Gambero Rosso Wine Travel Food - September 2016 by Gambero Rosso

www.gamberorosso.it YEAR 21 N. 99 - SEPTEMBER 2016

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

To the 53 new members...

Welcome to the trebicchieri

Wine Club

• FIRST TIME TRE BICCHIERI WINNERS • ETNA. RETURN TO THE FUTURE • LAS VEGAS FOR FOODIES

a tavola

26 24

WINE 26 | First Time Tre Bicchieri Winners This is the thirtieth edition of the Vini d’Italia guide. Once again we have tried to put together a complete photograph of the multi-faceted Italian wine panorama. As usual, the most important honor is the Tre Bicchieri ranking, the award that has become a true certificate of quality for our wines, both in Italy and abroad. 48 | Etna. Return to the future Timing is everything. The pace is slow, like nature’s rhythm, like that of agriculture, of the vines. Time and rhythm, like the smoke that fills every breath, is measured by the volcano. ’A Montagna, it’s called around here.

september 2016 2 SEPTEMBER 2016

«No, if anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am not drinking any fucking Merlot!» Paul Giamatti Sideways (2004) 54

TRAVEL

NEWS & MORE

30 | Las Vegas for foodies. Fewer slot machines, more great chefs It was (and still is!) the mecca of gamblers and casino buffs, an invented city in the middle of the desert, a phantasmagoria of neon and colors, shapes and sounds. But today, Las Vegas aims to be a gourmet magnet. A new food culture imbues the city with an atmosphere more congenial to humans and nature.

40| The Nebrodi. Verdant, cool, fragrant Sicily Rising above the sea, with a view of the Aeolian Islands, the Nebrodi mountains are a verdant, cool corner of Sicily where nature offers spectacular herbs, aromas and flavors.

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EDITORIAL

RETHINKING GREAT WINES tentions of producers who are offering more selections and labor aimed at raising the denomination bar. Aspects that were considered weak points – pale colors, vibrant acidity - a few years ago are now seen as strong elements, a change in attitude in line with the evolution of consumption. Contemporary taste is shifting more towards the agile, energetic, lively, fruity wines that are sold by the glass in wine bars around the world – food-friendly wines. It’s a trend that puts the concept of a great wine under discussion. There are many reserve labels that, in our blind tastings, received decidedly lower scores than their respective base labels. Many great wines of the 1990s are gathering dust in restaurant cellars. They were considered great 20 years ago, but today? My generation of thirty-year-olds is leading a change of direction, approaching the world of wine with fewer certainties and dogmas. We are turning the hierarchy of great and lesser wines upside down. What’s emerging is a fascinating picture of Italian wine, still only partly explored.

The thirtieth edition of Vini d’Italia is at the printer’s. Foreign translators are laboring to deal with our tasting notes in their languages, and again this year we will have English, German, Chinese and Japanese editions. The first Vini d’Italia 2017 event is programmed for Rome on October 29. Then we leave for a long trip around the world that will take us to over 30 cities, where we will tell you about this year’s labels and have you taste our selections. In this issue, we’re bringing you the wineries that won Tre Bicchieri awards for the first time – 53 in all. Our cover is dedicated to these winemakers. The picture that comes out of the Guide is that of an Italy of wines that notably emphasize the country’s wide range of excellence. They are more articulated than ever, and less centered on a Piedmont and Tuscany duality. Ten years ago, if we had chosen a Bonarda Vivace dell’Oltrepò Pavese for a Tre Bicchieri award, we would have had to duck the flying stones. But that’s not the only example. Wines that attained Tre Bicchieri for the first time came from denominations like Piedirosso dei Campi Flegrei near Naples, Ciliegiolo di Narni or showed the light expressiveness of Grignolino d’Asti. Now, everyday wines for the household table are handled as carefully as the great names, a change of mentality that begins in the hearts and in-

Lorenzo Ruggeri

4 SEPTEMBER 2016

NEWS FROM AROUND WINE AND THE ECONOMY WORLD

WINE IN MEXICO? Now it’s trendy

AMERICAN MARKET SLIPS, BUT ITALY’S SHARE GROWS: 1.27 million hectoliters of wine worth 600 million euros exported to the USA in first half of 2016 The first semester of 2016 was positive for Italian wine exports to the USA, despite that market’s overall decline. According to data from the Italian Wine and Food Institute, Italy showed a slight increase in quantity (1.27 million hectoliters, +0.6% compared to the same period in 2015) exported to the USA and a more substantial increase in value (597.6 million euros, +3.9%). Italy remained in first place as America’s favorite wine country. The credit goes largely to spumante. Bubbly imports increased 19.2% in quantity and 28.3% in value. Market share for wines imported from Italy was 28.8% in quantity and 22.5% in value, showing in-

creases, in both cases, of one percentage point. Both Chile (at #2) and France (#4) performed well: during the first half of 2016, the quantity of wine they exported to the United States increased markedly over 2015. Chile exported 6.7% more, for a total of 794,000 hectoliters and France 12.5% more, for a total of 545,000 hectoliters. American imports from Australia, (#2) dropped 11.2% in quantity and 9.5% in value. Overall, United States imports of wine in the first half of this year amounted to 4.4 million hectoliters for a value of 1.78 billion euros, a decrease of 2.6% in quantity and an increase of 2.2% in value. 6 SEPTEMBER 2016

Mexicans are more interested in wine than they have been in the past. Gradually, this country, the second largest economy in Latin America and fifteenth in the world, is attracting the attention of the wine trade. Consumption has been rising for over ten years, with annual per capita consumption reaching 1.3 liters, up 3% in 2011 and 6% in 2014. In 2015, imports in terms of volume amounted to 7.5 million cases (each 9 liters), an increase of 8% compared to the year before. According to an analysis from Wine Intelligence, the causes of this slow transformation are related to increased population and lifestyle changes. Overall economic growth was steady in 2015 (+2.5%) and estimates for 2016 are at 4%, even though the peso has depreciated and oil prices have gone down. The middle class is gaining ground, owning 47% of the country’s real estate. Wine is becoming a product accessible to many, and more a part of Mexican life style. More women are working and young people are seeing their buying power rise. Urban dwellers – and not only in Mexico City – are showing a developing interest in wine, and it is now seen as trendy. Certainly, beer and mescal enjoy the largest share of the beverage market, but wine is viewed as sophisticated, and therefore, attractive. There’s good reason to have confidence in this shift since for quite a while Mexico has had several free trade agreements, giving importers room to work. The growth of domestic wine production is also increasing general interest, offerings are broadening thanks to the promotion of old and new brands, and many retail outlets show a commitment to providing information.

FROM NEW YORK TO HONG KONG, the great wine auction season The season for the great wine auctions has begun. Sotheby’s in New York, on the weekend of September 9-10, brought in almost five million dollars. A magnum decanter, a rare Louis XIII item engraved with a map of the Americas, sold for almost $135,000. Lots of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone bottles will play starring roles in the New York auction of October 19. But the Hong Kong auction on October 1 and 2 is the season’s great event: Sotheby’s has promoted it as the highest-value auction ever organized in Asia. Investors will be

able to choose among the collections of three different private wine cellars, for a value that ranges between eight and eleven million dollars. The first collection offers 99 lots of Petrus, from 1998 to 2012. The second includes as assortment of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Henri Jayer. The third, which on its own is valued at between $3.5 and $4.9 million, glances at Italy as well, with two bottles of Masseto 2009 and 2010, the former valued at between ten and fifteen thousand dollars, the latter between twelve and sixteen thousand.

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VINTAGE YEAR 2016. Italy still the world leader, aiming for a new export record Italy will maintain its world leadership in wine production in 2016, ahead of France and Spain. Provisional data from ISMEA (Istituto di servizi per il mercato agricolo alimentare) and UIV (Unione Italiana Vini) presented to Italy’s Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, show the country’s 2016 production at 48.5 million hectoliters, 2% less than in 2015. This preliminary estimate results from generally favorable weather (although some problems emerged locally) and new vineyards coming into full production, replacing obsolete ones. “Italy’s primacy in volume is not sufficient,” said Osservatorio del Vino and UIV president, Antonio Rallo. “We have to guarantee decent profits to our grapegrowers. Italy can do this by both providing new energy for exports and investing again in its domestic market, which is finally beginning to grow again.” “Italy is again the world’s top wine producer in terms of quantity,” affirmed Minister of Agriculture Maurizio Martina, “but now we have to become the leader in terms of value as well. We have a vineyard system worth 14 billion euros, with exports in 2015 reaching a record 5.4 billion euros. In the first five months of 2016 wine exports showed an upward trend.” The objective is ambitious, considering that in 2015, France exported wine for over 9 billion euros. Meanwhile, the present growth trend of exports documented between January and May (+5%) might allow Italy to beat its own 2015 record of 5.4 billion euros.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

EATALY DOWNTOWN AT WORLD TRADE CENTER OF NEW YORK OPENS ITS DOORS Eataly’s second location in New York opened its doors on August 11, 2016, inside Tower 4 of the World Trade Center, the monumental building designed by Santiago Calatrava with a view of Freedom Tower and the Memorial Plaza at Ground Zero. The numbers are impressive: $38 million invested, 5,000 square meters, 600 employees. Greeting guests at the entrance is the Earth Table, designed by Renzo Piano in memory of the victims of 9/11. Set among shelves and thematic restaurants, tables face the enormous picture windows. Among the featured cold and hot foods at the stands are piadina from the Maioli brothers, hand-cut prosciutto at Ape Piaggio and an array of authentic Italian cheeses. Offering the wide assortment of cured meats required special permission from government officials. Eataly’s four restaurants are La Pasta, La Pizza (run by a Rossopomodoro team), Pesce e Orto e Mare, and the more ambitious Osteria della Pace led by Riccardo Orfino (from LadyBù in Milano). Besides these, there’s a mozzarella bar, a corner for fresh pasta, a salad bar, pastry shop, butcher, fruit and vegetable store and a Lavazza coffee bar.

LONDON LOVES PASTA. Specialized restaurants and pasta shops multiply The Telegraph noted recently the overwhelming passion for pasta that has exploded in England’s capital. Pasta shops and specialized restaurants are opening everywhere. Savurè, a pasta-maker and trattoria from Torino, is now ready for its first venture abroad. It will soon open in Shoreditch, importing its winning formula, a pasta-making workshop busy all day: its multi-regional pasta formats include agnolotti, pici, gnocchi, tajarin, malloreddus and spaghetti alla chitarra – shapes from all over the boot. Meanwhile, Padella pasta bar has opened near Borough Market, backed by a team of English entrepreneurs in love with Italy. It serves pici with cacio e pepe, ricotta ravioli, pappardelle al ragù and improbable (to Italians) tagliatelle with

spicy spreadable pork ‘nduja and parsley. Two other 100% Italian-run places are recent arrivals. Manitoba is ready to conquer London and the just-launched Italian-owned Mercato Metropolitano at Elephant and Castle includes a pasta stand. Pasta is attractive around the rest of the country as well. Bristol has Pasta Loco, a project developed by two English partners, Ben and Dom, anxious to celebrate their Italian origins. It claims to be the first restaurant in that city dedicated to fresh pasta. After Harry (English) met Simona Di Dio (from near Benevento, in Campania), they founded the Pastificio Caruso in Canterbury, in Kent. They grow their own vegetables, produce homemade pasta and bottled tomatoes, and share their traditional Italian recipes. 8

SEPTEMBER 2016

THERESA MAY ON JUNK FOOD. The English Prime Minister backs off: we must not damage the food industry

Jamie Oliver, since the beginning of his career as a chef, has used his visibility to favor food education, exerting his influence to fight childhood abuse of junk food. Although he has always been respected by the British political class in food-related matters, within the next few weeks he will have to take on a greater challenge: new Prime Minister Theresa May has decided to bolster the food industry, announcing an evident change of direction in the drastic measures she first promised that her government would take against junk food. But Jamie Oliver never tires of defending healthy eating, even in the face of this last cold shower. The Times referred to the failure of proposals made by Health Minister Jeremy Hunt that would affect junk food. In order to preserve jobs and sustain the industry, May has rejected restrictions on junk food advertising that Oliver called for (and with him, Public Health England, the country’s health authority). He would have prevented their transmission on TV before 9 p.m. The same fate awaits a prohibition on piling up junk snacks at supermarket checkout counters.

AIRPLANE FOOD. Turkish Airlines the best according to blog Inflightfeed Over the last four years, Nik Loukas has visited 44 countries, traveling over 400,000 miles. Along the way his goal has been to review the meals on the airline he was flying. In his blog, Inflightfeed, he describes his experiences with food on board from an ordinary passenger’s point of view. He has flown over 400 flights on 65 different lines, making him an expert in the field and a veteran reviewer. Loukas doesn’t hesitate to name Turkish Airlines as his favorite. On its relatively short flights, the meals are good and the service attentive, resembling those of the Greek Aegean line, also at the top of his European list. In Asia, Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines maintain high standards, above all in first class (lobster and caviar, plus an option to order ahead). But what if we travel on low-cost lines? Once again, Loukas favors Turkey with its Pegasus Airlines and Japan’s Peach line. Among the most unusual offerings is that of Air Baltic, the Latvian airline. They permit passengers to compose their own meals choosing among 70 different courses. For Loukas, he pizza Margherita served by Scandinavian SAS was questionable, while that of Wow Air got passing grades. The lowest scores went to Air Asia, Ukraine International Airlines, Air India, and Sri Lanka Airlines. The only review of an Italian flight dates back to 2014, of small Air Dolomiti, which received an enthusiastic score of 9.5 for its menu of local specialties. 9 NOVEMBER 2015

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

FRANCE: THE FIGHT AGAINST OBESITY AND NEW TAXES ON JUNK FOOD It’s official: the French government has declared war on junk food by incrementing taxes on all such products. Sugary beverages, salt and fat-laden snacks, energy drinks and sweets, products considered harmful to the health, will soon be taxed to the max. France is proposing a single tax on junk food, raising the added-value tax to the 20% maximum on many items that are presently taxed at 5.5%. The initiative comes not from the Minister of Health but from the Ministry of Economies, Finances and Industry. The alarming obesity epidemic in the country, which now involves 15% of the population, has a significant impact on both

the nation’s health and its economy. Obesity accounts for 56% of the country’s health expenses, hospital costs excluded. In 2013, 24.6 million French, a third of the population, were found to be overweight, and the number has been increasing since. The Ministry has calculated that 30 million obese people will cost France 20.4 billion euros yearly. Aside from taxes, the ministerial report suggests various initiatives for fighting, or at least containing, the wave of obesity. Among them, reducing portion size in company cafeterias, forbidding transparent windows on food vending machines, and more restrictive regulation of advertising of snacks and similar items.

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Quality

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GAMBERO ROSSO ON THE ROAD

by Lorenzo Ruggeri

GAMBERO ROSSO WORLD TOUR 2016/2017 From Seattle to Seoul: 34 events around the world to celebrate thirty years of Italian wine triumphs

and a dense program, touching down on the principal international markets as well as more complex ones that offer new opportunities. The events will include not only tasting tables, but also seminars and vertical tastings dedicated to wines that have become true classics over the last thirty years. It will be a special year for Italian wine, presented through special videos, web posts, in-depth analysis and complex work on social media. The starting bell for the tour will ring, as usual, in Rome, on October 29. Along with many important international guests, Gambero Rosso will present Vini d’Italia 2017, which at this moment is in the hands of translators in English, German, Chinese and Japanese. From Rome, the best Italian wineries will start their complex foreign itinerary, with over thirty stops, designed in different formats. The Tre Bicchieri World Tour is for those wineries that have attained the maximum recognition in the Guide. The first stop for this group is Seoul on November 2, then Beijing on the 4th, our first visit to the Chinese capital city. Then, the tour moves on to Hong Kong on the 9th and Tokyo the 16th, where it will collaborate with Vinexpo, consolidating an excellent partnership launched last May. On January 30, the tour gears up again for Munich and the presentation of the guide in German. Then

s the thirtieth edition of its Vini d’Italia guide is being printed, the Gambero Rosso world tours begin. These have been thirty years of experience, of great wines, of changes. In the 1986 edition, 32 Tre Bicchieri were selected from 1,500 wines tasted. This year, 429 Tre Bicchieri have emerged from over 40,000 labels sampled. The Guide has accompanied the renaissance of Italian wine step by step, in an era extraordinarily rich in transformational new approaches. During these years, 1 the foundations for the interna’ I d t tional affirmation of the Italian al i i in wine sector were laid. Today, there is a new generation of both producers and consumers on the scene, while YEARS 2 the arts of communication and promotion have ibeen revolutionized. To celebrate this d’Italia Vin anniversary, the Gambero Rosso World Tour has scheduled a rich itinerary with many new stops

YEARS

i d’Italia Vin

YEARS

12 SEPTEMBER 2016

comes Stockholm, another new entry. In February the classic North American Tre Bicchieri week takes off: this year there will be a new stop in Los Angeles. Chicago will be on the 7th, New York the 9th, L.A. the 13th and San Francisco the 15th. In March, the Tre Bicchieri circuit will once again return to Dusseldorf to open the season with ProWein, the German event that has seen the presence of Italian wineries double over recent years. On May 3, it will be the turn of the city of London, another key market undergoing a phase of change. The final stop is in Toronto on June 8 in cooperation with LCBE, Ontario’s alcohol monopoly. All Tre Bicchieri events include seminars on the Guide’s special awards, the top labels tasted this year, as well as a series of dinners and special tastings that will enliven the cities visited for several days. The second event tour format is Vini d’Italia. This series is dedicated to all the wineries that rose through the filter of regional tastings and were accepted into the national guide. The focus is on production that has an appealing price/quality rapport, the pride of the Italian production panorama, those wineries that manage to express a cultural patrimony unmatched elsewhere in the world. Zurich and Warsaw, the latter market in marked expansion with an ever more competitive wine panorama, will open the tour on November 21 and 25 respectively. On January 18, Vini d’Italia will start the year in Oslo, moving on the next day to Copenhagen, a lively market stimulated by a hyper-dynamic restaurant scene. On April 6, Vini d’Italia will land in Miami, and then, for a final triple run, visit Moscow, Vancouver and Seattle in the month of June. This year the Top Italian Wines Roadshow celebrates its 10th edition, the flagship tour in which Gambero Rosso

brings together over 60 wineries that represent fully the Italian winegrowing scene. The tour includes six events in the markets with the greatest potential for growth on the horizon, supported by intense work in communication that covers the entire season. The process begins in Cape Town on December 1, an absolute first for the continent of Africa. Then it moves on to Taipei, following up the promising event of two years ago, and once again to Osaka, a classic stop on the tour: this Japanese culinary center attracts operators from all the southern and central areas of the country. In March, another first, the tour will visit Hanoi in Vietnam, on the 8th, then proceed to Singapore, one of the safe harbors for quality Italian wine. Sydney comes next, a distant market, but faithful to Italian wine with a community and restaurateurs who do immense work in the search for typical and authentic products. Finally, the fourth and last format is Top Italian Wines Extra, reserved for a small number of wineries, fewer than 30, who are concentrated on particularly complex markets, difficult to penetrate, but clearly in phases of stimulation and openness. Proactive positioning can give great satisfaction in the medium and long term. Therefore, these wineries will visit Cuba on March 4, Bangkok on March 6, Sao Paulo on March 17 and finally, Dubai. Taken as a whole, this is an ambitious and structured approach that will give continuity and energy to the extraordinary trend enjoyed by Italian wine exports. They have grown over 500% over the last 30 years. The Italian wine system is joining together to strengthen an image that has never before been so powerful and well positioned on a global level. Ismea (Istituto di servizi per il mercato agricolo alimentare) data on wine exports for the first five months of 2016 show a 1.3% increase in volume and another 3.7% increase in value.

SPIRIT OF THE MONTH

Gineprina d’Olanda is Back!

ulvio Piccinino, after working in the beverage world for many years, has managed to create an Italian gin with international appeal. Gineprina d’Olanda is a unique gin based on an Italian recipe dating back to 1897, discovered in a rare distiller’s document. Towards the end of the 19th century, many distilleries consulted this manual and created spirits to satisfy the demands of a market receptive to alcoholic beverages, but one that preferred national products to avoid transportation and tariff costs. Nineteenth-century Italians welcomed the products of the artisan distilleries that turned out dozens of cognacs, whiskies, gins and rums using spices, fruit and natural aromas in alcoholic infusions. With the advent of Fascism, the phenomenon extended even further: a prohibition on using foreign products and names gave

more room for the distribution of Italian spirits in bars and their use in futuristic mixtures. The end of World War II reopened international markets, and soon, under the influence of American culture, the traces of those alcoholic beverages were lost by the early 1990s. But today, Gineprina d’Olanda returns with the name Imea, thanks to Fulvio Piccinino, who rediscovered the recipe by blending the ingredients as distillers once had. Juniper is obviously the principal element, followed by anise, cloves, cinnamon and mace. Anise once served as a sweetener and mace or nutmeg, introduced during early Italian colonial ventures, conferred an exotic taste on the drink. Richly flavored, spicy and penetrating, Gineprina d’Olanda maintains its personality even when joined to other spirits. Fresh and persistent flavor.

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ITALIAN CHEFS ABROAD

Stefania Annese contributed

ITALIAN VIBES IN BANGKOK ROBERTO FERIN An authentic Italian wine bar in the heart of Bangkok, where visitors can enjoy premium bottles and taste truly traditional dishes – diVino originated as an idea Roberto BANGKOK Ferin had in October, 2010. It was still difficult to find a good glass of Italian wine in Thai restaurants. “We began with only 52 square meters, but today we’re at over 200. Our menu is large, we have an oven for baking pizza and a wine list with over

200 labels,” chef/proprietor Ferin explained. Working with interior designer Massimo Gentile, he created an innovative and original space to show off Italian flavors. “I had worked for years as chef in various Italian restaurants here in Bangkok,” Roberto remembered. “Then I decided to open a place that expressed my own cucina. We chose an exclusive zone, Thonglo, which is still one of the best nighttime areas of Bangkok.” DiVino quickly became one of the trendiest places in the city thanks to Roberto’s culinary talents along with his ability to offer a wide choice of wines. “There’s a growing demand for excellent Italian products,” Roberto observed. “That 16 SEPTEMBER 2016

even includes Fassona beef, white truffles and Mediterranean fish. Up-scale Thai restaurant-goers are very demanding. They often travel to Italy, and they look for food that expresses our traditions and pairs well with a range of wines.” DiVino’s cellar can offer labels from all over the country, although Tuscany is the best represented. Among those regions most in demand are Puglia, Veneto and Friuli. Ferin’s wine list offers such prestigious labels as Sassicaia ’97 and ’91, Solaia ’87, Tignanello ’85 and ’90, and a special selection of Gaja ’99: Langhe Darmagi, Langhe Conteisa, Barolo Sperss. Organic, biodynamic and orange wines satisfy the requests of the more expert drinkers. “A while ago, my customers used to ask for Thai wines,” Roberto pointed out. “But today, traditional Italian dishes are always paired with wines from our beautiful country.” DiVino | Penny’s Balcony | Thong Lor 16 Sukhumvit 55 | 10110 Watthana Bangkok | tel. +66 2 714 8723 www.divinobkk.com

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WINE OF THE MONTH

Faro ’14 Bonavita 5,000 bottles ex-cellar price: 15.00 euros (+ taxes)

THE LIGHT HOUSE WINE

18 SEPTEMBER 2016

Giovanni Scarfone is a vigneron who grows only native varieties near Faro Superiore, a village on the hills of Messina in northeastern Sicily. Giovanni spent his summers here when he was a child, and loved following his grandfather between the rows of vines in the little vineyard behind their house. So, when the moment came to choose what he wanted to do with his life, Giovanni had no doubts. He studied agriculture and took his degree in agronomy. After working around the country for a while, he returned to his grandfather’s vineyard and its seventy-year-old vines: merello mascarese, merello capuccio, nocera. Adding another little piece of land at Curcuraci, Scarfone has two and a half hectares that he works on his own, hoeing, pruning, and harvesting himself. He vinifies in his home garage, renovated for the purpose, from where he follows the entire process. His Faro ’14 has fascinating elegance and character. On the nose, peach, pomegranate and minerality. The palate is fresh, dense but easy to drink, and has an intense, persistent finish. At the table it pairs well with red meats, roast kid, and such dishes as Sicilian pork stew with raisins and pine nuts, or wellaged cheeses.

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19 SEPTEMBER 2016

DESIGN

Stefania Annese contributed

Tucano

CURVY CARDBOARD

ardboard is a versatile material with great potential. It makes an amazing building resource. Chairs, tables, lamps, wine racks, book shelves and wall arrangements have been designed for a variety of spaces, ranging from chic shops to private apartments. But these are only a few of the practical, beautiful and imaginative works made using only cardboard. Companies, artists and designers have shown unlimited creativity in turning out new, sturdy and eco-sustainable shapes. Italy is proving to be a nation brimming with paper art ideas, with promoters of unique and made-to-order projects, all fully designed with eco-sustainability in mind. Cardboard 55100 is a creation of the CittĂ Sottile project, a workshop in the city of Lucca dedicated to building pieces for temporary installations. Well-known architects and designers, Italian and not, chosen according to their

20 SEPTEMBER 2016

experience working with unconventional materials, collaborate with 55100. Among the many ongoing projects is Cantina Winery, a wine storage unit in triple wall corrugated cardboard, constructed with four sheets of carton board and three sheets of corrugated board, laser cut and hand-glued, with a painted wood base. The unit can hold almost one hundred and fifty bottles of wine and is suitable for adorning private homes, stores and wine bars that are aiming for a minimalist and modern look. Cardboard 55100 also provides set ups for fairs and public events. The furnishings of the Umbria pavilion in Vinitaly in Verona (in April, 2016) included benches and tasting tables for every winery. Duna Design in Bitonto, near Bari, is the brain-child of Angelo Marzella, architect, and Pierfranco Marengo, engineer. They wanted to lend functionality and style to this so-called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;poorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; material. Tucano is a table and container designed for food and beverage, entirely made of corrugated three-dimensional cardboard. It is fashioned from 120 carton boards shaped to suggest desert dunes. In the center of the table are two indentations that sustain the structure and can hold wine bottles for a pleasant meal. The same line of thought powers Mar-

cus Homatch in his Carton Factory. This young designer from Monteriggioni near Siena began to create furniture when a five-hundred-year-old company asked him to find a use for discarded cartons. Benches, tables, vases and strong bookshelves are only a few of the items that this artisanal workshop has turned out. Corrugated carton board is glued in sheets, and a layer of external wood gives stability to chairs and tables. Many young, original and innovative ideas have turned humble cardboard into strong, stable furniture and decor items.

Cardboard 55100 - Cantina winery

PAIRING

drawings by Chiara Buosi SCHIAVA

DO AS SICILIA

FIANO

FSOAVE

frappato

Carrubbelle

(toma e acciughe)

GRILLO

SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

frappato

verdicchio

Sarde a beccafico morellino

ETNA BIANCO SCHIAVA

Parmigiana di melanzane

22 SEPTEMBER 2016

CERASUOLO DI VITTORIA

FIANO

S THE ANS DO

SCHIAVA

FIANO FSOAVE

frappato

verdicchio

morellino

Pesce spada alla ghiotta frappato

morellino

verdicchio

FRAPPATO

Braciole messinesi NERO D'AVOLA SCHIAVA

Cannoli di ricotta

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MALVASIA DELLE LIPARI

FIANO

ITALIAN WINERIES

Stefania Annese contributed

TERRA DEI RE A unique high altitude Pinot Noir

he land around the town of Rionero, in the southern region of Basilicata, lies on the slopes of Monte Vulture. Just-right temperature excursions, a unique micro-climate and volcanic soil favor native aglianico grapes and contribute to elegant wines. The Terra dei Re winery is run by the Leone family, who have been in the wine world for years, together with the Rabasco family. “The Terra dei Re project and the winery were founded in 2000,” Paride Leone told us. He is sales manager and production head. “Two families understood that to reach their goal, they needed synergy. They had to combine their skills to be-

come competitive in the wine sector. Another positive factor is that we partners operate autonomously in our own areas, favoring efficiency.” Today the winery has a modern winemaking facility, partly underground, and thirty-one hectares of vineyard with an average age of over forty years, all located between the towns of Barile, Rapolla, Melfi and Rionero in Vulture. “The winery was built with a solar power system for producing electricity. We practice precision agriculture. That is, we start with the concept that every time you start a machine, you release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. You have to train your personnel so they understand how to pollute 24 SEPTEMBER 2016

less. We collected data to measure the flow of emissions, analyzing the life cycle of our wines. Measuring energy consumption in the vineyard, understanding the impact on pollution that transport has, knowing precisely the energy consumed in our own cellars, all allows us to intervene where there is an excess.” Terra dei Re has brought together respect for the environment, defense of biodiversity and precision agronomy practices while producing healthy, sustainable wines. They have undertaken various regional programs in conjunction with ALSIA (Agenzia Lucana Sviluppo in Agricultura), the University of Basilicata and the Magis project.

“The Magis project began in 2010 when a group of Italian wineries and a technical, scientific committee decide to join hands and design a protocol for managing vineyards according to precision agriculture,” Claudio Rabasco recounted. “Each intervention is measured, checked and traced. The protocol establishes rules for the production of sustainable wines that respect natural resources. The excessive use of chemicals as well as overworking the soil can damage microfauna. We have to do only what the vineyard needs. We mustn’t overdo. We don’t need manicured vineyards!” Eight years ago, enologist Giuseppe Leone planted a vineyard of pinot nero at 800 meters above sea level, in the lava-rich soil on the slopes of the Vulture volcano. His brilliant intuition led to the production of Vulcano 800. At high altitudes, this difficult variety expresses itself elegantly and displays its typical qualities. It is unique in a territory known above all for the Aglianico del Vulture denomination. “Our enologist Giuseppe Leone had a broad understanding of his field and it took in historical research and scientific studies,” said Paride Leone. “Historically we find documents showing pinot nero in the Vulture from the beginning of the 19th century to its end. It disappeared in the first decades of the 20th century when the Vulture zone turned to wine commerce with other Italian regions. Buyers wanted blending wines, full-bodied and richly colored. Pinot nero was the exact opposite of aglianico and the peasants pulled it out, planting aglianico del Vulture instead.” This area of Basilicata, Lucania, has long been a land for wine grapes. Now a new path for pinot nero will open horizons for its future. 25 JULY-AUGUST 2016

VINI D'ITALIA 2017

First time trebicchieri WINNERS This is the thirtieth edition of the Vini dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Italia guide. Once again we have tried to put together a complete photograph of the multi-faceted Italian wine panorama. As usual, the most important honor is the Tre Bicchieri ranking, the award that has become a true certificate of quality for our wines, both in Italy and abroad. Among the many historic wineries that garner this prize edition after edition, this year there were 53 producers with a label that attained Tre Bicchieri for the first time, an important achievement. We list them here, each with a brief descriptive note, knowing that you will want to seek out these new winners. 26 SEPTEMBER 2016

Barolo del Comune di Barolo Essenze 2012 Vite Colte

Lovely note of fresh herbs and tobacco on a background of raspberry, spices and licorice: a palate remarkable for fullness and its dense tannic texture.

Barolo San Bernardo Ris. 2010 Palladino

Tones of raspberry, strawberry and blood oranges, followed by delicate notes of violets and licorice: splendidly elegant and harmonious palate.

Gavi del Comune di Gavi Pelöia 2015 San Bartolomeo

Aromas of white fruit alongside more complex mineral and grassy notes (fresh grass and ferns): good structure in the mouth, savory, with vibrant acidity, long and elegant finish.

Grignolino del M.to Casalese 2015 Vicara

Enthralling notes of pepper, Peruvian bark and tobacco: wonderful palate with energetic tannin and a persistent finish. Great character.

Lessona 2012 La Prevostura

Still slightly closed, but destined for great evolution: wonderful notes of dried herbs and licorice in a solid and powerful mouth.

Grignolino d'Asti achieves Tre Bicchieri. It never happened before

Ruchè di Castagnole M.to La Tradizione 2015 Montalbera

Varietal notes of roses and red fruit: fascinating spicy note of pepper: a substantial, rich palate and a long finish, full of character.

LIGURIA Colli di Luni Vermentino Sarticola 2015 La Baia del Sole – Federici

An intense wine with notes of rosemary and sage, yellow flowers, ripe fruit and medicinal herbs: important and structured, it has great personality and incisive character.

TRENTINO Fojaneghe Rosso 2012 Bossi Fedrigotti

Personality that is both international and typical of the Dolomites (a small percentage of teroldego grapes are present). Satisfyingly agile flavors of berries balanced by the roundness of tannins.

Trento Dosaggio Zero Ris. 2011 Maso Martis

A champion in its category with pinot nero dominating the cuvée; enthralling, both assertive and caressing

ALTO ADIGE

Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato Le Marige 2015 La Ginestraia

A. A. Lago di Caldaro Scelto Sup. Bischofsleiten 2015 Castel Sallegg

LOMBARDY

A. A. Pinot Nero Bachgart 2013 Maso Hemberg – Klaus Lentsch

Notes of fresh grass and sage: body is velvety and full, with notes of flintstone and almond. A decidedly aristocratic wine.

Franciacorta Pas Dosé Girolamo Bosio Ris. 2009 Bosio

Creamy effervescence and elegant bouquet in which notes of ripe fruit and yellow flowers stand out, along with nuances of vanilla and white chocolate. Harmonious and deep palate with hints of aromatic herbs and white-fleshed fruit.

OP Bonarda Vivace Campo del Monte 2015 F.lli Agnes

A true delight of fragrant, aromatic fruit with a well-balanced sugar residue.

A red that doesn’t display great structure or power, but is appealing for the tension on the palate and the elegance of each mouthful.

A red that is appealing for the clarity of its aromas, with berries that allow a hint of oak and spices to come through. The palate balances tension and essence, for a mouthful that is not assertive, but extremely elegant.

A. A. Santa Maddalena Cl. Rondell 2015 Glögglhof – Franz Gojer

Notes of berries and spices: on the palate, marked sapidity that lengthens the mouthfeel and makes drinking it a pleasure.

VENETO Amarone della Valpolicella 2012 David Sterza

Intensely fruity fragrances of berries and mint, macerated flowers and spices, in a continually changing swirl. On the palate, the compactness of the flavor is striking, dry, powerful and at the same time, very easy to drink.

››

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trebicchieri

PIEDMONT

VINI D'ITALIA 2017

Bardolino Cl. Vign. Morlongo 2014 Vigneti Villabella

Fine, intense fragrances dominated by a blend of berries and pepper, with a rare hint of herbs in the background. In the mouth, sapidity and acidity support an agile and extremely pleasant palate.

Madre 2014 Italo Cescon

Citrusy and tropical fruit notes are enhanced by the discreet work of oak: the palate opens out with elegance and decision, leading to a long and very persistent finish.

Soave Sup. Vign. Runcata 2014 Dal Cero â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tenuta di Corte Giacobbe

Rich fruit behind an oak presence thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a bit evident. On the palate, it opens out with grace and determination, supported by vibrant acidity and sapidity that lend length and agility to the mouthfeel.

Valpolicella Sup. 2012 Marco Mosconi

Clear aromas of berries and aromatic herbs, immediate and crisp: in the mouth, it displays good fullness and stimulating acidity that lengthens the finish

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA Carso Malvasia Dileo 2015 Castelvecchio

A sunny wine. Fragrant, citrusy and iodine-scented on the nose: creamy, energetic, progressive and lasting in the mouth.

Chardonnay 2015 di Lenardo

Ripe peach, citrus fruit, sweet honey notes on the nose: soft impact on the palate overtaken by a saline and mineral sensation.

FCO Sauvignon Liende 2015 La Viarte

EMILIA ROMAGNA Colli di Parma Rosso MDV 2014 Monte delle Vigne

fruit and faceted aromas: in the mouth, opens into the lovely acidity of barbera. An elegant and vibrant wine.

Romagna Albana Secco I Croppi 2015 Celli

Dry, taut, citrusy: rich palate that agilely escapes, seeking out a saline, assertive acidity.

Chianti Colli Fiorentini Badia a Corte Ris. 2013 Torre a Cona

Multi-faceted, shimmering fragrances of blackberries, aromatic herbs and balsamic notes: juicy and perfectly calibrated in the mouth in its tannic expression and pleasantly savory undertone.

Maremma Toscana Ciliegiolo V. Vallerana Alta 2014 Antonio Camillo

The finesse and complexity of a great wine, with fresh, articulated, elegant aromas that lead into a deep palate of refined chiaroscuro tones.

TUSCANY Bolgheri Sup. Le Gonnare 2013 Fabio Motta

Brilliant and relaxed fruit, suave and precise: palate of the same quality, with fine extracts and praiseworthy texture, closing on delicately spicy tones.

Brunello di Montalcino Giodo 2011 Giodo

Raspberry jam, Mediterranean scrub, pencil lead: develops mouthfilling and tasty, compensating for a slight lack of energy with dense savory texture.

Brunello di Montalcino Ris. 2010 Tenuta di Sesta

A light, almost spring-like step with its hints of mulberry, mandarin orange, ginger, wild flowers: underlying substance, with a progressive and penetrating mouthfeel and a long balsamic finish

Chianti Cl. Cigliano 2013 Cigliano

Fresh and rhythmic, with complexity that places it clearly among the best of its type, and besides, with a well-defined and remarkably fragrant aromatic component.

Chianti Cl. Le Vigne Ris. 2013 Istine

It combines complexity and easy drinkability, but also manages to express itself aromatically in a composed, fragrant and well-articulated manner.

Stands out for typicity and fragrance: an appealing palate leaves a lasting memory.

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Montecucco Sangiovese Ad Agio Ris.2012 Basile

Spices, berries and balsamic nuances lead into a fresh and flavorful palate that moves between smooth tannins and mineral notes. A mouth with great progression and a finish in crescendo.

Nobile di Montepulciano Ris. 2012 Tenuta di Gracciano della Seta

Aromas of raspberries and berries in general, wrapped in delicate hints of leather and blond tobacco. The mouth is coherent and vibrant, with juice and energy as well as a solid and flavorful tannic backbone

Pinot Nero 2013 Podere della Civettaja

Balanced between sweet fruity notes, savory mineral sensations and acidic verve. Long and slender, it is destined to improve further in the bottle.

2013: a brilliant vintage in Bolgheri!

MARCHE

ABRUZZO

PUGLIA

Offida Pecorino Guido Cocci Grifoni 2013 Tenuta Cocci Grifoni

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Luì 2013 Tenuta Terraviva

Gioia del Colle Primitivo Ris. 2013 Cantine Tre Pini

Offida Rosso Vignagiulia 2013 Emanuele Dianetti

Healthy fruit and acidic backbone, elegant and pleasantly juicy thanks to absolutely precise tannic extraction.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Sup. Sabbionare 2015 Sabbionare

Varietal notes, such as almond and acacia flowers, join with the freshness of citrus fruit and a hint of white peach: taut, continuous and saline on the palate.

Gioia del Colle Primitivo Senatore 2010 Coppi

CAMPANIA Campi Flegrei Piedirosso 2015 Agnanum

Immediate aromas of medicinal herbs, flowers, thyme and rosemary: in the mouth, great energy articulated in a deeply savory register, with fleshy fruit, a finish that shades off.

Costa d'Amalfi Ravello Bianco V. Grotta Piana 2015 Ettore Sammarco

UMBRIA

Marmonious and elegant, fragrances of almond, anise and dried herbs: savory, lively and continuous, with nuances of toasty notes and a long finish of chamomile and citrus fruit.

Montefalco Sagrantino 2012 F.lli Pardi

Fiano d'Avellino 2015 Tenuta Sarno 1860

Crisp wine with enchanting fragrances of cherries, blackberries and red berries, balanced in its extraction, long, silky texture, with a citrusy finish.

Todi Grechetto Sup. Fiorfiore 2014 Roccafiore Scintillating, fragrant, able to move authoritatively among soft, savory, sensations and acidic thrust.

LAZIO Habemus 2014 San Giovenale

Scents of spices, black olive tapenade and ripe black fruit: palate in which the great density typical of this wine is accompanied by elegant tannins and balanced by unexpected freshness, giving us a wine of great complexity and character.

Fruity aromas followed by notes of forest floor, resin and cocoa: complex, dense palate with a long, sustained finish

Luminous tones of broom, anise and chamomile: mouthfilling, sinuous, with continuous rhythm on a savory and relaxed palate. The finish is generous and multi-faceted, closing on a long sensation of wild grasses.

Zagreo 2015 I Cacciagalli

Aromas of wheat, ripe peach and green tea, then a resinous and flavorful palate, fragrant, with savory and bitter notes balanced in a lively finish that naturally invites the next sip.

Intense, complex nose with notes of berries, tobacco and chocolate: the palate displays good structure but also adequate acidic freshness, with a long and mouthfilling finish.

Primitivo di Manduria Passo del Cardinale 2014 Cantine Paolo Leo

Peruvian bark, plum, tobacco and hints of black olive tapenade: the palate is stern, dense and compact

SICILY Eloro Pachino Sarò 2013 Feudo di Rudinì

Intense and clean fruity pomegranate tones with good mineral, iodine and grassy notes of capers: the texture is soft and consistent in its weave, very long balsamic finish.

Nero d'Avola Sosta Tre Santi 2010 Cantine Nicosia

Intense, complex and intriguing on the nose: palate displays material of excellent quality and elegance with full correspondence and a long, clean, satisfying finish.

SARDINIA Falconaro 2011 Cantine di Dolianova

BASILICATA Aglianico del Vulture Gricos 2014 Grifalco della Lucania

Tight tannic weave of finesse and elegance, sustained by an acidic vein that gives freshness and balance to the palate, closing long and elegantly on an oaky, spicy note with hints of aromatic herbs.

29 SEPTEMBER 2016

Complex notes of Mediterranean brush, plum and noble resins: fresh, balsamic palate, long and savory.

trebicchieri

Very fresh on the nose, with notes resembling greens and anise: complex palate gracefully enlivened with saline counterpoints.

Earthy, blood oranges, green pepper on the nose: character is accompanied by substance and definition.

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by Emilia Antonia De Vivo

Las Vegas for FOODIES

30 SEPTEMBER 2016

It was (and still is!) the mecca of gamblers and casino buffs, an invented city in the middle of the desert, a phantasmagoria of neon and colors, shapes and sounds. But today, Las Vegas aims to be a gourmet magnet. A new food culture imbues the city with an atmosphere more congenial to humans and nature

TRAVEL

o walk along the Strip, the nickname of Las Vegas Boulevard, is to take a virtual trip in a few hours, touching down in Paris and New York, Luxor, Rome and Venice. Space and time are compressed, but visitors adapt easily and without jet lag, overwhelmed by collectively optedfor oblivion. The resorts are minicities that host up to 5,000 guests. Lobbies are labyrinths, entire streets, zig-zagging shopping malls. Low ceilings, led lighting, roulette tables and slot machines erase the distinctions between indoors and out, false and true, in an eternal night-time cinematographic darkness, twentyfour hours outside of time, far from clocks. Las Vegas was always like this, but recently it has been trying to rebuild its identity as a normal city brimming with resources. It seems to be succeeding. Among the special effects, the fullimmersion sensory-overload entertainment of other worlds, in recent years the culture of food has created powerful spaces of its own. Haute cuisine has become one of the most direct means of communication and attracts a growing number of tourists and visitors. Las Vegas has become one of the world’s most exciting culinary capitals. It’s all real simulation is banned - and quality is central. The all-you-can-eat buffets of the 1940s have given way to starladen chefs and sommeliers from all over the globe. The offerings of topquality food have evolved enough to satisfy the most exigent palates. Street-food aromas have not taken over yet, but soon enough Las Vegas will appeal to the senses of smell and taste, and not rely only on razzledazzle. What’s new? Everything. Themed evening dinners and absurd stage shows are still there, but a true culinary scene is evolving, along with urban transformations. With each

The Wynn patio

32 SEPTEMBER 2016

new resort comes a new food destination, competing with its predecessors. Large-scale buffet tables are still very popular, but the new trend is a gourmet version, like the Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan. Among recent new entries, the Mr Chow inside Caesars Palace is a big international hit. The original opened in London in 1968, then in New York, Beverly Hills, Miami and Malibu. White walls, tables and ceiling create a soothing atmosphere. The dining room is circular, arranged around a central element that hangs from above like an enormous, translucent, porcelain UFO. Service is attentive but tactful, beginning with a glass offered from the Champagne cart. Mr Chow creates an unusual elegant, minimal, yet informal atmosphere. The Mr Chow signature on each plate seems like a hand-written note. The maitre dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; explains everything succinctly - this is a trattoria! - and at first the contrast with the setting is disconcerting. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t order from a menu, but soon everything arrives in a strategic and familiar fashion. The menu is classic Chinese, but before we can wonder at the flavors, aromas and satisfying goodness of a dish, a new one appears. Almost-raw shrimp, hand-made noodles, delicious satay chicken, delicate fillets of branzino with ginger and coriander. Meantime, the white light becomes blue, the porcelain UFO descends slowly from the ceiling, gently opens its petals, then closes and returns to its original position. The performance takes place every half hour. It is a kinetic sculpture, Moon, in glass fiber, signed TAIT, a group of designers from Lititz in Pennsylvania. The Wynn Steakhouse is also Asian in inspiration. It is one of the four restaurants in the United States for authentic Kobe beef, thought by some to be the best in the world. Wynn is enchanting to even the

Dining at Mr Chow

33 SEPTEMBER 2016

TRAVEL

Interview with John Curtas.

“There’s no going back. Quality wins out”

long with the transformation of the urban landscape, the eating habits of tourists, whether gamblers or not, have changed sufficiently to affect the style of the inhabitants of Downtown and the surroundings themselves. We spoke with one of Las Vegas’ best known food critics, John Curtas, of Eating Las Vegas (www.eatinglv.com). On the scene for thirty years, he has long been an observer of the evolution of taste in the foodie capital of the United States.

ter-zero produce. Where does it come from? “ Most products come from California, only a few hundred miles away. The new trend is towards proprietor-chefs who personally oversee the selection of their ingredients. We also have a large Chinatown with more than 100 restaurants from Vietnam, China, Korea, Thailand and Japan. They all serve excellent fresh food. Dining there is much more affordable than along the Strip.” Where does Italian cucina fit in? How many Italian restaurants are there in Las Vegas? “Italian food is not as popular as it was 20 years ago, although every resort has at least one Italian restaurant on its premises. Too much food described as Italian is really a fusion with Italo-American style, heavy, cheesy, and with lots of sauce. Besides my favorite chefs, such as Ferraro, off the Strip, and Allegri at the Wynn resort, where you can eat authentic Italian food, there are others who offer good quality, but suffer from compromises - blending many kinds of international cooking with true Italian style.”

The culinary scene has changed, shifting from the omnipresent all-inclusive budget to the star chef. When and how did that happen? “The change started in 1993 when Wolfgang Puck opened Spago, the Californian restaurant inspired by Italian cucina. He was the first chef to land in Las Vegas. After him, the next great change was in 1998 when Steve Wynn brought some of New York and San Francisco’s best-known chefs to the Bellagio to open new restaurants such as Le Cirque, Picasso, Michael Mina, Olives and others.”

Which is your favorite restaurant on the Strip? Downtown? “Along the Strip I love Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, which also won as a wine restaurant in 2015. Downtown I like Glutton, a horrible name for excellent food!”

What’s the situation outside the Strip, and how is it different from Downtown? “The Strip is very expensive and mostly aimed at attracting tourists, those who go on the Ferris wheel, I mean, and the myriad conference-goers. Downtown, Summerlin and Henderson are districts where visitors can find excellent restaurants. That’s where locals go.”

What will be next on the Las Vegas gastronome scene? “The chefs coming now are not the celebrities and big names that brought so much change a few years ago, moving Las Vegas to the top of the world culinary scene. Off the Strip it’s still possible to find the best food in little restaurants run by local chefs who are passionate about good eating. Resorts and big hotels always have to satisfy the large numbers of tourists who flood Las Vegas, but there are changes coming there too. Rather than show off the name of a great chef on the door, they are trying to improve their menus and the quality of their ingredients.”

Las Vegas is deep in the desert, but you can still find fresh farm-to-table ingredients, almost kilome-

34 SEPTEMBER 2016

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A dish at Wynn

most unromantic among us. Suspend your cynicism. Dinner is served lakeside, in an atmosphere that resembles an evening on Capri. But soon, the Lake of Dreams is transformed into a Japanese theater of Light Art. Wynn also offers a new concept of buffet. Chef Russell Parker has introduced 120 new dishes, artfully prepared and served in tiny portions. Among them is one of Frank Sinatra’s favorites - spaghetti and meatballs - but also Peking duck buns, Jonah crab claws, fresh sushi, tacos and pancakes. Along the Strip, chef Brian Malarkey at the Herringbone has brought California coastal cooking to Las Vegas. At Bellagio there’s Harvest, with a menu that honors the “fishmeats-field” roots of Herringbone’s sister restaurants, serving naturally sourced seafood, meats, poultry and vegetables. Chef Roy Ellamar seeks out sustainable local products. Also

Downtown The new gastronomes Off the Strip, the culinary scene has become incandescent. Strolling the streets of Downtown, we can understand the amazement of architect Robert Venturi, one of the exponents of post-modernism and a scholar of the Las Vegas urban environment. Walking along the strip forty years ago he was astonished by the open spaces and the role of the car. Everything was fibrillation, change. Urban texture was shaped by two-floor buildings, wide streets, external wiring on poles that suggested a Wim Wenders film. But nothing remains of that. Two years ago, the culinary scene in the Fremont East Entertainment District teemed with new restaurants, bars and takeout places, brimming with enthusiasm and hope. Today, attention has moved further on, while Fremont has already been assaulted by mass tourism. Local owners have been unable to grow an alternative niche, away from the Strip. Perhaps individual initiatives will do better than the big names. Itsy Bitsy Ramen and whisky, near the food district of Container Park, is one of those with simple, fast food and guaranteed quality. Bradley Manchester recently debuted at Glutton with an eclectic new-American menu at lunch and dinner: local products, house-made pasta, seafood from the Northwest Pacific. A taste for Italian food has taken off in the residential areas of Henderson, Downtown and North Downtown, a recent trend that seems to be consolidating daily habits that go beyond fashion or entertainment. Ferraro’s fans, near the campus of the University of Nevada, by now have formed a foodie’s community. The Forte pizzeria inside Sunset Station is a new project that the Ferraro family plans to expand to ten locations within the next two years. Downtown is the place for experiments and innovation, for competing with and standing up to the financial power of the Strip. Josh Clark and Theo van Soest, owners of the successful Goodwich, have moved into a more central location, but are still running a kiosk in the middle of nowhere, in a parking lot. The idea is to spotlight the talent of local chefs in a rented space where each one can experiment and share his or her own style, find an audience and a market. Josh and Theo are riding one of Las Vegas’ newest trends, and becoming its poster boys - that is, the uninhibited mix of the world’s influences and traditions in the work of free-wheeling young chefs who turn away from their training but are attentive to quality and most of all, to simplicity. “The concept is going to evolve into something where we can showcase local talent and chefs with an idea of something they want to try but don’t have a place to do it,” Clark said. We’ll see.

36 SEPTEMBER 2016

at Bellagio is Julian Serrano’s Lago, the first Italian restaurant of the Serrano dynasty. Alain Ducasse shows up in Las Vegas in his new Rivea restaurant in the Delano. The menu is Provence-inspired with some Italian touches. Daniel Boulud opened db Brasserie, which he calls his ideal brasserie, in The Venetian. After the crisis in 2009 and 2010, within five years Las Vegas completely redefined its food offerings, until today it has a complete collection of the best chefs and sommeliers in the world, television icons included. Each of them has a representative home here. According to the classifications of Restaurant Business Magazine, Las Vegas, with 5,000 restaurants for the two million inhabitants of Clark County, is the third best place in the world to open a restaurant, after the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina district and Kapaa in Hawaii. Only a few years ago, the business of food unexpectedly soared in Las Vegas. With 42 million visitors, this realization changed the urban values of a city that is not just about gambling now, but sees its own contradictions as part of its identity. Today Las Vegas, the Strip and Downtown are in a race to see where the most creativity, art, food and entertainment can be found. Together they challenge the residential zone of Henderson. One zone is all about consumption, amazement and fun. The other is about living comfortably, offering culture and alternatives to the resort restaurants, responding to a growing search for a more human scale on the part of the hip, the artistic, and the culinary curious. The unique environment of Grand Canyon Park completes a scene worth exploring, surprising even the most blasé, as for example in the early morning, when dawn enchants everyone with the golden magic of the desert.

The Italians Trendy, successful, top-rated Las Vegas sells what passes for European style and image to Americans. In the global imagination, Italy is a symbol of luxury, style, leisure, wellbeing and sensuality, but above all, it is the unchallenged temple of good food. In Las Vegas, Italy holds an honored position. Many of the casinos are Italian-themed: the Venetian, Palazzo, Caesars Palace and Bellagio are some examples. At Monte Lago, a few miles southeast of Downtown, an entire residential village was inspired by Tuscan style, and is seen as ‘very Italian’ by those who’ve never been to Italy. According to the ratings of Restaurant Business Magazine, among the first fifteen best restaurants in order of billings, five are Italian: Carnevino, Lago, Delmonico, Spago and Bartolotta. Every resort has its own Italian restaurant. Altogether there are about a hundred, but those that are influenced by Italian food or feature fusion menus by chefs from every background are innumerable. Giada is one of the Italian restaurants that is popular in Italy as well. Giada De Laurentiis opened her first restaurant in The Cromwell. On the panoramic terrace, with a view over the Strip and Flamingo Road (considered very in by locals) they have one of the best scones in the world. Fragrant with rosemary, it is served with Eton Mess - yogurt, strawberries and quinoa: unforgettable. Italo-American Carbone, owned by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalasnick, recently opened in the Aria resort in City Centre, its interior design done by Ken Fulk from San Francisco. The food at Carnevino in The Palazzo, one of the top rated in 2016 for best restaurant and best steakhouse in the world, serves an average of 100,000 meals yearly, with seating for 240 at its tables. The concept is by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. Its wine list includes bottles costing over ten thousand dollars. Executive chef Nicole Brisson, as expert as she is young, studied in Italy, where she learned to capture authentic flavors of good home cooking. With steaks coming from biodynamic ranchers in Colorado Nicole prepares Neapolitan street dishes with a totally unexpected romantic effect, especially strange for an Italian finding herself in a virtual Venice emerging from the desert. Scarpetta at the Cosmopolitan serves Mediterranean dishes inspired by Sicilian cucina with amazing aromas and garden vegetable flavors.

37 SEPTEMBER 2016

WWW.FERRARITRENTO.IT

THE ITALIAN ART OF LIVING

Venezia, Piazza San Marco ore 4:54

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Addresses the strip

Mr Chow | Caesars Palace | 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South | NV 89109 | tel. +1 (866) 227 5938 | $100 | www.caesars.com The Wynn Steakhouse | Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Hotel | 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South | NV 89109 | tel. +1 (877) 321 9966 | +1 (888) 352 3463 | $130 | www.wynnlasvegas.com Herringbone | 3730 Las Vegas Blvd South | NV 89109 | tel. +1 (702) 590 9898 | $120 | www.herringboneeats.com Harvest | Bellagio Resort | 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South | NV 89109 | tel. +1 (888) 987 6667 | $120 | www.bellagio.com Lago | Bellagio Resort | 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South | NV 89109 | tel. +1 (866) 259 7111 | +1 (702) 693 8865 |$80 | www.bellagio. com

The Venetian Resort | 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South | NV 89109 | tel. +1 (702) 430 1235 | $70 | www.dbbrasserie.com

Guy Savoy | Caesars Palace | 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South | NV 89109 | +1 (702) 731 7286 | $185| www.caesars.com Michael Mina | The Bellagio Resort | 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South | tel. +1 (702) 693 7223 | NV 89109 | $100 | www.michaelmina.net

Atelier Joel Roubuchon | The MGM | 3799 Las Vegas Blvd South | tel. +1 (702) 891 7358 | NV 89109 | $230| www.mgmgrand.com

MOzen Bistrot | Mandarin Oriental | 3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South | NV 89158 | tel. +1 (888) 881 9367| $60 | www.mandarinoriental.com

downtown Itsy Bitsy | 150 N Las Vegas Blvd #100 | NV 89101 | tel. +1 (702) 405 9393 | itsybitsyramen.com Glutton | 616 E Carson Ave #110 | NV 89101 | tel. +1 (702) 366 0623 | gluttonlv.com The Goodwich | 1516 Las Vegas Blvd South | NV 89104 | tel. +1 (702) 910 8681 | www.thegoodwich.com

the italians Ferraro’s | Paradise Esplanade | 4480 Paradise Rd | NV 89169 | tel. +1 (702) 364 5300 | $55| www.ferraroslasvegas.com

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Carbone | chef Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, Jeff Zalaznick | Aria City Centre | 3730 Las Vegas Boulevard South | tel. +1 (877) 230 2742 | $70| www.aria.com Dalmonico | The Venetian | 3355 Las Vegas Blvd South | NV 89109 | tel. +1 (702) 414 1000 | $90| www.venetian.com Nove | Downtown | 4321 West Flamingo Road | NV 89103 | tel. +1 (702) 942 6800 | $70| www.palms.com

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texts and photographs by Clara Minissale

The Nebrodi

Verdant, cool, fragrant Sicily

40 SEPTEMBER 2016

Rising above the sea, with a view of the Aeolian Islands, the Nebrodi mountains are a verdant, cool corner of Sicily where nature offers spectacular herbs, aromas and flavors. A handful of artisans produce delicious foods ranging from cured meats to cheese, from olive oil to wine and nuts. The warm months are the best ones for discovering this little big paradise

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The Catafurco waterfall

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ew people can imagine, especially in summer, a green and fertile Sicily of dense woods, nature walks along rocky cliffs, rivers, lakes and villages that have preserved the rural charm of the island intact. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough to drive a little away from the coast to discover the island unchanged. Walking, exploring and tasting go hand in hand with the freedom of nature. The Nebrodi Mountains, along with the Madonie to the west and the Peloritani to the east, are part of the Sicilian Apennines, and form a natural trove of biodiversity in the largest protected reserve of the region, the Nebrodi National Park, which takes in twenty-four municipalities from three provinces, Messina, Catania and Enna - eighty-six thousand hectares in all. Within them, visitors can find artisan cheeses, meat, cured meats, nuts, craft beer, traditional pastries, vegetables and fruit, wine and olive oil. Ucria is a living vegetal bank that hosts fields of various species of plants with therapeutic value and a large variety of seeds from traditional old cultivars of fruit at risk of extinction. Walk in the woods of Mangalaviti, in Longi, where you can enjoy the dense and fertile growth of the southernmost beech forest in Europe, or climb alongside the waters of the San Basilio river in the Galati Mamertino territory up to the Catafurco waterfalls that cascade over thirty meters. Afterwards, stop at Antica Filanda, just outside Rocca di Captrileone, a must for those who love good food. The inn has been run for twenty-five years by the Campisi family. From the terrace overlooking the Aeolian islands, you can sample traditional but updated Sicilian dishes and a good choice of wines. For even more traditional food, choose the Borrello familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trattoria in Sinagra. The showcased

ingredient is pork from the Nebrodi zone’s famed black pigs, prepared in a wide range of dishes along with locally-grown vegetables. The trattoria has a shop as well, selling meat, cured meats and cheeses, where the quality/price rapport is excellent. Also in Sinagra, the craft brewery, Epica, was founded a couple of years ago by three friends. Be sure to taste one of their six types of beer. For cheese buffs, the Fioriglio family’s dairy in Mistretta is a must. Historic Sicilian cheeses have been artisanally produced here for five generations.They are imbued with the flavors of the pastures and milk of the territory. Nebrodi provola, for example, made of whole raw cow’s milk, captures the flavors of the fragrant herbs of these meadows. Don’t miss tasting oven-baked ricotta, one of the time-tested specialties of the region. The heritage black pig is the uncontested champion species of the zone, and, besides playing its part simply as fresh meat, it is transformed into prosciutto, salami, cured pork loin and capocollo. Sant’Angelo salami, made in Brolo, is equally renowned and guaranteed by a series of rules governing the IGP (indicazione geografica protetta). Historically, this salami was made from hand-cut, carefully selected meat, and still today, the chopped mixture is prepared and overseen by artisans although their knives may be powered by machines. Aging takes place in large airy spaces, and the salamis are hung separately so that each can capture the aromas of the surrounding vegetation. The natural formation of the valley of Sant’Angelo di Brolo produces air currents of a temperature and humidity that create a micro-environment such that the entire zone is like a huge aging hall, conditions that don’t exist elsewhere.

Salame of black pork of the Nebrodi zone by Borrello brothers

The salame of Sant’Angelo Pigs, acorns and the art of the knife Sant’Angelo salami is one of the culinary jewels of the Nebrodi zone. Its production began in Brolo at the end of the eleventh century, after the Normans colonized Sicily and introduced new eating habits. This cured meat product depends on knowledgeable producers, methods that have been perfected over time, climatic conditions, humidity and winds that favor dry aging. The pigs are raised on acorns, fava beans and bran. Only the best cuts are chosen, cut into strips and then into small bits, a procedure that was once done by hand but now is entrusted to specially designed machines created for Sant’Angelo. The aging process is carefully monitored and, depending on the kind of casing used, can vary from twenty to one hundred days. The microclimate of the Sant’Angelo valley does the rest, exerting a positive influence on the microbial flora and biochemical processes that give the salami its typical characteristics. Giovanni Pintaudi has produced this salami for thirty years. Before him, his father made it and today he is teaching his two sons. “It is one of the few natural salamis,” he told us. “We add only salt, pepper and 0.25%nitrate per kilo to the best pork. We turn out about 2,000 kilos weekly. Once there were twelve firms here making it. Today, there are nine of us, but it is a product with great potential. That’s why we’re thinking of forming a consortium that gives us power and protects us as well.” Salumifico Pintaudi | Brolo (ME) | fraz. Sant Angelo | c.da Stagnataro | tel. 0941 533940 | salumificiopintaudi.it

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A pistachio tree branch

A trip around the Nebrodi mountains must include Biviere, the lake near Cesaro’, a high altitude wet zone, a naturalistic Sicilian jewel with a special animal and plant population. Less than twenty kilometers away is Bronte, a town famous for its pistachios. If you have never seen these trees in their natural habitat, make the trip just for that sight. The tree is covered with little bunches of rosy sunsetcolored fruit. There are endless ways to taste them: sweet or salty spreads, cakes, cookies, liqueurs, ground into flour, or simply shelled and packaged. But Nebrodi is not only known for pistachios. Inside the park itself is Tortorici, known as the city of hazelnuts. With its unmistakable aroma, delicate flavor and intense aftertaste, this variety of hazelnut is gradually becoming better known on the Italian scene, as it waits for

the definitive assigning of DOP status as a product of protected origin. Today it accounts for more than a tenth of the national production, and its twelve thousand acres of hazel orchard make Sicily one of the country’s most productive regions. The historic center of Tortorici is a web of narrow streets that leads to romantic stone churches. Outside the town, in the Mulinazzo area, the Caprino family farm has generations of experience in growing organic nuts, and is now solarpowered. Hazelnuts have always been their most precious crop, whether shelled or whole, toasted or chopped, spreadable or ground into flour. In the center of town, the nut is transformed into pastry by the able hands of Lidia Cala’ in her bakery, Dolce Incontro. She also makes nut paste, crunchy bars, pralines and ‘little kisses’ or baciotti, typical local chocolate candies.

Tortorici: cookies from hazelnut paste

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Roasted black pork with artichokes and pomegranate - Antica Filanda

Adele Giaconia from Villa Colonna

Extra-virgin Olive Oil Minuta of Ficarra and the new Santagatese Ficarra, a small municipality in the Messina province, is the only one on the Nebrodi mountains belonging to the Città dell’olio national association. For six years the town has organized a regional competition dedicated to olive oil in order to promote one of its most important treasures, its century-old groves. The most common cultivar in the area is Minuta, which flourishes in the northeastern zone of the mountains and derives its name from the miniature size of its fruit. This indigenous variety, included by Slow Food in its presidio, is very resistant to adversity. Recently, however, careful and scrupulous work by its producers has brought another variety to the fore, the Santagatese. With this cultivar, Villa Colonna, also in the Messina province, participated in the thirteenth edition of the event in Ascoli Piceno dedicated to monovarietal oils. Their candidate passed every test, and so Santagatese was added to the national catalogue of monovarietal olive oils. Later, in Paris, it was recognized as the “Gourmet Product 2016” by the Agence pour la valorisation des produits agricoles. The oil is rich in polyphenols that contribute to its anti-oxidant properties, the longevity of the oil and its range of aromas and flavors. “If well-stored,” explained Salvatore Mocciaro, who heads Villa Colonna with his wife Adele Giaconia, “this oil can last a long time.” To the nose it offers middle-intensity fruity aromas. In the mouth a slightly bitter aftertaste and a lightly peppery sensation is achieved by early harvesting the olives at the end of September. Villa Colonna | Reitano (ME) | c.da Colonna | tel. 339 7771996 | www.villacolonna.com Il Feudo dei F.lli Bontempo | Naso (ME) | c.da Ficheruzza, 39 | tel. 0941 961021 | www.ilfeudobontempo.it Milio Calogera | Ficarra (ME) | c.da S. Noto, 11 | tel. 0941 582068 | www.sannoto.it Milio | Ficarra (ME) | vico 1a Salita Castello, 2 | tel. 0941 955059 | www.aziendamilio.it

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Masseria Santa Mamma | Acquedolci (ME) | via Nazionale | tel. 347 6792.228 | www.santamamma.it

Bar Incontro

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Birra Epica | Sinagra (ME) | area artigianale | c.da Filippello tel. 333 40 56 644 - 333 22 78 492 - 333 31 73 272 | www.birraepica.it

VINO & TERRITORIO

by Giuseppe Carrus

RETURN

THE VOLCANOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S VINEYARDS, 48 SEPTEMBER 2016

Timing is everything. The pace is slow, like nature’s rhythm, like that of agriculture, of the vines. Time and rhythm, like the smoke that fills every breath, is measured by the volcano. ’A Montagna, it’s called around here

TO THE FUTURE

La cantina Terrazze dell’Etna

ISLAND MODEL 49 SEPTEMBER 2016

VINO & TERRITORIO

or centuries, the natural workings of Etna have created a unique environment for landscape and viticulture. Consider the altitude – since here grapes grow at over a thousand meters above sea level – and think about the soil and subsoil suited for growing certain great varieties. Remember the specific microclimate, with its powerful temperature excursions, unlike the rest of Sicily. All these play fundamental roles in the growth of grapes that

will become wine. When we speak about Etna’s vineyards, we speak about an island within an island. All this has deep roots and affected the regulations written for the first time in 1968 and modified only a few years ago. But to explain the fuller meaning of the Etna DOC, at the end of the 1960s experts looked at a text from the end of the 16th century, Storia dei Vini d’Italia. There the volcanic wines were described as products “whose goodness is attributed to the ashes

of Etna.” This – but not only this – determines what can be defined as great territorial winegrowing. The soil is igneous, in some zones stony, and in others sandy or ashy. Some vineyards are planted with ungrafted alberello etneo vines, which naturally produce small quantities but very high quality grapes: these plants can be a century old, or more. There are several traditional varieties: nerello mascalese is the most important for reds, followed by nerello cap-

Vineyards cantina Tornatore

50 SEPTEMBER 2016

puccio, which can account for a maximum of 20% of a blend. For whites, the carricante grape is the most typical, but catarratto can be used, for a maximum of 40%, but only 20% for the Etna Bianco Superiore. Perfect ripening of the vines in this area is guaranteed by the unique climate. Although this is southernmost Italy, its altitude is among Europe’s highest for grape growing – some of it over 1,000 meters above sea level. Production areas are divided into contrade. On the northern slope, red-berried grapes dominate the vineyards, and the municipalities of Castiglione di Sicilia and Randazzo are the key zones. The whites are more common on the east, especially in the municipality of Milo, the only area where the Superiore category can be produced. To all this, add the work of growers. Consider not only the sum total of the cellar techniques of each single winemaker, but rather the entire heritage of experiences that start with the vine, are passed along from parent to child, and make up the social texture of an entire community. Salvo Foti, a great enologist and Etna guru, has clear ideas on this matter. In 2000, he led the project I Vigneri, a name which derives from the ancient Maestranza dei Vigneri, an association of grapegrowers formed in Catania in 1435. “Fifteen years ago, talk about nonnative species and upgrades, about mechanization, began growing. Although everyone continued saying that ‘wine is made in the vineyard’, the truth was that the work in the vineyard was no longer considered important. With I Vigneri,” said Foti, “we began with a model that put people at the center of everything. It was a so-

Tenuta di Vajasindi cantina Duca di Salaparuta

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VINO & TERRITORIO

cial project that took a step backwards and started with the work in the countryside. I began together with two growers who worked with my father. Now there are thirty of us. Vigneri means cultivating the alberello etneo training system, building dry walls, not irrigating, and only using systems that are compatible with the environmental care of the vineyard. It means, therefore, cultivating a landscape, not only a vineyard, protecting it and gifting it to future generations. You don’t make wine to put a particular label on the market, but to transfer an entire territory into a bottle, starting with the people that cared for that territory.” But if we had to define the wines that I Vigneri produces? “Today people use many adjectives to describe and sell wines,” the enologist commented. “But we make human wines. It doesn’t matter if they cost a few euros more. There are thousands of hours of work per hectare every year that go into it and professional care that protects a territory for the next generations.” Now the I Vigneri project has moved down from Etna and spread to nearby zones – Lipari, Pachino, Pantelleria and even to California. Many winemakers ask Salvo Foti for advice and many emulate his work. To see the new vineyards planted alberello style, to see dry walls around the plots, and see indigenous rather than non-native grapes planted everywhere is a proof of his influence. If you travel around the contrade and taste the wines grown there, you see that they are more and more truly the children of the volcano. Even with their genuine imperfections, they are the true witnesses of an ancient grapegrowing territory and the people who live there.

Cusumano

addresses

where to sleep

Shalai Resort | Linguaglossa (CT) | via G. Marconi, 25 | tel. 095 643128 | www.shalai.it

Esperia Palace Hotel | Zafferana Etnea (CT) | via delle Ginestre, 27d | tel. 095 7082335 | www.esperiapalace.com

San Giorgio e il Drago | Randazzo (CT) | p.zza San Giorgio, 28 | tel. 095 923972 |

Shalai Resort | Linguaglossa (CT) | via G. Marconi, 25 | tel. 095 643128 | www.shalai.it

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Tenuta San Michele | Santa Venerina (CT) | via Zafferana, 13 | tel. 095 950520 | tenutasanmichele.it

ETNA | CANTINE & VINI

Alta Mora – Cusumano

Castiglione di Sicilia (CT)| c.da Verzella | tel. 091 8908713 | www.altamora.it Within fifteen years, Alberto and Diego Cusumano, with impeccable mastery, have affirmed their winery both qualitatively and commercially, and built an important international presence as well. Headquarters are in Partinico, while vineyards are located in eight different areas, including Piana degli Albanesi, Monreale, Butera and Pachino. Some years ago, they added the beautiful Alta Mora location on Etna, with 20 hectares in the excellent wine-growing zones of Guardiola, Verzella, Porcaria and Pietramarina. Their avant-garde winemaking facilities can produce modern wines of a precise and clean style that expresses their particular Etna terroir. Production is at about 50,000 bottles, but growing. The various labels include an Etna Bianco, Etna Rosso and single crus.

Benanti

Viagrande (CT) | via Garibaldi, 361 | tel. 095 7893399 | www.vinicolabenanti.it Benanti ranks at the top of Etna’s viticulture world and it is all due to Giuseppe Benanti. He believed deeply in this territory and today, thanks to the help of his sons Antonio and Salvino, carries on work begun at the end of the 1980s. His land now amounts to 45 hectares, all in the most desirable areas, including Guardiola, Verzella, Porcaria and Pietramarina. Credit is also due to Benanti’s faith in the then very young enologist, Salvo Foti, who was already working in the winery during the very first harvests. Today the enologist in charge is Vincenzo Calì. The work of many years can be felt when tasting the oldest vintages of Pietramarina, Rovitello or Serra della Contessa, true pearls of Etna, capable of aging to perfection and continuing, over time, to offer all the qualities that the volcanic territory embodies. 54 SEPTEMBER 2016

Calcagno

Randazzo (CT) | via Galliano, 51/a | tel. 338 7772780 | www.vinicalcagno.it Calcagno is a small artisanal winery founded and managed by two brothers, Gianni and Franco. The first release was in 2006 and now production is at about 20,000 bottles. They produce four labels – a white, a rosé, and two reds that are crus, Feudo di Mezzo and Arcurìa. In all, there are three beautiful hectares around the winery itself, on the northern slope in one of the best wine-growing zones. The land is about 650 meters above sea level and the vines are, on the average, about eighty years old. The principal work is in the vineyard, using only animal fertilizer, copper, sulfur and a great deal of hand labor, but no chemical products. The resulting wines are artisanal, true children of their territory and their vintage year, with all the inevitable minor but fascinating imprecision that nature provides.

Duca di Salaparuta

Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) | fraz. Solicchiata | ss 120, km 195 | tel. 091 945201 | www.duca.it Duca di Salaparuta is one of Sicily’s bestknown brand names, both in Italy and around the world. Founded at the start of the 19th century, today it covers 120 hectares, plus other rented vineyards, and produces about nine million bottles. In 2001 it was purchased by Ilva di Saronno and in fifteen years, a great deal of potential was developed through entrepreneurial logic that was innovative and respectful of the different historical and territorial backgrounds of the three celebrated brands – Florio, Corvo and Duca di Salaparuta. On Etna, Tenuta Vajasindi turns out unique wines from terraced vineyards at 600-700 meters above sea level. In the winery museum, visitors can see the fascinating old palmento, where wine was once made. Besides the native nerello mascalese grapes, pinot nero has always been grown, the mono-varietal featured in Nawàri.. 55 SEPTEMBER 2016

Graci

Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) | fraz. Passopisciaro | c.da Arcuria | tel. 348 7016773 | www.graci.eu With eighteen hectares of vineyard in the Arcuria contrada on the northern slope, this winery has a patrimony of vines some of which are a century old. The winery itself is an ancient structure, rebuilt respectfully, which holds an 18th century palmento, or winemaking facility. Owner Alberto Graci uses only indigenous yeasts, large casks for aging his wines, casks in cement and only natural interventions in the vineyard. The result is evident in his wines, which are elegant and sincere, wonderfully balanced and deep. The winery’s premium label is Quota 1000, named for the altitude of its vines. Located in Barbabecchi contrada, it is outside the Etna Rosso regulatory zone, but it is one of the most fascinating wines we tasted in the area. The other wines come from celebrated contrade: Arcuria, Feudo di Mezzo, Moganazzi and Santo Spirito.

Girolamo Russo

Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) | fraz. Passopisciaro | via Regina Margherita, 78 | tel. 328 3840247 | www.girolamorusso.it Girolamo Russo is an agricultural estate active on Etna since the 1940s but ten years ago, by bottling their wine, their business policy changed radically. The credit goes to Giuseppe Russo, a modest, capable and passionate grapegrower who, within a few years, brought the Russo estate to the top of the volcano’s production rankings, with many labels that fully represent their terroir of origin. The wines are very elegant, drink beautifully, and are never overly simple or banal but very artisanal and sincere in the best meaning of the term. The vineyards are between Passopisciaro and Randazzo: twelve hectares in San Lorenzo, six in Feudo and one in Feudo di Mezzo. Three crus of Etna Rosso join ‘A Rina’, plus a rosé and a white, all the result of immense work in the vineyard, with no synthetic products used, and labor aimed only at enhancing the characteristics that nature provides.

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ETNA | CANTINE & VINI

I Vigneri

Milo (CT) | via Abate, 3 | tel. 366 6622591 | www.ivigneri.it I Vigneri is one of the most beautiful and fascinating wineries on Etna. It isn’t only a simple winery but a real project that aims to safeguard the landscape and the people who inhabit it. The idea and its creation come from Salvo Foti, an enologist of great experience, whose knowledge of Etna’s viticulture is unmatched. The name (derived from the ancient guild of the Vigneri established in Catania in 1435) belongs to this winery, but also to a consortium of others that follow the agricultural and winegrowing rules established by Foti. It is all aimed at defending the alberello etneo vine-training method, the environment of the volcano, the traditional dry walls. These together contribute to producing fascinating wines with silky textures and lively character. Some vines are more than 100 years old and are at significant altitudes, around 1,000 meters above sea level. The labels are many. Vigna di Milo is a carricante that comes from a century-old vineyard on the eastern slope, Vinupetra is a wine from nerello mascalese, cappucio, alicante and francisi grown in Passopisciaro, northern slope. Then there’s Vinudilice, a rosé from a vineyard growing 1,300 meters above sea level.

I Custodi delle Vigne dell’Etna

Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) | fraz. Solicchiata | c.da Moganazzi | tel. 095 374418 | www.icustodi.it The Custodi delle Vigne dell’Etna is a small but very beautiful winery that is part of Salvo Foti’s I Vigneri consortium. Founded in 2007 and run by Mario Paoluzzi, it can draw on a little more than twelve hectares and produces about 40,000 bottles. The viticulture is absolutely artisanal, with vinification that observes the rules of organic winemaking. Two labels are produced, a rosé and a white. The vineyards are planted in the alberello etneo system, terracing is in volcanic stone, chestnut wood poles hold up the vines, and dry walls do their job. The unique landscape shows up fully when tasting the wines. 58 SEPTEMBER 2016

Palmento Costanzo

Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) | c.da Santo Spirito | tel. 0942 983349 | www.palmentosantospirito.com Palmento Costanzo is a fine example of the renovation of an old palmento or winemaking facility and the dozen or so hectares of vineyard growing around it. The credit goes to Mimmo and Valeria Costanzo. They wanted to undertake a project connected to wine that benefited the landscape. This is Contrada Santo Spirito in Passopisciaro. The terracing that stretches to the winery is breathtaking. The architects wanted to leave the Palmento intact, while it intersects with the modernity of a newly-built winery. The wooden, egg-shaped barrels complete the picture. Among the wines tasted, the Nero di Sei and Bianco di Sei selections stand out. Their names refer to the volcano, the sixth Sicilian site on the Unesco World Heritage List.

Scammacca del Murgo

Santa Venerina (CT) | via Zafferana, 13 | tel. 095 950520 | www.murgo.it Thirty hectares located on the eastern slope are almost all dedicated to the Etna DOC. The story began at the beginning of the 1980s, when Baron Emmanuele Scammacca del Murgo decided to transform his properties into agricultural businesses. Now his sons, Michele, Pietro and Matteo look after the estate, which also includes a beautiful agriturismo with fifteen rooms. The first Etna Rosso was bottled in 1982, and this was one of the first estates to do so; in 1990, the first metodo classic spumante was released. Since then it has been a strong point in the production line-up. Among the still wines, the most interesting belong to the Tenuta San Michele line, and are made only in the best vintage years and from the best vineyard properties. The spumanti are produced from nerello mascalese and enjoy a very long stay on their lees. 59 SEPTEMBER 2016

VINO & TERRITORIO

Terrazze dell’Etna

Randazzo (CT) | loc. Bocca d’Orzo | tel. 328 6175952 | www.terrazzedelletna.it Terrazze dell’Etna is a young, ambitious project led by an engineer, Nino Bevilacqua, assisted by his daughter Alessia. Thirty-six hectares of vineyard are in the heart of the Etna natural park in the Randazzo municipality. The project led to the purchase of many small parcels, some of them abandoned, in order to obtain terraced vineyards between 700 and 800 meters above sea level. Production is supervised by enologist Riccardo Cotarella. Many wines are produced, all well-made and modern in style, although faithful to their territory of origin. Emphasis is on nerello mascalese, vinified on its own, in blends with nerello cappuccio or with international varieties, as well as a version “in bianco”. On the spumante front, we noted the Rosé made from nerello and the Brut from chardonnay grapes.

Tornatore

Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) | via Pietramarina, 8 | tel. 095 7563542 | www.tornatorewine.com We must go back to 1865 to see when the Tornatore family and the great-grandfather of the present owner began to work with vineyards and vines. Today it is Francesco Tornatore, an important entrepreneur in the industrial electronics sector, who oversees the winery. The estate has sixty hectares of property plus forty that it manages, located on the northern slope. For now, forty-six hectares are dedicated to vineyard, others are for growing olive trees and nuts. The rest of the land is being transformed into vineyards and will become the largest single vineyard in the entire denomination. The viticulture here is modern, mechanized where possible, and the vines are cordone speronato trained (pruned-spur cordon-trained). The altitude varies from 550 to 700 meters above sea level in the contradas of Crasà, Pietrarizzo, Malpasso, Pietramarina, Torre Guarino, Carranco and Trimarchisa, all in the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia. 60 SEPTEMBER 2016

ETNA | CANTINE & VINI

the wines

ALTA MORA – CUSUMANO Etna Bianco ’13 | 13€

From mono-varietal carricante grapes grown at 600 meters above sea level, trellis-style, in the Praino-Milo and Verzella-Castiglione di Sicilia zones. Vinified in stainless steel, three years after the harvest it still shows all the vitality and energy of a young wine with notes of candied citrus fruit and yellow flowers dominating a fascinating and multi-faceted nose. The mouth is taut, fresh and deep. Minerality emerges, as expected, and the finish is long and clean.

Etna Rosso ’13 | 15€

From mono-varietal nerello mascalese grapes grown in the contradas of Verzella, Pietramarina, Feudo di Mezzo and Solicchiata at altitudes of 600 to 800 meters. Aromas of ripe red fruit, sweet spices and flowers. The mouth is pleasant, modern, deep and creamy, delineated by balsamic freshness that makes for a long, elegant mouth-feel. Good structure, caressing tannin, soft, mouth-filling, with a very clean aroma.

BENANTI Etna Bianco Sup. Pietramarina ’11 |39€

Monovarietal carricante grapes, grown alberello-style at 950 meters above sea level in the Caselle contrada. It is premium Etna wine. Released after four years of aging, it maintains over time all the character of Etna’s wines: aromas of orange blossom, candied lemon and helichrysum flowers. The palate is taut, vibrant and at the same time rich in body and structure. Excellent drinkability thanks to balsamic freshness. Long, clean, full-flavored finish.

Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa ’11 | 35€

From nerello mascalese grapes (80%) with some nerello cappuccio added, grown on Monte Serra at 500 meters above sea level. Very old vines, over a hundred years old, some of which are ungrafted indigenous originals. It is a wine of enormous complexity, which emerges in notes of spices, currants, cherries, a touch of resin, tobacco and underbrush. The palate is deep, very fresh, easy to drink, with soft, silky tannin. The finish is balsamic, clean and long.

Grapes from cantina Tornatore

CALCAGNO Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo ’12 | 19€ 62 SEPTEMBER 2016

Made from nerello mascalese grapes with a small addition of nerello cappuccio. The wine is from the contrada Feudo di Mezzo from which it takes its name. It is an authentic cru from very old alberello vines, whose age ranges from seventy to ninety years. The aromas are balsamic, earthy, volcanic and spicy, fully expressing the production zone. The palate is taut, sharp, sometimes hard and edgy, with full structure and evident, pointed tannin. The finish is very long, fresh and vibrant.

Etna Rosso Arcuria ’12 | 19€

The same blend, labor and vinification as the Feudo di Mezzo label, but this wine comes from the Arcuria contrada. Fruity sensations prevail on the nose, with wild strawberries and currants appearing before notes of sweet spices and flowers. The palate is full and compact, with soft tannin and a mouth-filling and silky feel. The aromas on the nose return on the finish, with acidity that manages to push the wine along, leaving a fresh and clean sensation.

DUCA DI SALAPARUTA Vajasindi Làvico ’12 | 12€

From monovarietal nerello mascalese, grown in the Vajasindi estate, on alberello vines at 600-880 meters above sea level. On the nose, fragrance and vitality, with fruity notes above all. Blackberry, cherry, dried flowers and a spicy touch lead into a soft and silky palate well-balanced by ripe tannin and fresh balsamic tones that enliven the mouth. Long, clean finish.

Vajasindi Nawàri ’12 | 29€

Made from monovarietal pinot nero, traditionally grown in this Etna winery, a wine with fragrances of blackberry, currant, wild strawberry and sweet spices. Notes of dried flowers and a light balsamic sensation that leads into a slim palate with delicate tannin that develops lightly. Slightly bitter, very fresh finish

GIROLAMO RUSSO Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo ’13 | 35€

A real cru from the contrada of the same name, with about 1,000 bottles produced. It is made from nerello mascalese, with a very small percentage of cappuccio added. The nose displays berry notes, spices, dried flowers and hints of underbrush and tobacco. In the mouth it is creamy, with light and vital balsamic freshness. Tannin is mature, and acidity accompanies the mouthfeel for a clean and elegant finish.

Etna Rosso San Lorenzo ’13 | 35€

The same varieties as those of Feudo di Mezzo, and here too the vineyards grow in the contrada of the same name, twelve hectares of vineyard at 700-800 meters above sea level. Some vines are over a century old and thrust their roots into the entire volcanic substrata. Aromas display red fruit and medicinal herbs, followed by hints of dried roses, Mediterranean scrub and resin. The palate is balanced and seductive, fresh and very long.

GRACI Etna Rosso Arcurìa ’13 | 30€

From an ancient vineyard in the contrada of the same name, this is a great Etna red, produced exclusively from nerello mascalese grapes. Arcuria 2013 is made with indigenous yeasts. Fermentation takes place in oak barrels, and aging in large casks. Aromas display all the essence of the volcano, with earth and balsamic notes evident. A fruity tone precedes a savory mouth with caressing tannin. Very long in flavor, aromatic cleanliness and freshness.

Etna Bianco Arcurìa ’13 | 24€

A white produced on the northern slope, an area mostly dedicated to reds. It is made from carricante grapes grown in the Arcuria contrada, in a two-and-a-half-hectare vineyard located at 600 meters above sea level. The 2013 vintage displays aromas of orange blossom and candied citrus fruit, with a touch of saffron and acacia flowers. The mouth is vibrant with fresh acidity, flavorful and Mediterranean, rich in vitality. Very savory and clean finish.

I CUSTODI DELLE VIGNE DELL’ETNA Etna Bianco Ante ’13 | 25€

develops. On the finish, light tannin presses the palate deeply, giving mouth-filling flavor.

delicate, slim and deep, with balanced, creamy and clean bubbles.

I VIGNERI Etna Bianco Vigna di Milo ’13 | 35€

Etna Bianco Tenuta San Michele ’14 | 20€

Etna Rosso Vinupetra ’12 | 42€

TERRAZZE DELL’ETNA Etna Rosso Cirneco ’12 | 30€

Vigna di Milo comes from an area 900 meters above sea level on the eastern slope, and is made solely with carricante grapes grown alberello-style. This is a white of incredible olfactory complexity, starting with notes of yellow flowers and sensations of mountain herbs, then moving to hints of saffron and candied oranges. The palate is agile, vital and flavorful, with sensations of iodine on the finish.

Vinupetra is one of those reds that symbolizes Etna’s winegrowing history. It is made from nerello mascalese with a touch of cappuccio, alicante and francisi. These latter varieties are less common, but are naturally and historically present in the centuries-old vineyards of the northern slope. On the nose, spicy, earthy and underbrush notes prevail, while the palate is rich and creamy but softened by balsamic acidity and by flavor that makes for a deep and fascinating mouthful.

PALMENTO COSTANZO Etna Bianco ’14 | 14€

Made with carricante grapes grown in the Santo Spirito contrada, the wine is direct and sincere, characterized by notes of white flowers, citrus fruit, and a touch of Mediterranean herbs. The palate is savory and fresh, with marked acidity, but linked to rich and assertive but never heavy substance. A very clean finish with the sensations found on the nose emerging clearly.

A white made from mostly carricante grapes with some addition of minnella and grecanico. Alberello planting only, vines grow between 900 and 1200 meters above sea level. Vinification is in stainless steel. The result is surprising for its olfactory complexity, which ranges from notes of anise to hints of dried flowers and spices. The palate is savory, fresh and vital. The olfactory sensations return, the finish is deep and brings notes of iodine.

Etna Rosso Nero di Sei ’12 | 20€

Etna Rosato Alnus ’13 | 18€

SCAMMACCA DEL MURGO Extra Brut ’08 | 25€

lFrom the younger vineyards comes a rosé that represents Etna’s winegrowing history. Made from nerello mascalese with some cappuccio, it has aromas of fine spices, flowers, and berries. The palate is truly surprising. Agile and energetic thanks to the acidity found in the best whites, it attains good body and structure as it

Made from nerello mascalese grapes with some nerello cappuccio, grown on the old terraced vineyards in Santo Spirito contrada. Fermentation is spontaneous. Aging is in oak barriques, giving a complex red with a modern feel that doesn’t lose the genuine sensations of the territory. The nose offers aromas of forest floor and blackberries while the mouth is savory and very fresh.

Scammacca del Murgo is well-known for making quality spumante, and this Extra Brut shows why. After four years on its lees, with zero dosage (no added sugar), this spumante has floral and citrus notes on the nose, along with hints of bread crust. The palate is fresh,

63 SEPTEMBER 2016

The Tenuta San Michele Etna Bianco is a white made from carricante grapes grown in the vineyard of the same name. Careful selection of the bunches brings us a wine that is very precise and clean on the nose, with notes of yellow flowers and aromatic herbs. Fresh and savory in the mouth, it has a long, clean and slightly iodized finish.

Cirneco ’12, a mono-varietal nerello mascalese, is a modern, complex wine with notes of berries, currants and blackberries, slight hints of sweet spices and Mediterranean scrub. In the mouth, it shows its structure, but the body is well balanced between softness, sharp but never invasive tannin, and balsamic freshness that sustains each mouthful. A long, clean finish with excellent flavor.

Cuvée Brut Rosé | 22€

Metodo classic sparkling wine made from pinot nero grapes grown on Etna, with the addition of nerello mascalese. Thirty-six months on its lees gives us a spumante with aromas of wild strawberries and pastry. Rich, fresh, deep palate with fine, perfectly balanced bubbles that harmonize acidity, sapidity and softness. A very long, flavorful and clean finish.

TORNATORE Etna Rosso ’13 | 15€

Nerello mascalese grapes with some nerello cappuccio added. The super-modern Tornatore winery gives us a fascinating red, vinified in cement vats and aged in large barrels. Complex aromas of tobacco, berries, spices and flowers follow one after another, leading into a soft, mouth-filling wine with savory, fresh notes and a hint of iodine on the finish.

Etna Bianco ’14 | 15€

From carricante and catarrato grapes grown at 650 meters above sea level, on the northern slope of the volcano. The nose offers aromas of green apple, citrus fruit, yellow flowers, with touches of balsam, anise and marine scents. The mouth is rich and flavorful, with good length and complexity, marked acidity and full flavor that renders it easy to drink but above all, reminds us of the terroir of Etna.

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