This post is my humble contribution to Cory (Saignee) Cartwright’s 32 Days of Natural Wine.

This is Day 15. Follow along for the rest of the voyage naturel!

—-

June 9th, 2010: Bari, Puglia —> Cagliari, Sardinia by plane. A day of sea and sand and too much liquore di mirto. Dawn the next day: Cagliari, Sardinia —> Sassari, Sardinia by train (and a very infrequent bus I almost missed because I fell asleep.)

Finally, I arrived to the Sassari stazione in the midday heat and blinding sun. It was a scorcher that day. I squinted. And made a fan out of notebook paper. And I waited. For what? For a man. I traveled to Sardinia to see a man. That man was Alessandro Dettori.

He was running behind. He had been in the hospital visiting his wife- who gave birth to their first child, a daughter, the night before. And he was still coming to pick my ass up? Yes, so it goes. With a general feeling of “I am not worthy,” into the car and off to the vineyard we went!

cannonau and a hazy sea in the distance

After some winding roads and chit chat, we emerged from the car in Badde Nigolosu.

Alessandro is young…youthful. Passionate and intelligent. He was excited to show me his land, his farm and his wines. Incredibly proud to be a Sardinian. Sardinian- not Italian. Those are two very different things.

The soil creeped into my weathered sandals. This felt like a happy place. As silly as that may sound.  We stood in the Dettori cru where the vines have reached 139 years of age; a number that is hard for me to even wrap my brain around.

leaves burnt by the strong winds. It's OK alessandro says, they protect the rest.

wild asparagus that was growing next to a vine

after a month without rain, the soil remains dark and moist to the touch

Alessandro began working these vineyards and making wine with his grandfather when he was 12 years old. He continues to make wine as his grandfather did, with minimal interference. And to make a “simple bottle on the table”…a “wine for food- 50 years ago there was no Gambero Rosso!” Although I doubt many people could say a Dettori wine is anything but simple.  I would understand that in another hour’s time when I sat down for one of the best lunches I’ve ever had.

We continued on and spoke of natural winemaking(“…this is not anything modern or new or future. It is the way it’s always been here.”), biodynamics (“Philosophy is for man- not nature.”) When pressed to define what he does, he considers himself to make honest wine…natural wine. “I make perfectly imperfect wine.”

He says you can either “make wine or an alcoholic beverage. I make wine.” It’s OK if you make an alcoholic beverage, there is a place for everyone. No need to be angry or to compete. Sometimes his wife wants McDonald’s. Once a month, she has the McDonald’s. It’s OK. But, don’t make an alcoholic beverage and pretend it’s wine.

We made our way eventually to the cellar and the family agriturismo. “I want to have a farm, not an office…with happy people.” Flashing back to my first moments stepping onto Dettori soil, I realize his mission may have been accomplished.

no oak in sight. cement and more cement.

His cellar is a “simple cellar. Because me? I do nothing. I put only a beautiful label. Stop.”

He grabbed a 2000 Dettori Cannonau and said we should head up for lunch. By all means! On the way to the dining room, I met his father, mother and aunt. As well as Chef Piero and a few other cheery souls. I also met some of what would be our lunch…

Seats taken, it was time to get down to business.

2007 Romangia Bianco vermentino

2000 Dettori Cannonau in the forefront

Like the Sardinian landscape…and Sardinian people- these wines were intense. Intense in the most wonderful of ways. At 14.5-16% alcohol, they are powerful. And yet elegant in their intensity. I’ve never had a wine with such high alcohol that could also have a kind of delicacy and freshness. To sum up my notes on all of the wines- other than “holy hell” (the 2000 Dettori Cannonau) and “like some kind of church choir singing in harmony” (2005 Tenores Cannonau & maltagliati pasta with castrated sheep ragu)- they were a study in give and take, push and pull. There is structure without structure. Softness without softness. Fruit without forsaking the Earth. They are Badde Nigolosu. They are Sardinian. They are Dettori.

2006 Chimbanta monica di sardegna passito

I asked Alessandro what his favorite wine was to drink. What is the bottle he opens most for himself? He said he wouldn’t tell me until the end of he meal. Well, our last wine was that wine. A passito wine, Chimbanta, made from monica di sardegna. He calls it “pirate wine”- this was the kind of wine that was shared around the table centuries ago in Sardinia. We toasted with his pirate wine as he raised his glass and said “A kent’annos!”, Sardinian dialect of the Italian “a cent’annos”…to your 100th year. Indeed. To us both! And in my 100th, if there’s a bottle of Dettori around life ain’t too shabby.

Turning over a bottle of Dettori, I read the back label. It proclaims: “Sorry but we don’t follow the market, we produce wines that we like, wines from our culture. They are what they are and not what you want them to be.” And I guess that pretty much says it all.

In anticipation of my 32 Natural Days post on Saturday, I bring you a teaser of sorts. I spent the day with Alessandro Dettori when I was in Sardinia and had a truly wonderful time. After walking the vineyards and checking out the cellar, he plopped me down in a chair at the family farm table for a 2 hour lunch of Sardinia’s finest dishes. He also opened every wine he produces, but we’ll get to that on Saturday. Now- the feast…aka the lunch of my dreams.

As we approached the kitchen, Alessandro pulled me to the side to show me something. He slid back a massive door to a massive oven. Inside was most of what I would be eating for lunch. He explained that they build a fire in the oven and then remove it leaving the stones within incredibly hot. They then put the food in….and leave it. As simple as that. He said it can stay hot for several hours.

Alessandro recruited his friend, the talented Chef Piero Careddu, to run the kitchen at his agriturismo A Kent’Annos. And Piero definitely delivered; with all ingredients from their farm. And if it wasn’t from their farm, it was from their neighbor’s farm. With that- on to the food!

Antipasti- fresh chopped pepper, pistachio and raisin salad. Eggplant fritelli (little fried balls). Herbed sheep’s milk ricotta (to spread on the fresh baked bread). Cippolini rossi gratinata. Lardo and salami.

Primi- his mama’s zuppa di pane (herbed bread and cheese casserole, essentially). And yes- it was made by his mom, who also works in the kitchen. A sheep’s broth is used to season the dish and it is used in many dishes in Sardinian cuisine. We were also served a pasta dish that was delicious- maltagliati castrato (the dish in the background of the photo above.) The meat comes from a castrated sheep. How this differs from a sheep with fully intact family jewels- I have no idea. But it was pretty darn good.

The traditional Sardinian flatbread pane carasau.

Secondo- Roasted pork with olives (Mama Dettori cured them) and potatoes. Delicious and so good with the wine. Which was what was so amazing about all of it. The wine and the food are meant to be together.

Dolce- holy hell. This was some kind of divine other-worldly moment for me in that which is the dessert experience. This little thing is called a seadas. It’s like a hand pie and is filled with fresh sheep’s milk ricotta studded with lemon zest and covered in honey and crunchy sugar bits.

Yeah. I finished it. And wished for a second. And scraped every last bit of honey that could possibly be salvaged with my fork and without the use of either my finger or my tongue (which would be rude, no?)

A second seadas did not come, but this happy and cheerful man did. Armed with a pan of his ricotta cake.

I am sad to say that I don’t remember this man’s name but I remember his cooking! He was helping with some construction on the property. And you know, he just whipped up this little ditty before coming in to work. It’s just what they do.

We sat outside with our espresso and enjoyed the cake. In addition to my cake, I also had an extremely large grin and not a care in the world.

Cagliari, Sardinia.

I awoke from a much needed nap to the sounds of church bells and breezes. A day of travel and strong beach breezes left me tired. I dressed and met my new friend Alessandra down the street for an early evening stroll through the old town. We window shopped and gazed with mouths watering at everyone’s cones of soft ice cream. It seems as though 7 PM was the magic hour for a cone in Cagliari that night. Ale’s cousin Omar and his friend joined us on our walk…which ended at a wine bar. Of course it did. Salumi and cheese was shared as was Sardinian rose.

9:30 PM and stomachs rumbling, Omar places a call. An important call. To his mama. Did I want to have dinner at their home? A typical Sardinian meal? Duh. Yes- in a hurry. We arrived 30 minutes later with wine in hand (2007 Cannonau and a Sardinian frizzante) to the scent of grilled prawns wafting through the night air from the outdoor kitchen. Lucia had outdone herself. A rice dish of fresh grilled octopus, whole grilled fish, grilled gamberi rossi….and a cheese course complete with bottarga. Salt cured fish roe. Which fish? Not the normal muggine, no. Tonight it was swordfish bottarga.

The swordfish bottarga hidden in a sea of cheese. The saltiness is overwhelming. But intoxicatingly overwhelming (in a good way.) A few crumbs is sufficient. After a fashion show of every large and colorful hat in Lucia’s closet and it’s matching glove pairing, it was time for something sweet.

Lucia returned from the kitchen with 3 chilled bottles of homemade liquore. We must try them all, she demanded! You don’t have to twist my arm…the offerings: the traditional Sardinian mirto (berries from the myrtle plant- like blueberries…sort of), limoncello and to my surprise- bay leaf.

2:30 AM Eyelids heavy and bellies beyond full and aching from guffaw-like laughter it was time to say goodbye. My most sincere of thanks to Lucia and Omar for being such generous (and entertaining) hosts. And to Alessandra for showing me how and why Sardinians do it better. A kent’annos!

]]> http://www.brunelloshavemorefun.com/2010/06/the-blackberry-chronicles-dinner-with-zia-lucia/feed/ 0 http://www.brunelloshavemorefun.com/2010/06/world-cup-wino/ http://www.brunelloshavemorefun.com/2010/06/world-cup-wino/#comments Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:45:47 +0000 whitney http://www.brunelloshavemorefun.com/?p=2617

What: the first game of the World Cup

Where: a bar in Alghero, Sardinia

Who: me, some German dudes, a bunch of Italians and a French couple with a baby

Drink: my dear, dear Aperol spritz

So…after the tasting in Puglia I hopped over to Sardinia to see a winemaker and also for, you know, a little R & R. I had a solo day of exploring, lounging on the beach and watching the kick-off for the biggest sporting event in the world. The streets of the ancient town of Alghero were littered with cafe tables and flat screens. And a ton of loud soccer (er…football) fans. After the festivities, I made myself a little lunch. With my very own kitchen and a grocery around the corner, I came up with this…

I must say- it was a pretty delightful way to spend an afternoon! You know…life always seems more delightful, everything always tastes better, sunsets always more beautiful… in Italy.

After 3 days and 200 some odd wines- the members of the jury were ready to announce the outcome. Members of the Puglian wine community gathered. Winemakers, families, journalists- the whole lot. It was great to see and hear an open dialogue (that i could sort of understand) about the state of Puglian wine and to feel that everyone genuinely wanted to improve not only the perception and knowledge of Puglia but most importantly the wine itself.

The full list of winners (in Italian!) can be found at Franco Zilliani’s site, Vino al Vino .  Negroamaro was the star varietal of the tasting. 1st place Overall went to Apollonio’s 2004 Negroamaro. 2nd place, oddly enough, went to Grifalco’s 2007 Aglianico….from nearby Basilicata. Not a Puglian wine at all (there was a small category of Aglianico del Vulture.) And 3rd- another negroamaro, Schola Sarmenti’s 2005 riserva. We judged white wines, rosati and reds. There were winners in each category as well usually broken down by varietal. Bombino bianco, fiano minutolo, greco, malvasia bianco, aglianico, primitivo, nero di troia, negroamaro…all native grapes. And I even got to try two varietals I had never tried or even heard of- tuccanese and susumaniello!

Our last night, after the awards ceremony, was spent by our now beloved pool with the other judges, plates of cheese and salumi and many bottles of wine scored from the reception. It was delightful. I was seriously honored to be a part of the jury which included some great wine writers and critics from around the world. Who also happened to be hilarious. Take a look at this video made by the President of the Jury- Carlo Macchi of Wine Surf. Which actually takes place IN the pool.

And check out my partner in crime Christina’s great write-up on the festival. She is much more detailed than I could ever be (considering I left my notebook of wine notes in the hotel!) And her opinions of the wine were generally on par with mine.  A big giant grazie to Franco for inviting me to be a part of this jury. I had a blast and learned quite a bit about a region and its wine that I wasn’t so familiar with. Saluti!

Well- I’m back! It was a short trip, but filled to the brim. I have a lot of photos and info to share but let’s start with a trip into southern Puglia. The land of primitivo. After a morning of judging wines for Radici’s Festival dei Vitigni Autoctoni we were off on what would become considered by many as the most epic bus ride ever to have occurred in Southern Italy. We visited the vineyards of Morella and Attanasio in anticipation of the vertical tasting of their wines we would have later that night.

the beginnings of the grape…

Alberelli: Bush vines- the traditional and arguably the best planting and training method for primitivo. These are Morella’s prized 60 year old vines which make their “Old Vines” label.

Lisa Gilbee- winemaker for Morella. And an Aussie! ”My children run through these vineyards and we walk through tasting grapes. I don’t want any chemicals,” on one of the reasons why her vineyards are biodynamically farmed.

Luca Attanasio of Attanasio.

These Attanasio vines are planted in a darker, denser earth as opposed to Morella’s terra rossa soil just a few kilometers away.

After the second leg of the now infamous most epic bus ride in all of Southern Italy (ever), we finally made it to dinner. We were able to taste verticals of both Attanasio and Morella primitivo back to 2000.

After a few days of blind tasting dozens of primitivos that I was generally not impressed by, I was happy to finally have these wines in my glass. Standouts for me were the 2005 Attanasio and 2001 Morella in which the fruit takes center stage as opposed to the oak. Which seemed to be a bit of problem for me with most of the wines during the week. Modern styled wines vs. traditional. French oak vs. large oak cask. The eternal debate.

I have to say though that on the whole primitivo is just not my cup of tea. It often is just not structured enough and many of the wines I tried were just incredibly overoaked.

And just because it was so pretty, I have to share my dessert of plum cake (which was paired with a 2007 Attanasio primitivo dolce)…just look at them cherries.

PS- Here is a great article and overview of Puglian wine from Tom Cannavan one of my colleagues on the judging panel. In it, he talks of Lisa and Luca’s wines and philosophies much better than I.

I have a wrap up of the festival with the winning wines and my thoughts on the way. As well as my Sardinian adventures. Giddy up!

All I can say is- wow. Puglia is pretty fantastic and I’ve only seen what is in and around the hotel where I am staying in Monopoli (as I arrived last night in darkness.) The landscape here is quite different from any other region in Italy. It’s very rustic… in a Greek way, if that makes any sense. The property is covered in and surrounded by the most massive olive trees I have ever seen. We’re talking ancient. And the warm air smells of sweet flowers and green herbs. It’s delectable.

So, the reason I’m here: I Vini Radici, a festival here in Puglia that celebrates and judges the wines of the region. There are 3 days of focused tasting sessions organized by grape, some winery visits and some pretty fab dinners where wine will be flowing in abundance.

Day 1. It involved 2 poolside lounging sessions… and 67 wines. We’re getting down to business (and pleasure!) straight outta the gate. Today was all white and rosé wines, which the region is not the most known for. It’s star and claim to wine fame are red wines made from the primitivo and negroamaro grapes.  So, I was excited to see what bombino, fiano minutolo, negroamaro (rosé) and primitivo (rosé) had to offer.

Oh and did I mention one of my best friends in the whole wide world is here on the judging panel with me? I know…life works in pretty magical ways sometimes. Also- please take note of the extremely large tree trunk blob to the left of Christina’s face. That’s one of the olive trees I was talking about. Crazy.

Well guys- gotta run. A dinner of fresh fish by the sea is awaiting me. Tomorrow we dig into the red wines and Christina and I are going to go explore a bit on our bikes. I smell another video in the works….

This time tomorrow I will be in Puglia….Monopoli to be exact. The beach you see above was actually in Campania, but I imagine that I will be seeing similar picturesque beach-y scenery in the near future. My travels will also take me to the wild and lush landscapes of Sardinia for a short visit. And yes, I realize how annoying this all is for those not traveling to Italy time and time again as I have been so lucky to this past year. I would kind of hate myself If I were indeed not myself.

So- stick with me. I’ve got some pretty fun posts coming your way. And a redesign of the old blog-eroo (be patient with us as we work out the kinks!) Ci vediamo a presto!

I’m about to have a Glee moment with you as I share a little secret… when I was a teenager and home alone, I would put on my mother’s Barbra Streisand box set and sing as loud as humanly possible. Papa Can You Hear Me? Possibly one of my favorites to really get the drama going. And another favorite? The Pretty Women/Ladies Who Lunch mash up.

Here’s to the ladies who lunch
Everybody laugh
Lounging in their caftans and
Planning a brunch
On their own behalf

Here’s to the girls who just watch
Aren’t they the best
When they get depressed,
It’s a bottle of scotch
Plus a little jest!
Another chance to disapprove
Another brilliant zinger
Another reason not to move
Another vodka stinger
I’ll drink to that!

Zing-ah. Vodka sting-ah. Oh my, I love that woman. OK- so back to the point! I had a lovely lunch the other day. And felt like a lady who lunches maybe just a little. I can’t say that I drank a vodka stinger or a bottle of scotch, but I did grub on fennel sausage pizza with grilled scallions and clouds of ricotta. And a bottle of wine (all right, not an entire bottle.)

The 2005 Inama Carmenere Piu. Piu meaning more in Italian. And the more being 2 other grapes besides carmenere- merlot and raboso veronese. This wine comes from the Colli Berici in the Veneto region of Italy. Carmenere is a Bordeaux varietal that was first planted in this region in the 19th century and for many years was thought to be cabernet franc. But cab franc it is not! Here is a great write-up on Inama by the awesome Jamie Goode over at Wine Anorak (and a super cute picture of Stefano’s son…I know, I know.)

The combo of the Carmenere Piu with the sweet sausage and fluffy ricotta was killer. I highly recommend duplicating if at all possible. Followed by a little Barbra on the record player…

Pizza from Ammo in Los Angeles. And if you hurry you can still get a few bottles of the Inama Carmenere at Rosso Wine Shop.

While in Italy, I always hear one phrase time and time again shouted from the depths of the kitchen to the heights of the roof, the cosmos and beyond – “a la tavola!” To the table! And to the table we go. In a hurry.

I was given the opportunity to try a bunch of yummy (and it was indeed yummy) Buitoni Riserva pasta. I had never actually tried it before but figured now was a better time than any to gather with good friends, good wine and…pasta. I tried with all my might to summon my inner Italian and show all my Angelenos what a night at the table really should be.

And we must not forget the co-star of the evening…the wine. OK- I’ll give you the rundown of how I organized this whole thing. I chose 3 Buitoni Riserva pastas (all filled pasta, either “agnolotti” or “ravioli”) and made a sauce for each one. I also paired 2 wines- one Italian and one, well, NON Italian. Because really, in my book, it’s Italy… and all the rest.

Wines were covered as per usual so everyone could taste blind and vote on the best pairing. Is Italian wine better suited for Italian food? I know there are a lot of variables and the amount of wines available around the globe are endless and diverse. But, still…let’s play along with the fun wine tasting game shall we? Thank you.

I chose wines that most importantly would pair well with each dish. And with the dueling duos- I tried my darndest to match wines with similar styles, body, acidity and fruit so as to make it as even a playing field as possible.

Round 1

The wine: 2008 Quattro Mani toh-kai (Italy) vs. 2008 Benaza Godello (Spain)

The pasta: Quattro formaggi agnolotti with olive oil, garlic and fresh diced tomato sauce and basil chiffonade

Winner- Italy! In the Battle of the Quattro, more than half of the guests preferred the Italian wine. It was slightly more herbacious and a little lower in alcohol. It played beautifully off of the fresh basil. The Benaza was by no means a bad pairing, just a richer one with less minerality and acidity (and some people still preferred it.)

Round 2

The wines: 2008 Vallevo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Italy, duh) vs. 2008 Chateau d’Oupia Les Heretiques (France, double duh)

The pasta: Wild mushroom agnolotti with a ricotta, parmesan and black pepper cream sauce

Winner- France (!) I must say this carignan from the Languedoc was just plain delicious. No getting around it. The montepulciano didn’t have a chance. Although the rusticity of the montepulciano would be a good match with both the mushroom and cream in the dish, the Heretiques shined with it’s higher toned juicy fruit and kind of seductive aromas of both violet and earth. I got poetic for a second. That’s what that wine did to me.

Round 3

The wine: 2008 Elio Perrone “Tasmorcan” Barbera d’Asti (Italy) vs. 2008 Bielsa Garnacha (Spain)

The pasta:  Beef & spicy sausage ravioli with red pepper marinara sauce and asiago cheese

Winner- Italy! 2 out 3 does a winner make. Italy takes home the prize. This barbera (one which I actually tasted blind and honestly didn’t even remember while at the Barbera Meeting a few months ago) was maybe the overall favorite wine of the night. It has seen a small amount of french oak. Let’s not even get into the great oak debate right now. But, it is a great wine. Ripe berry fruit, good acidity, a slight richness and structure from the wood….perfect with the spicy sauce and ravioli. The garnacha is a good wine too, but just didn’t wow us in this particular application.

As darkness set in, the eating subsided and drinking continued…and I gave away a prize. Prizes are neat. Upon blind tasting the wines in Round 2, Molly correctly guessed the wine in her right hand as the Italian. Go Moll! Take that Buitoni coupon and run. Run quickly to your grocer!

The general concensus, beyond the wine, was that the pastas were pretty darn good. And I must say, EASY. I was cooking solo for 10 people and all it took was about 4-5 minutes in some boiling water. Well, there was a whole lot more to it than that but the pasta itself was super simple. As pasta usually is. And the ingredients are all REAL things- no funny stuff. So, for a big corporate fancy company making pasta, I say job well done. One thing though- in the cooking instructions I think “add olive oil to the cooking water” has got to go. Not necessary, people.

The lowdown on the sauces….OK- I am by no means a fab cook. But, I think I have good instincts when it comes to flavors, seasoning and general kitchen know-how. I thought about what sauce would be best with each pasta and then just eyeballed all of the ingredients.

Numero Uno- I sliced little roma tomatoes in half and added them to a hot pan with olive oil and garlic. Then I tossed in the pasta and did a chiffonade of basil on top. Freshly grated parmesan was on the table to use to everyone’s taste.

Numero Due- I sauteed garlic, shallots and onion in butter. Once they became translucent, I let it cool off for a bit then added cream into the pan and warmed it gently. I then added a few spoonfuls of fresh ricotta, grated parmesan and seasoned with salt and generous black pepper. I garnished with some minced Italian parsley.

Numero Tre- I took a big can of peeled whole tomatoes and popped it into the blender with some beef broth. I  cooked the same shallots, onion and garlic in olive oil and added the tomatoes to that. I took a large sprig of rosemary and let it hang out in there. I also added a little bit of thyme and a lot of red pepper flakes. I added some grated asiago and parmesan to the warming sauce to season and thicken it up a bit.

NB- All of the wines are under $20 and most of them under $15.

—-

A very special thank you to Marisa of Marisa Q Photography for all the beautiful pics of the dinner! Also a big grazie to Buitoni and Foodbuzz for letting us have some fun.