aglianico

Don’t Judge

by whitney on February 7, 2013

…a wine by its label! I happen to think this particular label is no bueno. Maybe it’s so bad it’s good? OK- It’s not awful, but it could be a lot better. ANYWAY, I don’t like it. So, if I was just shuffling around a wine shop trying to decide what to pick up not knowing anything about this particular wine or winemaker, I would pass right by it. It happens every day in wine shops all over the country. People judge. I judge. You know how I love a wine that gives good label.

My point is we need to judge less and uncork more. Because if we do, we will get to enjoy a wine like this Luigi Tecce Satyricon. We opened it during a staff Campania tasting at Terroni and ’twas my favorite of the day. Pure Aglianico through and through. Somebody give me a pizza! I’m reliving this taste sensation in my palate brain.

Whitney & Christina Drink: the Amalfi Coast

by whitney on April 9, 2010



As you all know, I was in Italy this past fall. Traveling, drinking wine, traveling, drinking more wine. Eating. The usual. A few weeks during my epic journey I was lucky enough to be joined by one of my best friends, Christina. We are two drama school pals that have both ended up in this crazy world of wine. She is (too) far away in London so whenever I travel to Europe, we always try to meet up. And wine drinking is always involved, of course. Add to that a Flip video camera- and I think you can see where this is going. I made this little “outtakes” video back in September and think it’s about time it made its BHMF debut. We had originally hoped to make a kind of homage to 3 Sheets… the female Zane Lampreys! When watching the footage all the “unplanned” and blooper clips were WAY more interesting than anything else we recorded. Lesson learned: nobody wants to hear you talk about wine. Seeing you get drunk- that’s the ticket.

Whitney & Christina Drink: the Amalfi Coast from Brunellos Have More Fun on Vimeo.

3 months after this was shot, Christina and I reunited in Vienna. Oh yes, there is a Vienna video. And you will see it, soon enough.

Big ups to Clune McClune- wherever you are. With your menagerie of gold rings. I raise a glass of limoncello to you, good sir.

Year in Review: A Glass-by-Glass Play-by-Play

by whitney on January 2, 2010



I had a great year. There is no denying that. Mostly due to a spectacular summer in Los Angeles followed by an even more spectacular solo journey through Italy. Also known as “the trip of my dreams.” In keeping with the obligatory New Year’s blog post of something along the lines of Best Wines of the Year, My Top Ten Bottles of 2009, etc. I thought I would take a look back at some of my favorite drinking experiences as seen through the lens of my Blackberry’s handy little camera. It is, dare I say, a Brunello Behind the Scenes.  Perhaps, True Hollywood Story: Brunellos Having Too Much Fun. Maybe even True Life: I’m ubriaca. I shall end there, lest I get carried away.

But, to further clarify, I say favorite experiences and not favorite drink or wine or bottle because sometimes the best glass of wine has not so much to do with what is in the glass but everything outside of it.  It is the company, the laughs, the stories told, the favorite neighborhood bar, old friends reuniting, new friends being made, impromptu guitar solos and heavenly pasta dinners. The level of enjoyment of the wine and of the moment fuse together, simultaneously enhancing the other. So, without further ado…

bazaar

The magical mojito from the Bazaar in Los Angeles. Followed by one of the more interesting dining experiences I've ever had. Proof of artistic expression and innovation on a plate and in a glass.

summer staple

The staple of my summer at my favorite bar seat in town, Pizzeria Mozza. This was a Bastianich refosco rose from Friuli.

fizz & friendship

Plastic cups and lambrusco. I know how to make it classy. In the first days of my trip in Italy with one of my best friends. We were starving and had our aperitivo hour furnished by a campsite grocery. It was cheap, delicious and entirely satisfying.

remains of the day

A not at all unusual lunchtime spread while working the harvest at De Conciliis. That day was the pinot noir battle in which we raided Bruno's cellar for 3 different pinots: one from Italy (1998 La Palazzola), one from France (2005 Domaine d l'Arlot) and one from Oregon (2006 Drouhin). Italy won! And we were not at all biased, of course.

winner declared

A Saturday night lamb bbq at my boss Bruno's home where we proceeded to open up 8 different fantastic Italian wines (and way too much grappa). At the end of it all, he stuck his knife in the neck of the winner (we liked having competitions, if you couldn't tell.) A 2005 Langhe Nebbiolo from Bartolo Mascarello.

[click to continue…]

A Day in the Life of an Italian Grape

by whitney on September 18, 2009



I am in Italy and It’s September! I’m excited.  But, my enthusiasm is not due to gelato/pasta-induced comas or the ever increasing ability to wear long sleeves and jackets. No, I am beaming with delight because it is that magical time of the year in the world of winemaking. And the busiest time of the year. The harvest! Or, vendemmia, as they say over here.

In case you didn’t already know, I was given an invitation to join Bruno and the entire De Conciliis clan for some of the 2009 harvest. Their winery and vineyards are located in the region of Campania and in the town of Prignano Cilento, a couple of hours south of Naples. I join a whole crew of people who have descended on this little town for the sole purpose of crushing some grapes. There are members of staff that have been around since the beginning as well as some young Italian winemakers that are working and also getting mentored by Bruno for their own wine. In addition, there is a young winemaker from Austria and one from California both of whom have been traveling the world harvest to harvest for the past several years.

And then there is me. The newbie.  This is my very first harvest experience and I have learned heaps in just a matter of days. But, it has also made me realize that I have so much more to learn about this intricate process called winemaking. Anyway, I thought you might want a sneak peek into the world of a winery during the grape harvest. I know I would!

getting some juice

I come in each morning and spend the day observing and lending a hand as much as I can without getting in the way of the process. The first thing we do is taste all of the juice to assess acidity, sugars, tannins, etc. From this point, Bruno can decide the next step. Does it need more oxygen, does it need heat, to be chilled, to be racked (to separate the juice from the dead yeast, aka the lees), does it need nutrients to feed the yeast? And it’s amazing how much the juice can change in a day…even in half a day in the beginning stages of fermentation. Here is a great step by step outline of the general winemaking process if you so care to take a gander.

scientific

cloudy day

This is what the juice looks like before it actually becomes wine.

From this point, there are a few main activities. Each day there are different tasks to be done, but you usually don’t know what you’ll be doing until after the juice is tasted. If there are grapes coming in, we sort them by hand cassette by cassette off the truck onto a big conveyor belt. The stems are stripped from the grapes and the juice and skins travel into a tank or a press. Or the juice is immediately separated from the skins. But most of the time, we are tending to the juice already crushed.  What I never realized is how much of the process is just moving wine around. From tank to tank….from press to tank…from tank to barrel…from tank or barrel to bottle, etc.  That involves lots of long tubes and pumps.

down the rabbit hole

it's raining grapes

Aglianico juice being separated from it's skins.

grape escalator

The skins and all being sent into the press.

merry go round

The press rotates as an interior bag presses the remaining juice out of the grapes.

There are so many different things a winemaker has to think about on a daily basis. It really is multi-tasking at its highest form! Their mind must be in the vineyard, the tanks, the barrels and the bottle. The current vintage, the previous vintage and the next vintage. As we prepare this 2009 wine, we must also begin to bottle the 2008 vintage for release…stay tuned for bottling day!

The Adventure Begins: The Ride, Part 1

by whitney on September 10, 2009



Yesterday was a long day. But a great day. It was spent on a scooter, for the most part, as I desperately tried to find my way through the Amalfi Coast, Salerno, Avellino and Tufo. But the treacherous ride and the almost constant sense of feeling lost was worth it. And I would do it all again in a second.

I was lucky enough to have one of my very best friends Christina join me on this first leg of the journey.  She also works in the business di vino (but lives way too far away from me in London.) We had 3 very different tastings in 3 different towns. We began the day with a visit to see Rosanna Petrozziello of I Favati in a little place called Cesinali.

17

fiano trio

We arrived to the cellar and tasting room and were greeted by Rosanna. Her husband is one of the Favati brothers still running the family business. They have the vineyard and she says the cellar, “it is mine.”

We started off our tasting at I Favati with a fantastic fiano spumante. It is yet to be released in the US, so it was a special treat. And I am freakishly obsessed with unique sparkling wines so, yes, I was excited. The grape in this wine is fiano, which is native to the region. Rosanna named this wine Cabri which is the combination of her 2 sons names. She was also kind enough to open their  2007 Fiano di Avellino white label riserva. This was a wonderful way to try two very different expressions of the grape.

front and center boys

a nice pair

This was just the beginning…more to come soon. Until then, saluti!