▷ Mondo Di Vino

[02/06/2021, 15:41]	Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort ? Lido di Venezia (VE) ? GM Alessio Lazazzera ? Chef Damiano Brocchini

A pochi minuti in barca da Piazza San Marco e dal cuore pulsante di Venezia, orgoglio italiano di arte e bellezza, vi attende l?Excelsior Venice Lido Resort uno dei simboli d?eleganza dell?hotellerie della citt? da oltre un secolo. Un buen retiro d?eccezione per attori del cinema, ospiti illustri ed esigenti viaggiatori di tutto il mondo: coppie, famiglie e viaggiatori d?ogni et? che troveranno qui sorprendente piacevolezza e pieno relax. La struttura d?innegabile ricchezza architettonica ? stata inaugurata nel 1908 e sorge nel Lido di Venezia, denominato ?l?Isola d?Oro? grazie alle sue dune naturali di sabbia dorata. Alessio Lazazzera, general manager, conduce i ritmi permettendo agli ospiti di essere coccolati attraverso le numerose attivit? che offre la struttura: dalle gustose prelibatezze gourmet alle tradizionali Cabanas perfettamente allineate lungo l?esclusiva spiaggia privata.?Tony Micelotta clamoroso barman, sapr? farvi sentire nel tempo e nel posto giusto e Damiano Brocchini, Executive chef penser? per voi alle migliori ricette per appagare vista e palato. Che meravigliosa giornata! La squadra Lo staff dell?hotel General Manager:?Alessio Lazazzera F&B Director:?Davide Barbero Bar Manager:?Tony Micelotta Capo Ricevimento:?Giorgia Giacopuzzi Head Concierge:?Alessandro Amadio Sales & Marketing Director:?Daniele Trombacco Lo staff di cucina Executive Chef: Damiano Brocchini Lo staff di sala Ma?tre: Fabio Corcione, Simonetta Cera Dalla Laguna arriviamo a destinazione. L?ingresso maestoso dell?hotel. Affacciato direttamente sulla spiaggia del Lido di Venezia, l?Hotel Excelsior ? un capolavoro dell?arte veneziana degli inizi del Novecento, ma anche un esclusivo Resort 5 stelle dall?inconfondibile stile moresco. Gli interni Incantevoli dettagli artistici… La Presidential Suite di VG. Il benvenuto… Il terrazzino privato, con vista sulla laguna, dalla camera di VG La sala da bagno. Kit amenities. Scendiamo al Blue Bar. La terrazza esterna… Aperitivo! Iniziamo con Potocki Wodka Martini. Antica formula Negroni e stuzzichini: Polpette di carne,maionese alla senape in grani, Cicchetto fritto….in cono, Croccante di Bufala Barlotti, piennolo vesuviano confite. Altro giro di cocktail! Gin Fizz with egg white as in the good old days. Excelsior Spritz, patent recipe with a touch of St. Germain liquor and….. more little secrets. Ci spostiamo al Ristorante Tropicana della struttura. L’ambiente si presenta sontuoso con pavimenti in marmo e incantevoli lampadari di Murano, incastonati nell’ampio soffitto a travi, espressione contemporanea della maestria dell’Architetto Scarpa. Tipologia pane: Pagnotta di Pane Bianco & Pane di segale, Grissini di Polenta Gialla tirati a mano. Iniziamo con un calice di Franciacorta Dosaggio Zero Riserva DOCG ?Annamaria Clementi? 2010 – Ca? del Bosco Di colore giallo paglierino limpido con un perlage fine e sottile, di incredibile persistenza. Al naso si avvertono note di lieviti, fiori bianchi, agrumi e spezie. Al palato ? di ottimo corpo, intenso e polposo, con un gusto fresco pieno e persistente. In abbinamento a crudo di gamberi Rossi con tartare di baccal?, su gazpacho di datterini. E al carpaccio di Sorana, fagiolini e tartufo nero estivo. Proseguiamo con dei cremosissimi tortelli alle erbe di campo, burro alla Salvia e parmigiano 30 mesi. Risotto all?olio, vongole veraci, timo e salsa al limone. Degustiamo Alto Adige Chardonnay DOC 2018 – Hofst?tter Giallo paglierino di buona intensit?, al naso esprime piacevoli note fruttate. Caratterizzato da una buona acidit?, e una decisa persistenza, dimostra le giuste credenziali di evoluzione. Magnificamente accompagnato da branzino al vapore con salsa al prosecco e patata schiacciata. Passiamo ora alle costine di agnello in crosta di pistacchi, cipolline di Boretto all?agro e spinacini. Stappiamo il Rosso IGT Toscana 2019 – Di Paolo Un chiaro richiamo al colore e all?aroma caratteristico delle ciliegie, sentori di pepe nero e note erbacee. Segue un sorso dal corpo fitto e leggero, con tannini lineari e un’acidit? appetitosa.? In arrivo la catalana di aragosta con crostacei e verdure. Ed ora…i dessert! Mousse leggera al cioccolato bianco, miele in favo, profumo di limone. Biscotto fondente, fichi, gelato mascarpone e noci. Uno dei risvegli pi? magici di sempre…colazione sul terrazzino privato?vista laguna di Venezia. Scendiamo nella sala colazioni… Il buffet. Un grande grazie a tutti! Cucina L?executive chef Damiano Brocchini insieme al suo team penser? per voi alle migliori ricette per appagare vista e palato. Una cucina in grado di esprimere profonda conoscenza del territorio e delle materie prime. Servizio e accoglienza L?Excelsior Venice Lido Resort ? in grado di soddisfare egregiamente qualsiasi aspettativa. Stupisce per la capacit? di riuscire ad integrare ogni dettaglio nel grande meccanismo senza che quasi il cliente se ne accorda, pernottare in questa struttura regala indubbiamente piacevoli ricordi, dalla SPA alle passeggiate con i piedi immersi nella tiepida sabbia dorata. Conclusioni Amanti del lusso, del benessere, del bon vivant e vivre, sognatori della Belle ?poque! Questo elegante soggiorno ? la struttura che appagher? i vostri desideri e che vi potr? regalare intense emozioni. Viaggiatore Gourmet Hotel Excelsior 30126 Lido di Venezia (VE) Lungomare Marconi, 41 Tel. (+39) 041 5260201 E-mail:?info@hotelexcelsiorvenezia.com Sito internet:?www.hotelexcelsiorvenezia.com L'articolo Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort – Lido di Venezia (VE) – GM Alessio Lazazzera – Chef Damiano Brocchini proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[02/04/2021, 05:42]	Ristorante Quintilio ? Altare (SV) ? Patron Luca e Lorena

Chi dal mare della riviera ligure risaliva verso il Piemonte, attraversando la Val Bormida, dal 1889 poteva trovare ristoro presso la prima stazione di posta della zona, divenuta poi locanda per i camionisti in transito e infine l?attuale ristorante Quintilio. Siamo in provincia di Savona, ad Altare, paese con un?antica tradizione nella lavorazione del vetro. Oggi la maitre/sommelier?Lorena e lo Chef Luca, con il loro scrigno goloso, rappresentano un approdo sicuro tramandato da generazioni, uno di quei punti di riferimento meta degli stessi ristoratori nei rispettivi giorni di riposo o vacanza, e questo vuole dire tanto, vuole dire TUTTO! Squadra Chef patron: Luca Bazzano Maitre sommelier: Lorena Germano L’ingresso… Curiosiamo tra le etichette della cantina! Tipologia pane (a base di lievito madre di pi? di 80 anni): Focaccia all extravergine ligure di taggiasche, Pizzette al pomodoro dell’orto, Pane ai cereali con semi di sesamo, Lino, zucca, Pane bianco al sesamo e papavero. Tartufi bianchi freschissimi. Aperitivo! Stuzzichini! Crema di zucca di Rocchetta presidio slow food agli amaretti di Sassello, porcini e pesche. Meravigliosi tartufi neri… Iniziamo con un calice di Pigato DOC Riviera Ligure di Ponente “Bon in da Bon” 2019 – Bio Vio Di colore giallo paglierino carico, si presenta con uncorredo aromatico ricco e intenso di sentori di frutta e agrumi. Al palato ? secco, morbido e minerale, di buona persistenza, con sentori aromatici e mandorlati e un richiamo di erbe aromatiche. In abbinamento gamberi viola di Sanremo crudi, verdure dell’orto e cuore di bue liquido. Coscia di fassona battuta al coltello, acciughe sotto sale e nocciole. I funghi porcini dell’orto… Stoccafisso brandacujun, polenta rosticciata e olive taggiasche. Terrina artigianale di foie gras, zucca di Rocchetta presidio slow food in agrodolce e fico candito. Stappiamo Bianco Testalonga – Nino Perrino Un inno al territorio e alle antiche tradizioni di Dolceacqua, sede della cantina. Viene prodotto con macerazione sulle bucce per 5 giorni e affinamento in vecchie botti, per esprimersi con tonalit? minerali, marine, salmastre e idrocarburiche. Che perfettamente accompagna l’uovo poche, crema di toma brigasca, fondo Bruno e tartufo nero nostrano. In sala lo chef?per presentarci il prossimo piatto! Calamari alla brace, il loro fondo e trombette in due consistenze. Proseguiamo con i saporitissimi tagliolini ai 30 tuorli con funghi porcini locali. Un piatto rassicurante, in grado di trasportare i commensali grazie ai piacevoli sentori ndi sottobosco. Risotto riserva San Massimo, peperoni di Carmagnola e bagna cauda. Degustiamo ora Granaccia Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOP “Trexenda”?– Viarzo Fermentato in vasche di cemento e poi affinato in tonneau da 600 lt di rovere francese per una decina di mesi. Abbinato ai tortelli ripieni di caprino ligure, fondo bruno nocciola e tartufo nero. Ed ora il momento degli storici raviolini al plin ripieni di renette spontanee al tartufo bianco. Acciughe del nostro mare, cotte al sale grosso con gli aromi liguri. Passiamo ora a Rossese di Dolceacqua Testalonga 2017 – Nino Perrino Un vino mediterraneo, speziato, energico e piacevolmente rustico. Si esprime al naso con sentori di macchia mediterranea, pepe nero, olive e ciliegie e al palato risulta molto fresco, morbido ed energico. Dotato di un buon potenziale di invecchiamento. Filetto di fassona, gamberi viola di Sanremo, mostarda di chinotto e il suo fondo. Gamberi rosa e porcini. Frittooo! Cervella, filoni, granelle e semolino fritti in olio di oliva. Minestra di trippe, maccheroni all’ago di castagne e maggiorana. Stacchiamo con un calice di Passri? Pineto e uno di Passri’ Scrapona dell’azienda vitivinicola Marenco. Ed ora il momento dei dessert! Iniziamo con le pesche ripiene di gelato allo zabaione artigianale. Gelato artigianale al latte e fichi caramellati. Il nostro tiramis?. Tris di sorbetti artigianali. Fichi freschi. Piccole coccole finali: crostata con marmellata di albicocche di Valleggia, scorze di pompelmo biologico candito da noi, stelle pasta frolla alle noci, madelaine alla farina di castagne di Calizzano, torta di nocciole, fichi dell’orto. E per concludere l’immancabile zabaione caldo. Un saluto a questo incredibile duo! Un grande GRAZIE e…a presto!! Cucina La cucina di Luca si basa su prodotti di altissima qualit?, nel rispetto della stagionalit?, come i preziosi tartufi, raccolti nelle zone limitrofe, e i profumatissimi funghi trasformati con rispetto in ricette classiche ma anche innovative. L?intro con il pane, focaccia e grissini fatti in casa tutti i giorni, per una lievitazione di almeno 18 ore, d? il via ad un pranzo o una cena di successo! Servizio e accoglienza La cortesia e professionalit? di Lorena ? davvero travolgente, vi accompagner? nella scelta dei piatti e dei vini, facendovi sentire coccolati come a casa. La cantina ? dinamica e ben fornita di etichette del territorio a cui si accostano anche bollicine francesi, a cui viene applicato un ricarico contenuto. Conclusioni Questo locale arrivato ormai alla quinta generazione, posto al confine tra Piemonte e Liguria a pochi minuti dal comodo casello autostradale, offre ospitalit? ed accoglienza ai viaggiatori che cercano un posto dove mangiare o fermarsi a dormire. Consigliamo la sosta per scoprire la personale interpretazione gourmet di Luca dei migliori piatti delle tradizioni delle due regioni, con un tocco di creativit? per la gioia del vostro palato. Viaggiatore Gourmet Ristorante Quintilio Via Gramsci, 23 Altare ? (SV) Tel: +39 019 58.000 E-mail: rquintilio@libero.it Sito internet: www.ristorantequintilio.it Chiuso Domenica e Luned? L'articolo Ristorante Quintilio – Altare (SV) – Patron Luca e Lorena proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/30/2021, 06:41]	Ristorante Berton ? Milano Porta Nuova ? Chef Andrea Berton

Si narra che fosse il 15 Giugno 2006, giorno in cui apr? al pubblico di Milano il ristorante Trussardi alla Scala capitanato dallo Chef Andrea Berton. Fu il mio primo servizio/recensione ?ufficiale?, da allora un percorso in crescendo per un ristorante lanciato a tre stelle Michelin. A pochi passi dal traguardo Tomaso Trussardi e Andrea Berton decisero di prendere strade diverse. Con Andrea, suo malgrado, che si vide costretto a ripartire da zero. Oggi il suo ristorante, che merita sicuramente almeno le due stelle, lo troviamo in forma smagliante, con un?ottima squadra tra sala e cucina, sicuramente e per sempre tra i nostri ristoranti del cuore, con la sua cucina rigorosa, dalla perfezione tecnica ci garantisce sempre una privilegiata esperienza golosa. Un grande grazie ad Andrea e tutto il team! Archivio storico: ->?Reportage del 16 Dicembre 2013 ->?Meeting del 15 Gennaio 2014 ->?Meeting del 28 Novembre 2014 ->?Reportage del 25 Novembre 2015 ->?Meeting del 18 Dicembre 2015 ->?Meeting del 14 Dicembre 2016 ->?Meeting del 22 Novembre 2017 ->?Reportage del 4 Luglio 2017 ->?Reportage del 8 Maggio 2018 -> Meeting del 8 Febbraio 2019 -> Meeting del 15 Luglio 2019 -> Reportage del 20 Aprile 2020 La squadra Staff di cucina Chef – Patron: Andrea Berton Chef: Simone Sangiorgi Sous Chef: Giuseppe Cascio e Matteo Prandi Pasticceria: Alessio Gallelli Staff di sala Direttore di Sala: Gianluca Laserra Sommelier: Luca Enzo Bert? Secondo Maitre: Maurizio Perretta Chef de rang: Francesco potena Segreteria di direzione: Alessia Fiori Mise en place. Aperitivo con Champagne Brut S.A. – Bereche et Fils? Di colore giallo paglierino, con un sottile perlage fine. Al naso note di pera essiccata, alternate a nuances minerali e tendenti all?erbaceo. Il sorso colpisce per l?incredibile finezza e per l?ampiezza, perfettamente equilibrato e appagante. CROCCANTE: Sfoglie di patata e Grana Padano, Riso soffiato allo zafferano, Riso soffiato al nero di seppia. Chef Berton viene a darci il benvenuto! Stuzzichini in arrivo! Cono di alga nori, panna acida e salmone. Cannolo, rag? di carne e pecorino. Tacos di sedano rapa, rucola e Grana Padano. Macaron di meringa alla barbabietola. Degustiamo un calice di Weissburgunder 2017 – Falkenstein? Un vino di grande personalit? ed espressivit?. Avvolgente ed elegante, con una bella nota sapida e con freschi aromi di agrumi ed erbe di campo. In abbinamento con Cappon Magro di verdure. A seguire Riccio di mare, salicornia, patate e prezzemolo. Proseguiamo con Chardonnay Opoka 2017 – Marjan Simcic? Vino bianco ottenuto da uve provenienti da viti di oltre 40 anni. Al naso si avvertono sensazioni fragranti di miele, frutta secca e dalle sfumature minerali. Di bella evoluzione al palato, dal sorso morbido e persistente. In abbinamento con Brodo di prosciutto crudo e Trippa di baccal? con fagiolina del Trasimeno. Tipologia pane: Pane bianco a lievitazione naturale, Pane sfogliato alle olive taggiasche, Sfoglie e grissini al mais. Proseguiamo con Cardo gobbo, uovo di quaglia, bagna cauda e uova di trota. Per il prossimo abbinamento optiamo per Venezia Giulia Bianco IGT ?Breg Anfora? 2011 – Gravner Corposo e intenso, molto longevo, vinificato in anfora e invecchiato per 72 mesi in legno. Il risultato ? di straordinaria complessit? aromatica: profumi ricchi, espressivi e inimitabili e un gusto morbido, caldo e setoso. Brodo di cicale di mare, Ravioli aglio, olio e peperoncino. A seguire Anguilla, rafano, zucca e mandarino. Passiamo ai rossi: Barolo Cerretta 2014 – Davide Fregonese? Dai tannini integrati e una trama setosa, si presenta morbido e floreale, sa di rosa canina, viola a frutti di bosco. In abbinamento con Sfogliatella di sedano rapa e caviale Oscietra Calvisius. Terminiamo con Brodo di Lepre, Lepre, cavoletti di Bruxelles e ribes. Il momento dei dessert! Toscanello di cacao, banana e sesamo nero. Accompagnato da Passito di Pantelleria 2010 – Salvatore Murana? Di colore giallo ambra, al naso si percepiscono profumi intensi di albicocca e pesca sciroppata, mela cotta e erbe aromatiche. Al palato ? ampio, complesso, dolce con una nota finale d?incenso. Torta margherita, latte di capra e vaniglia. Brodo di cioccolato. Torta al cioccolato. Souffl? al cioccolato, gelato al fior di latte. Come coccole finali, una selezione di piccola pasticceria: Cioccolato al gianduia, Gelatina di mango e yogurt, Cioccolato al caramello salato, Cioccolato al te nero affumicato, Macaron al frutto della passione, Bab?, Tartelletta al lampone E Giamaica Caf? – Gianni Frasi – Chickmagalur Karnataka. Un grande GRAZIE e…a presto! Cucina Una cucina chiara e rigorosa, dai sapori sempre riconoscibili. L?ingrediente principe di ogni piatto ? il brodo che, nobilitato a piatto vero e proprio, detiene grande importanza all?interno del menu. A noi continua a piacere, anno dopo anno, per l?incredibile capacit? dello chef Berton di valorizzare gli ingredienti di base, per un?esperienza tanto golosa quanto ricercata, rivelando di tanto in tanto alcuni ingredienti poco conosciuti che stuzzicano la nostra curiosit?. Servizio e accoglienza Servizio di grande precisione dai ritmi serrati, con tanta classe e una tecnica esemplare orchestrata alla perfezione da?Gianluca Laserra che guida un team visibilmente coeso e affiatato che lavora con passione e determinazione. Conclusioni Il ristorante Berton ? indubbiamente una tappa gourmet che fa di Milano una delle capitali gastronomiche d?Europa, in grado di ammaliarvi per i suoi abbinamenti sempre in un equilibrio millimetrico, di grande?sensibilit? virtuosistica. ? sempre un?emozione tornare a trovare Andrea e il suo team, che procede con coerenza nel suo percorso, stupendoci ogni volta. Viaggiatore Gourmet Ristorante Berton Via Mike Bongiorno, 13, 20124 Milano MI Tel. (+39) 02 6707 5801 Sito internet: www.ristoranteberton.com E-mail: info@ristoranteberton.com L'articolo Ristorante Berton – Milano Porta Nuova – Chef Andrea Berton proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/28/2021, 12:30]	Matteo Grandi in Basilica ? Vicenza (VI) ? Chef Matteo Grandi

Seguo Matteo Grandi fin dagli esordi come primo vincitore di Hell’s Kitchen Italia del 2014, quando sono stato ospite al Forte Village, in cui operava nel ristorante dello chef Carlo Cracco in qualita? di Executive Chef. Un ragazzo con le idee molto chiare, che ben conosce il mestiere del ?ristoratore? oltre che del cuoco. Oggi lo ritroviamo con la stella della Guida Michelin 2021 confermata, nella nuova location di Piazza dei Signori a Vicenza Matteo Grandi in Basilica. In forma smagliante e in piena armonia con la moglie Elena Lanza, che governa accoglienza e servizio, a nostro giudizio siamo gia? in direzione della seconda… La squadra Staff di cucina Executive Chef: Matteo Grandi Giulio Pittioni, Rocco iovine, Giuseppe Marina Staff di sala Direttore / Maitre : Elena Lanza Sommelier: Raffaele Mor Giovanni Lopresti, Thomas Martinello Piazza dei Signori a Vicenza?con vista sulla Basilica Palladiana. L’ingresso… La sala. Alcuni dettagli. Il benvenuto: infuso di ibisco. Grissini dalla cucina. Negroni Mediterraneo in preparazione. Il Blasonato Sommelier Raffaele Mor…. on stage! Il Negroni Mediterraneo, un twist importante al classico Negroni. La scelta del gin, Sothis, un gin che nasce dalla distillazione di uva ed estrazione idroalcoolica di botaniche diverse, dal naso dritto e verticale. Il vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula, la classicit? dei grandi vermouth Piemontesi. Ed ora il ?twist?, Campari messo in vacuum bag con timo ed olive nere tostate, poi cottura sottovuoto a temperatura dolce e lunga, cos? da estrarre tutta la componente salina/affumicata delle olive toste, ed il balsamico di macchia mediterranea del timo selvatico. (Necessita di diversi giorni di riposo per armonizzare profumi e gusto.) In tumbler basso, una vaporizzata di olio essenziale di bergamotto sul chunk di ghiaccio perfettamente trasparente, e si versa dal Boston dello shaker, utilizzando uno strainer, il nostro Negroni appena mescolato con abbondante ghiaccio. Versato sul ghiaccio profumato dal bergamotto. Accompagnato da stuzzichini della cucina. Cannoncino salsa ponzu e tonno. Minestrone di verdura brodo al the GYOKuRo. Cialda alla paprika affumicate e pate? di volatile. Iniziamo con un calice di Champagne Grand Cru – Petit Le Brun et Fils Abbinato alla mitica pizzetta fritta (alias Montanarina) ! Tipologia pane: Ciabatta con farina macinata a pietra. Piattooo! Gnocchi di zucca, carciofi e brodo di goccia d’oro.? In abbinamento Vitovska 2018 – Zidarich Vino bianco di buona intensit?, vinificato sulle bucce in tini aperti e maturato per 24 mesi in botte. Di grande ricchezza aromatica all’olfatto, con sentori di frutta, agrumi e spezie, e un gusto morbido, corposo e persistente. Proseguiamo con un calice di Urziger W?rzgarten Auslese Riesling Mosel – Dr. Lippold Grazie al terreno di ardesia rossa, il sorso si apre minerale, con una ricchezza di aromi di spezie e frutta, prevalentemente mango maturo accompagnato da pesca e albicocca, seguiti da menta e un’acidit? matura. Accompagnato da cicala di mare salsa iodata e meringa di vongola. Tipologia pane: Pane integrale al lievito madre e burro di malga di Sappada dall?adattamento. Ravioli di castagne, lepre, tartufo bianco e salsa ai porcini. Riso, vongole & Co.? Assaggiamo ora Vin de France Blanc Sans Soufre Ajout? ?Le Papillon? – Domaine Milan Un sorso teso, rinfrescante e minerale, dotato di un finale lungo e dissetante. Perfettamente scandito l’accompagnamento con scampo leggermente scottato, verbena, confettura di pomodoro. Branzino selvaggio, crema di mandorle e cetrioli?completato al tavolo. A seguire piccione, tartufo e melanzana affumicata. Stacchiamo con una nota aromatica: Zibibbo Secco 2019 – Barraco Si esprime al naso con ricchi profumi di scorza d’agrumi, erbe aromatiche e zenzero fresco animano un sorso asciutto, speziato e complesso, di grande sapidit?. Pre-dessert:?Cremoso al sedano, zenzero e sfera allo yogurt. Lampone, verbena e sorbetto all’uva fragola.? Castagna, castagna, castagna.? Deliziose coccole finali… Torta di rose. Terminiamo con “Kill Devil”, Single Cask Rum 16 Years Old – Diamond Distillery Guyana e il Marsala Superiore “Riserva Storica 1995” DOC – Vito Curatolo Arini. Un saluto allo chef! Come sempre un immenso GRAZIE e…a presto! Cucina Nella nuova sede, Matteo offre una cucina con l?intento di diventare un punto di riferimento di Vicenza come fine dining ma anche come cucina classica italiana. Tutto il suo know how ? stato trasportato con abile maestria dalla vecchia sede di San Bonifacio (VR), regalando grandi emozioni anche nella splendida Piazza dei Signori. Servizio ed Accoglienza La moglie Elena sapr? accogliervi al meglio, con un servizio elegante ed armonico, attento e di gran gusto. Tra l’altro vi segnaliamo un servizio di cortesia che vi recupera da dove avete parcheggiato la vostra auto in sicurezza e vi accompagna direttamente in Piazza Dei Signori, 1 Conclusioni Un parco giochi gastronomico, in cui la cucina, mai statica, viene presentata con freschezza a regola d’arte con un prezzo ragionevolissimo in un contesto del tutto eccezionale. Viaggiatore Gourmet ? Viaggiare, conoscere, esserci! RISTORANTE DEGUSTO Via Camporosolo, 9/A, 37047 San Bonifacio VR Chiuso marted? e mercoled? a pranzo Tel: +39 328 18 24 572 E-mail: Hello@Ristorantedegusto.It Sito internet: www.ristorantedegusto.it L'articolo Matteo Grandi in Basilica – Vicenza (VI) – Chef Matteo Grandi proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/27/2021, 10:45]	Grand Hotel Fasano (LHW) , Ristorante Il Fagiano ? Gardone Riviera (BS) ? Patron Olliver Mayr, Executive Chef Matteo Felter

Il?Grand Hotel Fasano?? un albergo a?cinque stelle?di antica tradizione. Fondato nella seconda met? dell?Ottocento?come residenza di caccia della?Casa Imperiale Austriaca, prende il suo nome attuale proprio dalla nobile ?fasanerie?. Dal 1959?di?propriet??della?Famiglia Mayr, che nel corso degli anni ha provveduto al restauro e all?ampliamento, rendendo l?albergo una?lussuosa e attuale dimora di charme.?Una?location davvero maestosa immersa in un?grande parco?di?12.000 mq?che si affaccia direttamente sul Lago di Garda e offre ai propri clienti?ambienti accoglienti?ed?eleganti, con?arredamenti raffinati?e un?infinita cura dei particolari?che rievoca le squisite?atmosfere d?altri tempi. Il Grand Hotel Fasano offre tutti i?servizi?di un hotel a cinque stelle: due?piscine esterne, di cui una riscaldata; una?zona benessere?di oltre?3.500 mq?con piscina coperta e vasca?idromassaggio; sala fitness. Impreziosisce ulteriormente l?offerta?il ristorante gourmet?Il Fagiano, guidato dall?Executive chef Matteo Felter. La cucina di Matteo ha come punto di partenza la tradizione gastronomica del lago, rivisitata e resa contemporanea da un sottile e abile gioco di sapori e consistenze, che incanta e conquista. La squadra Staff di cucina Executive Chef: Matteo Felter Staff di sala Primo ma?tre e sommelier: Nicola Filippello? Secondo Ma?tre: Massimo Speziani? Chef de rang: Giuseppe Maisano, Michele Pancaro? L’imponente ingresso… La BMW in Complimentary Use per gli ospiti!? Tour del Lago in Cabrio… La hall. La sala da bagno della nostra suite. La meravigliosa vista dalla camera. Il benvenuto dell’Hotel. La camera di VG. Gli splendidi interni… La lounge. Il patio esterno con vista sul Lago. Il giardino. Residenti del luogo. Lo chef Matteo viene a salutarci. Amouse bouche al Magnolia: bruschette con concass? di pomodoro e basilico fresco. Iniziamo con Franciacorta Brut DOCG Prestige Cuv?e ?Sr. Padron & C.? – Filippo Bianchi Di colore giallo paglierino di media intensit? con un perlage molto fine e persistente. Bouquet delicato, prevalentemente tostato. Si riscontrano note fruttate come mela, ananas, burro e miele, che vanno a colmare un palato dall’acidit? iniziale molto ricca e accentuata, che poi si attenua. Sapidit? media, con accentuate note minerali. Il Club Sandwich dello chef, servito con insalatina e patatine fritte e le loro salse. Proseguiamo con il branzino alla Mediterranea con insalata fresca. Optiamo per un Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico – Zenato e un Pinot Nero Riserva ‘St. Daniel’ 2017 – Colterenzio. Assaggio di tartellette fatte in casa: limone e meringa all’italiana, fragole e mirtilli freschi con crema pasticcera. Sorbetto al limone e gelato alla nocciola e fragola. Visitiamo la SPA. La piscina interna… Breve tour del Lago… L’ingresso… Aperitivo in preparazione! Rama Redzepi on stage! Cocktail e stuzzichini! Ci accomodiamo al tavolo. Aperitivo! Tipologia pane: pagnotta calda a base di un mix di 3 farine, grano duro, grano arso e farina di storo, lievito madre. Focaccia con olio evo del Garda, Pat? di pomodori secchi. Accompagnato da Olio EVO Garda DOP – Il Cavaliere Amuse bouche! Testina di vitello calda, servita con albicocca senapata. Tacos con Carpa in saor, cipolla rossa e cappero del Garda. Assaggiamo Champagne Extra Brut ‘Quinte Essence’ 2009 – Franck Pascal Champagne Millesimato ad alta percentuale di Pinot Meunier maturato per pi? di 8 anni sui lieviti. Naso ampio e ricco, con note di frutta matura e brioche, rivela un sorso dinamico, elegante e preciso. Abbinato all’Anguilla alla brace nappata con riduzione di birra, friggitelli e limone del Garda. A seguire seppioline di Porto Santo Spirito scottate con burrata, bottarga di tonno e pomodori. Porro glassato, crema di aglio e prezzemolo, polvere di sarda di lago. Animelle d’agnello croccanti con gocce di Yuzu e puree di patate. Passiamo ai primi: ravioli con ripieno di fagiano e tartufo nero della Valtenesi. Gnocchi di patate, brodo di porcini e grana padano 24 mesi. Risotto al formaggio Bagoss con lime e rosmarino. Il momento del pescato! Coregone affumicato, glassato con salsa Teriyaki, anacardi e carota viola. In splendido abbinamento con Verdicchio di Matelica ?Cambrugiano? Riserva DOCG 2016 – Belisario Si percepiscono aromi floreali e vaniglia, un vino di grande struttura, sapido, suadente ed armonico. Proseguiamo con Controfiletto di agnello con porcino alla griglia, cipollotto, kefir, ? il suo fondo. Piccione con crema di melanzana al forno, anguria marinata al porto e foie gras. Passando al pescato: Black cod, con salsa verde, e radici di prezzemolo brasate e fritte, polvere di olive e foglia di cappero del Garda. Concludiamo con “Hey French. You could have made this but you didn’t” – Pasqua Un vino dal grande potenziale di invecchiamento. Di buona?struttura, freschezza e profumi con note floreali e intensa mineralit?. Al palato di susseguono suggestioni e note che vanno dai fiori appena sbocciati alla camomilla, nocciola, note agrumate, frutta tropicale. Passiamo ai dessert! Abbiniamo il Passito di Pantelleria “Ben Ry?” 2017 – Donnafugata? Giallo ambrato lucente, al naso si esprime con note di albicocca e pesca, fichi secchi e miele e note minerali. Profumi che aprono ad un assaggio immenso per complessit?, dolcezza, sapidit? e morbidezza chiudono in un lunghissimo finale. Souffl? al cioccolato con gelato alla vaniglia. Dico buono non mente: Fico glassato al porto servito con la sua riduzione, gelato al fior di latte. Buchtel con marmellata di albicocche e salsa allo zabaglione. Coccole finali: Caff? Lavazza intenso 100% arabica e piccola pasticceria:? Uno splendido risveglio… Con colazione sul terrazzino della suite. La scelta di VG: L’abituale seconda colazione di “rinforzo” di VG. Musica Live di sottofondo al breakfast, ? sempre una magia! Bravi. Un grande GRAZIE e…a presto! Cucina Il ristorante “Il Fagiano” ? il fiore all?occhiello del Grand Hotel Fasano. Dalle sapienti mani e dalla creativit? dello chef Matteo Felter, nativo del Garda, scaturiscono piatti che danno voce alle tradizioni del lago, incantando e conquistando per la loro schiettezza e abile gioco di sapori e consistenze. Servizio ed accoglienza Servizio impeccabile, accoglienza come in un luogo vicino ad un sogno, qui al Grand Hotel Fasano il tempo sembra essersi fermato. Luogo ideale dove lasciarsi coccolare dalle attente cure dello staff per un soggiorno indimenticabile. Conclusioni Un luogo eccezionale per il relax, una?vacanza di lusso sulle sponde del Lago di Garda, scandita da eleganti suite, ristoranti gourmet, una splendida SPA ed il centro benessere che rendono questo albergo la scelta ideale. Viaggiatore Gourmet Grand Hotel Fasano & Villa Principe Via Zanardelli, 190 I-25083 Gardone Riviera Sito web: www.ghf.it E-mail: info@ghf.it Tel.?+39-0365-290220 L'articolo Grand Hotel Fasano (LHW) , Ristorante Il Fagiano – Gardone Riviera (BS) – Patron Olliver Mayr, Executive Chef Matteo Felter proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/25/2021, 09:00]	945mo Meeting VG @ Casa Maria Luigia ? Chef Massimo Bottura ? Stradella Bonaghino (MO)

Una giornata a dir poco sensazionale presso la nuova residenza Luxury Casa Maria Luigia che porta il nome della mamma di Massimo Bottura, uno dei?pi? grandi autori?della storia della?gastronomia mondiale, saldamente sul piedistallo. Non potevamo non sostare in questa location unica al mondo per una delle nostre tappe del meeting privato con gli amici Viaggiatori Gourmet. Massimo ? un?intelletto culinario?talmente sviluppato e compiuto da non avere nessun?limite?nell?ispirazione, ogni influenza, che sia artistica, storica o etnica, ??combustibile?per il suo pensiero, per la gioia dei nostri?Amici Gourmet, tanta profondit? pu? essere raccontata solo in un?modo: con un Bottura?torrenziale, generoso ed entusiasta,?istrione?di un percorso degno di una storia cos? importante, un percorso cesellato dai pezzi di storia della OSTERIA Francescana. Difficile?pensare a un Bottura pi? in?forma?e a un meeting in cui si sia espresso a un livello di intensit??superiore?a questo, lo stesso vale per il suo?staff, come sempre?impeccabile. L’ ingresso della residenza di charme di Massimo e Lara. La Squadra! Chef Resident: Jessica Rosval da 7 anni in Francescana. in sala la regia del Maitre: Denis Bretta da 8 anni in Francescana. Oggi e solo per noi, anche Chef Massimo in cucina! Immortaliamo la Pentola D’Oro Agnelli!? I tavoli dedicati agli amici Viaggiatori Gourmet… L’angolo dei nostri Premium Partners. Il menu della tappa ufficiale VG “RoadShow of Exellence”. L’ingresso del relais… Ogni angolo del relais ? arricchito con le cose che pi? amano Massimo e sua moglie Lara: una selezione della loro collezione di arte contemporanea, libri, vinili e una dispensa ricca degli ingredienti pi? famosi della loro terra, come il Parmigiano Reggiano, l?Aceto Balsamico e il Lambrusco. Massimo ci fa fare un tour alla scoperta di ogni dettaglio… Collezione di pi? di 5.000 vinili. Vi invitiamo ad esplorare il giardino, fare un tuffo in piscina, ammirare le querce secolari e assistere al passaggio delle stagioni nel piccolo orto. Casa Maria Luigia offre la possibilit? di soggiornare in dodici stanze suddivise in tre categorie. Ogni stanza ? arricchita con opere di arte contemporanea, arredamento vintage e di design, tessuti Dedar e sono fornite di una selezione di prodotti da bagno Ortigia. Passeggiando per il giardino ci avviamo verso la piscina attraversando il piccolo laghetto.. Uno scatto con i padroni di casa Massimo e Lara. Aperitivo!!! Non manca nemmeno il campo da bocce! Uno sguardo alla cantina della casa… Cin cin! Lo chef ci presenta il menu che andremo a degustare… Un calice di Franciacorta Dosaggio Z?ro DOCG ?Vintage Collection? 2014 Magnum – Ca? del Bosco Di colore giallo paglierino carico, con perlage fine e persistente. Al naso piacevoli rimandi fruttati, note di crosta di pane e lievi accenni alla nocciola. Un sorso di ottimo corpo, pieno e rotondo, armonico e con chiusura leggermente amara. Piatto!! Iniziamo con l’ostrica Mont Saint Michel. Passiamo a Franciacorta Extra Brut Ros? Riserva DOCG ?Annamaria Clementi? 2009 – Ca? del Bosco Di colore rosa salmone, con un perlage fine e persistente. Caratterizzato da sentori di lieviti, pasticceria, frutta candita, pepe rosa e ribes rosso. Al palato ? di ottima struttura, liscio e vellutato, minerale e di grande persistenza. Un brindisi! In abbinamento: Un’anguilla che risale il fiume Po. A seguire pasta al pesto in astratto. Assaggiamo ora Lis 2008 Magnum – Lis Neris Ogni annata presenta un punto di equilibrio diverso tra i tre vitigni bianchi pi? rappresentativi della storia aziendale: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, fermentati e maturati in tonneau. In ottimo abbinamento con uno dei piatti pi? rappresentativi e iconici dell’estro della cucina di Massimo: Cinque stagionature del Parmigiano Reggiano, in diverse consistenze e temperature. Sbirciamo il team in cucina… La parte croccante della lasagna. In abbinamento con Sebino Rosso IGT ?Pin?ro? 2013 – Ca? del Bosco Di colore rosso rubino concentrato. Al naso si avvertono sentori di frutti di bosco, legno di sandalo e resina balsamica. Al palato ? vellutato e rotondo, di bella freschezza. Chiude con un finale di ottima persistenza. Ed ora Roero DOCG Riserva 1998 – Malvir? Di intenso colore rosso rubino con riflessi aranciati, si apre al naso con un’ampio bouquet di spezie, frutti neri e rosa appassita. Un sorso?elegante, persistente con un tannino ben integrato, frutti neri e confettura di fragole. In abbinamento a: La nostra faraona al forno. Caesar salad in bloom. Abbinato a Vino da Uve Appassite ?Tal L?c? – Lis Neris Di grande impatto con il suo colore giallo dorato, si esprime con note di albicocche e pesche sotto spirito, agrumi, vaniglia, miele e zenzero, senza mai essere stucchevole. Al palato sorprende l’equilibrio tra dolcezza e mineralit?, chiude con un finale di vibrante persistenza. Prossima preparazione in corso… Oops mi ? caduta la crostatina! Celebre dolce dell’Osteria Francescana nato in un celebre episodio con Taka, collaboratore di Massimo, che per errore rovesci? una crostatina al limone poco prima del suo servizio. L?effetto artistico colp? Bottura che da quel momento decise di servire cos? il suo dessert. In abbinamento Trento DOC ?Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore? 2000 Magnum – Ferrari Incredibile giallo vibrante con lievi riflessi dorati, dal perlage finissimo e persistente. Al naso si esprime con una speciale fragranza fruttata in perfetta armonia con i sentori di miele, abbinati a note di cioccolato bianco, spezie e agrumi. Al palato ? elegante e armonico, note vellutate di miele, fieno maturo e sentori floreali. L?impatto ? nobile e di grandissima persistenza. Massimo fa un annuncio! Surprise surprise! Tortellini con crema di Parmigiano per concludere al meglio! Non ci lasciamo scappare un finale dolce… Un piccolo cadeaux per gli amici VG: l’olio Evo Embrace. Ed ecco conclusa questa splendida esperienza… Brindiamo tutti insieme ancora una volta, prima di congedarci. Il campo da tennis immerso nella tranquillit? del giardino. Uno sguardo al regno di Lara Gilmore, moglie, musa e?partner in crime di Massimo che cura personalmente l?orto di casa. Un immenso GRAZIE, e a presto! Per la prossima tappa aspettiamo anche te! Viaggiatore Gourmet CASA MARIA LUIGIA Stradello Bonaghino 56 ? San Damaso ? Modena E-mail: info@casamarialuigia.com Tel. +39 059 469054 Sito web: www.casamarialuigia.com I prossimi meeting di?Altissimo Ceto: www.altissimoceto.it/meeting-eventi/ Essere un nostro?associato?significa ricevere?inviti personali?per oltre?100 eventi?(annuali) imperdibili che organizziamo per i?nostri soci,?un ricco calendario di?eventi?settimanali (aperitivi, pranzi, cene, serate mixology, degustazioni di grandi vini e di cibi rari e preziosi)?privati ed esclusivi (Roadshow of Excellence Tour), tappe ufficiali che in Italia ogni anno vengono ospitate dalla migliore selezione di tutti i 11?tre stelle, dei 37?due stelle?e da una buona parte dei?323 ristoranti stellati Michelin, oltre che da una attenta selezione di?Hotel 5 * stelle, SPA resort e relais?selezionati tra i pi? prestigiosi e rappresentativi. Breaking News ? Eventi Enogastronomici esclusivi. (Media Partner) Sponsored By?Amici Gourmet???Network esclusivo di appassionati Gourmet. L'articolo 945mo Meeting VG @ Casa Maria Luigia – Chef Massimo Bottura – Stradella Bonaghino (MO) proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/23/2021, 09:30]	968mo Meeting @ VUN Ristorante ? Park Hyatt Hotel Milano (MI) ? Chef Andrea Aprea

Il primo incontro con Andrea Aprea risale al Romeo Hotel a Napoli nel 2009, quando il mio primo reportage lo fece conoscere al direttore Park Hyatt Claudio Ceccherelli che decise di ingaggiarlo per Milano. Andrea ha il merito assoluto di aver portato prima ad una e poi a due stelle al ristorante fine dining di un hotel cinque stelle Milanese, primo tra tutti gli hotel 5 stelle di Milano. Una scommessa vinta, vinta da uno straordinario talento che non si ? mai fermato. Come ogni anno gli Amici Gourmet fanno tappa a pochi passi?da?Piazza della Scala, appena fuori dalla?Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, presso il?Ristorante VUN?del?Park Hyatt Hotel. Abbiamo avuto modo di degustare i grandi classici?ad alcune delle?nuove creazioni dello chef. Ecco il racconto dettagliato del nostro pranzo? Archivio storico reportage: ->?Reportage del 8 Novembre 2011 ->?Meeting del 14 Novembre 2011 ->?Meeting del 18 Luglio 2012 ->?Reportage del 1 Febbraio 2013 ->?Degustazione Dom P?rignon del 25 Novembre 2013 ->?Meeting del 18 febbraio 2015? ->?Reportage del 22 Settembre 2015 ->?Meeting del?27 Aprile 2016 ->?Meeting del?1? Marzo 2017 ->?Meeting del 15 Febbraio 2018 -> Meeting del 1 Giugno 2019 La squadra Staff di cucina Executive chef & Vun Director: Andrea Aprea Chef di Cucina:?Antonio Sena Demi Chef di partita: Pasquale Coppola, Lorenzo Rossi Demi chef: Daniela Kuhnreich Commis: Matteo Siano, Cristiano Mariuzzo Junior Sous Chef Pastry: Angela Lorusso Demi Chef Pastry:?Sampath Withanachchi Gunawardana Staff di sala Maitre & Sommelier: Michele D’Emilio Demi chef e Sommelier: Andrea Dentella Head waitress: Ilaria Fiorillo Demi chef de rang: Gaia Bottura Hostess: Giulia Corsi Il nostro men? personalizzato. Il tavolo?Amici Gourmet. Aperitivo! Spritz e Ostrica In abbinamento un calice di Franciacorta Dosaggio Zero DOCG ?Vintage Collection? 2014 – Ca’ Del Bosco Di un giallo paglierino carico, ? attraversato da un perlage fine e persistente. Al naso si avvertono chiari rimandi fruttati, arricchiti da note di crosta di pane e lievi e nocciola. Il sorso ? di buon corpo, pieno e rotondo, regala una piacevole nota pi? amara nel retrogusto. Aperitivo Anni ’80: Patata soffiata, Formaggio di capra, paprika; Olive nere e arancia; Spritz e Ostrica. Caprese Dolce-salato. Tipologia di pane: Pane Cafone e olio Nocellara del Belice ?Mandranova, Streghe, Grissini all’olio Degustiamo con il nostro Premium Partner Olio EVO Embrace. Un calice di Confini 2009 – Lis Neris Si tratta di uno dei vini bianchi?pi? intensi e audaci della cantina Lis Neris. Prodotto con uve Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio e Riesling, con fermentazione e affinamento in botti di media dimensione. Caratterizzato da una aromaticit? esuberante di frutta tropicale, agrumi in confettura, erbe aromatiche?? sostenuta da una buona struttura e una vibrante freschezza. A cui abbiniamo la triglia: scarola, olive nere, provola affumicata. A seguire uovo di selva, castagna, liquirizia , Grana Padano Riserva Latteria San Pietro. Patata “in stagnola” alla Amatriciana (2017). Seppia “alla diavola” (2015). Non un semplice piatto, ma un quadro composito di colori, profumi e rilievi. Il gusto si spacca deciso tra piccante, dolce e acidulo, con interessanti consistenze che si lasciano apprezzare a lungo. Per il prossimo abbinamento ci viene proposto Sauvignon Langhe Doc 2006 – Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gr?sy Giallo paglierino con riflessi verdognoli dal profumo intenso?con rimandi varietali di foglia di pomodoro, gambo di sedano, piselli ed erba tagliata con un finale di pesca, pompelmo e litchi. Al palato la sapidit? e la struttura regalano piacevolezza nella beva e un sorprendente potenziale di invecchiamento. Ri-sotto-marino Riso Carnaroli Riserva San Massimo (2018). Come anticipa il nome del piatto si tratta di un esplosione iodata, dietro a questi meravigliosi colori si nascondono preparazioni complesse con una mantecatura speciale: solo acqua di mare. Quello che apparentemente si presenta come un risotto alla Parmigiana rivela un?mix di gamberi, crostacei, cozze e tartufi di mare?arricchito da una salsa di gamberi e da una salsa di prezzemolo. Il tocco di classe consiste nella polvere di tre alghe marine, verdi, nere e rosse.?? Linguine in rosso: Crescione, Burrata, Sarde, Pinoli. Calamarata: pasta “Selezione Gentile”, rag? di papera, finferli, tartufo nero, nocciole. Arriva la Pentola d’Oro Agnelli con Sart? di riso Riserva san massimo, concentrato di rag? napoletano e spuma di provola. Baccal? in autunno. Degustiamo un Barolo Riserva DOCG 2004 – Gianni Gagliardo Preve Di un’intenso rosso rubino, arricchito da riflessi violacei?ed una vistosa consistenza. Si presenta fresco al palato, dal gusto secco, asciutto, pastoso di buona struttura, tannini in buon equilibrio che lo rendono morbido. Concludiamo abbinando un intrigante piccione, prugne, noci e tarassaco. Ed ora lo Chef ci presenta i dessert! Veniamo avvolti da una magica atmosfera per: Intensit? di limone. In abbinamento Moscato d’Asti DOCG “Sant’Ilario” – Ca’ d’Gal Bonet, zucca e grappa. Pompelmo rosa, yogurt di bufala e pepe nero. Ci salutiamo con delle coccole finali. Caff? Torrefazione Attilio (Ivrea), Black Lion Etiopia e piccola pasticceria: Cannolo, ricotta di pecora, pistacchi salati, Tartelletta alla Violetta, Bab? e crema allo zafferano. Un grande GRAZIE a tutti! Per la prossima tappa aspettiamo anche te! Consulta il calendario eventi?qui?e iscriviti! Viaggiatore Gourmet ? Viaggiare, conoscere, esserci! Partner della 968esima edizione Meeting di Altissimo Ceto Ristorante VUN ? Park Hyatt Hotel 20121 Milano (MI) Via Silvio Pellico, 3 Tel. (+39) 02 88 21 1234 Chiuso a pranzo, domenica e luned? tutto il giorno E-mail:?restaurantvun.milan@hyatt.com Sito internet:?www.ristorante-vun.it I prossimi meeting di?Altissimo Ceto: www.altissimoceto.it/meeting-eventi/ Essere un nostro?associato?significa ricevere?inviti personali?per oltre?100 eventi?(annuali) imperdibili che organizziamo per i?nostri soci,?un ricco calendario di?eventi?settimanali (aperitivi, pranzi, cene, serate mixology, degustazioni di grandi vini e di cibi rari e preziosi)?privati ed esclusivi (Roadshow of Excellence Tour), tappe ufficiali che in Italia ogni anno vengono ospitate dalla migliore selezione di tutti i 11?tre stelle, dei 37?due stelle?e da una buona parte dei?323 ristoranti stellati Michelin, oltre che da una attenta selezione di?Hotel 5 * stelle, SPA resort e relais?selezionati tra i pi? prestigiosi e rappresentativi. Breaking News ? Eventi Enogastronomici esclusivi. (Media Partner) Sponsored By?Amici Gourmet???Network esclusivo di appassionati Gourmet. L'articolo 968mo Meeting @ VUN Ristorante – Park Hyatt Hotel Milano (MI) – Chef Andrea Aprea proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/22/2021, 09:12]	958mo Meeting VG @ Ristorante La Madernassa Resort ? Guarene (CN) ? Patron Fabrizio Ventura, Chef Michelangelo Mammoliti

Poche parole e una?determinazione?ferrea, oltre a un senso della disciplina che d?italiano ha ben poco, appreso lavorando al fianco di alcuni grandi della cucina d?Oltralpe tra cui Ducasse, All?no, Gagnaire, lo chef Michelangelo Mammoliti continua a sorprenderci. In quell?angolo di Paradiso che ? il?resort?aperto da?Fabrizio Ventura?a?Guarene, oggi troviamo un ristorante neo due stelle Michelin che negli ultimi anni si ? affermato grazie allo chef in ascesa tra i pi? interessanti d?Italia. La sua cucina parla, per?, italiano e lo fa nella sua straordinaria capacit? di unire tecnica?impeccabile a?sensibilit?,?precisione?d?esecuzione e capacit? di realizzare portate?evocative?e poetiche.?Anche per quest?anno abbiamo deciso di organizzare una tappa del Roadshow of Excellence?in compagnia degli?Amici Gourmet in una?degustazione incredibile. Ecco a voi il racconto della nostra esperienza. Archivio storico reportage: ->?Reportage del 12 Aprile 2016 ->?Meeting del 4 Giugno 2016 ->?Meeting del 10 Giugno 2017 ->?Meeting del 11 Agosto 2018 -> Meeting del 19 Agosto 2019 La squadra Patron:?Ventura Fabrizio?e?Adriano Luciana Lo staff di cucina Executive chef:?Michelangelo Mammoliti Sous chef:?Andrea Pasca, Mirko Grimaldi Pastry chef:?Giulia Zappa Lo staff di sala Ma?tre:?Daniele Genovese Sommelier:?Alessandro Tupputi Chef de rang:?Alessandro Marcialis, Gabriele Conoscenti, Giuseppe Summo Acqua Filette, Premium Water Partner del nostro?Roadshow. Lo Chef ci da il benvenuto! Abbinamento Vini Nei meeting utilizziamo i vini messi a disposizione dai nostri Partner. Iniziamo come aperitivo con Franciacorta Pas Dos? Ros? DOCG ?Paros?? 2011 – Mosnel Color buccia di cipolla, dal perlage fitto e persistente, si esprime al naso con note di piccoli frutti rossi, di fiori secchi e di piccola pasticceria. Al palato ? ricco e avvolgente, secco, sapido e asciutto, di incredibile persistenza. In arrivo gli stuzzichini. Babba Chorizo e Parmigiano 48 mesi. Iniziamo con gli amuse bouche: Gelatina pesca lavanda, Tartelletta cioccolato pepe del timut, Sucette di lampone a mascarpone, Religieuse ganache alla fava tonka, Guimauve alla salvia ananas e limone, Madeleine miele e grano saraceno. Tipologia di pane: Carta musica ai capperi di Pantelleria, Focaccia alle olive taggiasche, Danish bread ai cereali, Baguette della tradizione, Pane sfogliato, Pane al miso e limone alla Marocchina. Accompagnato da Olio EVO Cru Selection Frantoio di Sant’Agata Oneglia. IL POMOD’ORO. Bab? al vapore alla ‘nduja. GIARDINIERA: insalata di fagiolini, ostrica Amelie, giardiniera del 1991. Abbiniamo un calice di Trento DOC ?Riserva Lunelli? 2007 – Ferrari Giallo carico con tenui riflessi dorati, dal perlage finissimo e persistente. Al naso ? fruttato e ricco, complesso e dalla struttura ampia ed avvolgente. Al palato ? armonico, si esprime con note di lievito tostato e spezie.? Chiude con un finale di grande intensit? e persistenza. AMANITA: spaghetti turanici in estrazione di porcino, olio profumato al dragoncello, minute di ovuli&nbsp. Passiamo ora al SILVER: sgombro in beccafico, dashi profumato al kaffir lime completato al tavolo. Accompagnato da Camp Gros Martinenga Barbaresco Riserva Docg 2004 – Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy Rosso granato intenso, vivace e brillante con riflessi aranciati. Al naso sprigiona intense note di viola e petali di rosa, sentori di confettura, fieno di montagna e sfumature di tabacco dolce e liquerizia. Un vino deciso, avvolgente, pieno, armonico e vellutato, con?note balsamiche e una lunga persistenza gusto-olfattiva. Passiamo ai dessert! ESSENZIALE PER ESSERE FELICI: bisquit al cacao, pralinato alle nocciole, crema di pane della tradizione. In abbinamento con Moscato d’Asti DOCG “Sant’Ilario” – Ca’ d’Gal Un coloratissimo PH3: agrumi nella loro essenza. Per concludere al meglio coccole finali, caff? e piccola pasticceria. Un immenso GRAZIE a tutti! Per la prossima tappa aspettiamo anche te! Consulta il calendario eventi?qui?e iscriviti! Viaggiatore Gourmet ? Viaggiare, conoscere, esserci! La Madernassa 12050 Guarene (CN) Localit? Lora, 2 Tel. (+39)?0173 611716 Chiuso luned? E-mail:?info@lamadernassa.it Sito internet:?www.lamadernassa.it I prossimi meeting di?Altissimo Ceto: www.altissimoceto.it/meeting-eventi/ Essere un nostro?associato?significa ricevere?inviti personali?per oltre?100 eventi?(annuali) imperdibili che organizziamo per i?nostri soci,?un ricco calendario di?eventi?settimanali (aperitivi, pranzi, cene, serate mixology, degustazioni di grandi vini e di cibi rari e preziosi)?privati ed esclusivi (Roadshow of Excellence Tour), tappe ufficiali che in Italia ogni anno vengono ospitate dalla migliore selezione di tutti i 11?tre stelle, dei 37?due stelle?e da una buona parte dei?323 ristoranti stellati Michelin, oltre che da una attenta selezione di?Hotel 5 * stelle, SPA resort e relais?selezionati tra i pi? prestigiosi e rappresentativi. Breaking News ? Eventi Enogastronomici esclusivi. (Media Partner) Sponsored By?Amici Gourmet???Network esclusivo di appassionati Gourmet. L'articolo 958mo Meeting VG @ Ristorante La Madernassa Resort – Guarene (CN) – Patron Fabrizio Ventura, Chef Michelangelo Mammoliti proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/19/2021, 06:23]	957mo Meeting VG @ Ristorante La Vecchia Malcesine ? Malcesine (VR) ? Chef Leandro Luppi

Ventidue anni di storia, sedici dei quali illuminati dalla stella Michelin, e la carica creativa di Leandro Luppi continua ad apparirci inesauribile. Un uomo, oltre che un cuoco, dalle idee incredibilmente chiare. Leandro Luppi racconta una storia tutta sua alla Vecchia Malcesine, da questo angolo di pace che guarda dall?alto la punta del lago di Garda, di cui ? indubbio pioniere gourmet. Un luogo di pace e tanta bellezza, in cui il rischio di annoiarsi ? pressoch? nullo: la cucina della Vecchia Malcesine racconta una storia che esalta il lago, con tutti i suoi pregiati protagonisti, anche quelli pi? ?difficili?. Le preparazioni nascono da intuizioni geniali e influenze globali, ci riportano ai gusti e ai ricordi d?infanzia e di casa, coccolano con personalissime visioni di grandi classici (come la sua firma sulla Carbonara di Lago). In sala il Maitre Marco Rossi, braccio destro di Leandro, guider? la vostra esperienza con maestria ed eleganza e il Garda visto da Malcesine non vi sar? mai apparso cos? luccicante! Archivio storico reportage: ->?Reportage del 27 Giugno 2017 -> Meeting del 24 Settembre 2019 La squadra Lo staff di cucina Chef/patron:?Leandro Luppi Chef de cuisine:?Giuseppe Asaro Pastry chef: Jasmina Stojicevic Chef de partie ai secondi: Lorenzo Cimonetti Chef de partie ai primi: Andrea Fiori Chef de partie agli antipasti: Carmine di Filippo? Lo staff di sala Ma?tre/Sommelier: Marco Rossi Commis sala: Angeles Calzado Alonzo Chef de rang: Marco Berti? Il tavolo?Amici Gourmet. Abbinamento Vini Nei meeting utilizziamo i vini messi a disposizione dai nostri Partner. Aperitivo con Franciacorta Brut DOCG ?Vintage Collection? 2014 Magnum – Ca? del Bosco Di colore giallo paglierino, leggermente dorato con un perlage fine e persistente. Al naso si avvertono sentori di frutta a guscio, impreziositi da note di lieviti, pasticceria e leggeri accenni agli agrumi. Il sorso ? di buon corpo?e ampio grazie a un sorso elegantemente sapido. Lo chef Leandro Luppi ci d? il suo benvenuto Amuse bouche in arrivo! Spuma di cavolfiore e verdure essiccate; Tartelletta di tartara di lavarello al frutto della passione. Salvia in tempura e gel di peperoni. Ci accomodiamo al tavolo e iniziamo con dei deliziosi Tacos di ali di razza. Mortadella di Trota. In abbinamento Champagne Tradition Brut – Napol?on Tipologia pane: pagnotta casereccia di farina integrale, grissini stirati al mais in abbinamento a Olio EVO Embrace all we need. A seguire il piatto iconico dello chef: carbonara di Lago. Tinca. In abbinamento a Franciacorta Extra Brut Millesimato DOCG 2009 – Lo Sparviere Giallo paglierino con riflessi dorati e con perlage fine e persistente. Al naso chiare note di frutta a polpa gialla e tropicale, per poi proseguire con richiami ai fiori d?acacia, ai biscotti appena sfornati, al miele, agli agrumi e alla nocciola. Di buon corpo in bocca, al palato si rivela essere fresco e sapido, ma allo stesso tempo morbido e di ottima lunghezza. Apelle figlio di Apollo. Patate, mazzancolle. … e se fosse? Lo chef completa al tavolo Kiwi & Pescegatto. In abbinamento con Grillo ‘Laluci’ Baglio 2018 – Cristo di Campobello? Un vino fresco e ben strutturato, vinificato in acciaio. Il bouquet ? lo specchio della terra siciliana:?note agrumate e di fiori gialli con finale di menta e sentori marini. Al sorso ? sapido e minerale con una buon persistenza aromatica e una piacevole morbidezza. E a seguire Pane e Pomodoro. Kung Fu Panda – Ma si nato in Italy. A seguire una deliziosa Carota e aceto balsamico. In abbinamento con Nebbiolo d?Alba San Ponzio – Gianni Gagliardo Vino biodinamico di colore rosso rubino intenso. Presenta aromi dolci al naso e tannini morbidi e avvolgenti, dal sorso etereo e profondo. Risotto, Mazara e liquirizia A seguire cardoncello e salsa verde. Contrasti interessanti con Lattuga, caramello e tartufo. Passiamo ai dessert! Marshmallow al frutto della passione. Piccola pasticceria e zabaione sifonato. Omaggio a Ciccio Sultano: cannolo e gambero rosso al lime. Un GRANDE GRAZIE a tutti! Per la prossima tappa aspettiamo anche te! Consulta il calendario eventi?qui?e iscriviti! Viaggiatore Gourmet ? Viaggiare, conoscere, esserci! Partner della 957esima edizione Meeting di Altissimo Ceto Ristorante Vecchia Malcesine 37018 Malcesine (VR) Via Pisort, 6 Tel. (+39)?045 7400469 Chiuso?mercoled? E-mail:?info@vecchiamalcesine.com Sito internet:?www.vecchiamalcesine.com I prossimi meeting di?Altissimo Ceto: www.altissimoceto.it/meeting-eventi/ Essere un nostro?associato?significa ricevere?inviti personali?per oltre?100 eventi?(annuali) imperdibili che organizziamo per i?nostri soci,?un ricco calendario di?eventi?settimanali (aperitivi, pranzi, cene, serate mixology, degustazioni di grandi vini e di cibi rari e preziosi)?privati ed esclusivi (Roadshow of Excellence Tour), tappe ufficiali che in Italia ogni anno vengono ospitate dalla migliore selezione di tutti i 11?tre stelle, dei 37?due stelle?e da una buona parte dei?323 ristoranti stellati Michelin, oltre che da una attenta selezione di?Hotel 5 * stelle, SPA resort e relais?selezionati tra i pi? prestigiosi e rappresentativi. Breaking News ? Eventi Enogastronomici esclusivi. (Media Partner) Sponsored By?Amici Gourmet???Network esclusivo di appassionati Gourmet. L'articolo 957mo Meeting VG @ Ristorante La Vecchia Malcesine – Malcesine (VR) – Chef Leandro Luppi proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/18/2021, 15:33]	963mo Meeting VG @ La Peca ? Lonigo (VI) ? Chef Nicola Portinari , Maitre Pierluigi Portinari

La Peca e? uno di quei ristoranti che dovrebbe avere tre stelle Michelin per l?incredibile cucina, l?impeccabile servizio, per l?ampia e interessante cantina, ma anche per quella calda umanita?, la professionalita?, l?attenzione maniacale ad ogni piccolo aspetto dall?accoglienza al congedo. In fondo, se ci penso bene, io non sono mai andato al ristorante per mangiare, ma per stare bene da solo o in compagnia, in primis andare in un luogo dove so che staro? bene e ricevero? sensazioni, emozioni ed energie positive che mi permetteranno di ricaricarmi, di rinfrancarmi ed affrontare la mia vita di tutti i giorni. Gia? ecco cosa ci manca… Viva la Peca! Archivio storico reportage: ->?Reportage del 24 febbraio 2007 ->?Meeting del 15 ottobre 2009 ->?Reportage del 23 marzo 2012 ->?Meeting del 9 maggio 2012 ->?Meeting del 13 aprile 2013 ->?Meeting del 26 aprile 2014 ->?Meeting del 23 maggio 2015 ->?Meeting del 23 luglio 2016 ->?Meeting del 22 luglio 2017 ->?Meeting del 29 Settembre 2018 -> Meeting del 1 Novembre 2019 La squadra Lo staff di cucina Chef/patron: Nicola Portinari Sous chef: Marco Faedo Pastry chef: Martina Gaspari Chef de partie ai primi: Daniel Prantil, Riccardo Bazzo Chef de partie agli antipasti: Marco Faedo, Fabio Pellizzaro Chef de partie ai secondi: Nicol? Pometti, Alex Comparin Lo staff di sala Patron di sala e pasticceria: Pierluigi Portinari Ma?tre e ideatrice centri tavola: Cinzia Boggian Sommelier: Matteo Bressan Chef de rang: Davide Zappini La sala. Il tavolo Amici Gourmet. Il nostro men? personalizzato. Abbinamento Vini Nei meeting utilizziamo i vini messi a disposizione dai nostri Partner. Aperitivo! Iniziamo con Franciacorta Dosaggio Z?ro DOCG ?Vintage Collection? 2014 Magnum – Ca? del Bosco Stuzzichini dalla cucina: cracker di topinambur e mirtilli fermentati, tacos di lenticchie, datterino ripieno e fritto. Tipologia di pane:?lievito madre; sfogliatine di mais tastato; grissini di semola rimacinata. In accompagnamento, crema di caprino alla maggiorana. Il mondo vegetale pu? sembrare animale? Shabu-shabu di ombrina dry-age con pomodoro e fichi. Cappuccio, uova, succo e bottarga di faraona. Spaghettoni con crema di cipolla, triglie e caviale. Preparazione in sala… VG e lo chef presentano il piatto servito in pentola d?oro Agnelli. ?Pecatelli? alla Chioggiotta. Per il prossimo abbinamento un calice di Barbaresco DOCG Camp Gros Martinenga 2007 – Tenute Cisa Asinari di Gr?sy Rosso granato intenso, con riflessi aranciati. Al naso intense note di viola e petali di rosa,?sentori di confettura, fieno di montagna e sfumature di tabacco dolce e liquerizia. Dal gusto avvolgente, pieno, armonico e vellutato,?rivela intense note balsamiche e una lunga persistenza gusto-olfattiva. In abbinamento con ravioli con bouillabaisse e crema di melanzane. Risotto fieno e bosco. Anguilla in forno di braci, salsa teriyaki e daikon piccante. Agnellone nel suo habitat in tre varianti, t? al gelsomino. Ed ora un dolce Moscato d’Asti DOCG “Sant’Ilario” – Ca’ d’Gal Dessert! Pesca, mandorlato ed erbe aromatiche. Fichi, ribes selvatici, uva fragola, namelaka, meringa al tannino. Yogurt e fragole. Coccole finali: macaron con ciliegia e frutto della passione, zaleti, quadrati di cioccolato bianco con riso soffiato e frutti di bosco disidratati, muffin di cioccolato, biscotti al pistacchio. Un grande GRAZIE a tutti! Per la prossima tappa aspettiamo anche te! Consulta il calendario eventi?qui?e iscriviti! Viaggiatore Gourmet ? Viaggiare, conoscere, esserci! Partner della 963esima edizione Meeting di Altissimo Ceto Ristorante La Peca 36045 Lonigo (VI) Via Giovanelli, 2 Tel. (+39) 0444 830214 Chiuso domenica e luned? E-mail:?info@lapeca.it Sito internet:?www.lapeca.it I prossimi meeting di?Altissimo Ceto: www.altissimoceto.it/meeting-eventi/ Essere un nostro?associato?significa ricevere?inviti personali?per oltre?100 eventi?(annuali) imperdibili che organizziamo per i?nostri soci,?un ricco calendario di?eventi?settimanali (aperitivi, pranzi, cene, serate mixology, degustazioni di grandi vini e di cibi rari e preziosi)?privati ed esclusivi (Roadshow of Excellence Tour), tappe ufficiali che in Italia ogni anno vengono ospitate dalla migliore selezione di tutti i?11?tre stelle, dei?37?due stelle?e da una buona parte dei?323 ristoranti stellati Michelin, oltre che da una attenta selezione di?Hotel 5 * stelle, SPA resort e relais?selezionati tra i pi? prestigiosi e rappresentativi. Breaking News ? Eventi Enogastronomici esclusivi. (Media Partner) Sponsored By?Amici Gourmet???Network esclusivo di appassionati Gourmet. L'articolo 963mo Meeting VG @ La Peca – Lonigo (VI) – Chef Nicola Portinari , Maitre Pierluigi Portinari proviene da ViaggiatoreGourmet alias AltissimoCeto!.
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[01/17/2021, 14:54]	What Miles Davis and John Coltrane taught me about wine

Lately, I?ve been organizing my musical recordings. I?m a big jazz fan. Somewhere along the line, during college, while I loved to listen to rock, especially the San Francisco style in the 1970?s, I veered over to jazz. There was a great FM radio station in Los Gatos, California, KTAO. But even before that, I was interested. I remember going to a Miles Davis concert in1967 at UCLA. It was his quintet, with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams and Wayne Shorter. Miles didn?t allow any photography, we had to take our cameras back to the car. But the music was brilliant. Living in California after college, I got into all kinds of jazz. John Coltrane, what?s not to love? So, when I got a Miles/Coltrane CD for Christmas, I was really excited. And then I got to listening to the music. It was from the final tour in 1960. But it sounded different than the music I?d grown accustomed to hearing from those two jazz giants. It was vaguely familiar, but they were experimenting, taking the sounds out to a more intellectual ledge. It got me thinking about wine styles of late. There are many reasons to enjoy wine. I?ll admit that my main reason is for taste. And with that taste, I enjoy wines that convey a sense of deliciousness to me. Everyone has different inflection points in that regard. But I look for a good healthy dose of fruit. I enjoy acidity, in check, not overblown. I can deal with tannins, if they are part of the structure of the wine. And dryness, depending on the kind of wine it is. Lastly, balance. Without that, I find it hard to finish a glass, let alone a bottle. Again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Last month I opened up a bottle of Vitovska from Friuli. I?ve enjoyed wine from this grape since I first encountered it 10 years ago. Nice acidity. Good fruit, and often well balanced. There are producers who take the grape down a naturalistic path, which is popular among fledgling enophiles. And I?ve had ones I enjoyed, all the way to the edge with the orange wines. This one I had, over the holidays, was from that camp. In its appearance, it was caliginous. I took a sip. It was like sipping on a just struck match. Hot and adamantine. I set is aside, for it just wasn?t the right wine to go with the food we were having that night. I was disappointed, but know sometimes wines, when they are first opened, are sometimes reluctant to go out into the world. Cutting the umbilical on this one just wasn?t going to happen. It would have to fall off on its own, in its own time. I?d come back to it in a day or so. It happened with the music of Miles and Coltrane, with that compilation I got for Christmas. I could recognize some of the classic tunes, but I couldn?t quite decipher their meaning. And it was like that with the Vitovska, too. I relate this experience because there has been this movement, or a trend, to take a position on wine, and winemaking, by many of us who have never made wine. But we?re experts, influencers, and our opinion matters, so we say to ourselves. But I just cannot burrow down into that polemic rabbit hole. Something, call it an aesthetic constraint, draws me back to my initial notion of what a wine should taste like, and what music to my ears should sound like. I can appreciate the effort. But sometimes, I just can?t go there. Or, I just don?t want to go there. I want to listen to Miles Davis and John Coltrane play the music that drew me to jazz, which I still love. And I wanted that Vitovska to match up with the Frico, not be a freaking antagonist. So, I put another record on the turntable. And I open another bottle of wine. And I search for beauty and balance and that ambrosial moment. It?s not an argument. It?s a longing, a pursuit. Just like Coltrane looking for that note that will transform an intonation into the call of a thousand cranes. That said, I have and will follow Miles and Coltrane down a musical rabbit hole from an intellectual point of view. And I will try any and every kind of wine out there. And I will not relent from seeking out what it is that calls me to music and wine. And for that I have to thank Miles and ?Trane and all my winemaker friends who have made my exploration into wine (and music) so much more meaningful and compelling. written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W
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[01/10/2021, 18:24]	The Epiphany (and the room where it happened)

Once, on a fast run up the autostrada from Ancona to Verona, an old friend and I were talking about epiphanies. He?d had many in his life and had distilled it down to its essence. ?It?s a bolt of lightning - Il Fulmine.? I?ve thought about those moments lately, as it seems we?ve been having more than our share of ?Il Fulmine? in today?s world. And as we sail through time, many of us have those moments when our purpose is distilled in a flash, and everything is bright and clear, if only for that moment. It?s much like a photograph. 1/100^th of a second. And then something else. Not gone, but no longer there with the energy and the force it initially struck with. I guess you could say it?s a bit like those times when you are intimate with someone and for a moment everything disappears and there is only light and passion, and emotion and energy. And while it wasn?t quite that dramatic when it happened, looking back on that day, I realize I was then bound to wine, it made an indelible impression. Let me tell you about it. It was harvest time, 1977, in the hills of Calabria, between Cosenza and the Tyrrhenian Sea. I was with my young, new family, traveling around Italy and Greece. We?d made it to Calabria and had found my mother?s family on her mother?s side. We were staying with them, getting to know them, and them, us. They were people of the land, working it, clinging to their little side of the hill and pulling out whatever they could to provide sustenance. It was right up our alley, as back in California, where we lived, we?d made the attempt to live simply. We were young and poor. The economy was faltering. And there was a movement to go back to the land. I saw that my relatives were living that life, not dreaming about it. Perhaps they were wishing for a more glorious life. But they had the basics of life. And with that they had fresh air, clean water and a place to live that was unencumbered with the useless detritus of civilization. And, they could see the stars at night. One of those nights, after dinner, my cousin invited me down to the cellar. ?We have a little work to do,? he said, ?Vieni qua.? I followed. As we ventured into the dim subterrane, several of his other relatives and friends, all elder men, joined us. I thought of the sweat lodge ceremonies a Native American friend once told me about, and wondered if this was going to be something akin, ala Italiana. Indeed, there was a prescience to that feeling, but one that would not materialize for years and miles. In the corner of the room the new wine was gurgling. In another niche, an ancient hutch held bottles of all kinds and sizes, filled with older wine. A solitary, bald lamp hung above, illuminating the cold, damp room. I was almost expecting flames to appear above our heads, the stage was set for the possibility of a portentous juncture. I didn?t know what to expect. But, as with anything unforeseen, one can evade it or one can embrace it. I was all in, regardless. When one falls in love, it does unpredictable things to the world around and inside of one. Time stops, then times speeds up. Then time disappears, along with space. Butterflies appear, amidst a cosmic storm of unheralded expectations. It?s a giant swirl of emotion coupled with a visceral grip that feels like a roller coaster gone off its tracks. It?s exhausting and exhilarating. Have you ever been in a dream where some thing had you in its grip and wouldn?t let you go? It can be frightening if you tense up and fight it. It?s like being in a wave that has just pounded you. But, if you just relax and let go, eventually the waves subside and you pop up above the foam, just in time to grab a much needed breath of air. Free, and still very much alive. As it happened, a simpler scenario played out. It seemed that the new wine needed to be bottled and the old wine in the bottles was taking up room. A fitting metaphor for life if I ever heard one. And one that shadows us all on the wine trail. The grapes were ancient ones, with names like Greco and Moscato and Calabrese. The aromas were as seductive as the Sirens from the islands in that nearby western sea. The musty, ebullient sapidity of the older wines, released from their urns, stirred all who sat at that wobbly table, both veterans and inductee. So, we went about the business of emptying the bottles, one by one until the wee hours of the morning. I swear my Italian was never better in those moments. I was being initiated into the mysteries of Bacchus. Little did I know this ceremony would portend a life, and a livelihood, that I didn?t know was stalking me. I?ve often spoken of being a slave to the wine gods. This was the moment I was conscripted into that legion. Later that day, after much needed rest (and coffee) it dawned on me that I had witnessed something momentous, but I didn?t know exactly what. It would only be years later, many years, that the meaning of those hours in the room where it happened would shine a light upon the path that I had tread all these years. It was the epiphany, that bolt - Il Fulmine - that provided me with a purpose. And it unfurled among the humblest of places, with family and friends. written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W
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[01/03/2021, 17:00]	How Italian wine will thrive in the 21st century

Transformational over Transactional Something I am detecting, acutely, in these early days of 2021, are the relationships that were shaped while working in the wine trade. How many times did I sit at someone?s mother (or grandmother) table enjoying a home-cooked meal while tasting the wines they also made? What did they get out of it? Another meal for a bunch of American wine buyers. Another lost night. More free wine consumed, eating into the margins. It?s something I ask a lot. Then, maybe it was because they knew I had buying power. But not now. I?m done with that. So, why, if at all, do some of those folks still stay in touch? I?ll go you one even better. How many times did I send a consumer to a winery in Italy for a visit and those folks at the winery rolled out the red carpet? I mean wine, dinner, maybe even a place to sleep. And for what? Maybe a couple of cases in someone?s cellar, at best? There has to be more to it than a mere transactional sentiment. It doesn?t make any sense to spend time and money and labor and all that only for a couple of cases of wine. I say this not because I am cynical of my Italian winery friends motivation. No, I really think many of my Italian friends in the wine trade in Italy aren?t thinking about the transaction as much as the need to transform the hearts and minds of Americans (and other nationalities too). It wasn?t that long ago that they (we) had to spend an inordinate amount of time apologizing for the wine we made (or sold) because they (we) felt it might not be rising to the standards set by our French cousins. I know, that seems like a lifetime ago. But the need to please can often outweigh rational and proper business practices. In other words, transformational relationships surpass the merely transactional ones, over time. And that is so funny right now, to me, because I have been examining my old wine trade relationships and have found too many of them were merely (to them it seems) the price of doing business. The newly landed wine blogger who didn?t know anybody, who was short of cachet and needed a little support, emotionally (and maybe even financially). The executive who was trying to make inroads into the greater world of Italian wine and wanted to tag along to make some of my relationships also theirs too. The wine buyer, the sommelier, the list goes on. Sadly, those folks, in the post-Covid world of stark, brutal reality, have fallen by the wayside. The friendships have dissolved, gone. Sad. But, in the transactional world, one knows that nothing is forever. You get a great by-the-glass placement that?s making everybody a bunch of money, and the competition takes the wine buyer to a strip club and gets him a lap dance, and badda-bing, you lose the placement. The wine buyer got a better deal. It was just another transaction. Not even a good business decision, by the way. So, back to the Italians who have made transformative relationships more important than their business transactions. An example. There is a wine producer in Piedmont, and I will not use his name, because the person is a very humble person who would be embarrassed by the story I am about to tell you. But for years this person has had me in their home, taken me to dinner, spent time with me, both in Italy in in my own home. We?ve become friends. Yes, for a short while we did a little business together but the importer changed and it became almost impossible to do business in the future. But always at Vinitaly there was a moment to have an espresso, talk about books, ideas, or the blue sky, even though this person never made a bloody red cent off of me or my influence. I felt guilty, for sure. I always wanted to do something, something more. But the stars never aligned. But I also realized that both of us are doing fine in the world. Why couldn?t it be more than a transaction, a real relationship, a friendship? And that was really what it was and is. [I know, not a tasting note in sight. Alfonso walking the plank with another one of his cockamamie ideas.] We?ve all had a lot of time to think. We?ve shed a lot of things. Some of us have died. I?ve given away books, clothes, tools, music, money, and yes, stepped away from people I thought were my friends, but for some reason or another are no longer. We?ve all sacrificed something in this past year. But my friend in Piedmont, is still my friend. I drink his product at home from time to time. I think warmly of him, and he isn?t the only one. There are scores of people in Italy whom I think about in that regards, even though they have nothing ? I repeat ? NOTHING ? to gain from my present position. This is the golden nugget that makes Italy and her people and her wine so indisputably ascendant. Because these people know something about the value of real relationships, they are and will continue to succeed even in these trying times. And you know what? I?m going to be there with them, raising glass after glass for them, and with them, because that?s how you succeed in the wine business. When you give it all your heart, and then some. Happier new year, y?all! written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W
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[12/28/2020, 22:21]	Happy Birthday to the Dinosaur ~ On the Wine Trail in Italy Turns 15

If only this blog were a young girl who was turning into a woman. It would surely be more apt for these times. But a quincea?era it is not going to be for this old dinosaur of a blog, on the wine trail in Italy. Fifteen years in most cases is a relatively young age. But for a wine blog? It?s ancient. Some would say pass?. Lord knows, I?ve tried a lot of different things to keep it upright and sailing right along. But It is work. No doubt about it. Although it is also a labor of love. Don?t get me wrong, I?m not quitting or hanging it up. Not yet. I still have things to say, and if there are people who still want to read what an elderly white male who came from the wine trade has to say, I?ll forge on. But there is a life to everything, whether it is a bottle of wine, a human life or a relatively insignificant wine blog. All this to say, I?m glad to have made it this far. And grateful to the impressive volume of readers who come to this site once a week for my essays. But blogging, and wine blogging in general is in a bit of a slump. Maybe we?ve all said everything there is to say. I know some folks have just stopped, while others have morphed into a pay-to-play newsletter format. Some have gone on to work in journalism, while others, some, have passed away, or just faded away. Nothing is forever. What still gets me excited about my ?Sunday sermons?? Well, there is no lack of drama or change in the world of wine. And as I?m, more or less, specialized on this blog in Italian wine and culture, for sure there is plenty to write about. But, that said, I?ve pivoted from the newsy and gossipy to what most people perceive to be a bit more esoteric of paths. And there is more than one path. I?ve been experimenting with this blog in those areas, for those who have been following. I love science fiction. In fact, I love stories. And I don?t think they always need to be the hard factual stories a journalist cuts their teeth on (I have my wine column in the Dallas paper for that). I?ve probably written this a time or two on these posts, but one time when I was sitting there having a bottle of wine with Eric Asimov, he asked me ?What is it you?d really like to write about?? I cannot believe I spontaneously answered to him, ?Oh, I?d love to write a science fiction novel!? Yeah, I said that to the nephew of one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time, Isaac Asimov. But I did do that. And even though it was momentarily embarrassing (to me) there was more than a kernel of truth to my affliction for science fiction. And some of that has been bleeding onto these pages. Also, I?m very curious about the elasticity of time. The past. The present. The future. All that. I?ve gone into the past and interviewed winemakers and ancient souls. I?ve time traveled to the future to talk to Italians and wine makers hundreds of years from now. Why not? It is my blog, after all. And nobody is charging anyone to read. Yet. It?s fun. It allows me to press my creative juices, possibly making for a good bottle of who knows what? I?m very interested in the child inside all of us. And during my career in the wine trade, I spent a lot of time and effort trying to be a good, reliable, responsible adult. But now that activity is for the younger adults in the wine trade. My time, now, is to reconnect with ?little Al,? as my nonna called me, and see what I can come up with. Again. But writing is not at the top of my queue. Nor is wine, really. Italy still commands a lot of space in my world, real or imagined, for sure. But it?s the visual part of this world that really has me hooked. I?ve been a photographer for 55 years. That?s 80% of my life. My (analog) darkroom is fifteen steps from my (digital) office. So, there?s a reckoning coming. Everything is ready. I?ve been to Italy more times than I could remember, if I didn?t keep a spread sheet of those 59 treks back to the wellspring of so much inspiration and affection. The Italy I knew in 1971 is nothing like the Italy I hope to revisit in 2021. Think about it, a half century. Holy crap, it?s a little scary! But I like what I see, even when I close my eyes and imagine what it must be like. Thanks to films, music, friends, and any number of other connective ways, Italy stays in touch with me. And when the screens go dark, there is always the invisible, the imagination, the dreamscapes that keep sending me messages, keep staying up with those of us who are listening. While I?ve gone over my 800-word limit (again) I want to thank you for being here all these years and for commenting and reading and coming back from time to time to check in. I?m not going anywhere, yet. There still is a lot of Italy, her wine, and my real (and imagined) realms to discover. written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog +
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[12/20/2020, 15:18]	The Alacrity of Hope

?Well, this sure has been one doozie of a year.? How many times, at year's end, have you murmured that to yourself, over the past dozen or so years? Let me see, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. I could go on. 2016. 2018. And now, 2020. And yet, I remain one gullible and hopeful sonofabitch. When we taste an older wine, the year in which it was made provides a base. In that, I mean the conditions of that year offer the basic building blocks by which the grapes grew and matured and ultimately were crushed and turned into wine. But along with that comes the more intangible attributes by which we sometimes measure the quality and the impact of the wine, often from the comfort of our cr?che, in a safe place, with or without friends or loved ones. That is when the wine takes on all sorts of cockamamie facets. That is when one?s imagination may supplant the data on the fact sheets. That is when the fun begins, as we run the bus off the road. So it has been this year, drinking older wines in the (1st) year of the coronavirus. Now when I drink a 1990, I think of the run-up to the first Gulf War. Now when I drink a 2008, I think about the economic meltdown that was happening at the same time the grapes were being transmuted into wine. Now when I drink a 2016, I think about narrowly escaping death in Sicily in summertime only to face the asteroid of the fall when our world went into free-fall for many of us in the autumn. Now, intangible has been usurped by insatiable. We must run for the exits of 2020 and flee to a new year, a new order and a new hope. The alacrity of hope. It is such a personal view, wine. it really is a mirror into one?s credibility. What one says about any particular wine leaves a tell-tale stain on the holiday table cloth, often impermeable. The red wine of Ravera from 2010 lies next to the lighter, blanched stain of Vermentino from Liguria. Off to the corner a blemish from an older Vin Santo competes with the splotch from a raisin dropped while eating the panettone. Our human stains recalling the work of others, their passions, their mistakes, all laid out on the 4x8 foot table top, as if a recreation of the battle of Waterloo. But along with the carnage there is also the promise that this decimated plane will generate new life, new plans, new ambitions. And yes, more hope. I?d love to be able to tell you which Champagne you should be drinking right now. But if you?re on an oxygen machine, how could it matter to you? I?d relish showing you pictures of the opulent array of meats and cheeses, roasts and robiolas, that might adorn the table in the upcoming days. But if you?re hunkered down in your home or in an ICU, how would that benefit you? Or any of us? Not to dwell on the maudlin, but we?re not all in the same boat here. And the sea has gotten very, very choppy, of late. We are facing a slew of Viking funerals lately. From family to friends, the storm is passing by a little more closely and with renewed rigorousness. One must keep the sword of vigilance swathed within the blanket of optimism. But one must keep their eyes wide open. How will we think about the wines of 2020, those of us who will have survived, in 5, 10, 20 years? Will we forget? Will the wines be opened by souls who were not here when we went through this patch? Will any of the energy, the passion, the fear, the ongoing, the dread, be passed on to the person with the glass of wine in their hand? I don?t know. But I do know that wine is more than the sum of fruit and acid and tannin and water and everything tangible that goes into making it. There is that unseen aspect, the imaginative dollop, that makes every bottle a new and unexpected experience. And that my friends, is what I am looking forward to. And hoping like hell for. written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W
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[12/13/2020, 21:20]

5 of the greatest Italian wines (that I want to drink in 2021)

? It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ?

When one is marooned on an island, you have a lot of time to think and imagine all kinds of future scenarios. One of my favorite things, vinously speaking, is to look at wines that have aged for a decade or multiples of a decade. In 2021, that would mean 2001,1991,1981,1971,1961 and so on. It provides a neat measure to time with regards to how these little living things inside (and outside) the bottle are doing.

Another aspect to this exercise is also to use those years as a personal reference. Maybe you were born that year, or married, or a child was born, or someone died. Anything that would be considered a particular landmark in time. It gives context beyond just the wine and the score it received.

I have had every one of these wines before, and while they are considered iconic wines, especially in regards to the prestige they proffer to the greater world of wine, they also imprinted my sensibilities towards an unabashed conviction that Italian wines are as good as any (e.g., French) wines in the world. It was not the case when I started out. In fact, I spent much of my early career expending my most persuasive capabilities in an effort to dispel the myth that Italian wines were somehow inferior to other wines. Now, not so much, as Italian wines are finally the darlings of the sommelier and collector universe. The mill of God grinds slow but exceedingly fine.

Photo from Fine Wine Geek

First up would be the Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Barolo Riserva. I seldom get to try this wine anymore, since it has become part of the club that wines like Jayer, Gaja and DRC belong to. Inotherwords, untouchable by mere mortals. You have to be a corporate finance mogul in Singapore or Frankfurt, where $1,000 to them is like $10 to us dirt-treaders. But, once upon a time (when I was younger and poorer) I experienced Monfortino at least once a year. So, I have cherished memories of the wine, and have written about it on this site over the years. Like the man on death row who is going to be executed in the morning, who is granted the wish for his last meal, I?d like just one more time, to drink a Monfortino.

This is not to say that there aren?t other wines just as worthy from the Barolo world. There are many, and I have some to drink in my little wine closet. But Monfortino has a special place in my heart, not because some critic has lauded it but because of our relationship to each other. It was one of the first Italian wines that knocked me out in less than 3 minutes. Gorgeous, and so extraordinary. I can still remember that first time. It must be love.

Year to drink in 2021: 1961

Photo from Fine Wine Geek

My next pick would be the Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Speciale Santo Stefano.

An old friend in Fort Worth, Texas, an Italian chef, had a thing for this wine. He also had a thing for buying them real cheap on closeout from unsuspecting wholesalers who didn?t know what they had. So, he amassed a cache of these wines from the ?60?s and ?70?s. Every Tuesday he?d make a lunch for the local wine salespeople and we?d occasionally drink one of them. Then I?d stumble back to Dallas, fully caffeinated and exhilarated by the length and depth of this wine.

Eventually I came to represent the winery on several occasions, and was able to go to the winery a time or two and become fully baptized in the world of Bruno Giacosa. These are wines that we most likely will never see again, for a number of reasons. Bruno is gone, for one, and that kind of sourcing is near impossible to manage in this period when the property values are so high. So, we move forward, leaving a little of our soul behind. Sure, one can still find the wines in collections and on auction (I?m sure there?s a Rudy K wannabe willing to grant you whatever wish you desire in regards to Giacosa). I?ve had my day with these wines, I?m happy to have had the opportunity to be alive and enjoy Barbaresco from a master.

But, if we ever get out of this place and in 2021 there is an opportunity to drink one more Barbaresco from Bruno Giacosa, I?d like it to be a Riserva Speciale Santo Stefano.

Year to drink in 2021: 1971

Leaving the Langhe, let?s dart on down to Abruzzo where my next choice would be the Azienda Agricola Valentini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. I have a deep and profound love from the wines of Abruzzo. I was weaned on them early on in my career, and my wine closet has a chunk of these wines, some in large format bottles, going back to the ?70?s. I am hesitant to part with them or drink them, because when I do, it?s like letting go of a part of the young me. And even though when I look in the mirror, I no longer see a young me, one sometimes still has an attachment to things that one was attached to in earlier years. One of my most favorite memories was drinking Valentini wines at Villa Majella and eating the food from chefs Angela Di Crescenzo and Peppino Tinari. Talk about coals in Newcastle, that was a night! And Valentini flowed freely that night, from the olive oil (yes!) to the whites, the rosato and the red. I?m not one for trophy hunting, but that was a memorable night. And I?d like one more night to be able to drink a Valentini Montepulciano, from another master, Edoardo. He made the wine I want to drink. In fact, so far, all the wines I want to drink have been made by people no longer with us. I wonder what that says about me?

Year to drink in 2021: 1981

And on to Tuscany for the final two. First stop Gianfranco Soldera and his Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.

Again, you?d have to be a hedge fund manager to be able to afford this wine on a regular basis. But I didn?t think that was the initial intention of the winemaker. I came late to this winery, it was 2005. But everything I put in my mouth from the winery has been nothing short of illuminating. Can wine really move the soul? I don?t know. Looking at it here, on the screen, that seems a little silly. But I do know that whatever this life is that we are in, one of the great pleasures is food and wine. And a wine like that, while it may or may not move mountains, I?d surely sign up one more time to check and see if my inner Richter Scale registers any displacement within. I?d reckon more like a hum, maybe even a purr. What a weird confluence of things, Soldera Brunello and the inner purrings of a wine lover. But there you have it, that?s what wine does to some people. I?d like just one more goblet, please.

Year to drink in 2021: 1991

And off to the coast for the outlier. I know to some it might seem a bit jejuneto offer up this wine, the Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri. But we go way back, all the way to 1968. Well, the wine at least. I remember selling the wine, always as a grey market offering, in the mid 1980?s. And at the time I was offered a stash of Sassicaia from that legendary year. I sold it, bought it back, resold it again (for $300), and along the way had a bottle or two. After all, I was selling it for something like $28.00 wholesale, initially. So, it was affordable.

I eventually was able to amass a small cache of various vintages from 1979 to 2015, purely for reference, of course. I like the wine, most of the time. But what I really like about it is the story, which is emblematic of the Italian spirit. And that is, don?t rest on what it is everyone thinks you?re good at. Break the rules once in awhile, open the gates and let the mind roam into places not thought of. Really? All of that from an Italian Cabernet? Well, to me at least. Yes, it?s now basically unaffordable to most people, so now it?s not the rebel we once knew it to be. But hey, "play Misty for me" one more time. And I?d like it to be about the same age as the ?68 was when I first drank it, at about 20 years. Just for old time?s sake.

Year to drink in 2021: 2001

Famous last words

There you have it, my ?list? for the holiday season and 2021. Next year is going to be a big one for me, so I?d like to add one more wine. I?ve had one from my birth year, and it was lovely. But I also spied one in the cellar at Pio Cesare (looking like a cast-off Molotov cocktail), and I?d sure like to add it as a coda to the aforementioned wines. So, while we?re making up things to believe in in 2021, let?s throw another wine in the mix and that would be Pio Cesare?s 1951 Barolo ? just for shits and giggles.

Ok, drop the curtains now?

written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy

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[12/06/2020, 17:59]	The current state of Italian wine in the world

I remember as a kid, going to a birthday party. I was living in the desert of Southern California, Palm Springs. And the parents of the birthday child were proud Mexican-Americans. The food was great (they had a fabulous restaurant), the music was cheerful, it was a fun, fun party. And to top it off, after the birthday girl opened all her presents, we all took a swing at a stuffed pi?ata shaped like a donkey. When all the kids took their swing, the poor creature finally burst opened and all manner of shiny and sweet things flew about the field and we all scrambled for the treasures. I don?t know why, but that memory reminds me of 2020 and Italian wine. Over the past year, many of us have had to look at Italian wines from a distance. Save for the few brave (or foolish) souls who ventured from America to Italy, or those who were already ensconced on the peninsula, we all have had our bottles, our pictures, our memories and our longings. And how has that worked out, you might ask? For myself, I see it as a reset. I have looked long and hard at what Italian wines I have gathered, which account for 75% of what sit in that cold, dark closet, awaiting their release or their rendering. Most of them are well, but ready anytime from now until the next 20 or so years. I guess one could say I?ve created my own little Italian wine oasis on this island, these islands, we all call home during this dilemma. Yes, I have scores of pictures and films and music and all the necessary hooks to catch my attention, to not let it sway too far from the heart, this love for Italy, her wine, her food, her art, her culture. Meanwhile, back in Italy, though, nothing stands still. The grapes still grow, as do the inventories. The wine has got to go somewhere, even if we won?t be opening them up in front of a fantastic vista overlooking the Roero or the Arno. ?All travel is circular... After all, the grand tour is just the inspired man's way of heading home.? ? Paul Theroux It seemed that, for many of us, the ease and relative affordability of air travel conferred a right that one might have taken to be immutable. An obscure virus from the Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China changed all that. The forces of destiny shattered the pandemic pi?ata and spilled the virus to all corners of the field, this time the whole earth, and many of us took up the bounty with ensuing consequences. Still, many of us wax and wane (and whine) about what we?ve lost. If you?re reading this you haven?t lost the ultimate gift, that of life. Yes, you cannot go to your favorite trattoria in Rome and drink that amazing bottle of wine with your pasta alla Amatriciana. For now. Not forever. But the winemakers and the wineries and the works in those ventures, the lab technicians, the gardeners, the pruners, the cellar rats, the marketing pros (the ones who stand all day long, every day, behind the counter at Vinitaly and Prowein, and explain for the umpteenth time, their wine), and on and on. Thousands, hundreds of thousands of souls who rely on the orderly transition of the grape harvest from year to year, into the bottle, into the glass, moving, always moving. Not a circular grand tour, as Paul Theroux waxes elegiacally. And those souls also have to fend off the Corona pinata prizes that scatter across their world. They are not thinking about going skiing this month to Cortina d'Ampezzo or Courmayeur. No one is booking flights to Phuket Island or Tahiti, or if they are, they sure as hell shouldn?t be. So, all this to say, what? You?ve walked us out to the end of the plank, now what are you, what are we going to do? In reality, who knows. But with what I have to work with, right here and right now, in the present moment, here is what I propose: Keep drinking and enjoying Italian wine, or wine, in general. Enjoy it with your family, or your pod, for the time being. Try not to think about the way things used to be. They were only that for a moment. And now they are something else. Deal with being in the present moment. Drink up some of the old and rare bottles, for no reason other than you have made it through alive so far. Who knows about tomorrow? No one does. Plan? Yes plan, but don?t lose sight of today for a tomorrow that really is indeterminable. Work with what you?re given. Find new ways to connect with Italy and Italian wine. Read books, like the recent one by Ian D?Agata, Italy?s Native Wine Grape Terroirs, or his classic, Native Wine Grapes of Italy. Or a harder to get one, like The Modern History of Italian Wine, edited by Walter Filiputti. Watch movies. Italian movies. Old neorealism one or newer ones from the likes of Paolo Sorrentino, Edoardo Ponti, Alice Rohrwacher or Laura Bispuri. Write to your friends in Italy. Letters, not emails. Not just zoom calls. Not just WhatsApp conversations. Write a letter and see how long it takes to get there. Those kinds of things received these days are precious, pre-pandemic gifts from the soul. Don?t just expect to receive. Give. Whether it is olive oil or Pelaverga, mineral water or pasta, embrace all that Italy is sending to you through this time. Yes, we can?t be there, most of us, but there is not the plane that can take your spirit to the place that your spirit cannot already get there on its own. Look up, move forward, don?t look back. And keep swinging. written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W
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[11/29/2020, 19:03]	Everyday Italian Wines for Everyday People in Extraordinary Times

For some, this is a way with a deep-seated furrow. The road often taken. The commonplace. The not-so-out-of-the-ordinary. But predictable? Not necessarily so. Wine is a living, breathing, evolving thing. And with that, even an ordinary wine can act extraordinary in these unprecedented times. That was how I started out with this odd holiday, Thanksgiving. Like Columbus Day, Thanksgiving has come under fire by some who see it as having racist origins, representing a celebration of the conquest of Native Americans. I get that. I also know we, as a country, need something to unify us in this time of discord. I don?t think cooking a bird or smoking a ham will save us, I?m not that na?ve. But I do see people finding ways to make moments for peace and serenity. And if celebrating Thanksgiving in the old way that the story was told to us is behind the times, can we not shift from that to a less highly charged observance? We cannot go back and undo what the Anglo-western world did to the indigenous souls here in America. But we can recast the day with thoughts of gratitude and clarity. No, we Americans aren?t the greatest nation the world has ever seen. We aren?t even handling something like this pandemic as well as many other nations on the planet. We have failed miserably. But we cannot shirk away and pretend that all that came before didn?t. We must admit, even concede, that we are not great again, and we must start over again, with the hindsight that we didn?t do it right, all these years. We must change now. And what does that have to do with wine? Well, this is, sometimes, a wine blog. And over the last few days, many of us have been hunkering down and eating foods that provide comfort, maybe even solace, away from our families and normalcy and the world we once lived in, which is no longer. I often come back to one word ? resilience ? to chart my course in rough seas. It has worked many times. And now it is a big part of what I believe will get many of us through this cultural dust storm, which has blinded so many from seeing the simple truth. And now, on to food and wine. This is where it gets tricky. Why? I know well enough that there are scores of sites with wine notes. People attempting to talk about this wine or that wine, with superlatives and adjectives and a laundry list of attributes that we?re all supposed to understand, nod our heads in agreement, and rush to the store, or our online merchant, and order up. Those notes are really more for the individual writing them, a journal of sorts, of their perceptions and observations about a particular wine. I get little or nothing from them when I read them, and there is no reason to think if I were to continue with that kind of exercise here, that any of you would really get to ?know? a wine with my words. But two wines in the past week have given me pause to think more about them and their context in my life. They were accompanied by food, and they caused me to consider how ordinary wines might become extraordinary, when the times are out of the ordinary. The first, a 2011 Abbazia di Novacella Gew?rztraminer. My son, on Thanksgiving Day, came over early and took the helm of the HastyBake to smoke a turkey breast. He asked me if I had any Gew?rztraminer on hand, as it was a wine that he had cherished memories of. I pulled out an older one, from 2011, and we chilled it up. I noticed two things about the wine right off. It was too cold, and the flavors were closed in. So, we let it warm up and breathe. Now, I?m a fan of Abbazia di Novacella. I love their Kerner and their Sylvaner. During a visit to the winery, probably ten years ago, I marveled at the amazing repository of knowledge their library held. It is on the Via Imperii and was one of the stops along the way for religious pilgrims on their spiritual path to Rome. One of the oldest wineries in Italy, it oozes history. One can spend a moment in the chapel or the library, for reflection, meditation and the hope of clarity. The wine wasn?t oozing with spice as Gewurztraminer is often cast. It was more like a pulse, a heartbeat. I watched and listened and sipped this wine over several days. At nine years old, a white wine, and an ordinary wine at that, it was full of life and balance and even pleasure. It doesn?t qualify as a vino da meditazione by the usual parameters one expects of such a wine, but it nonetheless ignited a moment of contemplation. The wine was so pure, so clear, so focused and clean and balanced, and it matched well with the smoked turkey my son labored over for hours. In one word? A joy. Over this time, I had harvested the last of the eggplant from the garden. Those scraggly, twisted weather-beaten aubergines would be a challenge when making the Parmigiana. It would be a rustic version. I am already predisposed to a grittier version of the dish, as my cousin In Calabria taught me. And this time, the Parmigiana was coming together like a nest of hornets. If it was music, it was Bartok and his peasant singers, not Leonard Bernstein and his West Side street gangs dancing till their last breaths. A funny way to look at food? Maybe. But everything?s a little funny right now, isn?t it? So, why not? For the wine I wanted something red and not too old or important. I chose a 2014 Barbera d?Alba ?Il Cerreto? from RobertoVoerzio. Not the cheapest Barbera by a longshot, but probably one of Voerzio?s more affordable wines. I was in the mood for a Barbera with a Parmigiana, so Voerzio?s it was. I didn?t look at the vintage when I opened it. When I cut the umbilical cord, and the wine entered into the world at 6 years of age, at first sniff and sample, I?ll admit I was a bit disappointed. I remember saying to myself, ?Why didn?t I just open a bottle of Montepulciano d?Abruzzo?? The answer to that question would have been, ?Because I didn?t have a normal, young, everyday one in sight.? So, I set the Barbera aside and proceeded to direct the oven to make a hearty, rugged crust on the top of the Parmigiana. The Parmigiana came out bubbling and frothing, sizzling and whistling. A musical Parmigiana, it was not Pavarotti. But it would dance well enough to Bartok?s Romanian polka. Meanwhile, the wine, 20 minutes later, was warming up to its new life. I was engrossed in the Parmigiana, because it was one of those times I made it and it rose above the ordinary, the just good. It was, can I say it? Yes, I can. It was perfect. It was ?last meal on earth? perfect. So, it went from an ordinary, husky dish with an everyday Barbera, to a lightning bolt moment. The wine was right there with me and my Parmigiana. It was like an octopus, a shape-shifter of a wine, in which one moment it was scratchy and tannic and fruit-laden, to the next, when it was velvety and rich to the point of plush. But there was no self-awareness imbued within the walls of that bottle. It was rocking into its life, dancing and swaying. Such a pleasure. No, I didn?t need to open a 20-year-old Brunello this night. Or grab my one of my last ancient bottles of Hermitage. The Barbera would suffice. And then some. It wasn?t meant to be a night for such an epiphany. It just happened that way. And the reason why I started on this lengthy post and this perambulation was for this: You don?t always have to grab for, or hope for, a ?great? wine. You don?t need to be jealous of your friends in New York or Singapore, when they post their umpteenth bottle of Soldera or DRC. It isn?t necessary. Sometimes the shy little one in the corner is as good of a dancer as the princess or the queen, maybe sometimes better even. It really relies upon your soul and the way you look at things, to take their gifts in. If you have an open mind and an open heart, you will be rewarded. You may not get 300 likes, but really who cares? The ?like? will come from you. And that is something no one can ?block? or take away. And that is the little secret about everyday Italian wine for everyday people. written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W
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[11/22/2020, 20:12]	Doctor Notti on Italy, wine and the intergalactic dust storm of 2016

On July 18, 2016, an intergalactic dust storm - Mendacium Collocatio ? plowed into earth, broadsiding North America. It modified the brainwaves of half the people it hit, and created synaptic disruptions in them, for which we are just beginning to understand the ramifications. It also appeared that those who were affected also acted as transmitters of turmoil, impairing about 20% of the people they came into contact with. It was during a hotly contested political campaign, and this was not noticed for what it was. It was thought at first that the activities of people were aroused due to their emotional connection to one or the other candidate. We are only learning now that was not the case. The earth had been hit with the equivalent of 15,000 kilotons of this cosmic micro dust, 10,000 times more powerful than the bomb that exploded over Hiroshima. And while the dust storm didn?t spread toxic and lethal radiation like a nuclear blast, it nonetheless caused widespread disruption. And it has been theorized that it made the human population on earth more susceptible to dormant viruses lying in wait, creating a confluence and causing a Perfect Wave scenario. The last time this planet experienced such a Perfect Wavewas 66 million years ago. What does this have to do with Italy and wine, you might ask? Nothing and everything. Intentional wine comes out of a civilized society. And a country like Italy, being civilized for a few thousand years, has not witnessed this kind of dissonance since the Inquisition. But that was a man-made occurrence. This just came out of the blue. What scientists are not sure of, is how long earth passed through that cloud. Or if we have even passed through it yet. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is moving at 1.3 million miles an hour. From July 18, 2016 till now, we have traveled over 50 billion miles. It is possible, in the infinite reaches of the universe, that such a cloud could be a big as 50 billion miles wide. The jury is still out on this, mainly because our instrumentation to measure these particles are not as sophisticated as it needs to be. And so, we surmise. We conjecture. We guess. Dr. Gia Notti, an Italian scientist and wine lover, works at the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. And on her Fyzzics blog, she has offered up some interesting ideas about this dust storm, and how it might be changing the face of not just Italian wine, but wine all over the world, and how the wine trade is being reformed because of this conflux. I was able to reach her, via Skype, and ask a few questions about this situation. She had only a few minutes, but was willing to share her speculations. The following has been edited for brevity: Q. Hello, Dr. Notti. Thank you for your time. I?ll launch right into this subject and ask you: What do you think happened? A. Hello, America. What we originally were able to determine was that this so called ?cloud? has altered the neural pathways of those whom it has affected. I?m neither a neurologist nor a psychologist by training, but my colleagues in that field back in Italy have surmised, and I agree, that the main alteration had been in a suspension of belief in the truth. Or rather, those affected are unable to tell the difference between the truth and a falsehood. Those more deeply affected, as well, have shifted to a reality that exists only inside their mind. Inotherwords, they are bereft of the sense of reality that most of us share, which allows for civilizations to grow and flourish. This is problematic in modern man, and woman, in that the basic building blocks of civility could cease to exist, causing a regression of some of the humanity on earth, mainly the poor souls in North America. Not limited to North America, even though your country took the brunt of the hit. But in time, the cloud has managed to work its way through Europe and parts of Asia, and some of the larger countries in the southern hemisphere closer to the equator. That?s the basic theory. Q. If this affects one?s sense of reality, how does that intersect with wine and the appreciation of wine? A. Ah, an interesting side bar in this time of crisis. Well, on the basis of something that requires sensory appreciation, if one is unable to live in the reality that most of us agree upon, then a sour wine, or a corked wine might seem agreeable to the affected person. It is capable of causing great disruption in your wine trade (and the world-at-large) in the foreseeable future, as we do not know if these symptoms are temporary or permanent. Or how long they will remain, past the duration of the time which we passed through the cloud. We are not sure if we have even passed through the cloud. So, there are still a lot of questions. But, one thing is for sure: everything you know about Italy, about wine and about the wine trade (my father had a vineyard in Liguria), it?s as if someone took a blackboard filled with information and wiped it clean. Q. I?ve noticed a shift here in America, more towards the younger professionals, but also more toward women and black and indigenous people of color. Is this by any chance a byproduct of this gas we?ve passed through? A. I?m not sure, and not being a sociologist, you?d have to ask someone with more expertise. I don?t think this ?sudden? shift toward a more egalitarian system, which would include women and, how do you say, BIPOC, needed a cosmic dust storm. But it might have provoked an opportunity for them to take a more ascendant role. We have run some numbers, and an unusual large percentage of people affected by the dust storm are men, and older men, and older Caucasian men. I cannot offer any conclusions from this, but it is something we are studying and following in our spare time. After all, we have another mission here and that keeps us pretty busy. Q. Last question, and then I?ll let you get back to your work. Have you, or anyone in your group following this, noticed if any of the affected, mainly those elderly Caucasian males, have been able to shake off whatever it is that is infecting their brains and their sense of reality? A. Ha! That?s a good one. And this is probably a question that goes beyond 50 billion miles and four years inside an intergalactic dust storm. For sure, the majority of these people have experienced profound neurological changes, but, and this is a big but, it could be they were the best hosts for whatever this dust storm was promoting. What we know now is this: the main result of those affected is the loss of reality and the inability to distinguish between the truth and a lie. I think that has been a problem on earth for a lot longer than four years. It may have just exacerbated an already endemic situation in these poor souls. Whatever it is, we?re going to have to figure out how to live with them, and they with us, for the duration of this storm, If we ever pull out in our lifetime, or our children?s children?s children lifetime. In the meantime, I?m drinking a bottle of Pigato from my father?s vineyard tonight, with the hope that we?ll make a turn in the universe and find ourselves out of the mess we find ourselves in. I think we all could use a drink to get through this. imagined and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W
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[11/15/2020, 18:52]

An introvert?s guide to Italy (and Italian wine) in the era of Covid-19

It?s been an incredible journey

By now, you?re pretty sick of staring at the screens. The Zoom calls, the virtual wine dinners, the Instagram Live events. You?re tired of the ?stories? that Facebook hoists on you mercilessly like robo calls from the latest MAGA-PAC. Inotherwords, you want to go back to Italy. But there are a few problems, the first not being Covid19. You?re an incurable introvert. So, what to do?

Well, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first schlep. So, let?s get a plan together, remembering the introvert part. Oh and, it?s not like any of us, in the USA, at least, can book a flight easily to Bella Italia right now.

One of the things about being in this phase of my life, this endless summer camp, amid occupation permanently adjourned, is that I can plot this out, albeit with the sand rushing a little faster down the hourglass. Nonetheless, there are opportunities to reconnect with Italy and with Italian wine, while we wait to come through whatever cloud of cosmic dust our planet, our solar system and our galaxy seems to be traversing, causing well-nigh ubiquitous bewilderment and contagion. We are marooned on this little blue-green marble as we soar through space. And while we endure this in time, there is the Italy inside of us to tap into to.

I felt this the first time I stepped onto the soil of Italy. It was as if I?d been plugged into a telluric recharge annex. Boom, a magnetic induction baptism. And it felt so good.

One can reassemble Italy without having to step on a plane. That will make it easier, and simpler for now. What we have accessible from Italy now are pictures, videos, books, music, food and wine. It?s really all in how you assemble the components.

What do you love about Italy, and her wine? Do you love sitting in a wine bar or trattoria in Rome and sipping on Frascati? What about the foods you love? Is it all about the gnocchi? Or is it a seafood from the Maremma? Do you love anything musical about Italy? Does Vivaldi make our heart flutter? Or is it Baby K? Whatevah, get your play list ready if that thing gives you juice.

Pictures, movies, videos, whether being projected out or shown within. We introverts have a pretty good inner home theatre. But if you need to throw something up on the LG - 65", so be it. There?s a great little series by Elena Ferrante, My Brilliant Friend. It transports me to the outskirts of Naples, just as I did the first time on my own in 1971. A website like Italian Cinema Today is a goldmine of resource for all things Italian.

Maybe you?re a hybrid introvert, or someone who had to be in sales to survive, and tamped your introvert down from time to time, when in the outside world, to get through the work week. I feel ya. Had to do that too. The extroverts had it so much easier before Covid-19. Now it?s the introverts world. This is doable.

Let?s assume not everyone has spent years collecting Italian wine, and you have to go out into the world and seek some. It?s never been easier, although there are some folks out there who will complain it needs to be less ridiculously hard like it has been, thanks to the 3-tier system. I say this: Do you want to get your Italian wine drink on? Then you will find a way, the politics and power grid notwithstanding. You can change the world when you get vaccinated. Or not. Feel free to burn everything down right now. That seems to be one of the prevalent political prerogatives of late.

One thing I learned about sales, which I was reluctantly led into, was that the end goal was to find a way to make the sale. I added ?and make sure everybody is happy.? Part of my caregiving mantra. It worked out OK for me. But we?re talking about YOU getting a cache of Italian wines that you can utilize to access that life, that world, that feeling, the one you so long for, of your Paradise lost. This can help.

My neighborhood store (not my car)

If you don?t have a great little Italian wine store nearby, or a wine shop that is par excellence, then you have online options. There are a lot of deals right now. Look into this. But these are the mechanicals. I?m talking about tapping into something deeper, more ephemeral.

This has been a thread of this blog ever since I started it 15 years ago. Accessing the real Italy, the one the tourists never see, really don?t want to. Because it?s a little more work than taking a flight to Rome, reading some Travel Advisor recommendations and running around to catch all the must-see sights. You didn?t come here for that.

This takes a little bit of naval gazing, I?ll admit. Or, consider this a meditation on how to find your inner Italy. Yes, music can help. Images can recall feelings. Movies are a great diversion. But something more visceral, like food, or in this case, wine, can really put you on the track to discovery.

Example. This week I opened up a bottle of Pigato from Liguria. It was bright and juicy, great acidity, healthy, fresh, lively. And then I tele-transported back to a trip I made to the region in 2007. I was in in Cisano Sul Neva in Savona, sitting with this winemaker I met, Fausto he was called. Fausto had a gray torrent of uncut hair, covering ears that have still black hairs around the openings. An Italian surf bum, but not a lazy guy. Behind the furrowed brow, two eyes peered out, full of life and not a little mischief. Fausto makes Pigato, an unlikely wine, but one that works very well in his life. As we jumped into his little 2-cycle utility truck (really a glorified scooter), he grabbed a bottle of white and we headed off to his sister's sports bar. At a table, a plate appeared, tiny piquant sausages in a fiery broth that only a Pigato can quell. Fausto teased one of the cook's daughters, and one could see his life was carefree and happy. Almost every day Fausto goes there, to eat his lunch and drink the wine that makes his life lighter and brighter. And I was back there with him. No masks, no jetlag.

This happens often. Like last week when I met my friend outside and we shared two bottles of wine, a lovely white burgundy, mine a 12-year-old Barbaresco. I knew, when I popped the cork on that Barbaresco, that I wasn?t in Dallas anymore. I smelled the earth of the Langhe. I tasted the wine as I?d tasted it in a little trattoria in Barbaresco, Trattoria Antica Torre. The food before us, in present time and space, was a little different, but my soul was right there, under the tower, eating lunch with friends. I was traveling again, this time, back in time. But not just rear-view mirror traveling, I was also going forward, with the wine. It was a magical moment. It was a miracle, considering where we?re at right now with this dilemma we find ourselves in.

No, I wasn?t eating in a Michelin starred bistro, in a swank metropolis, on the other side of the world, surrounded by an amazing wine list and a beautiful young dining crowd. But I?m an introvert, I didn?t need all that. All I needed was a catalyst, boom, to get me into the headspace. And I got it. And you can too, with a little imagination and will.

This is just an outline, not a blueprint. Italy isn?t a one-size-fits-all experience. And what it is you?re missing about Italy might be different from what I?m looking for. And if you?re an introvert, or an introvert-in-training now, until things change, it?s all there, accessible, but it?s going to take some work on your part. And a good imagination. Go forth, proceed, do it, and enjoy your own little slice of Italy, with, of course, Italian wine.

written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy

wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W

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