Gran Sasso - Abruzzo

In the workaday world there were a few people who stood out in terms of the way they approached their co-workers or employees. Some of these folks I really find hard to know how they slept at night, the things they did to their fellow humans. No, they didn?t torture any of us. But they did take advantage, and it all seemed to revolve around money. Some of those folks got really wealthy, with their fancy cars and motorcycles, lake houses and faux-French ch?teaux in fancy neighborhoods. They?re all getting old, those who are still among us. They aren?t going to get out alive. So, why did they do what they did, to those to whom they did it?

One fellow I gave his start in the wine business. He was selling long distance discount cards and perfecting his golf swing. He?d hit a wall. I took pity on him. His wife, at the time, asked me to help him find his way. I took him on, he was in fact a really good salesperson, which is to say that he had infinite lines of bullshit. And he parlayed it into a rocket-to-the-moon career that put him on the cover of magazines and provided him with all the money he could ever desire ? generational wealth. But along the way he felt like he had to crawl over my back to get there. He buggered me good. And all I ever did was open the door for him.

But to mix friendship with business can be a very slippery slope.

I had this chum in my business life. We spent a lot of time traveling through Italy. I really thought of this person as one of my best friends. And while he didn?t take advantage of me or screw me over, like the fellow in my earlier mention, once I was done with the working world, the camaraderie that we shared dried up, like the dead sea. Nothing here to see but ghosts.

OK, I get it. People move on. They have families, young ones to put through school, older ones to care for, new ones coming into the world. Everyone is involved. Everyone is busy.

I once had a teacher in grade school who told my mom, ?Your son is too sensitive.? Guilty as charged.

So, how do I navigate this world from here? Well, the ones who screwed me over royal are history. The ones who ghosted me are in the wind. Nothing I can do about that. The ones who are passing through, well, let ?em pass. Kind of like a wine collection in a way.

How so?

I think that is sometimes the way it is with human interactions too. We all have a finite time here. Best to make the time count.

Yes, I?ve indulged this space with some of my grievances, but the bottom line is that those who have wronged me, I?m content to have them go in peace. And to those I?ve wronged, I?m more than happy to leave them in peace too. And to those who were here for some brief moments, I like to think of them as Champagne. When they were here it was sparkling and was all well and good. But when the bottle is empty, well, we all know what that means.

The key for me is to recognize that I must move forward, leave it all behind me. And head back to the cellar for another bottle.

The annual Italian wine trade show, Vinitaly, has just ended, and the threatened US tariffs against Italy have just been adjusted down to 10% (for now). What a hell of a week it has been. Now what?

For those who are wondering what direction Italian wine should take in 2025, this could be a bit of a ?shaking my head? moment. After all, Kyiv is 1,300 miles from Milan, less than the distance Houston is from New York. And with a protracted war that has taken trade off the table for Italy with Russia, and with an unstable reality driving the American economy (for the foreseeable future), where does Italy pivot to? Local consumption is down, as has alcohol consumption, worldwide. China is seeing their growth slow down, who is going to drink all that Italian wine? Is it time to pare down wine production in Italy? Have we reached that moment?

Again, I am going to take the point of view of the winegrower and winery operator. It is likely that I have vintages in the cellar, mainly reds, waiting for their release date. And some of those release dates are predicated by laws governing such things. So, the wines cannot sit in the barrels indeterminately.

Let?s talk about the white, sparkling and ros? wines first. They are coming up on release dates presently. And with tariffs ?paused? for 90 days, I?d be making deals with my US suppliers to get as much wine out of the winery and onto the water ASAP. I?d probably have to give extended payment terms and maybe even discount the wines. Not a fire sale discount, but something to stimulate interest in getting these wines into the market post haste. That would be my strategy for those kinds of wines.

Red wines are a different story. Depending on where my vines are grown and what kind of wines I make, I?d have to consider the longevity of the red wines I was making. Obviously, wines from Tuscany and Piedmont have been thought to lend themselves to greater ageing, especially in the higher appellations (Barolo, Barbaresco, Chianti Classico Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, and so on). But what if I produce red wine from the Marche or Abruzzo, wines which are meant for earlier drinking and not always with so much bottle age on them? I?d probably be marketing those kinds of wines similar to the whites and ros?s. Release them as early as the DOC laws allow (if they are a DOC) and for less significant appellations, move ?em out as soon as I could.

Italy needs to re-examine their work life. Maybe taking the month off in August might not be in the cards this year. Maybe it won?t matter a bit, depending on one?s cash flow.

In any case, this will be a year to sharpen the pencils and crank everything down in a most economically efficient way. This will not be a Rolex year, more likely a Seiko one. In other words, watch your spending.

I?m fiscally traditional in manners like this. I know the large distribution houses have warehouses loaded with merchandise. 2024 was not a year in which sales set new records for increases. And contractual obligations have not been able to slow the flow down to a slow drip. Everything is flowing as if we didn?t just experience the last four or five months as we did. Which is to say, the element of uncertainty and chaos now must be factored in.

As often is the case, the small growers and producers, along with the small importers, distributors, retailers and restaurants, will feel the pinch more. This is not a good time to be the little guy. But that?s the reality and one must face such things head on. Italy has had worse to deal with in its past. And that?s not to rationalize this topsy-turvy era we find ourselves in. But the aspect of survival is always present and in order to survive, one must evolve with the times. Out run it, out-think it and outlast it. And that is something the Italian mind heart and culture is very adept at.

The Quo Vadis Chronicles

If I am invoicing a case of 12 bottles of wine to my importer at let?s say, ?100, the first thing I would do is to study the possibility of doing a couple of things. One would be a past billing, let?s say present an invoice for goods long since received, and offer it as a second or third notice.

Another ?solution? would be to back off on the price and maybe offer the same case at ?50 with the understanding that sometime in the future, if or when the tariff issues are resolved, to bill the additional ?50 for the case, bringing the total, in time, to ?100. It?s a bit of a shell game, but we?re dealing with a crook, a convicted felon, and someone who has bankrupted 6 companies and is going full bore into his 7^th bankruptcy, this time the USA.

A more surgical solution would be to take whatever percentage of tariff it is, let?s say 20%. And that would be for the farmer/winemaker to take a 10% cut and the importer to take the other 10%. Somewhere in there one could even try and persuade the wholesaler/distributor to share in some of that 20%, conceivably from their margins. I?m not hopeful for that, seeing as the big distribs have contract with their big suppliers, some of them American producers, and there will be pressure from those large suppliers to grow their domestic business in these turbulent times. What does the Chinese proverb say? - ?A crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind.?

Forget about expecting the retailers or restaurateurs partaking in this exercise. They won?t be by-and-large.

Another would be to sit and wait. But with inventory piling up and lighter red and white wine with a ?use by? date, this doesn?t sound like a good idea. But for those who have a larger export base, this could be a partial strategy, especially for long-lasting red wines.

But Italy already has reduced their business with the once-lucrative Russian market, and the Chinese business is flailing, because China is also experiencing tidal waves in their economy.

Along with that, domestic consumption is down, and the younger folks in Italy either don?t have the money to drink more Italian wine, or they?ve moved away from wine to other euphoria-producing products. Or abstinence.

All in all, it?s a bleak forecast, one which I am sure this week at Vinitaly is being discussed every which way.

We also struggled in 2002 with the blowback from 9/11 ad the ensuing conflict that came about in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, Italy and their American counterparts have had to deal with struggles and crisis before, this time seems a little different though. It seems self-inflicted from the American side. And after the 1,300 or so marches all across America yesterday, it seems that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans are angry about the direction the so-called leaders of the USA are taking Americans, and the world.

Another view of thing (also requiring taking a deep breath and sucking it in) is that this might be a time to reset things in one?s life, one?s business dealings and one?s view of livelihood and all the expectations one might have for that. Easier said than done, I know that. But there are cycles, and this one is  definitely a down-cycle, subjugated by the whims of a narcissistic sociopath drunk on power and grievance.

That said, this will not be an easy time. Just when everything seemed to be getting back to normal, with a few exceptions (Ukraine and Gaza) the world economy seemed to be recovering and going back to normalcy. And then, more disruption.

That is what we are dealing with currently. Like I said, putting myself into the shoes of a winemaker in Italy, I think what I would do would be to crank it down real tight, watch my spending, curtail promotional travel, and reduce my production. Make better wine in smaller amounts, for the time being. And in 2025, wait out the storm. And if things don?t get better, I will have trained myself to be more judicious in such uncertain times. And if things get better, I will emerge with the rest of the world, after this giant hiccup subsides and we move on to better times.

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

* photos were taken in Southern New Mexico of the patina on an 1954 IH truck 

Learning to love wine again in the era of Patrioligarchy

I was hoping for a haiku, but the words were too long. It was that time of the year again, for my annual examination of my long-standing relationship with wine. What, you say, can one have a relationship with a liquid alcoholic substance? Well, if one can have a relationship with someone who lived and died over two thousand years ago, why not wine too? After all it was His first miracle.

But that was beside the point. What was really set before me, in that examination of that ?relationship,? was a deeper look into the  nature of material reality. Anyone who enters into the world of wine thinks, on first glance, that wine is wine, much like water is water. But upon spending years studying wine, one might realize that wine isn?t just wine, it is a lot of other things. It is culture. It is sustenance. It is history. It is agriculture. It is business. It is beguilement. It is seduction. Yes, it is, all of that. And more.

And then?.

As the arms swing along the dial of the timepiece, we come back around to it. Live long enough and you?ll see what I mean: the moment when wine, once again, becomes just wine.

In this era of Patrioligarchy we must regain our footing. The overlay that is currently vying for all of our attention (and all of our fears) wants to erase our shared culture, history and obsession over wine. But it cannot be sustained. Wine is just wine. And wine will find a way.

There is a reason why humankind and the grapevine have journeyed together in time on this earth. We are bound together, we share the sunlight, drink in the water, and change through the seasons, and through time we evolve and age and cycle back to where we came from. We are kindred spirits.

I had an email from a long-time reader. ?Good Lord, Alfonso, is this the way it is going to be? Will you never write about Italian wine again??

To all of you, I?m sorry. This is what is has come to. It is what it is. Wine is just wine. Just as I am just who I am.

 

"It's like d?j? vu all over again" -Yogi Berra

I wrote two pieces five years ago for the Dallas Morning News, when a 100% tariff was being threatened. (HERE and HERE) Then, as now, the wine community braced for disruption. Fortunately, then it wasn?t long lasting, although there were residual levies which stuck around (HERE). I also wrote a piece on this blog about strategies which would be a good primer (HERE), again for anyone interested. But fast forward to 2025, and there is more muddle and disorder in the world. And folks just aren?t drinking as much now as they were in the middle of a pandemic, where we were all trapped within the confines of our abodes.

But let?s do some basic blocking and tackling, starting with the distribution side. Basically, I?m breaking it down to the super large distribs (SGWS/RNDC, etc.) and the small and medium sized ones. The SGWS/RNDC?s of the world already have bloated warehouses. Their sales are down, due to lowered consumption, migrating to other drinks ( euphoric ones and otherwise), and stressed economic conditions (inflation, job losses, general malaise in the world). Older drinkers from the Boomer generation and on back aren?t drinking as much, because as one ages, one consumes less. And while the younger generations can?t wait for the Boomers et al, to step off the planet, the oldsters are generally a healthier bunch than their forebearers were.

If you talk to Gen X, Millennials and even Gen Z?ers, they are having to do more with less too. The wealth of the world has been consolidated so much to the billionaire/oligarch class, so now going to the store and spending $40 for a bottle of Cabernet is a stretch for many people, especially on a regular basis.

Back to the large distributors. They have contracts with their larger suppliers to purchase a set amount of wine in a contractual year. They are obligated to buy the product. If not, the lawyers get involved. And in a downturn cycle, which is where we are, and with warehouses already bulging, something has got to give. One of the things that can happen, if this 200% tariff persists, will be large-scale discounting, in order to unclog the pipeline and make room for the new vintages that are coming. Most likely the lawyers will get involved as well, and re-negotiate the goals and/or work out some kind of an adjustment (like an FSA, a floor stock adjustment) or heavily discounted future purchases.) the larger importers will probably take a hit on their sales and their margins and their stocks will suffer and their investors will as well. Someone will pay for the tariffs.

The large distributors will also have to reduce their margins. And with automation barreling down the turnpike, most likely they will use this as an opportunity to reduce staff, starting with administrative workers, sales staff and middle management. They will also continue to consolidate the different sales divisions. Their larger supplier will not feel this as much as their small to medium ones. They will get pinched. Big fish swallows the littler ones. That?s the carbon life cycle.

Can they weather the storm? Of course. The C-suite execs will still fly in their private planes and play golf on Fridays. They will still have their expense accounts and their bonuses. If they take a 10-20% hit on them, they will still survive. But they probably won?t take the hit. The little guys down the food chain, what an owner of one of the largest distributors in the world once called ?the worker bees? (to my face!),  will feel it the most.

The small and medium distribs will have a harder go of it. They work with a smaller margin of error (with less cash flow) and they depend more on just-in-time wine deliveries from Europe. Not that the larger distribs haven?t gotten the J.I.T. business down pat. But the small-to-medium folks have to make it work that way. They can discount some of their stuff, but once that?s gone, they don?t have as much reason to go into accounts as much if they don?t have anything to sell that the restaurants and retailers will buy. No one wants to buy a Cotes du Rhone in July for $15 a bottle when they were buying it in February for $8.

So, the small-to-medium distribs will get pinched and pinched hard, if the dealmaker-in-chief is allowed to go ahead with this inanity.

What to do? As I mentioned we have been through this before. I?d recommend folks pause, take a breath and don?t let fear get ahold of you. That?s the distraction autocrats want from the little people. It empowers them and stupefies the rest of us. Don?t let fear take hold.

The restaurateurs and retailers are next. I talked to a wine buyer for a restaurant that depends on wine from Europe to complement their concept, which is centered upon Mediterranean cuisine. They told me they were being watchful and cautious but the wine buyer said this: ?There will be opportunities to buy in wines that the distributors will want to move. Maybe they are slower, lesser-known wines. I might have to pivot from a Sancerre to a Saint-Bris. But an astute wine buyer can navigate this for his guests, as long as you stay on the floor and communicate with them, re-assure them, educate them.?

Retailers? That?s gonna be a different pivot. My little Italian store specializes in Italian wine only. They might have to dig deep into the smaller, regional appellations (Morellino or Montecucco vs. Brunello). They might have to comb through the close-out lists of distributors, large, medium and small. They might have to readjust their margins. Again, someone always pays for the tariffs. The little mom-and-pop store could be severely handicapped.

Large retailers, big box and grocery stores? Have you walked around a large liquor retailer lately? There are all kinds of euphoria producing products that have nothing to do with wine, bourbon or cognac.

I witnessed this the other day. A young sales woman walks in a store, dressed like a cheerleader ( I kid you not!) with a case of a product (samples) that have no alcohol in them. They have caffeine and kratom as the main ingredients.

Oh, and there are all kinds of cannabis-infused products flooding the market. So, there will be no shortage of euphoria producing products.

But wine serves in a myriad of ways. As a complement to the food. As a mild mood lifter. And a conversation easer. And as an artisanal product that can and should be appreciated artfully. It?s not just for ?getting a buzz.? One producer of cannabis-infused products pitched it to the geriatric set thusly: ?The 60-plus generation loves it because they don?t have to smoke it. Many of them can no longer drink for health or personal reasons. This allows them to continue the ritual of having a cocktail while still having some euphoric effects without having to drink alcohol.?

Huh? Talking ?bout my generation?  Not in my back bar.

Still the large retailers, especially the big box and grocery folks can pivot to Australia, South America, South Africa (wouldn?t that please you know who?) and any number of wine and spirit producing places that haven?t yet pissed off America?s used-car-salesman-in-chief. But wait, Argentina will probably be targeted for providing the world with cheap beef. Or New Zealand with their cheap lamb. And then what? Then, we are supposed to drink American wine, American bourbon, American vodka? Yeah, we can do that. Those of us who don?t lose our business or our jobs, our homes, maybe our families. Yeah, we can do that.

USA! USA!! USA!!! So much winning!

Bottom line - Don?t fall prey to panic. Don?t give in to the fear of a horrible future. Stay vigilant. Breathe. ?Fear is the mind-killer.? We will get through this.

 addl link here from a friend, Brad Willis: The Human Toll of Tariffs

?everybody wants happiness. Round and round we all do race, everybody looking in a different place.

Yeah, pretty much how it seems. I see so many wine professionals rushing all over the globe, living their best life.

Living large!

And I remember when I was in that stream. It rushed, all about me. I was caught up in it, just as they are now. And there?s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But it is not forever. It is not permanent. Just like wine, it peaks. And it has a time when it is perfection. And a time when that moment has passed.

I say this as if I am speaking to any one person in particular. They might be laid up right now, healing. But this also applies to all of us in one way or another. I?ll speak for myself.

What I do know, from this perspective, is a lot of this stuff is distraction. We are on the ride of a lifetime, so some of it is also fun. Whee!

But, in my case, to mistake it for something significant is to be steered away from the essential, which is always knocking on my door. In the morning. In the afternoon. And especially after midnight. You?re lying in bed reading this? You know what I mean.

Oh yes, there is always a great meal and a great bottle waiting for you. That?s part of the reason we got into this stream.

But in no way does it convey the meaning of life  - at least to this soul.

Indeed, the essence - in this moment - is of the essence.

I opened up two wines this week. One was a white Burgundy and one was a white wine from the Langhe.

The Langhe white, a Cortese, serviced and sufficed. It went well with the meals and was pleasant, crisp and perfect.

The Burgundy, a Bourgogne Blanc from a vineyard 100 meters from the Puligny Montrachet AOC, came with loaded expectations. I?ve been jonesing for a Puligny for as long as I can remember, of late. Don?t know why, but I think it has something to do with a reminiscence from my time working in Hollywood (hey, these things just bubble up and I go with the flow).

The Bourgogne Blanc ? I kept waiting for a recognition of some terroir that never quite showed up. Not to say the wine wasn?t well made. In my opinion, they probably are making better white wine in Burgundy now than I can recall ever. The wine was clean and rich, and well-balanced. But there were no fireworks. I think my expectations put the kibosh on that. Hey, I didn?t have grandiose hopes for the Cortese, why the Bourgogne? I think it had more to do with a sentimental yearning than anything based in fact or critique. I wanted the Bourgogne to give me a certain palpable effect and it didn?t. I didn?t expect that from the Cortese. That is one of the mysteries of wine and humans. Everyone sees (and feels) things differently.

It brought to mind another drink I tried this week ? a sample ? it was a Delta-9 hemp derived beverage. An article in the paper about a similar product, the proprietor was quoted as saying, ?The 60-plus generation loves it because they don?t have to smoke it. Many of them can no longer drink for health or personal reasons?This allows them to continue the ritual of having a cocktail while still having some euphoric effects without having to drink alcohol.?

See? I still can get riled up. Seems like that is the currency of the day. But never, ever, have I seen wine to be a gateway to euphoria. To culture, to conversation, to friendship, to community, to livelihood ? ?yes I said yes I will Yes.?

Maybe that?s the reason why the young?uns are carrying on and traipsing all over the world and popping bottles and living out of suitcases for a good part of their young lives.

Carry on - Follow your bliss.

In Memory of Patty Wright-Ferrini...

And that is where we are at these days, ladies and gentlemen. George Clooney mused recently to his wife, upon turning 60, ?I can still do everything I did when I was 30. But in 30 years, I?m 90. That?s a real number.? Let me tell you, from someone who is midway between those numbers, it?s like a train that?s rushing to its destination. Not an Italian train in the 1970?s ? more like a Frecciarossa. Look it up.

The last line of ?The Brutalist? has a niece eulogizing her architect uncle, the main protagonist of the film, "No matter what the others try and sell you, it is the destination, not the journey." Finally, someone says it. People try and brush the crumbs underneath the carpet, telling you it?s all about the journey ? The Journey. Well, let me tell you, that is a smokescreen. It?s bullshit. It is about arriving somewhere and somewhere again. And again, and again. And again. Otherwise, why would wine aficionados lust after the next vertical tasting of DRC wines or tasting a 1967 d'Yquem or any number of anticipated (and yes, desired!) experiences before their train arrives at the station.

But let me tell you, on your deathbed, no one, at least in my world, is going to be regretting not having tasted a vertical of Chateau ?You Name It? and wishing , hoping for just a thimbleful, a taste, before they pass over. More likely, they?ll be asking for more morphine.

The problem was, I didn?t care. I?d kept that bottle on it?s side, in the dark, in the cool. And when the time came for its opening, it was just there. No journey. Just a muffled destination.

Did I do something wrong to the wine? Did I store it incorrectly? Perhaps. But every wine, like everyone, has its own destiny. The .750ml arrived wonderfully at the station, with aplomb and a band and people waiting, greeting, even applauding. The 1.5 Liter bottle got to the station, with a suitcase and a $5 bill. Enough for a cab to wherever it would take it. No fanfare, no fireworks. The end. 

I?m writing this way because I feel we are on a precipice in time and we will be judged by how we conduct ourselves, how we age in the cellar, during this time. Do you want to open up like the .750ml bottle or the 1.5 Liter bottle?

In my world the 1.5 Liter bottle is long gone. Forgotten after this screed. There is still a little left of the .750ml bottle. It is still on some kind of a journey. But I don?t think it will continue to continue to pretend that its life will never end. It had a good life and there are only a few drops left.

I will savor them. Like I will savor my friendship with my dear friends, living and dead. And I hope to savor the next 15 years, until that real number arrives.

It won?t be long , yeah, yeah, yeah?

He comes over to the table and first thing he shows me a Facebook reel which has this heading: ?Not to be a drama king, but we?ve opened the most genuine, authentic Italian deli-market and Pizzaria this part of the world has seen.? He then goes on to tell  me his recipes are all from his Neapolitan grandfather. ?Things like Volcano Roasted Mushroom Fettuccine,? he exclaims. I ask him how it came to be.

?My grandfather loved to hunt and forage. So, he?d climb up to Mt. Vesuvius and gather wild mushrooms. While there, he would find some lava and place the mushrooms on top so they would not only be fire roasted, they?d be volcano curated! Very bespoke don?t you think? Then he would take the trip down to Naples. On his way down, he?d stop off at a latteria and get some fresh cream for the sauce. Back home, he had truffles sitting in olive oil, truffles he?d foraged from nearby Abruzzo and Umbria on one of his long-trips on his scooter. They?d last forever that way. He had a Spanish friend who sent him some special sherry for the cream sauce, it was delizioso! And then he would go about making his famous Fettuccine with eggs from his back yard.?

I interrupted him? ?Fettuccine, not Paccheri??  He looked dumbfounded. ?What?? he asked. ?I?m talking authentic Neapolitan, not some transplanted oversized rigatoni that you can get anywhere. No, real, genuine Neapolitan!?

OK ? he apparently wanted to take me down a peg or two. I was the student ? he is the Master. So, I asked him another question.

?What about this Wild-Foraged Herb Chicken Alfredo? How did your nonno come to devise that delicious dish in post-WWII Naples?? I queried.

He could barely contain himself. ?Well, my nonno, as you called him, already had his famous Fettuccine, and when the chickens were past their egg-laying stage, he would harvest the chicken and grill it with fresh herbs from one of his many walks through Nature. He also picked fresh asparagus and added it to the dish, when he found them on his walks. He once took a trip to Rome and was working in a restaurant there, where he invented a dish with butter, cream and cheese. His little dog was with him, named Alfredo, so he named it Alfredo sauce. True story. Then the owner of the restaurant sent my grandfather back to Naples and stole the idea and took credit for it. But my grandfather was the inventor of the sauce. And even though it isn?t Neapolitan, it is ?his? recipe. So, it has Neapolitan roots. He finished it off with Parmesan and parsley, as that is a classic Neapolitan adornment. He was also the inventor of the Caesar salad dressing, but that?s another story.?

At this point I thanked him for his input and excused myself to go to the restroom to wash my hands. I was looking for a rear exit that wouldn?t sound an alarm. But to no avail, I feared I was stuck on this ride for the duration.

Back at the table he met up with me again. ?Any questions?? he asked.

?Yes? I replied, ?Two. One: Do you ever serve Pasta alla Genovese, did you grandfather have a recipe for that? And two: What white wine do you have by the glass??

Pasta alla Genovese - Slow Cooked Meat and Onion Ragu with Paccheri Pasta. Despite its name, Pasta alla Genovese hails from Naples.

?Genovese? No, my grandfather never made it that far north. We do a pesto sauce but only because we have to. Customer demand.?

[ed. note: I figured that was also the reason why he served chicken tenders, spicy adobo wings and Philly cheesesteak ? customer demand.]

Back to Chef. ? Funny you would ask about Genovese. A couple of other folks have asked about it. But I tell them, no, my recipes are the real genuine article from Naples. No transplants. No exceptions.?  

[ed. note: even though he already said he served pesto because some of his better customers requested it. Oh well?]

?What was the second question? Oh yeah, white wine. Well, we only serve Italian wine. And we have a very nice Chardonnay by the glass. It?s not from Campania, but nearby in Puglia. It?s very rich and buttery. It?s like an Italian version of Rombauer chardonnay. All the ladies love it up here.?

I bet. A rich buttery chardonnay, just the thing to go with a truffled pasta or an Alfredo sauce.

I didn?t know how I was going to get out of there, so I went to my tried-and-true excuse for extricating myself from a social situation that I was stuck in. The good ?ol emergency call.

?Oh, God, Chef, I?m so sorry, my uncle has fallen and he can?t get up. He?s just a few miles away and his family is on vacation, skiing in Colorado. I?m sorry, but I?m going to have to excuse myself and come back at another time.?

Chef was gracious, ?Sure, family first. I understand. But let me send you back with a couple of my famous Tiramisu. My grandfather's wife, my nonna, was the original creator of that recipe in Naples, but we spiced it up a little bit with a South-of-the-border kick, with Kahlua. Is OK??

?Sure,? I said ?Very kind of you. And when my uncle gets back on his feet, I?ll make sure and bring him by and we?ll celebrate and try all kinds of wonderful things on your menu. As soon as he is able.? I concluded.

?I look forward to it. Give him my best.? chef replied.

As I got into my car and headed away, I didn?t know how I?d explain - God forbid I ever saw that chef again - that my uncle died 10 years ago. Lucky him. 

 

 Or, as my zio might say, "Nemmeno per sogno!"

 

 

 

 

? written and photo styled by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy

wine blog +  Italian wine blog + Italy W

My cork is drying out ? and shrinking. I?m losing fruit as we speak. Why, oh why, didn?t you bring me out five years ago when I was in my prime. And I?m not the only one ? there?s a 1936 Est! Est!! Est!!! in here that looks like it came out of King Tut?s tomb. It?s a fiasco in here.

I have faint memories of a gentle slope, somewhere in northern Italy, I think I?ve heard my prison guard use the word Langhe. I know I must be thick skinned to withstand the torment I have been going through for most of my vinous life. I remember sunshine and cool rain, fog and mist. I remember the lowing of a cow, the jangle of a bell, the voice of a young girl singing in the vineyards, the buzz of a scooter, the clamor of a tractor ? good times!

Meanwhile I?m losing patience in this tunnel of interminable anticipation. I want out of here! Help me!!!