Gambero Rosso Wine Travel Food - January 2018 by Gambero Rosso

year 22 number 114 - january 2018 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

90 Champagnes for 2018. Why Italians drink more and more of it SPARKLING WINES TRAPANI BEREBENE 400 of the best Champagnes, Winter in western Sicily. ExplorFocusing on today’s Sicilian wines sampled for you by our unbeating the city of the two seas with and the labels from our Berebene able tasting team. Rating the  its layers of history and culture  guide. Wines with a great price/ top 90. A guide to terroir and that go back to well before the quality rapport that represent the the principal wineries Greeks island’s different denominations

SOMMARIO 4

year 22 number 113 - january 2018 - gamberorosso.it

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T R AV E L

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6 8  10   11   12   16 

90 Champagnes for 2018. Why Italians drink more and more of it SPARKLING WINES 400 of the best Champagnes, sampled for you by our unbeatable tasting team. Rating the top 90. A guide to terroir and the principal wineries

TRAPANI Winter in western Sicily. Explor-

BEREBENE Focusing on today’s Sicilian wines

that go back to well before the Greeks

quality rapport that represent the island’s different denominations

the city of the two seas with and the labels from our Berebene  ing its layers of history and culture  guide. Wines with a great price/

 28   34   44   54 

Editorial by Eleonora Guerini Top Italian Restaurants in Stockholm Food News Wine News Wine of the month The best Champagnes from the greenest and most sustainable vineyards in the world France’s 90 best Champagnes Recipes. Simone Cipriani The bridge between Europe and North Africa. Winter in western Sicily Berebene 2018. Sicily Colophon

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A GUIDE TO2018 THE LEADING OVER 1200 COMPANIES Italian Wines AND Weine Italiens 2018 PRODUCING FOODSTUFFS IN ITALY

2,485 WINERIES, 22,000 WINES, 436 TRE BICCHIERI WINES

A basic, essential volume for professionals and winelovers

An indispensable tool for foodies but even more so for industry insiders promoting the best of Made-in-Italy worldwide

available in bookshops* and at amazon.com www.gamberorosso.it

*Italian Wines 2018 is available in USA, Canada, UK and Italy Weine Italiens 2018 is available in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy

And Italy? This issue dedicates a great deal of space to Champagne. As guests of the Modena Champagne Experience, we were able to taste over 400 cuvées from 100 different houses. There are many reasons why Champagne dominates in France, as it does in the rest of the world (remember that half of the 300 million bottles produced go abroad). We know these factors well: 300 years of history, a territory that, thanks to the composition of the soil and its microclimate (enhanced by the appropriate choice of different varieties for different areas) is ideal for wine, plus brilliant marketing, coherent and never contradictory. And Italy? The situation is certainly not as rosy. And, as often happens in our country, the issues have nothing to do with quality. The production of Metodo Classico wines in Italy is concentrated in four different zones. Two are in Lombardy – Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese. The other two are in Trento and Alta Langa. This, in my opinion, is the greatest problem. The wines of Champagne, with its four production areas (Vallée de la Marne, Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, Aube) are all called Champagne. It is, in fact, a single territory, and although there are significant differences among the zones (as shown by the suitability of one or the other variety in each area), what is sent out to the world’s tables is still one brand: Champagne. In Italy, the only name that can wield the same power is Prosecco, and that’s another story entirely. In our country, each production zone plays its own game, and those quantities, considered separately, seem ridiculous when compared to those of France. This is certainly the second problem for our Metodo Classico. Seventeen million bottles in Franciacorta, eight in Trento, almost two in Oltrepò Pavese (if we count non-DOC wines), and almost one million in the recent DOCG in Piedmont, Alta Langa. Altogether, Italy turns out fewer than thirty million bottles, one tenth the production of Champagne. With such small numbers, it is difficult to have an impact in the world, to be present, especially considering that the domestic market for our Metodo Classico is strong. And finally, our marketing is also fragmented among the different denominations. It has not been able to convey abroad an image of the quality of Italian Metodo Classico production. There it is – quality. About that there’s not much to say. It’s obvious to all. It’s a pity it can’t be as strong a factor as the others. – Eleonora Guerini

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JANUARY 2018

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2018 JANUARY 16 18 22 25

STOCKHOLM - Sweden COPENHAGEN - Denmark BERLIN - Germany MUNICH - Germany

MAY

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JUNE

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SÃO PAULO – Brazil HOUSTON - Usa DUBAI - EAU

SEATTLE - Usa VANCOUVER - Canada TORONTO - Canada WASHINGTON DC - Usa BOSTON - Usa

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ZÜRICH - Switzerland SINGAPORE - Singapore BANGKOK - Thailand HONG KONG - China

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BEIJING - China SHANGHAI - China

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2019 FEBRUARY

JANUARY STOCKHOLM - Sweden COPENHAGEN - Denmark BERLIN - Germany MUNICH - Germany

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LONDON – U.K. CHICAGO - Usa

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TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN STOCKHOLM

MANCINI

ADRIA RISTORANTE & BAR

Tunnelgatan, 1a - Stockholm mancini.se

Tulegatan, 10 – Stockholm adriaristorante.se

Average Price: kr 800

Average Price: kr 450

A restaurant that’s representative of a family. Claudio Mancini is in the business since 1980; he had come just for a season and never left. There are a handful of tables, and a private, elegant and essential atmosphere. A super classic place. Everthing feels like home. The outstanding wine list is crafted by the talented sommelier and manager Giancarlo Clark, and contains many varieties and depths of vintages, many millesime of Vigna Rionda Massolino, Gaja, Le Macchiole and many, many other names. In total the cantina hosts about 4,000 Italian format with a brilliant selection of magnum and jeroboam. Oil is an ad hoc, nocellara variety produced in Sicily. Meals begin with delicate Parma ham and mozzarella di bufala of Battipaglia or mouthwatering pepperd housemade sausages. The pasta entrées are very well executed, there are real truffles when in season, lamb chops cooked to perfection, and a serious selection of aged cheeses. Sweet endings close with a homemade gelato that shines with the hazelnut flavour. With prior reservation, it’s possible to eat or have an aperitif directly in the wine cellar between large bottles, and cheeses hanging alongside chandeliers. In short, the best Italian restaurant in town.

A vibrant and young atmosphere identifies this restaurant opened on October 2016 by the Montanari family, active in Stockholm in the dining scene since the ‘70s. The second generation has created an effective concept restaurant, a multifunctional eatery that is both a modern restaurant and a bar, with a simple and centered kitchen offering. You could start with a proper tagliere (proper charcuterie mix and juicy olives) or go for some housemade tagliatelle with mushrooms or ravioli. The menu is often changing and includes some fish options. We really appreciate the brilliant wine list, with targeted selections, small producers, starting from some gems of the Valtellina wine region to unknown wine growers from Campania.

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450 GRADI Jupitervägen 30, 181 63 Lidingö – Stockholm 450gradi.se Average Price: kr 130 It’s well worth the effort to visit this very cosy pizzeria (about 30 seats) on the island of Lidingö a Käppala, a few meters from the sea. Reliability, quality and rigor: Neapolitan standards are fully respected by Jannis Bonnevier and his tight-knit team. The dough is fragrant, the outer crust is thick and soft as tradition demands, and the sauce is made with San Marzano tomatoes, a perfect match with the fior di latte di Agerola. Toppings vary according to the season. A mix of flours is used for the dough and the pizzas are baked in a Ferrara wood-burning oven at 450 degrees centigrade. During our second visit we had a proper Margherita, baked to perfection. Creativity, flavor and opulent ingredients in pizza Gennaio: sausage, mozzarella, friarelli, pecorino, red onions, hot pepper-infused olive oil. A nice selection of artisanal beers and a bunch of Italian wines served by the glass complete the package. Don’t miss the locally made apple juice. In a couple of months 450 Gradi will move to a brand new location by the sea thanks to the investment of ex-soccer player Jesper Blomvquist who co-owns the place and fell in love with Neapolitan style pizza.

TOP ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

Eating by candlelight in a unique cellar stocked with Italian wines? This too is Stockholm, including rooms where cheeses and aged hams hang in place of chandeliers. More and more Italian wine labels and excellent ingredients are hitting the Swedish capitol. Neapolitan pizza is on fire and the quality is surging. A reminder for Italians: dinner is served from 6pm!

GIRO PIZZERIA

LA VECCHIA SIGNORA

DÖDEN I GRYTAN

CORVINA ENOTECA

Sveavägen, 46 – Stockholm giropizzeria.com

Åsögatan 163 – Stockholm lavecchiasignora.se

Norrtullsgatan 61 – Stockholm dodenigrytan.se

Kornhamnstorg, 47 – Stockholm corvina.nu

Average Price: kr 170

Average Price: kr 550

Average Price: kr 450

Average Price: kr 250

We agree this is the best Italian pizzeria in town. Born from a partnership with the historical pizzeria Da Michele in Naples, Giro pizzeria offers twenty pizzas prepared in a super classic Neapolitan style. Think marinaras and margheritas, with or without bufala, as well as a delicious sautéed friarielli greens and sausage, and the brand new Piennolo Dop with the unique sweetness given by the cherry tomatoes from Vesuvio. The pizza is both fluffy and elastic thanks to the experience of the pizzaiolo Matteo Bizzarro. All pies can be paired with a good glass of Verdicchio or Chianti Classico; the most daring will choose a Barolo. In closing, the calibrated sweetness of Paolo Saracco Moscato d’Asti. A modern setting, smart and attentive service, and a bunch of tasty ice creams and cocktails complete the package.

The charm of La Vecchia Signora, the nickname of Juventus Turin, is striking even in Stockholm. Located in the Södermalm neighborhood, it is a typical nofrills osteria, where wine and substantial dishes dominate the scene. We suggest you start with steak tartare before you move on to their popular agnolotti ai tre arrosti (stuffed pasta with three roasted meats), served with butter and sage, or to a braised Barolo stew. The wine list, completely Italian, is delightful, and done by someone who knows a great deal, loves tradition, small producers and natural grapegrowing. About fifty places, and outdoor space for summer dining.

Don’t be misled by the name, literally, The Old Man and the Sea, paying homage to writer and food-lover Ernest Hemingway. This is a fine place, with a wide selection of Italian flavors and specialties. Among first courses, choose spaghetti with clams or pappardelle with wild boar. Main dishes include oxtail stew (coda alla vaccinara) and juicy meatballs (le polpette di Nonna Clara) in abundant tomato sauce. On the grill, the day’s fish and lamb chops with herbs. Forget the pizza. The wine selection is limited, but well-articulated, with many interesting choices ranging from Etna to the Langhe, Veneto and Marche. A good selection of spirits.

To drink and snack well in downtown Stockholm, it is here that people flock in the heart of Gamla Stan. Enoteca Corvina is a welcoming port with a long counter, a handful of tables and many carefully selected products. The menu features fine carpaccios and à la carte pastas, with a strong point in cheeses and cured meats: Parma, San Daniele, salami of Cinta Senese, Parmigiano Reggiano aged 40 months, to mention a few. Foods can be paired with seventy different wines served by the glass, including many Northern Italian labels and bottles from France and Spain. A treat? The Barbaresco of the virtuoso cooperative Cantina del Glicine.

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NEWS

THE FIRST GASTRONOMIC CONFERENCES OF 2018. MADRID FUSION, FOURTH GENERATION From January 22 to 24, the action is in Spain. Madrid Fusion 2018 is the sixteenth edition of the gastronomic conference held in the Spanish capital. The theme of this year’s work is Fourth Generation, those who own the future. Young, ‘rebellious and anti-conformist’ chefs will be on stage. Among them are cooks who have been revolutionizing restaurants in Lisbon, and, from Japan, a chef who is outside the norms, Zaiyu Hasegawa, owner of the restaurant Den. Topics will also be the technological revolution with Quique Dacosta, a chef concerned with social commitment and kitchen copyrights; “vanguardia liquida” with Diego Guerrero and Ricard Camarena; artificial intelligence and recycling of waste with Andoni Luis Aduriz, Eneko Atxa and Alexandre Couillon. The guest country will be Japan, the cities in the spotlight Saint Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Berlin and Lisbon. For Saborea Espana, a complementary exhibition dedicated to regional expressions of Spanish cuisine d’auteur, many stars on the national restaurant scene are expected.

FOOD TRENDS IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. FROM FERMENTATION TO HEALTH, WHILE WAITING FOR THE NEW NOMA Some trends, forecasts, and themes will torment us in the next few months. Analysts in the food sector have already begun writing about the future of restaurant life, tracing the guidelines for the year just beginning, 2018. It will be a year, they tell us, focused on fermentation, that ancient method of conserving foods. Such items as kimchi, kefir and miso will be on stage, but also the most common probiotics of our culture, such as garlic. Healing or prevention at the table also means reducing sugar, or at least substituting it with satisfactory alternatives present in nature, products that will certainly take hold on the healthy food market, such as roots with sweetening power, fruit and vegetables. Vegan diets are more evident everywhere. Another trend will soon make itself felt - according to the BBC, 2018 will be the year for tea. It will gain on coffee, which in recent years has benefitted from the revolution in specialty coffees. Among ethnic cuisines, Middle Eastern and Indian will make headway. The restaurant world that matters certainly has its eyes on René Redzepi, anxious to see what Noma 2.0 will reveal.

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NEWS

CHILDHOOD OBESITY. IN BRITAIN, DISCOUNTS ON LOW-CALORIE SNACKS, A TAX ON SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES SCHEDULED Britain is dedicated to battling childhood obesity. In 2018, the country’s list of resolutions grows, with a new idea that will involve some supermarkets in the country for eight weeks. The project will turn to one of the themes dearest to consumers’ hearts - shopping - and, above all, food shopping, with a program of discounts for all snacks with fewer than 100 calories, those considered innocuous. The campaign is the brain child of Public Health England (PHE), an agency sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. Incentives, in the shape of discounts, will try to guide parents to the purchase of products such as fruit, low-calorie yogurts and rice crackers, all snacks with many fewer calories than a bag of potato chips (190 calories) or ice cream (175), for example. The discount campaign, though, is only the first in a series of steps aimed at conquering obesity in Britain. A tax on sugar-sweetened drinks will begin in the month of April.

GAGGAN ANAND OPENS A WINE BAR IN BANGKOK. WET IS A NATURAL WINES PROJECT. WITH FRIED CHICKEN In 2020, Gaggan Anand will close the restaurant that brought him fame on the international scene. Some time ago he announced the final stages of the culinary experience that has changed his life over the last eight years. His idea is that the restaurant was designed to shine for no more than a decade before becoming a ‘brand’ and therefore, no longer appealing. So it’s no surprise to see Gaggan launching a new project that will go live in March, 2018, next to his present restaurant. Wet will be a wine bar focused on natural wines, a place to “eat good food, drink good

wine and listen to good music,” the chef says. Not too formal, it will offer little plates and snacks inspired by the traditions of Thailand, India and Japan. Vladimir Kojic, sommelier, will coordinate the front of house and present the labels on the wine list, with a focus on small wineries and independent producers in Europe, a fairly unusual choice in a city that is used to wine bars but less familiar with natural wines and biodynamic production. Among the specialties will be fried chicken - proving that the house doesn’t take itself too seriously.

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NEWS

ITALIAN GRAPE VARIETIES WIN IN ONE OF AMERICA’S MAJOR WINE COMPETITIONS Among the major American competitions in the sector, the San Francisco wine competition is perhaps the most important, considering the number of labels participating. In the recently concluded edition, a Sangiovese Rosé and a Vermentino won, two wines made with Italian grape varieties. This contest, reserved for labels made in the United States, bestows gold, silver and bronze medals on the winners, chosen from 7,032 wines coming from 35 states. They were analyzed by 67 judges, among whom was one Italian palate. In blind tastings, judges were given only two pieces of information: grape variety and price range. The 2018 edition demonstrated European-style evolution in the competing bottles. Products had a fine, clean, clear style, without frills, a change from the most famous American style for years – when, for example with Chardonnay, the focus was on body, opulence and often an over-use of wood. A similar change of style was noted by the Pinot Noir juries. Gold medals went to wines that were more Burgundy style – good acidity, finesse and medium body. The best in the $32-$36 category was a Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley (California). But these are not the only indicators that something is changing in American style, and therefore, on the overall market as well. An Italian variety, Vermentino, won the medal for the absolute best among the whites (beating out all the thousands of samples of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio). The award went to Brick Barn Wine Estate, a winery in Bulletton (California). Last year the best white was a Sauvignon Blanc, and the year before a Chardonnay, which was also the winner in 2015, 2014, and 2013. As for reds, the competition dedicated various categories to Italian grape varieties. The largest group was Sangiovese (about 100), which fell into price ranges either above or under $30. The top awards went to Solis Winery in Santa Clarita Valley (California) and to Lorimar Winery in Temecula Valley. The best Rosé in competition was not a Cabernet, a Pinot Noir or a Syrah, but a Sangiovese from the Columbia Valley (Barnard Griffin). Considering the golden moment for these wines in the United States, the fact that the best Rosé in America, for two years running, was made from an Italian variety is definitely a good sign.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. ITALIANS EXPORT ALMOST 40 BILLION EUROS IN 2017. MINISTER MARTINA: “THE TIME IS RIPE FOR A MINISTRY OF FOOD SUPPLY.” The exports of Made in Italy foods reached 37.6 billion euros between January and November, 2017, an increase of more than 7% over the previous year. In the month of November alone, according to data from ISTAT (Italian National Institute for Statistics), exports reached 3.9 billion, an increase of 8.5%. For the Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, Maurizio Martina, signs indicate that 2017 exports will go beyond 40 billion euros. “The objective of exporting 50 billion euros by 2020 is within reach, thanks above all to the ability of our small and mediumsized enterprises to look beyond our borders.” ISTAT also confirmed Italian primacy in producing DOP, IGP and STG products, now numbering 291. Compared to 2015, Martina said, producers have increased by 4%, animal breeders by over 3%, and the land under cultivation by 16%. The greatest growth has been in the South (+8,8% animal breeders and +32,7% farmland). The time is ripe, therefore, for giving Italy a Ministry of Food Supply. “All the conditions are right for the next legislature. It is one of the central propositions that we will present. Three factors are fundamental to the future of our country: agriculture, food supply and environment. It is a cultural and social challenge even more than it is economic and productive.” What would this ministry be like? For now, Martina is only presenting a general outline. The new ministry will have to have the competence, capacity, organization and resources to “fully protect and promote Made in Italy products,” increase inspection powers, as well as respond to the requirements of businesses, farmers and intermediate transformation operators as well as consumer citizens.

TREATIES. THE EU AND JAPAN AGREE: NO DUTY ON WINE Negotiations for a treaty concerning free trade between the European Union and Japan have come to a positive conclusion. After a formal agreement last July, the European Union Commissioner for

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Commerce, Cecilia Malmstrom, and Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Taro Kono, have signed. The agreement could become effective in the spring of 2019, before the end of the present EU legislature. “This agreement,” commented the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, “will offer great opportunities for growth

NEWS

WINE OF THE MONTH CORTONA SYRAH ‘14 - STEFANO AMERIGHI loc. Poggiobello di Farneta - Cortona (AR) +390575648340 - stefanoamerighi.it bottles 26000 ex-cellar price: 22.70 euros + taxes Stefano Amerighi is a champion of sustainable viticulture and biodynamics, which means pruning and working his land according to lunar phases and planetary cycles. Employing maceration and natural infusions protects the health of his plants because only minimal amounts of copper and sulfur are necessary. His winemaking is carried out without corrective action or chemical products. Initially his idea was to produce quality wine from just one variety, Syrah, which expresses its maximum potential in these lands. However, he is now looking to a wider project, that is to turn the winery into a laboratory devoted to sustainable farming. His aim is to extend the same principles and practices to growing cereals, fruit and vegetables, and even to animal breeding. The 2013 Cortona Syrah Apice made it to our finals. Its aromatic profile features fragrances that are just a touch gamey, leathery, and move on to close-woven fruit, cherry and plums, and finally iodine, mineral notes. The mouth is fresh, dynamic, meaty with good weight and fine-grained, wellintegrated tannins. The finish rises, with a good aftertaste.

E-COMMERCE. AMAZON WINE CLOSES, BUT WINE.WOOT LAUNCHES A NEW PLATFORM As announced, on December 31, 2017, Amazon Wine closed its e-platform. The move is seen as a strategy for avoiding the parcelization of offerings and for pushing its newly acquired Whole Foods. Whatever plans Amazon may be making, some decided to act on their own. Wine.Woot, created in 2006 and bought by Amazon in 2010 for $110 million, decided to relaunch its own site. The founder of Woot.com, Matt Rutledge, created a new enterprise, Casemates, which will allow wine producers to sell directly to American consumers. The first step was a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, which in one week easily achieved its original goal, raising almost $108,000 compared to the $50,000 required. Once launched, Casemates will offer new selections of wine three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, favoring large orders and thereby, a creating a community of users. One Amazon dies, another comes in its stead. for our exporters of farm products in a market that is very broad, mature and sophisticated.” The estimates foresee an increase in European exports of over 20 billion euros, of which 10 would be in the agricultural sector alone. For European wine, the treaty means the lifting of duty, which at the present time amounts to 31% on sparkling wines, 15% on bottled

wines and 19.3% on bulk wine, (more than 2-liter containers). This considerable obstacle has made exporting Italian wine to Japan difficult, especially when compared to other countries. Chile, for example, where duty-free agreements with Japan are already in force, has overtaken Italy in volume and found itself in second place in terms of value as a supplier of

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still wines. Among the other advantages of the agreement is the recognition of 205 denominations of European origins, among which are 130 wines, 44 of which are Italian. (Prosecco and Marsala are included). The Japanese automobile industry will benefit from the treaty, so much so that the agreement has been nicknamed “Cars for Cheese”.

THE BEST CHAMPAGNE FROM THE GREENEST AND MOST SUSTAINABLE VINEYARDS IN THE WORLD One of the most precious privileges of wine critics is the opportunity to taste the best wines in the world. We appreciate it especially on occasions such as the Modena Champagne Experience, organized by the Club Excellence. Our whole team (according to some, the Real Madrid of tasters), in a well-organized tasting and helped by accomplished sommeliers, was able to taste over 400 cuvées. Here we present our selection of the best 90 labels

words by Marco Sabellico – drawings by Finnano Fenno

THE STORIES

mong the thousand definitions that you can give of Champagne, and that are part of its hagiography, there’s one that is particularly cold and intriguing at the same time: Economic Indicator. Without going into complex analyses, we can come out with one rule. When things are going well and the economy is booming, people drink more Champagne. Data recently released by CIVC, the professional association that regulates the life of the most celebrated DOC in the world, showed us the numbers from 2016 – 306 million bottles sold compared to the 312 million of 2015. There’s a long way to go to get back to the 338 million of 2007, the last pre-Lehmann year. The data that interested us most was for Italian imports, which in 2016 amounted to 6.6 million bottles, a noteworthy increase of 6.4%. That means that thanks to an ongoing economic revival, Italians open bottles of Champagne more enthusiastically. Negative data come from France and Belgium, where tourism has been heavily affected by terrorism, and from Britain, the primary European market, where the effect of Brexit and the 9% devaluation of sterling is felt. Those 6 million bottles fewer come from these three countries. In the rest of the world (USA, Canada and Japan especially), consumption is growing. Projections for 2017 are comforting. The French sparkling wine is undeniably fascinating, ageless. Those who feared that the Prosecco phenomenon (between DOCG and DOC wines, over 500 million bottles were sold around the world) could be a problem for French producers should, instead, thank the Italian spumante. Prosecco showed that bubblies were not reserved only for big occasions, but could be a daily pleasure. Groups of consumers, such as millennials and the Generation Z (post-millennials born in the mid-1990s) were converted. They soon learn (or will learn) to appreciate the charm of the great Champagne cuvées. But what makes this wine so appealing, above and beyond fashion and economic trends? It is surely because it is the result of high quality viticulture in a zone that is perfectly suited to this type of wine in terms of the grape varieties (pinot noir, meunier and chardonnay), soil characteristics (calcareous terrain that 

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THE BEST 90 CHAMPAGNES

assures the wines the right acidity and thus the freshness of its taste), and a climate that is colder than many European wine regions. The know-how accumulated by the zone’s producers over three hundred years plays an important role. It continues to set an example in terms of enology, marketing, and commercial strategies. Whoever knows Champagne, the great houses and their histories, can’t help but be amazed by their ability to innovate and renew, continuously. They lead the way for the rest of the world of sparkling wines which, except for Prosecco (which has another target), are eternal followers. The most beautiful territory to visit is full of excellent restaurants at every level. The landscape is fiercely protected, and since 2015 is on the UNESCO World Heritage list (as we hope one day the hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene will be – a process already begun). For some years a green revolution has been underway. It is one of the world’s territories with the fastest rate of growth of organic and biodynamic viticulture. The word ‘sustainability’ is not just chitchat, but has entered into the protocol of the great maisons, as well as that of the cooperatives and vignerons themselves. This was the first wine region in the world to calculate, in 2003, its carbon footprint, and to establish a program to reduce emissions by 15% in 10 years, 25% by 2025, and 75% by 2050. Its quality is unchallenged, as our tastings show, and even improving. Champagne will be better and greener, and we Italians, one of the markets where top Champagnes are uncorked the most, love it more and more.  THE ILLUSTRATOR’S VIEW Champagne immediately reminded me of that typical and instantly recognizable moment: the explosion that sets off a party. Uncorking Champagne brings to life a process that began a long time before. The colors used for the illustrations suggest the party on the palate and festive get-togethers: bright yellow, fuchsia, blue, red and myriad bubbles that bump in precise rhythms. – Finnano Fenno

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RATINGS

FRANCE’S 90 BEST CHAMPAGNES We tasted hundreds of wines from Champagne’s maisons and wineries during the Modena Champagne Experience, a gala event organized by the importers of Club Excellence. Here’s what we found tasting panel: Stefania Annese - Antonio Boco - Giuseppe Carrus - Gianni Fabrizio Costantino Gabardi - Eleonora Guerini - Elena Mozzini - William Pregentelli - Lorenzo Ruggeri - Marco Sabellico illustrations by Finanno Fenno

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THE BEST 90 CHAMPAGNES

Vallée de la Marne 92

Champagne Billecart-Salmon — Mareuil-sur-Ay - 40, rue Carnot +33(0)326526022 champagne-billecart.fr

Blanc de Blancs '06

In its sixth generation, Billecart-Salmon needs no presentation. This vintage year is extremely complex on the nose, with notes of pears, yellow plum, acacia honey. Slightly lactic and creamy. The palate has splendid, gripping tension and a sharp, energetic, luminous and brilliant finish.

Champagne Éric Taillet - Baslieuxsous-Châtillon - 37, rue Valentine Régnier - +33(0)326581142 champagne-eric-taillet.fr

Sur Le Grand Marais

Grapegrowers before they were producers, the Taillet can draw from about six hectares distributed in six towns around Baslieux-sous-Chatillon, in the heart of the Vallée de la Marne, the home of pinot meunier. This cuvée is 90% pinot meunier and 10% chardonnay. Aromas of fresh hay and orange zest. The palate is bold, fresh, and very dry.

Champagne Nowack – Vandières - 10, rue Bailly +33(0)326580269 champagne-nowack.fr

Extra Brut La Tuilerie

Flavien Nowack cultivates organically a small part of the vineyards he owns, and personally vinifies the grapes he harvests. His style is original and convincing. Many of the Champagnes he produces come from one variety harvested in a single parcel of land and vinified separately. La Tuilerie is an enthralling chardonnay, savory and intense.

Champagne Francis Boulard – Cauroylès-Hermonville - Route Nationale RD 944 (Reims-Laon) - Vendangeoir Luxembourg - +33(0)326615277 francis-boulard.com

Champagne Françoise Bedel Crouttes-sur-Marne - 71, Grande Rue +33(0)323821580 – champagne-bedel.fr

Brut Entre Ciel et Terre

most natural possible production, using very little sulfur and no additives at all. Les Rachais is a Champagne made exclusively from chardonnay, with zero-dosage, and only in single-vintage releases. The 2010 offers notes of citrus fruit, followed by a savory palate, very fresh acidity, and exemplary depth.

The name means between sky and earth. This biodynamic producer has accustomed us to little masterpieces, always very personal and with unmistakable stylistic traits. The label offers prevalently pinot meunier grapes, fermentation in stainless steel and a stay on its lees of 60 months. Saline and savory, it has intensity without ever losing energy and tension.

Les Rachais ’10 Francis Boulard is a grand vigneron, dedicated to the

Champagne Leclerc Briant - Épernay 67, rue de la Chaude Ruelle +33(0)326544533 - leclercbriant.fr

Les Chèvres Pierreuses Premiere Cru Organic Millésime '09 The domaine has followed the dictates of biodynamic

Cuvée Prestige

The young owner of this maison gave his name to the property when, in 2007, after studying enology, he decided to undertake his project. Little more than 7 hectares produce a small number of bottles, largely sold in France. Cuvée Prestige is complex and fragrant, with saline aromas and excellent fruit.

agriculture for more than ten years. Very low dosage and labels that begin from single vineyards are typical of this Épernay winery. Les Chèvres Pierreuses is a single-vintage release that offers saline sensations of oysters. Floral nuances emerge that herald a slim, energetic and deep palate.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Champagne Francis Orban - Leuvrigny 23, rue du Général de Gaulle +33(0)326588441 champagne-francis-orban.fr

JANUARY 2018

RATINGS

Champagne Henri Goutorbe - Aÿ 9, bis rue Jeanson - +33(0)326552170 champagne-henri-goutorbe.com

Brut Special Club Grand Cru '05

Founded in 1949 by Henri Goutorbe, the son of nursery owners, this Aÿ winery can draw from 22 hectares in a zone well-suited for growing pinot noir. We suggest Special Club, a single-vintage from 2005 that rests on its lees for 10 years before disgorging. Pinot noir with a little chardonnay, it is a Champagne of grand structure, with notes of honey, slightly oxidized, that lead into a savory, mineral palate.

Champagne R. Pouillon & Fils Mareuil-sur-Ay - 17, rue d’Ay +33(0)326526362 - pouillon.webflow.io

Brut Réserve

Seventy per cent from pinot noir, the rest evenly divided between chardonnay and pinot meunier, this Brut is intriguing and in some ways, out of tune: white flowers and medicinal herb aromas, but also pastry and sweetness on the nose. The palate is incisively acidic, but also alcoholic and mouthfilling on the close.

Champagne Autréau de Champillon Champillon - 7, rue René Baudet +33(0)326594600 champagneautreau.com

Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

In its third generation, the Autréau family can draw from 35 hectares of vineyard in 5 different terroirs: Premier - Champillon, Dizy and Hautvillers - and Grand Cru – Chouilly and Ay. From mono-varietal chardonnay, it offers incisive notes of lemon zest and light toast. Mouthfilling palate, hints of chestnut honey on the finish.

Champagne Apollonis Michel Loriot Festigny - 13, rue de Bel Air +33(0)326583401 champagneapollonis.com

Authentic Meunier Blanc de Noirs Brut

Michel Loriot has 7 hectares subdivided into about 20 parcels of land, the great majority of which are planted with pinot meunier (80%). From this princely Vallée de la Marne variety comes a Blanc de Noirs that perfectly reflects the characteristics of the grape: round, mouthfilling, fruity and ripe.

An historic maison with splendid vineyards in Epernay, the Cotes des Blancs and the Vallée de la Marne. We particularly noted Carte Blanche, a Champagne made from a classic blend of all three of the major grape varieties. On the nose, tones of citrus fruit and hints of spices. The bubbles are incisive in the mouth and give a rustic note, tempered by freshness and sapidity.

Champagne Dourdon-Vieillard - Reuil 8, rue des Vignes - +33(0)326580638 champagne-dourdon-vieillard.fr

The Dourdon family have been growing grapes since 1812 and making Champagne since 1958. Fabienne, agronomist and enologist is at its head now. This is a cuvée of pinot meunier (50%), pinot noir 42% and chardonnay. The wine is round and embracing, on both nose and mouth. Sensations of ripe fruit, plum and apple. Sweetness and breadth on the finish.

Champagne Heucq Cuisles - 9, rue Eugène Moussé +33(0)326581008 - champagne-heucq.com

Champagne Bauget-Jouette Épernay - 1, rue Chamfleury +33(0)326544405 - bauget-jouette.fr

Carte Blanche

Champagne Joseph Desruets Hautvillers - 85, rue de Bacchus - +33(0)326594013 champagnejosephdesruets.fr

Brut Réserve Premier Cru

Grapegrowers in Hautvillers since 1888, the Desruets family are now in their sixth generation, and continue to use their Darcq Flamain wooden oak press to press their grapes. A blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, with 20% meunier, this Champagne has a floral nose with notes of face powder. The palate is mouthfilling, slightly alcoholic and open, with a finish of plum and apple.

Brut Nature

This little winery, founded in the early 20th century in Cuisles, has 6 hectares of property, and a particular passion for pinot meunier. Brut Nature has fragrances of wild herbs and a vegetal-balsamic tone that is truly original. The palate is pleasant, balanced, with medium-fine bubbles, capable of a sumptuous alcoholic embrace on the finish.

Champagne Jeaunaux-Robin Talus-Saint-Prix - 1, rue de Bannay +33(0)326528073 - champagne-jr.fr

Le Talus de Saint Prix

Founded in 1971 the maison is now run by Cyril Jeaunaux, who took it over from his own family and immediately converted it to organic cultivation. In the blends, meunier always stands out, as in this case, Le Talus de Saint Prix, The Champagne takes its name from the town in which the vineyard and winery are located. The nose is floral, herbaceous, occasionally saline. The palate is mineral, savory and very penetrating.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Cuvée Tradition Brut

Champagne Beaumont Des Crayères Mardeuil - 64, rue De La Liberté +33(0)326552940 champagne-beaumont.com

Fleur Blanche ’08

Founded in 1955, Beaumont Des Crayères brings together 250 growers and about 90 hectares of vineyard. It takes its name from a ridge of chalky rock that strongly influences the wines produced. Champagne Fleur Blanche is a single-vintage 2008 made exclusively with chardonnay. It has intense floral aromas and a soft, mouthfilling palate, almost sweet to the taste.

JANUARY 2018

THE BEST 90 CHAMPAGNES

Champagne Collet Aÿ - 14, boulevard Pasteur +33(0)326551588 - champagne-collet.com

Collet Brut

Established in Aÿ, the Collet maison uses the best grapes coming only from Premier or Grand Cru vineyards. In this way some most interesting cuvées are produced. Collet Brut is made with 50% pinot meunier grapes with the rest from pinot noir and chardonnay. It displays aromas of spice and chestnut honey. Despite its sugar dosage, it is dynamic and svelte on the palate.

Champagne Dom Caudron Passy-Grigny - 10, rue Jean York +33(0)326524517 - domcaudron.com

Sublimité '08

Champagne Dehours & Fils Mareuil-le-Port 2, rue de la Chapelle +33(0)326527175 - champagne-dehours.fr

Grande Réserve

Dehours & Fils is noteworthy for the fractioning of its vineyards, with its 42 parcels divided among the territories of Mareuil-le-Port, Oeuilly and Troissy. Pinot meunier dominates in the vineyards, amounting to almost 60% of the vines. The result of a cuvée with an important percentage of Solera method reserve wine, it has an iodine nose and a savory palate.

Champagne J. de Telmont Damery - 1, avenue de Champagne +33(0)326584033 champagne-de-telmont.com

Grande Réserve Brut

From thirty hectares of vineyard, of which 10 are biodynamic, and with grapes from more than 100 hectares of the best Premier and Grand Cru parcels, J. de Telmont has made interesting and balanced cuvées since the early 20th century. Grande Réserve Brut is a classic blend, with floral and yellow fruit aromas. The palate is svelte and harmonious.

Cuvée Blanche

An organic producer from the start, Bruno Michel cultivates about 12 hectares of vineyard divided in 35 distinct parcels. Cuvée Blanche is a blend of chardonnay and pinot meunier with 20% reserve wine. Savory and assertive, this blend offers a charming and flavorful rustic quality.

A cooperative winery founded in the 1920s under the guidance of abbot Dom Caudron. Perfectly suited to the production of pinot meunier, this Vallée de la Marne winery can now draw from its members’ 130 hectares of vineyard. Sublimité is the result of a blend of meunier and chardonnay. It offers notes of Golden Delicious apples and ripe fruit, while the palate is soft and mouthfilling.

Champagne Bruno Michel Pierry - 4, allée de la Vieille Ferme +33(0)326551054 champagnebrunomichel.com

Champagne Louis Casters Damery - 26, rue Pasteur +33(0)326584302 champagne-louis-casters.fr

Grande Réserve Brut Blanc de Blancs

A family maison that has produced Champagne for five generations. We particularly liked the Grande Réserve Brut, a blanc de blancs that rests on its lees for 60 months, a blend of the 2010 and 2011 vintage years. On the nose, sweet fruit (pear and apricot), while the palate is simple, harmonious, and characterized by a sensation of freshness.

Champagne Alain Couvreur Prouilly - 18, grande rue +33(0)326485895 champagne-alain-couvreur.net

Blanc de Noirs

With pinot noir and meunier grown between Prouilly, Pévy, and Branscourt, and chardonnay in Unchair, the winery offers a vast range of Champagne labels. This Blanc de Noirs is made from pinot noir and meunier. It is ripe on the nose, with notes of plum, almond and citron. The palate echoes the fruity sensation with a slightly bitterish finish.

Champagne Collard-Picard Épernay - 15, avenue de Champagne +33(0)32652369 champagnecollardpicard.fr

Collard Picard Cuvée Prestige

A young winery founded in 1996 by Olivier Collard and Caroline Picard. La Cuvée Selection is made from pinot meunier and pinot noir. It rests on its lees for 36 months and offers buttery notes, yellow apple, pastry and candied citrus fruit aromas on the nose. The palate is soft and mouthfilling. The dosage can be felt, but a pleasant sapidity rebalances the mouth.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

RATINGS

Montagne de Reims 94

Champagne Paul Bara Bouzy - 4, rue Yvonnet +33(0)326570050 - champagnepaulbara.com

Special Club Grand Cru '04

It’s difficult to choose a bottle among the labels of this classic maison that dates back to 1833. Grand vineyards and artisanal care have always make it outstanding. We opted for Special Club from the excellent 2004 vintage year. Movingly rich and deep, with great expressive force in its tones of fruit and bouquet garni, it truly enchanted us.

Champagne André Beaufort — Ambonnay - 1, rue de Vaudemanges +33(0)326570151 - champagnebeaufort.com

Polisy Brut Millésimé ‘97

Champagne Monmarthe — Ludes - 38, rue Victor Hugo +33(0)326611099 champagne-monmarthe.com

Brut Millésimé 1er Cru ’09

Jacques Beaufort is one of the pioneers of organic agriculture in Champagne, which he has been practicing since 1969. The family turns out a series of excellent labels, as witnessed by this mature single-vintage that expresses itself with extraordinary elegance and finesse in its tones of saffron and porcini mushroom, but is at the same time savory, taut, complex and deep, with wonderfully whole fruit.

A family maison led by Jean-Guy and Sandrine Monmarthe, it can boast of 17 hectares that are classified premier cru. From its curated list, this single-vintage label, which rested in the cellar for 84 months before dégorgement, particularly struck us. It is substantial and savory, vertically taut, creamy and spicy on the palate, an elegant, extraordinary mouthful.

Champagne Paul Déthune Ambonnay - 2, rue du Moulin +33(0)326570188 - champagne-dethune.fr

Champagne Benoît-Lahaye Bouzy - 33, rue Jeanne d’Arc +33(0)326503

Champagne Michel Arnould & Fils Verzenay - 28, rue de Mailly +33(0)326494006 champagne-michel-arnould.com

Memoires de Vignes Grand Cru ‘11

This house has only 12 hectares of vineyard, but all are classified Grand Cru. This blanc de noirs is excellent. It expresses intensity and elegant berry tones on both nose and palate, where it is fruity, savory and well-structured, but it also drinks wonderfully despite deep complexity and a long, smoky finish.

Champagne Mailly Grand Cru — Mailly-Champagne - 28, rue de la Libération - +33(0)3 26494110 champagne-mailly.com

Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru

It is difficult to choose among the excellent labels of the large cooperative with almost 90 years of experience. It can draw on 70 hectares in Mailly, Grand Cru, divided into 280 parcels. For us, this is the label that best represents the winery and the spirit of Montagne de Reims. Savory, dry, with crisp fruit and grand tension – don’t miss it.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru ’12

Pierre Déthune is heir to a century-old tradition of grapegrowing. He cultivates his prime vineyards in Ambonnay, about 7 hectares, organically. This wine is striking for its brilliant coppery color, the finesse of its bead, the freshness of its bouquet and its clear notes of berries. Complex, harmonious, modern.

Blanc de Noirs Brut

The maison practices completely natural viticulture in its vineyards in Bouzy, Ambonnay e Tauxières. It is well-represented by this cuvée from red grapes with its brilliant color, intense nose and a palate where elegant sensations of red and black berries dominate, along with balsamic notes and well-integrated tones of wood.

JANUARY 2018

THE BEST 90 CHAMPAGNES

Champagne Lallier Aÿ - 4, place Libération +33(0)326554340 - champagne-lallier.com

Champagne Trousset Guillemart — Les Mesneux - D6 villedommange rue de Villedommange - +33(0)326497671 - champagnetroussetguillemart.fr

Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru

The winery of enologist Francis Tribaut has vineyards in Aÿ and in Côtes de Blancs. These grapes are the source of this excellent Champagne of grand and immediate freshness, expressed in citrus fruit and floral sensations on the nose as well as the palate, where it shows structure that compares well with the Blanc de Noirs of Montagne. Long finish.

Champagne Roger Coulon Vrigny - 12, rue de la Vigne du Roy +33(0)326036165 champagne-coulon.com

Esprit de Vrigny

The Coulon family’s cuvées are truly good. They come from old and very old vines, over 100 parcels of premier cru in excellent positions in five areas of Montagne de Reims. The grapes at the base of this Champagne are from Vrigny. It ages for 72 months on its lees and has no liqueur added. A savory, taut and mineral cuvée, it closes on long iodine and smoky notes.

Blanc Pour Chardonnay Anna T. Elevé en Fûts

Champagne Castelnau — Reims - 5, rue Gosset +33(0)326778900 champagne-castelnau.fr

Blanc de Blancs ’04

Technology and tradition rule in this winery of Jean-Philippe and Karine, with its vineyards (7.6 hectares) at the feet of the Montagne. This zero-dosage Chardonnay pleased us, with its fruity opulence and a careful use of wood that doesn’t affect drinkability. A wine for gourmets.

This maison was founded in 1916, but was purchased in 2003 by a group of grapegrowers who had created the Regional Cooperative of the Wines of Champagne. This Blanc de Blancs from the excellent 2004 vintage is exemplary. It has soft, seductive tones of vanilla and white fruit that reappear on the palate in pleasant buttery and floral notes, nuances of apple and hawthorn. Good tension.

1er Cru

Champagne Mary-Sessile — Treslon - 49, rue de la Planchette +33(0)611457010 fabulleusesdechampagne.com

L’Inattendue Extra Brut

Claire Blin Lagille has vineyards in Treslon, in the Vallée de l’Ardre, which she cultivates sustainably. We noted this cuvée of monovarietal meunier, with low (2 grams) dosage. It is fresh, subtle, focused on the immediacy of berry fruit, savory and citrusy, but irresistible in the glass.

Champagne Vilmart & Cie Rilly-la-Montagne 5, rue des Gravières +33(0)326034001 - champagnevilmart.fr

Grand Cellier d’Or ’12

Champagne Gonet-Médeville Bisseuil - 1, chemin de la Cavotte +33(0)326577560 - gonet-medeville.com

Blanc de Noirs 1er Cru

Xavier Gonet and Julie Médeville, husband and wife, can draw their grapes from 12 hectares in prestigious positions in Montagne and Côtes de Blancs. Their Blanc de Noirs has an elegant bouquet, with scents of red and black berries. It expresses itself with great fragrance, tension, and complex hints of grapefruit and spices. It develops volume and fullness, closing long and mineral.

Champagne Nicolas Maillart Écueil - 5, rue de Villers aux Noeuds - +33(0)326497789 champagne-maillart.fr

Les Francs de Pied 1er Cru ‘08

The Maillart family is in its ninth generation as winemakers, and they devotedly cultivate their precious vineyards of premier and grand cru of vines more than 30 years old. We suggest this elegant cuvée of pinot noir coming from a parcel of ungrafted vines. It ages “sur latte” for nine years, but still has fresh vegetal notes laden with notes of iodine and seductive smoky tones.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Héraclite Nature Brut Sous Bois 1er Cru ’12

Old vines and organic farming are this family’s secret weapons. They have been cultivating vines in Villers-Allerand for a century. The wine, pinot noir (60%) and meunier, has zero dosage, ages for three years on its lees, and displays noteworthy complexity. It has autumnal tones of forest floor, elegance and complexity.

Small barrels but no malolactic fermentation for this fine Vilmart cuvée dominated by chardonnay (80%) with added pinot noir. It displays tension, backbone and freshness with a long, deep aromatic herbal finish. Savory and incisive. Really good today, but with the potential to express more with time.

Champagne Stroebel Villers-Allerand 4, place des Déportés +33(0)326072950 - despiedsetdesvins.fr

Champagne Hugues Godmé Verzenay - 10, rue de Verzy +33(0)326494166 champagne-hugues-godme.com

Fins Bois

The vineyards of Hugues Godmé amount to barely 7.5 hectares but all are certified as organic and biodynamic and lie in splendid, valuable positions. Fins Bois is a cuvée of pinot noir (60%) and chardonnay; zero-dosage, it rests for 4 years on its lees. We like it for an acidic backbone that renders it lively and fresh, for its tones of citrus fruit and red berries and its smoky shadings.

JANUARY 2018

RATINGS

Champagne Boulard Bauquaire Cormicy - 30, rue du Petit Guyencourt +33(0)326613079 champagne-boulard-bauquaire.fr

Grande Réserve

This farming family works paying attention to the environment. Its eight hectares of vineyard are spread between Vallée de la Marne, the Montagne and Massif di Saint Thierry. In this cuvée, the three classic grapes play equal roles, and it is made with 50% vin de réserve. Impact on the palate is intensely mineral, like drinking the water from an oyster. It has rhythm, fruit and iodine vivacity.

Blanches Terres Rosé

Yann and Sevèrine Alexandre’s small winery has 6.5 hectares of vineyard divided into 20 parcels of land in 9 different towns. Their devotion results in cuvées that are full of character, like this beautiful Rosé with its pale, brilliant color. It is rich on the nose and palate with lovely berry tones that fill the mouth fully and shade elegantly into notes of cherry and blackberry.

Champagne Christian Busin Verzenay - 1, place Carnot +33(0)326494094 - champagnebusin.com

Cuvée d’Uzès Grand Cru

A classic maison, this winery has a handful of hectares, but with Grand Cru status in Verzenay. From chardonnay and pinot noir in equal parts, this cuvée is striking for its mineral impact, almost like that from volcanic rock, which unfurls both on nose and palate. It is creamy, vibrant and svelte. It closes on iodine tones.

Champagne Yann Alexandre Courmas - 3, rue Saint-Vincent +33(0)681038179 champagneyannalexandre.fr

Champagne Maxime Blin Trigny - 17, rue des Lombards +33(0)326031097 champagne-maxime-blin.com

Carte Blanche Brut

Maxime Blin devotes himself to 12 hectares of family property in Trigny, in the Massif de Saint Thierry, and releases a curated range of labels. His is a happy marriage of modern technology and ancestral techniques. This Brut is fruity, easy to drink and has lovely citrus tones that shade into more complex notes of wood and face powder without losing that drinkability.

Champagne Paul Clouet — Bouzy - 1, place Tritant +33(0)326570731 — champagne-paul-clouet.com

Grand Cru Cuvée Prestige Brut

We are in Bouzy, the land of great pinot noir. Here Marie-Thérèse Clouet-Bonnaire carries on the work of her grandfather Paul and devotes herself to her vineyards. This cuvée (five years on its lees) has a copperystraw color, a nose of ripe black fruit and good pulpy fruitiness on the palate. Lovely vanilla finish.

Aube 92

Champagne Drappier Urville - rue des Vignes +33(0)325274015 champagne-drappier.com

Cuvée Charles De Gaulle

One of the best wineries of the Aube and the entire zone, it offers a series of top quality labels. Charles De Gaulle, made of pinot noir (80%) and chardonnay, rests on its lees for three years. It won us over with its savory, full structure, its clear notes of white and black fruit, its fresh citrus fruit vein, and the elegance of the whole.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Champagne Fleury Courteron - 43, Grande-Rue +33(0)325382028 - champagne-fleury.fr

Millésimé ’04

Fleury is one of the pioneers of biodynamic farming in Champagne. Jean-Pierre Fleury converted his vineyards – 15 hectares – to biodynamic methods by 1989. The ’04, prevalently pinot noir, aged about nine years on its lees. It is a wine of cream effervescence, fine and elegant berry tones, savory, vital fruitiness, with a winning smoky finish.

JANUARY 2018

THE BEST 90 CHAMPAGNES

Champagne Stéphane Breton — Arrentières - Chemin de Voigny +33(0)325271043 champagne-breton-fils.com

Brut

The maison grows 8 hectares of vineyard in the Côte des Bar, an area mostly dedicated to pinot noir, the grape that is the protagonist in this Brut. A straw-yellow shade with coppery highlights, it has a very fine bead and an intense, complex and fresh bouquet of berry fruit. Substantial and agile, it is savory, taut, elegant and long on the palate.

Champagne Chassenay d’Arce Ville-sur-Arce 11, rue du Pressoir +33(0)325383070 - chassenay.fr

Cuvée Chardonnay Brut ’06

This is the southernmost zone of Champagne, the Côte des Bar, where 130 families together cultivate 325 hectares of vineyard. This blanc de blancs aged nine years on its lees before being disgorged. It has the finest of bubbles, a bouquet of white fruit, extraordinary freshness and harmony, closing on citrus fruit notes and floral tones.

Champagne Delot Celles-sur-Ource 3, place de l’Église +33(0)325385012 - champagne-delot.fr

Brut Legend Pinot Blanc

Founded in 1933, the maison was purchased in 2006 by the Dangin family. Jean Baptiste Dangin has brought the winery up to date, and is attentive to quality and innovation. From pure pinot blanc, this cuvée ages three years on its lees before disgorging. It offers savory, crisp white fruit sensations enlivened by citrus fruit sensations and is both substantial and fresh.

Champagne Morel Les Riceys 93, rue du Général de Gaulle +33(0)325291088 - champagnemorel.com

Cuvée Réserve Brut

Winery and vineyards are located in Les Riceys, famous for the quality of its pinot noir and its Rosé. This house can be proud of five generations of tradition. Its blanc de noirs displays great finesse and minerality on a note of biscuit and black fruit, then a long finish on hints of cassis.

Chardonnay Millésimé Brut ’11

Elise Dechannes founded this winery in 2008. She is a Vigneron Indépendant who doesn’t use chemical products in her vineyard or winemaking facilities. She works with indigenous yeasts and the lowest amounts of sulfur. Her Brut ’11 is excellent, with floral tones and white fruit on the nose. The palate is clean, savory and svelte, offering a lovely and flavorful verticality.

Champagne Marie-Courtin Polisot - 8, rue de Tonnerre +33(0)325385745

Résonance ’14

Dominique Moreau is a grapegrower who, from the start of her career, has devoted herself to the protocols of biodynamic viticulture. Zero-dosage and long aging make her cuvées beautiful expressions of terroir. Résonance is a blanc de noirs of excellent stylistic clarity. Fresh and smooth, it has a lovely close on aromatic herbs.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Champagne Elise Dechannes Les Riceys 1, place des Héros de la Résistance +33(0)351632036 - elisedechannes.com

Champagne Gautherot Celles-sur-Ource - 29, gr Grande rue +33(0)325385003 champagne-gautherot.com

Exception

Françoise Gautherot masterfully manages her old vineyards in the vallée de l’Ource. They grow on clayeycalcareous soil with good exposures. Among her labels we suggest this cuvée that takes its name from the rarity of the diffusion in Champagne of pinot blanc (which here plays a supporting role with pinot noir).

JANUARY 2018

RATINGS

Côte 94 des Blancs

Champagne Agrapart & Fils Avize - 57, avenue Jean Jaurès +33(0)326575138 champagne-agrapart.com

Extra Brut Terroirs

A simply fantastic Champagne, just as you would expect from a maison of récoltant manipulant (RM), or winegrowers, at this level. Chardonnay on its own, resting on its lees for four years, brings together luminous and almost electric minerality and sensations of ripe but elegant fruit, amalgamated with a refined note of rising bread and noble yeasts. A marvel.

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier Vertus 19, avenue du Général de Gaulle +33(0)326521324 - larmandier.fr

Vieille Vigne du Levant '08

Pierre Larmandier is one of the most admired producers in all Champagne. He cultivates his vines organically in various localities of the Cote de Blancs, turning out precise and personal wines. Vieille Vigne du Levant is the luminous expression of the chardonnay vines in Cremant. It is a shard of salt and fruit, pure against a mentholated background. Restorative.

Champagne De Sousa Avize - 12, place Léon Bourgeois +33(0)326575329 - champagnedesousa.com

Brut Réserve Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Erick De Sou-

Champagne Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Cuis - 1, rue de la République +33(0)326597870 champagne-gimonnet.com

Oenophile Brut Nature '08

Champagne Mandois Pierry - 66, rue du Général de Gaulle +33(0)326540318 - champagne-mandois.fr

Champagne R&L Legras Chouilly - 10, rue des Partelaines +33(0)326545079 – champagne-legras.fr

Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Prestige Grand Cru Brut

Clos Mandois '04

This maison was founded in Epernay in 1760 but in 1905 Auguste Mandois transferred it to Pierry. Today Claude Mandois manages its 40 hectares of vineyard. Clos Mandois is a pinot meunier made with grapes from a vineyard of one and a half hectares planted in 1955. With dried fruit aromas on the nose, it has great fullness and a savory undertone that combines volume and tension.

Champagne Mallol-Gantois — Cramant 290, rue du Général de Gaulle +33(0)326579614

Blanc de Blancs Millésimé Grand Cru Cramant '12

Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs

In the heart of the Côte des Blancs, Legras produces this Brut with chardonnay grapes coming from Chouilly, one of the best Grand Cru zones of the Côte. The notes of wild fennel blend with citrus hints of grapefruit and lemon zest on the nose, opening into a severe, dry palate, not the most elegant, but gifted with grip.

The Mallol-Gantois family firm is centered in Cramant even if it is based on 7 hectares of vineyard on the border of the Chouilly municipality. Their range of wines reflect the richness and minerality of the terroir, as does this singlevintage bottle that rests 60 months on its lees. The result is fine, floral and airy on the nose with a compact, solid palate that has hints of balsam and mint.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Champagne Bonnaire Cramant - 120, rue d’Epernay +33(0)326575085 - bonnaire.com

The winery was founded in 1932 by Fernand Bouquemont. Since 1962, first André and then Jean-Louis Bonnai have taken the reins of the 13 hectares of chardonnay and 9 of pinot noir grown in Cramant. Made from mono-varietal Chardonnay, this Cuvée Prestige offers whiffs of chalky aromas. The palate is creamy and solid, displaying great progression.

With about 20 hectares of vineyard located around the Côte de Blancs, all of an impressive average age that in places exceeds 100 years, today the winery is managed by the grandchildren of Pierre: Didier e Olivier. Oenophile is a monovarietal Chardonnay that stands out for its length and progression. Fresh and particularly dry, its finish radiates tones of almond and citron.

Diapason Grand Cru Le Mesnil sur Oger Brut

This winery re-emerged from the ashes of the historic Doquet-Jeanmaire in 2004 when Pascal Doquet took over the family business in Mesnil-surOger. Diapason is made from only chardonnay grapes and ages eight years on its lees. A complex Champagne, it displays aromas of white flowers, citrus fruit and brioche. Tension and richness are perfectly balanced.

sa has Grand Cru vineyards of chardonnay in the areas of Avize, Oger, Cramant and Le Mesnil, but also parcels of pinot noir in Aÿ and Ambonnay. All are grown according to biodynamic methods and techniques that bring out the terroir. This Champagne is the quintessence of the Côte de Blancs, further enhanced by vin de réserve that gives complexity.

Champagne Pascal Doquet Vertus - 44, chemin du Moulin de la Censé Bize +33(0)326521650 - champagne-doquet.com

JANUARY 2018

THE BEST 90 CHAMPAGNES

Champagne Diebolt-Vallois Cramant - 84, rue Neuve +33(0)326575492 - diebolt-vallois.com

Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte +33(0)326595592 nicolas-feuillatte.com

Blanc de Blancs Prestige

The winery was founded in 1978 and it is climbing, step by step, into the hearts of the most demanding wine fans. The grapes for Prestige come from certain Grand Crus celebrated for the production of chardonnay: Cramant, Chouilly and Les Mesnil. The final blend, which includes 30% of ‘reserve’ from three vintage years, aged in wood, is a delight of tension and character.

Brut Grand Cru Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger

Enrico Baldin and Nadia Nicoli brought back into the limelight a sleeping beauty of a maison located in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, in the heart of Côte de Blancs. Brut Grand Cru is Chardonnay that rests on its lees for 42 months. It has aromas of flowers and white fruit. On the palate it displays excellent savory tension enriched by a citrus fruit background.

Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé '06

1er Cru

More than 5,000 grapegrowers and over 2,250 hectares of vineyard, including 13 of the 17 Grand Cru and 33 of the 42 Premier Cru – these are the Nicolas Feuillatte numbers. We particularly appreciated the Blanc de Blancs ‘06, with its nose that suggests both elegant notes of bay leaf and sweet hints of honey. The palate shows good progression.

Champagne Encry +39(0)498725989 - champagne-encry.com

Champagne Colin — Vertus - 101, avenue du Général de Gaulle +33(0)326588632 - champagne-colin.com

Cuvée Blanche de Castille Brut Blanc de Blancs

Richard and Romain Colin lead the family winery that draws on a vineyard of 10 hectares, mostly planted with chardonnay. The Champagne we chose is made up of 60% vin de reserve perpetua Solera, and the remaining 40% is single-vintage. Aromas of plum and gooseberry, lightly rustic and appealing.

Champagne Duval-Leroy Vertu - 69, avenue de Bammental +33(0)326521075 - duval-leroy.com

Brut Réserve

Champagne Philippe Gonet Le Mesnil-sur-Oger - 1, rue de la Brèche d’Oger - +33(0)326575347 champagne-philippe-gonet.com

Brut Réserve

The Gonet family has a heritage of seven generations of grapegrowers. Today Chantal and Pierre Gonet manage their 25 hectares of property in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Brut Réserve is a cuvée made up of pinot nero (60%), chardonnay (20%) and pinot meunier. It stands out for a clean bouquet that suggests citrus fruit. Taut, svelte and savory in the mouth.

A woman, Carol, hand in hand with her three children, is now the head of Duval-Leroy, a firm that has been producing Champagne since the middle of the 19th century. A blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and meunier, Brut Réserve has a floral nose with sensations of raspberry candy. The palate is citrusy and crisp with acidity that doesn’t yield an inch.

Classic Maisons 93

Champagne Jacquesson Dizy - 68, rue du Colonel Fabien +33(0)326556811 champagnejacquesson.com

Cuvée 736 Dégorgement Tardif

Jacquesson was purchased in 1974 by Jean Chiquet who, with his sons Laurent and Jean-Hervé, began to produce uncompromising Champagne. Limited bottles (350,000) from their own vineyards, long stays on their lees and minimal dosage. The 736 D.T. is an equal blend of the three varieties and a ’08 base. It most elegantly combines structure, freshness, depth, and persistence.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

RATINGS

Champagne Bruno Paillard — Reims - avenue de Champagne +33(0)326362022 champagnebrunopaillard.com

Blanc de blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru

Champagne Charles Heidsieck Reims - 12, allée du Vignoble +33(0)326844350 charlesheidsieck.com

Rosé Vintage '06

A praiseworthy range of labels. In particular, we liked the essential and luminous quality of this Blanc de Blancs that rests on its lees for 50 months. Natural and very pure impact, with suggestions of citron and green tea. The palate is light, delicate and very long. Exceptional drinkability – for us, the best ever version.

Impeccable range of Champagnes presented by this celebrated brand. Among a high quality overall selection, this complex Rosé 2006 stood out. Aged on its lees for 9 years, it is a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay. Multi-faceted, intense aroma of red flowers, coffee and hazelnut. The palate is generous and reactive, with a long finish of great elegance and energy.

Champagne Louis Roederer Reims - 21, boulevard Lundy +33(0)32644211 - louis-roederer.com

Brut Rosé '11 A true delight. The 2011, 63% pi-

Champagne Pol Roger Epernay - 1, rue Winston Churchill +33(0)326595800 - polroger.com

Brut Vintage '08

not nero and 37% chardonnay, offers fresh floral sensations, mint, and ripe, delicious berry aromas. The palate is creamy and assertive with a fine toasty profile that lengthens into a finish of extraordinary fragrance and length. The close is tonic and vibrant.

The Maison created by Pol Roger more than 160 years ago owes its fame to the British statesman Winston Churchill. It was his favorite brand. The Maison can draw on 92 hectares of vineyard. Brut Vintage (pinot noir 60% and chardonnay 40%) is noteworthy for its power joined to finesse. Its red fruit is more than meaty. Great energy and incisiveness.

Champagne Bollinger Aÿ - 16, rue Jules-Lobet +33(0)326533366 champagne-bollinger.com

La Grand Année '07

Champagne Deutz Aÿ - 16, rue Jeanson +33(0)326569400 - champagne-deutz.com

William Deutz Brut '06

The classic tone of coffee and licorice is intense in this vintage year; then comes a touch of orange honey and a citron profile. The palate emphasizes ripe and juicy fruitiness with an intense and prolonged finish on hazelnut sensations. More immediate than other versions, it plays with fascinating and complex spiciness.

The power of this historic winery, founded in 1838 by a German businessman, lies in its vineyards, of which some the house’s own property and others are rented for long, long periods of time. This William Deutz label offers mature and complex aromas on tones of forest floor and black tea. It has juiciness, soft progression and a long, creamy finish on smoky tones.

Champagne Henriot Reims - 81, rue Coquebert +33(0)326895300 champagne-henriot.com

Blanc de Blancs Brut Founded in 1808, the Henriot

Champagne Thiénot Reims - 14, rue des Moissons +33(0)326775010 - thienot.com

Cuvée Garance '08

maison stayed independent and still belongs to the Henriot family. This Blanc de Blancs comes from the winery’s own 25 hectares, almost entirely dedicated to chardonnay, and from other grapes selected from trusted growers. It is rendered richer and more complex with the addition of 30% vin de réserve. Its rich structure never strays into sweetness or heaviness.

This prestigious cuvée rests on its lees for eight years, the fruit of the best parcels of pinot noir of Aÿ, Maily-Champagne and Avenbay-Val-d’Or. On the nose, intense marine sensations and tones of Mediterranean herbs ranging from sage to rosemary, with berry fruit particularly marked. The palate is crisp and deep, while the finish offers long flavor.

Champagne Palmer & Co Reims - 67, rue Jacquart +33(0)326073507 - champagne-palmer.fr

Brut Millésimé '02

Palmer is a young brand that emerged from the association of seven grapegrowers in 1947. Today, this cooperative controls 415 hectares all over Champagne, including about 40 Cru vineyards. The Palmer vintage version is a blend of equal parts of chardonnay and pinot noir. Offering harmony on the nose and balance on the palate, its character is sunny and creamy, with an incisive, savory finish.

GAMBERO ROSSO

Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Reims - 12, allée du Vignoble piper-heidsieck.com

Vintage Brut '08

Piper-Heidsieck belongs to the French group EPI, which makes its mark among a wide range of luxury brands. Back at the top thanks to the present-day chef de cave, Régis Camus, Piper-Heidsieck continues its work of patronage in the world of cinema. The result of an excellent vintage year, with a blend of 20 different crus, the 2008 unfurls a fiery and delicately mineral character.

JANUARY 2018

THE BEST 90 CHAMPAGNES

Champagne Canard-Duchêne — Ludes - 1, rue Edmond Canard +33(0)326611160 - canard-duchene.fr

Parcelle 181 Extra Brut

Champagne Joseph Perrier Châlons-en-Champagne 69, avenue de Paris +33(0)326682951 - josephperrier.com

Cuvée Royale Brut

Founded in 1825, this is the oldest firm in Châlons-en-Champagne (then Châlons-sur-Marne). Since 1980, Jean Claude Fourmon has been at its head. Cuvée Royale Brut – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier in equal parts – has a very fresh nose that suggests lime. The palate is direct and linear, without frills, but compact, solid, fragrant and sufficiently long.

Champagne Boizel Épernay - 46, avenue de Champagne +33(0)326552151 - boizel.com

Champagne Barons De Rothschild Reims - 2, rue Camille Lenoir +33(0)326858092 - champagne-bdr.com

Blanc de Noirs '11

We found this Blanc de Noirs in the historic house of Chateau-Thierry, in the heart of the Vallée de la Marne. Insistent tones of pastry cream and raspberries. A particularly rich but also rhythmic and vivid mouthfeel. Creamy bead very well in line with the structure. Refined finish on tones of black tea and coffee.

From the heart of the Natural Park of Montagne de Reims, a seductive cuvée. A blend of mostly chardonnay, with some pinot noir and pinot meunier, it offers an airy, immediate profile with a subtle, sustained character. Tones of underbrush and ripe apples alternate in a clean, linear and penetrating palate.

Champagne Pannier Château-Thierry – 23, rue Roger Catillon +33(0)323695130 - champagnepannier.co

Champagne AR Lenoble Damery - 35, rue Paul Douce +33(0)326584260 champagne-arlenoble.com

Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Chouilly

With its constant and reliable list of wines, the Malassagne family has 18 hectares of vineyard in Bisseuil, Damery and Chouilly. From this last village, a cuvée that ages 48 months on its lees. It offers fragrant tones of toast and a charming note of hay and white pepper. Well-articulated, fresh and generous palate.

Brut Réserve

Founded in 1834, Maison Boizel is in Épernay, and thanks to its deep understanding of its own territory, it harvests the grapes from the best vineyards in the region. Brut Réserve is a cuvée di pinot nero (55%), chardonnay (30%) and pinot meunier. The aromatic profile plays with notes of hay and barley candy. The palate is wonderfully full, with tones of pleasant rusticity.

Champagne de Venoge Épernay - 33, avenue de Champagne +33(0)326533434 - champagnedevenoge.com

Cordon Bleu Brut

The maison founded by Henri-Marc de Venoge was the first winery in the world to use illustrated labels and imaginative names for its bottles. Cordon Bleu Brut, from pinot nero (50%), chardonnay and pinot meunier, rests on its lees for 36 months. It offers a generous nose of yellow fruit and hazelnut tones. The palate is opulent and soft, lightly herbaceous on the finish.

Brut Blanc de Blancs

This cuvée, with its clear floral nose and clean, airy aromas, ages 36 months. The palate reveals well-defined minerality that gives a reactive and tonic rhythm to the mouthfeel. Aromatic development is precise and harmonious, invigorated by a fresh citrus fruit tone and soft, creamy bubbles.

Champagne Ayala Aÿ - 1, rue Edmond de Ayala +33(0)326551544 - champagne-ayala.fr

Brut Nature

The historic house founded by Edmond De Ayala vinifies only grapes coming from its own 80-hectare property. We appreciated the Brut Nature (40% chardonnay, 40% pinot nero, 20% pinot meunier) for its pleasurable citrusy character and its linear, continuous palate, refreshed by a subtle balsamic vein.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

THE RECIPES

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

SIMONE CIPRIANI

SIMONE CIPRIANI PLACE OF BIRTH

AGE

RESIDENCE

Livorno

Florence

NAME OF RESTAURANT

RESTAURANTS BEFORE THIS ONE

Essenziale

OWNER

CONTACT

PARTNER

piazza di Cestello, 3R - Florence +390552476956 - +393337491973 essenziale.me

EMPLOYEE

Arnolfo [Colle di Val d’Elsa] Santo Graal [Florence]

  

NAME OF SOUS CHEF

FAVORITE INGREDIENT

Alessio Ninci - Davide Chen

Chicken liver

AGE OF SOUS CHEF

MOST-HATED INGREDIENT

Alessio 24 - Davide 31

Nothing in particular

KITCHEN BRIGADE

THE DISH OF A LIFETIME

Stefano Anfuso, Lorenzo Chirimischi

Bread, tomato and Pata Negra

NAME OF SOMMELIER

MOST VENERATED MAESTRO

Federico Fametti

Davide Scabin

FRONT OF HOUSE

MOST RESPECTED SAME-AGE COLLEAGUE

Matteo Ercoli and the chefs

I belong to a wonderful generation of cooks. It’s almost impossible to respect only one in particular

RESTAURANT CAPACITY

THE HASHTAGS OF MY CUCINA

Simple, creative, tasty, practical, contemporary BEST-LOVED RESTAURANT ABROAD

Relae in Copenhagen IF NOT A CHEF, I WOULD HAVE DONE

THE WINE ABOVE ALL OTHERS

Any other work in which I could have expressed myself creatively

Burgundy

LAST MUSIC ALBUM DOWNLOADED

THE DISHES I’M PRESENTING

“La Terza Guerra Mondiale” by The Zen Circus

Egg, artichoke and caviar Ravioli, sausage and stracchino cheese Pigeon crostino Apple terrine

LAST BOOK READ

“Steve Jobs, iLeadership for a New Generation” by Jay Elliot e Simon L. William

by Francesco Seccagno - photography by Giovanni Rasoti

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

THE RECIPES

Egg, artichoke and caviar ingredients for 4 servings 4 eggs 2 artichokes 80 g herring caviar 250 g heavy cream 1 fillet smoked herring 6 mushrooms 500 ml reduced chicken broth 40 g Normandy butter 2 round squid ink bread rolls 100 ml Agresto *

Cook the eggs at 63°C for 1 hour. Cool in water and ice. Clean the artichokes, cut in half, vacuum pack with 50 ml of chicken broth. Cook 90 minutes at 80°C, then cool with water and ice. Heat cream with herring to 80°C. Leave to infuse for 20 minutes. Add cleaned mushrooms and reduce cream to half. Bring 100 ml of chicken broth to the boil. Remove from heat, then add butter and two tablespoons of cream-herring infusion, to obtain a dense cream. Place the halved artichokes on a hot grill, then finish cooking them in a pan, coating them with chicken broth mixture. Assembling the dish: heat the egg in a steam oven at 60°C (or in temperature controlled warm water). Dig out half of the squid ink bread roll and heat on grill. Open the egg inside the roll. Place a half artichoke on the egg with a tablespoon of chicken broth cream. Sprinkle a teaspoon of agresto on top. Finish with the herring caviar, a grinding of pepper and two beet sprouts.

* Agresto is an ancient condiment. It makes use of grapes that don’t ripen. Leave to dry for 3 weeks, then press. Boil the grape must until it is a dense syrup, then season with estragon, cinnamon, onion, garlic and honey. Boil for 15 minutes more, then add vinegar. Some wineries are beginning to produce agresto again.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

SIMONE CIPRIANI

Ravioli, sausage and stracchino cheese ingredients for 4 servings For the fresh pasta 500 g of 00 flour 5 eggs 3 g salt For the filling 500 g sausage 250 g stracchino cheese For the broth 1 kilo pork belly 3 l water 6 garlic cloves 1 red onion 1 spring onion 1 stalk lemongrass 40 g ginger 50 ml soy sauce 50 ml Mirin 5 g salt

For the stracchino cream 500 ml heavy cream 250 g stracchino cheese 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano nutmeg black pepper For the bread wafer 175 g day-old bread 175 g 00 flour 100 ml chicken broth extra-virgin olive oil

Prepare the fresh stuffed pasta: blend all the ingredients together and leave to rest for at least 12 hours. Roll the pasta out to 1 mm, working it with flour. Make the filling: combine sausage with stracchino and place in a pastry bag. Stuff the ravioli: roll out the pasta, squeeze the filling out on the pasta in separate little mounds. Cover with another layer of pasta brushed with egg yolk. With the help of a pasta cutter, cut out ravioli first with the smooth edge and then with the cutting edge so as to obtain button shapes. Make the broth: cut the pork belly into cubes and place in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, remove the meat and change the water, repeating 3 times. The third time, add garlic, onion, lemongrass and ginger to the water. Leave to simmer for 12 hours. Strain and reduce the broth by half. Add mirin and soy sauce. For the stracchino cream: heat the heavy cream to 82°C, add the stracchino and the Parmigiano. Emulsify with an immersion blender. For the bread wafers: work all ingredients together to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Using a pasta machine, roll out to 2mm. Place the strips on baking pan and brush with oil. Bake in a 160°C oven for 10 minutes and then at 140°C for 5 minutes. Assembling the dish: cook the ravioli in boiling water for 2 minutes. Heat the stracchino cream without reaching a boil. Drain the ravioli, place on cream, and serve with the bread wafers, broken into pieces, on top. Serve the hot broth separately.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

THE RECIPES

Pigeon crostino For the pigeons: clean and debone 2 pigeons. Vacuum pack and stabilize at 53Â° C for 30 minutes in temperature-controlled water. For the pigeon sauce: cut the remaining pigeon into pieces and brown in a pan, adding butter to obtain an even golden color. Drain off fat and place pigeon pieces in a pot. Cover with water and ice and simmer for 2 hours. Remove from heat and chill enough to remove fat that collects on top. Reduce the remaining broth by half. For the onion: peel the red onion, cut in half and grill on one side. Vacuum pack with the soy sauce and cook in water for 40 minutes at 80Â°C. Blend the lard with garlic and chopped rosemary. Assembling the dish: remove the pigeons from the vacuum bag, divide in half, separate legs and breasts to brown in a pan on both sides. Heat the reduced pigeon sauce, remove from heat and whisk with a tablespoon of butter. Toast the bread and spread with lard. Arrange onion on bread, then the pigeon on the onion. Garnish with fresh aromatic herbs. Bring the pigeon sauce to the table and pour over pigeon.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

ingredients for 4 servings 3 domestic pigeons 1 garlic 100 g butter 2 onions 0.25 ml soy sauce 50 g lard 1 garlic clove 1 sprig rosemary 4 slices Tuscan bread

SIMONE CIPRIANI

Apple terrine For the apple terrine: cut the apples into thin slices and dip into water and lemon juice. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread out the apple slices layered with melted butter and sugar. Cover with parchment paper and a pan holding a weight that presses it down on the apples. Bake for 160Â°C for 20 minutes. Cool the apple terrine and pour off any excess water. Cut the terrine in strips, roll each with transparent plastic wrap and freeze. Cut the terrine into 4cm high disks. For the salted caramel: prepare an ordinary caramel. Heat the heavy cream in another pan. Add the hot cream to the caramel, then add salt. Assembling the dish: heat the apple disks in a 160Â°C oven for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, dust the top of the terrine with brown sugar and caramelize with a kitchen blowtorch. Spoon a tablespoon of salted caramel on the plate, place the caramelized apple terrine on top and serve with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

ingredients for 4 servings For the apple terrine 10 green apples 300 g butter, melted 100 g sugar 100 g brown sugar 1 lemon For the salted caramel 100 g water 300 g heavy cream 50 g sugar 8 g salt vanilla ice cream

THE BRIDGE BETWEEN EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA. WINTER IN WESTERN SICILY That’s right – in winter, too. This extreme corner of Italy facing the Mediterranean is the perfect destination for a visit during the darkest months. Fascinating for its landscapes, seacoast and sunshine, for its villages and for flavors that reveal millennia of layered cultures, it’s no surprise many Italians have second homes here. Although Ragusa, Modica and Scicli may be fashionable right now, we’re going west, to Trapani and its province

words by Liliana Rosano – photography by Dorothea Schmid dreams by Davide Enia – watercolors by Linda Randazzo

THE STORIES

he blinding light off the tufo stone sharpens the lines of the architecture of narrow streets and palazzi. Blue inlets embrace kilometers of white beach that end in mountains of salt and windmills. Trapani is the extreme west of Sicily, the point where the island extends its hand to North Africa, as if to embrace it. Sicily-almost-Africa releases aromas of cumin, saffron, orange blossom and jasmine. It is the bridge between Europe and what was once called the Dark Continent, and a key to understanding a layered and complex Mediterranean history. It is a land of sunny vineyards, olive groves stretching to the horizon, fishermen who lower their nets into the sea, villages clinging to cliffs that plunge straight into the water. With all this, its cucina gathers together the patrimony of the many peoples that came by sea and live between the shore and the mountains. The voyage begins in the city between two seas, Trapani, marked by historical and cultural layers that go back even before the Greeks, to the settlements of the Elymian people. The fortress of the Carthaginians, Trapani was influenced by the Phoenicians and, even more, by the Arabs who took advantage of its position as a market city on a sea as ideal for commercial connections with the African zone. Ancient Greece lives on in the narrow streets of the historic center, among the palazzi. Baroque churches are everywhere you turn – one hundred in all, culminating in the Basilica-Sanctuary of the Annunziata, the city’s most important monument. From here, in one glance, a visitor can take in Sicily’s most enchanting view. To see it fully, climb up to the terrace of the Ligny Towers, built on a cliff with tufo coming from Favignana. From here the view reaches from Capo San Vito to Erice, to Marsala and the Egadi Islands. In the middle is the Castello di Mare or Castello della Colombaia, a medieval fortress and the skyline of the city. The most iconic landscape of the Trapani

GLOSSARY Busiate trapanesi A homemade pasta shape midway between bucatini and fusilli. Long pasta is twisted around itself, like a corkscrew, leaving a small channel in its center Elymians An ancient people of Italic origin who reached Trapani after fighting a war with the Enotrians. Some theories have them coming from Liguria. According to Thucydides, the Elymians came from Troy after its destruction in 1184 BC

Frutta Martorana Fruit-shaped sweet from almond flour and honey (sweeter than marzipan). Its name comes from the church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio or of the Martorana, built in Palermo in 1143 by George of Antioch, admiral and minister of King Roger II of Sicily. Genovesi Typical dessert of Erice, made of pastry filled with a delicate cream and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. The name may derive from the shape of Genoese sailors’ hats.

Drepanon Ancient settlement in western Sicily, located on the promontory of the same name where Trapani is situated today.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

Pesto alla trapanese Pasta is seasoned with a raw sauce of basil, tomato and almonds. Busiate with pesto alla trapanese is included in the list of traditional Sicilian agricultural products recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture. Rianata In Sicilian, it means ‘with oregano’, a typical Trapanese pizza topped with a large quantity of oregano, tomato sauce, sardines, Sicilian pecorino cheese and extra-virgin olive oil - a focaccia that comes out of peasant traditions. Scursunera a granita, that is, a crushed ice dessert flavored with cinnamon and jasmine.

TRAPANI - WINTER IN WESTERN SICILY

zone is the natural salt reserve of Trapani and Paceco, of Phoenician origin. We see windmills, mountains of salt, migrating birds who rest here on their way north from Africa, and the hardworking hands of those who still extract salt from this reserve, using traditional, ancient salt-pan techniques. The eye moves to a village of fishermen. It’s time to savor Trapani at sunset. The city’s cucina draws its richness from the sea that nourishes the deep identity of this zone. It’s not only about the famous fish couscous of Trapani (see Davide Enia’s account). The city is also

in culinary annals for its pesto, a condiment invented by sailors from Genoa who passed through the city’s port and enriched their own basil-based version with local ingredients such as tomatoes and almonds. Busiate, curly homemade macaroni, come from Trapani, as does rianata, another traditional street food with Ligurian origins, a focaccia with tomato and oregano. Granita, the icy dessert that is called scursunera here, is made with jasmine and cinnamon (aromas that remind us of gelo di mellone, a favorite sweet in Palermo). This, too, is an Arab heritage, cherished and 

WHEN SALT SAVED THE ENVIRONMENT

It was the establishment of the Natural Reserve that saved the Trapani and Paceco saltpans from dying. This vast area where traditionally salt was produced (and still is) with absolutely natural methods, is characterized by a picturesque landscape, especially at sunset, its skyline etched by the farmhouse roofs, the windmills and the golden reflections in evaporation basins. The reserve became the natural habitat of many aquatic animal species and a wide variety of plants found the environment favorable. After the construction and renovation of a new saltpan, production of salt has been constantly increasing. In the twenty years since the reserve was established, production has increased from 50,000 to 80,000 tons of salt per year. A series of farmhouses and other structures were rescued and renovated in projects and investments aimed at enhancing the area for tourism as well as salt production. B&B La finestra sul sale – Marsala (TP) - contrada Ettore Infersa, snc – 0923733003 - finestrasulsale.salinedellalaguna.it B&B Casolare nelle saline – Nubia (TP) - via Murana, 25 – 0923868020 – 3314113108 - casolarenellesaline.it

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

THE STORIES

ADDRESSES Trapani  Serisso 47 via

Serisso, 47 – 0923 26113 -

serisso47.com

 Cantina Siciliana via

Giudecca, 32 – 092328673 -

cantinasiciliana.it

 Versi

di Rosso Vittorio Emanuele, 63 092327985

A BRIEF GUIDE TO WESTERN SICILY IN 6 WINERIES “When you ask me about Sicily, a land that is very dear to me for many reasons, you are touching a sore spot, too. It is a region of immense potential, that the entire world might envy, yet… Eighty percent of Sicily has been swallowed up by cooperatives and industries that sharply limit ethically correct production.” This is Valerio Capriotti’s first answer when we ask him for his personal top six among western Sicily’s wineries. Capriotti is one of the most celebrated, respected sommeliers and restaurant managers in Italy. He is about to take the reins as director of Niko Romito’s Spazio in Rome (coming soon) and worked the summer of 2017 in VotaVota, a restaurant in Marina di Ragusa. We convinced him to suggest a handful of wineries on the western side of Sicily.

corso

 Vultaggio Guarrato – contrada Miliscemi 0923864261 - agriturismovultaggio.it 

località

 Baglio Sorìa Wine Resort contrada

Sorìa - 0923861679 -

firriato-baglio-soria-trapani.it

 Officina Gastronomica Hotel via

G. Ricevuto, 14 - 0923532594 -

officinagastronomica.com

 Pasticceria Colicchia via delle

Arti, 6/8 - 0923 547612

 La Salerniana

Galleria d’arte contemporanea Palazzo della Vicaria via San Francesco d’Assisi, 54 lasalerniana.it

Erice  Tirreno Hotel Ristorante via

Enea, 23 - 0923571078 -

tirrenohotel.com

 Pasticceria Maria Grammatico

Badalucco

Petrosino (TP) via M. Angileri, 90 - 3473695615 vinibadalucco.it

Marsala (TP) - contrada Bausa - 3897955357 vinibarraco.it

Pierpaolo Badalucco with his wife, Beatriz, are located between Mazzara and Marsala. The union of Spanish grape varieties, verdejo and tempranillo with two indigenous Sicilian ones, grillo and nero d’Avola, is very interesting. The perseverance and determination of this young couple has been rewarded by growing success. Their white, Grillo Verde, was one of this year’s most pleasant drinks.

Nino is a serious person who makes serious wines. They’re not always perfect, but they have identity. He’s in Marsala. His grapes are the indigenous ones of the zone, those that best express the territory – grillo, catarratto, zibibbo, perricone, nero d'Avola. Long maceration emphasizes sapidity, complexity and longevity. His Vignammare embodies the Mediterranean in a glass.

Vittorio Emanuele, 14 0923 869390 - mariagrammatico.it via

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Barraco

JANUARY 2018

Marco De Bartoli

Marsala (TP) - contrada Fornara Samperi 0923962093 marcodebartoli.com

An historic winery of Marsala producing Grillo in all its versions, both dry and sparkling, and Marsala – the legendary Vecchio Samperi. His Pantelleria vineyards are a guiding star for many producers who were lost in sugar and other less orthodox solutions. He gave us sweet wines like Bukkuram, which stays firmly in the memory of anyone who drinks it. The Integer versions are worth following closely.

TRAPANI - WINTER IN WESTERN SICILY

Francesco Guccione

San Cipirello (PA) corso Trieste, 46 3472993492 francescoguccione.com

Francesco is in Monreale, between San Cipirello and Piana degli Albanesi. His Trebbiano, planted at 1,400 meters above sea level in Contrada Ceras, amazed me a few years ago. An elegant concentrate of the territory – savory, sunny, earthy – its identity becomes more marked with time. His Catarratto, Perricone, and Nerello Mascalese (the vines were planted by his greatgrandfather) are absolutely wines to try. They demonstrate the results a challenging territory can give when worked with dedication and respect for the land.

admire the entire western coast. Among the lively, colorful artisans’ shops, the aroma of freshly baked goods is seductive. Maria Grammatico is the owner of the long-established Grammatico pastry shop. She began her adventure with three kilos of almonds, and now manages two shops, a bar and a cooking school where she teaches the art of Sicilian pastry: cakes, cassata, almondbased frutta Martorana, and the legendary ‘genovese,’ a pastry filled either with ricotta-based or delicately custardy cream. Among the pilasters of this region’s 

prepared in the celebrated Colicchia pastry shop. The culinary revolution in Sicily plays out in the rapport between tradition and creativity. Gaetano Basiricò, chef at Serisso 47, a modern restaurant with strong Sicilian roots, thinks of himself more as “a researcher and taster of culinary delights” than as a cook. His kitchen is devoted to seafood, but is also inspired by an interest in other peoples and the foods of other countries. Moving along the shore, we turn our eyes upwards, to the medieval village of Erice, a perfect place from which to

Porta del vento

Viola

Camporeale (PA) contrada Valdibella 3356692875 - portadelvento.it

Alcamo (TP) via per Camporeale 18c 092427998 - viniviola.it

Marco Sferlazzo is in Camporeale, and looks down on the world from his winery at 600 meters above sea level. His mountain version of Catarratto is like few others, grown in vineyards that benefit from the wild invasion of herbs such as chamomile, helichrysum and nepitella. Thanks to these, the wines display a pleasing balsamic quality, sometimes almost French, that makes them unique. Wind brings iodine and salt, the vineyards contribute their fruit, and Marco does the rest. It seems easy, but isn’t. His Bolla and his reds are also excellent.

Aldo. Aldo Viola. Alcamo, near Trapani. Ten thousand bottles and two production zones. Four generations of winegrowers. A grand Grillo, a glass in continual progression, mouth-filling, slowly shaping the palate. Guarini, his mono-varietal Syrah from grapes he planted thanks to his

French maternal origins, is perhaps one of the most interesting and respectful (of its French cousin) for its complexity, roundness, balance – assertive but never overwhelmingly so. Try also his Nero d’Avola and Saigne Rosato.

— Valerio Capriotti

San Vito Lo Capo

Palermo

Custonaci

Erice Levanzo

Trapani

Marettimo

Alcamo Favignana

E B Gibellina

Marsala

C A Mazara del Vallo

Castelvetrano

THE STORIES

Marsala  Le Lumie

Fontanelle 178, b 0923 995197 - ristorantelelumie.com contrada

 Ciacco Putia Gourmet

S. Cammareri Scurti, 3 0923 711160 - ciaccoputia.it via

 La Bottega

del Carmine Caturca, 20 - 0923 719055 labottegadelcarmine.it via

 B&B Dai Siciliani

di Paolo e Paola San Giuseppe Tafalia, 316/A 0923989148 - 3396259170 daisicilianipaoloepaola.com contrada

 Casa Vinicola Ferracane

Bosco, 280 a – 329 1586304 - casavinicolaferracane.it contrada

Mazara del Vallo  Marea Viva Pescheria Ristorante

115 km 50,800 CTA Pesca - 3669044937 mareaviva.it strada statale presso

 Ristorante Antico Borgo Marinaro

Mazzaro Ducezio, 42 0923934546 - anticoborgomarinaro.it lungo

 Hotel Giardino

di Costanza 7 – 0923675000 giardinodicostanza.it via

Salemi

 Cantina Rosso

di Mazara M. Fani, 35 - 0923654110 rossodimazara.eu via

Castelvetrano  Villa Sogno Dimora d’Epoca

Latomie - strada statale 115 Marinella di Selinunte 092446821 - villa sogno.it contrada località

GENOA, PISA AND VENICE A GREAT WINDOW ON THE MEDITERRANEAN The history of Trapani is lost in legend. It was identified as the city of the Phaeacians that Ulysses visited, according to Homer, in his voyage around Sicily. Trapani is a city that lives by the sea and from the sea, and it has always been a harbor for all the great peoples of the Mediterranean, from the Phoenician navigators who built a temple to their goddess Astarte on the peak of Mount Erice, to the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, and even the Normans, Spanish and English, from the merchants of Pisa to those of Genoa and Venice. During the period of the maritime republics, in the Middle Ages, Trapani was a port that the Tuscans and Ligurians desired but never managed to colonize, although their warehouses in the city controlled commerce in the Mediterranean. Salt, tuna, grain, wine and olive oil were the principal items that left here for half of Europe. “The sea was seen by the population not as an isolating barrier, but as a door to the rest of the world, to other civilizations from which the Sicilians took elements, positive and negative, and adapted them to the economic and social realities of their island,” wrote Gabriella Portatone in her review of the only serious book on the history of the city: “Tra Sicilia e Africa. Trapani. Storia di una città mediterranea” by Salvatore Costanza (Corrao editore, 2006) “Its cucina is a weave of different traditions imported by various peoples whose ships docked in Sicilian ports. This cultural synthesis, an aspect of the island’s history, favored above all by the illuminated and pragmatic policies of the reigning Normans, is perceptible particularly in Trapani and is province. The Trapanese cucina shows the predisposition of these people to draw the best from what was imported from African shores, reworking it and adapting it to local taste. Think of cous cous, a dish that Trapani imported from Tunisia, replacing mutton with the fish that was more pleasing to its people’s tastes.” Pesto Genovese, focaccia rianata and busiate are all reminders of the culinary influence of Genoa.

 Centonze Frantoio

Latomie - strada statale 115 (dir. Selinunte km 0.500, 103) 0924904231 - oliocentonze.com contrada

 Case

Latomie Latomie – strada statale 115 località Marinella di Selinunte 0924907727 - casedilatomie.com di

contrada

 Bottega

del Pane Rizzo G. Garibaldi, 85 - 092481088 panificio rizzo.com via

culture is unmissable Marsala. South of Erice, a little African, a little Punic, Arab, and Norman, its destiny has been shaped by wine and the sea. Its very name, Marsala, comes from Mars-Allah, Port of Allah in Arabic. It became famous for the sweet wine that carries its name, and its soul has always been devoted to commerce. This is the westernmost point of Sicily. Renowned Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni, who died in 2007, pronounced the sunset here “the most beautiful in the world.” From its Baroque center, we pass through the vibrancy of its ancient

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market streets ending at the historic wineries: Florio, Pellegrino, De Bartoli. The aromas of oak barrels, pressed grapes and grape must fill the air. From here, Sicily made wine that became known around the globe. Small producers also carry on the millennia of wine tradition here, moving it towards modernity. Fabio Ferracane, owner of his family’s winery, returned to Sicily after working abroad. He became known for his work with the grape known as catarratto, a variety first only used in blends. “My wines are a strong expression of our territory, artisanal and not in- 

TRAPANI - WINTER IN WESTERN SICILY

Opening page, a panorama of Trapani 1. Marsala. St. Thomas of Canterbury Cathedral. The origin of this church is under discussion, but it’s thought the cult of this saint is linked to the figure of Joanna Plantagenet, daughter of King Henry II 2. Erice, town that faces the sea of San Vito Lo Capo 3. The salt-pans of Trapani and Paceco 4. 5. 6. Busiate with white fish and shrimp, spaghetti with shrimp, dishes from Antico Borgo Marinaro in Mazara (photo by Pietro Poma) 7. Grape harvest at the Ferracane winery 8. The narrow streets of Trapani resemble the caruggi of Genoa

300 20 st 1 st 1 st 1 61 th 15 st 91 rd 93 th 106 GAMBERO ROSSO

places to eat in the city of Trapani: restaurants, pizzerias, pubs, coffee bars and food shops with tables. In the entire province, 1,200 20 hotels in the city, over 170 in the province in the rating of the best Sicilian coasts – Touring Club and Legambiente among the least expensive cities of Italy – Osservatorio Trivago. Nearby Sciacca (Agrigento) is third on the Best Value City Index of Trivago, the only Italian city in the top 20 euros for a double room per night, average on the Trapani hotel listings in beach ratings, Legambiente and Touring Club (Northern Trapanese Shore: San Vito Lo Capo, Custonaci, Erice) place (out of 110) for quality of life, according to Sole 24 Ore. Aosta is first, Milano second place (out of 104) in the Legambiente ratings of urban ecosystems place in the iCity Rate 2017 report on Italian smart cities. Milano is first, Trapani last

JANUARY 2018

THE STORIES

dustrialized, wines that are made in the vineyard and evolve year after year,” he says. Still further south, less than 200 kilometers from Tunis, in an historic center that resembles a Casbah, the second in Europe after that of Marseilles, Mazara del Vallo is a city of a hundred churches, of the ancient statue of the Dancing Satyr and celebrated red shrimp. The Giacalone family has been fishing for them since 1929, and today their company, Rosso di Mazara, run by the younger generation, provides the country’s most exclusive restaurants with this red gold. “We are the only ones in the world,” said Paolo Giacalone, “fishing and distributing shrimp that has four different levels of certification: zero sulfites, flash freezing process, DNA checked, and the Friend of the Sea guarantee of sustainable fishing practices.” Its air and light make Mazara feel close to North Africa. In the kitchen, dishes are powerfully influenced by those spices and lead the way to experimentation with tradition. The cucina of Bartolomeo Marmoreo in his Antico Borgo Marinaro exploits the experience of his father, interpreting it in a young, modern, global style. Arica is a newly established company that promotes the Trapanese territory (aricafood.com), choosing the best products that the province offers, ranging from pasta made with ancient Sicilian grains to organic olive oil made with the Nocellara del Belice cultivar and to capers from the island of Pantelleria. The objective, for young Giacomo Bono, is to express the agricultural identity of the territory. As soon as you move away from the coast, the Egadi Islands emerge like whales from the crystalline waters. Marettimo, Levanzo and Favignana promise memorable sunsets, hotels dug out from tufo caverns, tuna fishing, sandy coves and pink sea beds, a paradise where you wish the day wouldn’t end. Especially in winter. 

STORY

COUSCOUS ALLA TRAPANESE. SYMBOL, SIGN AND IDENTITY OF SICILY words by Davide Enia - watercolors by Linda Randazzo I ate couscous the first time at Custonaci, after a day spent with my family in the Zingaro Natural Reserve. My father drove, holding for the entire time the pose that in my mind was synonymous with adulthood: right hand on the steering wheel, left arm out the window. Under her straw hat, Mamma’s hair was long and still black. My little brother Giuseppe was shorter than me. Papà and Mamma had eaten couscous when they were young, right there in Custonaci, coming back from a trip to Erice. The sea stretched to infinity in front of them, like the possibility of their future together. My first couscous was the Trapanese kind – fish. I discovered the existence of couscous with vegetables and meat decades later. They are the most common types everywhere in the Mediterranean and in North Africa, but for me they are just variations, due to my first experience. Couscous to me means fish, an example of how everything is relative. Practice codifies habits and habits structure thoughts and categories. In fish couscous, as a Sicilian, I see our history as an island of fishermen. It is a food that tells about meeting the Other, about the exchange of spices and recipes. Fish embodies the use of food as an instrument of knowledge and commerce, as a gift. Trapanese fishermen imported vegetable and meat couscous from Africa, transforming it into material for fish broth. Separate worlds found a synthesis. As fishermen always have said, the sea is all one and bathes everything. We are all its children, and the sea is the father of all. My Aunt Pupetta, who grew up in Marsala, prepared couscous by hand. For her, the couscoussier was a familiar pot, an everyday object. She told me the legend that brought together, in a handful of couscous grains, the sea, life and death. Aunt Pupetta cooked couscous according to a ritual passed on from grandmother to grandchild, in a parade of generations that went back so far in time that it must have begun when fish sang at night and marine divinities spoke to humans. The sea was omnipresent in her words. The durum wheat semolina, for example, resembled sand. It was placed on a marble surface and sprinkled with water, as if to baptize it. Each gesture of her couscous-making was embedded with the mysteries of life and death. It spoke of rebirth and abandonment, the eternal thoughts of those who live with their eyes always on the unbroken horizon line. The sea gave no answers. The questions, the uncertainties, the need to understand only grew. In this atmosphere, the legend of the blessed granule sprouted. After having created piles of couscous, separating one from another, my aunt said, “Choose your favorite pile and make the sign of the cross over it. Then wash your hands, 

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TRAPANI - WINTER IN WESTERN SICILY

 and the last granule of couscous that remains in your hand, Davidù, that’s the blessed granule. Take it and put it into the couscoussier, that single granule.” According to a pact that the Star of the Sea Madonna had stipulated with the fishermen, that granule was capable of saving the life of those at sea. “You have to be sure never to put the blessed granule on the outside edge of the coucoussier,” Aunt Pupetta warned me, referring to the method of sealing the pan with freshly cooked couscous. It was another obligatory step. Rites are meant to be carried out, not discussed. “If the blessed granule is outside, the storm comes and the fisherman dies. And how do you know you haven’t placed it outside, in the seal? You can’t. You can only pray. Three Hail Marys before sealing. Cook for two hours, and the couscous is ready to be served.” Here’s the legend. The Star of the Sea Madonna was a siren and the friend of a little boy who often came to see her by the shore. Some bad fishermen took the child and drowned him in the sea. The Madonna was angry and said, “Vendetta.” From that day on, whoever went into a boat drowned in the sea, attacked by the fury of a storm. The women began to cry and to pray. They took a little girl, put her in a boat and sent her far away, as an offering, beyond the horizon. The boat was one of those small, fragile ones and it fought against the waves, but didn’t sink because the girl was pure of heart. She came to the center of the sea. There was the Madonna who was a siren, suspended in the water. The child greeted the Madonna and the Madonna was touched. She took the child’s hand and placed a granule of couscous in her open palm, the blessed granule, saying, “As long as the granule is inside the couscoussier, no fisherman will die. But you will never know if that granule is outside or inside, because you always have to make the seal.” According to Aunt Pupetta, the blessed granule can be found in only two cases, plus one. You find it if you’re pure of heart. Or you find it when you aren’t looking for it, like the needle in the haystack or the fourleaf clover in the meadow. There’s a third case, but it’s very rare. When you yourself are the blessed granule, you are the boat that doesn’t sink during the storm, that defies the waves and sails, against all logic, beyond any imagination, on the great sea that is the world.

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AUTHOR Davide Enia (Palermo, b. 1974) is a writer, playwright, theater maven and attentive gourmet. He lives in Rome. Appunti per un Naufragio (Sellerio), Uomini e Pecore (EDT) and the celebrated Così in Terra (Dalai) are a few of his most recent novels. His last theatrical work was in September, 2017, at the Teatro Argentina, in Rome. davideenia.com

RATINGS

BEREBENE 2018 SICILY For twenty-eight years, our publication, Berebene, has been a guide to the best Italian wines in terms of quality/price rapport, the best buys. These are wines that manage to convey their territories and producersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences as well as do labels that are more famous and costly. To introduce them to everyone, Gambero Rosso will present, for the first time, the SmartWines event during the various stops on its world tour. It will be a new, intelligent way for wine fans to get to know and appreciate Italian wines Our Berebene guide has always given generous space to Sicilian labels. We celebrate the positive evolution in quality over the last 20 years. It is better described as a revolution, beginning quietly in the early 1990s when a group of courageous producers, especially Giacomo Rallo, Diego Planeta and Lucio Tasca, started to rethink their wineries. They began to focus principally on territory, indigenous varieties, and quality. The Sicilian model inspired others, and within a few years, the revolution caught on in almost all the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wineries. Many firms attained international success and led large Italian wine companies to invest in Sicily, groups such as Zonin, G.I.V. and Mezzocorona, as well as historic names such as Marzotto, Panerai, De Grazia, Moretti, Mazzei and recently, Gaja. But the Sicilian wine world is made up above all of small wineries that learned the lesson well and undertook the pathway to focusing on their territories and indigenous varieties

curated by Stefania Annese and William Pregentelli

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BEST WINES UNDER 13 EUROS

Sicilia Grillo Cavallo delle Fate ’16 - Tasca d’Almerita c.da Regaleali Sclafani Bagni [PA] tel. 0916459711 tascadalmerita.it 11.70 euros

The Tasca d’Almerita family has been producing wine on its beautiful Regaleali estate in Sclafani Bagni since 1830. Its history and family traditions make it one of the few Italian wineries that can compare with an historic French chateau. We liked this year’s Grillo, Cavallo delle Fate ’16, with its clean, fragrant notes of fresh pineapple and medicinal herbs. Sip after pleasant sip is encouraged by a savory palate, rich in fruity pulp and supported by good acidic backbone.

Passomaggio ’14 - Abbazia Santa Anastasia c.da Santa Anastasia Castelbuono [PA] tel. 0921671959 abbazia santanastasia.com 11.80 euros

The Abbazia Sant’Anastasia owns sixty-five hectares of vineyard, all managed by certified biodynamic methods. They lie in a hilly zone of the Castelbuono countryside, around the abbey that dates back to the 12th century. It is now a beautiful wine resort. A blend of nero d’Avola with a small amount of international grapes, Passomaggio ’14 is striking for the elegance of its rich fruit on both nose and palate. It is ruled by fine acidic tension that lasts right through its long finish.

Sicilia Nero d’Avola Donnatà ’16 - Alessandro di Camporeale The Alessandro family has been producing wine in Camporeale for four generations. Like every good vignaiolo, they begin with passionate attention to their more than 35 hectares of organic vineyard, the strong point of this fine family business. Their Nero d’Avola Donnatà ’16 displays a nose typical for the variety, ranging from red berry notes to floral tones and sea salt. The palate is rhythmic and savory, propelled by fine acidic energy.

c.da Mandranova Camporeale [PA] tel. 092437038 alessandro dicamporeale.it 8.20 euros

Fiordiligi ’16 - Assuli c.da Carcitella Mazara del Vallo [TP] tel. 0923546706 assuli.it 9.70 euros

The new, modern winery of the Caruso family is in Mazara del Vallo while their over 100 hectares of vineyard are distributed in four different production areas, chosen accoridng to the soil requirements of the varieties planted. Fiordiligi ’16 is a monovarietal grillo of notable aromatic impact, with fragrances of wisteria, aromatic herbs and citrus fruit. Fresh and easy to drink, it is not at all banal and finds its balance on the palate in the embrace of clean, vigorous fruit and impetuous acidity.

Sicilia Bianco Adènzia ’16 - Baglio del Cristo di Campobello loc. c.da Favarotta s.da st.le 123 km 19,200 Campobello di Licata [AG] tel. 0922 877709 cristo dicampobello.it 12.60 euros

The Bonetta family has always made wine in the Campobello di Licata countryside. It is, however, only fifteen years since they began bottling it under their own brand name. The wines reflect their territory but are modern in style, varietal, clean and well-made. Adènzia ’16 is a blend of insolia and grillo, with mineral aromas and notes of white fruit and citrus fruit on the nose. Elegant, savory and long on the palate, it stands out for its pleasant drinkability.

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RATINGS

Shymer ’14 - Baglio di Pianetto loc. Pianetto via Francia Santa Cristina Gela [PA] tel. 0918570002 bagliodipianetto.it 8.00 euros

Count Paolo Marzotto’s winery has two different production areas, in Santa Cristina Gela near Palermo and in Noto. The two terroirs are very different, the first being at 600 meters above sea level, near the sea. The second location has calcareous and skeleton-rich soil. Shymer ’14 is a blend of syrah from Noto and merlot grown in Santa Cristina. The nose is intense and persistent, with tones of plum, pepper and Mediterranean herbs. The palate is energetic and generous, notable for the fine balance between tannins and fruit.

Frappato Barunieddu ’16 - Biscaris via Maresciallo Giudice, 52 Acate [RG] tel. 0932990762 biscaris.it 10.00 euros

This small winery in Acate, with slightly more than five hectares of vineyard, in the best vintage years produces about 20,000 bottles of true and natural wines, as they like to proudly repeat. The Frappato Baruneddu ’16 appealed to us for its easy drinkability and savory mineral note. On the nose, notes of red berries stand out, and more herbaceous tones suggest a potpourri of aromatic herbs.

Rosato ’16 - Bonavita loc. Faro Superiore c.da Corso Messina tel. 3471754683 bonavitafaro.com 8.00 euros

In 2002, when Giovanni Scarfone had just graduated with a degree in agronomy, he made his first version of Faro in the newly-founded winery of Bonavita. Not much has changed since then except for Giovanni’s deepened experience. His labels are now totally reliable, without losing that aura of garage wine that has surrounded them since the first harvest. Rosato ’16 is extremely pleasant, with aromas of raspberries and sea salt. It is fresh, savory, and lively on the palate.

Peloro Rosso ’15 - Le Casematte loc. Faro Superiore c.da Corso Messina tel. 0906409427 lecasematte.it 10.00 euros

Le Casematte is one of the few important new names on the Sicilian wine front. In a few years, Gianfranco has built, with infinite passion, a small winery equipped with the best winemaking technology available. His eleven hectares of organic vineyard are tended like a garden. When passion and bravura meet, great wines can emerge, such as the supremely elegant Peloro Rosso ’15, an impressive label from this establishment in the Messina zone.

Sicilia Giato Rosso ’16 - Centopassi via Porta Palermo, 132 San Giuseppe Jato [PA] tel. 0918577655 centopassi sicilia.it 8.20 euros

The cooperatives Placido Rizzotto and Pio La Torre, along with Don Ciotti’s Libera, have managed 400 hectares of land confiscated from local mafiosi for more than 15 years. The entire property, including 70 hectares of vineyard, is farmed organically. The grapes in Giato Rosso ’16 are the typical ones of the territory, nero d’Avola and perricone, which confer aromas of red fruit, violets and aromatic herbs. The mouthfeel is pleasantly tannic and the wine is easy to drink.

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BEST WINES UNDER 13 EUROS

Sicilia Zibibbo Vitese ’16 - Colomba Bianca via Giovanni Falcone, 72 Mazara del Vallo [TP] tel. 0923942747 cantine colombabianca.it 8.20 euros

The Columba Bianca winery is one of Italy’s largest cooperatives, with 2,480 members and 7,500 hectares of vineyard in five Sicilian provinces: Trapani, Agrigento, Palermo, Caltanissetta and Ragusa. Zibibbo Vitese ’16 is both organic and vegan. A very pleasant wine, it has exotic and citrus fruit aromas, along with mint and other medicinal herb fragrances. The palate is fresh and aromatic, and easy, pleasant drinkability goes along with perfect equilibrium between fruit and acidity.

Passito ’12 - Cantine Colosi loc. Pace del Mela fraz. Giammoro Messina tel. 0909385549 cantinecolosi.it 10.90 euro

The Colosi family winery has vineyards both in the Messina zone and on the island of Salina, where it recently opened a new, beautiful facility. The Passito ’12 is incredibly good, especially considering its price. It is a Moscato, a lovely golden color with orange highlights. The nose is dense and persistent, with hints of dates, dried apricots, lavender and baked figs. In the mouth it is fresh and sweet, but not cloying. The finish is vigorous and persistent.

Eloro Nero d’Avola Eos ’16 - Curto loc. Contrada Sulla s.da st.le 115 Ispica - Rosolini km 358 Ispica [RG] tel. 0932950161 curto.it 7.10 euros

For years, Francesca Curto has headed the winemaking branch of the family estate founded at the beginning of the 18th century. It has always specialized in the production of nero d’Avola. Francesca delights in different versions of this typical Sicilian variety, here made into a rosé, with excellent results. Eos 16 is a brilliant cherry color. On the nose, tones of cherries and raspberry; on a fresh and persistent palate, the fragrant pleasantness of the wine stands out.

Angimbé Tenuta Ficuzza ’16 - Cusumano loc. c.da San Carlo s.da st.le 113 km 307 Partinico [PA] tel. 0918908713 cusumano.it 11.30 euros

All the labels from Alberto and Diego Cusumano’s winery offer a modern style and extreme drinkability. They also share an excellent price/quality rapport at both ends of the price range, not only the so-called base wines, but above all the top ones. We justifiably award Angimbé ’16, a blend of insolia and chardonnay grown at 700 meters above sea level on the Ficuzza property, for its aromas of wisteria and lavender and its intriguing, flavorful palate.

Benuara Tenuta Presti e Pegni ’16 - Cusumano loc. c.da San Carlo s.da st.le 113 km 307 Partinico [PA] tel. 0918908713 cusumano.it 11.80 euros

The beautiful Cusumano winery draws from seven different properties, more than 500 hectares, divided among three different provinces: Palermo, Caltanisetta and Siracusa. This Benuara red, a nero d’Avola with some syrah added, comes from the 70 hectares of the Presti e Pegni farm on the hills of Monreale in the Palermo province. The ’16 vintage is generous and rich in fruit on the nose. The palate is surprisingly assertive and lively, with a long, persistent finish that blends fruit and sapidity.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

RATINGS

Sicilia Nero d’Avola Sherazade ’16 - Donnafugata via S. Lipari, 18 Marsala [TP] tel. 0923724200 donnafugata.it 11.20 euros

Antonio and Josè Rallo’s handsome winery has recently purchased two new properties on Etna and in Vittoria, emphasizing even more their presence in Sicily. They are already important in Marsala, Contessa Entellina and Pantelleria. This Sherazade ’16 is very pleasant, almost playful, without losing complexity. It offers varietal aromas of ripe red fruit, violets and spices, accentuated by an elegant iodine background. The palate is vibrant and energetic, and leaves a notable fruity aftertaste in the mouth.

Sicilia Zibibbo Lighea ’16 - Donnafugata via S. Lipari, 18 Marsala [TP] tel. 0923724200 donnafugata.it 12.10 euros

Zibibbo is also known as moscato d’Alessandria. Until a few years ago, the grape was almost exclusively used in Sicily to make raisin wines, that is, passiti. Over the last few years, producers have begun to vinify zibibbo dry, obtaining versatile and aromatically very interesting wines. One example is Lighea ’16, with its ample and assertive fragrances of ripe fruit, especially peaches and loquats, roses and aromatic herbs. In the mouth, flavor is assertive, very fresh and generous.

Marsala Sup. Ambra Secco Vecchio Florio ’13 - Duca di Salaparuta via Nazionale, s.da st.le 113 Casteldaccia [PA] tel. 091945201 duca.it 7.70 euros

We admire Florio for having concentrated on relaunching Marsala, restoring the wines to the quality they once offered. The company’s historic building, the baglio on the Marsala waterfront, has been perfectly restored, and its enoteca wine bar is open even for a simple aperitivo on a panoramic terrace. Vecchio Florio ’13 has intense fragrances of dried fruit, candied citrus fruit and aromatic herbs. The palate is fresh, intense, silky, and extremely persistent.

Vento di Mare Nero d’Avola ’16 - Cantine Ermes c.da Salinella Santa Ninfa [TP] tel. 092467153 cantineermes.it 7.10 euros

Cantine Ermes is an important cooperative in the Valle del Belice. It can count on five wineries, 1,200 members and 4,800 hectares of vineyard. Like other Sicilian cooperatives, Ermes has focused on quality wines in recent years, working well in its vineyards and on yields. Nero d’Avola Vento di Mare ’16 displays fragrances of plum, blueberries and wild flowers. On the palate, finely woven flavor is wellbalanced between elegant tannins and wonderfully juicy fruit.

Grillo Roceno ’16 - Cantine Europa s.da st.le 115, km 42,400 Petrosino [TP] tel. 0923961866 sibilianavini.it 6.00 euros

It is a pleasure to note how the level of quality of wines produced in Sicily by cooperative wineries has notably grown in recent years. In the wide and reliable range offered by Cantine Europe, we found at least a half-dozen wines worthy of awards. We chose Grillo Roceno ’16 for its aromas of fruit and white flowers. On the palate, pleasant shadings of savory and fruity tones and a fresh, aromatic finish.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

BEST WINES UNDER 13 EUROS

Laeneo Nerello Cappuccio ’15 - Tenuta di Fessina loc. c.da Rovittello via Nazionale, 22 s.da st.le 120 Castiglione di Sicilia [CT] tel. 3458346477 tenutadifessina.com 11.80 euros

Silvia Maestrelli’s winery in Rovittello is alongside a very old vineyard of nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio grapes. From these monumental, often centuryold, ungrafted vines come Silvia’s great reds. Among them is the delicious Laeneo ’15. Its fine nose offers a parade of aromas that range from wild strawberries to raspberries, from smoky and mineral tones to tobacco and violets. On the palate, well-composed, harmonious fruit is elegantly wrapped in silky, dense tannins.

Baglio del Sole Nero d’Avola ’16 - Feudi del Pisciotto c.da Pisciotto Niscemi [CL] tel. 09331930280 castellare.it 6.90 euros

The Baglio del Sole line is an integral part of the Feudi Pisciotto project. Paolo Panerai’s winery, besides producing high quality labels, also includes a wine resort and an elegant restaurant. This fresh-tasting Nero d’Avola ’16 conquers the palate with its praiseworthy aromatic range. In the mouth, fruit is energized by. lively tannins.

Grillo ’16 - Feudo Maccari loc. c.da Maccari s.da prov.le Pachino-Noto km 13,500 Noto [SR] tel. 0931596894 feudomaccari.it 9.90 euros

Antonio Moretti deserves credit for having immediately believed in the potential of the grillo grape planted in the Noto zone. Besides this label, Maccari produces another that is among the top of the range. Grillo ’16 presents itself on the nose with generous fragrances of fruit, yellow flowers and sea salt. The palate is agile and vigorous, domnated by fruit, and closes on a long and savory finish.

Sicilia Brut Neroluce - Feudo Principi di Butera c.da Deliella Butera [CL] tel. 0934347726 feudobutera.it 11.60 euros

Feudo Principi di Butera has been planning to widen its range of labels with a line of spumanti for some time now. After a couple of years of studying the most suitable varieties and trying different micro-vinifications, a Martinotti-method wine has been bottled, made from nero d’Avola grapes. Another variation is now resting on its lees to complete the long aging process required by Metodo Classico wines. Neroluce displays fruity and delicately herbaceous notes on the nose, and is fresh and savory in the mouth. Its bubbles are elegant and persistent.

Sicilia Catarratto Caeles ’16 - Firriato loc. Paceco via Trapani, 4 Paceco [TP] tel. 0923526766 firriato.it 11.80 euros

Salvatore and Vinzia Di Gaetano run one of the most ecologically sound wineries on the entire island. All 320 hectares of their vineyards are organic and environmentally sustainable. Caeles ’16 has a lovely elegant nose with herbaceous and mineral tones. The harmonious palate is notable for its enjoyable freshness and sapidity. The wine is also suitable for vegan consumers.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

RATINGS

Bello Mio ’16 - Fondo Antico fraz. Rilievo via Fiorame, 54a Trapani tel. 0923864339 fondoantico.it 8.50 euros

The Polizzotti Scuderi family winery is located between Trapani and Marsala. It can draw from about 80 hectares of vineyard. Bello Mio ’16 is made from zibibbo grapes that have been vinified dry. Both nose and palate show character and originality. Tropical fruit, lavender and citrus fruit offer a wide olfactory spectrum while in the mouth, the natural sweetness of the zibibbo is compensated for by very fresh acidity and a long finish with a delightfully pleasant savory vein.

Sicilia Grillo Parlante ’16 - Fondo Antico fraz. Rilievo via Fiorame, 54a Trapani tel. 0923864339 fondoantico.it 9.70 euros

It’s worth noting that this beautiful Trapanese winery belonging to the Polizzotti Scuderi family for several generations was among the first to believe in the potential of the grillo grape, vinifying and bottling it on its own, as a monovarietal. Grillo Parlante ’16 has a clean, lively aroma, with fragrances of citrus fruit, freshly peeled almonds and lavender, along with pleasant herbaecous notes. The palate shows good structure, sapidity, and is well balanced between acidity and fruit.

Hierà Rosso ’15 - Hauner loc. Santa Maria via G.Grillo, 61 Messina tel. 0906413029 hauner.it 11.80 euros

Carlo Hauner’s winery is famous above all for its production of extraordinary Malvasia delle Lipari, but also for dry whites based on the same variety. This year we want to point out a red wine from a five-hectare vineyard on the island of Vulcano. It is a blend of nero d’Avola, alicante and nocera, In the mouth it is fragrant and juicy, while on the nose, fruity tones are well joined to a smoky mineral note.

Sicilia Nero d’Avola ’16 - Masseria del Feudo c.da Grottarossa Caltanissetta tel. 0934569719 masseriadelfeudo.it 8.30 euros

The beautiful winery of Carolina and Francesco Curcurullo is one of the few winegrowing properties in the Caltanissetta zone. Its eighty hectares of vineyard are entirely organically farmed. Sicilia Nero d’Avola ’16 is pleasant and well made. The nose offers balsamic aromas and berry notes. The palate is agile, vibrant and well-sustained by clean, dense tannins and by a fresh current of supportive acidity.

Eloro Nero d’Avola Filinona ’12 - Cantina Modica di San Giovanni c.da Bufalefi Noto [SR] tel. 09311805181 vinidinoto.it 8.00 euros

Cantina Modica di San Giovanni has produced wine for over two centuries in the Noto countryside. The vineyards surround the historic baglio, or farmhouse, in which the Cantina headquarters are located. They are in the Bufalefi zone, one of the best for winegrowing in the entire Noto area. This austere Nero d’Avola Filinona ’12 is both typical and territorial in its traits. An elegant nose displays tones of fruit jam and spices. The palate is fresh and harmonious, with good balance between fine round fruit and consistent tannins.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

BEST WINES UNDER 13 EUROS

Sicilia Nero d’Avola ’15 - Morgante c.da Racalmare Grotte [AG] tel. 0922945579 morgantevini.it 7.60 euros

The Morgante family winery is in Grotte, in the Agrigento province. The territory is quite special, with white, calcareous soil rich in skeleton and a microclimate influenced by the nearby sea that during the night mitigates the high temperatures of summer. Nero d’Avola ’15 is amazingly pleasant to drink thanks to ripe, meaty fruit sustained by a rich supply of tannin and a lovely finish refreshed by a subtle balsamic vein.

Mosaikon Nero d’Avola ’16 - Cantine Mothia via Giovanni Falcone, 22 Marsala [TP] tel. 0923737295 cantine-mothia.com 6.60 euros

Founded at the beginning of the 20th century to collect the grapes produced on the Egadi islands and the area surrounding the Stagnone lagoon, Cantine Mothia was purchased some years ago by the Bonomo family. They are managing its restoration with excellent results. Nero d’Avola Mosaikon ’16 has intense and fragrant fruit on the nose laced by fresher herbaceous notes. The palate is fresh and juicy, with acidity that accentuates pleasant drinkability.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria Hybla ’16 - Cantine Nicosia via Luigi Capuana, 65 Trecastagni [CT] tel. 0957806767 cantinenicosia.it 9.90 euros

The Nicosia family has been producing wine on Etna for more than a century. Over the last few years it has invested significantly also in the province of Ragusa, the Bonincontro zone, bringing the company vineyards to almost 250 hectares. This Cerasuolo di Vittoria Hybla ’16 comes from Bonincontro. It is a decidedly territorial wine, ruby red with garnet highlights and aromas of ripe red fruit, Mediterranean herbs and violets. It is full and well-distributed in the mouth, developing satisfyingly within an elegant tannic frame.

Molino a Vento Nero d’Avola ’16 - Tenute Orestiadi v.le Santa Ninfa Gibellina [TP] tel. 092469124 tenuteorestiadi.it 8.40 euros

Ludovico Corrao, the town mayor and untiring force behind the rebirth of the Valle del Belice after the catastrophic earthquake of 1968, brought great Italian artists to Gibellina for its reconstruction, among them Burri, Consagra, Quaroni and Purini. To relaunch a zone destroyed by the quake, he joined together the Fondazione Orestiadi and a peasant cooperative, establishing the Tenute Orestiadi. Molino a Vento ’16 is an extremely pleasant wine, with strawberries and cherries on the nose and a fresh, juicy, persistent palate.

Etna Bianco ’16 - Planeta c.da Dispensa Menfi [AG] tel. 091327965 planeta.it 12.90 euros

The Planeta family have lived on their property in Menfi for centuries, and in 1985 they founded the winery that bears their name. They now have six properties, each finding its natural location in the historically best terroirs on the island. Etna Bianco ’16 has clear, elegant mineral aromas along with seductive floral notes and fruity tones of peach, loquat and citrus. The palate is fresh and savory, stylistically clean and persistent.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

RATINGS

Sicilia Nocera ’15 - Planeta c.da Dispensa Menfi [AG] tel. 091327965 planeta.it 12.90 euros

Nocera is an indigenous Sicilian variety principally found in the Messina province. It is rarely vinified on its own, but normally used in a blend in the Faro and Mamertino DOCs. Planeta’s version comes from their Capo Milazzo property, a place of extraordinary beauty and, judging from this Nocera, absolutely suited to wine production. Intense and elegant, Nocera ’15 is extraordinarily complex on the nose. The palate is perfectly balanced between acidic tension and the elegance of its fruit.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria Cl. Contessa Costanza ’14 - Poggio di Bortolone fraz. Roccazzo via Bortolone, 19 Chiaramonte Gulfi [RG] tel. 0932921161 poggiodibortolone.it 10.80 euros

Pierluigi Cosenza manages the family winery in Chiaramonte Gulfi with passion and professionality. For years he has been among the best interpreters of Cerasuolo, and he dedicates three labels to the variety, always surprising us with his ability to bring even the most complicated harvests to satisfying fruition. Contessa Costanza ’14 is deep, ripe and elegant, even in its tannic expression, proving that an excellent territorial wine can emerge in a vintage year that was not easy at all.

Sicilia Bianco Maggiore ’16 - Rallo via Vincenzo Florio, 2 Marsala [TP] tel. 0923721633 cantinerallo.it 11.40 euros

The hundred or more hectares of organic vineyard belonging to the Rallo winery are in different locations in Alcamo and Trapani. Among the many wines that our Vini d’Italia guide regularly admires, this Bianco Maggiore ’16 is surely among those that cost the least. Intense fragrances suggest fresh flowers, almnd and loquat. The palate of the Grillo is notable for the precise and fragrant return of fruit well grafted onto a vibrant structure.

Bouquet ’16 - Tenute Rapitalà c.da Rapitalà Camporeale [PA] tel. 092437233 rapitala.it 11.90 euro

Radidh Allah, River of Allah in Arabic, was the name of the brook that still today runs by the soft hills of the movingly beautiful landscape between Camporeale and Alcamo where the Rapitalà winery of Gruppo Italiano Vini is located. This year we particularly noted their delicious Bouquet ’16, a blend of grillo, sauvignon and viognier. It offers delicate floral and herbaceous notes to the nose and is fresh, savory and persistent on the palate.

Marzaiolo ’16 - Riofavara loc. Val di Noto fraz. c.da Favara s.da prov.le 49 Ispica-Pachino Ispica [RG] tel. 0932705130 riofavara.it 11.90 euros

Marianta and Massimo Padova devotedly cultivate their 16 hectares of vineyard in Ispica, in the Ragusa province, according to the strict rules of organic agriculture. In the winery itself they use no chemical products nor selected yeasts. A blend of insolia, grecanico and moscato, Marzaiolo ’16 displays mineral and iodine fragrances to the nose along with fruit and yellow flowers. The palate is fresh and savory, making it the ideal partner for Sicily’s typical fish dishes.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

BEST WINES UNDER 13 EUROS

Mandrarossa Bonera ’16 - Cantine Settesoli s.da st.le 115 Menfi [AG] tel. 092577111 cantinesettesoli.it 11.10 euros

It’s certainly nothing new for Berebene to give an award to the Settesoli winery. The truth is that the entire Mandrarossa line is worthy of notice thanks to the wines’ excellent price/quality rapport. A blend of nero d’Avola and cabernet franc, Bonera ’16 has a beautiful, brilliant, intense ruby color and a nose fragrant with sour cherry, Mediterranean herbs, incense and spices. The palate is solid in its expression of fruit, but well balanced by alcoholic softness that further enhances its already pleasant drinkability.

Perricone Mandrarossa Rosé ’16 - Cantine Settesoli s.da st.le 115 Menfi [AG] tel. 092577111 cantinesettesoli.it 9.00 euros

This is the Mandrarossa wine that most astonished us. The winery itself is an economic powerhouse, a colossus of European cooperation that brings together 2,300 members and over 6,000 hectares of vineyard. We noted a screwtop closure, fragrances of pomegranate and blueberry, and a light, flavorful palate with an almondy finish. The palate combines fruity substance and freshness with unusual drinkability. Sincere and energetic, the wine is perfect even on its own, perhaps paired with a deck of cards, live music and good company.

Vittoria Frappato Belsito ’16 - Terre di Giurfo via Palestro, 536 Vittoria [RG] tel. 0957221551 terredigiurfo.it 9.20 euros

The labels of this little winery are always pleasing and reliable. The vineyards are in the countryside of Licodia Eubea near the Dirillo River. Frappato Belsito ’16 has a cheerful character. After vinification it ages in stainless steel to best preserve the freshness and fragrance of its fruit. A brilliant purplish ruby color, it offers aromas of peaches, spices and Mediterranean herbs on the nose. A fresh and sturdy palate moves to a pleasantly fruity finish.

Trenta Filari ’16 - Torre Favara via Cannada, 1 Mazzarino [CL] tel. 0934384064 torrefavara.com 7.60 euros

Four generations of Rino Calì’s family have produced wine in the Mazzarino countryside. The entire property is run with maximum respect for the environment, limiting treatments to a minimum and using the green manure method to enrich the soil. Trenta Filari ’16 is a monovarietal from insolia grapes. It has unusual aromas of grapefruit, fresh almonds and aromatic herbs. The palate corresponds well with the nose, and offers a fine, long, savory finish.

Sicilia Grillo Zagra ’16 - Valle dell’Acate c.da Bidini Acate [RG] tel. 0932874166 valledellacate.com 11.10 euros

The production philosophy in the winery of Francesco Ferreri dell’Anguilla and Gaetano Jacono is simply to innovate within tradition, without betraying the terroir. They cultivate 100 hectares of vineyard in Acate in the Ragusa province. Grillo Zagra ’16 expresses itself on the nose with notes that suggest yellow fruit and citrus fruits. Instead, the palate is striking for the fine expression of fruit governed by lively acidity that lasts for the entire long finish.

GAMBERO ROSSO

JANUARY 2018

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January 2018