2011
Who says it’s too early to drink wine before 9am?
Clearly if you want to be involved in this Galli Scholarship you better get your act together!
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Before venturing off on a bit of a day trip today, my boss Giorgio and I had to stop off at the winery first. As instructed I was dressed nicely with my little red Dorothy-like shoes. When we arrived at the winery in Bolgheri, Giorgio decides to inform me that I will need to transfer the heating ‘banana-looking’ device from tank 21 to 20. Normally a job accomplished in pairs, it turns out that someone arrived and I ended up doing it on my own instead (safety first, I changed into my gumboots!). Then I got some water and sulfur and back in my little red shoes I scaled some barrels that were going through malolactic fermentation and cleaned one of them that had bubbled over and had vinegar flies around it. Finally we were ready and Francesca, Giorgio, Stefano & Fabio from Michele Satta winery and myself drove off in the sleek and silver Mercedes Benz to Grosseto, eventually crossing into the hills to at last visit Colle Massari – the winery business that acquired Grattamacco a few years ago from Piermario Meletti-Cavallari.
For lunch they have a chef and waitress on duty so we had six sitting down for a deliciously, exquisite full-course meal of a small appetiser with some fresh white beans and barley, porcini mushrooms, and some liver pate’ artfully arranged on a white china plate. This was followed by the primo of a small amount of perfectly al-dente penne pasta with a chingiale (wild boar) and funghi sauce which I added a little pepperoncino to to really set it off. For secondo it was meat that melted in your mouth, and dolce was a little bowl of macedonia (fruit salad). Afterwards Luca took us to the other properties that this very rich owner behind the Colle Massari project has invested in, including a castle, more vineyards, and an agriturismo. I noted that the roads to these destinations have been recently asphalted to accommodate his Ferrari…typical.
Prince Wine Store Tasting: Tre Bicchieri Winners & A Few Favourites!
4 Jan2011
Well it has taken me an awful long time to get around to this but finally I can rave about a tasting I went to in December 2010 with Michael McNamara at the Prince Wine Store in Bank St, South Melbourne. All the wines are available there. After the free oyster and French Chablis tasting in the store, you could pay $35 and go into the Pod to try Italian goodies! You’d be silly not to, right?
Apparently only six other older gentlemen agreed with my logic.
- One lady…many men
Tenute Cisa Asinari Dei Marchesi di Gresy & Alberto
30 Dec2010
“I consider myself very lucky because life gave me, almost for fun, the chance to live an uncommon ‘agricultural’ experience.” – Alberto Cisa Asinari di Gresy, in Piemonte…noblewoman of wine by Andrea Zanfi
- Alberto Cisa Asinari di Gresy by his very lovely Porsche
Photograph by Gio’ Martorana, Piemonte…noblewoman of wine
Today I recalled a beautiful moment after bottling some La Spinetta Ca di Pian 2006 at work one day in 2008, when the cellarmaster Stefano took me to see Martinenga vineyard at the Marchesi di Gresy winery in Barbaresco as we knew Alberto the proprietor would be there to show us around. Stefano used to work there for a great number of years before moving to La Spinetta so it’s not like he needed to be ‘shown around’, but hey, it had been more for my sake anyway. Continue reading
Christmas Party
12 Dec2010
Christmas party so far…great to see a bright ’92 Hill of Grace in the glass.
- Balnaves the Tally 2007, Bandol 2008, Hill of Grace 1992, Pizzini Nebbiolo 2003
This was subsequently followed by more delicious offerings (although nothing will beat the highlight of the 1992 Henschke HOG):
2004 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz
1988 Henschke Hill of Grace (still OK, delicious, but not as good as the 1992. Stiff competition!)
2004 Grant Burge Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon which was a real surprise for me and fricken unbelievable. Super dark intense fruit, focused drive and persistence, no rough use of oak. Sublime.
2008 Curly Flat Chardonnay, perfectly Macedon, reminds me of the Shadowfax version.
A Greenock Creek Seven Acres Shiraz that was faulty and had to be poured down the gurgler.
2003 Arras Grand Vintage Sparkling. Creamy, biscuity and delightful to start the evening with.
Wine Reviews December
10 Dec2010
BRESS GOLD CHOOK CHARDONNAY 2008
The Gold Chook theme is Adam Mark’s ode to things made traditionally with artisan care and minimal intervention. I could go into his love for breeding French chickens, but that would just detour us from focusing on this stunning wine. The fruit comes from the Macedon Ranges and so classically you get a tight wine packed full of grapefruit and citrus flavours whilst the lees stirring and subtle use of oak give it a distinct savoury richness. A beautifully made, hand-crafted wine representing some of the best in cool-climate Chardonnay that Victoria has to offer.
BRESS Gold Chook Chardonnay 2008
Macedon Ranges, Victoria
The Gold Chook theme is Adam Mark’s ode to things made traditionally with artisan care and minimal intervention. I could go into his love for breeding French chickens, but that would just detour us from focusing on this stunning wine. The fruit comes from the Macedon Ranges and so classically you get a tight wine packed full of grapefruit and citrus flavours whilst the lees stirring and subtle use of oak give it a distinct savoury richness. A beautifully made, hand-crafted wine representing some of the best in cool-climate Chardonnay that Victoria has to offer.
GALLI ESTATE Artigiano Sangiovese 2008
Heathcote, Victoria
Sangiovese is one of those success-story varieties and has come a long way in Australia. Our vineyards are becoming more mature with each passing vintage and thus producing richer, more flavoursome and structured fruit. Galli Estate have provided a much appreciated hand in improving the standard of Australian Sangiovese for us consumers. Their current 2008 vintage is drinking fabulously with supple cherry compote and plum flavours lying against some chalky tannins. I had it with pappardelle pasta in a rich tomato sugo and a little part of me died and went to heaven. So sit back, relax, and savour the work of the Artigiano!
PDB Langhe Nebbiolo 2008
8 Dec2010
May be a young wine still, but it drank a beauty last night. Mature fruit, less savoury but still Italianate because of the style, and really, really approachable tannins. Drank with Matt Harrop and wife Tamara once the kids had gone to bed. The 2008 is now sold out and the 2009 is out in store. Ha ha I got to drink the last one!
Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo 2008
Available from Enoteca Sileno, 920 Lygon Street, North Carlton
Sorrenberg Chardonnay and Gamay 2009
8 Dec2010
Not bad for an after work drink
Was drinking the Sorrenberg Chardonnay 2009 at my work today. Super intriguing wine and one of a kind in Australia. Also a big fan of his 2009 Gamay. Sorrenberg’s Barry Morey’s humble offerings earn praise year after year, whether it is for his Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon, or his stunning Chardonnay which I constantly pine for. His latest Gamay continues this strong tradition. Intriguingly it contains a small portion of Pinot Noir to combine two French styles of Beaujolais and Burgundy. The result is seamless but remarkably distinct with red berry aromatics tied to a hint of fresh cherry. For something made in the depths of a cellar underneath Barry’s house, the wine is a true delight said by those who know all about it.
Wine Reviews November
18 Nov2010
FRANKLAND ESTATE Isolation Ridge Riesling 2010
Frankland River, Western Australia
The hardworking team at Frankland Estate have been showcasing the best from this prime vineyard site at Isolation Ridge, which sits on an ironstone ridge with ancient duplex soils of gravel and loam. Not only does it grow their stunning Isolation Ridge Shiraz, but it is also home to their dry-grown vines that are consistently producing a beautiful Riesling. There are graceful floral notes that then pull you into its juicy citrus palate and distinctly spicy ironstone minerality. An absolute cracker from these guys, and one with the bonus potential to age just as distinguishingly.
PUNTERS CORNER Spartacus Reserve Shiraz 2002
Coonawarra, South Australia
Well we all got a bit excited this week at my work when we decided to pull the almighty Spartacus from out of the cellar! It collected a number of accolades back in the day when it was first released, promising the prospect of ageing beautifully. Do you know what? It is still a commanding wine. There is an unmissable dense blackberry and spice core but the tannins have now smoothed to provide a more refined and delicate finish. I’m sure there’d be plenty of people willing to be a slave to such a stellar wine…
Note: You have failed if you did not get the Spartacus reference there…
Beppe Rinaldi
28 Oct2010
© All Rights Reserved. By [scara] Andrea, May 12, 2010
Sentenzioso, il vino scende nel bicchiere. In quasi tutti i salotti la bottiglie è coricata, stappata, pronta. Lo si assaggia mentalmente dandogli del “lei”, perché il rito non contempla un’obbrobriosa fraternità.
Dagli Abbona ai Rinaldi, dai Borgogno ai Mascarello, dai Pira ai Veglia, i “signori” del vino regale giocano a differenziarsi ma è un confronto di specchi, l’uno rimanda all’altro vertiginosamente.
(G. Arpino)
Top 10 Wine Trends to Avoid in 2011
29 Mar2010
1. Mixing OJ and bubbly
Why ruin a good glass of fizz with orange juice? Just serve half a glass on its own, and leave the OJ to those who really need the taste. Same goes for Midori and bubbly. Eeek!
2. Having ice with white wine
Not even on the hottest of days is this allowed – unless the wine is under $5. It ruins the taste and looks stupid. Sink your feet into an ice bucket if it’s that hot, and sink your palate into the real flavours of the wine. Spritzers excepted.
3. Sparkling v champagne
Champagne is the bubbly that comes from the region of Champagne only, in France. That $12 bottle of Jacobs Creek is not.
4. Red wine with lemonade/coke/water
The only people allowed to do this are Italians – usually with their own home brew because it was made in 1986 and there’s still heaps of flagons in the shed.
5. Pouring a bottle straight away
Wine is full of rich, complex intense flavours. You need to let it breathe/decant before it’s at its optimum. I don’t need to explain the concept of foreplay here, but it’s the same thing essentially.
6. Hibiscus flowers and strawberries
Sure it looks fancy mixed with bubbly at those B-list parties but, c’mon… They go to waste and then we’re left to dispose of them on the floor when no one’s looking.
7. Small wine glasses
We’ve come a long way in recent times in realising that wine evolves better and quicker in bigger glasses (see point five). But some restaurateurs still insist on serving top-notch wine in those archaic, shapeless 200ml things. Open up!
8. Drinking wine too cold
The colder your white wine, the less flavour it will impart on your palate. Most whites are drunk way too cold. The more expensive whites should be taken out of the fridge and drunk about 15 minutes later. Try it – you’ll find the flavours are more robust. The same rule can apply for heavily-flavoured, Belgian-style beers.
9. Cheap New Zealand sauvignon blanc
There’s such an over-supply of this NZ grape, particularly from the Marlborough region, that people are confusing good value with good wine. If you really want to try a cracking sauvignon blanc from NZ, give the Cloudy Bay Te Koko a ride. Then try going back to drink that $15 crap.
10. Being scared
It might seem unnatural, but swirling and sniffing your wine (in a big glass) will make the experience of drinking it doubly enjoyable. Get into it, don’t worry about looking like a wine snob. Or of spilling some on your clothes. Embrace what’s in your glass and let it fly open to your senses.
Courtesy of your Daily Wine News
Winding our way into the Valley of Clare
13 Feb2010
Saturday and possibly our last Saturday totally free for awhile since we will begin fermenting juice as of next week. Hence I took the opportunity to not waste an opportunity to head up to the Clare Valley wine region. I initially was going to go up on my own which would have been fine, but well, a boring drive for one, and a little less exciting tasting stuff on your lonesome. Fortunately I got a text from Stuart again who wanted to go up and see the area again. Happy days.
I made pancakes for breakfast in the morning for my housemate Monica and myself then Stuart and I headed off just after 9:30am and were at our first stop by 10:30am: Taylors. Taylors is a huge winery and they have heaps of different labels and styles available but the only one that impressed was an 04 St Andrews label Cabernet Sauvignon. Moving right along. We were going to stop at O’Leary Walkers but it was closed. The Clare Valley region is made up of a number of small towns that lead up to one another along the main road. There are lots of wineries alongside the main road and it is all really well sign-posted so I think it’s great to get to and see in this one day we had. You do take turns off the main road and head up into really gum-tree/eucalyptus country, which was a real surprise for me because I had assumed the valley would be more open, rolling plains instead of this stereotypical Australian bush-scape.
We made it up to Watervale township and stopped at Crabtree Watervale Wines and got stuck talking there with the owner for an hour and a half about growing their Tempranillo vines, their crew, the size of the winery etc. They make some great wines actually but I didn’t end up buying any at this point. I was waiting for something to really appeal. Olssens was closed because the winemaker’s wife had unexpectedly passed away a month ago. I had been told to check them out by the winemakers at Henschke so it’s a shame about the circumstances. Instead we went to Kilikanoon Wines where I bought their Block Road Cabernet Sauvignon, then up to Jeanneret Wines where there was a hilarious possibly-alco character behind the cellardoor looking after twelve cats and a fat labrador. Stuart bought some ripper reds for a hefty price. Thanks goodness we can claim some of this stuff through tax.
The Wilson Vineyard
We decided to fill a hole that was emerging in our stomachs and shared a little greek-style pizza and salad before driving up through the slightly boring township of Clare and heading to Knappstein Wines where I bought their excellent single vineyard Riesling and finished off with their palate-cleansing lager that was on tasting! Our last stops were in the Polish Hill region of the Clare Valley and here we stopped at The Wilson Vineyard and I bought their 09 Riesling, then down to Pikes were I was going to work the vintage (but turned it down for Henschke) and bought their Reserve Riesling which I’ll put down, and their yummy Luccio Sangiovese wine which will be great with Italian food…mmm mmm I can imagine the pizza I’d make with that!
Pikes vineyards
The road to Pikes Wines
What a day though, the area is lovely, though a little too secluded from the sea or the city in my opinion. Anyway we got some great wines which will be enjoyed one day in the future.
We drink a drink a drink a drink
6 Feb2010
The other cellarhand at Henschke, my old mate Stuart and I got ourselves organised and ventured on up to Angaston for a fulfilling breakfast on this Saturday morning at the Blonde Cafe on the main street. After lining our stomachs we set off to our first destination on what was to be a day of wine tasting in the Barossa Valley. Stuart was driving, so like my brother David would say, ‘You can get smashed‘, but considering I’m not the type to get ‘smashed’ per say, I knew that most of my day would be spitting these palatable libations.
Yalumba called upon us from just outside of Angaston and here we sampled their extensive range, finally finding myself reaching for the wallet and purchasing two bottles of Riesling: 09 Pewsey Vale Riesling & 09 Heggies Vineyard Riesling. Moving along we stopped at the Taste of Eden wine bar in the main street and sampled a range of amazing Rieslings on offer from tiny producers in the Eden Valley, here I bought a Radford 09 Riesling that will be put down for a while I reckon. Can you tell I’ve got a thing for Rieslings yet?
Following on we walked up the road to the small producer Small Fry where we got talking for a while to the wife of the winemaker and ex-viticultural manager of Penfolds vineyards. She was fascinating and they had some really good wines. I ended up buying their food-friendly 09 Barossa Grenache Shiraz Mataro Carignan Cinsault blend from the Vine Vale sub-region of the Barossa Valley. Should look good in two years.
We stopped at Kaesler’s where my ex-boss Matt Harrop suggested we go as they have good wines and they crush Shadowfax’s Sauvignon Blanc the last two years. When we arrived there was a large tour bus of old people gradually leaving and buying up big on sweet white port and telling me ‘this one’s lovely, make sure you buy some too’….ahh….no thanks 🙂 The list on the cellar door was customised for the tour bus so at first I thought they had a pretty dodgy offering, until they realised that the two young un’s here weren’t with the old foggies and gave us the proper list and we went through and tried some ripper reds ‘Old Vine Shiraz’ and ‘Old Bastard’ were favourites of mine, and their McLaren Vale Nashwauk range was really interesting too.
By this stage our stomach’s were getting a little peckish so we winded our way first to Torbreck’s and were served by one surfy and totally ‘tubular surf man‘ free-lovin’ dude behind the cellar door and another who offered to take us down to Adelaide Hills sometime when we’re free. They also whipped out from behind the back a bottle opened up from a dinner the night before of their new 2005 Laird wine to be released sometime this year that will retail for $750 or something. It was an incredible wine…I will never buy it…but I’ve tried it and I can testify that it’s a bloody awesome full-bodied red. In an Arnold Schwartzenegger kind of accent I would say it had ‘the power’.
Welcome to the Barossa
2 Feb2010
BAROSSA VALLEY
I arrived here not even a week after landing back in the country after completing a vintage in Bolgheri, Italy. What am I here for? Henschke winery up in Keyneton. I’ve got a vintage placement here while there’s work to be done so will make the most of the opportunity and work as hard as I can. Considering the ‘work’ I did in Italy was so ridiculously easy in terms of workload and hours, I am really looking forward to getting down to some dirty work, earning some money, learning heaps from these guys and just having a ball!
WORK
It is only my second day working and my hands are already stained a dark colour from working with barrels…Lordy Lord, help me!
WORKIt is only my second day working and my hands are already stained a dark colour from working with barrels…Lordy Lord, help me!
The work crew in the winery are a lovely bunch. There is the head boss and figure head Stephen and Prue Henschke who are so small, so cute, and incredibly nice people. Well-spoken and really interesting. Then I’d go onto my winemaking boss Paul Hampton who is really cool, funny, full of information, youngish and just great, so am really looking forward to working with him when he’s around. The assistant winemaker is Josh, a young, tall guy who’s really cruisy but really passionate. His family have a winery which he will take over one day so he’s in a great place to practice! There’s also the jovial Jack, the baby of the Henschke team, at the young 21 years old. He’s studying the same Wine Science degree that I did and seems older than his actual years say but is easy to work with and gives good direction. There are a whole bunch more of people of course but the main character would be Harry. My housemate warned me about Harry saying his language could be foul (if every second word turns out to be ‘bugger’ or ‘shit’ or ‘bloody hell’ then that’s what she was referring to), and he will tell you like it is. Turns out, I really like Harry so far! He explains things clearly and in a quintessentially male manner he knows everything about alloys, pumps, and stuff…most of the time I get the gist of what he is on about and other times I don’t…hey, I can’t be a full man here, can I!?
The winery is old, creaky, and quaint to say the least! So different from all the ubiquitous modern wineries around so it’s a great change and funny at times to see an ancient pump whirling around that’s been there since the 60’s or something. The floor where we empty/fill barrels is a purply colour at this stage because of the wine-tainted spit we cover it with. At least here they are pedantic about quality control and we taste every barrel that we come across. Thank god! There is Triple J radio playing in the background, not so loud so that you can hear the shouts for when the tank is almost full from across the other side of the winery. Sweat drips down your forehead as you careen the forklift in to pick up four barrels on the side – not a normal situation but Harry says you can fit more barrels into a warehouse this way. The sweat is because you’re dealing with quite the expensive product here, especially when one barrel can contain 225 litres of wine, you times that by how many bottles you’d get at 750mL, then by the retail price of each bottle…so if you drop it….shit.
At least my second day finished in true winemaking fashion: we all went upstairs to the lab where there were samples of the 2009 Henschke Hill of Grace from about 20 barrels. They would eventually make up the final blend and each was interesting with slightly different flavours, tannins, texture, length, depending on the cooper, the barrel (American or French), the forest the oak is from, the vineyards of course, whether the vines were 150 years old or 20 years old, the type of soil, the aspect of the vineyard…so many variables so it was really great to do with all of us there.
I also gave them my box of seven wines from Shadowfax winery that Matt Harrop had given me. Initially my housemate Monica who works in production told me that they don’t drink alcohol during work hours so no wine will be drunk she thought apart from beers on a Friday afternoon. But after chatting with winemaker Paul he told me once it’s vintage and we’re working long hours, we’ll have dinner here us six at the winery and they’ll usually go down to the ‘tunnel’ (the old wine storage area like the caves of Portugal) and select a mystery wine for everyone so we’ll get to drink some interesting stuff there he said. Yessssssssss!
Mangia Krystina, mangia!
20 Dec2009
Whilst the ex-boss and wife and child were still sleeping I got up and had breakfast on my own in the kitchen and dressed for lunch as they informed me we were going to the ristorante Bovio in Ceretto Langhe with Ornella also in attendance. Together we rugged ourselves up and braved the chilly winter air and sat down to a wonderful lunch. We ordered and pretty much were all having an antipasto and a secondo but then the restaurant chef who knows Giorgio well ended up bringing us an antipasto on top of our other orders which consisted of carne crudo di vitello in small balls on bread, a spoon of insalata russa and grissini…the child of Anja and Giorgio, Lidia, is two years old and eats like an adult. In fact she ate more of the antipasti than everybody else. On top of that she also ended up eating an adult sized primo of agnolotti, then a smaller sized steak. Hungry kid.
My choices were coniglio then polpo caramellata. I brought Giorgio Meletti-Cavallari’s 2006 Impronte red wine for lunch. First we had a Spumante that was lovely, followed by a Vermentino done by Antinori which was terribly simple and bland. Then we had the Bolgheri rosso, which Giorgio said he liked but Anja wasn’t so keen on. We talked a little about the wine and how La Spinetta’s going etc. The coniglio was delicious in an involtini-style dish cut into slices with an orange-coloured sauce alongside. They followed up with a surprise primo of beetroot-coloured gnocchi with lobster sauce. Again delicious but rich and thankfully portioned well. Giorgio ordered another red wine blind as he wanted to be surprised and it tasted really good and ended up being the 2005 Sezzana (La Spinetta’s reserve Tuscan label) that he would like to put down for another 10 years even. I was really impressed with that one. I also came to learn that the reason for him drinking so much Vermentino of late is because La Spinetta Toscana are doing a Vermentino, 2009 being the first vintage from bought grapes.
My secondo of caramelized polpo (octupus tentacle) was ordered by Ornella and Giorgio also, and was too sweet and the balsamic darkness of the sauce overpowered the freshness or any polpo taste you were hoping to get! It was on a lovely bed of polenta but the sweetness dominated and ruined the dish overall. I mean, it wasn’t horrible, it just could could have been much fresher for fish, y’know?
Afterwards we had said no to dessert and they still brought us coffee cups of tiramisu, probably the best tiramisu I’ve tasted with a yellow-creamy topping, not white, so I wasn’t disappointed they brought us this, but we were trying to eat light! Che ridere! Amazing dessert.
Anja, Ornella and I went for over an hours walk after lunch up the hills to attempt to work it off and chatted about everything. I mentioned how I am going to start studying again and how I’m interested to learn the business side of things also. Anja was interested in that and I think in the new year we will see what we can work out, whether there can be some sort of arrangement. Can’t really say anything just yet.
Later on I went back to Alba with Ornella to her place and we reheated her pipes with a hairdryer to get water as it had frozen. The joys of living where there falls snow. It worked anyway, no matter how funny it looked blowdrying a box. We then went for a walk together and got an espresso in the centre of town before heading back. At 7pm Manuela Rivetti and her boyfriend Simone passed by the house and picked me up and together we had an aperativo first at Piazza Duomo in Alba with rockclimbing friends of Simone, then had dinner at ‘Il Corsiero’ in Cinzano with his group of rock-climbing buddies. The night was spent chatting away with Manuela about old times. Good times, good times.
Colle Massari winery visit
18 Nov2009
Before venturing off on a bit of a day trip today, my boss Giorgio and I had to stop off at the winery first. As instructed I was dressed nicely with my little red Dorothy-like shoes. When we arrived at the winery in Bolgheri, Giorgio decides to inform me that I will need to transfer the heating ‘banana-looking’ device from tank 21 to 20. Normally a job accomplished in pairs, it turns out that someone arrived and I ended up doing it on my own instead (safety first, I changed into my gumboots!). Then I got some water and sulfur and back in my little red shoes I scaled some barrels that were going through malolactic fermentation and cleaned one of them that had bubbled over and had vinegar flies around it. Finally we were ready and Francesca, Giorgio, Stefano & Fabio from Michele Satta winery and myself drove off in the sleek and silver Mercedes Benz to Grosseto, eventually crossing into the hills to at last visit Colle Massari – the winery business that acquired Grattamacco a few years ago from Piermario Meletti-Cavallari.
The guy who owns the business now is obviously rolling in moolah and has not overlooked any expense to create a magnificent winery of the utmost materials. The barrel hall is roofed and walled in the material that one uses for the interior of sauna’s… is that pine or spruce? Of notable cellar geek importance was that the winery has the Bucher Vaslin Flavy FX 5 cross flow, which can go through their standard-sized 100hL tanks in under an hour. Very impressive!
Luca, the director of Colle Massari and Grattamacco, gave us le grand tour and a taste of their current Vermentino in tank from one vineyard, and another in the huge barrels that was undergoing malo. In the barrel hall we tasted 2008 and current Sangiovese wines. Some that were quite powerful and others that were not so interesting.
For lunch they have a chef and waitress on duty so we had six sitting down for a deliciously, exquisite full-course meal of a small appetiser with some fresh white beans and barley, porcini mushrooms, and some liver pate’ artfully arranged on a white china plate. This was followed by the primo of a small amount of perfectly al-dente penne pasta with a chingiale (wild boar) and funghi sauce which I added a little pepperoncino to to really set it off. For secondo it was meat that melted in your mouth, and dolce was a little bowl of macedonia (fruit salad). Afterwards Luca took us to the other properties that this very rich owner behind the Colle Massari project has invested in, including a castle, more vineyards, and an agriturismo. I noted that the roads to these destinations have been recently asphalted to accommodate his Ferrari…typical.La Donna del Vino
"'Just living is not enough,' said the butterfly. 'One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.'" - Hans Christian Andersen
La Donna del Vino 