Tag Archives: Campania

August 3, 2011 · 10:54 pm

Wine Wednesday: Fiano d’Avellino from Terredora + Aaron Neville

For my birthday this year, I did a number of different things, among them I took two dear friends to see Aaron Neville at City Winery.

I love Aaron Neville. I have since I was in high school and college. My dream had always been to see him sing with his brothers at Tipitinas. That never did come to pass but I did get to see him here in New York and boy he was worth waiting for….

I’ve seen some great concerts at City Winery – Pete Seeger, Aaron Neville, the Blind Boys of Alabama. I admit I usually go for the concert not for the food but this last time I enjoyed my meal and I always enjoy the wine. Stephanie Johnson who I went to through the Wine & Spirits Education Trust with at the International Wine Center has done a great job with their long list.

We had a Fiano d’Avellino DOCG from Terredora. It was perfect, full of fruit, minerality great acidity, honey, almond and toasty notes and it was also very well balanced.

Terredora is a very well known winery from that region. They started making wines in 1994 and use all of their own grapes, not always the case in Campania. The winery is located in the Irpinia region at 650 meters above sea level. The Fiano come from the Sabato Valley.

The wine rests on its lees for seven months which makes it much more interesting and complex. I would age it for a few years as well as drinking it now. A great wine to have on any given wine Wednesday.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Campania, Concerts, Italian regions, Italian wineries, italy, Memorable Events, Wine Bars

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

March 3, 2011 · 8:29 pm

Italian Indigenous Varieties: Biancolella Bianca From Campania

I have been writing an indigenous Italian grape dictionary for about 18 months at this point. It has been a very long time since I have gotten back to this project but I will be posting one new variety every Thursday from now on.

My first new entry is about Biancolella, a grape that grows in the Campania region, specifically on the Island of Ischia. Tracie Branch Parzen of My Life Italian lived on Ischia for a number of years so I’ll leave the descriptions of life on the island to her. Of my 15 years living in Italy, I spent some time on the island but it was brief and tied to sailing.

Biancolella can also be found in the Campi Flegrei , Capri, Costa dAmalfi and Penisola Sorrentina DOCs but apparently it is in the wines from Ischia where it shows its purest expression.

This white grape variety was first written about in the mid 1800s. It does very well on volcanic soil and produces a lovely wine with almond notes on the finish.

Some producers that are imported into the United States include Pietratorcia, Tommasone, Casa d’Ambra e of course, Marisa Cuomo.

Many of these producers blend Biancolella with another indigenous variety called Forestera but some, like Tommasone, make a Biancolella “in purezza” or as a monovarietal wine.

1 Comment

Filed under Italian indigenous Grape Varieties, Italian regions, Italian wineries, italy, Travel, wines, Women in Wine

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 25, 2011 · 4:23 pm

Italian Restaurants in NYC: Tarallucci e Vino – A Growing Brand In NYC, Fontanavigna Pallagrello Bianco from Terre del Principe

Tarallucci e Vino is owned by two Italians from Abruzzo who are very well versed in the culinary scene in New York. I have the pleasure of knowing only one of the owners, Luca Di Pietro but not the other, Pepi Di Giacomo. Oddly enough, Luca’s wife went to the same graduate program as I did in Bologna although not at the same time. I met Luca through a mutual friend, Alberto Paderi from Alta Cucina and GD Cucine and that first encounter at the bar at Tarallucci e Vino on 18th Street opened a new world for me. Or better, showed me where to find Italy in New York. Since that day, tutto e finito a Tarallucci e Vino, meaning everything has ended well.

I spend a considerable amount of time at Tarallucci. I teach Italian there to a lovely student once a week. We generally have the whole wheat honey croissant and cappuccino. The staff is lovely and always makes us feel at home.

I also meet people at Tarallucci for a drink and in fact, held a meeting there last week with the New York Chapter of Women for WineSense board members. We stayed briefly but I am sure the restaurant has some new fans.

I have been to the 18th street restaurant, the one on East 10th Street and now even the one on Columbus and 83nd. I’m still missing a trip to the SOHO Alessi shop on Greene Street. Each of these locations has a slightly different vibe but each is rigorously Italian. I can say unequivocally that the espresso and/or cappuccino at Tarallucci is among the best in the city if not the best in the city.

I did a long piece on Espresso bars for an Italian magazine a few years back which you can find here and have basically searched high and low in the city looking for that elusive perfect cup. I must say, I find it every time that I go to Tarallucci. That’s not the only reason to go there though.

I love the croissants in the morning, the quiche at lunch and anything off the dinner menu. The restaurant hired a new chef last year, Riccardo Bilotta who is doing great things. Essentially, I feel at home at Tarallucci and I trust that whatever I order, I will enjoy.

Being as much if not more of a wino than a foodie by trade, I also scrutinize the wine list each visit to see if anything new has been added or removed. One of my favorites is the Gragnano from Cantine Federciane

I always order that when it is on the menu. This last visit though, I tried a new wine for me, a Pallagrello Bianco Fontanavigna from Terre del Principe. The owners of Terre del Principe helped to bring back this indigenous variety in Campania as well as Pallagrello Nero and Casavecchia. Apparently, these plants were in existence pre-Phylloxera time, according to the importer Artisan Wines.

The wine itself was exquisite with apricot and peach notes, lovely acidity and minerality. It was somewhat full bodied and enveloping on the palate. I loved it. I’m trying to stay on the recommended one drink per evening suggestion of our surgeon general but that wine made it quite hard for me. As do many others :) .

Leave a Comment

Filed under Italian Delicacies, Italian indigenous Grape Varieties, Italian recipes, Italian regions, Italian Restaurants, Wine Bars, wines

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

December 24, 2010 · 8:13 pm

Naples, Natale, Il Presepio and Wines from Campania

Last week, I had the honor to translate for the curator of a new exhibit at the Italian Institute of Culture on the Neapolitan Creche. There are many different Creches by Neapolitan artisans on show which truly are worth a visit.

The creche of the Presepio as it is called in Italy is a nativity scene. It started with figures from the Holy Family but soon branched out to add colorful scenes of everyday life in Naples with local characters represented in figurines. According to the curator, an art historian, this tradition began in the 1700s in Campania. At first it was the province only of the wealthy but by the mid 1800s it was commonplace to find families from all different social stratum creating creches at Christmas. It is a family activity and people of all ages work on the presepio together.

My friend Giancarlo from Milan used to have running water and electricity in his creche. It was incredible. He would spend weeks making it and everything had to be perfect.

I have never visited the famed commercial street where merchants hawk their wares, San Gregorio Armeno but it has been on my list for many years. A friend in Milan used to make

To see some great pictures of the exhibit, check out I-Italy, they have a great slide show and an in-depth article on the exhibition.

I haven’t spent enough time in Campania, visiting the countryside, cathedrals and drinking enough of its wine. Luckily for me, my friend Terry Hughes of Domenico Selections is a true fan and has introduced me to some great wines from Campania.

I particularly like the wines from Terra di Vento, Petrale 2006, a lush aglianico and Faiano 2009, a Fiano. He also introduced me to a Grillo that brought tears to my eyes.

Both the whites and the reds from Campania are splendid, especially those vineyards on volcanic soil which gives great minerality to the wines, a quality I very much appreciate.

I won’t be having a seven fishes dinner this evening but I will be drinking a wine from Campania with my own Christmas tradition.

Merry Christmas to all. Buon Natale.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Italian indigenous Grape Varieties, Italian regions, Italian wineries, italy

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

June 4, 2010 · 10:09 pm

Women in Wine Fridays: Campania’s Famed Producers Marisa Cuomo and Silvia Imparato

At Vinitaly this past year, I finally had the occasion to wines by two of Campania’s most famous women: Marisa Cuomo and Silvia Imparato from Montevetrano. Truth to be told, I had tasted a number of Marisa Cuomo wines at the Luca Maroni shows in New York but this was the very first time I tried the wines of Silvia Imparato.

I actually know her lovely daughter Gaia through mutual friends in Milan and had been hearing about her wines for the past 15 years. She wines using a blend of international and indigenous varieties. I tasted two vintages of her Colli di Salerno the 2007 and the 2008. The blend was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Aglianico. The wine ages for 12-14 months in French oak and then spends six more months in the bottle before release.

The wine was a deep, rich and sensual one with good acidity and red fruit flavors. They were quite full bodied and had a nice mineral note to them as well thanks to the rich fossil soil on which they were grown. I was very impressed with the finesse of these wines and can well see why they are such a hit with the international crowd.

Marisa Cuomo on the other hand, uses only indigenous grapes. The Furore Bianco was made from 50% Biancolella and 50% Falanghina. It had great acidity despite its 13.5% alcohol content and was floral and elegant. The Furore Rose Costiera d’Amalfi was a blend of 50% Piedirosso and 50% Aglianico. The wine spent 10 hours macerating on its skins. It was a burst of raspberries and strawberries and was just divine as are all of their wines.

The Gran Furor Divina Costiera has been around since 1942 but in 1980, Andrea Ferraioli and his wife, Marisa Cuomo took it over. I’ve never been to Furore but it sounds fabulous with those picturesque terraces with ungrafted vines…I see a trip in the future.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Italian indigenous Grape Varieties, Italian regions, Italian wineries, italy, wines, Women in Wine

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

April 11, 2010 · 7:39 am

Vinitaly Day 3: Southern Italian Regions Bring Surprises Such As Agostinella

Vinitaly is a wonderful occasion to try many new Italian indigenous varieties. Yesterday I spent the morning trying wines from Campania. I had numerous Greco, Fiano and Falanghina that impressed me as well as a couple of well made wines from the Coda di Volpe grape. I also tried a wine made from an indigenous variety I had never heard of, Agostinella. The wine was from Vigna Sanniti in the Sannio DOC and the city of Benevento.

The wine was a rich white wine that was full bodied with minerality, tropical white fruits and fabulous acidity. Apparently it came from 100 year old vines which of course produce little fruit. The wine was so out of character for a wine from Campania and truly reminded me of a wine from Friuli, almost like a wine you would find from Gravner or Lis Neris. It was delicious and I highly recommend everyone and anyone at Vinitaly to go taste it.

I also tried an Albana Passito from Tre Monti that I really enjoyed. Indigenous varieties is a big interest of mine and I had written a series of articles for Alta Cucina Society on Italian indigenous varieties. I keep finding new ones. The Albana was rich with nice acidity and fresh fruit flavors. Quite a surprise.

This morning I will be attending a panel on Social Media and plan on spending the afternoon in the Southern Italian regions of Basilicata, Calabria, Puglia, and Sicily. Of course, you can only visit a few wineries in each of these areas but I would like to spend a week in all. In some ways, Vinitaly is too long and in many others, just too short. Not enough time to get to try all the wines you would like.

On another note, I lost my blackberry in the press room yesterday and thanks to Facebook will be getting it back. The world is a small lovely place sometimes.

4 Comments

Filed under Italian regions, Italian wineries, italy, wines

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

November 16, 2009 · 5:20 am

Italian Indigenous Varieties: Ancient Asprinio From Campania

This is the last article in my Italian indigenous grape variety series of grapes starting with the letter “A”. I can’t believe how many there were.

Asprinio Bianco is a little known indigenous Italian white grape variety that hails from the Campania region in Southern Italy. Asprinio wine has very particular viticultural and vinification traditions The grape variety is grown on local poplar trees and can rise up to 30-45 feet in the air.

Asprinio’s origins are not entirely clear and two different hypotheses have been put forth. The first places Asprinio in the pinot family of wines which includes Pinot Grigio, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco. The second sees the vine as related to the grape Greco. The latter seems to have won out in the debate but there are still some who maintain that Asprinio has something in common with pinots.

The grape is very ancient and is said to have made the transition from a wild grapevine to a domesticated one during the Etruscan period which lasted from about 800 BC to 500 BC. The Etruscans were a pre-Roman civilization that dominated central and parts of Southern Italy.

Asprinio is grown largely only in Campania, in the province of Caserta but can also grow in Apulia. Asprinio is grown around the town of Aversa, some 15 kilometers from Naples. Caserta is the most widely known city in this area. Caserta is famous for its Royal Palace or the Reggia di Caserta. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mirrored on Versailles, it was actually built in the 18th century by Luigi Vanvitelli. The building is enormous and houses more than 1200 rooms and wonderful expansive gardens.

This wine has very particular viticultural and vinification traditions The grape variety is grown on local poplar trees and can rise up to 30-45 feet in the air. The vines grow up the trees and then are bent onto wires that are strung between the poplars. This was apparently an Etruscan technique. This vine wall is quite a sight. This system is called vite maritate (married vines). In order to pick these grapes, the growers have to climb very high in the air on thin ladders called scale napoletane (Neapolitan ladders).

To read the rest of the article, please check out Alta Cucina.

1 Comment

Filed under Italian indigenous Grape Varieties, Italian regions, Italian wineries, italy, wines

Tagged as , , , ,

May 11, 2009 · 3:15 pm

Basilicata’s Aglianico del Vulture, A Wine Close To My Heart

I have recently started writing an A to Z of Italian indigenous grape varieties for Altacucina Society’s website. My second installment is currently on the website. It is about Aglianico, a grape found in Southern Italy largely in two regions, Campania and Basilicata. This piece is about Aglianico from Basilicata, Aglianico del Vulture. Basilicata holds a dear place in my heart because it was a place I used for years to explain why I couldn’t leave Italy. Essentially, the refrain was, I haven’t yet been to Basilicata so thus I can’t leave. Needless to say I went to Matera in 2002 but still didn’t leave Italy for another few years. I had my first Aglianico del Vulture in 2002 and fell in love. I am thrilled to see that while not a household word yet, it is relatively well known in certain wine circles in the United States.

Basilicata, a region in Southern Italy, is considered by some to be Aglianico’s true home. While exact evidence is difficult to uncover, experts agree that the grape was found in this region as early as the 6th century B.C. Likely brought by the Greeks, it was called ellenico until about the 15th century. Ellenico is the Italian word for Hellenic or Greek. It is possible that the grape was brought to the settlement at Metaponto, near the city of Matera. Regardless of when it arrived in Basilicata, Aglianico has brought acclaim to the region for the fabulous wines it produces from the volcanic soils around Mount Vulture. Aglianico, a late ripening grape, is generally the last of the grapes to be picked for making dry wines.

To read the rest of this article that I wrote for Altacucina’s website, please click here.

1 Comment

Filed under Italian recipes, Italian wineries, italy, Travel, wines

Tagged as , , , ,