It's Memorial Day weekend and is a perfect time to celebrate the warm weather that is upon us or if you're me you're less than 5 weeks to delivering your first born. All perfect reasons to celebrate with some sparkling wine (like we need one!)
If you're a lover
of Italian sparkling wine you may or may not be familiar with the
differences in some of the different varieties of sparkling wines
produced throughout Italy. We're going to learn today why some of
these differences exist. It's mainly because there are two styles of
producing sparkling Italian wines: the charmat method and the
metodo classico.
The Charmat Method The charmat method
was created back in 1895 by a gentleman, Federico Martinotti, an
enologist from the town of Asti in Piedmont, Italy. It was then
adjusted in 1907 by Eugene Charmat, hence the Charmat method. With
the Charmat method the secondary fermentation that is normally done
in the bottle is done in large stainless steel tanks. This allows
for higher production quantity and is a cheaper style of sparkling
wine production. The charmat method produces sparkling wines that
are more aromatic.
Examples of Charmat wines
Examples of
sparkling wines produced in Italy with the charmat method are
lambrusco of emilia romagna, prosecco of the Veneto, and
Asti of Piedmont.
Metodo Classico
The sparkling
wines made from the champenoise method are typically more complex.
During this process the secondary fermentation takes place in the
bottle as mentioned earlier with additional yeasts and sugar added.
Those yeasts take the sugar and convert them over to acohol and
carbon dioxide, the bubbles! Following that the wine will age on the
dead yeast cells known as the lees for 24 months.
Examples of Metodo Classico
Some examples of
Italian sparkling wines made in Italy with the metodo classico are
from the Franciacorta D.O.C.G and those of the Oltrepo Pavese
Metodo Classico D.O.C.G and Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Nero Metodo
Classico D.O.C.G from Lombardia Lastly, the sparkling wines from
the Trento D.O.C in the Trentino Alto Adige region also
produce the metodo classico. Most of these wines are made with
variations of chardonnay, pinot nero and pinot bianco.
One of the biggest
differences, other than the taste and complexity of these two
methods, is the consistency of the bubbles, or bollicini.
Since the process of a classic method takes a long time you tend to
get smaller, more consistent bubbles where those of the charmat
method are bigger bubbles.
What are some
of your Italian sparkling favorites?
It’s amazing the amount of folks
that you mean blogging and networking around the world. That is
one of the reasons why I love what I do and part of what keeps me going. It’s time to introduce one of those folks I “met”,
in a virtual sense, awhile back.
Silvestro Silvestori currently
lives in Puglia and runs a food and wine school called the Awaiting Table. He is a
food aficionado and Italian sommelier that lives to share his passion with the
students that visit him and others around the world through his contributions
for Wine & Spirits Magazine and others.
His passion screams out through this interview and if this doesn’t make
you consider southern Italy when it comes to the food and wine I don’t know
what will.
Here’s my interview with Silvestro. I hope you enjoy it!
Have you always lived in Puglia? If not, what drove you to
settle down in Puglia?
I lived about 16 years in the US, 15 years in
other parts of Italy including Sicilia, Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Trentino, etc and
now a little over 15 years in Puglia. My mother's side is from Puglia, so
moving here was only really a change of address, from Northern Italy to
here. I've always felt more pugliese than Italian.
When did The Awaiting Table open and why did you choose to open the school?
We opened The Awaiting Table in 2003, in the
historic centre of Lecce, and later in 2008 started our courses at our castle
location. I had visited a few friends with food and wine schools in various
cities of Italy, and while all wonderful people, I was surprised
how rudimentary their courses were. They taught pan-Italian food and
they didn't have any formal wine training. Their kitchens were also isolated
out in the countryside, so, their students would be 14 Americans, or 17
Australians, etc, standing around trying to have an Italian experience. That's
why 100 % of our staff is local, we are always located in the historic centres
of cities and we work with students from so many different countries.
What is the focus of The Awaiting
Table? It seems you primarily teach culinary classes, but can you tell me
about your wines classes you teach?
We teach several subjects. First off, we
teach about the food and wine of the Salento or Southern Puglia, which is
arguable some of the best food and wine in all of Italy. What isn't arguable,
is that it's the healthiest. The diet here is actually protected by UNESCO.
It's Italy's soul food. It's also helpful to remember that Puglia is Italy's
number one domestic travel destination. If you want to know where the crazy
foodies go to eat, the answer is here. It's Italy's best kept secret.
I also close the school for two months each
year to bicycle Southern Italian wine country, visiting wineries and
cooking with every older woman that doesn't shoo me out of the kitchen. Our
wine course teaches about the wine (and some of the food) of all of
Southern Italy, Sicilia, Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia. This also happens to
be the same ground I cover for Wine & Spirits magazine (all wine content,
photographs and recipes for the same 4 regions).
We also have an olive oil course and our
tomato sauce course, which obviously corresponds with those seasons.
(We have videos on our youtube channel for how to make both). Last year we
launched our Bici / Cucina / Vino course at the castle, which divides up
the week with bicycling, cooking, eating, drinking and learning. And this year,
we've started a food photography course as well.
Are all the dishes Puglian based as well as
the wines or southern Italy in general?
All of the wine at our Salento- based courses
comes from within 50 kilometres of the school and have originated here as grape
varietals for at least 300 years. We don't serve wines where the wine producers
have sourced the fruit elsewhere. Our Southern Italian wine-based courses
feature wines from the 4 southern Italian regions,
all autochthonous as well. The sourcing mirrors my annual bicycle
trip (for the last 9 years in a row).
What are your favorites when it comes to the
wines of Puglia and why?
This is Europe so 95% of wine consumed is
local. I do favor the grape negroamaro,
which probably won't surprise anyone. But the local investment in metodo
classico rosato based on negroamaro has been impressive and I'd challenge any rosè champagne to give you a
better return on your Euro spent. The Salento is the cradle of Italian rosè and
I drink 3 or 4 times more pink than white. And while primitivo remains strong
outside of Italy- as the great, break away hit- it's negroamaro that is really
the foundation. I drink it professionally and never tire of it.
Are you a lover of wines outside of
Puglia? If so, which ones and why?
I don't hide this: Southern Italy is the
most compelling and dynamic wine region of Italy today, and maybe even the
world. What's happening in Cirò is 2,500 years in the making and I'm startled
each time I visit there. Etna and Vulture remain my absolute favorite
wine regions, for both the volcanic effect on the soil and because both have extraordinary transparent,
autochthonous varietals (carricante, nerello mascalese and aglianico). I've
also recently developed a new crush on the whites that used to make up what the
world calls 'Marsala'. Salty, minerally, it's like you skip the glass and start
licking the rocks directly. Castel del Monte in Central Puglia also deserves a
lot more attention. Those producers have been staying up nights as well. Anyone
that doesn't agree with me about the dynamism of Southern Italian
wine right now hasn't likely visited. It's my life's study.
Where do most of your students come from around the world?
We have had students from 48 different
countries. Many come from Northern Europe. About 60% are native English
speakers. We also have students from Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand. Scandinavia has been increasing
in record numbers. Recently, also, Uruguay and
the Philippines. Northern Italy comes down mostly in the summer. Our
students tend to be very well-travelled, highly educated and prefer to relax
while doing.
What would be your word of advice to folks
that are afraid to explore an unknown region including culinary experiences or
wines?
We aren't all motivated in the same way. I
don't think it's so much that 'fear' is the brakes for many, but that
'adventure' isn't their primary motivator.
It's helpful to remember that those that
spend their holiday /vacation on cruise ships love them. There is no shame in that. Nor in California
chardonnay, etc. Consume what you love. Our goal as a school has never
been trying to talk anyone out of going where all the other tourists go, but
rather to offer something stellar to those that seek something else. Same thing
with wine. Wine isn't a recipe, like, say, as beer is. It can't be replicated
the same way, year and year. It reflects the climate (which is weather
multiplied by time), the soil, the local culture, etc. When you start to see
wine as a vessel that represents all of these things, maybe, say, the way a
sailboat represents man AND nature working together, it seems one of the most
immediate and fascinating subjects on earth. If that appeals, we have a school
to help you go deeper. If not, we hope you have a great trip and that you
really enjoy your next bottle of wine, no matter what it is.
As an Italian wine blogger you meet many people around the world and is one of the greatest parts of what we do. It's all about the connections you make and great people you meet. I wanted to share with you an interview with Suzanne Hoffman, whose website, Wine Families, shares stories of wine families and their regions around the world.
As a recent published author myself I wanted to talk about Suzanne's new book, Labor of Love, and give you a background on why this book was created. Winemakers have wonderful stories to tell and this showcases the wine families of Piedmont. Unfortunately I've yet to meet Suzanne face-to-face, but hopefully one day we'll have the opportunity.
Suzanne Hoffman and her dog, Arneis
What got you started as a wine, food and travel
writer?
I’m an attorney and I
spent most of my career in Switzerland where I worked for a large financial
services company in Zurich and I also ran an aviation start-up project. After moving
back to America to a small, resort community in 2007, I couldn’t adjust to solo
practice. Too “solo” I suppose. I was restless. My passion for food, wine, and
travel and all the incredible experiences I had in Europe over more than 20
years needed an outlet. In January 2012, I began writing a weekly behind the
scenes experiential column in the Vail Daily. I worked – not merely observed – for
some of Vail Valley’s and Denver’s best restaurants and then wrote about the
experiences. Oddly enough, my first assignment was with Chef David Walford for
a charity wine dinner in Beaver Creek with Andy Schweiger of Schweiger
Vineyards of St. Helena, CA. Perhaps since my first story was about a wine
family I was destined to become a wine
family expert.
I know you lived most of your life in
Switzerland, now that you've moved back to the United States how often do you
get to venture back to Italy?
Not nearly enough.
About once a year for a month or so at a time while I was researching Labor of
Love. It didn’t give me much of a chance to explore more of Italy, but Piemonte
is such a big region – second in size only to Sicily – so I never tired of my
adventures there. Of course, my heart is still strongly connected to my former
home canton, Valais, in south central Switzerland just north across the
mountains from Piemonte. That will endure.
Is Piedmont your favorite region to travel
to? If so, why and what attracts you to this region?
I began traveling to Piemonte frequently in the
early 2000s because it was only four hours away from our home in Switzerland. What
started as easy-to-access long weekend adventures to an under discovered region
soon blossomed into a love affair with Piemonte that I describe in my book’s introduction,
“Falling in Love.” I’ll leave it to readers to discover in my book how that
love affair developed. Let’s just say the wine families were like emotional
magnets. I couldn’t resist.
Where did the vision of writing a "Labor of
Love" come from? Tell me a little about the book.
When I first heard the
stories about Beatrice Rizzolio and the challenges women of her generation
faced during the Nazi occupation from her granddaughter Giovanna, owner of
Cascina delle Rose in Barbaresco, I asked her if anyone had ever written about
these women. Giovanna said, “No.” As I began to ask questions of more wine
families, I realized that no one was chronicling these stories and those of
other women whose names are not on wine bottle labels, but who had played
important, mostly unseen roles in their families’ successes. In August 2012,
while sitting with my husband, Dani, in my kitchen in Colorado, I said to him,
“I want to write a book about the women of the wine families in Piemonte.” Dani
said, “Ok.” And off I went in March 2013 search of more stories. I never looked
back.
What was the best part about writing this book?
Having the opportunity to be the scribe of some
of the most endearing, humble people I know. To be entrusted with the task of
telling the world about the unknown women behind the labels of some of
Piemonte’s most famous wines was a great honor. The most delightful experiences
were watching young family members’ reactions to stories they had never heard
before, or were hearing for the umpteenth time, but were still captivated. For
example, the memory of the loving expressions of young Isabella Boffa Oddero as
she listened to her iconic grandfather Giacomo Oddero recount the lives of his
grandmother, mother, and wife, and their contributions to the estate’s
patrimony still brings tears to my eyes. Quite touching to see her deep,
abiding love and admiration for her nonno Giacomo and those three women beam on
her face.
Why did you select these particular wine families to write about and why Piedmont?
On my first research trip in March 2013, I
started with the 10 families I knew well, some for 14 years at that time. Then,
at the end of that trip, came the serendipitous moment when I met Chiara
Boschis. To say that meeting her was seismic event in my life is not an
overstatement. She tends to have the affect on most people. From there, serendipity
took over and soon I had 22 families. I left so many wonderful families behind
since I was only able to include 22 and that was hard squeezing into 320 pages!
I don’t know if I should tell more Piemontese wine family stories before I take
my “Labor of Love” series to another region such as Friuli or Sicily (where my
relatives from my maternal grandparents’ side of the family are from). Perhaps
my readers will give me some guidance on where I should go next.
What are your favorite grapes of Piedmont and
Italy in general?
Simple – I love the underdogs like Arneis, Nascetta, and Brachetto, especially
still Brachetto from Matteo Correggia and Sottimano. If you force me to name
one, my favorite white varietal is Arneis, particularly from Roero. I named my
toy schnauzer after the grape because “Arneis” in Piemontese means “rascal.” My
Arneis is just that. Also, I associate the grape with many wonderful wine
family experiences. Red grape? Well, it’s the Nebbiolo grape, of course. I’m
becoming quite fond of Alto Piemonte and Roero Nebbiolo expressions, but who
doesn’t love Barolo and Barbaresco? I certainly do.
Suzanne Hoffman has a kickstarter campaign in order to support the launch of her wonderful book. It's ending soon so make sure you help her reach her goal so the stories of these hardworking wine families can be brought to the world.
Today our Italian Food, Wine and Travel group (#ItalianFWT) rounds out 19th region of Italy with Lombardy. I provided an overview of this Lombardia earlier in the week, but let's dig right in with today's topic, chiavennasca vs. nebbiolo.
When one talks
about the great wines of Italy everyone always talks about nebbiolo,
especially the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco topping the charts.
What about the variations of nebbiolo that are hiding in the shadows
behind those of Piedmont? For example, how familiar are you with
chiavennasca? Would you be surprised if I told you this was also
nebbiolo, but just produced in northern Lombardy, the neighboring
region to Piedmont? To confuse you a little further if we venture to
the region of the Valle d'Aosta, nebbiolo is now called picotendro
and in northern Piedmont in the areas of Ghemme and Gattinara you can
find the wines under the name of spanna. Plus, the biggest benefit,
you can get these wines for a better value and as wine drinkers
we're always looking for good values!
Valtellina, tucked
into northern Lombardy near the town of Sondrio and the Adda River,
is the place to seek out chiavennasca. It also is bordering
Switzerland as well so we're definitely talking northern Lombardy
here. Harvesting here is definitely a feat for the winemakers and
those picking grapes as the slopes are very steeply terraced so
everything is hand harvested. It limits production and also
increases the cost of production. I've even been told that some
producers bring in helicopters to help with harvest. It has been
deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well for it's antique
vineyard structures.
The differences between nebbiolo & chiavennasca
The nebbiolo based
wines of the Valtellina don't pack as much a punch of those from it's
neighbor Piedmont due to the cooler temps and high elevations that
restrict the grape from reaching optimum ripeness. The soil here is
also rocky with little clay that also influence the more delicate
character. You will find chiavennasca from Valtellina to be lighter
bodied and in color and not as tannic in comparison to those of
Piedmont, but it's still nebbiolo, a highly tannic grape. But the
wines of Valtellina have an earthy, rustic quality and elegance to
them, which make them very attractive to us nebbiolo lovers.
Vineyards of Piedmont
Sub zones of Valtellina
The wines here are
under the Valtellina Rosso DOC, which produce more of the basic style
wines and then you have the Valtellina Superiore DOCG. Just as
Barolo and Barbaresco have their own comunes in Piedmont that produce
slightly different styles of nebbiolo, so does Lombardy in the
Valtellina area under this Valtellina Superiore DOCG. The 5 areas
within the Valtellina are:
Grumello
– fruit driven wines, smooth, soft and aromatic
Inferno
– The most powerful and auster. This area is the warmest and
produces more concentrated wines
Sassella
– complex, elegant and rich styles
Valgella –
delicate and floral. The more simpler style.
Maroggia
– Fruit styles and the more recent addition of the 5.
If one of these
sub-zones are mentioned on the label the grapes come 100% from that
area. If there is no mention it could be a blend of multiple zones.
Steep vineyards in the Inferno ~ Valtellina by Craig Drollett
Don't stop here!
There are plenty more wonderful stories of Lombardy to be explored. Join our Twitter chat Saturday May 7th at 11am EST @ #ItalianFWT to chat about Lombardia. Plus, don't miss next month as we feature our last region of Italy, Liguria. This will complete our first full tour of Italy. See you June 4th!
Later this week on Saturday
our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group (#ItalianFWT) will be
featuring our 19th region out of 20 in Italy with Lombardy
or Lombardia. Located in central to northwestern Italy, Lombardy borders Switzerland to the north, Piedmont to the west,
Emilia Romagna to the south, and the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige
to the east.
Lombardy is home
to the capital of Milan and is a strong financial and industrial
region of Italy. According to my Italian cookbook, Italy the Beautiful Cookbook, Lombardy “produces 60% of the nation's
economy.” The landscapes provide everything from the Po Valley and
beautiful villas around the northern Lakes of Italy (Lake
Como, Lake Iseo, Lake Gardo and Lake Maggiore), to the alpine towns
tucked in the mountains and valleys of the north around Valtellina
and Valchiavenna.
My visit to Lake Como. Views from Bellagio.
There is plenty to
do for the outdoor enthusiasts and art lovers in Lombardy. I've
written about the peninsula town of Sirmione
I've visited in the past as well as Bergamo
and day trips from each, but this is only a taste of what there is to
experience. What are your favorite towns in Lombardia?
My visit to Sirmione. Views from the top of Rocca Scaligera
Wines of Lombardy
Located around
Lake Iseo, Lago Iseo, you'll
find the hills where Italy's esteemed sparkling wines arise,
Franciacorta. There are plenty
of other wines to also consider including bonarda and barbera from
the province of Pavia, pinot noir of the Oltrepo Pavese, chiavennasca
of the Valtellina and the whites of Lugana. We'll explore more of these
in our group this week with recommendations and food pairings.
Wine map of Lombardia - Copyright of Federdoc
Foods of
Lombardy
Who
can't live without some of the cheeses of this region including
gorgonzola and marscapone? Sometimes we fail to recognize where some
of our favorite foods originate from. Rice, risotto, dominates many
of the dish selections with additions including the addition of butter or the
popular spice of the region, saffron. Maybe start with the zuppa
pavia or the pastas including pumpkin tortelli and the special
pizzoccheri of the
valtellina area. When it comes to meat in Lombardy you'll find lots
of veal and the most popular veal cutlets, cotoletta alla
milanese. Who's hungry?
Here's
a preview of what's to come. Don't miss all articles live this
Saturday May 7th
and join our Twitter chat at 11am EST @ #ItalianFWT. We can't
wait to hear from you! Vino Travels - Chiavennasca of Lombardia vs. Nebbiolo of Piedmont The Wining Hour - Vines and Views of Valtellina Valley Culinary Adventures of Camilla - Sbrisolana and Cantina Casteggio Barbera Girl's Gotta Drink - Visit Franciacorta Wine Region: Italian Sparkling Wine For the Win! Enofylz Wine Blog- Franciacorta: The World Class Italian Sparkling Wine of Lombardy #ItalianFWT Food Wine Click - Valtellina: Another Expression of Nebbiolo Orna O'Reilly - Sirmione: Pearl of Lake Garda The Palladian Traveler - Spritz Campari: Milan's Passionate Red Cocktail Cooking Chat - Grilled Halibut with Parsley Pesto and Wine from Lombardia L'Occasion - 36 Hours in Lombardy Vigneto Communications - Lombardia: A Wealth of Wine
