Monthly Archives: April 2023

April 27, 2023 · 9:59 pm

Ristorante Due Ladroni a Roma

After a harrowing 25 hour trip from New York to Rome (due to airline delays), Michele and I were really looking forward to having a good dinner at Due Ladroni, one of our favorite restaurants in Rome.

Over the last few years it has become our first stop in Rome.

We like everything about the restaurant, the atmosphere, the hosts, and of course, the food and wine.

I started with the Alice alla Diavola, grilled spicy anchovies with a salad dressed with lemon.

Michele had grilled octopus on a bed of chick pea puree.

Next I had Pici alle Vongole Veraci Sgusciate, thick spaghetti with clam sauce.

Michele had Pasta alla Norma with red tuna. Rigatoni pasta in a cherry tomato sauce with chunks of fried eggplant and sauteed red tuna. Served with ricotta salata cheese.

We shared a plate of Moscardini Fritti, tiny crisp fried octopus. They were impossibly crunchy and juicy at the same time.

Sicilia Menfi DOC 2021 “Cometa” Planeta made from 100% Fiano. The training system is espalier with guyot pruning and there are 4,500 vines per hectare. The grapes come from two different vineyards, Dispensa at 75 meters and Gurra at 35 meters and the soil is mostly lime and chalk. Harvest is at the end of September. After picking by hand, the grapes are stripped of stalks and sent to the press. Soft pressing and static sedimentation takes place in stainless steel at a low temperature of 6-7°C. The clear part is decanted and ferments in stainless steel tanks for 90% and for 10% in 35 hl oak barrels, at about 14-15 °C for 12/14 days. At the end of fermentation the tanks are filled up with similar wine and left on the primary lees with daily stirring. This is a well structured and elegant wine with hints of chamomile, mango, apricot and a slight touch of honey

This is the Due Ladroni version of the classic Torta della Nonna. Here it was an individual tartlet filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with pastry crumbles and pinenuts. I devoured it!

We couldn’t have picked a better meal to welcome us to Rome!

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Filed under Cometa, Due Lardoni, Due Lardrini

April 20, 2023 · 2:31 am

Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri Annual Tour NYC

It is always a pleasure to attend the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri Annual Tour in NYC. Tasting some of the best Italian wines and talking to the producers and other members of the Italian wine world make it an exciting event.

Gambero Rosso’s guide, “Vini d’Italia,” is issued every year in the autumn. More than 20,000 wines from all the regions of Italy are tasted every year by a competent jury and only the very best, about 400, are selected with the distinction of being awarded “Tre Bicchieri,” the highest honor bestowed by Gambero Rosso. The event was very well attended by Italian wine producers, wine writers, importers, retailers and restaurateurs. Wines from over 100 producers were featured.

Here are just a few of the wines I tasted.

Ilaria Pettito with the DonnaChiara Greco di Tufo “Aletheia” 2020, DOCG 100% Greco di Tufo. Only the best grapes from the Santa Paolina vineyard in the Tufa zone are used. The harvest is by hand during the coolest parts of the day, the second half of October. The soil is tuffaceous and the training system is guyot. Cryomaceration is at 42-46F to preserve the aroma, prevent oxidation and enhance the characteristics of the grapes. There is a soft pressing of the grapes using a pneumatic press and fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks for about 15 days. The fermented must is left to age on the lees for about a year with weekly batonnage. Malolactic fermentation does not take place. The wine remains in the bottle for a period of time before release. This is an intense wine with hints of citrus fruit, pear, apricot a note of hazelnuts, and a touch of pineapple. I have known Ilaria for some time and have visited the winery. I also really like her Falanghina!

Massimo Alois with the Michele Alois Terra del Volturno Pallagrello Bianco IGT “Marrone” 2018 (Campania). Made from 100% Pallagrello Bianco from the 15-year-old Morrone della Monica 2.13 hectare vineyard at 350 meters in Pontelatone. The exposure is east/west and the soil is limestone. There are 5,200 plants per hectare and the training system is guyot. Harvest takes place in early September. Two-thirds of the wine is vinified in stainless steel at a controlled temperature for one month and one-third of the wine is on the lees in neutral oak for nine months. The wine remains in the bottle for 12 months before release. This is a full bodied intense wine with hints of citrus fruit, melon, a touch of chamomile and a note of apricot. The first time I had this wine was was at Trattoria San Ferdinando in Naples. I was very impressed with this wine then and I was just as impressed this time.

Roberto Di Meo with the Di Meo Fiano di Avellino “Alessandra’ Riserva 2013 (Campania). Made of 100% Fiano from the Alessandra vineyard planted in 1995. The vineyard is at 550 meters with a northeast exposure with clay and semi-limestone soil. There are 4,500 plants per hectare and the training systems espalier with mono lateral guyot pruning. There is a manual harvest of slightly overripe grapes in the second week of October. The grapes are destemmed and a soft pressing takes place. Maceration is on the skins and fermentation is at a controlled temperature. It remains in steel for 8 years and then in bottle for 12 months before release. This is a very special wine with hints of chamomile, peach, apricot, acacia honey a touch of beeswax and a note of smoke. It may have been the best white wine at the tasting. When I visited the winery in 2016 Roberto opened a 2003 and it was wonderful.

Livio Felluga Terre Alte Collio Orientali del Friuli 2019 Livio Felluga a blend of estate grown grapes: Friulano, Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon Blanc from the vineyards in the Rosazzo zone. The soil is marl and sandstone and the training system is guyot. The bunches of grapes are carefully destemmed and left to macerate for a short period of time before crushing. The must is then allowed to settle. Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon are fermented at controlled temperatures in stainless steel tanks. The Friulano is fermented and aged in small casks of French (no new oak is used) oak. The Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon mature in stainless steel tanks. After aging for ten months the wines are blended. The bottled wine is aged in temperature controlled binning cellars for 9 months before release. The wine has a touch of sage, hints of pear, and apricot and peach and fresh almonds.

Giulia Cecchi with the Famiglia Cecchi Chianti Classico “Villa Rosa” Grand Selezione 2018. Made from 100% Chianti Classico. Villa Rosa situated between the hills of Castellina in Chianti extending over 126 hectares of which 30 are vineyards. The vineyards are at 340 meters and the soil is calcareous soil characterized by a combination of alberese limestone with marl slate. There are 4,800 plants per hectare and the training system is spurred cordon. There is traditional temperature controlled fermentation on the skins for 22 days. Aging is for 15 months in tonneaux, 3 months in concrete and one year on bottle before release. The wine has hints of spice, black cherry, plum and floral notes and a touch of walnuts.

Alessandro Ruspoli with his Chianti Classico Riserva 2019 Lilliano made from 95% Sangiovese and 5% Merlot from the first selection. After a careful selection the grapes undergo soft pressing and destalking. During fermentation the must is pumped over with plunging of the cap on a daily basis. Maceration lasts for 21 to 25 days depending on the vintage. Malolactic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The wine ages in large casks of French oak 28 to 34HL. The final blend is assembled and the wine ages in glass a minimum of 6 months. The wine has hints of cherry, cassis, violets, and a touch of spice.

Paolo Cantele with the Salice Salentino Riserva Cantele production area Guagnano (LE). 100% Negroamaro. The vines are pruned-spur condon trained and there are 4,500 vines per hectare. Harvest takes place at the end of September. After being destemmed and crushed, the must is macerated with skin contact for about 10 days. Fermentation is carried out at 25/26C. Once malolactic fermentation is completed, the wine is aged 1 year in 2-year-old barriques and about 6 months in bottle before release. The wine has hints of candied fruit, spice, and tea and is well balanced. Paolo said the wine is ready to drink but will continue to evolve for 3 to 4 years.The wine has hints of red and black fruit, spice with a note of tea and a touch of roses.

Massimo Randi with the Ravenna Longanesi IGT “Burson Etichetta Blu” Randi made from100% Longanesi. The oil is medium textured clay and the training system is spurred cordon. About 50% of the grapes are dried before aging and the wine spends a minimum of 24 months in tonneaux. This is a balanced soft wine wine has hints of lavender, licorice, cassis, blackberries, blueberries plums, a balsamic note and a touch of violets.

Before the Tre Bicchieri walk around tasting there was a Masterclass sponsored by the Consorzio Vini Di Romagna which I attended. I was so impressed with this wine that I had to taste it again during the walk around tasting.

Diego Cusumano with the Alta Mora Etna Rosso Cusumano made from 100% Nerello Mascalese. The vineyards are at 600 to 800 meters and the average age of the vines is 20 years. Training system is free standing vines and espalier. There is a manual harvest the second week of October. The grapes are destemmed and lightly pressed. Maceration at 28C for 12 days followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless steel and successive finings is barrels of 25 hl liters. This is a medium bodied wine with hints of red fruit, raspberry, cherries, pomegranate, floral notes and a touch of spice.

Enjoying Moscato d’Asti and Asti Spumante

My love affair with Moscato d’Asti began over 40 years ago when Michele and I were in Piedmont and visited the Vietti Winery. Sheldon Wasserman, a friend and Italian wine expert and writer, had told us to be sure to visit this winery not only because they made great wines, but because Alfredo and Luciana were such nice people. We arrived at the gate of the winery and I rang the bell. A man appeared and I said in Italian siamo amici di Sheldon and Pauline Wasserman. He turned and called to his wife: “Luciana, Luciana, friends of Sheldon and Pauline are here!”

They invited us into their home to meet the whole family and we drank Moscato d’Asti with crumiri, buttery cornmeal cookies, and had a wonderful time. I have been hooked on Moscato d’Asti ever since.

When I received a notice from Virginia Cademartori, Head of PR and Communications for Platinum Media LLC that they were now working with the Consorzio per la Tutela dell’Asti and taking care of the promotion of the Consorzio, the territory, Moscato grapes, the Asti Spumante DOCG and the Moscato d’Asti DOCG, I was very glad. I have been to many events arranged by Virginia and found them to be well organized and enjoyable.The Consorzio Asti DOCG was founded in 1932 and works for the protection, enhancement and promotion of the wines. Thanks to the effort of the producers and the Consorzio, Asti received the DOC in 1967 and the DOCG in 1993. UNESCO recognized the vineyard landscape of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato as World Heritage Sites, thus protecting 5 distinct wine growing areas. There are 6,800 producers with 9,900 hectares of vineyards. Production has reached 60 million bottles of Asti Spumante and 42 million of Moscato d’Asti, all under the guidance of the Consorzio. Over 90% of the production is exported.Asti Spumante DOCG and Moscato d’Asti DOCG come from Moscato Bianco (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains) strain of grapes. It is one of the oldest known varieties of wine grapes and grows in the Piedmont regions of Laghe-Roero and Monferrato. The zone is between the Ligurian Coast and the Alps.

Moscato d’Asti is made from the same grape as Asti Spumante and has many of the same flavors and aromas. It is also low in alcohol around 5% by volume. The difference is that Moscato d’Asti is only slightly sparkling (frizzante) and it is vintage dated while Asti Spumante is not and is considered a Spumante. Moscato d’Asti should be drunk as close to the vintage date as possible. The two wines share the same DOCG.

For Asti Spumante the grapes are refrigerated at zero degrees until they reach a second fermentation, a process that can be accomplished either according to the “Martinotti Method” or the complex “Classico Method.” Recently, the range of residual sugars has been expanded from traditional sweet to extra dry, from brut to pas dosé. Asti Spumante is known world wide as a sparkling wine to be drunk every time there is a reason to celebrate.

Harvest of the grapes is by hand and takes place in early September

For Moscato d’Asti, there is a gentle pressing of the grape bunches by a pneumatic press. The must is clarified in order to eliminate all the solid residue and any other undesired components it may contain. Alcoholic fermentation takes place through the addition of select yeasts at a controlled temperature. The limpid and cooled must is poured into large tanks and repeatedly filtered to prevent spontaneous fermentation. Moscato d’Asti does not go through a second fermentation in the bottle. Instead, the second fermentation is performed in a single tank (autoclave) using the Martinotti method, in which bubbles are trapped in the wine via carbonation in the tank. Yeasts are eliminated by filtration or centrifugation. The wine is then kept in cooling tanks at about -3C so that fermentation does not start. At the time of bottling, the temperature is raised until fermentation begins. It is stopped at about 5% alcohol. Fermentation can be stopped and then started so that the wine can be bottled several times a year. This aromatic wine should be enjoyed young when it is at its freshest.

Virginia sent me two bottles of Moscato d’Asti

Moscato d’Asti Azienda Agricola DOCG 2022 Matteo Sorta made from 100% Moscato Bianco from vineyards in Castiglione Tinella (Cuneo). Soil is calcaroni limestone with sandy veins and harvest is in late August/early September. The alcohol content is 5% and residual sugar is 140g/l. The wine is intense and aromatic with hints of acacia flowers, peach and apricot with good acidity.

Moscato d’Asti Canelli DOCG 2022 Azienda Agricola Terrabianca. Made from 100% Moscato Bianco from the Vignot vineyard with 50 year old vines. The vineyard is at 520 meters (45% inclination) with a south/south west exposure. There are 5,700 vines per hectare. The soil is clay-calcareous and the training system is guyot. There is a soft pressing of the grapes and the must remains in stainless steel tanks at -3C. Closed tank fermentation takes place at 17C until the alcohol level reaches 5%. The wine is bottles several times a year to preserve its freshness. It has hints of apricot, honeysuckle, orange blossom and a touch of tangerine with good acidity to balance the sweetness.

Moscato d’Asti is a wine that can be enjoyed on its own and any time of the day or night. It can be drunk before, during or after dinner with or without dessert. It is great with brunch also because of the low alcohol. It can go with biscotti and other pastries, or poured over fresh fruit. Recently a noted wine and food writer wrote that he liked it with oysters.

Irpinia in NYC

Monday March 6th was a big day here in New York City for the province of Irpinia in Campania. In the morning there was a Master Class on the wines of Irpinia hosted by Susannah Gold at Il Gattopardo Restaurant called “Spectacular Irpinia.” It was organized by the Irpinia Consorzio Tutela Vini. Read about it here: Irpinia White Wine Irpinia Red Wine

That night, there was a second event called “GI Gruppo Italiano Presents: ItalianTable Talks/Chapter 16 Irpinia: We Are Waiting For You.” It was held at the SVA Theater on 23rd Street. This included a discussion by a panel of experts on Irpinia followed by a wine tasting. It was organized by Gruppo Italiano (GI).

For a little background, the region of Campania in Southern Italy produces some of the country’s best wines. Irpinia, in the northeast of Campania, excels in Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, Irpinia Falanghina, Coda di Volpe, Piedirosso, Irpinia Aglianico, Campo Taurasini and Taurasi. The Irpinia Consorzio Tutela Vino and the producers of these wines have recently made it a top priority to push more significantly into the US market. Teresa Petillia, President of the Consorizio, and Ilaria Petitto, Vice President, have been in the forefront of this movement. Teresa is the CEO of Azienda Agricola Petillia and Ilaria is the CEO of Donnachiara Winery. One of the goals of the day’s events was to familiarize the wine drinking public with Irpinia and make their excellent wines better known.

The host for the evening event was Gianfranco Sorrentino, President of Gruppo Italiano (GI) and managing partner of the Il Gattopardo Group.

Gianfranco introduced the Italian Trade Commissioner Antonio Laspina who set the tone for the evening with his opening remarks. He advised the region of Irpinia to do more by way of events such as the ones today and he expressed his appreciation that the province is behind the Consorzio’s ambitious push for more notoriety.

The panel was comprised of experts on the region of Irpinia included (left to right) Nunzio Castaldo, President of Panebianco Wine Imports, USA. Berardo Paradiso, President of the Italian American Committee on Education (IACE) and head of the New York SoHo Chapter of the Italian Academy of Cuisine, the panel moderator Randall Restiano, American Sommelier and Beverage Director of Eataly NYC Flatiron, Ferrante Di Somma, Managing Owner of Cantine di Marzo, Irpinia, Representing Consorzio Tutela d’Irpinia, and myself, Charles Scicolone, Wine and food writer, consultant and blogger at http://www.charlesscicolone.wodpress.com

Mr. Restiano posed some very pointed questions to the panel. He asked what the panelists thought of the too often-quoted statement that “Taurasi is the Barolo of the South.” I have always taken exception to this because Taurasi stands on its own as a great wine and should not be compared to any other.

I replied that the three great grapes of Italy are Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and Aglianico. The region of Irpinia has to be more positive in there approach to the region and the wines. The best Greco is Greco di Tufo, the best Fiano is Fiano di Avelliano and the best wine made from Aglianico is Taurasi. There was general agreement on this issue among all of the panelist as well as the fact that events such as these were very valuable for the region and the Consorzio to achieve their goals.

The other topics the panel discussed were the marketing of the wines of Irpinia in the US, the history of the region and why one should visit there. Mr. Ferrante Di Somma of Cantina di Marzo spoke about what it was like to own and operate a winery in Irpinia.

The producers, guests and panelists