Above: performing with my band Nous Non Plus in Germany in 2008. That was what I looked like when I met Tracie B now P.
It was one of the high points of my life: my band’s top-ten college radio record, Nous Non Plus “Self-Titled.”
In January and February of 2006, our debut album appeared for four weeks on CMJ, the indy rock charts.
We debuted at 18 (not bad) and peaked at 6. Just look at the other artists in the top twenty!
Remember the Super Tramp song, “Breakfast in America”?
Could we have kippers for breakfast
Mummy dear, Mummy dear?
They got to have ’em in Texas
‘Cause everyone’s a millionaire.
The European-American divide in breakfast habits and rituals is always a source mystery and befuddlement for travelers heading in both directions.
Above: dried Corvinone grapes that were to become Recioto at La Dama.
It’s sad but true: one of my most lasting memories of my recent visit to Valpolicella with a group of wine writers is a sour one.
“When I saw this list of producers we were visiting,” said one colleague from Canada, “I said ‘fuck this’ and went to Valdobbiadene.”
When I asked him whom he visited there, he said, “o, just a few wineries that the Prosecco consortium took me to see.”
“I don’t even like Amarone,” he explained, seemingly attempting to justify his condescension.
As they say in Veneto dialect, no go paroe… I don’t know what to say. What can you say in the face of such misinformed, misguided, and pointless [x]enophobia?
Above: Carlo Boscaini’s wines were among my favorites. These are old-school wines from one of the best growing zones in the appellation. Classic but also clean and fresh. They reminded me of the wines I drank when I attended university in the Veneto in the early 90s. But they were more focused and polished. Utterly delicious. Importers, heads up!
The good news is that, snobby wine writers aside, there is a lot of great wine being made in Valpolicella.
Today, Valpolicella Classico, Amarone della Valpolicella, and Recioto della Valpolicella aren’t popular in North America and have been penalized by marketing blunders, missteps taken by commercial producers and their importers during my parents’ generation.
But Europe’s nordic wine lovers have continued to provide a steady stream of revenue for Valpolicella bottlers, thus keeping the overarching quality of grape growing and winemaking relatively high.
Above: Gabriele Dalcanale farms organically at La Dama, where he owns one of the top growing sites in Negrar, the historic heart and soul of Valpolicella. In the cellar, he leans modern. Not my cup of tea but the brilliance and vibrancy of the fruit in his wines are extraordinary. Please bring his 2011 Recioto to my house for dinner any time. I was really impressed by the wines.
It was really interesting to hear vineyard managers, like Giannantonio Marconi of Bolla, talk about how many growers now favor the traditional pergola training over Guyot, the latter a system that was introduced in the 1990s when Valpolicella began to modernize.
The canopy of pergola-trained vineyards, explained Giannantonio, helps to protect the berries from sunlight and it aids in moderating temperatures in the vineyard. Whether or not you believe that global warming exists or is influenced or impacted by humankind, there’s no doubt that grape growers in Europe have experienced a string of warmer vintages. The pergola helps them, said Giannantonio, to maintain quality and freshness during hot, dry summers.
Above: if I had to pick one favorite from all the wineries I visited last week, it would be Accordini Stefano. Across the board, I found the wines to be compelling, elegant, and focused. Stefano’s 1999 Amarone was astounding. And a visit to his winery is worth the trip (to the highest growing area in Valpolicella’s classic zone) if only for the educational media he’s created, like these samples of soil types. Click the image for a full-size jpg.
From a behemoth like Bolla that needs to maintain substantial output to a small organic farm like Gabriele Dalcanale’s La Dama, pergola training seems to be the favored system these days. At least that’s what I gathered during my two days touring vineyards and talking to growers last week.
My only disappointment in Valpolicella was the fact that many of the producers heavily oak their wines using new barriques.
Even the most traditional among the producers I visited have at least one oaky wine in their lineup.
Repeatedly, I tasted wines that were beautiful grown, crafted, and raised. But the oakiness dominated the fruit in the wine.
Above: Valentina Cubi, a biodynamic grower, is one of the most talked-about winemakers in Valpolicella these days among the wine hipster crowd. I was thrilled by her wines and I am non-plussed that no one is bringing these into the U.S. They have everything going for them.
That’s a turn-off for me personally. But I recognize that there are also a lot of people who are into that kind of thing. And hey, whatever gets you through the night, it’s alright with me.
Looking back on the experience, I can’t stop thinking about how Valpolicella and Amarone have the right stuff for the American market and the American palate: they can be big and bold in their tannic structure, they generally have higher alcohol levels than conventionally produced red wines, and it’s easy to find oakiness in top labels by top producers.
And somewhere in between there are old-school producers like Boscaini and Accordini and progressive producers like Cubi and La Dama that appeal to the north American wine cognoscenti.
Above: Angelo Lavarini’s family’s wines at San Benedetto are as “real” as they come. His 2004 Amarone was fantastic and I loved the old-school red thread that ran through each of his labels. Another highlight for me. Importers, double heads up! These wines are ripe for the picking.
My very last winery visit was Angelo Lavarini’s San Benedetto.
As soon as we arrived there and were given the wifi password, the Amarone-hating Canadian writer logged on to his Facebook and internetted away as the rest of us tasted in earnest.
Angelo recounted how in leaner times, in order to make ends meet, his family used to make salame on the table where we were now sitting. The bathroom of his family’s house was once a stall for pigs.
His wines were as wholesome as he was. I loved them and came way scratching my head and wondering why no one is importing them into the U.S.
We stepped outside and the Canadian writer lit a cigarette. If only he’d had left his [x]enophobia back in north America, I wouldn’t have had left Valpolicella with a bitter taste in my mouth.
There’s a cure for that… it’s called Recioto.
Thanks for reading…
Above: three restaurant professionals who attended the Slow Wine Guide 2016 tasting yesterday in downtown Austin. It was the first time that the tour had come to Texas.
What a thrill for me to see so many Italian wine celebrities and so much great Italian wine yesterday at the Slow Wine Guide 2016 tasting in Austin!
The well-attended trade-only event was an overwhelming success for the organizers, participants, and tasters alike.
When I rolled in from Houston around 3 p.m., midway through the gathering, there were easily 200 persons in the room.
I was geeked to talk to Matilde Poggi, owner at Le Fraghe in Bardolino but also president of the Italian Federation of Independent Grape Growers (FIVI) and vice-president of the European Confederation of Independent Grape Growers (CEVI).
It was also great to catch up with my good friend and Franciacorta consortium vice-president Silvano Brescianini who was pouring Barone Pizzini.
Both of them were visiting Austin for the first time and for Matilde, I believe it was the first experience in Texas.
But the biggest thrill was getting a chance to taste with my friends Giancarlo Gariglio and Fabio Giavedoni, the editors of the Slow Wine Guide and two of the Italian wine writers whom I admire most.
I thank them from the bottom of my heart for braving the fast-food-lined roadways of America to bring this tasting to the Lone Star State. They had driven all the way from San Francisco with their band of editors and organizers. To hear them tell their tale of eating salad at a roadside Burger King, forced to stop there out of sheer hunger, was as hilarious as it was tragic.
Just a handful of my Italian counterparts managed to keep up with me as I led them at the end of the night to the Continental Club for a great set by the legendary Austin-based singer-songwriter and band leader Dale Watson.
As I was overcome by jet lag and finally had to say goodbye, I leaned into Giancarlo, who was clearly enjoying Dale’s grooving set, and I said: “when you get back to Italy, please tell them that this, too, is America.”
To Giancarlo and Fabio, the Slow Wine team, and all the winemakers who poured and spoke about their wines yesterday, thank you for coming to Texas. The Italian wine world is all the better for it.
Catching my breath this morning after a long day of travel back from Italy yesterday.
But jumping right back in, I wanted to share the news that I will be part of panel on Southern Italian whites and rosés moderated by Bloomberg wine columnist Elin McCoy on Monday, February 8 in New York for the Italian Trade Commission’s Italian Wine Week 2016.
Jeff Porter of Del Posto and Roberta Morrell of Morrell’s will also be on the panel.
We’re pouring some fantastic wines and Elin has done a wonderful job of putting together an interesting discussion. She’s one of my favorite wine writers and the nicest person to work and taste with. I love her.
Here are the details for our panel and registration info.
And on Monday, February 22, I’ll be pouring and talking about Franciacorta wines for the Franciacorta Real Story project at Les Marchands in Santa Barbara. We stil haven’t nailed down the final details but gauging by the last tastings I did in Seattle (last year) and Miami (this month), this should be a super fun tasting.
Stay tuned for more info.
One of things that really impressed me on my trip to Italy last week was Franciacorta’s growing popularity across Italy.
In Montalcino on Tuesday night, I ate a classic Tuscan trattoria that dedicated an entire page of its wine list to Franciacorta.
And then on Wednesday in Verona, I drank Franciacorta at a wine bar/wine shop where Franciacorta was “stacked” at the entrance (above).
Everywhere I turn, it feels like Franciacorta is on the cusp of its big moment. Or maybe it’s just me. Probably just me.
Thanks for reading and if you happen to be at the Slow Wine tasting in Austin today, let’s taste together! I’ll be there.
Tracie P, my goodness, we’ve been married for 6 years!
Today, January 31, marks the day that we were wed in La Jolla. Happy anniversary, my love, and thank you for what have been — by far and beyond — the best six years of my life.
As I was mulling over what I wanted to write in my happy anniversary blogication to you, I started to think about the word best, the superlative adjective, an absolute used to describe something that surpasses all others like it.
These years have been the best: our coming together, our engagement, marriage, and first home; our children and the business that we have built together.
Now that Georgia P is 4 and Lila Jane is 2 and a half (and no longer a toddler), a new chapter of our lives is beginning to unfold.
In the wake the frenetic, hectic, and often exhausting but always exhilarating early years of child rearing, you and I are beginning to take evenings out again. We’ve begun to travel a bit — two days here, three days here. And we’ve begun to have a little more time to ourselves at home.
These years certainly have been the best of my life — until now.
“Until now” because I know that we have many “best” years ahead of us, too. They won’t surpass those that came before them, no. They will be remembered, I am sure, side-by-side with years past, like time in a bottle, as rich and as rewarding and as fulfilling as the first chapters in our book of life.
As I look back today on the last year of our life in marriage, I remember that even the toughest moments of the last 12 months have been eclipsed by the joy that you bring into all our lives. And I know that I can face any challenge or adversity that may lay ahead because I have you by my side, the best partner I could have ever hoped for and the most beautiful woman I could have ever dreamed of.
I love you Tracie P — mother, wife, lover, and partner. Happy anniversary!
Really interesting tour and tasting yesterday at La Dama in Negrar with grower and winemaker Gabriele Dalcanale.
Organic farming and native yeast produce grapes with brilliant aromas and electric flavors.
The winemaking leans modern but shows a focus, clarity, and transparency that stand out in this appellation.
I loved the 2011 Recioto. One of the best wines I tasted yesterday.
No time to post but had to share this glimmer of sun on an overcast but interesting day of tasting in Valpolicella.
Posting in a hurry this morning as Alfonso and I head out to our first appointment of the day from our hotel in Parma. Tonight we’ll be sleeping in Montalcino and then on to Verona for the Amarone debut event.
But I just had to share this image of a punta di vitello al forno, a classic dish served to us last night by my friend Alessandro Ceci who hosted us at his home.
It’s a veal breast that has been stuffed with a filling similar to that used to stuff anolini, the classic filled pasta served in Parma in stock (akin to Bologna’s tortellini or Reggio Emilia’s cappelletti).
The ingredients for the stuffing are exactly the same although the prosciutto is omitted.
Alessandro’s mother explained to me that she stuffs a capon’s stomach with the mixture of bread and cheese and then cooks it in the beef and capon stock that she will use to serve her anolini.
“The stuffing gives some of its flavor to the stock,” she explained, “and the stock gives some of its flavor to the stuffing.”
Punta di vitello al forno, where have you been all my life?
What an incredible dish!
Mandatory pairing: Lambrusco.
That’s all I have time for today. Stay tuned… And thank you again, Ceci family, for an extraordinary dinner and super fun evening. What a great way to begin our trip!
Let me put it this way: as soon as I walked in the door, back home from my trip to Miami to lead a Franciacorta Real Story tasting there last week, I told Tracie P that I need to take her there. The food and wine experience was that good.
Those are the baccalà croquettes (above) at Heath Porter’s Uvaggio wine bar and restaurant.
My recommendation? Run don’t walk. Really, superb…
Heath blew me away with the wines “he just happened to have open by the glass,” from the esoteric and geeky (Japan’s native grape variety!) to classic and homey (my night ended with COS Ramì).
That’s a Roussanne (above), known as Bergeron in Savoie, France, where Domaine Jean Vullien produces this excellent wine.
The only thing I liked more than the food at Uvaggio was Heath’s chill attitude and the way he expanded my wine knowledge exponentially and thoughtfully with a single flight of by-the-glasses. I can’t wait to take Tracie P there…
Another stellar discovery for me was Jeffrey Wolfe and his Wolfe’s Wine Shop. He had been recommended to me by our mutual and semi-virtual friend Jaime Smith of Vegas (who never misses a beat when it comes to connecting the right people, btw).
When I walked in to get ready for our Thursday night Franciacorta tasting, they were sipping Foradori and chewing the wine fat.
Wolfe’s is one of those wine shops where people like you and me immediately feel at home. If you like Lou and Domaine LA in Los Angeles, if you like Chambers St. Wines in NYC or Boulder Wine Merchant, this is your and my kind of place.
And the coolest thing was the general level of wine culture shared by both the staff and the guests at Wolfe’s. Nearly everyone grilled me with questions about Franciacorta and the individual wines we poured. There didn’t seem to be anyone who was just there to get their drink on for free on a Thursday early evening.
Jeffrey, I can’t thank you enough. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.
Many of the people I interacted with conceded that this little strip on Coral Gables’ Miracle Mile is an anomaly in Miami and that it’s not reflective of the overarching wine scene there.
But add the local cuisine and party scene to the mix and you have a wine and food destination that really can’t be beat, at least in my book.
That’s the Cubano that I ordered at the bar at my hotel (above). When I arrived, I needed to get online right away to finish a rush translation job and I was bummed that I didn’t have time to go to Calle Ocho for something a little more groovy.
But, man, this sandwich fired on every cylinder. From the classic Cuban bread (that you just can’t seem to get unless you’re in this part of the world) to the quality of the ham and the assembly.
The next morning, I had an early breakfast at the famous Versailles (above), where everyone speaks English fluently but Spanish is the language de rigueur. I love the sweet cadence of Cuban Spanish, so much more genteel than my Poblano- and So. Cal-inflected and extremely modest command of the language.
Jugo de naranja just sounds so sexy in Cubano!
Lastly, as I was looking for good wifi in the vicinitly of the Ft. Lauderdale airport (where I flew in and out of), I literally stumbled on to this awesome fresh fish market and deli called Finster Murphy’s.
Reminiscent of one of my favorite places in my hometown of La Jolla, El Pescador, I had to go for the seared Wahoo. Gorgeous and super tasty.
I can’t think of better way to end the trip before heading to the airport, which is literally around the corner.
That’s a mouthful of a post and all I have time for today: I just landed in Italy where I’ll be visiting a handful of estates in northern and central regions and attending the Amarone vintage debut in Verona. Stay tuned… It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it.
Do Bianchi 