IT’S DARK and cold and the small group huddled outside of the cemetery bundles up their coats against the damp breeze. The first rays of the sunrise are not yet bright enough to dim the light of the hundreds of candles twinkling on the graves. Everyone is there for one reason: fun. It’s a gita!

Gita means day trip in Italian and it is a much loved and used tradition. There is a gita for anyone and to everywhere for every reason. Small and large groups of friends, couples, families and even strangers gather on all sorts of informal or organized gita. There is a gita for shopping, sightseeing, religious events and anything else you can think of where you get there and back in a day.

There may be many reasons people take a gita and they go to many diverse and interesting places, but they all have one thing in common: they are all organized around eating and drinking. This should be no surprise as everything in Italy is structured to facilitate not only eating well, but to finding the time to do so.

We are gathered in the pre-dawn light at the cemetery only to take advantage of the free parking lot. Cars continue to arrive as we wait for our bus. Out of each car emerge sleepy-eyed friends, many with their even sleepier-eyed children. Soon a gigantic, gleaming blue Mercedes bus arrives — we will be traveling in comfort.

The demand for tour buses in Italy is high. It is a small country, only about the size of Arizona, and tour groups can see many things in a short time on a bus. Group vacations and tours are extremely popular and during the summer the highways are packed with buses full of tourists from all over the world. During the off-season it is easy to find them at discounted rates making it the perfect time to organize a gita. Because tour buses are so popular the buses are also beautiful: VCR, CD stereo, large overstuffed seats, huge windows to see the view: a great way to travel.

We are off to Mantova, just over three hours away at the other corner of Lombardia from our home near Lago Maggiore. Mantova is an ancient city proud of its dramatic mediaeval architecture and of its native son and famous poet Virgil; you may remember his best seller, The Aeneid.

Within an hour the call for caffeine rings out and we stop at the Autogrill, the fast food and gas stops along the autostrada. What Italians consider food fit only for a quick bite and fending off hunger while you are traveling is a culinary wonderland for traveling Americans. Meals at the Autogrill are usually stand-up affairs where people down their meal quickly and then get back on the road. Some Autogrill even have full-service restaurants, but once you discover the wonders of panini — the Italian version of the sandwich you learn not to bother with the restaurant.

Americans approach sandwich construction with plans as complex as the blueprints for the Sears Tower. Layers of various meats, pickles, cheeses, condiments, greens and other vegetables reach for the sky on thick slices of bread. The Italian panino looks deceptively simple compared to these wonders of sandwich engineering. It is often simply a few slices of prosciutto crudo (cured ham) on a fresh roll, but don’t let appearances fool you as the intensely flavored ham only needs a few slices to make its point and combined with fresh baked bread creates an unforgettable and habit forming flavor. There are many other combinations to tempt your palate and choosing is a difficult, but a no-lose proposition.

After the bar with its drinks and panini the designers of the Autogrill are always sure to force you to pass through their gift shop on the way out. These roadside gift shops would qualify as the best Italian gourmet shop in town in the United States. The shelves are full of pasta, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, wine, spirits, cheeses, salami, prosciutti and gigantic three kilogram jars of Nutella — the chocolaty hazelnut spread that lucky Italian kids grow up on instead of peanut butter. Every time I go to an Autogrill, I remember a pricy Italian gourmet shop on Chicago’s elegant Michigan Avenue and can only smile.

However we are not here for panini or shopping, but for breakfast — albeit a second breakfast for most. Time of day is an essential element in Italian eating patterns and although most had breakfast before leaving home, it is still breakfast time and that means another breakfast of espresso or cappuccino paired with fresh brioche or a croissant. The Autogrill is often the first experience a tourist has with the Italian system of paying first and then going to the bar to pick up your food. First you decide what you want and then get in line at the Cassa (cashier) to pay and get the receipt, which you give to the barista who will then give you your food and drink. It’s a great system that speeds up service. If you noticed that there is not a spot in this system for tipping you are very observant. Tipping in Italy is only common in public toilets.

That is another new experience Americans first encounter at the Autogrill. There is often an attendant, usually a female, whose job it is to keep the bathrooms clean. Unlike American toilets that are usually almost barricaded during cleaning, these attendants do their jobs while the business of the toilet is in full swing. Having a female attendant cleaning next to your urinal is a new experience for most American males, but don’t worry, you can be sure they’ve seen everything before and won’t give you a second glance — no matter what you do. Outside the toilet is a small table with a basket for tips and depositing a 20 centesimi coin will do the trick. In this Autogrill the attendant brought her dog to work with her and it sat on a chair next to the tip basket looking at you with sad eyes. I left a 50 centesimi coin this time: good technique.

The fifteen minute stop for a quick espresso had expanded into a forty minute break when the last stragglers return to the bus and we get back on the road to Mantova. Braced by a second dose of caffeine and sugar the group is now fully awake and the bus explodes with the justifiably famous animated and expressive style of Italian conversation. The energy and excitement is palpable and if you can exist in such an environment without feeling a carefree spirit overtaking you it’s time to check your pulse.

That last hours of the ride disappear quickly lost in the conversation, song and laughter. When we enter Mantova the bus erupts in cheers. It is eleven a.m. and there is just enough time for a quick look around the city before lunch, but more importantly there is time for an aperitivo, which, for some reason, seems to be sorely needed to spark the already voracious appetite of our group.

An aperitivo is an essential part of Italian dining and something to spark your appetite and to get your digestive juices flowing is not a bad idea before a serious meal in Italy. The list of possible aperitivi is long, but we are on the border of Lombardia and Veneto and that means Prosecco. Prosecco is a type of grape that in Veneto they use to create the charming, fruity sparkling wine of the same name. In Lombardia and Veneto it is impossible to find a restaurant or bar that does not serve Prosecco. The quality varies wildly and can range from frizzante (lightly sparkling) Prosecco from the tap to more refined bottled versions. Less serious wines are often spiked with a generous splash of Campari or Aperol for good measure.

One of the great pleasures of taking aperitivi at a bar in Lombardia is that they feel obliged to feed you even though you are on your way to eat a huge meal. Tradition means that to serve you a drink without something to munch is akin to an insult. This may mean just a bowl of potato chips during quiet hours, but in aperitivo prime time even the simplest bars can put out elaborate spreads to whet their customer’s appetites and elegant bars in Milano often put out a stunning and elaborate buffet. Even our local Bar Seven (yes, the English spelling) puts out over a dozen choices that include salami, lardo, hot dips and assorted salty snacks and I am always amazed and wonder as I sip on a glass of their quite decent Prosecco, costing about $1.50 a glass, while nibbling salami: how can they afford it?

After our aperitivi and a brief walk around Mantova, the supposed goal of our gita, it’s back on the bus and off to the real main event: lunch.

Whoever was in charge (something that never became clear) had selected an agriturismo just outside the city for lunch. Agriturismi have taken over the Italian countryside in the last decades and offer some of the best home-style cooking available. These are supposed to be farms that offer lodging and meals that are based on their own produce. The later being a rule that is often stretched to the limit. Never-the-less, when you find a good agriturismo you have found a real treasure and a way to feel a part of Italy you can never touch in the cities. Agriturismi are often the best way to experience the traditional country cooking of Italy’s regions and some elevate the experience to such a level that they change the way you think about the restaurants in the cities with their Michelin stars.

The aperitivi had their desired effect and the group had reached the ravenous stage by the time we pulled into the farmyard. The bus quickly emptied as all streamed into the spacious dining room supported by huge rough hewn oak beams. Fortunately they were waiting for us and long tables were filled with pitchers of red and white wine, baskets of bread and plates of salami and prosciutto crudo — all of which was gone within minutes.

We filled about half of the large dining room and the rest of the long communal tables were filled with small groups of locals out for their Sunday lunch and others, like us, on a gita. The family members of the agriturismo were running at full speed to take care of the overflowing tables. The pitchers of the light cool wine were going down in gulps and the noise level in the room kept rising; the air was full of laughter and talking. Singing could not be far behind.

Soon a stream of platters filled with steaming rice and sausage emerged from the kitchen and they began to fill our plates with huge scoops leaving many half-full platters on the table. This was not risotto. Preparing risotto for one hundred people at the same time is not something you can do: at least you can’t do it right. This was rice, sausage, fresh herbs and broth cooked in the oven as you would prepare paella at home. Even as hungry as we were there was still rice and sausage left on the platters, but no problem they just fill your plates with more when they come to take them away. There seems to be a rule that all dishes have to return to the kitchen totally empty. Our group clearly intended to follow this rule.

Suddenly the sweet, rich smell of warm butter filled the dining room and a second wave of platters emerged from the kitchen filled with ravioli di zucca, the most famous dish of Mantova. While in Italian, zucca refers to all squash, in Mantova it means pumpkin and some shape of pasta can be found stuffed with it in every restaurant. The secret ingredient the pumpkin stuffed pasta in Mantova is mostarda, a specialty of Lombardia that appears on the stores only in the winter months. Mostarda is candied fruit flavored with mustard oil — a potentially dangerous process as mustard oil is used to produce mustard gas. The mixture of sweet and hot flavors makes mostarda the perfect accompaniment to the boiled meats so popular in the area and, most of all, a tremendous match with pungent cheeses like gorgonzola. In this southern tip of Lombardia they specialize in mostarda di mele, or apple mostarda, and these sweet and tangy flavors spice up the pumpkin stuffed pasta of the area, which is then served with a simple sauce of browned butter and sage.

As you might imagine it takes a significant amount of wine to get all this food down and pitchers were emptied and refilled often. You don’t have to worry about corked wines at meals like this because the wine never gets close to a cork. These were pleasant local wines; just simple IGT Mantova wines with a little fizz and a good dose of acidity sold in bulk by a local cooperative and drawn from a tap. Inspired by the wine, one of our compatriots rose to make a toast to the bride and groom and the group joins in demanding a nuptial kiss. Soon everyone in the room joined in: no one seemed to notice there was no bride or groom.

As soon as the last sweet ravioli had disappeared the next wave hit the tables. Big platters of slow roasted sausages, chicken and short-ribs all well flavored with fresh rosemary. The side dishes, contorni, included tiny roasted potatoes and bowls of simple fresh green salad dressed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and a touch of vinegar. The ribs melted in your mouth and you couldn’t help but to reach for more although the pangs of hunger had disappeared hours ago.

Once again chants for a bridal kiss rang out with the particularly enthusiastic support of an old gentleman from another group in the corner and soon he received the unclaimed kiss from one of the ladies in our group who, in the process, discovered that he and his wife were there to celebrate their fifty-fifth anniversary. The imaginary bride and groom disappeared as everyone in the room surrounded the old couple and with enthusiastic sincerity loudly serenaded them with old love songs as they broadly smiled in each others arms.

After the impromptu concert all returned to find their tables full of dolce — the desserts had arrived. Large chucks of sbrisolana liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar weighed down the tables. Sbrisolana is a kind of a cross between a cookie and a cake made from almonds and cornmeal that is the sweet specialty of Mantova and is proudly displayed in the window of every pasticceria in the city.

Espressi and grappa arrived as best wishes loudly rang out to the anniversary couple on their way out the door and soon it was time to be back on the bus for the short trip back to Mantova for a much needed passeggiata, an after lunch walk, and a welcome opportunity to see a bit more of this historic city.

Though now late on a chilly Sunday afternoon, the center of Mantova was teeming with Italians out for either their after lunch walk or for aperitivi before their dinner — or both. The crowds added an enchanting energy to the city and the evening. Our walk took us out along the wide spot in the Mincio River that they call a lake here and on which, if you are a skilled sailor, you can sail all the way to Venezia. In the late afternoon sunlight the magnificent Ducal Palace and San Giorgio Castle look particularly imposing from the level of the riverbank. It is a beautiful city unfortunately often bypassed by rushing tourists on their way from Firenze to Venezia.

We regroup at a bar for a beer before getting back on our big blue bus and then we are back on the road. Some sing and everyone talks and before we know it we are back in the parking lot. It is dark and the hundreds of candles twinkle on the graves, just as they did in the morning when we arrived. Into each car climb our sleepy-eyed friends, many with their even sleepier-eyed children.

Time to plan the next gita.

Torta sbrisolana alla Mantova
Serves 8

2 cups ground almonds
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fine-ground cornmeal
Just less than 1 cup of sugar
3 egg yolks
3 or 4 drops vanilla extract
½ lb. butter at room temperature
The grated zest of 1 lemon
Confectioners’ sugar for decoration

Mix well the ground almonds, flour and cornmeal and sugar in a large bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolks and the vanilla and then add to the flour mixture. Use your hands and work until small crumbs are formed. Then add the softened butter, lemon zest and knead until it is well blended. The dough will have a very crumbly texture. Butter a 10 inch round cake pan and sprinkle the mixture evenly into it. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 deg. F for about 45 minutes. Decorate with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

ROBERTO HAS a mischievous look in his eyes. This is not an unusual occurrence. We’re on our way to dinner at a place he has been raving about.

“What’s the food like in this restaurant,” I ask him.

“This is no restaurant,” he replies with a wink and a smile. “It’s more like a bar.” After a second of thought he adds, “Actually it’s not much of a bar either.”

We twist and turn down a narrow country lane and as we approach a small cluster of houses he begins to slow down. Although I’ve been past here many times before, I’ve never seen a place to eat — or to do anything else for that matter. You couldn’t even call this a wide spot in the road, as the narrow street goes right to the edge of the buildings. There’s barely room to walk if a car is passing, and you better not be there when a truck flies through town.

Roberto pulls the car into a narrow opening between the buildings and suddenly we’re in a courtyard surrounded by a few houses and some rundown work-sheds. There isn’t a sign in sight. In the center of the courtyard, however, is a large and boisterous group with many empty bottles of wine on the table. The table is one of those matching green plastic table-and-chair sets you buy for your patio at K-Mart when you’re on a tight budget — a very tight budget. The table is placed in the gravel of the driveway, tucked in between two parked cars. The group at the table are the only people in sight.

Once we find a narrow spot to park the car we emerge from the air conditioning to be greeted by the sounds and smells of a barnyard. The chickens from the large cage in the back cackle loudly and lend their full odor to the surroundings.

While we stand in the gravel in the center of the courtyard, Roberto disappears for a few minutes behind a fuzzy purple string curtain covering a doorway. On the second floor above us we can see into a kitchen. A woman is busily cooking and she calls out a welcoming “buona sera!” to us as we stand not knowing quite where to go.

“Buona sera,” we all chime back.

Shortly Roberto emerges from the fuzzy purple strings followed by a bald, short, pleasantly rounded man. His face has that look of severity that some people have that instantly disappears when their sly grin lights up their face and their eyes dance with an impish sparkle. This is Mimmo, our host for the evening and proprietor of Bar Mimmo.

Mimmo made the trek north to Lombardia from Puglia — one end of Italy to the other — over thirty years ago. Though he left Puglia decades ago, the smells, flavors, and customs of Puglia still live in Mimmo’s bar, though it’s much closer to Milano than Bari. After a quick tease of Roberto and his wife Cristina’s three year old daughter, and a quick flirt with Cristina and my wife Manuela, Mimmo points to a long table next to a shed and we sit down.

Our table is a long, well-worn picnic table that could hold about twenty. The outdoor table is covered by a kind of lean-to with a metal roof that is in some fashion connected to the shed. The walls are decorated with some weather-beaten travel posters of girls in bikinis, and the fragrant chickens are busily clucking just a few meters away.

When asked what we would like to drink Roberto requests vino rosso and a little something to eat. No need for wine lists here as the only red wine served at Mimmo’s is another piece of Puglia he has brought to the north. Every year he brings grapes north from his home region and makes wine — from malvasia nera and a few other grapes, Mimmo’s wines are dark red, still a bit sweet, and with a touch of gas that makes the juicy fruit flavors refreshing. There are no vintage dates on the bottles, but there is no question about which vintage it is: Cantinino Rosso is always the last vintage. The bottles are brought chilled and poured into stubby, well-used glasses. Although fruity and soft with a flavor that begs for gulps instead of swirling and sniffing, his wine sports 13.5% alcohol. Mimmo has dubbed his wine Cantarino Rosso or “little singer.” I’m sure the combination of sweet, easy drinking-fruit and alcohol has turned many of his guests into happy little singers before the evening is over.

Mimmo’s bar is not licensed to serve meals so in a strict legal sense he does not … but you won’t leave hungry. There are no menus, no pastas, no risottos, and no roasted meats or juicy steaks. At Mimmo’s you feast on antipasti.

Shortly he arrives with the first plate, a bruschetta, which you can tell is something special before it even hits the table. No chopped tomatoes here, but a slice of a luscious ripe flavorful tomato laid on top of a slice of crusty garlic-rubbed bread drizzled with some round, fruity, almost decadent extra virgin olive oil that Mimmo brings here from a special friend in Puglia. All is dusted with tiny specks of fresh oregano and chunks of fresh picked basil. The first bottle of wine and the bruschetta disappear simultaneously.

I’m getting the urge to sing.

Soon Mimmo arrives back at our table with a fresh bottle and another plateful of what has become in my mind the already legendary Bruschetta di Mimmo. Accompanying the bruschetta is a large plate of grilled salsiccia piccante or what we call in the United States pepperoni, but you never had pepperoni like this in the USA. A rich reddish brown color with not a hint of the bizarre bright red tone you see in American versions, these spicy sausages are full of mouth-filling meat flavors. Each lightly grilled slice tops a piece of the same crusty bread used for the bruschetta. The spicy sausages assure that the second cool bottle of red disappears before the last piece of sausage.

By now we’re as boisterous as the other group that was when we arrived. Roberto leans over and seriously confides in me that this is pure wine and will not leave you with a hangover in the morning — although sometimes you still feel a little drunk when you wake up.

Mimmo arrives with another plate filled with small grilled ham sandwiches. Inside is creamy melted Taleggio cheese and an anchovy all smeared with a bit of chopped roasted red peppers marinated in olive oil. The wonderful combination of textures and flavors makes this a dish that I know I should be able to recreate, but will always fall frustratingly and unexplainably short.

Happily I see Mimmo approaching our table once again with two plates in hand and another bottle of red under his arm. Another plate of grilled salsiccia piccante and a plate of sliced hard-boiled eggs on bread and topped with a large anchovy cured in salt instead of oil. Once you have tasted this version, those in the oil just don’t stand up — or lay down as the case may be. As I wolf down the delicious eggs with the reddish yolks I notice the chickens seemed to be clucking a little sadly. I’m also reminded of how different it is to eat in different cultures as I watch our friend’s three year old daughter, Martina, pick the anchovies off of her eggs … and then eat the anchovies and leave the eggs. Just for good measure, another plate of bruschetta arrives at the table and is quickly consumed. With a plate of local cheeses we finish the third bottle. There’s no room for even a bit more.

When he arrives with the espressi, Mimmo stays on to chat with his obviously satisfied and satiated customers. Roberto comments that his wine tastes exactly the same as it did fifteen years ago when he first tasted it and that it tastes the same every year. Mimmo lookes proud at what he rightly interprets as a compliment. He notes a little sadly that when he opened thirty years ago people only drank red wine, which of course at his bar meant his wine. He observes that now white wine accounts for over fifty percent of his sales and that he has to buy bottled white wine to sell to his younger customers.

The Canterino Rosso of Mimmo will never appear in the Gambero Rosso or Robert Parker’s guide, but it’s fun to drink. Drinking country wines like this is like touching a bit of food history. These are the types of wines that established a daily wine culture in Italy and you can’t ignore how good they taste with simple, delicious dishes like spicy sausages and garlicky bruschetta. Dining by the chickens at Mimmo’s bar, an oaky Super Tuscan would have seemed as out of place as James Bond in a tuxedo. The only trouble with wines like Canterino Rosso is you have to drink them there. They never taste as good at home — just like Mimmo’s ham sandwiches.

To finish the evening our host deposits two open bottles of grappa on our table. Obviously the grappa is to be self-service. The one without the label is his own production. In the grand tradition of contadino grappa it burns its way right through all the food you’ve stuffed into your stomach.

As our wives play catch with Martina, Roberto and I stroll into the bar to take care of the bill. The eight heaping plates of food, three bottles of wine, espressi and self-serve grappa come to a meager €42 for the five of us. Once again money well spent — a common experience when it comes to eating in Italy.

Inside of the tiny bar is a stunning site: Mimmo has been collecting some of the great wines of Piemonte for years and there in dusty bottles on his wall are wines from the finest producers of Barolo and Barbaresco from all from great vintages in the fifties and sixties. These great bottles are not for sale, but are a collection made out of respect from one great winemaker to another.

Mimmo’s Bruschetta

-Small, very ripe (preferably homegrown) tomatoes, sliced

-1 or 2 large cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and one small end sliced off.

-The best extra virgin olive oil you can find — preferably a big, rich oil from the south.

-Thin loaves of crusty French bread (you want slices close to bite size)

-Fresh oregano finely chopped

-Fresh basil cut or torn into small pieces

-Freshly ground black pepper

-Sea salt

Cut the bread into thin slices and lightly toast. Rub the toast with the raw garlic to taste (a latex glove makes this process a breeze, and a fresh one at that). Arrange on a large platter and lightly salt and pepper each piece of bread and top with a slice of tomato. Liberally drizzle all with extra virgin olive oil. Lightly sprinkle with oregano and top each with pieces of basil.

The Divine Mouthful: Boccondivino, Milano 

click here for Boccondivino photos 

By Craig Camp

IT’S ALL about textures, colors, and smells. A bit of this changes that. A touch of that gives you this. It’s the way you put it together that makes it art.

Art inspires collectors and great art inspires collectors with passion. People that strive to find the unique and exceptional. Searching through the countryside to find that new artist or bearing the expense of acquiring the work of an old master. One day their collection becomes so significant that it is too important for one person and cries to be shared with the world.

There’s a collection like this in Milano and it is open to the public for their pleasure and amazement. The neighborhood is plush. The massive grey stone walls of the palazzi are only broken by giant heavy wooden doors towering thirty feet over the pavement. Once in a while as you walk along the street you can sneak a glimpse through the open windows into the luxurious apartments above and peek at the well-tended giardini though the tall gilded gates. This is a neighborhood where you feel underdressed if you’re not wearing a coat and tie to walk the dog.

The museum that houses this collection is unremarkable in this stately neighborhood. Only a small sign and a warm light from the window is there to guide you. Don’t let the understated exterior fool you. Inside rests some of the greatest art that Italy produces. Best of all it tastes as good as it looks.

This is Boccondivino — a ristorante that is not about what they cook in the kitchen, but is all about the collection they have assembled of the finest affettati (cured pork products), formaggi (cheeses) and vini produced in Italy. They seek out the creations of artists and blend them into a symphony of flavors, textures, aromas and colors. The conductors at Boccondivino are the father and son sommelier team of Luigi and Fabrizio Concordati. When you eat here there is no menu and the first course, a colorful pinzimonio, is already waiting. You are more than welcome to pick your own wine, but why bother when the Concordatis are there to lead you through the evening. Boccondivino means a divine mouthful, and they do not disappoint. Boccondivino is a beautiful frame for artwork created by others.

The ristorante is warm and woody with an elegant casualness. Every evening Boccondivino is packed with boisterous Milanese dressed in everything from Armani to blue jeans — well, some of the blue jeans are Armani (this is Milano after all). On the sideboards sit carefully arranged platters of ultra-thin slices of affettati, and the heavily laden cheese cart looks rich and decadent in the golden candlelight. While there is one cooked course that arrives at your table, it is more of an intermezzo between the meats and the cheeses than a star in its own right. Be prepared: your eating capacity is about to be challenged by the irritatingly slim Italians around you who will clean every bite from each of their plates.

In a restaurant you normally interact mostly with the waiter and just a bit with the sommelier. At Boccondivino, the sommelier is your only guide for the evening. The waiter simply delivers the courses. Your host and companion will either be the distinguished Luigi, or the enthusiastic Fabrizio. Either will arrive at your table with his silver tastevin sparkling in the light, sporting the Italian Sommelier Association blue blazer and red tie. They have selected every delicious bite you will experience during the evening and will carefully explain each with respectful understanding of the artisan who created it. There is only one choice to be made. Do you pick your own wine or do you surrender all control? For the Concordatis, seeking complimentary combinations from their collection is their passion. With pleasure, I place myself in their hands.

The pinzimonio waiting at the table is the perfect start. Without asking glasses of frothy, fruity Prosecco Brut arrive. Pinzimonio is the Italian version of crudites or dipping vegetables. However, they are not cut into bite size bits, but served whole and arranged in a bowl with the skill of a florist making arrangements for the Ritz Carlton. At Boccondivino each vegetable in the arrangement is a piece of fine art, hand selected one-by-one for both beauty and flavor. On each plate is an empty dipping bowl that you fill with fragrant extra virgin olive oil, a splash of Balsamic vinegar and a generous grinding of fresh pepper and salt. Brilliantly red tomatoes, luminescent green celery, radishes, bright white heads of fennel and crisp carrots are waiting in the bowl to be cut and dipped in the peppery oil. This signals the end of your low fat experience for the evening. As the vegetables are whisked away a platter of crostini spread with chicken liver pate arrives, but that is not the special part. In the center of the platter is a bowl of burro salato di Alto Adige, an extra creamy, salted butter from a small dairy in the mountains of Alto Adige. It is to be spread on the toasts to add another layer of richness to the liver. Fabrizio arrives at our table with a bottle of 2001 Arbiola Monferatto Bianco. A blend of 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% chardonnay aged in barrique. He seems crestfallen when we tell him we have tasted the wine before. This is an event that will not reoccur the rest of the evening. The wine is oaky with pronounced sauvignon herbalness. It is a little heavy-handed for me, but a good match with the crostini. Before the crostini have disappeared, a plateful of palline di formaggi arrives. These are small, breaded and deep-fried balls of Taleggio and Gorgonzola. They are rich with just a hint of the pungent flavor of Gorgonzola — another good match with the wine.

Platters of affettati arrive in the dining room and Fabrizio deposits red wineglasses on the table. Now it’s getting serious. The waiter arrives at the table with the first platter and repeats the process seven more times before our first tasting of affettati is complete. Fabrizio returns with the red wine: 2002 Stefano Mancinelli Lacrima di Morra d’Alba a bright fruity, fresh wine from le Marche. On our plates are Lardo di Trentino, Prosciutto di Parma, Prosciutto di San Daniele, Mortadella, Coppa di Piacenza, pancetta and Salame di Felino. The brilliant fruitiness of the young wine matched with the salty affettati is amazing. Each pushes more flavors out of the other. Every razor thin slice of meat is astounding, melting in your mouth and growing in flavor as you slowly savor each piece. The Salame di Felino at Boccondivino will spoil your palate for other salame forever.

Affettati includes the whole range of cured pork products made in Italy. Every part of the pig is used and each region has its unique specialties. It’s dangerous to be a pig in Italy. It’s impossible to imagine an important meal without a full range of these meats being offered as antipasti and they are the foundation of the wonderful panini (sandwiches) which are the real fast-food of Italy. Even the smallest grocery store will have a broad selection and your order of prosciutto will be carefully sliced and wrapped, almost gift-like, to be sure that it arrives at your home in perfect condition.

Some major types of affettati are:

- Prosciutto Crudo: a salt and air cured uncooked (crudo) ham that is considered the pinnacle of flavor and elegance in affettati. The most famous types range from the most delicate to the fullest flavored — San Daniele from Friuli, Parma from Emilia Romagna, and Norcia from Umbria. Outside Italy when you ask for prosciutto this is what you get.

- Prosciutto Cotto: a cooked (cotto), usually boiled ham. Smoked (affumicato) versions are also produced.

- Pancetta: this is the same cut of pork we commonly call bacon, but pancetta is produced by different methods. Regular pancetta is cured not smoked, and it is rolled into a sausage-like shape. Smoked pancetta is also produced and is similar to American bacon, but is meatier. Speck is a meaty pancetta produced in Trentino/Alto Adige. It is smoke and herb cured and more closely resembles Prosciutto Crudo than regular pancetta.

- Lardo: falls in the pancetta family, but because I like it so much, I will give its own spot. Lardo is fat — that’s it. It is the pure fat portion of the bacon cured in salt and herbs and then served very thinly sliced. It melts on your tongue like soft butter. I have not yet checked the American Heart Associations daily recommended portion of Lardo, and no, this is nothing like the American lard that you buy in a tub and that my grandmother used to make her extraordinary pie crusts.

- Bresaola: salt cured beef from the mountains of Valtellina in Lombardia. Very lean.

- Coppa: salt cured, and air dried pork from the neck and shoulder. Coppa is traditionally produced in Lombardia and Emilia Romagna. It is meaty with a rich, red color.

- Mortadella: really a sausage, but often included on a plates of affettati. Delicate, pink and creamy in texture it is made from pure pork which is laced with slices of fat for richness. Sometimes pistachios are added for and additional flourish. True Mortadella is only made in the area surrounding Bologna. That is why Americans call their bland imitation of Mortadella bologna — what baloney.

- Salame: there are more types of salame than there are regions of Italy. Everyone has their specialty. Salame is usually made from pork, but there also many varieties made from wild boar, donkey, venison and horse. All are made with cured meat and fat. The differences in styles are dependent on how finely the meats are chopped, the ratio of fat to meat and the seasonings used. Salame can also be smoked.

At Boccondivino there is not one course of affettati, but two. The second is reserved for smoked meats and it is served separately to prevent the smoky aromas from overwhelming the flavors of the more delicately cured meats. The waiter soon arrives with three more platters. A smoked ham, Speck and a smoked pancetta. These are rich, pungently smoky meats and Fabrizio arrives with just the wine to handle them. The 2001 Forti Terre di Sicilia is a ripe yet fruity blend of nero d’avola and cabernet sauvignon. The smoked flavors of the meats combine with the ripe, smoky flavors of the wine in perfect harmony. Just when you think you are done, he returns with the Prosciutto Crudo di Norcia, an exceptionally rich and salty cured ham from the famous town of hog butchers, which he slices — by hand — at your table.

This is an affettati tour de force. Where to go next? Perhaps a refreshing intermezzo like risotto con Gorgonzola and pappardelle con radicchio, Speck and cream. As your last plate is taken away a new plate arrives where your waiter deposits healthy (using the term loosely) portions of each rich dish. To loosen our palate with these piatti, Fabrizio arrives with the 1998 Goretti L’Arringatore, Colli Perugini from Umbria. The stiff backbone of this sangiovese blend cleaned our palates of the previous courses and contrasted beautifully with the voluptuous choices on our plates.

As you finish the last bite suddenly you remember the cheese cart and sure enough new plates and wine glasses arrive at your table. The first cheese course is truly a cream course. Three fresh cheeses grace your plate: Ricotta Pugliese, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana and the decadent Burrito di Andria — the cream laden fresh cheese from Puglia. No new wine is brought for these treasures; they are just too delicate and rich.

Yet another round of plates arrives simultaneously with the overloaded cheese cart. Like the wine you can choose or they can choose. If they choose they only ask, “Dolce o piccante?” Directly translated as sweet or spicy, the question means a choice between mild or pungent cheeses. At this point pungent was the only choice and my selection included Tomini di Castelmagno from Piemonte, aged Bitto de Morbegno from Valtellina in Lombardia, Forni Fossa di Talamello from Marche and a milky golden chuck of Parmigiano Reggiano that reminds you that, in fact, this is a cheese made from milk instead of that rock hard stuff they export. So as not to let down the cheeses, Fabrizio pulls the cork on a 1999 Masi Grandarella — their new quasi-Amarone. It is made from a blend of late harvested and dried refosco, carmenere and corvina, making it sort of a super-Venetian as they call it on the back label. It is a big wine (15.5% alcohol) with a touch of sweetness and huge fruit flavors go well with the full flavored cheeses. Still, it is no Amarone.

Just when your palate screams for help due to sensory overload, a medley of zesty fruit sorbetti (green apple, peach and lemon) arrives to sooth. Not a minute later, Fabrizio arrives with a bottle of the golden Taramis Vino Liquoroso from Sicilia. Its rich sweetness and warm flavors (16% alcohol) make the perfect dunk for the plateful of almond and walnut biscotti that arrive with the bottle.

After much needed espressi the grappa arrives. The potent Pagura Riserva, distilled from a blend of refosco and cabernet, weighs in at a full-throttle 50% alcohol and sends a crescendo of warm feelings to every remaining nerve in your body that still has the strength to feel.

Then after only four hours it is over. Both Concordatis arrive at your table for a review of the evening. There is not much you can do other than applaud them as you would applaud a chef who enters the dining room after a spectacular achievement.

With a bit of effort you rise from you seat and wander out into the cool of the Milano night. There are no glimpses of the apartments now. All the shutters are tightly closed and it is dark, gray and calm. The walk feels good after the hours of eating and drinking and somehow the palazzi seem even more regal in the dark.

I love art.

Boccondivino, Via Carducci 17 Milano.

Tel.: 02866040 Fax: 02867368

IT'S WHITE outside and black inside.

In fact it's blinding white outside. The houses are all white, the ground is white, and the sun is a searing white light. It's already white hot and it's still early in the morning.

When you first walk inside everything looks black. After the scorching white of the outdoors your eyes see almost nothing as they struggle to adjust to the change. You can't see yet, but you can feel the suddenly cool air and a lush, rich, sweet aroma reminiscent of caramel mixed with the musty smells of an old cellar.

Gradually your eyes adjust to the light and you can start to discern the contents of the room. Everywhere there are barrels. The room is full top to bottom with old, blackened barrels. Even as your vision returns, everything seems in shadows. The large room has the feeling, smells, and hushed tones of an ancient church.

The harsh heat of the day does not penetrate here. Without a touch of air-conditioning or the breeze of a fan the expansive room is cool and damp even though it is above ground.

This is a wine bodega on the coast of southwestern Spain. The barrels are full -- well, three-quarters full -- of the world's greatest wine bargain: Sherry.

The wines from the Jerez region are delicious, complex, and unique, but there's a crisis in Sherry. The wines aren't selling and prices are depressed. Sales in northern Europe and the critical British market are falling. There, Sherry is seen as old fashioned. In the United States, it is mostly ignored. That is, except for the top end of the Sherry market where sales show some promise.

Robert Parker raves and The Wine Spectator spouts their praises. Great stores put in serious selections, wine geeks debate, but consumers yawn. Even great restaurants only give token attention to the exceptional wines of Sherry. Why if they are so good do so few care?

The reason is simple: Sherry does not fit neatly into a slot, a niche, a convenient category. In the United States folks head straight to the oak chip chardonnay for their aperitif and in England the hip young buyers are looking to New Zealand and Australia -- not that old stuff that their aunties sipped.

Before you protest about how great Sherry is and how much you love it, take a look in your recycling bin. How many bottles of Sherry have you consumed lately?

Sherry suffers from a confusing range of styles, the self-propagated myth that the production is some unknown magical process, and some of the worst marketing decisions ever.

Let's first simplify the Sherry itself. There are basically three categories of Sherry and all those dozens of names you see are a variation of, or a blend of, those three types of wines. They are all aged in 550-liter used-oak casks, fortified with grape brandy, and put through the Solera ageing process, which we will discuss later. The three foundations of Sherry are:

Type 1

Fino: This is a very dry light wine produced from the Palomino grape, as are all the finest Sherry wines. In the case of Fino a thick layer of yeast, called Flor, forms on the top of the wine and greatly reduces the amount of contact the wine has with oxygen. This covering of yeast looks like the head on a good glass of lager beer and can be five or six inches thick. Fino is known by the producers as a biological wine because its flavors come from the contact with the yeast and the reduced contact with air. Fino wines are bone-dry, light, fresh, and delicate and are served well-chilled. Fino should be consumed within one year (less is better) of bottling; once opened the bottle should be finished as quickly as possible. When you see an open bottle of unchilled Fino on the back of the bar, run away as fast as you can.

Manzanilla and Puerto Fino: They are the same type of wine as Fino, but produced in different towns. Wines produced in the cooler coastal cities of Sanlucar de Barrameda (Manzanilla) and Puerto de Santa Maria (Puerto Fino) are more delicate than the Fino wines produced in the more inland Jerez de la Frontera. These three towns create the famous "Sherry Triangle" and only wines from these three areas can use the name Sherry. The wines from the coast are more delicate because the cooler climate keeps a more even protective coating of Flor over the wine throughout the year. In warmer Jerez, the Flor will get thinner during the summer and give the wine a more oxidized (nutty) flavor while the costal wines retain more fruit flavors.

Fino wines should be served like regular white wine. It really ticks me off to get a glass of Fino served in those tiny liqueur glasses. In lieu of proper Sherry glasses I prefer Champagne flutes. How would you feel if you ordered a glass of chardonnay and they gave you a two ounce pour in the same glasses they use for the Jaegermeister shots? This is exactly what restaurants do with Fino sherry. No wonder no one orders it. It's also a ripoff because a good bottle of Fino costs the restaurant less than that bland chardonnay they're pouring 6 ounces of for the same price. Fino sherry is an aperitif and a dinner wine that needs to be served in decent glasses just like any other serious wine. The best Fino Sherry runs about 15.5% alcohol, just a bit more than many chardonnays and about the same as your favorite zin. Watch out for Fino wines with higher alcohol content than 15.5% because they are super-fortified for travel and taste like boiled almonds mixed with a bit of grain alcohol. Fino should be very light in color; beware of overly brown Fino.

Fino is a food-matching superstar able to resolve almost all conflicts. In Jerez, the tapas bounce from fish to vegetables to eggs to spicy sausages and back again in no particular order, and the wine handles the transitions with ease. I can think of no better choice for pan-Asian cuisine, or any restaurant where the diners can have wildly varying foods during the same course. I would not hesitate to serve it throughout such meals. When it comes to deep fried foods, the zesty freshness of Fino Sherry is the ultimate partner. Fino Sherry is also the only wine that really tastes good with sushi. While Fino is more than an aperitif, it may be the most elegant way to prepare your palate for a serious meal. The La Gitana Manzanilla from Hildago competes for the "best aperitif on the planet" award.

Amontillado is simply old Fino. That is, Fino left to age after the protective covering of Flor has died off thus developing an oxidized character. Real Amontillado is absolutely dry and should be served at cool room temperature. By cool room temperature I mean an unheated castle in the English countryside in December. The wine should taste cool, but not chilled. Amontillado is much richer in color, body, and alcohol and is more of a sipping wine than Fino, which can be a gulping wine in the right situation. Amontillado is a wonderful cool-weather aperitif and goes surprisingly well with braised game dishes, particularly when some of the wine is used in the cooking.

Type 2

Oloroso: Easily the least known and potentially the most profound of the wines of Sherry. These are considered oxidative wines (as compared to the biological Finos) by the producers. After fermentation these wines go into the same type of casks as wines destined to become Fino. However, in this case little or none of the coating of Flor develops, so the wines in the partially filled barrels are exposed to oxygen. They are big, rich, brown wines with significant alcohol levels. To the surprise of many they are absolutely, bone-jarringly dry. As hard as the Sherry producers argue that these wines can be great with meals, I just can't agree. The best Oloroso wines are so complex and powerful, in excess of 20% alcohol, that for me they can only be meditation wines. Some nuts, a little smelly cheese, a fireplace, and a good book and you are in Sherry heaven. Avoid cheap Oloroso as it is a waste of time, especially considering that you can buy unforgettable wines for under $30 (US). Unlike Fino, Oloroso comes pre-oxidized so you can enjoy the bottle for several weeks after opening. Cigar lovers will find the equal of their finest Cubans in wines like the Lustau Emperatriz Eugenia Very Rare Oloroso. If you have not experienced these wines you are missing one of the unique experiences that wine can offer and you will die having lived an unfulfilled life.

Just to confuse, another type gets thrown in here: Palo Cortado is a wine that couldn't make up its mind. It started growing Flor like a Fino, but after a while the Flor disappeared and it aged like an Oloroso. The style is in between Amontillado and Oloroso in style. Some of the finest wines of Sherry fall into this category. Both Palo Cortado and Oloroso should be served at cool room temperature.

Type 3

Sweet Sherry and Sweet Wines from Sherry: Here is where the real confusion starts. Most people think Sherry is sweet -- and with good reason. The success of the Cream Sherry category (thanks Harvey's Bristol Cream) and a sweet Amontillado (ever heard of Dry Sack?) has distorted the public's perception of all Sherry wines. Let's try to keep it simple.

Cream Sherry is the bone-dry Oloroso described above, blended with ultra-sweet blending wines discussed below. If you use great Oloroso and blend it with great sweet wines (below), Cream Sherry can be a wonderful thing. If you blend crap Oloroso with crap sweet wine you get crap. If you want the ultimate dessert wine with Bananas Foster or anything else with caramelized sugar you need look no farther than the top Cream Sherry wines. This is a slam-dunk wine match.

The great sweet wines of the Sherry region are the varietal wines Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez . Both are made by harvesting late ultra-ripe grapes and then concentrating them further by sun-drying them. These are wines of incredible sweetness and thickness. They are dark brown and so sweet that they can sauce a dessert straight out of the bottle. They will blow your mind on vanilla ice cream. A single bottle can last forever. The wines from the Pedro Ximenez are used to blend with Oloroso to create Cream Sherry.

So there are your three types, all unified by one wine making process: the Solera system. The technical, non-romantic name is fractional blending, which means wines of various years blended with each other in a continuous process to create a consistent character. For an excellent description of the arduous process visit the Emilio Lustau Web site.

In Jerez they call the rows of barrels that make up the Solera the "criaderas," or scales (like in music). The new wines go into the barrels on the top and the wines for sale come out of the barrels on the bottom. When you take wine from the bottom barrels to bottle you replace it with some wine from the middle barrels that are in turn refilled from the top barrels. The barrels are never emptied and only about 15% is taken at one time from a serious solera. So you end up at the bottom with bits of very old wine blended with bits of very young wines and lots of bits of wines in between. The blending process produces wines of exceptionally consistency and depth. Some soleras have been in continuous use for 75 years or more for Oloroso wines. The Hildago Cortado Solera is over 200 years old -- older than the firm itself. The bottom of each barrel is crusted with centuries of sediment that they call "La Madre" and to which they attribute the complexity of this great wine.

Navigating Sherry

Hint: For a first lesson in Sherry seek out the wines of Emilio Lustau. Lustau produces top examples of each category of Sherry and works hard to see these wines arrive in top condition in each market. Unlike mass market Fino wines like Tio Pepe and La Ina, Lustau limits importer orders to insure freshness and only bottles the wines when ordered, instead of projecting sales and stacking the boxes up in the warehouse. Here's a rundown of some major brands:

Hildago: La Gitana is certainly the finest Manzanilla produced in any quantity. Importer Classical Wines of Spain is obsessed with keeping fresh wine in the market -- an obsession for which we should all be thankful. La Gitana is racy and complex and is probably the closest thing to the Fino style wines you drink in Spain. The whole range is excellent and the cooler Sanlucar climate is reflected in the elegance and balance of all the firm's wines. The Pastrana Single Vineyard selections and the "Very Rare" range are exceptional and should be sought out.

Lustau: While everything in Lustau's line is of the highest quality, I do have some favorites. The Puerto Fino is a perfect example of this type. It combines the richness of Jerez with the finesse of Manzanilla. The Fino Jarana continues to be my preferred Fino year in and year out. The Rare Amontillado Escuadilla shows amazing depth and complexity. The Rare Cream is easily the best example of this type. Knowledge of Sherry cannot be complete without exploring Lustau's Almacenista range. Wines of all the Sherry categories are offered from soleras held by small producers who nurse these wines to perfection in small bodegas. These are unique wines whose personalities speak with as much passion as the greatest small estates in Burgundy or Barolo.

Gonzalez Byass: The famous Tio Pepe used to be a terrible over-fortified Fino, but these days the alcohol has been dropped to 15.5% and Tio Pepe is now a pleasant wine. Often this is the only Fino you can find. This is a giant brand and the wines can often sit in distributors' warehouses for too long, so beware of freshness. The Soleras Exlusivas and the Oloroso Solera 1847 are exceptional wines. Most of the range is well made and correct if sometimes uninspired.

Other well-made wines include the Osborne Rare Old Soleras and the Sandeman "Royal" line (but I am not a fan of their regular offerings). Valdespino also makes interesting wines across the entire range. The wines from Domecq leave me cold, including the ever present La Ina.

I prefer my Fino cold.

Chianti is without a doubt the most famous of Italian wines. Some of that fame is well earned by great winemakers, but more often than not the Chianti DOCG label is slapped on thin mediocre wines. The marketing of Chianti continues to be a real fiasco.

In Italian, a fiasco is the quaint straw wrapped bottle that Americans associate with restaurants sporting red-checked table cloths and Italian flags on the menu. The word came to English via the French, who used it in the eighteenth century to insult the French pronunciation of Italian actors: implying that they had been drinking too much of their Italian wine before performing. The concept of a business fiasco must surely have come when, after the war, Italian companies shipped thousands of cases of terrible (or worse) wine to the United States and damaged the reputation of Italian wine for decades. Much of this wine was shipped under the name Chianti in those quaint straw wrapped bottles and the image of Chianti has never completely recovered. The fact that a great wine like the Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva and that cheap Chianti wrapped in straw at your local pizza joint both qualify for DOCG strip labels that include the word Chianti is yet another fiasco in Italian wine marketing.

Not so many years ago only Chianti Classico came to mind when you thought of top quality Chianti, but things have changed all over the Chianti zone that stretches from just north of Firenze south. It is a large zone with many DOCG wines that include the name Chianti, in addition to the generic overall simple Chianti DOCG. Excellent wines can be found under all of these DOCG areas and some very good wines can even be found under the simple Chianti DOCG, but the consumer must do some homework to discover the growing number of good producers in the Chianti regions outside of the more famous Chianti Classico zone.

La Querce, in the rolling hills directly south of Firenze, is one of those producers. This estate is located in the Chianti Colli Fiorentini, one of the zones oldest winegrowing regions and the home of many excellent producers often overlooked in the Chianti Classico focused American market. As usual, the term overlooked equates with good value. This estate can trace its wine and olive growing history to the year 1000. Today Le Querce is led by Massimo Marchi, who has been leading the estate towards higher and higher quality since 1999 and now produces a range of excellent wines and extra virgin olive oils. Their wines include: Sorrettole, a great value in basic Chianti; La Querce, their richly flavored ‘super Tuscan’ and the Chianti Colli Fiorentini La Torretta, a wine that offers excellent complexity, depth and delicious classic sangiovese balance and character. Classic sangiovese and Chianti has an angular, firm structure that is often misunderstood by wine drinkers brought up on the easy, sweet flavors of Californian and Australian wine. However it is this balance of fruit and structure that makes sangiovese such an extraordinary food wine. Those who love the classic style of sangiovese will not be disappointed in this wine and will shake their heads in disbelief at the reasonable price.

Tasting Notes: Brilliant scarlet with ruby hints. Just translucent. The aromas are firm with full ripe dark fruits, a bitter tar note and just a hint of oak. The wine is full and ripe on the palate with a firm, but not harsh tannin grip. The finish is long with bitter cherry flavors and apparent, but well integrated tannins. A good match for a classic bistecca fiorentina, the classic giant local steaks from incomparable Chianina beef.

The Grand Tradition of Barolo

My first introduction to the greatness of nebbiolo in the Barbaresco and Barolo zones was in the early 80’s through two great winemakers that both took time out of their busy schedules to teach a young American about the wines of Piemonte. One was Angelo Gaja and the other was Beppe Colla, then at Prunotto. Angelo was the innovator expanding the definition of Piemontese wines, but Beppe Colla was the master of the traditional style that had made Piemonte famous in the first place. Colla crafted wines at Prunotto that still radiate with elegance and style to this day. The Prunotto wines are now in the modern school after their acquisition by Antinori, but it was Colla’s masterful touch that made the winery famous enough for Antinori to buy in 1994. In fact, Angelo Gaja himself selected the Prunotto wines of Beppe Colla, at a dinner at Da Guido in 1984, to show me the great potential that classic nebbiolo wines could have in the right hands.

Today that rich heritage is carried on by Tino Colla, Beppe's younger brother, and Frederica Colla, Beppe’s daughter, who are partners in Poderi Colla. Their family owned estate was created in 1993 and its wines are based on superb vineyards in Barbaresco (Tenuta Roncaglia,); Barolo Bussia in Monforte d’Alba (Tenuta Dardi Le Rose) and Cascine Drago in the Alba zone. In addition to their fine vineyards, Tino and Frederica have unique and important asset: the advice and consul of Beppe’s fifty years of experience.

With their 1999 Poderi Colla, Barolo, Bussia, Dardi Le Rose, the Colla family has created yet another classic Piemontese masterpiece.

Tasting Notes: Bright scarlet/ruby with hints of garnet. Translucent. Smoky, dried porcini aromas slowly open into tart raspberry fruit. Closed and intense on the palate with layers of flavors: mushrooms, leather, cherry and raspberry. The finish is concentrated, long and very tannic. Truly an outstanding, classic wine destined for long-term greatness; this wine needs at least ten years of aging and can benefit from more patience in good storage conditions. A classic Barolo that collectors should seek out.

With Barolo the Colla’s recommend Ox braised in Barolo. Who are we to argue?

Bue brasato al Barolo – Ox braised in Barolo wine
Ingredients:
-Ox loin, as indicated in the recipe
-Barolo wine
-Tomatoes
-Meat stock
-Lard
-Carrot, onion, several stalks of celery, juniper berries
-Rosemary, thyme, garlic, bay leaves
-Cinnamon, cloves
-Olive oil, butter, salt
NB – as the meat is cooked in the salted wine marinade, with meat stock, it isn't’t necessary to add more salt during cooking.

Take the boned meat, pierce it to add lard and carrot sticks.
Keep it for 8 days in a marinade of Barolo wine, onion, celery, rosemary, cloves, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon, juniper berries, and a pinch of salt. If the wine evaporates, add some more.
Remove the meat and save the marinade.
Dry the meat on a cloth, and brown it in the oil and butter.
Add the marinade, and simmer. When the marinade reduces, add some fresh tomatoes, and some tomato paste if desired.
Recipe from
"IL GRANDE LIBRO DELLA CUCINA ALBESE"
Famija Albèisa - Ordine dei Cavalieri del Tartufo e dei Vini di Alba
Alba-Piemonte-Italia, 1996

Imported by Neil Empson

Sleepy Marche is waking up. This rugged region is almost unknown except for the European tourists that crowd its beaches along the Adriatic during the summer months. For years the only wine from Le Marche anyone saw outside the region was the Verdicchio of Fazi-Battaglia bottled in the cute green fish bottle. The wine inside was pleasant enough, but nothing to make anyone remember Le Marche.

Le Marche is indeed waking up and is a hotbed of rapidly improving wines. The indigenous Verdicchio grape, once thought only capable of light, simple whites is turning heads with big rich, complex wines like those of Villa Bucci. Then there are the big, montepulciano based wines of Rosso Conero, where dramatic reds from producers like Lanari, Moroder, and Strologo wines are getting attention all over Italy. Today even Fazi-Battaglia is making some excellent single vineyard wines as is the regions other large producer, Umani Ronchi.

Outside of any of the regions DOC zones, Oasi degli Angeli makes one wine, the spectacular Kurni from 100% montepulciano. Kurni has, in less than five vintages, become one of the most sought after and collectable of Italian wines.

In the south of Le Marche is the Rosso Piceno DOC whose wines have always been in the shadow of the more famous Rosso Conero. While Rosso Conero requires a majority of the montepulciano grapes in their blends, Rosso Piceno can mix and match between sangiovese and montepulciano, more or less at will. The sangiovese in Le Marche just does not have the power it possesses in Toscana and if you want to make great wines you have to use montepulciano. Unfortunately most of the producers in Rosso Piceno favor the higher yields of the sangiovese and the wines are thinner and more tart than those of Rosso Conero, but producers that base their wines on old vine montepulciano can equal the best of Rosso Conero.

It was in 1970, just two years after Rosso Piceno Superiore was granted DOC status that Guido and Diana Cocci Grifoni built a state-of-the-art winery and dedicated themselves to making fine wines in the south of Le Marche. Cocci Grifoni is a true family business with Guido as agronomist and daughters Paola, the enologist and Marilena in charge of sales.

Il Grifone is a Rosso Piceno Superiore produced from 70% montepulciano, 15% sangiovese and 15% cabernet sauvignon all selected from the Messieri vineyard. The wine is aged for twenty months in a blend of large casks and French Tonneaux (500 liter) barrels. This is a rich complex wine offering great drinking pleasure over the next 5 to 10 years.

Tasting Notes: Tenuta Cocci Grifoni, Il Grifone, Rosso Piceno Superiore

Dark bright ruby, Just opaque. Deep round dark fruit aromas: plums and dark cherry. Rich and voluptuous on the plate. Full of ripe raspberry and dark cherry fruit spiced with toasty oak and tar. Bright sweet fruit flavors balanced with a tart spiciness. The finish is long and layered with many flavors and apparent, but well integrated tannins. This wine is packed with ripe sweet fruit flavors, but the oak, earth and tarry components and great complexity. For foods try classic Marche dishes like anatra in porchetta: roast duck stuffed with wild fennel, pancetta, garlic; or quaglie in tegame: quails braised with white wine, pancetta, tomatoes and peas.

Umbria often seems a land time passed by as you wander from one almost perfectly preserved mediaeval town to the other. The narrow streets of these ancient hill towns (Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, Spoleto and Todi among others) are wonderful places to wander away a day. This small landlocked region has always lived in the shadow of its more famous neighbor to the north, Tuscany, but the lush green hills of Italy’s “green heart” are finally emerging in their own right. Many people who dreamed of a fixer-up Tuscan farmhouse have gone to Umbria instead as the prices in Tuscany have increased.

Umbria may be small, but it is rich in food. This region is the largest producer of Italian extra virgin olive oil and a major supplier of dried pasta. The Umbrian town of Norcia is famous for its black truffles and is so renowned for its pork products that it gave its name to pork butchers all over Italy, who are called norcini.

When it comes to wines from Umbria people tend to think only of two names; one is the name of a wine, the innocuous Orvieto, but the other is the name of a producer. The Lungarotti family has almost single handedly brought Umbrian wine making into the modern age and to the attention of wine consumers worldwide. However, wines other than Lungarotti Torgiano Riserva are getting serious attention these days and from vineyards in the hills south of Perugia the wines of Montefalco have developed a following of their own. In fact, their reputation had grown to such a point that Sagrantino di Montefalco has recently been granted DOCG status.

Sagrantino is an old variety that may be indigenous to Umbria. This vine gives a wine that is intensely flavored with deep dark fruit flavors, but that also has a streak of intensely bitter flavors that top winemakers have only recently learned how to restrain. However, it is this firm bitterness of Sagrantino that matches so well with the roasted pork and black truffles for which Umbria is so highly regarded.

The tiny Perticaia estate is the creation of Guido Guradigli who finally realized his dreams of his own winery after making wines at the respected Scacciadiavoli estate for years. He makes two wines at Perticaia: a regular Montefalco, which is a blend of sangiovese, merlot and sagrantino and his dramatic Sagrantino di Montefalco.

Tasting Notes: Perticaia, Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG, 2000

Dark scarlet with ruby touches. Just translucent. Firm, ripe plums and spice with cherries and a distinct floral rose characteristic. Firm and rich at the same time. The deep spiced tart cherry and toasted oak flavors are still closed, but show good potential. Decidedly interesting to drink and with a different flavor profile from cab/merlot/sangiovese wines of the area. The finish is very firm, but the tannins are well controlled and well integrated. The 14% alcohol is carried very well. This is a wine waiting to wake up. You will be well rewarded by waiting at least five years before drinking. For drinking now, three or four hours in a decanter are recommended.

Rising star with a famous name

I like tightrope walkers – especially wine tightrope walkers. The best Italian red wines are just that as they keep a tense balance between elegance and rusticity; acid and fruit; tannin and softness; the obvious and the subtle. Balance is everything.

Italy has two superstar tightrope walkers: nebbiolo and sangiovese. There are many clones of sangiovese, but no clone walks the rope as well as sangiovese grosso and nowhere is its balance more difficult than in Montalcino. The character of sangiovese is so unique here that it has its own name: Brunello.

The walled medieval village of Montalcino clings to the cliffs of a steep hill about 25 kilometers south of Siena. It is at this point that the climate changes from the cooler continental climate of northern Tuscany to a warmer, more Mediterranean climate. The warmer climate combined with cooler soil types and the sangiovese grosso clone produces the most concentrated of the Tuscan sangiovese based wines.

The affinity of sangiovese grosso for this region was discovered by the Biondi-Santi family who released the first Brunello di Montalcino in 1888. However, Montalcino stayed a pretty sleepy place with few growers joining Biondi-Santi until the arrival of the American Mariani family and their creation of the ultra-modern Castello Banfi estate in the late 1970’s.

The arrival of the Mariani marketing machine and their international winemaking concepts created another tightrope to walk in Montalcino -- do you make a modern or classic style wine? Needless to say, today there are a full range of styles to choose from between the modern wines of Castello Banfi and the classic Il Greppo wines of Biondi-Santi.

In 1983, just as the Banfi revolution was going into full swing, the Loia family bought a farm dating from the 18th century and planted their four hectares on the eastern slopes of Montalcino with Brunello. From three of those hectares the family has been producing an ever improving Brunello di Montalcino, while one hectare is dedicated to an excellent Rosso di Montalcino. Both wines are sold under the estate name of Palazzo. A Brunello Riserva is produced in top vintages and a barrique-aged super-Tuscan called Alcineo is also produced from 100% sangiovese grosso. All of their wines are of excellent quality and can be relative bargains because the estate is still not well known. Keep an eye out for their very good 1998 Brunello and the excellent 1997 Riserva which are on the market now.

The Palazzo Brunello di Montalcino is produced from a south-east facing vineyard in dry, rocky soils. Fermentation is in stainless steel and then the wine is aged for 36 months in barrel followed by another in bottle before release. Two thirds is aged in large oak barrels holding 20 to 25 hectoliters while the remaining third rests in 225 liters barrels of French oak.

The Loia family are excellent tightrope walkers.

Tasting notes: 1999 Palazzo Brunello di Montalcino
Bright scarlet with ruby and garnet hints. Just translucent. Deep spiced plums and tart raspberry aromas are mixed with bitter chocolate and black licorice and a touch of vanilla. Round and ripe plum and bitter cherry fruit expands into many layers of earthy, chocolate and dusty rose flavors. The finish is long with full bitter cherry and chocolate flavors mixed with touches of toasty oak and full tannins. The tannins are firm, but not at all green. The flavors grow warm as the tannins subside.

For more information on Brunello di Montalcino click here.

Imported by Bedford International: a Mario Belardino Selection

Primitivo - Zinfandel - Crljenak

In the 1960’s plant pathologist Austin Goheen was wandering through the vineyards of the southern Italian region of Puglia and noticed that the extensively planted Primitivo grape looked a lot like Zinfandel. Soon genetic tests showed them to be identical and the rush was on to create a family reunion.

Some bulk producers in Puglia started to label wines for export under the name Zinfandel and California producers soon became concerned that they would be drowned in an ocean of cheap Italian “Zinfandel”. Well the flood never really materialized and now further research has shown that Zinfandel’s parents did not come from Italy -- although European and American authorities will still allow Primitivo destined for the USA to be called Zinfandel although Zinfandel cannot be sold in Europe as Primitivo.

Geneticist Carole Meredith, the famed grape vine family tree detective, has concluded that while Zinfandel and Primitivo are genetically the same, they are in fact two different clones that came from the same family. The parent vine of both these varietals is called Crljenak (pronounced just like it's spelled) and comes from Croatia. Zinfandel may, in fact, be an older clone of Crljenak than Primitivo which has less than 200 years of recorded history in Italy.

Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, is awash with wine and Primitivo is responsible for a large part of that production. Much of Puglia’s (Apulia in English for some reason) sun-drenched vineyards produce course jug wines destined for Italy’s supermarkets, but Primitivo, like its cousin Zinfandel, is capable of producing an incredible range of wines that can run from light everyday quaffers to deep complex wines that grab your attention. A growing number of dedicated producer are producing exciting wines from the regions indigenous varietals which include: Primitivo, Nergoamaro and Uva di Troia.

Stefano Cirillo Farrusi set out to restore his family winemaking tradition in Puglia when he purchased the vineyards and historic winery from his older brothers. He invested in the finest technology and now, with the assistance of winemaker Cristoforo Pastore, have dedicated themselves to be a quality leader in the area and have gained respect on fine wine lists across Italy. What stands out in all the wines of Torre Quarto is their ability to achieve richness and roundness without becoming one of the over-ripe alcohol monsters that many wineries produce. These are stylish wines that temper the exuberant flavors of southern Italian fruit with some structure and yes, even elegance. Do not miss this the Torre Quarto Bottaccia, which is one of the best examples of Uva di Troia.

Tasting Notes: 2002 Torre Quarto, Primitivo, Tarabuso
Bright ruby, with purple hints. Just translucent. Rich ripe dark berry fruit aromas laced with bitter cherry, fresh tar and toasty, smoky notes. The mouthfeel is rich smooth and filled with ripe raspberries and blackberries. The full, sweet fruit flavors soon give way to spicy bitter cherries layered with plums and a touch of smooth vanilla. The finish is long, ripe and spicy, but with none of the over-ripeness and alcohol burn that plagues this varietal. This wine is a great match for the famous local hard cheese, Canestrato Pugliese, and the delicious and varied salumi of Puglia. Lamb is extremely popular here and the rich, but firm fruitiness of this wine would be a lovely compliment to herbed spit-roasted spring lamb.

Imported by Montecastelli, A Jens Schmidt Selection