tastings feature new Fall flights at Enoteca I Trulli (flights consist of three tasting pours, organized by region, wine type, and/or theme). This Thursday and Friday, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 121 East 27th St. between Park and Lex. FREE 800-965-VINO contact@vinosite.com Flight #1 Women Producers In recent years, Italy has seen the emergence of women winemakers who are changing the face of Italian wine. Barbera d'Asti 2004 Cascina Castle't (click here to order) The vines that Mariuccia Borio uses for the production of this wine are 40-50 years old. Because of their age, the roots have to strain to reach the water in the clay and limestone subsoil. As a result, the fruit becomes richer and the wine more intensely flavored. With its bright acidity, this Barbera is an ideal food wine that will pair well with spicy pasta sauces but also grilled white meats. Aglianico del Vulture Vigne a Capanno 2001 Tenuta del Portale (click here to order) "My wines are intended to convey a message from the past to the future," says winemaker Filena Ruppi. Her Vigne a Capanno is named after a now obsolete vine-training method whereby the indigenous reeds of Basilicata were used as stakes for the vines (the reeds were used to build a "capanno," i.e., a pergola or "hut"). Filena is one of a new generation of emerging women vintners in Italy. Macchiona 2001 La Stoppa (click here to order) Macchiona is a blend of Barbera (50%) and Bonarda (50%) sourced from forty-year-old vines that the Pantaleone family has tended since they were planted. First made in 1973, this wine is aged in medium-sized Slavonian oak barrels that gently toast the wine. "The wine is drinking very well already," says winemaker Elena Pantaleone, "but this is a label that is really intended for extended aging." We recently tasted some older vintages from her cellar and indeed this wine will only get better with time. Flight #5 Sangiovese For those of you who read the weekly wine new from Vino, you know that Sangiovese is one of Charles Scicolone’s favorite grapes and that he is particularly fond of Chianti. This flight features three different expressions of Sangiovese from Umbria, Montlacino (Brunello), and Chianti (in this case, Chianti Rufina). Chianti Rufina 2001 Travignoli (click here to order) The Chianti produced in Rufina (pronounced ROO-fee-nah) has remarkable aging potential thanks to the elevation in this northern area of the Chianti appellation. Travignoli's Chianti Riserva is made in traditional large oak barrels that allow naturally occurring yeasts to bring out the classic flavors and aromas of this subzone. Also available in large format. Poggio alle Querce 2001 Castello delle Regine (click here to order) The aptly named Castello delle Regine is thus called because it is a "Castle for Queens." Tucked into the picturesque Umbrian countryside, it is one of the region's most prestigious vacation desination: the property includes a hotel, restaurant, olive groves and mill, and, of course, vineyards and winery. Since the Middle Ages, this estate has passed from one family of nobles to another. While the Castello delle Regine 100% Merlot (Poggio alle Ghiande) is widely considered one of the best to come out of Umbria, its Poggio alle Querce is perhaps one of the most "true" expressions of Umbrian Sangiovese. From the elegant label to its gentle balance of acidity and tanin, this wine is as noble as the place whence it comes: a Sangiovese fit for a queen. Martinozzi 1999 Brunello di Montalcino (click here to order) The Castelli Martinozzi estate is located in Santa Restituta at some of the highest altitudes in the appellation. The elevation allows the grapes to ripen slowly as they are cooled during the evening even as temperatures rise in summer. Proximity to the seaside creates ventilation and thus reduces the risk of mildew. Click here to browse and shop our wines online.

Fall 2006 Class Schedule

All classes last approximately 2 hours.

To register, please send an email to register@vinosite.com.

Pizza, Any Way You Slice It
Saturday, October 14, 1:30 p.m. ($85)

Charles Scicolone teams up with his wife, celebrated cookbook author Michele Scicolone, to teach this ever-popular course on pizza based on their best-selling and definitive work on the subject, Pizza, Any Way You Slice It. With Ristorante I Trulli as the backdrop, Michele and Charles lead this hands-on seminar where participants learn how to make true Neapolitan pizza dough, experiment with traditional and fusion toppings, and sample wines that pair well with pizza.

Michele Scicolone is a cookbook author and writer who specializes in food, wine and travel. Her Mastering Pasta, Noodles and Dumplings was published by Williams Sonoma/Free Press in October, 2005. Her 1,000 Italian Recipes, was nominated for a 2004 James Beard Award and was a main selection of The Good Cook book club. She is also the author of The Sopranos Family Cookbook and Entertaining with the Sopranos, cookbooks based on the popular television show. Michele's writing appears regularly in Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Gourmet, Food Arts, and many others.

Noble Nebbiolo
Wednesday, October 18, 6:30 p.m. ($85)

Many believe that the word Nebbiolo comes from the Latin nebula or "cloud": the famous fog of Piemonte helps to keep the grapes cool as they ripen to perfection in the late summer/early fall. While the Nebbiolo grown in the Langhe hills is used to make the most notable expressions, Barolo and Barbaresco, Nebbiolo is also used to make Piemontese appellations Carema (in Carema) and Ghemme (in Novara) among others, as well as Valtellina in Lombardia (where it is used to make dried-grape Sfurzat or Sforzato) and the Valle d'Aosta. Participants in the Noble Nebbiolo seminar will sample a variety of Nebbiolo and Nebbiolo-based wines as they explore a wide range of winemaking styles and techniques. Wine director Charles Scicolone leads the guided tasting and comments on the many different Nebbiolo clones, aging potential, tasting profile, and the similarities and differences between the Nebbiolo grown in the Langhe and that cultivated in other parts of Italy.

Vintage Italian
Wednesday, October 25, 6:30 p.m. ($95)

Old wine is a topic dear to Wine Director Charles Scicolone's heart: there is perhaps no other subject that inspires him to wax poetic than a tasting of vintage Italian. Especially today, wine lovers are tempted -- by producers and wine sellers -- to drink open bottles young. In his Vintage Italian seminar, Charles leads participants through a guided tasting of young and old wines as he discusses what to look for in young wines in order to assess their longevity and reveals how wine and tasting profiles evolve (e.g., secondary and tertiary flavors and aromas found only in vintage wines). He will also discuss cellaring and wine collecting. Aglianico, Sangiovese, and Nebbiolo are just some of the grape varieties that will be tasted (young and old).

Italian Wine and Cheese
Saturday, November 4, 1:30 p.m. ($85)

What could be better than having dinner with Charles and Michele Scicolone over a variety of Italian wines and cheeses at I Trulli, where Michele discusses the formaggi and Charles pairs the wines? In what has become one our most popular courses, Charles and Michele hold court at the restaurant and discuss fresh, aged, and ripened cheeses, cow's milk vs. goat's vs. sheeps, and in what has proved to be the high point of the event, Michele tries to stump Charles with an unusual and hard-to-pair cheese. This seminar fills up fast and availability is extremely limited.

Grappa and Italian Brandy
Wednesday, November 8, 6:30 p.m. ($75)

Back by popular request, the Grappa and Italian Brandy seminar includes a tasting of a wide variety of distillates, fruit- and pomace-based (spitting is encouraged!). Following the grappa mania of the late 1980s and early 90s, a tide of grappa flowed into this country, not all of it good. Today, myriad labels are available to the consumer but quality varies greatly and in some cases, you pay more for the hand-blown Murano bottles than you do for the contents. As an extra added bonus, I Trulli and Vino's Operations Manager Jim Hutchinson will lead a hands-on demonstration of how to prepare a flavored grappa (an excellent holiday gift idea).

Amarone and the Wines of Verona
Wednesday, November 15, 6:30 p.m. ($95)

This class is a must for collectors of Italian wine. The wines of Verona and the Valpolicella are often Italy's most misunderstood and are certainly among the most unique in the panorama of Italian winemaking. Amarone and Recioto (both dried-grape wines) are some of the world's most collected and collectible appellations. These are long-lived wines with great power and depth. But the province of Verona also produces Soave, an appellation that has enjoyed a renaissance as winemakers have moved away from commercial production, and a wide range of monovarietal wines. Wine director Charles Scicolone leads a guided tasting that includes dry and sweet wines, white and red classics, and some of the cutting-edge and more unusual labels that have appeared in recent years.

Wine Opinion: Nebbiolo beyond Barolo and Barbaresco

This Wednesday, I am doing a Nebbiolo tasting for the Wine Media Guild. What makes this an interesting tasting is that Barolo and Barbaresco have been excluded. One might ask then, what is left? Piemonte alone has such wines as Nebbiolo d'Alba, Langhe Nebbiolo, Carema, Gattinara, Ghemme, Lessona, Bramaterra, Spanna, Boca, and Fara, among others. In the Valtellina (in Lombardia), we have Grumello, Inferno, and Sfurzat among others. (In Lombardia Nebbiolo is called Chiavennasca.) The theme of the tasting is expressions of Nebbiolo that are lesser known here in North America. While we both enjoyed Barolo and Barbaresco and opened many great bottles together, the late Sheldon Wasserman used to love old vintages of Spanna by Vallana, a winery that made wines that could last for thirty or forty years. (Spanna is not only an appellation in the province of Novara in Piemonte but it is also the local dialectal name of Nebbiolo.) The Nebbiolo grape not only makes one of the best wines in Italy but also in the world. It is a grape that it is difficult to grow because it buds early (making it susceptible to frost) and ripens late (which causes it to risk exposure to the cold autumn weather). Nebbiolo grows best in Piemonte and in Lombardia. Some people have tried to grow it in California, but, as I said before, it grows best in these two places. There is very little Nebbiolo production in Piemonte and Lombardia. By this I mean when compared to other grape varieties grown there. The name Nebbiolo may come from the word nebbia in Italian, meaning "fog," which in turn comes from the Latin nebula, meaning "cloud." Some believe that this is due to the fact that the Langhe hills are always enshrouded in a mist. What happens is that during harvest time, the fog comes down from the mountains and drapes over the vineyards. This is one of the unique elements of the Langhe "macroclimate," as they say in the wine biz. In other words, the fog helps to cool the grapes at night so that they can ripen slowly without overripening. As a result, the grapes have more flavor and aroma and the wine is longer lived. Nebbiolo is also a grape that has a great amount of tannin and therefore can last a very long time. Recently, I have had Barolos, Barabarescos, and Ghemmes that were from the 1961, 1964, 1982, and 1990 vintages. All of them were drinking perfectly. However, Nebbiolo does not have much color. Therefore, it looks old even when it's young. If anyone ever pours you Nebbiolo that looks as dark as California Zinfandel, you know that the winemaker has done something that she or he should not have. One of the most interesting and unusual expressions of Nebbiolo is the famous Sfurzato or Sforzato from the Valtellina. The word sfurzat in Lombard dialect means "forced." The grapes are dried Amarone-style in a process that the Italians call appassimento, which means "wilting." In other words, the winemaker forces the wine from the grape. The grapes are dried for as long as ninety days, giving you a wine that it is high in alcohol with many interesting flavors and aromas. For those of you who do not belong to the Wine Media Guild, I will be leading a Nebbiolo seminar at Vino on October 18. There are a few places left in the class and if you like Barolo and Barbaresco (and who doesn't?), Ghemme and Sfurzat, I highly recommend that you attend the class. This class is for those who enjoy big wines that can accompany hearty food. Once again, you may note that instead of my picture, I have included a photo of a bunch of Nebbiolo grapes with this Wine Opinion. Who could resist the wonderful grapes: I am working out and hopefully next week my picture will appear once again. In the meantime, please do not send me emails saying you prefer the grapes. --Charles Scicolone, Wine Director, I Trulli and Vino Charles would love to hear from you. Please email him at charles@vinosite.com. To sign up for Charles' Nebbiolo class, please click here.