Roberto's Rants
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| Written by Administrator | |
| Wednesday, 09 July 2008 22:23 | |
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Swimming with Sharks...a Love Story. We would like to start with our heartfelt condolences to all of you assistants, secretaries and go-fers out there whose boss is about to plop down the year end issue of an (overly!) influential wine rag with their Top 100 Wines of the Year and tell you that your continued employment depends on finding him a case each of the top five or ten listed. Do not bother trying to tell him that the list is a compendium of wines highly reviewed throughout the year and nearly all are now either sold out or being flipped at 300% mark-up. He will just do his best rendition of Kevin Spacey as the evil studio exec in Swimming with Sharks and tell you: "you are nothing, you do not think, you exist to make my thoughts into actions, find it or you are fired!". We've been touting lawyer customers for years on this being a rich vein for a class action suit for harrassment....and, no, we do not have any of the wines either. But we DO have new, great stuff arriving daily (Squadra WINE EXPO are awaiting 1500 cases of 63 different new wines as we type). You've come a long way, Baby, so don't stop now! Warning: this editorial is for our female patrons only!*** Ladies, have you noticed there is a pseudo religion surrounding the selection and consumption of wine, a product that should be intrinsically more akin to groceries than art? A strange way of thinking that seeks to narrow the discussion by eliminating whole styles and countries full of wine so that direct (sports / warlike) comparisons can be made, always trying to quantify the impossibly diverse with scores and classifications then dictate absurd rituals be performed before the sacrament is consumed? What up wit ‘dat??? Like most of Western Civilization, this is part of a grand conspiracy propagated by a gang of rich, white (primarily British), mostly dead MEN!!!! And they mostly look and act more like Benny Hill meets Rumpole of the Bailiwick than, say, Pierce Brosnan. This cult was then popularized in America by an Attorney from D.C. and a cigar huckster who hangs out with Rush Limbaugh. So what does this have to do with you and your girlfriends wanting to know what wine to drink while having some pasta and watching "Great Performances on PBS"? NADA, ZIP, ZERO, NOTHING!!!!!!! And, since 70% of all wine is purchased at retail by women anyway, WHY DO YOU STAND FOR THIS??? Furthermore, since Mr. Testosterone over there seems to think that bottle of Domaine Ink Cabernet with Rutherford Dust he read about in the Wine Expectorator (99/100 but undrinkable for ten to twenty years, if ever) is the only solution to every wine question, we're depending on YOU to bring home something interesting, food-friendly and reasonably priced to change his channel. Then, having lulled him into lowering his defenses, you can ask him trick questions like whether your hips look bigger in your blue dress or your red slacks and whether he really thinks your roommate / sister / boss is sexy and watch him jump through hoops like a schizoid poodle while you enjoy a second glass of one of these multicultural libations: Cheap & Cheerful Plonk for all Occasions Monte Gudello Airen $4.99, Culley DRY Riesling or UnOaked Chardonnay $7.99 They’re white, cold, dry and work with anything from pasta salad to sea bass to Chicken Helper in the Micro-wave. !!!!!!!! Bodega Gallegos Destino Blanco, Spain $6. 99!!!!!!! Why has this eclipsed almost every other white under $10 in sales in our store? Spring for a bottle and find out, tonight! Monte La Reina Tinto Valdecaz, Viño De La Tierra De Castilla $7.99 This rocks! Essentially declassified Toro (vines too recently planted to qualify for D.O. status) this is an explosion of dark fruits with an edge of licorice on the finish and is fabulously balanced with fruit, soft tannins and acidity all in perfect equilibrium – just incredibly drinkable! Monte La Reina Tinto Flamenco Real 2007, Castilla e León $8.99 Bright, sassy, zesty and ready to dance on your tongue just like the Flamenco (which means "flamingo", as in the bird, en Espanol) on the label. Cà Furlan Prosecco Frizzante Cuvée Beatrice, Veneto $10.99 Cà Furlan Prosecco Spumante Cuvée Beatrice, Veneto $14.99 Our good friend Sandro Furlan sold us the very first bottle of Italian wine we EVER offered and is still sourcing wonderful things like the Cardeto Matile Pinot Grigio, Umbria Rosso and Orvieto for us 20 years later. This may be his best find yet: really delicious and refreshing Prosecco in GORGEOUS packaging at almost ridiculous pricing. Cheers and have at it....we'll get more! Business Class Upgrades Mansard Brut Champagne, France $34.99 Lay down the law: “If you want to get wit’ me then leave the Cordon Rouge and White Star at the 7-11 and buy this!” Salis Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio Bianco Torre della Sirena 2006, Valtellina $22.99 Ethereally scented blends of Rossola and Pignola ( which are lightly colored RED varieties), this lovely Bianco is flowery and inviting on the nose with rich enough textures on the palate to please the resident Chard-o-Holic yet brings something more interesting to the table. Life is short, try something different.... Fratelli Agnes Oltrepò Pavese Bonarda Possessione del Console 2007, Lombardia $24.99 Wow! Intense, nearly purple color, rich but zesty mouthfeel, ridiculously concentrated notes of every red and black fruit from currants through plums and a distinct hint of mulberry on the palate, this is serious. Made from an old clone called Pignolo for its tiny, pine cone shaped clusters but no relation to the Friulian wine of the same name. The handsome art label depicting a hunter walking two beautiful retrievers is no extra charge. Cascina Fonda Vendemmia Tardiva 2007, Piemonte $31.99 We call even normal Moscato d’Asti “The Zombie Detector” because if you don’t like it you might be already dead but this is a whole ‘nother thing. It is not labeled as DOCG due to its unique production methods and flavor profile: it is made from Moscato grapes left to hang an additional three weeks on the vine which give it notes of walnuts and toffee on top of the burnt orange peel, dried fruit and hibiscus flower base. OUTRAGEOUS, unique, undeniable, this has already earned cult status. Uh...Ladies Man...this is goooooooood...wink, wink. I work hard, I’m worth it, I can afford the good stuff! Gardet Brut Blanc de Blancs Millésime 1998, Chigny les Roses $66.00 Made only in outstanding vintages, this wine spends five years aging on the lees deep in the family cave where it takes on a rich golden hue and a wonderful nuttiness. After the remuage and disgorgement a special dosage of reserve wines kept in small oak casks and a touch of cane sugar is added to finish it, giving a unique toasty richness to the final product. Ronco del Gelso (Tocai) Friulano 2007, Friuli Isonzo Rive Alte $35.99 Giorgio is one of the leaders of what we call the “Movimento Tocai Classico”, an emerging group of Friulani vignerons who have recently decided that the lush, ultra fruit driven, Viognier like versions of Tocai are masking the true character and potential of that most Friulian of white varieties and, instead, are making a leaner, more structured and aromatic expression. This vintage is very dry and structured with herbal and almond notes on top of an enchanting yellow plum fruit base and will be an excellent aperitivo now but our experience with past vintages is that it will be even more wonderful in a couple of years. Cipressi Molise Tintilia Macchiarossa 2005 $31.99 Silvano Strologo Rosso Cònero Riserva Decebalo 2004, le Marche $56.99 Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Colle Grimaldesco 2004, Umbria $69.99 Deep, Deeper, Deepest! These are silky, smooth, aged and ready to go, “important” reds that still have something to say for days after you open them. Worth a special trip to the farmers market to find the best mushrooms, some great cheese, a perfect leg of lamb, you get the picture. Tell him it’s Cabernet, he’ll probably never tell the difference.......... ***Guys, show her you’re a Sensitive New Age Man and deserve not only her attention but also tastes of these great wines by buying her a copy of Women’s World Voices Volume 2 (Blue Flame 398-50392), packed with 68 minutes of the hippest, most soulful and culturally aware (but really sexy, hint, hint, wink, wink) female artists from around the globe throwing down for sisterhood over some dope ambient and tropical grooves. And, we’ll just keep the fact that the enclosed booklet is full of ...uh...er...”art pictures” of sensual goddesses from exotic lands between us guys, ok? Then slide on St. Germain “Tourist” (Blue Note 7243-5-25114-2-6), probably the most successful “acid jazz” fusion of dance/ambient production with actual Jazz we’ve ever heard. If you can’t get your groove on with music this sexy then just put away the Viagra and reach for the Depends and the TV Guide! Important Consumer Information: Due to our low, low prices and warehouse-style layout, many people mistakenly compare our store to “Pirate John’s”, a chain of natural food liquidators who dabble in the wine business. While we also buy our cheese and dried fruit there and often feature merchandise from bankruptcies and close-outs here, we beg to differ with their theory that cooked $20 dollar wine becomes a good value if they sell it for $2.99. Sorry, “John”, that just makes it cheap bad wine! You can be confident that every label in our store represents ten that we tasted and didn’t buy as we are always on the lookout for distressed merchants not distressed merchandise, a crucial distinction. Remember our motto: “We taste the bad wine so you don’t have to!” WINE EXPO’s Platform for 2009 Ok, we’ve heard from the Republicans, Democrats, Radio nutballs of all stripes AND some guy in a clown suit on the Promenade. The election is way over and we still have to fight traffic, go to work in the morning and pay our taxes. So, here is OUR manifesto for the coming millennium wherein we affirm that we are NOT trying to be all things to all people but DO have enough substance to please most anyone with an open mind: We can be liberal: Since the “Old Grapes Network” is so thoroughly entrenched (helped along by all the marketing weasels who couldn’t get work in the Record Biz so they went to work for liquor distributors), we believe emphatically in Varietal Affirmative Action, actively promoting Arneis over Chardonnay, Barbera over Merlot, Aglianico over Syrah and Prosecco over bad Cava in our never ending fight for a level playing field on your dinner table. We can be Conservative: If your winery was (over) built five years ago with borrowed money at high interest on expensive land that could be used to house Silicon Valley gazzilionaires instead of vineyards and you “need” to get $60 a bottle net wholesale for your first vintage of Merlot to make your loan payments yet comparable wines are available from South Africa or Sicily for 20 cents on the dollar, please don’t cry to us when you should just let the Global Marketplace do it’s work. Our Educational goals: We want every child to know that Bud is not beer (the first ingredient is RICE for god’s sake), Chardonnay is not finished until it has bubbles in it, Merlot is NOT a synonym for red wine and KORBEL IS NOT CHAMPAGNE!!!!!! Our Economic goals: We want you to buy twice as much wine but spend half as much money with NO compromise in quality and we believe this is not only possible but that it is a lot more fun as well. And we will NEVER budge from our core beliefs that, among other things: Duck fat is good for you. A good dry Rosé is a better solution to more foods than most Chardonnay. Telemarketers must be executed without benefit of trial. That if Bill gates would just “innovate” a cure for spam e-mail then people would not hate him so much. And, most importantly, most wine is not supposed to be Art with a capital “A”, it’s GROCERIES!!! Protecting the Faith in the Motherland The following is the text of a talk Roberto gave at Vinitaly a while back to 40 highly esteemed wine producers from all over Italy (which received a standing ovation): "I have been asked to comment on what changes I have seen in the last fifteen years of coming to VinItaly. I would say that in that time the average quality of wines across the board has increased by three fold. BUT, the average conformity of style has increased ten fold and you must realize that in the future, when all wines taste the same, only the cheapest will get sold. I blame this situation on two people: Robert Parker who evidently only likes ONE kind of wine and Luca Maroni who evidently does not like wine at all but only 'pure fruit' and therefore should redirect his efforts to becoming the world's foremost critic of gelato where that is the point and not waste his time on wine which should be a TRANSFORMATION of mere fruit into something much more interesting. I beg of you that, when you return to your zonas next week, you seek out the oldest person in your village and talk to them in dialect, not Italian, about just what it was that made your village different (and therefore, of course, better!) than the village five kilometers down the road when that person was a child. Then, go out in your vineyards, taste the actual dirt, smell the wind and see that it is different in your hillside than on your neighbor’s and look very closely between the rows and see that there are NO reverse osmosis machines and NO paddle fermenters and NO barriques and NO spinning cones growing there. And then promise yourself that next vintage you will make truly ITALIAN wine.....the world will love you and reward you for it!" A Pre Holiday Season Tale: The Champagne Conspiracy Unmasked They’re lying to you. They want you to be ignorant, clueless and easily manipulated. They’ve spent millions of dollars to inoculate you with a dreadful consumer virus called “brand anxiety”. They act as if alternatives did not even exist and if you point them out they call them “off brands from inconsequential players”. They take your money and give it to shareholders, ad agencies and guys named Louie with pinky rings instead of putting it in the bottle where it belongs. In short, they must be stopped! Who are “they”? Industrial Champagne producers (usually owned and operated by either giant liquor distribution empires and/or luxury goods consortiums) who want you to think of Champagne as a “branded lifestyle statement” instead of wine when, in fact, Champagne could be thought of as the northernmost part of Burgundy, growing the same varieties in an even more difficult climate and all the same quality rules apply: 1) The best wines are made from Grand Cru and Premier Cru Vineyards. 2) The best producers are maniacal, hands-on grower / winemakers, not jet-set pseudo-royalty types who’ve inherited the figurehead proprietorship of a “luxury brand” controlled by an insurance company, grocery chain, fragrance peddler or liquor distributor. 3) The best wines are NOT made in millions of cases (thousands of bottles is more likely!). 4) Most of the best producers are not in the industrial centers of Rheims/Epernay but in villages with fanciful names like Dizy, Bouzy and Ludes AND YOU CAN TASTE THE DIFFERENCES JUST LIKE THOSE BETWEEN VOLNAY AND CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY! 5) Anything that is made in enough quantity to be a “Brand” in a market with 270 million people is BY DEFINITION not the “creme de la creme” or in any way indicative of the best possible quality. Do the math.... These houses are engaged in a battle for the very soul of Champagne with the industrial producers who want the French government to deregulate Champagne altogether. They need your support and their wines are better anyway. Of special added consumer interest is the fact that the marketing weasels have been so successful that the best Champagnes often cost far less than the famous fizz due to the absence of giant ad budgets, the need to pour Jeroboams over the heads of athletes or giving significant proportions of the inventory away at charity, art and fashion functions. A win-win situation for savvy buyers, cheers and back to our program .....of offering HUNDREDS of choices of great Champagnes. There’s no such thing as Italian wine... First time visitor to your favorite Wine Emporium: “So, you guys sell a lot of Italian Wine...I don’t really like Italian wine...” Our retort: “That’s ok because there’s really no such thing as Italian wine anyway.” Say WHAT?!?! What we DO offer are hundreds of different styles of wine made from scores of different grapes grown in vineyards with locations ranging from steep Alpine slopes on the Swiss and Austrian borders through the broad plains of the Po Valley all the way to a volcanic tropical island not far from Tunisia, resulting in wines that have nothing at all in common with one another other than which government they pay their taxes to (or not!). Geographic, geologic, viticultural and climatic differences between the thousands of wine producing zonas aside (and they are VAST), what we consider “Italy” is a very recent invention in historic terms. The boundaries we use now date from the founding of the current republic in 1946 and parts of Friuli and all of Trentino / Alto Adige were not “Italian” until 1919. In broader historic terms, Venice was an independent City State for centuries, with holdings in both the modern day Veneto and coastal Slovenia and Croatia, only becoming part of Italy in 1866, while your favorite Barolo producers’ great great grandfathers were not “Italian” but subjects of The Kingdom of Sardinia, Cyprus and Jerusalem, Duchy of Savoy & Montferrat and Principality of Piedmont.! What are now some of our go-to regions for both fun, food friendly wines and incredible value for money, Puglia, Sicily, Calabria and Campania, were all part of the original Greek colonization of the peninsula called Magna Graecia (Greater Greece), which existed for centuries before there WERE any Romans let alone an “Italy” and those Greek cultural roots are still readily apparent in the dialects, architecture and wines of those zonas. So, what’s our point? Simple: We don’t sell “Italian Wine”, we offer an insane diversity of styles of wine that happen to come from what, for this moment in history, is called Italy. And, like “African Music”, “European Art” or “Chinese Food”, the wines of Italy are a virtually endless field ripe for exploration, contemplation and enjoying with friends. Cheers! Put Contextual Doppelgängers to work for you... Reading through an old online argument about how one had to understand the local wine and food culture to have any idea what to say about certain styles of wine (in this case sparkling Barbera meant to be served cold with salty cured meats), we came across this Q&A between a friend of ours (yo, Bruce!) and Roberto : "What's so culturally relevant about selling farmhouse wines from Italy in SoCal where authentic Cibo Italiano is hard to come by and Dim Sum, BBQ, Oaxacan, Thai, Persian and Korean food are everywhere? “Fair enough. This is actually the BEST part: once you understand WHY a Terrano is so acidic or a Vivace Barbera is so refreshing or an Alto Adige Kerner is so perfumed and how that is used in its NATIVE context you can then find culinary doppelgängers in other cultures and apply the same principles to match the wines. Joshua Wesson, David Rosengarten and I once talked about this for hours while they were preparing an article about my wine program at a Chinese restaurant for The Food & Wine Companion. The conclusions? The same reason that Fino Sherry is so good with Tapas makes it excellent with a broad range of Dim Sum, the same thing that makes Refosco and Wild Hare with Paprika so good in Friuli ALSO works with Mongolian Hot Pot Venison. The basic chemistries of acid, tannin, fruit and bubbles and how they work with fat, protein, char, spices and fruit acids does not change and understanding that gives you great tools to make culinary magic with. That's when the fun really BEGINS!” This is really no different than "which wine should I serve first and why?', just broader in scope. Perhaps the bottom line is that, as Louis Armstrong used to say about Swing, "If I have to explain it to you then you will never understand..." ? Bubblies perfect for Easter Ham OR a Dim Sum Brunch: Le Manzane Pròseo Rosé Brut, Veneto $18.99 Ernesto Balbinot is constantly innovating and fine tuning both his wines and their packaging. The big wave recently was Rosé Prosecco and his is still the best: 95% Prosecco, 2% Merlot for color, 3% Moscato for aromatics (this is the bit that makes this one the best we’ve tried). VERY small bead, creamy texture, light salmon color, bone dry finish and really gorgeous packaging. Tanorè Prosecco di Valdobiaddene Extra Dry, Veneto $23.99 This is truly delicious fizz with intense fruit and flower aromas (drawn from Renato Follador's amazing vineyards on the top of the Cartizze mountain) plus a slight sweetness perfectly balanced by fresh acidity making it ultra food friendly and a big crowd pleaser. Get yours before it is gone, this one sold out in a flash last time and there are just 25 cases this shipment... Groovy Whites from the South: Matilde Zasso Falanghina 2007, Campania $12.99 LIght and refreshing (just 11.5% ABV) but intensely blessed with complex aroma and flavor, this classic white grows in an area known as Campi Flegrei (The Phlegraen Fields, from the Greek word for “burning”) which, because they are subject to seismic and even volcanic activity to this very day, are incredibly rich in ash and mineral deposits and lend a distinctive taste and perfume to the wines. Valle Martello Colline Teatine Cococciola Brado 2006, Abruzzo $18.99 The Sylvaner of the South? This is the only varietal bottling of Cococciola (coh-coh-CHEE-oh-lah) we have ever seen and has a very lively mouthfeel with strong minerals and a nice almond note then finishes VERY dry. Our friend Katia Masci, the director of this multi-generational cantina, is very proud of this wine and we’re overjoyed to bring it to you. Mary had a little lamb, little lamb.... so she stuffed it with 30 gloves of garlic, covered it with rosemary and slow roasted it to perfection... Fatascià Nero d’Avola Kailà 2006, Sicilia $17.99 The cantina calls this bottling “our bet with the market” meaning that they think that this rich, delicious yet very affordable red will be a big hit and they are betting the farm on it. We’ll cover that action... Ciù Ciù Marche Rosso San Carro 2007, Offida, le Marche $23.99 ORGANIC Walter and Massimiliano were on a spiritual quest with this wine. They wanted to literally bottle the source of all of the gifts of Mother Nature in their zona: the huge, warming, life giving Mediterranean Sun! A blend of Barbera, Merlot and Sangiovese, this is incredibly rich with a slight sweetness balanced by firm tannins and will rock with anything from a plate of gorgonzola and dried figs on the deck to tandoori chicken, red sauce BBQ or even blackened red fish but will shine especially brightly with a big plate o’ lamb. Cipressi Molise Tintilia Macchiarossa 2005 $31.99 Cipressi is the biggest and perhaps best producer of DOC Molise Tintilia, a local variant of Bovale Grande Nero that offers intense violet and spice aromas, a big mouthfeel with hearty dark fruit and a soft, enveloping finish. 100% Tintilia from older vines with very small berries, this is spicy, exotic, deep, dark & delish. This made a LOT of converts to the Temple of Tintilia last Holiday Season and is already a hit among lovers of The Dark Side of the Force. VERY limited... Fatascia Rosso del Presidente 2005, Sicilia $31.99 This is one of those things that just seems strange on paper but somehow really, REALLY works: a rich, spicy, well structured and unfiltered blend of local hero Nero d’Avola bumped up on intensity and herbality with some quite ripe Loire styled Cabernet FRANC. We went crazy for this at VinItaly 2008 and think you will too... Crepuscule with Nebbiolo.... How Monk and The Duke help us select Wine Some of you have noted that Roberto is quoted in the recent biography of Robert Parker, Jr.,The Emperor of Wine, invoking yet more musical influences in our thought processes about wine. So, just what DOES it mean when we say, "Thelonious Monk has more to do with the types of wines we select and the way we select them than Robert Parker does"?!? Well, many of you have seen Wynton Marsalis talking about Monk in Ken Burns’ PBS opus on Jazz. Wynton notes that Monk was simultaneously “like a 1000 year old Zen master AND a five year old child” and that his melodies, while always surprising and whimsical, were the most logical of any Jazz composer. And, most importantly, his use of space as a real part of the composition let them live and breath and not just overpower you with fast notes and dense harmonies. Sounds like a perfect description of a wine from Giovanni Faraone, Emidio Pepe, Enzo Mecella, Paolo Balgera or Champagne master Henri Billiot to us! Further developing this theme, in a recent online discussion of wine styles one poster proposed that one first analyze a wine using quantitative assessments of oak, tannins, toast on the oak, alcohol, extraction, acidity, etc... to which we responded that, when we first encounter a wine, we ask the same question Duke Ellington asked about a soloist: "Is he telling a story? And, is it a story that compels you to listen?". Then and only then do we get to the list of wine making stuff and only if we have to explain to the person trying to sell it to us why we are NOT going to buy it. If it is singing, bring it on! Here are some real crooners with something to say. Torricino Fiano di Avellino 2006, Campania $24.99 We could tell you all sorts of technical stuff about why this wine is so good but it is all on the back label anyway. More to the point are our notes from VinItaly 2006: “Absolutely the best white at the fair. THICK in the mouth, lots of aromatics and great acidity to back it all up. Double down on this!” We did and it is here but VERY limited. Vintripodi Pelaro 2002, Calabria $23.99 Pelaro is blended from Calabrese, Nurello, Alicante and Nocera, weaving a rich and silky tapestry of Mediterranean and North African scents. Partial drying of the grapes and longer aging gives a lighter color but larger, more evolved flavors. Truly an oenological time machine! Marchese Pancrazi Rosso Toscana Casaglia 2001, Toscana $33.99 Color me Bad (which means Good!)? One of the very few 100% Colorino bottlings you will ever see and, yes, it is COLORFUL, damn near black actually and just blasting smoked cherry out of the glass! The cool mountain climate and unique terroir of this vineyard let this late ripening variety reach its full potential to stand on its own and not just give a blast of color to a Chianti blend. Big fun but very, very limited. Laimburg Sauvignon Passito Saphir 1999, Alto Adige $55.00 / 500ml This is a wine made in such small quantities (less than one standard barrel) that we were only able to sweet talk them out of 30 bottles. What it is is the Sud Tyrollean reposte to great Sauternes: insanely concentrated, ultra late harvest, Botrytis affected Sauvignon Blanc. But that is like saying a Ferrari Enzo is a fast red car, you really have to EXPERIENCE it to grok the whole of its beauty. Faraone Costa del Monte Vino Liquoroso Rosso della Cattedrale, Abruzzo $31.99 100% Montepulciano made in the style of Recioto: Nearly black in the glass and intensely spicy on the nose, this one can be served in place of port at the end of a meal or just savored in a big arm chair with a good book and Miles Davis playing In a Silent Way in the background... Acquired Tastes We sell a LOT of things that the average person may not “get” on the first exposure. Many of the most fulfilling and intense pleasures require a familiarization process (during which IT doesn't change, YOU do): For starters, dry red wine, duh! Most people's first reaction is NOT love at first sip. Serious Jazz / Modern Orchestral Music. Unsweetened Chocolate. Smokey Islay Scotch or Mezcal de Oaxaca. Modern Art and Literature. Foie Gras, Truffles, Uni and many other intense foods. Just because something does not give you a big fat kiss and a squeeze on the tush on the first exposure does not mean you will not grow to love it more than those that do... Faraone Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Selezione le Vigne 2000 $35.99 This is one of the gems of Italy: pure minerality underpins a rich frosting of apple and pear fruit plus wild flower, exotic spices and nutty nuances on the nose. The Selezione le Vigne sees no wood but considerable time on the lees (this is the CURRENT release!) and can mature for years in the manner of great Chablis but will be exciting right now with any seafood, veal, pork or lighter chicken dish you throw at it. Vintripodi Arghillà 2004, Calabria $19.99 100% Nurello gives this lovely rosso soft, Pinot like textures but an Eastern spicebox nose: grill some chops, do a pork roast with figs, improvise. Vintripodi Pelaro 2002, Calabria $23.99 Pelaro is blended from Calabrese, Nurello, Alicante and Nocera, weaving a rich and silky tapestry of Mediterranean and North African scents. Partial drying of the grapes and longer aging gives a lighter color but larger, more evolved flavors. Truly an oenological time machine! Jacùss Collio Orientali del Friuli Schioppettino Fuc & Flamis 2005 $34.99 100% Schioppettino, a local variety whose name translates as “gunshot” (as in buckshot, not the noise) which has been grown in the zona since the 13th century. The name of this bottling is dialect for “fire and flames” and was created during a brainstorming / drinking session on a cold winter night dedicated to finding a “new identity” for this unique wine. After several hours of discarded names someone said “met su un lèn tè'l fuc!” (dialect for “metti un legno nel fuoco!” meaning throw another log on the fire) and Sandro exclaimed “Fuc? Fuc, fuc ...Fuc... Fuc e Flàmis! Eccolo il nome!” (“fire? fire, fire...fire...Fire and Flames! That’s the name!”). The wine is made from grapes that are air dried for 20 days before pressing to concentrate the perfumes and flavors of wild Maraschino Cherries (native to the zona, nearly black and spicy/bitter, the red sticky sweet ones you see here are industrial travesties), forest berries and exotic spices. Sandro recommends it with “first courses with a sauce of game meats followed by a main course of roast game”!!! Jacùss Collio Orientali del Friuli Tazzelenghe 2005 $29.99 Tazzelenghe is another local grape with a very distinct personality: the name means “tongue cutter” (but, as comedian Dom Irrera would say, “And you know I mean that in a good way”) and derives from the intense acidity of the variety which is well suited to the local cuisine which combines Slavic and Italian influences. Briary, wild, spicy, yummy, exotic, more please.... Brauerei Heller Aecht Shlenkerla Maerzen Rauchbier, Bamberg Germany Brauerei Heller Aecht Shlenkerla Ür-Bock Rauchbier, Bamberg Germany Made from Beechwood smoked malt, this literally smells like a great smoked sausage (and we mean that in a VERY good way) and has been a tradition in Franconia for centuries where the locals recommend it as a fine morning pint, a delicious light lunch or a stimulant to good conversation and note that the 2nd and 3rd pints are not as shocking as the first. Franco Pellegrini Vino Aromatizzato alla China Passione Rosso, Oltrepò Pavese $45.00 Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the most wondrously out there thing we have EVER offered: Buttafuoco Chinato!!! Absolutely better than any Barolo Chinato we’ve had, it is packed with red fruit flavors, spices and Rosé petals (literally!) and is rich and satisfying as a digestif or an aphrodisiac. Are you MAN enough to drink a Fizzy Red? Yes Drill Sergeant! Things happen here at your favorite wine emporium that we couldn’t make up if we tried but THIS one really made an impression: Three Sundays ago a cab pulled up and two United States Marines in full desert camo and toting full packs got out. They came in and it turned out that they had JUST gotten off a plane at LAX after a long deployment in Iraq, were on their way home to see their wives and that their wives had mentioned a wine they really liked that they had to buy HERE: Picchioni Sangue di Giuda! When we mentioned that the common wisdom on such wines (red, fizzy, very fruity and a bit sweet which makes them fabulous with salty snacks) was that they were a bit “girlie”, one of the young infantrymen said, “When Mama’s happy, I’m happy. That’s the battle plan sir.”. Well, in that case, Semper Fi soldier, carry on and let her try some of these next time: Cantina Sociale di Puianello,Quattro Castella, Emilia-Romagna The company motto here is, “É buono, è un Puianello” (it’s good, it’s a Puianello)! Here’s the story: In 1938 five grape growers in the hills of the tiny hamlet of Puianello near Reggio founded a co-op so they could make wine instead of selling grapes and thereby see a little more of the profit on the fruit of their labor (and they located the cantina at an address on Via Carlo Marx, quite fitting for a Cantina Sociale, don’t you think?). Over the years more growers joined bringing more land so that today there are 330 members producing a large range of wines in many styles with a focus on the traditional frizzante and spumante styles of the zona, red, white and rosato, ranging from bone dry through “amabile” (amiable or friendly) to dessert wines. We tasted over twenty of them and brought in these selections to fill some holes in our ever expanding omniverse of fine fizz. Puianello Lambrusco dell’Emilia Rosato Amabile, Emilia-Romagna $11.99 As we predicted on its debut, this has been a huge sensation at scores of weddings, bat mitzvahs, holiday parties, Sunday morning seductions, New Years’ tamale festas, family reunions and other such occasions all year. Bright berry flavors, tiny bubbles and almost too much fun all imbedded in a creamy, refreshing and food friendly matrix with an enchanting light pink color. More please....uh...NOW! Puianello Lambrusco dell’Emilia Rosso Amabile, Emilia-Romagna $11.99 Very dark and packed with full throttle spicy black fruit, finished just off-dry (but more than balanced by the bubbles and natural acidity of the Lambrusco variety). At this price you can pound it with classic pasta Bolognese, BBQ (Texas, North Carolinian, South Korean, bring it on), pizza or brunch and still pay your bills. Puianello Ancellotta dell’Emilia Dolce BonDaMat $11.99 100% Ancellotta with a dark red color, intense rose petal and violet notes on the nose followed by lots of ripe berry fruit and medium sweetness on the palate. In their brochure the enologist says it is “similar to the more trumpeted Brachetto Piemontese but at lower cost” and that just about nails it. Already a sensation with local Italiani, get yours before they buy it all.... Piuanello Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa Marzemino Nobilomo Dolce, Emilia-Romagna $11.99 This is a rich, smuckery and exotically spicy fruit bomb of a Marzemino (but NOT fizzy) finished at just 9.5% alcohol and with 4% residual sugar (a tad sweet but not really a dessert wine, it’s more of a picnic tipple or maybe just a nice glass to relax with after work). Remember, if you tell us that the case you are buying the day after you tried a bottle is for your grandmother or your Russian nanny who misses similar wines from Georgia (the one in the former USSR!), we will keep it on the down low that you are secretly in love with it. If you feel the need to “man up” a little, hit some BBQ with this: Puianello Lambrusco Reggiano Rosso Secco Contrada Borgoletto, Emilia-Romagna $13.99 This is serious, BONE DRY, red (well almost black) wine that you can serve with almost anything and has the added food matching advantage of strong and persistent effervescence and the fact that you serve it cold. The perfect solution for hot days, hot foods or hot dates...it’s versatile. A special pair of Guest Rants from Terry Thiese, the best wine writer in the English language (really*) and also the selector / importer of well over half of our Champagne selection): What's Albert King got to do with Wine? * A Taste of Terry's unique voice: "We are accustomed to being passively entertained, and we have short attention spans. Many of us like a wine to do all the work for us. “Y’all just lie back while I dance for you...” I also feel we’re in such a state of sensory bombardment it’s only that which screams which has any chance to be heard. Most commercially desirable wines seem to combine the worst features of porn, the McLaughlin group, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Even more insidious are those pandering wines that seem to say “Pwease wuv me!” like those ghastly paintings of the kids with the enormous eyes." But he can get all philosophical too: " I live a charmed life, but on the other hand I sometimes feel stratified. One layer is the garden-variety mercantile wine-guy dealing with all the “issues” surrounding the zany categories with which I work. We both know those issues: education, marketing, perseverance, dog-and-pony shows, “working the press”. I try to be good at those things, or as good as my fallibilities allow. The other (perhaps higher) layer is less concerned with the job and more concerned with thework. I have a voice which always says “Yes: and?” Thus if I ask myself, what’s the net effect of what I do, this voice compels me through ever-more big-picture considerations. The Completely Bearable Being of Lightness “Does EVERYTHING have to be The Bomb?” Our friend, winemaker and mystic extraordinaire Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Winery, once asked that question in his newsletter when he felt compelled to explain that a lot of this BEST wines were NOT black in color, exploding with extract and 15% plus on the buzz-o-meter. You got the sense that it made him both sad and angry that he had to defend this because, to him at least, the beauty, poetry, food friendliness and outright civilization of more balanced wines was self evident. Yes, red wine CAN be lighter in body, color and alcohol and still be yummy (and a light chill gives a nice grip to them as well for heartier foods on a warm day): Caleo Salento Primitivo 2007, Puglia $10.99 This has a full spectrum of flavors running from the earth of the Salento hills through dark berries and a touch of smoke. BBQ here you come! Conti Sertoli Salis Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio Rosso Il Saloncello 2005, Valtellina $18.99 The softer, more feminine side of Nebbiolo: bright berries and a touch of black tea. Try it with Indian or Vietnamese for a nice change of pace. Fans of lighter Burgundian Pinot Noir will be right at home with this one. Fattoria Faltognano Chianti Montalbano 2006, Toscana $18.99 The ballerina of this group: elegant and perfumed, it dances on your tongue and never weighs it down. We see Grilled Salmon, Coq au Vin, Wild Mushroom Pasta or maybe a nice Pork Loin in its future. Balgera Cà Fracia Valtellina Superiore 1998, Lombardia $28.99 A textbook example of the kinder, gentler, Valtellina side of Nebbiolo, this is perfect for grilled fish, roast birds or just some cheese, bread and Bresaola (the famous air dried beef of the zona). Hyper traditional: 100% Nebbiolo from ancient, mountain grown vines, a passing acquaintance with large old chestnut barrels, five years aging in bottle. Curto Sicilia IGT Fontanelle 2000, Sicily $25.99 The Curto family have cultivated vineyards since 1670 (as demonstrated by an official dowry note of that era) and have vast experience in various types of agriculture including wine, olives, citrus fruit, almonds, prickly pears (the fruit of which makes insane gelato!), grains and produce. The wines are made from VERY old, head-pruned alborello system Nero d’Avola vines that look like miniature olive trees and yield no more than two tons of grapes per acre of the pure extract of the mountainous earth. This results in rich, meaty reds softer than your average Pinot but packed with complex flavors. Fun fact: a spin of the globe will reveal that the vineyards are actually located SOUTH of Tunisia! Fay Valtellina Superiore Sassella Il Glicine 2004, Lombardia $34.99 Got Elegance? 100% Nebbiolo with delicate rose petal, dried cherry and black tea notes, Il Glicine is the Audrey Hepburn of this cantina (at least when compared to the J-lo meets Sophia Loren pulchritude of the Sforzato Ronco del Picchio!). This pairs beautifully with lighter veal or pork dishes, grilled salmon, mushroom pasta and other savory yet not too heavy meals. Fay Valtellina Superiore Valgella Carteria 2004, Lombardia $37.99 Silky, smooth, sexy, fragrantly perfumed with rose petal, dried cherry and black tea notes, these are 100% Nebbiolo that compare very favorably with Barbaresco at much higher pricing. They have a way of growing on you throughout a meal and have always been big WINE EXPO-ista favorites. Are you a Smellie or a Feelie? We have observed in literally hundreds of consumer tastings over the last two decades that you can pretty much divide the imbibing population into two camps: the intellectuals who wax poetic about “hints of heather, vanilla and allspice in the nose leading to an explosion of decadent tropical fruit on the palate...yada yada yada......” and the unrepentant hedonists who exclaim “if this wine was any softer / creamier / chewier I’d leave my husband for it!”. In short the first group respond to olfactory stimuli while the second are obsessed with texture and substance: “mouthfeel”. And, since highly trained food chemist working for Kraft, Nabisco and ADM spend their lives trying to make genetically altered soy bean extract feel (not taste!) like butter / fudge / triple cream ice cream, who can blame us if a majority of Americans seem to fall into camp B and just don’t get what all those Brits are raving about when they talk about Burgundy? So, why fight it, here are some unashamedly gooey, oozing, creamy, mouthfilling, even downright erotically textured wines for you: Terras de Alter Tinto Fado, Alentejo $14.99 Fans of our beloved Ciù Ciù San Carro should be right at home with this: A full figured, somewhat blowzy red with spicy overtones and a soft, rich, meaty finish. After 48 hours of cold maceration, Aragonês, Alicante Bouchet, Touriga Nacional and Trincadeira each bring their special gifts to a rich stew that is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Got Tandoori? Feijoada? Meatloaf? Poggi Vino Rosso Veronese Famaloso 2003, Veneto $49.99 A truly fantastic wine made in the Amarone style with grapes from the family’s oldest plot, Il Famaloso in the Bardolino zona (classified in 1700 as one of the best sites for vines in the region), that are given two months of air drying then fermented on the skins for an entire month. Famaloso has a complex bouquet of red and black fruits, dried figs and dates, coffee and possibly even forbidden love. In the mouth it is rich and satisfying with a seemingly endless finish and we are certain it will soon have a big following (especially considering its relative value for money). Fabio Poggi Amarone Corte Castaldi 2003, Veneto $51.99 This bottling is named after the current proprietor and is the top bottling of the cantina: primarily Corvina with a touch of Rondinella, hand harvested in late September then given a long, slow drying time to concentrate the flavors and soften the textures. It throws aromas of very mature fruit, exotic spices and even aged meat from the glass and follows through in triplicate on the palate. Give it some air and some big food and you will be VERY happy. Vaona Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Pegrandi 2006, Veneto $33.00 The Pinot Slayer! Richly flavored (dark cherry, plum and more), full bodied, soft and silky on the palate, this has taken on a life of its own and has earned a MAJOR fan club. Try a bottle tonight and see why... Vaona Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Pegrandi 2003, Veneto $73.00 Aside from being textbook old school meat and earth and dried cherries and spices Amarone AND a worthy competitor to many much pricier bottlings, the Pegrandi may be the most beautifully packaged wine we have offered in a long time, making it a fabulous gift item. Fay Sforzato di Valtellina Ronco del Picchio 2004, Lombardia $63.99
Fay Sforzato di Valtellina Ronco del Picchio 2003, Lombardia $135.00 MAGNUM Direct from The Ridge of the Woodpecker (you gotta love that name) comes this intense distillation of the essence of the Valtellina: aromas of cherry and plums preserved in brandy, a whiff of Bresaolo (the famous air dried beef of the zona) and the perfume of wild roses float over deep red and black fruits and a hint of smoke on the palate, all solidly grounded in the soil of the terraced vineyards painstakingly built up the steep sides of the mountains of the zona. As the vines mature and Marco becomes more confident and skilled this has just gotten better and better and critics are now noticing in a big way. Conti Sertoli Salis Valtellina Sforzato Canua 2001, Lombardia $69.99 Conti Sertoli Salis Valtellina Sforzato Canua 2002, Lombardia $64.99 Conti Sertoli Salis Valtellina Sforzato Canua 2002, Lombardia $34.99 / 375ml Conti Sertoli Salis Valtellina Sforzato Canua 2002, Lombardia $299.00 / 5 liter "Mack Daddy, Mack Daddy, who is the mackest of them all?" The best grapes from the oldest vines, air dried five months for insane concentration. Elegant and nuanced Nebbiolo with the rich flavors of chocolate and dried cherry, this exudes aromas of exotic spices and roasted nuts and is soft and smooth like the Pinot of your dreams. We have tasting notes from the 17th Century noting how German pilgrims on the way to Rome who had WALKED over the Alps on their way to Rome were“revived from near death by a thimbleful of Madame Salis’ fine Sforzato”! Classy packaging makes it a standout as a gift or on your table. Put some Duck, Venison or at least Lamb with this one and don’t skimp on the mushrooms, you will not be disappointed. A VERY interesting guest rant on vintage rankings and what really matters in the production of great Barolo and Barbaresco by our friend Craig Camp. Uh...He said Pink.....that is so cooool! So, recently we were watching a revival of that great art film classic, Beavis and Butthead Do America, on cable and were just dumbfounded to see that somehow all the commercials were for arthritis ointments, adjustable beds, Depends Adult Diapers, Ensure Senior Nutritional Supplement and more of that sort of thing thus completely ignoring the fact that the audience for this film is more likely to be 25 or even 15 than to be a member of the Gray Panthers. This of course immediately brought to mind the countless times we’ve been asked to recommend a big oaky Chardonnay or a 15 percent alcohol Syrah / Zin / Motor Oil blend for a picnic, brunch, Saturday Afternoon Fish Fry or an evening at the Hollywood Bowl, again completely ignoring the context at hand. But, as countless WINE EXPO-isti who have thrown their prejudices in the spit bucket and gotten religion after sipping the Pink Stuff will tell you, NOTHING is such a perfect wine and food match as a crisp, full flavored, DRY Rose served ice cold with platters of prosciutto, zesty shrimp cocktail, cold fried chicken, boiled crawfish, anchovies and olives or even a good old Ballpark Style Hot Dog. Enjoy! Ippolito Cirò Rosé Mabilia 2005, Calabria $15.99 Ippolito Cirò Rosé Mabilia 2005, Calabria $8.99 375 ml A crisp, perfumed and delicious pink wine named as a tribute to the elegance and freshness of a young Norman princess who had a summer home in the zona in the eleventh century (but she was such a babe it still seems like yesterday!). Hand harvested Gagliopo bunches are cold macerated for 24 hours to get just enough color and oomph for hearty food then fermented in stainless steel to preserve the Rosé petal, cherry and spice notes on the nose. Serve it chilled and, at just 12.5% ABV, you can have a third glass if you need to... Cipressi Terre degli Osci Rosato Venas 2006, Molise $18.99 100% Montepulciano Rosé that could pass for red if you served it in an opaque glass, this is serious: full bodied, packed with red wine flavors but served ice cold. Get some BBQ, Carne Asada or hearty Bolognese and get down. Tabarrini Rosato Bocca di Rosa 2006, Umbria $18.99 Now we’re talking: a 100% Sagrantino Rosé! If ever a wine was created to deal with "difficult" plates like Curries, Mole, Thanksgiving Turkey with Cranberry Sauce and the like, this is it! Cà Nova Colline Novarese Nebbiolo Rosato Aurora 2006, Piemonte $21.99 If you think of rosé as thin and wishy washy, try this one on for size: gorgeous color, deep berry flavors and violet perfumes backed by good acidity, it could easily take the place of a mid level Pinot at your table in a pinch. Ten cases only, get yours before it’s gone. A guest rant from a fellow traveler re the current Brunello scandal. Musings & Meditations on Perfection, Brasilian Style... While in Rio de Janeiro last January we came across the following essay in O Globo by Arnaldo Jabor on the search for perfection (in this case the “perfect” wine, a 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc): "...I examined the wine from all angles and here I struck the truth, cruel and not open to appeal: The wine does not exist. There only exists the IDEA of the wine, an abstract and platonic conception of it. In the case of this wine, the actual wine destroys the imagined wine, the wine we have always dreamed of as it rests in its hollowed place in the cellar promising the multidimensional riches of a metaphor. There it is ALL wine s, a promise of enriched life in our hearts. But, presented with the actual wine, life lost its mystery, the wine ceased to be utopian and retained only what is possible. We saw it turn, with clarity and realism, into a mere mortal, without transcendence, just another (very!) delicious wine. In the end, it was proven that it was just another wine, one which we perceive as romantic, gentile, generous and warming but not one sent directly from God. Alas the search continues..." Now the twist: The essay above was actually written about the unveiling of the derriere of one of the reigning Novella Queens of Brasil, Juliana Paes (who is the cultural equivalent of Halle Barry and J-Lo rolled into one!), in Playboy magazine. Just replace all the references to "wine" with the word "derriere" and to "the cellar" with "Novella" (prime time soap opera) and you get the original. But you DO get the point, yes? But, fear not, faithful WINE EXPO-isti, our search on your behalf never ends (actually, the hunt is the really fun part!). Cheers! PS: to see what he was talking about click the link below then type YOUR name in the top box, a friends name in the next box and then click on "Visualizar" at the bottom. FUNNY! Juliana punks your drinking buddy Virtual Sweetness? Tricks your brain plays on you unveiled.... Overheard regularly in our store when we suggest the perfect wine for a customer’s (highly ethnic) menu: “But that wine is made from Riesling (or Moscato or Traminer or many other related varietals), isn’t it sweet?” “No, actually it’s drier than that Chardonnay you have in your hand.” Since we sell a LOT of aromatic whites that SMELL like honey, candied fruit, tropical flowers and even fancy bath soap but are BONE DRY (and amazing with Thai, Sicilian, Indian, Persian and other highly spiced cuisines), we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about this. One thing we have to point out is that your entire sensory system is built on pattern recognition: you can read text even if half the letters are smudged or truncated, you can recognize a solarized or profile portrait of a celebrity with no problem and you can figure out a song from a mere tease of the melody. This is a truly wonderful expression of the heights of cognitive evolution to which we (and maybe dolphins and even cuttlefish) have reached, BUT it can also be a two edged sword. Back to wine: we sell an insanely concentrated bone dry Malvasia (our beloved Martilde Piume) that smells like candied lime rinds, wild honey, honeysuckle blossoms and maybe Sophia Loren after a brisk jog and, since your feeble little cerebellum is CONDITIONED to associate these aromas with jam, candy, perfume and maybe even soap, it INTERPOLATES non-existent sweetness into its sensory report to your consciousness in the same way it tells you that you are seeing actual movement at the cinema instead of 24 still pictures per second. Our friend Terry Theise (an amazing curator of German and Austrian wines plus Grower Champagnes) often pours the SAME Kabinett style Riesling from both its own bottle (tall, slender and green = sweet in many peoples minds) and a Burgundy bottle like your average Chardonnay comes in and asks tasters "Which one do you like better and why" and over half of them prefer the ersatz Chard and pronounce it "so much drier"!!! He then goes on to tell them that the best Chardonnays all come from Riesling (as if it is a place) and to always look for that name on the bottle but that’s another rant entirely. So, in short, just because something TASTES like super ripe tropical fruits (because it contains the same chemical compounds that tickle the same receptors in your tongue) that doesn't mean it is also sweet (full of actual residual sugar) any more than Kenny G playing a soprano saxophone makes his music Jazz and, remember, you can’t SMELL sugar anyway. Try some of these with your Mee Krob, Pollo con Mole or Tandoori and join the Church of Transcendental Aromaticism tonight! Lomazzi & Sarli Malvasia Bianca Partemio 2005, Puglia $12.99 Sold Out, Returning Soon! Malvasia....it’s the new Viognier! Medium bodied with a refreshingly dry finish and simply gorgeous aromatics dominated by flowers, spice and citrus. Sushi, ceviche, scallops with lemon grass, fruit, cheese, friends, this works... Martilde Oltrepò Pavese Malvasia Piume 2006, Lombardia $19.99 ORGANIC “Young man, I nearly fainted with delight when I tasted that Piume Malvasia last night...”. So said a customer in a lilting Welsh accent as she grabbed a case of this. The sheer audacity of the intense citrus and honeysuckle aromas and flavors of Martilde Malvasia Piume coupled with its bone dry, “give me some more right now!” finish makes it a no-brainer with any Pacific Rim cuisine, Sushi, Fruit & Cheese or just sipping while watching a Scrubs marathon on Comedy Central. Try it! You won’t be sorry and you just might catch a case of the vapors as well. Pass the smelling salts and a spring roll, please... Dario Raccaro Collio Malvasia 2007, Friuli $48.99 Many of you are in love with the lovely Malvasia Piuma from Martilde in the Oltrepò which blasts lime, honeysuckle and sheer joy from the glass. Well, Dario's version is so intense it makes THAT seem like a minor league Pinot Grigio from the Graves yet is so will balanced with acidity and minerallity that you never tire of that intensity. Get your hands on some great Thai or Vietnamese take-out or some classic Charcouterie, some grilled Fennel and bloweth thy brains out.... Laimburg Gewürztraminer 2003, Alto Adige $17.99 “Wow! That’s INTENSE!“ Some of the cleanest, most focused and purely flavored whites on the planet come from mountains of Alto Adige. This Gewürz isBONE DRY yet highly aromatic with lots of refreshing minerality from deep in the alpine rocks it springs from (you can taste the rocks...mmm!). From Charcuterie to Ceviche to Thai seafood, this works: Rich, full bodied and packed with tropical fruit and bracing citrussy flavors yet perfectly counterbalanced by the palate cleansing zing! of natural acidity (they don’t let you dump bags of acid into your flabby whites in Europe the way they do in California). In short, call the Bombay Cafe and get the whole menu to go so you can try it with EVERYTHING! Castel Sallegg Gewürztraminer 2004, Alto Adige $19.99 Most people think this is a German Varietal, NOT! The beautiful (ask to see the picture in the Italian Wine Atlas at the counter) town of Tramin (Termino) is located in Alto Adige, Italy. “Gewürz” is German for “spicy” and “Gewürztraminer” means “the spicy one from Tramin”. But all you need to know is that these are BONE DRY, floral and spicy on the nose and some of our favorite summer sippers and seafood solutions, delicious with anything from picnic goodies to sushi, charcuterie to Thai stir fries, brunch to a midnight snack..... A commercial we might PAY to see... Inspired by our many friends in the Ad Game (Hey, Pat! Ciao, Bill!! Uno Bacio, Mea!!!), we have often fantasized about producing a Public Service TV Spot to run during the Super Bowl with the following scenario: Two energetic nine year old boys are called in for dinner by their mothers. Danny, lilly white with blond hair and blue eyes quickly downs two helpings of macaroni and cheese lubricated by two large glasses of milk which his mother makes sure he finishes "to build strong bodies". Mario, swarthy and somewhat embarrassed by his Sicilian heritage which makes him “different” in early sixties suburbia, chows down on a large plate of mama's linguini with clams and olive oil and is given a glass of watered down red wine by his doting grandfather. Cut to thirty years later and the two best friends are jogging down the beach discussing their stock portfolios and colleges for their kids when Danny suffers a massive coronary and dies on the spot. Cut to yet twenty more years later as Mario is cleaning out his house to retire to his grandfather's farm in Sicily. Stumbling across a picture of he and Danny in soccer uniforms in college he mutters, "Danny, he was a good boy, always drank his milk" and lifts a glass of hearty Nero d'Avola to his memory!!! Yes, Virginia, it seems we have been sold a bill of puritan goods that make dairy products practically sacraments and lump life giving wine in with tobacco and guns. But maybe that’s just us...... The Zen of Shibui... While reading Bravo (a VERY highbrow Brazilian culture magazine that weighs in on conceptual art, modern dance and avant garde classical music but also finds the music of Prince and Morphine worthy of mention), we found a wonderful article by the linguistics columnist praising the English language (and encouraging Lusophones to follow suit) for its ability to assimilate words from other languages that express precise concepts with no English equivalent. Examples he thought would be useful for brazilians included “Drachenfutter” (German for a guilt gift that an adulterous husband buys his wife, sprechen sie Deutsch, Kobe?), “Mokita” (from New Guinea, signifying a truth that everyone knows but no one has the courage to say) and, most especially in a land replete with exuberantly youthful beauties, “Shibui” (the Japanese word for that deep beauty that can only come from age and experience: the patina on a fine wooden table, Rene Russo being ten times sexier than Brittany Spears or......an aged bottle of wine). Literally translated as the puckery and astringent qualities of the green persimmon, Shabui in the extrapolated sense carries the idea of something that is not sweet in nature but is instead reserved, elegant, multidimensional and somberly austere in its effect, leaving the consumer in a state of contemplation and gratitude....like these for example: Ronco del Gelso Tocai Friulano 2006, Friuli Isonzo Rive Alte $28.99 Giorgio is one of the leaders of what we call the “Movimento Tocai Classico”, an emerging group of Friulani vignerons who have recently decided that the lush, ultra fruit driven, Viognier like versions of Tocai are masking the true character and potential of that most Friulian of white varieties and, instead, are making a leaner, more structured and aromatic expression. This vintage is very dry and structured with herbal and almond notes on top of an enchanting yellow plum fruit base and will be an excellent aperitivo now but our experience with past vintages is that it will be even more wonderful in a couple of years. Faraone Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Selezione le Vigne 2000 $35.99 This is one of the gems of Italy: pure minerality underpins a rich frosting of apple and pear fruit plus wild flower, exotic spices and nutty nuances on the nose. The Selezione le Vigne sees no wood but considerable time on the lees (this is the CURRENT release!) and can mature for years in the manner of great Chablis but will be exciting right now with any seafood, veal, pork or lighter chicken dish you throw at it. Ippolito Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore Riserva Colli del Mancuso 2004, Calabria $23.99 Gnarly old Gagliopo vines growing on steep hillsides in the heart of the zona are left hanging fruit until late October to produce this rich and delicious wine. The fruit is macerated for weeks in the manner of traditional Barolo and the resulting wine is then finished in barrels for eight months. Medium bodied but immensely flavorful, this beauty exudes perfumes of dried cherries, spices and vanilla. Braise something with some good mushrooms for a long time and hit it with this, you will not be sorry. Andrea Picchioni Buttafuoco 2000 Bricco Riva Bianca, Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardia $32.00 A Certified WINE EXPO-ista Cult favorite in past vintages, this is huge, rich and velvety, with coffee, spice and red fruit on the nose and an endlessly evolving palate of darker fruit, earth, dried meat and more. A field blend of Barbera, Vespolina, Bonarda, Ughetta and Croatina from old vines with southwest exposure, this is the top wine Andrea makes and is both an outstanding value and and a prime cellar candidate. Vintripodi Greco di Bianco 2003 $59.99 Vintripodi Mantonico di Bianco 2003 $59.99 Somewhere between Vin Santo and Old India Sherry, these were famous when Euclid was a Geometry student. Both are the result of meticulously selected grapes being laid out in the sun to dry for ten days then fermented in small Chestnut casks. The Greco remains in the wood for fourteen months, emerging with a rich golden color and a nuttier flavor set while the Mantonico is matured in steel tanks and then bottles for a fresher finish. Traditional serving suggestions include almond cookies, sheep’s cheese drizzled with honey or dried figs rolled in paprika. 500ml. WINE EXPO’s Alternate Reality Theater: If Robert Parker had been a Music Critic A recent discussion in the store with a self proclaimed “wine headhunter” who only wanted to talk about wines that had been scored 95/100 or above by America’s most influential / misdirected / irrelevant to your everyday wine with dinner and friends wine scribe got us thinking.......Our friend reacted fairly violently when we characterized the Zinfandels that would be Port made by Mr. Parker’s personal “Wine Goddess” as being like “A drag queen in the middle of a great production of Carmen, totally over the top and not really germane to the context (dinner!)” which led us to think about the sort of ratings RPjr might give some of our favorite musicians: John Lee Hooker “It Serves you Right to Suffer” (MCAD 12025 re-issue of the classic 1965 LP) “Strangely rustic, a throwback to another era before the advent of modern studio wizardry which could have given this original version of “Sugar Mama” the power and intensity later achieved by Foghat in their cover version. This listener had figured out by the fourth track (“You’re Wrong”) that Mr. Hooker seems to be in a bad mood, yet he went on for another 20 minutes with titles like ‘Money’ (he doesn’t have any) and ‘Serves you right to suffer’ 68/100.” To which the only possible response is “Boom! Boom!! Boom!!! How! How!! How!!! Boogie Chillin! It’s in ya and it’s GOT to come out!” James Brown avec les JBs!!! “Love Power Peace” live in Paris 1971 (Polydor 314-513-389-2) “While certainly heartfelt, Mr. Brown’s tortured vocal performance could benefit greatly from the modern production techniques that bring such inner consistency and radio-friendly textures to New World Soul Crooners like Michael Bolton and George Michael. The back-up band, while certainly capable, seems bent on endlessly repeating fairly simple rhythmic patterns (called “grooves”) that appear to have stirred up the French audience but lack any real complexity..72/100, not recommended.” To which we reply “Yo Mama! Get on the Good Foot, Hit me Maceo!” And some not so favorite musicians: The Music Advocate Pick ‘o the Month Judas Priest Greatest Hits “Breakin the Law, a tribute to Beavis and Butthead” “Intense, complex, ponderous, with oodles and oodles of layered slabs of hot molten metal guitar and primal scream vocals seamlessly integrated in backward masking that just might drive you to suicide!” 99/100!!!!!!!!!! The point of this thought experiment? Power and extract are not everything, traditional styles are traditional for a reason and you MUST RESPECT DA FUNK!!! Ok, enough fun and games, let's go drink some great wines! Is there a Doctor in the house? Foot from mouth extraction urgently needed! As you know we have been champions of the incredible wines of the Valtellina (Inferno, Sassella and Sforzato from such producers as Sertoli Salis, Fay, Triacca, Balgera, Negri, Mamete Prevostini and others) and the Abruzzo (fabulous Montepulcianos and Trebbianos from Illuminati, Cataldi Madonna, Valentini and Emidio Pepe) for nearly a decade and thousands of you have purchased thousands of cases of these over the years. The current Tre Bicchieri List from the Gambero Rosso lists four different Sforzatos and two different Montepulciano d’Abruzzos among their picks as the best of the best of Italian wine, quite a few more have been on the list over the years and Masciarelli Montepulciano was their Red Wine of the Year for 2001. You can buy Sertoli Salis in Singapore, Seattle or South Beach (Cesare Salis just sent us a press kit that is over 100 pages thick and in many languages) and Pepe is all the rage in Japan as well as here in the Southland. A simple Google search on Valentini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo yields over twenty pages of hits with raving articles in magazines worldwide and wine list placements at fine eateries around the planet (indicating the restaurateurs voted with their wallets on the merits of this not inexpensive wine). So, imagine our surprise when we saw this: “The wine regions of Valtellina and Abruzzo are not on even the most devout Italian wine lover's radar screen for quality wines." James Suckling on The WINE SPECTATOR website Hunnhh?!?!?!? When we challenged Mr. Suckling on this his response was even more intriguing: "It may be hard for you to believe but I assure you that most of the the 2 million people around the world who read Wine Spectator have not heard of the centuries old “famous” wines of Valtellina and Abruzzo. Maybe these wines are better known in Santa Monica, but I doubt it since I was born and raised just around the corner in Pacific Palisades. And I know a little bit about the area." Yeah, right, someone send him a copy of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” as maybe he thinks the Red Car still runs to the beach. Not only is this a further nail in the coffin of the lack of credibility of this publication re Vini Italiani, it does a grave disservice to the years of hard work by scores of people responsible for importing and distributing these wines. The fact that we became aware of it when one of them faxed it to us trying to sell us one of the wines in the piece is surely the final irony. Oh well, more for you... Signore Maroni, We beg to differ: Musings on Da Funk vs. technical “perfection”... We would like to thank our friend Mario di Dievole (heir, caretaker and ambassador extraordinaire of a nearly thousand year old Chianti estate of the same name) for a wonderful feature in his cantina’s completely over the top large format magazine “Zolle e Nuvolle” (“clods and clouds”, a reference to Heaven and Earth): he asked several very famous Italian wine writers the bottom line question, “What makes a great wine?”. Luca Maroni (an impossibly obtuse technocrat whom you would rather listen to the grass grow than have a conversation with) drones on and on about “the result of technical perfection, due solely to the oenologically perfect transformation of a viticulturally perfect fruit, is the universal pleasantness of flavor....Let them look for pleasantness, nothing else. It’s quality must therefore be such as to please everybody.” Uhhhhh...Luke...baby...can’t you see that that road leads straight to Raspberry Merlot, Twinkies and “Kenny G. and Yanni play John Tesch...Live in Vegas”??? An opposing viewpoint comes from Luigi Veronelli who submits what he says is an “extract” from a proposed book on the very subject that has been rejected by publishers with no vision or courage: “to be great a wine must recount ad infinitum ‘the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth, the earth...’” This actually repeats for an entire page but you get his point: While there is a great deal of pleasure to be obtained from things like dark chocolate, truffles, wasabi, smoked blood sausage, really strong espresso and bleu cheeses (not to mention Henry Miller novels, Kurosawa films and Charles Mingus or Thelonius Monk tunes), much of the point of these is the juxtaposition and contrast of familiar, “pleasant” sensations with bitter, smoky, earthy, musky, discordant and even shocking elements. In short, real life encapsulated as is: cinema (or vinema or musica) verité that communicates a sense of time, place and culture on a visceral, even animal level. We have found that the most popular wines in our store are the ones that 80% of you LOVE and the other 20% HATE with no middle ground, an indication that they have real personality and a distinct point of view instead of pandering to a “universal taste”. New examples of some amazingly funky but decidedly NOT perfect wines for your perusal include:
Franco Pellegrini Vino Aromatizzato alla China Passione Rosso, Oltrepò Pavese $45.00 Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the most wondrously out there thing we have EVER offered: Buttafuoco Chinato!!! Absolutely better than any Barolo Chinato we’ve had, it is packed with red fruit flavors, spices and Rosé petals (literally!) and is rich and satisfying as a digestif or an aphrodisiac.
Falco Gragnano della Penisola Sorrentina 2004, Campania $16.99 While going nuts in general about the food friendly, affordable and, most of all, DIFFERENT wines on offer here in his Rosengarten Report feature on WINE EXPO, Gourmand at Large David Rosengarten was also not afraid to admit his love for that most Italian of Italian wines, Rosso Frizzante: “One of the things that has me jumping up and down about WINE EXPO....is that they sell dry red fizzy Italian wine! These wines can be mighty at the table, sometimes the ideal mates to local pasta dishes (we’ll insert here that they also ROCK with Mexican and spicy Asian foods, ed.).” In praising our beloved Gragnano David exclaimed: “I love this one from the Sorrento Peninsula, right near Naples...Berries, deep, black ones, along with intriguing whiffs of licorice, tar and more...on the palate, the wine turns astonishingly grown up....quite dry, flavorful, but rather bitter on the front palate as well as rather tannic on the back palate...I’m a Campari man and I find the bitterness a great way to get my palate going early in a meal. I cannot wait to pop a bottle of this highly unusual juice alongside some grilled Radicchio, Endive and Fennel served with olive oil and cheese as an antipasto!”
Lento Cabernet Sauvignon Federico II 2003, Calabria $38.99 Wow! WOW!! and did we say WOW!!!!? One of the best old school Cabs in Italy: pure terroir on a stick. This one reminds us of previous WINE EXPO-ista hits like Vallona, Cignale and Villa Marina in that, like those wines, it has a real sense of place (the rugged hills of Calabria, certo!) and is not just yet more highly extracted / oaked and processed commoditized Cab-product.
Petrera Primitivo Gioia del Colle Fatalone 2003, Puglia $23.99 ORGANIC Ok already....after all THAT what does serious Primitivo (which as you may know, is the grape we call Zinfandel in California) taste like anyway? Well, to quote the chef / barkeep who created the world’s greatest Burger (the Office Burger at Father’s Office), our friend Sang Yoon, “A charred aged prime steak rolled in dirt, with a smoked plum garnish...I liiiiiiike it!” Now THAT is the sort of recommendation of a grape varietal we can really get behind. This does not disappoint: it is big, rich, meaty, smoky...all that and a bag of wild boar chittlins. Palamà Salento Rosso IGT Metiusco 2003, Puglia $14.99 Southern Red ala Funk with a strong backbeat drawn from a blend of Malvasia Nera, Negroamaro, Primitivo and Montepulciano, this is a perpetual WINE EXPO-ista favorite. Complimenti Cosimo! Merum, a very serious wine and food magazine written in German and based in Switzerland, has a monthly feature that could have come right out of one of our newsletters. Der Ultimative Weintest uses a scoring mechanism we can really get behind: after a comprehensive blind tasting of a particular set of wines, the tasters are served a large selection of Pizza and then, after they are satiated, the bottles are lined up according to how much wine is left in them. This is measured in centimeters and the HIGHEST number is the loser. Well, our beloved Palamà Metiusco Rosso 2003 (one of our largest sellers despite being told that it was “too rustic” for Americans by a previous importer) was the winner recently with ZERO cm remaining (as in they killed the bottle) and the winner of the coveted JLF (“je leerer die flasche, umso besser der wein!”).
Colle Acre Eloro Rosso Thyonianus 2004, Sicilia $34.99 Roberto’s notes from VinItaly: “Holy (expletive deleted)! One of the best Nero d’Avola based wines I have ever tasted: classic old school textures, asian spices and earth on the nose, very long and persistent in the mouth...you may have visions of a medieval banquet featuring a large, spit roast animal in front of you on first sniffing it. Plus, the guy on the label looks like he could be the host.” This is the essence of the ripest fruit from the oldest vines, having been aged in large, old wood for a few months before refinement in bottle and it has a wonderful story to tell you if you give it time and some hearty food. |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 20 March 2010 02:51 ) |