Wine Travel Food Summer Edition 2016

www.gamberorosso.it YEAR 21 N. 98 - JULY-AUGUST 2016

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

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• LILLIANO VERTICAL TASTING • HEMP REVIVAL • BED&WINE

PROSECCO the never-ending

Boom

ISABELLA BISOL

a tavola

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COVER STORY 26 | Export: the Prosecco Case The keys to Prosecco’s global success are many. Among them are affordability, a recognizable name, and flavor.

Prosecco is fragrant, fruity, and pleasant to drink even for those who haven’t devoted years and years to sommelier courses. But there are plenty more reasons…

32 | Top Ten Prosecco We have chosen the stand-out Prosecco labels, with a fresh eye for old traditions in a land that has always been great for wine, that breathes wine. Here’s our list of ten labels to look for, ranging from the great classics to the newcomers.

WINE

july-august 2016

40 | Tenuta di Lilliano: Paradise in Chianti Classico Where history and nature move at their own pace, Chianti expresses all the charm and power of its territory

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«It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine» Brian O’Donnell, Winemaker of Belle Pente

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NEWS & MORE

FOOD TRENDS

4 | Editorial 6 | News 17 | Spirit of the month Sambuca 18 | Italians abroad Balzi Rossi & Emanuele Mongillo 20 | Wine of the month La Matta 21 | Twitter dixit 22 | Design In&Out 24 | Pairing Lab Campania

35 | From dope to super-food. The return of hemp After fifty years of oblivion, hemp is reappearing in the Italian countryside. Not only as fabric and cord – today hemp is a key food, important for health and wellresearched in the kitchen. Let’s hear from the growers, transformers and chefs.

14 | Italian Beach Meals As summer heat rises Italians rapidly pack up and get out of dodge. Days at the beach are intermingled with scoffing sometimes indecent amounts of food in habitual seaside lidos, rocky marine cliffs and beach resort towns

TRAVEL 54 | Anzio. The People’s Fish gets Respect Revisited, lightened, and above all, more attentive to wine, the food on this part of Lazio’s coast has made it a gourmet destination.

50| Bed&wine. Eichenstein: a room with a view In the center of the vineyards is a chalet with a view over the amphitheater of Merano and the mountains surrounding it.

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EDITORIAL

Prosecco fever The glera grape vineyard is the new safe haven asset, exactly like gold. According to the Italian national register of grape varieties, glera is by far the variety most in demand in 2015, followed at a great distance by sangiovese and pinot grigio. The world wants Prosecco, emblematic of contemporary taste: expressive lightness, low alcohol, immediacy, and friendly pricing. Sparkling wines are the bestperforming category at a global level, transformed from wines for special occasions into wines for every moment of the day and every table. Only in Asia, particularly in China, is consumption lagging and spumanti considered strictly celebratory. But imagine what could happen if the Prosecco Mania that exploded in Great Britain spread to the Asian colossus. In the Prosecco Case, the article you find on the following pages, we present a series of analyses and recent data. The startling numbers have effects on the territory, now and in the future. Among the figures published by Campari for 2015, we find, next to the name Aperol, a peremptory +11.8%, thanks to foreign demand. We don’t deny that some of the insane export numbers are due to Prosecco that isn’t exactly the greatest, and and to consumers who are not aficionados addicted to spritz. But Prosecco is much more, and above all it is a complex world

developing rapidly. Consumption inside Italy is also changing. The effect of globalization of Prosecco is encouraging winemakers to look again at traditions, for example, the new attention paid to the sur lie method. The classic zone is livelier than ever. We selected the 10 labels that best represent what we’re talking about. The cover is dedicated to Isabella Bisol from Ruggeri & C (no relationship to this writer), a great traveler, for both her work and passionate curiosity. The firm run by Isabella, her brother Giustino and father Paolo is an example of a family business able to maintain in perfect equilibrium the difficult relationship between the fierce demands of the market, large numbers, respect for the territory, and high quality in every single bottle. Just taste - I don’t only mean the Vecchie Viti selections or Giustino B - Valdobbiadene Quartese to realize that these aren’t simply ordinary, minor wines. Every one of the many deliveries of grapes that reach the winemaking facilities is handled not only in the best possible way, but is immediately destined for the most appropriate version.

Lorenzo Ruggeri 4

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worldtour

trebicchieri

ExpEriEncE

2016 29

ROMA

NOVEMBER

i d’Ita Vin

06

BANGKOK

Top Italian Wines Extra

08

HANOI

Top Italian Wines Roadshow

10

SINGAPORE

Top Italian Wines Roadshow

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SEOUL

trebicchieri

13

SYDNEY

Top Italian Wines Roadshow

04

BEIJING

trebicchieri

18

DUSSELDORF

trebicchieri

07

TAIPEI

Top Italian Wines Roadshow

PALM SPRINGS

Top Italian Wines Extra

09

HONG KONG

trebicchieri

14

OSAKA

Top Italian Wines Roadshow

APRIL

16

TOKYO

trebicchieri

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CUBA

Top Italian Wines Extra

21

ZURICH

Vini d'Italia Experience

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MIAMI

Vini d'Italia Experience

21-22 ZURICH

Experience

06-07 MIAMI

Experience

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MOSCOW

trebicchieri

17

SãO PAULO

Top Italian Wines Extra

25

WARSAW

Vini d'Italia Experience

DUBAI

Top Italian Wines Extra

LONDON

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Vini d'Italia Experience

VANCOUVER

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Experience MAY

DECEMBER 01

CAPE TOWN

03 Top Italian Wines Roadshow JUNE

2017 JANUARY

05

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STOCKHOLM

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05-06 VANCOUVER

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OSLO

Vini d'Italia Experience

08

trebicchieri

19-20 COPENHAGEN

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08-09 VANCOUVER

20

COPENHAGEN

Vini d'Italia Experience

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MUNICH

trebicchieri

TORONTO SEATTLE

Experience Vini d'Italia Experience

FEBRUARY 07

CHICAGO

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NEW YORK

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10,13 LOS ANGELES

Experience

13

LOS ANGELES

trebicchieri

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SAN FRANCISCO

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NEWS FROM AROUND WINE AND THE ECONOMY WORLD

EVERYBODY WANTS ETNA. Giovanni Rosso buys land on the volcano, Tasca d’Almerita doubles

VIETTI SELLS TO AMERICANS. The news shocks the Barolo world The sale of Vietti came as a bolt from the blue although there had been talk in the Langhe for a while about Americans looking for a solid Barolo business. The agreement was signed on July 12 between Kyle J. Krause (Krause Holdings) and Luca Currado (Vietti). It represents a first for an American investor in the Barolo zone, but sooner or later it had to happen. The historic firm of Castiglione Falletto (winner of 19 Tre Bicchieri in various editions of the Vini d’Italia guide) probably sold for about 60 million euros.

The brand-name will not change.

Enologist Luca Currado will stay on as CEO, his wife Elena Penna will handle hospitality and foreign markets. Mario Cordero, son-in-law of the late Alfredo Currado, father of Luca, will stay on in his role, as will the 20 or so staff members in the winery and the vineyards. Krause Holdings, in June 2015, in Piedmont, also

bought the Enrico Serafino winery, inventory and vineyards from Gruppo Campari for 6.9 million dollars. The new agreement seems to leave ample maneuvering space for Currado himself.

He said, “We will come out with new crus this year that we want to gradually integrate into the roster. We want to grow on the Italian market, which today is at about 30-35%. We will eliminate two or three labels. Then we have to work at replanting vineyards, since having a vast choice in Piedmont means being sure to make great wines. That’s why we accepted this offer. It was a little like putting together the players from Real Madrid and Barcelona.”

These ambitious statements are meant to soothe the bad feelings among producers and passionate wine lovers who see the handover as a violation of the historic value of the family and the traditions of the Langhe.

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Etna is the phenomenon of the moment. Everyone wants to produce wine from the volcano, starting with Barolo-maker Davide Rosso. The owner of the celebrated Giovanni Rosso winery in Serralunga d’Alba bought fourteen hectares in contrada Montedolce, near the Solicchiata village in the territory of Castiglione di Sicilia on the northeastern slope, the area which is generally believed to give the greatest wines. Davide Rosso already produces some of the country’s most amazing wines.

Last year his Barolo Vigna Rionda Ester Canale Rosso 2011 won Tre Bicchieri in the Vini d’Italia 2016 guide and was one of the wines with the highest overall score. Expectations for future Etna labels are running high. Another winery that continues investing in the volcanic slopes is Tasca d’Almerita. The firm bought more hectares and the winemaking facilities of Concetta Selva in Passopisciaro so as to vinify nearby. The purchase was of six hectares in contrada Parchesa, in Passopisciaro in the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia. The grapes are all nerello mascalese except for a hectare of chardonnay.

The winemaking facilities, newly built and ready to vinify, consist of about 900 square meters on three floors plus an old palmento, now suitable for barrel-aging.

SISTEMA PROSECCO: STOPPING FRAUD. OVER 400 CASES IN 2 YEARS. Oversight costs 500,000 euros annually. The Consortium: “Effective action against fakes.”

A successful DOP inevitably brings with it an entire series of phenomena such as imitations and fakes.

The Prosecco case is emblematic, and the consortiums of Prosecco DOC and the two DOCGs, Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo Montello, worth 500 million euros, showed foresight. In 2014 they created Sistema Prosecco, supported

by MISE and MIPAAF, to oversee their products. From December 2014 to June 21, 2016, 400 irregular instances were brought to the attention of ICQRF, most tied to the sale of fake prosecco on tap, in cans or rosé.

About 250 of these involve EU countries, especially Germany. Deceptive advertising on line, on eBay, Amazon and Alibaba, accounted for 144 cases. Recently, one online case was stopped in the USA after an understanding with TTB. Between 2014 and 2015, the number of imitations uncovered remained stable. Over

30 protests against brand-names (in USA, Italy, Hong Kong, Moldavia, Brazil and Ukraine) mostly ended well. Some suits regarded Eastern European countries. “In the AngloSaxon world,” noted Armando Serena (Asolo Montello), “there’s a cultural difference regarding intellectual property.” Good results in Vietnam, where bilateral agreements with the EU won out over resistance in Australia and New Zealand, obtaining a commitment from the authorities regarding protection. In China, negotiations are underway. Today, monitoring is going on at 215 points of sale in supermarkets, hotels, cafés, caterers and restaurants in ten countries. “Supervision should be strengthened, above all in Eastern Europe,” said Innocente Nardi (Prosecco DOCG) “as well as work with institutions. If the consortiums hadn’t joined forces, it would have cost much more to get results like these.”

VinNatur. New regulations on the way for 2017 After a year of work, the association of natural viticulturists, VinNatur, has agreed on its production regulations, establishing principles and methods required in order to be entitled to use the label “vino naturale”.

It will be operative in 2017. For over 140 producers coming from seven countries who chose to join the association, it is “a point of departure, not of arrival,” according to president Angiolino Maule. “It is another step in the direction of clarity and transparency for those who choose to drink our wines. Since 2008 we have, at our expense, analyzed the wines of all our members to verify that they are free of pesticides.

We monitor sulfur dioxide to better understand the work in the cellar.” The next step will be the definitive version of the control plan, which VinNatur is working on with certification associations recognized by

MIPAAF. Among the rules, in the vineyard, cisgenic and OGM varieties are forbidden along with chemical insecticides, mechanical harvesting, phosphites.

Organic fertilizers, green manure, mowing with mechanical means, copper-based (maximum 3 kg per hectare) or sulfur-based (maximum 60 kg per hectare) products are allowed. In the winery, also allowed are spontaneous fermentation and the exclusive use of indigenous yeasts, temperature control of the must, the use of sulfur dioxide (up to 50mg/liter for whites and 30 mg/liter for reds) with a commitment to aim for total elimination. Clarifiers with products based on albumin, casein, or bentonite are not permitted, nor are additives such as sulfur dioxide, selected commercial yeasts, de-alcoholizers and other invasive practices that alter the characteristics of the wine.

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NEWS FROM AROUND ITALIAN THETRENDS WORLD

VINUM HOTELS: ALTO ADIGE HOTELS DEDICATED TO WINE LOVERS

THE FIRST MOLESKINE CAFÉ OPENS IN MILANO. Quality coffee alongside the celebrated notebooks. Consumer curiosity grew over two years.

On July 23, Milano inaugurated the first Italian Moleskine bar. A literary café in the heart of the Brera neighborhood offers premium quality espresso coffee in an old-fashioned atmosphere updated by minimalist design and an original, modern menu. The coffee bar combines the ageold atmosphere of literary cafés with that of more contemporary northern European coffee locales, meant to be gathering places for relaxing, chatting, using a laptop, or attending a talk while sipping coffee and enjoying a snack.

More and more coffee bars in Italy and around Europe are adopting this format. Moleskine Café in Milano has joined with Sevengrams coffee roasters to offer a selection of artisanal products

and single-origin coffees. After opening the first Moleskin Café at the Geneva airport, described as a “contemporary alternative to Starbucks”, the notebook giant is now launching in Milano with a worthy partner. The food menu includes breakfast pastries as well as sandwiches, soups and other quick lunch dishes. On a lower floor, a sales corner with a boutique display shows off the latest Moleskine products ranging from notebooks to pens, from briefcases to a wide selection of paper goods. For its ingredients the Moleskine Café kitchen looks to local providers, seeking, wherever possible, to use zero-kilometer products.

Moleskine Café | Milano | Corso Garibaldi, 45 | tel. 02 7200 0608 8 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Alto Adige offers some of northern Italy’s most breathtaking landscapes, and it has always been a favorite destination for international and Italian tourists. Aside from its mountain panoramas, and its enviable historic and artistic patrimony, the region is immensely rich from the point of view of wine and food. Vineyards and terroir are concentrated within barely 5,400 hectares, which makes the zone even more interesting. Wine Enthusiast included Alto Adige among its ten best “wine destinations” for 2016. Vinum Hotels is designed to satisfy the demands of wine lovers. It is a circuit of 29 hotels that offer wine-focused packages, unique experiences: tastings, winery and vineyard visits, workshops and seminars. Each Vinum Hotel in Alto Adige has expert staff qualified to advise guests about wines to match to their food and able to talk about the story of Alto Adige’s viticulture and its indigenous varieties. Some of the hoteliers in the Vinum circuit are also grape-growers, professionals with direct experience in the vineyard, and so able to offer a broad vision of the wine-growing process. www.vinumhotels.com

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

CALORIE BRANDS. The Instagram profile that sheds light on the caloric content of snacks.

The idea is simple, apparently obvious, but works well because it is immediate and ironic. Calorie Brands is an Instagram profile designed by an artists’ collective. They re-drew well-known brands of snacks, sugary drinks and such, replacing the name of the brand with the number of calories it contains. Celebrated slogans are re-worded: “What a skinny world without Nutella,” or Pringles’ “once you pop, you can’t wear the top”. What numbers are we talking about? A few examples: 1,320 for a tube of Pringles, 4,520 in a 400-gram jar of Nutella, 110 calories in a can of Red Bull, 988 in a container of pesto. Certainly, none of this information is hidden or unknown. Consumers in the European Union are protected

by Regulation (CE) 1924/2006 concerning nutritional information provided on food packaging, which includes ingredients and nutritional aspects of the product. The project, while not criticizing the food industry, gives an opportunity to spotlight information available to all, but often ignored.

HUNGER STALKS VENEZUELA. LONG LINES FOR BREAD. Supermarkets under assault.

Photographs from across the Atlantic remind Europeans that on the other side of the globe, on the streets of Caracas and Cumaná, and in the countryside that surrounds the big cities, hunger has become a looming, everyday reality. Images on the web show bakeries guarded by the army and food shops sacked by desperate people. Hundreds line up daily for sugar, potatoes, flour and anything else edible still on the shelves. Protests are growing week after week, with no hope of improvement in sight. The grave

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economic crisis in the country has resulted in a gradual slowing of productive activities. Venezuela doesn’t produce enough food to feed its population, nor can it afford to import any from abroad. Eighty-seven percent of its citizens declare themselves indigent, without enough money to feed themselves. Experts look at the country’s recent past, blaming years of mistaken economic and social policies, while human rights associations point fingers at regulations announced by President Maduro, accused of favoring the few without concern for the needs of the many. According to Transparency International, Venezuela is the ninth most corrupt country in the world. Photographs immortalize interminable lines of people waiting their turn to buy bread. Meat, for many, is a mirage. The army escorts food transported around the country.

ITALY HAS SOME OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE FOOD AND DRINK IN EUROPE, ACCORDING TO EUROSTAT. The most recent view of Europe’s food scene emerges from a comparative study by Eurostat, which compared what each country spends on its food. Italy is above the average, and for once, perhaps it would be best to be lower on the scale. Food prices are about ten percent higher than in other countries in the EU. Milk products and eggs, followed by bread, cereals and meat are the culprits. For alcoholic beverages, Italy is just a little under average compared, for example, to Switzerland, which was included in the investigation although not part of the EU, and where buying wine, spirits

and food is also a significant expense. Switzerland has high overall food and beverage costs, especially for meat. Norway and Denmark are at the high end as well, with Denmark winning the prize for the costliest food and drink in the entire EU. Besides Denmark, Norway and Switzerland, the more expensive countries for stocking the larder are Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Finland and Luxembourg. Thus Italy comes in eighth for prices in the shopping basket, in the upper reaches of a listing where no one wants to be on top. The Eurostat data refer to 2015.

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E-CCELLENZE Wine Travel Food, the Gambero Rosso Catalog.

Find your way around the world of e-commerce.

Although wine and food e-commerce has multiplied over the last year, it’s still not simple to do such shopping on the web. There are few reliable guides to making the best choices. So how can you find your way among the many online wine and food offerings?

Gambero Rosso has launched its catalog E-ccellenze Wine Travel Food, an online platform dedicated to the boom in wine and food e-commerce. After a year’s experience, we have enriched our content, made our site more visually appealing and navigating it more intuitive. Our goal of selecting the most interesting firms in the wine and food universe is unchanged, though. What will you find? Companies (from wine to olive oil, from pasta to preserves, and so on) separated by category, listed in alphabetical and geographic order, and geolocalized on an easy-to-use, navigable map. And that’s not all.

We review online platforms that aggregate niche companies and top-drawer services in the tourism sector. www.gamberorosso.it/ it/catalogo-e-ccellenze

TRAVEL

Eleonora Baldwin collaborated

ITALIAN BEACH MEALS As summer heat rises Italians rapidly pack up and get out of town.

Days at the beach are intermingled with sometimes indecent amounts of food in habitual seaside lidos, rocky marine cliffs and beach resort towns.

Italy is surrounded for the great majority by coasts, with 8000 kilometers of shoreline and only five landlocked regions out of twenty: Piedmont, Lombardy, Valle d’Aosta, Trentino-Alto Adige and l’Umbria.

Beaches are either public or divided up into private clubs called stabilimenti. In exchange for an entrance fee these establishments grant access to a whole range of facilities from simple to luxurious. You can usually count on parking, changing rooms, bathrooms and showers, a lifeguard, beach chairs, umbrellas and loungers for rent. Some lidos have additional perks like play-

grounds for kids, pools, beach volley courts, plus paddle boats and kayaks for rent. There’s almost always a snack bar for coffee, sandwiches and light meals, and a full service restaurant. Despite this, some beachgoers stay true to tradition and pack a picnic.

Long gone are the days of Fiftiesstyle bundles filled with trays of eggplant parmigiana, spaghetti and breaded cutlets. Nowadays beach meals are still brought from home, kept in a cooler and fed to family members between swimming and sandcastle building.

Compared to what they used to be, modern beach meals constitute rather a lighter, more summery fare.

Think large bowls of insalata di riso, a cold assembly of parboiled rice tossed with a variable mix of fridge-cleaning chopped foods, like corn kernels, tomatoes, packed tuna, pitted olives, hard 14 JULY-AUGUST 2016

boiled eggs, peas, carrots and so forth. Or pomodori al riso– steak tomato pulp scooped out and mixed with oregano, olive oil and rice, spooned back into the tomato shells and baked in the oven alongside potato wedges. Instead of the mandatory heavy baked lasagna, nowadays families gathered under the beach umbrella enjoy frittata stuffed in sandwiches, mozzarella and tomato skewers or a cold pasta salad and fruit. The key word is still not frugal, but there is less baking and frying involved than in post-war food hoarding.

Those that do not bring lunch from home can still count on very traditional beach foods. From region to region and greatly according to tradition, lunchtime fare and snacks change. Here is a list of the most popular Italian beach meals along the peninsula.

Emilia-Romagna – Piadina

In the coastal provinces of Romagna, that is the areas east of Bologna that are wet by the Adriatic Sea, the snack of choice is a symbol of the area itself: piadina.

In popular coastal resorts like Cervia, Cesenatico, Rimini and Riccione, the piadina, a tortillatype flatbread, is made into a tasty typical sandwich that’s crafted express and filled with prosciutto, squacquerone – a soft cheese – and snappy leaves of arugula. But fillings change and can be selected from a wide range of offers. There are kiosks making piadina around the clock. The ones located near the beach are the busiest.

Tuscany – Bomboloni

One of the classic Tuscan summer snacks on the beach is bomboloni.

Kiosks and roving vendors on the beaches of the northern Tuscan area of Versilia sell the sweet, soft dough fried krapfen-like snacks coated with sugar for a few Euros.

This happens daily at around 4 in the afternoon.

Liguria – Focaccia al Formaggio

The Cinque Terre and the rest of the region may be best known for the quaint fisherman villages, rocky beaches and romantic coves. But Italians conjugate their passion for these romancefilled locations with another love: fugassa cö formaggio.Two gossamer layers of focacciabread conceal a gooey dripping layer of delicious melted cheese. There’s debate over which coastal town is the birthplace of this cheesy delight, but one thing is for sure, the town of Recco managed to get the snack IGP status (Protected Geographical Indication) by the EU in 2013.

Bari – Beer and raw octopus

As early as dawn locals collect at the Bari pier – better known as “N’ dèrr’a la lanze” – to buy and snack on super fresh fish, raw mollusks and sea urchins directly from the local fishermen. Beer is part of this equation.

Salento – Pampanella

It’s still common to spot local vendors walking on the beach with a basket lined with fig leaves and selling pampanella, a type of cheese that is purportedly made in Puglia – the heel of the boot – since prehistoric times. The fig leaves do double duty: they fla-

vor the cheese and the enzymes contained in the sap act as coagulant. The texture of pampanella is similar to yogurt, the flavor is delicate and reminiscent of mild ricotta. On the beach it’s best enjoyed spread on bread or eaten alongside crisp taralli.

Palermo – Pane e panelle

Panelle, pancake-thin chickpea flour fritters, are a trademark of western Sicilian street food. Palermo friggitorie(shops that fry and sell several kinds of food) and street food vendors cut their panelle in irregular squares and stuff them in sesame rolls. Perfect to bring to the beach for a tasty picnic.

Rome – Pannocchia

Rome coastal frequenters are familiar with vendors selling chunks of coconut and their familiar call “cocco bello cocco fresco”, but this is somewhat of a dwindling tradition. The more popular seaside mealtime snack nowadays is the one sold for under 3 Euros at barbecues on wheels: ears of corn are grilled and seasoned with salt and lemon juice and eaten on the cob with chilled beers and smiles.

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SPIRIT OF THE MONTH

1970 1980

“D

rinking too much is bad, drinking bad stuff is worse. Drink little but well.

Drink Sambuca Molinari.” Those were the words of an iconic Italian TV ad from the 1980s, presented by beloved actor Walter Chiari. The Molinari brand was synonymous with well-to-do, knowledgeable Romans who drank responsibly. This jewel of Italian entrepreneurial knowhow was first produced in Civitavecchia in 1945. Angelo Molinari, an expert in liqueurs, blended the ingredients, starting with star anise.

The period immediately after the Second World War was difficult for Italy. The country had been destroyed by the war, but its people were stubborn, anxious to heal the wounds of those years. The Molinari family – Angelo and his two children, Marcello and Mafalda – produced Sambuca Extra in their small, almost artisanal factory. The first fourteen years laid the foundation for the liqueur’s success at home and abroad. The family did the rounds of the best-known coffee bars and restaurants of Rome.

Potential clients were convinced to taste, to understand, and above all, to promote a product that differed from the usual green anise drinks made by competitors. Star anise is the secret, with premium quality sugar, herbs and spices added. The Molinari team won over its professional customers, and glasses of the transparent liqueur began to appear on the café tables of Via Veneto, always served with a coffee bean or two floating inside. The rite of Sambuca con la mosca, the ‘fly’, took hold, soon identified with the movie stars of the day, such as Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Walter Chiari and Carlo Giuffré. In 1967, the third sibling, Antonio Molinari, joined the business, and

in 1975, Molinari Sud S. p. A. opened in Colfelice, near Frosinone. The new site is a modern, automatized factory able to produce more than 50,000 bottles per day. Today Molinari owns several other Italian beverage brands: Limoncello Capri, Distilleria Giacomo Ceschia and Vov. The second and third generation of the family manages the firm and still reminds consumers of the decades-old phrase: “Don’t say Sambuca, say Molinari.”

SAMBUCA EXTRA:

Drink it straight, use it as a base for cocktails, or serve it with a few coffee beans - “the fly” - in the classic version. Star anise is the foundation of its aromatic bouquet, but notes of lemon and licorice appear on the nose as well. Impact on the palate is sweet, with anise predominating, which then leaves room for fresh flavor and a chalky aftertaste.

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2015

SAMBUCA MOLINARI

ITALIAN CHEFS ABROAD

Stefania Annese contributed

BALZI ROSSI & EMANUELE MONGILLO Balzi Rossi is a glamorous private beach with uniquely eggshaped rocks along the Ligurian coast, a tiny seaside enclave complete with archeological site, prehistoric museum, and sheer cliffs that plunge into the blue Mediterranean. Near Ventimiglia and the French border, it has one of Italy’s best-known restaurants, Balzi Rossi, founded in 1982. Today this star has an elegant and quirky twin in another constellation, in Moscow, in Kudrinskaya.

mosca

The all-Italian restaurant team is headed by 29-year-old- Emanuele Mongillo. Originally from Puglianello, a village near Benevento, he told us, “I ‘ve lived in Moscow for three years. First I was the private chef for a wealthy Russian family traveling around Europe by boat,” he said. “Then Balzi Rossi offered me a position heading their Moscow kitchen. So here I am!”

When he was a little boy, he was fascinated by food, by the products and flavors of his home, so going to hotel school, in Castelvenere, near Benevento in Campania, was a natural choice. He showed promise as a cook. “When I was only 15 years old, I met Chef Raffaele D’Addio at his restaurant, Il Foro dei Bar18 JULY-AUGUST 2016

oni, in my home town. He communicated his passion for cooking, an understanding and respect for our local products, for our table traditions. That experience gave me the opportunity to become part of the brigades of renowned restaurants in Campania, such as Il Flauto di Pan in Ravello with chef Alberto Annarumma, Quattro Passi in Nerano with chefs Tonino Mellino and Liberato Urru, Veritas in Naples with chef Gianluca D’Agostino and Mosaico in Ischia with chef Nino Di Costanzo.”

But his thirst for knowledge and curiosity about other food universes pushed Mongillo to travel farther afield to complete his education and learn about new ingredients. “At 21 years old, I decided to look for new experiences in the United States, Australia, the Arab Emirates, Singapore and Japan.

My cooking today starts with a careful search for ingredients, and is founded on Mediterranean cucina. I add techniques and combinations that reflect my travels around the world.”

The Balzi Rossi menu includes exclusively Italian dishes such as burrata with watercress, red shrimps and tomato confit, ravioli with mushrooms and truffles, pork fillet with polenta and ends with a modern tiramisu.

The wine list is vast and also includes Asian labels. “My Russian clientele is demanding. They love Italian food, and are always open to new culinary experiences. That encourages me to find space for my own creativity.” Emanuele Mongillo concludes, “At the moment i feel like part of the Balzi Rossi project, which has two restaurants - this one in Moscow and the other in Ventimiglia. The future is wide open. Fortunately I was able to create a brigade of all-Italian cooks that I had met in previous places I worked, and they followed me here.

Thanks to their dedication and care, together we continue having fun in order to make our clients happy.”

BALZI ROSSI | Moscow | Kudrinskaya 1 | tel. +7 (495) 144-74-14 | balzi-rossi.ru 19 JULY-AUGUST 2016

WINE OF THE MONTH

CRAZY ABOUT THIS SPARKLING

20 JULY - AUGUST 2016

La Matta Dosaggio Zero ’15 Casebianche 7,000 bottles ex-cellar price: 7.5 euros (+ taxes) There are wines, often expensive ones, that end up gathering dust in the cellar. There are also wines that don’t manage to stay put for more than 48 hours.

Usually they are bottles that don’t last for more than 15 minutes on the table. That’s like our wine of the month, a spumante from fiano grapes that comes from Campania, precisely the Alto Cilento, near Torchiara in the province of Salerno. It is hardly spumante territory, but La Matta is in a class by itself, a wine that breaks the rules and is a hymn to these sunny lands. It is made by spontaneous fermentation in the bottle, without the addition of sulfur, clarifiers or filtration. Its name appropriately means ‘crazy’.

When opening it, it’s easy to accidentally splash your tablemates. There are yeasts at the bottom, so avoid placing the bottle in a horizontal position before uncorking. In Neapolitan playing cards, “La Matta” is the king of diamonds, the joker in many games, just like this spumante. It feels right all day long, and practically with every dish. The 2015 made by Pasquale Mitrano, the owner of Casebianche, is a wine that is contagiously pleasant and mature. It offers tones of peach, hay, ripe and aromatic lemon zest, Mediterranean herbs as well as fragrant tones of freshly baked bread. On the palate it is joyful, with an energetic acidic backbone and a truly unique quality that is both rustic and creamy. The first glass calls for the next one. It works well with any food, but we have one in particular in mind, La Montanara, fried pizza typical of Campania, flavored with buffalo mozzarella cut into thick slices and with grape tomatoes from Vesuvius, pomodorini del piennolo.

It’s not such a crazy idea!

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21 JULY - AUGUST 2016

DESIGN

IN&OUT Inside or out? In warmer weather, those differences fade. We want to be outdoors more, and when we’re inside, we like to feel as if we’re not. In&Out is the theme of this section dedicated to design for the home, the kitchen, for food and wine.

Les Essentiels | Opinel | Chambéry | Francia | www.opinel.com Makers of an iconic French knife since the 19th century, Opinel celebrates with a new collection, Les Essentiels, in which classic lines embrace color and produce a young, informal object of desire. Especially in green or plum tones, these perfectly designed small kitchen knives are also comfortable outdoors for paring, peeling and cutting.

Wine Rack | Esigo | Dueville (VI) | www.esigo.it Among the various models, including 5 Floor, made in collaboration with Sanpatrignano (the 35-yearold drug rehabilitation community), we especially liked the informal, versatile and eco-friendly Esigo 8. Its modular design can adjust to any space requirements, including those of a boat. That version, in plexiglass, keeps the bottles safe and at the right temperature.

22 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Labyrinth by Giulio Iacchetti | Ceramiche Refin | Casalgrande (RE) | www.refin.it

Pelota

by Marcello Ziliani | Casprini | Cavriglia (AR) | www.casprini.it Ziliani’s seating designs are made in stainless steel and intended both for outdoors and inside the home.

Different uses are reflected in different finishes, but for indoor seating, chair legs also can be in wood.

Function is combined with extremely modern design, inspired by conceptual art and by the lines of the first classic avant-garde Italian art.

The separation between indoors and out is almost invisible.

The Refin flooring designed by Iacchetti, called Labyrinth, aims to expand the idea of space. It brings indoors the atmosphere of Renaissance gardens and ancient Roman baths. The mosaic design and its Greek geometry evoke an ancient calidarium. “Designing a surface for me means trying to suggest simultaneously the concepts of both infinity and three dimensions,” comments the designer, who is inspired by the work of Dutch artist, M.C Escher.

DO AS CAMPA

PAIRING

drawings by Chiara Buosi

SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

Impepata di cozze

GRECO DI TUFO

SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

frappato

morellino

verdicchio

Insalata caprese

PAESTUM FIANO SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

frappato

morellino

verdicchio

Montanare

24 JULY-AUGUST 2016

ASPRIGNO D'AVERSA SPUMANTE

frappato

S THE ANI DO

SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

frappato

morellino

Timballo di ziti al ragù napoletano

SCHIAVA

CAMPI FLEGREI PEDIROSSO

FIANO FSOAVE

frappato

morellino

verdicchio

Polpo alla Luciana

bistecca alla fiorentina

COSTA AMALFI ROSATO

Pastiera napoletana

25 JULY-AUGUST 2016

HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO

verdicchio

26 JULY-AUGUST 2016

EXPORT

by Lorenzo Ruggeri

Export: The Prosecco Case

27 JULY-AUGUST 2016

O

EXPORT

ne month marks the watershed in the history of Italian wine and its renaissance on the world markets: March, 1986. Wine adulterated with methyl alcohol in Piedmont, in Narzole, a town in the province of Cuneo, caused the death of 23 people and permanently injured many more. It was a black period that undermined the foundation of the entire sector. According to ISTAT (the Italian National Institute for Statistics) wine and vermouth exports fell 35.8% by the end of the year.

After hitting bottom, the wine sector pulled itself together. Officials reinforced control systems. Regulations for denominations became more stringent. Vineyard yield fell dramatically. The bond between wine and its territory was reborn.

In the same year, 1986, in Bra, in Piedmont, the Slow Food association was founded. Twelve months later its first wine guides appeared.

Between 1986 and 2015, exports of Italian wine grew 575% in terms of value, reaching a record figure of 5.4 billion euros. The leading force behind this achievement is Prosecco, which on its own, accounts for one fifth of the nation’s wine business. Regulated by various protected denominations of origin, it was further guaranteed in 2009 by measures aimed at defending the name on the international marketplace. Prosecco DOC, a rare case of an interregional denomination, extends over 9 provinces in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. The classic production zone takes in 15 municipalities lying between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, the hills where Prosecco originated. Bottles from here can be labeled Superiore and DOCG, like the little subzone of Asolo. The common factor is the glera grape, the indigenous variety most in demand in the country, and now a sure, fast investment with an excellent return. The av-

erage annual return on a hectare of Prosecco DOC is 19,800 euros, double what it was in 2009.

According to data furnished by the various consortiums, the last vintage year produced 445 million bottles, a number that has tripled in six years. Twenty-nine thousand hectares of vineyard are currently in production, but they are not sufficient to meet the demand.

Three thousand more hectares have been approved for the DOC over the next three years. At the root of this success is the export effect: 70% of DOC production (335 million bottles) leave the country. In the first three months of 2016, according to ISMEA statistics (Istituto di Servizi per il Mercato Agricolo Alimentare), Italian wine exports overall have increased 3% in terms of value, but Prosecco is in another league.

Its exports increased 31% in value, 33% in volume.

28 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Since 2015, Great Britain, thanks to a significant increase of 48.5%, has become the chief international market for the DOC and the third for the DOCG. Prosecco has found its place in British supermarkets from Tesco to Sainsbury’s, in restaurants, and even in pubs. The recent slide in sterling and the threat of tariffs on the horizon may slow this trend, even though Prosecco is in a price range that should suffer fewer consequences. Britain already adds an excise tax of £2.67 on each bottle of spumante. It is difficult to imagine further protectionist measures to protect local production. London is the principal hub for Europe’s wine market and hosts the key auction houses. British merchants made Bordeaux great in the 19th century, and imported Marsala in the 18th.

Although some regulations could toughen in the short run, the country’s role as a wine promoter and consumer is unlikely to change.

The United States and Germany are the other two chief markets for Prosecco. Together they absorb over 50% of Italian wine exports, confirming the solid bond between the flow of migrants and imports from the home country. Nevertheless, the Brexit effect will encourage producers to focus on new destinations. Among the countries that set new performance records for volume in 2015 is the Czech Republic (+81.95%) and France, the reign of Champagne, where Prosecco imports grew 51.88%. The Chinese, on the other hand, have shown little interest in Prosecco, and their purchases represent only .6% of exports. That market is not familiar with the world of sparkling wines and calls for a constant effort of education. Last March, the first Casa del Prosecco opened in Xi’an, the ancient capital city. New ones will soon open in other cities, and courses have been launched in Chinese universities, explained the director of the Prosecco DOC consortium, Luca Giavi.

The keys to Prosecco’s global success are many. Among them are affordability, a recognizable name, and flavor. Prosecco is appealing because it is an immediate wine, easily understood. It is fragrant, fruity, and pleasant to drink even for those who haven’t devoted years and years to sommelier courses. But behind its boom lie critical factors.

The price of grapes and bulk wine in its home territory do not reflect the quality, yields and particularities of the single productive areas.

The DOC regulations are forgiving, planting is going on in less favorable zones, and pesticides are a serious issue. With the increase in vineyards planted, the distance between houses and vines is shrinking, and complaints from residents about the use of chemical products. Only 2% of the vineyard surface is devoted to organic agriculture. Beyond the 29 JULY-AUGUST 2016

amazing export numbers, careful planning is necessary, and recently, the consortiums seem to be heading in that direction. They are predicting slower-paced growth leading to 600 million bottles in 2020. Environmental sustainability and the showcasing of territorial differences are the guidelines for the long run as outlined by Innocente Nardi, president of the Consorzio Prosecco Superiore. In 2015, foreign visitors to the Treviso province increased by 10%, according to data from L’Osservatorio Provinciale, but operators see room for growth.

Wine tourism is a crucial draw that involves hotels and quality restaurants. Each exported bottle – 278 million in 2015 – is an implicit invitation to explore its origins, and grapegrowers are in the forefront of the entire farming sector, giving new energy to the renaissance launched thirty years ago.

EXPORT

0,0

The principal routes of Prosecco DOP in 2015 Total hectoliters exported: 2,085,475

Great Britain

Others

Belgium France Austria nd a zerl t i Sw

Un Germany

ite

dS

Great Britain United States Germany Switzerland Austria France

Belgium Other countries

tat

es

35.13% 17.38% 16.73% 4.02% 2.86% 2.77% 2.47% 19.64%

Elaboration of data from Consorzio Prosecco DOC

30 JULY-AUGUST 2016

1,0

0,8

0,6

0,4

0,2

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

0,0

1,0

Prosecco doc: export effect Bottles produced million

500

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

400 300 200 100 0

2010

2011

2012 2013

2014

2015 2016 (expected)

141,762,377 180,105,074 194,460,281 241,568,487 306,687,596 355,231,691 417,000,000 (expected)

Elaboration of data from Consorzio Prosecco DOC

400: instances of forgery around the world ascertained in the last 2 years 2 hectares: the average vineyard size held by the 14,000 grapegrowers of Prosecco 2%: hectares of organic vineyards 31 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Prosecco With Soul. 10 LABELS TO LOOK FOR. Prosecco is the number one spumante in the world in terms of production, turning out over 500 million bottles: Champagne is at 350 million annually. It isn’t easy to find your way in such a multitude, and there are many brands worth ignoring. We have chosen the stand-out Prosecco labels, with a fresh eye for old traditions in a land that has always been great for wine, that breathes wine, with its schools of enology like the one in Conegliano founded at the end of the 19th century. Here’s our list of ten labels to look for, ranging from the great classics to the newcomers.

CONEGLIANO VALDOBBIADENE BRUT NATURE 2015 Silvano Follador

VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO SUPERIORE EXTRA DRY GIUSTINO B 2015

Ruggeri & C.

If there is a winery that shows respect and passion for Prosecco, without pursuing commercial success at all costs, it is clearly that of Silvano and Alberta Follador. This characterful Valdobbiadene has a timid olfactory profile that opens slowly on tones of pear and white flowers, but in the mouth, it’s another story, and probably the best in the denomination for energy, flavor and acidic backbone. The finish shows good grip and length, perfectly sustained by fizz.

Giustino B, first bottled about 21 years ago, has become a benchmark, a reference point for those who want to know and appreciate Prosecco. The last vintage year gave it intense notes of fruit with a floral presence, the real house characteristic of this wine, lending freshness and delicacy. In the mouth it is the usual elegant and flavorful spumante. Giustino B embodies the spirit of extra dry wines more than any other label.

VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO PARTICELLA 68 2015 Sorelle Bronca

CARTIZZE VIGNA LA RIVETTA BRUT 2015

This Valdobbiadene is produced solely using grapes from the vineyard lying in land registry map parcel 68, and is refermented directly from the must.

The 2015 vintage offers solid and elegant character with juicy pear notes, tones of green apples and a hint of minerally iodine that gives depth to the palate. It is a wonderfully drinkable and clean Prosecco, with a dynamic palate and excellent length.

The Grand Cru of Valdobbiadene, Cartizze, produced by Villa Sandi, is one of the benchmark labels for all Prosecco fans. In the Brut version, it displays clean aromas dominated by crisp and juicy white fruit that is perfectly complemented by floral notes. Dry and flavorful, it offers both the classic lightness of Prosecco and qualities of tension and energy.

Villa Sandi

32 JULY-AUGUST 2016

GRAVE DI STECCA BRUT 2012 Nino Franco

VALDOBBIADENE RIVE DI FARRA DI SOLIGO BRUT COL CREDAS 2015

Adami

Here is a clos in the Prosecco world, the Grave di Stecca vineyard. Its color is intense and deep for the type, and is the prelude to a top-ranking spumante, which proves that the Charmat method can produce quality sparklers. Made wholly with glera grapes grown in Valdobbiadene, it ages in the cellar for a long time, giving us today a complex nose, where more simple fruity notes meet dry flowers and Mediterranean brush. In the mouth it is dry, savory, very creamy and elegant. An aristocratic drink.

Col Credas belongs to the Rive group, the crus of the historic Prosecco zone, particularly noted for its steep terrain. Grapes from the vineyard of the same name release a fresh aromatic expression in the glass, and not only of fruit. There are floral notes and fresh vegetal tones. In the mouth it is solid and energetic with a fascinating finish.

PROSECCO NATURE RIFERENTATO IN BOTTIGLIA NATURE 2015

VALDOBBIADENE EXTRA DRY CASTÈL 2015 Merotto

Casa Coste Piane

A smashing debut for the Merotto’s new Prosecco. While all the other wineries are focusing on very dry Prosecco, Graziano turns back and launches the classic Extra Dry. Castel is a spumante of rare precision, intensely fragrant with wisteria and pears. Savory flavor perfectly fuses with bubbles, and sweetness is well calibrated. Amazing.

Loris Follador is a faithful custodian of this territory’s traditions, indelibly tied to a wine that can be simple, light and satisfying without ever becoming banal.

The best grapes in the house are destined for wine that is naturally fermented in the bottle, developing little pressure and remaining cloudy. This year the result is praiseworthy, and the wine is slightly hazy in appearance, then offers aromas of wild flowers and ripe yellow fruit. Remarkably easy to drink and wonderfully flavorful.

VALDOBBIADENE BRUT PRIOR 2015

Bortolomiol

The historic winery in Valdobbiadene bases its solid performance on a close-knit network of growers. It pays great attention to its Brut labels, with Prior at the top. On the nose, notes of apple and pear lead into an energetic palate that requires very little help from the sugars. Dry and savory finish.

PROSECCO COL FONDO 2015

Ca’ dei Zago

This is another excellent example of Prosecco Col Fondo (sur lie). This Prosecco maintains a rustic and immediate personality of great impact. The grapes come from a vineyard 400 meters above sea level, with vines that are on the average 50 years old. The soil is clayey and loamy. It is a thirst-quenching Prosecco, with its notes of citrus fruit and yeasts and more rustic tone of dried fruit. The palate is pulpy, with notes of ripe apple and a finish that is subtle but also cutting.

33 JULY-AUGUST 2016

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TRENDS

by Laura Di Pietrantonio

FROM DOPE TO SUPER-FOOD The return of hemp

After fifty years of oblivion, hemp is reappearing in the Italian countryside.

Not only as fabric and cord – today hemp is a key food, important for health and well-researched in the kitchen. Let’s hear from the growers, transformers and chefs.

35 JULY-AUGUST 2016

TRENDS

A

hundred years have passed, and few people remember that between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Italy was the secondranking country in the world, after Russia, in hemp production. Prohibition laws in the United States and the acquiescence of the Italian government made the plant illegal, banishing instantly centuries of history and peasant culture. “The first agricultural census of the Italian republic in 1861 revealed a substantial amount of hemp. The stalks were harvested and put to soak in water.

In this way, the material softened and the fiber could be extracted mechanically, to be processed,” explained Rodolfo Santilocchi, professor of agronomy and grass cultivation at the Università Politecnica in the Marche region. The extracted fiber was turned into rope, fabric, paper, building materials and even into an entire automobile: the Hemp Body Car by Henry Ford (1941) was made and operated entirely with soybean and hemp.

Today, the most desirable part of canapa is the seed. “It is not really a rediscovery,” commented Santilocchi, “but a true discovery. Never before 2000 did anyone in Italy think about eating hemp seeds.

However, they are a healthy and complete food.” Indigenous Italian hemp (the most common cultivar is Carmagnola), is mostly a fiberproducing variety. It can grow to 8 meters and harvesting the seed is difficult. “Today, the hemp grown in Italy is mostly Futura 75. It is more suitable for hand-harvesting the seed. But we are experimenting with an Italian variety that could achieve the same scope,” said Marco Cartechini, a young grower and miller from Marche, one of the first to launch this new adventure.

“When I came back from Biofach

Lucanapa

in 2005, I was amazed at what they did with hemp in Canada. So, a little bit jokingly, I spoke to my two friends, Mattia Guarnera (owner of Birrificio Guarnera in Jesi) and Antonio Trionfi Honorati (owner of a farm of the same name in the hills near Jesi). We decided to try something together.” In his mill in Montecassiano, specialized in the mechanical extraction of oily seeds, Marco produces an excellent hemp oil, Made in Natura.

His mill also turns out flours from hemp, linseed and sesame which lend themselves to creativity in many kitchens.

“Spin me, don’t smoke me” is the title of a cultural project led by Antonio Trionfi Honorati. “We intend to recreate the hemp process in the Vallesina. Until the mid1960s, it was one of the traditional crops. Hemp is 100% ethical. It is a seasonal product and it gives us 36 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Identity

card

Hemp is an annual plant belonging to the Cannabinacee family. It grows well in fertile alluvial plains, so was traditionally grown in the best valley floors. Nevertheless, it adapts to many soils, up to 15oo meters above sea level.

It was a very common crop all over Italy and around the world. According to the climate, it is planted between the end of March and the end of April. Hemp grown in Italy has to have a THC level (active ingredient: delta-9-tetraidrocannabinolo) less than .2%, and it is commonly known as canapa sativa or industrial hemp. There is, as a matter of fact, no true distinction between hemp, cannabis and marijuana. They are the same plant, but with different concentrations of THC.

The crop Benefits in

the fields and the body

Hemp is an excellent resource for sustainable, modern agriculture. It is not intensive and adapts well to crop rotation. “After hemp, you can grow wheat or corn the year after because the terrain is left clean. Since certain crops disappeared (sugar beets, for example), there are few species that permit rational rotation,” explained professor Rodolfo Santilocchi. Hemp offers an efficacious way to maintain the fertility of the soil.

It doesn’t require harmful and expensive pesticide. It is a great resource for bio-building and for fabrics. The study of systems of mechanical fiber extraction is underway.

But hemp seed is also one of the most useful oil-producers in term of nutrition. It often has a role as a food supplement thanks to its high essential fatty acid content, particularly Omega 3 and 6, substances which are rarely present in the right proportions in other vegetable oils.

Moreover, it is rich in vitamins A, B and D, essential for fighting oxidation stress and free radicals. Consumption of hemp seeds and their oil extracts (obtained mechanically rather than with chemical solvents) helps raise immune system defenses, reduce cholesterol, fight diabetes, and combat vascular disease. It is useful in treating psoriasis and depression.

Welcome to the new super-food.

Assocanapa. A dress by stylist Gianpiero Capitani

oil, flour, and fiber for many different uses. It doesn’t need anything, it doesn’t ask for anything, and in return it covers, warms and feeds us.” In the agriturismo, Al Casino del Marchese, in Jesi, hemp seeds are always on the menu. They are used in one of the dairy’s excellent cheeses and featured in a line of completely natural cosmetics.

Mattia Guarnera has a completely different approach. His brewery produces beer that is made at least 51% from material grown completely on his farm. He uses dried hemp flowers instead of hops. The results are Belgian-style beers with a completely personal taste, dominated by a bitter and herbaceous flavor that is rarely found elsewhere.

Moving on from Marche to Lazio, we find the story of Felice Arletti, the director of Agriristoro Il Calice e la Stella in Canepina

(Viterbo). His was the first place in Italy to offer a tasting menu based on hemp, beginning in 2004 (see Gambero Rosso from April, 2016 – Italian version). “Ours is an agricultural project. We want to bring agriculture and the traditions of our land to the table. We can’t ignore a product like hemp that actually gave its name to our town, Canepina, from canapa, the Italian word. Here, bridegrooms also received household linens when they married, and they were always made of woven hemp. Mine are made from the hemp grown on my grandmother’s farm.” In his restaurant you can taste the original fieno di Canepina, an historic pasta dish made with hemp flour, back in production in the local pasta factory, Fanelli. “This was the only fresh pasta in 1600, and it was the only one using eggs. That was the sign of wealth in a town that

Honey by Anto

TRENDS

Hemp fiber. A moment during the Festa della Canapa, organized by Azienda Agraria Trionfi Honorati in Jesi

was the center of hemp trade.”

The pasta is finer than tagliolini.

It was traditionally boiled in water and then dried on a hemp cloth so that it would absorb all the sauce it was served with. “Today we serve hemp pasta with a basil and nettle pesto or with a white ragout of rabbit and hazelnuts from the Cimini hills. There are 400 years of history in a single dish.”

Two Ligurian gelaterie, Perlecò in Alassio and U Magu in Pietra Ligure, make hemp gelato: Fior di Cannabis is made with hemp flowers. It has a pleasant, aromatic flavor and maintains the nutritional virtues of the plant. The use of hemp seeds in the kitchen is widespread. Once decorticated, they are ideal for enriching soups.

Toasted or plain they can be added to yogurt or used for breading.

Hemp flour is starch and glutenfree, rich in anti-oxidants, a perfect health food. It can be used raw as

a spice, or in bread-making, combined with other flour. The flavor is grassy, slightly bitter, lightly balsamic, and not easy to pair with other sensations. But chefs all over Italy are working to find ways to bring this ethical, healthy and tasty product to the public. “Agriculture, health, cooking and new opportunities for work come together in the rediscovery of hemp-growing,” proclaimed Giovanni Bernadini, president of Copagri in the Marche. “They are basic synergies for relaunching the agricultural sector. Reviving rural and culinary traditions and making something new of them is the best stimulus for our nation’s economic recovery. It’s a sign when a centuries-old product has new success thanks to the interest and passion of the young, a group that never knew about it before. The young are our future, and hemp can have a future in agriculture.”

38 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Icecream from Perlecò in Alassio

onio

Trionfi Honorati

Fior di canapa produced by Felice Arletti and Salvo Cravero at Canepina

restaurants & shops Il Casino del Marchese | Jesi (AN) | via Piandelmedico, 101 | tel. 393 9073412 | www.trionfihonorati.it Agriristoro Il Calice e la Stella | Canepina (VT) | p.zza Garibaldi, 9 | tel. 328 9024 761 | www.selvacimina.it Il Convito di Curina | Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI) | loc. Curina s.da p.le 62 | tel. 0577 355 630 | www.villacurinaresort.com Ristorante Il Buontempone | Macerata | p.zza U. Pizzarello, 17 | tel. 0733 231 343 Gelateria Perlecò | Alassio (SV) | via Torino, 46 Gelateria U Magu | Pietra Ligure (SV) | p.zza Castellino, 3 | tel. 019 624 151 Oleificio Cartechini | Montecassiano (MC) | via Collina, 13 | tel. 0733 290 940 | www.oleificiocartechini.com Bottega della Canapa | www.bottegadellacanapa.com Cesena | via Cervese, 1303 | tel.0547 384886 Bologna | via Marsala, 31 | tel. 051 4121290 Ferrara | via Garibaldi, 125 | tel. 0532 243462 Faenza (RA)| c.so Garibaldi, 18 | tel. 0546 061679

info Lucanapa | Potenza | via L. Braille, 18 | tel. 0971 54390 | www.lucanapa.com

39 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Some products by Azienda Agraria Trionfi Honorati and by Lucanapa

GREAT VERTICAL TASTINGS

by Eleonora Guerini photography by Sandro Michahelles

In this village, where history and nature move at their own pace, Chianti expresses all the charm and power of its territory.

Sangiovese finds an elegant identity in continuity and tradition.

The Ruspoli family, on this estate since the early 20th century, look after their corner of paradise between Siena and Florence with passion and pride.

40 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Tenuta di Lilliano

Paradise in Chianti Classico 41 JULY-AUGUST 2016

GREAT VERTICAL TASTINGS

H

alfway between Castellina in Chianti and Monteriggioni, between Florence and Siena, the village of Lilliano has been a border town for centuries. Fought over by the two important republics of their day, the Florentine and the Sienese, between the 12th and the 13th century, because of its strategic position, Lilliano is still magnetic. The Strada Santa Cristina a Ligliano, which crosses the village and bor-

ders the beautiful estate owned by the Ruspoli family since the 1920s, seems to want to remind us that the flow of people, armies, olive oil and wine is part of the history of this town. Lilliano has always been open, welcoming, magnetic and luminous. A beautiful tree-lined avenue leads off the provincial road and, after a few hundred meters, enters a modified space-time dimension, which the Pieve di Santa Cristina with its

sober mien best defines. “This village was heavily contested. It was destroyed and rebuilt again and again. Florence and Siena fought over its strategic location. Its appearance today is 19th century, but the medieval footprint is still strong. You can see it best looking at the arrangement of the buildings, at their cellars and the town walls.” The property passed from hand to hand until it was inherited by present owners Giulio and

Vigneto Rondò, Rose, Querce and Noce

42 JULY-AUGUST 2016

CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA has tension and drinkability, is aromatically elegant and displays a great, fragrant and coherent finish.

2011 | 88

A warm year with little rain meant a healthy, ripe grape at harvest, translated into wine with intense color and an expressive nose: precise notes of dark berries, dried leaves, spices. The palate is mouthfilling and intense, round, flavorful and rich in alcohol, with precise, amalgamated tannin and contained acidity that works in the background to nonchalantly sustain so much substance. A Mediterranean finish, with great sensations of medicinal herbs.

2003 | 85

The limits of this torrid vintage year are evident in this wine, more appealing to the nose than to the palate. The sensations of ripe fruit, blackberries and blueberries, intersect with those of fruit in syrup – plums and yellow peaches – but still bring in fresh hints of bay leaf. The palate is enjoyable but lacks length because of an assertive tannin that suddenly closes off the finish.

2010 | 92

This famously cool vintage year delivered a more subtly shaded wine, intriguingly chiaroscuro. On the nose, black fruit is accompanied by wonderfully ripe strawberry, followed by sensations of lavender and bay leaf, dried leaves, pepper and vaguely balsamic sensations. Although this is a wine of structure and substance, it has more acidity than the previous one, which gives it tension and length. A truly fascinating finish, with notes of forest floor and humus.

1998 | 93

2008 | 89

1971 | 88

A wonderfully surprising version in which the evolved aspects have character and charm. The nose alternates more evolved notes such as black fruit jam, dried leaves, pipe tobacco and tamarind with fresher and lighter notes of rosemary and flowers. The palate is progressive, steadily taut, with appealing notes of spices and of rosemary, which returns vividly on the finish.

A fairly warm but rainy vintage year gave us fresh and light-hearted wines. Along with the typical black-fruit notes of mulberry and black currant come greener sensations of freshly cut grass, of bay leaf and sage. The palate notes the good acidity in the background and a certain tannic rigidity, leading up to a broad and satisfying finish.

The nose shows clearly evolved notes which include damp earth, dried leaves, hints of amaretto and wonderful sensations of saffron. The palate, although it is in equilibrium between sweetness and acidity, is penalized on the close by excessively drying tannin.

Nevertheless, fascinating.

2007 | 86

A superb wine with a nose that’s extraordinary for its elegance and completeness: autumnal sensations of forest floor, mushrooms, berries, orange zest, bay leaf and saffron, a delicate sensation of toast that suggests chestnut wood. The palate is fresh and sweet at the same time; tannin is sustained but soft.

1964 | 91

The nose faithfully reflects the warm year with tones of plum jam, hay and pipe tobacco. The sensation of ripe fruit comes back in the mouth, accompanied by a general roundness and a certain degree of alcohol. Tannin is a trifle dry and a bit rigid on the finish.

2005 | 86

1958 | 90

A cool and rainy year delivered a wine that was a little tired, but still fascinating. The nose suggests ripe fruit, a little jammy, forest floor, cigar box, bay leaf and cloves. The palate is a little tight and closes suddenly, but the finish picks up immediately on a tannin that still has a lot to say.

A decadent, yet at the same time reactive nose that after initial reduction notes provides sensations of alcohol-preserved cherries, pencil lead, goudron and wet asphalt. The palate shows tension and the finish holds lengthily with a clean close that hints at dried orange zest.

2004 | 88

Antonio Boco, Eleonora Guerini and Franco Pallini participated in the tasting

This vintage year is defined by an unusual nose, with sensations of rock and iron, of tar, black fruit and balsamic notes. The palate 43 JULY-AUGUST 2016

GREAT VERTICAL TASTINGS

Pietro Ruspoli. “In the 1920s, the estate was bought by our greatgrandmother’s family. It took another generation before wine was bottled, though. In 1958, Eleonora Ruspoli Berlingieri, a modern and forward-looking woman, independent and strong-willed, decided on a complete change of direction. She aimed for quality that had never been even considered before.” Alessandro Ruspoli, Giulio’s grandson, took us

around the estate. He explained that enologist Giulio Gambelli was called in, and he gave a classic and territory-inspired style to the wine, which lasted until the 1990s and a move towards modernization. “Since 2003, Lorenzo Landi has been our consulting enologist. He worked with Giulio at the start and eventually took over. It was a gradual transfer of marvelous continuity, as the wines themselves show us. Lorenzo is a 44 JULY-AUGUST 2016

great professional, and above all, he respects the estate. We wanted to maintain a certain character in our wines, that is, the character of Chianti Classico, closer to Siena than to Florence, that gives wines of structure and determination.�

Still today, the Riserva is vinified in vitrified cement tanks. Aging takes place in large casks, ranging in size from 28 to 34 hectoliters.

Over the years, the Riserva blend has changed. Through the 1970s,

45 JULY-AUGUST 2016

malvasia and trebbiano were added to sangiovese, then canaiolo and colorino grapes until 2009, when merlot replaced canaiolo until the next harvest, when sangiovese was vinified on its own. “The improvement of the raw material in our vineyards, largely due to better genetic and agronomic quality, to the age of the vineyards, and certainly to our increased competence, showed us that complementary varieties are

GREAT VERTICAL TASTINGS

no longer necessary for us. The grapes that go into the Riserva always come from the same vineyards, the ones that have shown, over the years, that they produce grapes well-suited to aging.” Agronomist Stefano Porcinai confirmed, “There are three vineyards, each with different characteristics. Casina Sopra Strada has excellent western exposure and is in the higher part of the estate vineyards, at 300

meters, on a very breezy hill. The soil is markedly skeletal and has little clay. It was planted in 2007.

Rondò has deeper soil, with an important clay component that gives more concentrated and structured grapes. It’s from 2004. Le Rose is from 2001, and it is something between the other two. All the vines are spurred-cordon trained. In the future, the grapes from Le Piagge will be used in the Riserva blend.

Giulio Ruspoli

46 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Tenuta di Lilliano | Castellina in Chianti (SI) | www.lilliano.com

That is a recently replanted vineyard, between 230 and 330 meters above sea level, on alberese and clayey marl soil, with a great limestone presence.�

The vertical tasting demonstrated the stylistic continuity of Lilliano wines. A sizable gap in the period

47 JULY-AUGUST 2016

from the early 1970s to the end of the 90s removes the possibility of an overall view, but the wonderful performance of the old vintages leaves no doubt as to the quality of the missing bottles. Blessed are the collectors who discover them in their cellars‌.

TRAVEL

by Lorenzo Ruggeri

EICHENSTEIN: a room with a view A LITTLE HISTORY Once it was a tavern with a room or two. In 1496, Oberwirt opened its doors: 520 years of business, hospitality, serving meals. Its typical Alto Adige decor in walnut and pine has been a constant. The furnishings have changed, the rooms have more luxuries, a swimming pool and message center have appeared, and the food offerings have broadened, but the place has held onto its authentic flavor.

Owner Josef Franz Waldner, known as Sepp to everyone, is a native of Alto Adige, and the keeper of a tradition of hospitality with few rivals in Europe. He has four great passions: roses, horses, hunting and wine. His rose garden boasts over 1,500 plants and he produces typical Alto Adige clothing as well as raising Haflinger horses. His two daughters, Barbara and Andrea, are at his side, helping to run what has become a complicated organizational operation.

Meals are elegant and sophisticated, 50 JULY-AUGUST 2016

prepared with top-quality ingredients, and include both traditional dishes and creative ones. The wine list is exhaustive and also presents, of course, the house wines, produced here for centuries for home use. A new wine-growing project, however, began with the arrival of a unique person, Rainer Zierock, a brilliant and unpredictable professor of viticulture. Many stories are told about him, but he was an authentic herald of the natural approach to wine. “One evening, I left him

the keys to the wine cellar. When I returned, I found an unthinkable number of truly great bottles open, all of which had been freely poured for the restaurant’s clients.

That’s the type he was,” Sepp told us. In 2002, the vineyards were replanted and in 2005, the first white was produced - Gloria Dei, a blend of sauvignon and riesling. Many wines are dedicated to various varieties of roses, such as Baccara, a blend of cabernet and merlot.

EICHENSTEIN

Besides the hectares of the vineyard Widum in Marlengo, there are the grapes of the Eichenstein vineyard in Montefranco, a unique oasis a little outside Merano. A single body of vineyards, about four hectares, has been coaxed out of the woods and clings to the mountain. In the center of the vineyards is a splendid chalet with a view over the entire amphitheater of Merano and the mountains surrounding it.

The wine cellar, recently completed, offers tasting rooms with memorable views. It is a magical place, inspiring, with deer and mountain goats among its frequent visitors.

The altitude is 550 meters and the chalet seems made for a love tryst. It would be hard to imagine

51 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Josef Franz Waldner

anything more romantic. But let’s go back to wine. The enology consultant is the young and talented Marius Deutsch, who worked first in Austria, in Krems, at the Nikolaiof winery, and then at Manincor (award for sustainable viticulture in the Vini d’Italia 2016 guide). He has the task of interpreting this brutally rocky terrain, its soil mainly porphyry and granite. All the vineyards have southern exposures, since up here in northernmost Italy, the grapes must gather in the maximum sunlight in order to ripen perfectly.

“We are studying the fermentation of both whites and reds in large barrels. The first vinifications are giving us good results,” he told us.

Present production is about 20,000 bottles annually, but the potential for 35,000 exists. There’s no hurry.

Sepp wants to do things properly.

Among the varieties planted here at Eichenstein, pinot bianco has the hardest time, while sauvignon and riesling seem to express the terrain and the surrounding microclimate well. In many wines we find an unusual tone of wild herbs and nettles, wines with a distinctive voice.

THE TASTING SAUVIGNON 2015

RIESLING 2015

CHARDONNAY RISERVA EICHENSTEIN 2013

This is the wine that struck us most forcefully during out tastings. The varietal note is elegant and gentle, with tones of white melon, anise, nettles and grapefruit. The palate is creamy, natural and measured in its development, with a subtle but very long aromatic crescendo.

Good acidic support and a long, lightly smoky finish. A noteworthy debut calls for attention to the next releases. This is the first year of production.

Spontaneous fermentation in large wooden barrels. A nose of great aromatic intensity displaying floral tones, chamomile, peach, hazelnut. Energetic palate with a hint of stone and a lovely smoky finish on tones of coffee. The lively, generous finish is striking, with amazing aromatic evolution. It still needs a few months of bottle-aging.

This wine offers a change of pace when compared to the other chardonnay reserves tasted. Notes of anise and nettles are the prelude to a stony, incisive palate, aromatic, with noteworthy fruitiness and acidic structure. A finish that is full of character, slight salty and very refreshing.

To reserve the chalet: www.oberwirt.com

52 JULY-AUGUST 2016

An essential book for all who love Italian wine More than 60 experts spent months doing blind tastings in every region of Italy

2400 producers 22000 wines 421 Tre Bicchieri 80 Tre Bicchieri verdi

www.gamberorosso.it

TRAVEL

by Marco Castaldi

Anzio The People’s Fish gets Respect

54 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Tourists and gastronomes have always loved Anzio’s seafood.

Its straightforward flavors are inspired by Roman food traditions, expressed in local fish, especially low-cost oily ones, or pesce povero, the people’s fish, caught by small boats between Anzio and Nettuno.

Today, revisited, lightened, and above all, more attentive to wine, the food on this part of Lazio’s coast has made it a gourmet destination.

55 JULY-AUGUST 2016

TRAVEL

“T

hey get their tans in San Felice Circeo, Sabaudia and Sperlonga, but they dine in Anzio,” was the opening of an article about Anzio published in a 1997 issue of Gambero Rosso. But today, ‘they’ are tanning in Anzio too, because the trendiest beach establishments, Tirrenino and Oasi di Ponente in the center, Rivazzurra and L’Atollo on the outskirts, have up-graded dramatically. Although they can’t compare with those in the most famous Italian resorts, Anzio’s seaside clubs do ensure a pleasant day: 56 JULY-AUGUST 2016

good music, simple but fine quality food, well-made drinks and interesting, varied nibbles at aperitivo hour.

After dinner, no one needs to drive to nearby Nettuno anymore. Good cocktails are served at such places as Bodeguita, Beach Cocktail Bar and Zerotredici. Stampeggioni and Malaga are unrivaled coffee bars, the first for its pastry, and the second for its varied and creative food.

Gelaterie have multiplied, although none can touch the rightly popular Conforti, which serves a limited number of delicious flavors based on seasonality and top-flight ingredients.

Alceste al buon gusto: spaghetti with tuna and olives

But despite all this polishing and shining up of Anzio’s facilities, the authentic character of this piece of the Roman coast is unharmed.

The clarity and unfussy nature of its cucina, depending on small local fishermen and farms, has survived.

Already at the end of the 19th century, the Baedeker guide mentioned the Turcotto trattoria in Anzio, helping to launch the reputation for local eateries the town still enjoys. That trattoria, now a restaurant, is 200 years old, and still owned by the Garzia family.

Until the 1970s, Anzio was the culinary magnet for Rome’s politi-

cians, businessmen and celebrities, but also for European aristocrats in general, thanks to its traditional seaside cucina expressed in such dishes as zuppa di pesce (fish soup), anchovy casserole and skate broth. “But the wines hardly mattered,” Franco Del Gatto observed. He and his wife Simonetta own Enoteca Del Gatto, one of the most distinguished wine bars in Italy. “There was white and red, at most four labels: Verdicchio Fazi Battaglia, Pinot Grigio Santa Margherita, Corvo di Salaparuta and Fontana Candida». At the beginning of 57 JULY-AUGUST 2016

TRAVEL

the 1970s, Franco decided to shift gear in the osteria that the family had owned since 1936. “I was 14 and I had a head full of ideas. I didn’t want to be an innkeeper. I began to travel around to wineries and meet producers like Barone Ricasoli and Josko Gravner. I was so young that they were especially kind to me. Priscilla Regolanti, whose father owned Alceste al Buon Gusto, and Roberto Giomo, who had just opened the restaurant All’Antica Darsena, followed my example. Both of them became passionate about wine and were the first ones in Anzio to develop a real wine list – in the 1980s.” As interest and enthusiasm grew, Sandro Catarinozzi, in his restaurant Da Pierino, focused attention on premium ingredients and lightness. “Sandro was the absolute top for over 15 years,” Del Gatto explained. “The best local fish went to him. The wine list was marvelous, offering the most appealing Italian and French labels, and his rum and whisky could satisfy any aficionado.”

Walter Regolanti entered the scene, and fortified by family tradition and a solid background, vitality and boundless energy, he became a professional sommelier in 1993. After interning with great chefs such as Alain Ducasse and Moreno Cedroni, he pushed and pulled his family restaurant into unmatched standards of quality. Walter’s father, Romolo, had introduced cucina based on crustaceans, raw fish, and on varied antipasti offerings based on pesce povero: common Pandora, spotted weaver, mackerel, striped seabream. “The idea came to me when I was working in the kitchen at Alceste with my mother. She was against it right away. I told her not to come anymore, if she didn’t like the idea.” That’s how

Strawberries are one of the products grown inland, near Anzio, in partially open greenhouses.

Bar Malaga. Stefano, Sara, Giorgia and Manuela Dell’Aguzzo

58 JULY-AUGUST 2016

Villa Adele

From Nero to the Allied Landing Celebrity villas and History Anzio was a favorite with the aristocracy of ancient Rome, and emperors Caligula and Nero were born here. Nero chose it as his summer residence and built the majestic Villa Imperiale and the city’s first port. A project to protect and restore the ruins of these great architectural works of the first century A.D was launched in 1998, and much individual art is inside the archeological museum, Villa Adele. The Villa itself, owned by the town, is part of a complex of noble residences from the 18th century which includes Villa Albani and Villa Corsini-Sarsina. The latter two are occupied by town offices, including the mayor’s. The present-day port was built by Pope Innocent XII, who, after being forced by a storm to land on the Anzio coast, ordered the construction of a safe harbor.

Anzio is also known around the world because on January 22, 1944, Allied troops landed here. They were headed for Rome and the expulsion of the occupying German troops. In memory of that event, there are monuments in Piazza Garibaldi and The Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in nearby Nettuno. Villa Adele houses the Anzio Beachhead Museum with a small, well-curated collection of objects related to the amphibious landing.

Daria and Cesare Del Gatto

59 JULY-AUGUST 2016

TRAVEL

Romolo summarized the generational shift. Salvatore Spina, from three generations of fishermen, said, “Only fishermen ate silver scabbardfish. No one bought it.

Romolo was the first to put it on a restaurant menu. He showed the world that it’s not the type of fish that matters, but how you prepare it.” That’s how the modern identity of Anzio’s restaurants started, and it is still one of the most attractive elements on this coastline close to Rome.

“Today, it’s not only the vacationing rich who eat out. Families take a day trip to the seaside, and they want to eat well too,” Walter Regolanti observed. So, alongside the historic places that are still 60 JULY-AUGUST 2016

90% frequented by tourists, are a whole host of smaller places. The wisest among these new restaurateurs have opted for high-quality, fresh fish, offering less prestigious products that allow them to offer complete meals for 40/50 euros or less.

Some places do offer tourist menus that feature quantity rather than quality. “The fish being auctioned isn’t enough for everyone, so smaller restaurants go to Rome’s wholesale fish markets, where the product that hasn’t been sold along the coast ends up,” Salvatore Spina explained.

“Or fish that comes from small boats. Their numbers have quadrupled over the years, so the co-

restaurants|anzio Al Turcotto | riviera Mallozzi, 44 | tel. 06 9846340 | www.ristoranteturcotto.it Romolo al Porto | via Porto Innocenziano, 19 | tel. 06 9844079 | www.romoloalporto.it Alceste al Buon Gusto | p.le Sant’Antonio, 6 | tel. 06 9846744 Pierino | p.zza C. Battisti, 3 | tel. 06 9845683 Enoteca Del Gatto | via G. Mazzini, 2 (ang. via XX Settembre) | tel. 06 9846269 | www.enotecadelgattoanzio.com

restaurants on the coast Il Tino | Fiumicino | via Monte Cadria, 127 | tel. 06 5622778 | www.ristoranteiltino.com

Osteria dell’Orologio | Fiumicino | via Torre Clementina, 114 | tel. 06 6505251 | www.osteriadellorologio.net

Rivazzurra | via Ardeatina, 9 | Pascucci al Porticciolo | tel. 06 98342100 Fiumicino | v.le Traiano, 85 (ingresso via Fiumara, 2)| Atollo | Anzio | fraz. Lavinio | tel. 06 65029204 | Lungomare Enea | tel. 06 9821101 www.pascuccialporticciolo.com Satricum | Latina | s.da prov.le Cisterna-Nettuno km 13,7 | tel. 0773 1762252 | www.satricvm.com Vistamare dell’Hotel Fogliano | Latina | p.le G. Loffredo via Lungomare, 15 | tel. 0773 273418 | www.ilfoglianohotel.it Essenza | Pontinia (LT) | via G. Leopardi, 13 | tel. 0773 848935 | www.essenzaristorante.com Claudio Petrolo | Gaeta (LT) | p.zza Conca, 20 | tel. 0771 65129 | www.claudiopetrolo.com

beach clubs Tirrenino | Nettuno | via Egidi, 1

operatives are having problems.

First we looked after the sea, and we knew where to go, according to the season, alternating zones and giving species a chance to reproduce. Today we have to go to the same places all the time, because the others are off-limits.”

What is still missing along the Roman coast, that is from Fiumicino to Gaeta, is a pizzeria with a capital P. There’s a real need for those, in addition to the restaurants, besides those in Anzio, such as Tino in Ostia, l’Osteria dell’Orologio and Pascucci al Porticciolo in Fiumicino, Satricum, Vistamare, Essenza and Claudio Petrolo in the Latina zone.

Oasi di Ponente | Anzio | p.le Sant’Antonio, 1 | tel. 06 9844892

cocktails and coffee bars Bodeguita | Anzio | Riviera Mallozzi, 7 | tel. 328 851 0292

beach cocktail bars Zero13 | Anzio | via G. Garibaldi Stampeggioni | Anzio | via Nettunense, 219a | tel. 06 9874585 Malaga | Anzio | riviera Zanardelli, 71 | tel. 06 9846131 Il gelato di Conforti | Anzio | p.zza G. Polli, 4 | tel. 3384670929 | www.ilgelatodiconforti.com

LETTER

HOW PRICE CREATES IMAGE Does price create image? Certainly yes, at least for premium wines.

Neurology studies advise against competitive pricing for luxury goods, at least according to the results of an experiment carried out at CalTech (California Institute of Technology) on the brains of wine consumers. The cerebral activity of a panel of subjects was visualized by means of MRIs. They were offered two identical wines, and told, falsely, that one cost more than the other.

The tasters didn’t have to say which they liked better or judge their quality, just taste them. The MRI registered their brain activity and printed out their responses. The wine that was said to be more expensive aroused more interest, affecting their judgment, or rather, the tasters’ perception of pleasure. The words “more expensive” stimulated their brains and activated their experience of pleasure more. This research confirms a study done years ago at the University of Bordeaux where so-called experts were

asked to describe the characteristics of wines that were of different types and colors. The experts’ descriptions were similar, based on trite phrases and not on objective experience.

Lovers of aromas and flavors that are often non-existent in wine were dismayed.

We have known for a long time that consumer psychology is complex. It’s not news that the quality/price relationship is becoming more important for ordinary wines whereas until a few years ago, it was a typical factor only for top-range wines. But the research in California provides a good argument for those who have affirmed for years that “price creates image.” That means that a wine that costs less, although of equal quality, is often perceived as inferior.

Giuseppe Martelli President – Comitato Nazionale Vini Dop e Igp

62 JULY-AUGUST 2016

GAMBERO ROSSO www.gamberorosso.it

SENIOR EDITOR Lorenzo Ruggeri

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LAYOUT Chiara Buosi, Maria Victoria Santiago

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