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TIME FOR CHANGE: L’IMPERO BECOMES CONVIVIO PRIZED PURVEYOR: MEET VINNY THE OCTOPUS GUY THE TRINITY: OLIVES, CAPERS, AND ANCHOVIES behind the bar: THE ITALIAN JOB BAROLO: TRADITIONAL VS MODERN

L ’ impero becomes

convivio In reopening as Convivio, Michael White and Chris Cannon are recapturing a sense of fun, and highlighting the warmth and generosity that southern Italian food represents.

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7 Time for Change Owner Chris Cannon opens up on the past of L’Impero and the future of Convivio.

11 The Trinity As bountiful ingredients in southern Italy, olives, capers, and anchovies stand out as the culinary trinity.

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12 Meet Vinny Vinny the Octopus Guy helps these eight-armed invertebrates take center stage on the plate.

13 No Ordinary Butcher Pat LaFrieda is setting new standards for the Chef–Butcher relationship, and it’s all great for what’s on your plate.

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15 Barolo Tasting the difference between the lean and austere “traditional” Barolos and the opulent, dark-colored “modern” ones.

16 The Italian Job A traditional digestivo, the bitter liqueur amaro, is making its way into satisfying before-dinner cocktails.

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© 2006 Nestlé Waters North America, Inc.

A WATER THAT BELONGS ON THE WINE LIST.

THE PRIDE OF TUSCANY SINCE 1927, LUSH AND LUMINOUS ACQUA PANNA FROM S.PELLEGRINO IS THE PERFECT COMPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD AND WINE.

open letter from

Chris Cannon

A C o n v i v ial T ran s f o r m at i o n!

In the last few months since the opening of Convivio, a number of customers have stopped at the door and asked the question, “Why did you change the name of the restaurant?” Some have been quite upset, citing their love of L’Impero and warning me that their meal had better be good!

I consequently feel the need to explain the thought process behind a change that, to some, might seem counterintuitive, given the success of a restaurant that rated three stars in the New York Times and won a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in the US in 2002.

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“By reopening as Convivio, I’ve been able to rethink the menu, giving me the opportunity to implement my culinary vision and interpretation of southern Italian cuisine with flavorful and soulful dishes.”

—Chef Michael White

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sconvivio apori

I originally opened L’Impero in 2002 as a

I are trying to recapture that sense of fun

restaurant that would provide a high standard

that was lost, and to highlight the warmth

of service and cuisine at a reasonable price.

and sense of generosity that southern

Our original prix fixe menu was $48 for a four-

Italian food represents. We have added a

course menu of antipasto, primi, secondi, and

whole new category of sfizi, or small tastes

dessert. You could, of course, order à la carte

to the menu, and in general increased the

as well, but we felt that we wanted to push

indigenous varietals as well as New York’s first all-

selections by 40 percent and lowered our

our diners into ordering the traditional Italian

Italian microbrew list and an excellent variety of amari.

prices by 15 percent.

meal as opposed to eating pasta as a main

the transition.

Finally, we have revitalized the wine list with the help of our excellent Sommelier Levi Dalton, who came to us from stints at Masa and Daniel. The new list features an extensive selection of very interesting southern Italian

The results speak for themselves. Our business is up

course or appetizer, as is common in the

As for the décor, we asked our partner,

dramatically, customers are happy, and we are proud

United States. The response was fantastic, as

Vicente Wolf, to simply fix some of the issues

to have received three stars from The New York Times

the restaurant was packed with enthusiastic

or deficiencies that we had in the seating

and New York magazine, and a mention as one of the

diners from day one. Over the years, the prix

layout of the room, and to, in general, give

best new restaurants of the year from John Mariani at

fixe became costlier as we began to use

the room a more youthful Italian flair. We

Esquire magazine.

more expensive products in order to satisfy

incorporated burnt-orange fabrics on the

our mistaken perception of what a three-star

banquettes and clad some of the columns

restaurant should be. Eventually, I felt the

and walls in glass to give a more spacious

restaurant lost the conviviality and bustle

and airy feel to the dining experience. The

that made each and every meal feel special.

tabletop incorporates high-polished stainless

In reopening as Convivio, Michael White and

steel chargers and new dishes to complete

We hope to see you again soon, and thank you for all of your support in the past.

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non n a C ris e h C o ns t el Whit ork o i t a ha wY ul c e t i N a M l r Cong and Chefuccessfu ment. er s tablish h t o on andining es

Pat La Frieda Meats has bee n New York City’s purveyor of the Finest meats for three generations. Our close collaboration with che fs has been the cornersto of thousands of enjoyable ne dining experiences. We pride our selves on bringing the small farm to the big city by supporting family run pro ducers so that the best quality and most Flavorful meats end on up on the din er’s plate.

Patrick LaFrieda - President Mark Pastore - Vice Presid ent

Selim Jazz music is our way of making wine.

We improvise the melodies of the grapes.

We make a unique performance of every harvest. Selim is like Miles Davis in his late phase: light and chilled out; only the sound of his trumpet reminded listeners of his sad ballads.

Description: Selim shows a brilliant greenish yellow color. The nose and palate denotes intense, clean, and pleasing aromas and flavors that start with hints of pineapple, pear, and apple followed by aromas of peach and tangerine.

Perella

Naima

The fiano grapes for the production

Naima epitomizes this part of the

of Perella come from the oldest

Cilento. It is created here because it

vineyard of our estate.

Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, it is an assertive wine, yet suggestive; it whispers but does not cry; it has the gift of simplicity turned into absolute profundity.

Description: Straw in color. Peach, nuts, and soy aromas followed by a beautifully rounded, full-bodied,

is only here that it can happen. This wine, whose name conjures up Coltrane, is not a constructed wine–it rejects any control, just as the land it comes from.

Description:

Viticoltori De Conciliis

making wine that feeds the soul

Dark garnet in color with pronounced chocolate and coffee aromas. Tannins are sweet and soft, resulting in a velvety finish.

and supple texture.

KA! Our Ka! falls between the moscato wines and the continental passiti wines. So it brings with it the bright sea shades of the islands and the rigorously continental approach of the inland regions, reflected in the selection of the grapes, which are meticulously removed by hand from their vines.

Description: The Ka! is a Moscato Bianco Passito, full with great flavors of flowers and peaches.

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in the k itchen the B uilding bloc k s of

s outhern i talian c uisine

with Chef Michael White

Every cuisine has its building blocks: flavor builders that add depth to food. In France, you start with shallots, butter, thyme, and bay leaves for the base of a sauce. In Italy, it’s garlic, onion, and oil; it’s tomatoes; it’s the trinity: olives, capers, and anchovies.

If you sauté zucchini in olive oil, it would be delicious enough, but when you add a little garlic, you add and assert flavors that make it even better.

There are a lot of misconceptions about southern Italian cooking. First, almost everything that it is noted for, including the beloved tomato, came from somewhere else but over thousands of years has been incorporated into a unique cooking style. Most Americans think southern Italian food is ziti and red sauce, because those were the kind of dishes southern Italian immigrants made in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s. In reality, the playbook is huge for southern Italian food, from couscous to seafood, the use of mint, and sheep’s cheese, sausages, and peppercinos. Pickling, preserving in vinegar, is a big part of their culture.

Southern Italy is not comprised of rich terrain, yet it yields a bounty of ingredients that produce more pronounced flavors perhaps because of the extra effort needed to survive. Olive trees flourish best in limestone beds, tolerating drought thanks to sturdy root systems. Craggy hills drop to seascape borders; the kind of place you can find caper bushes growing with wild abandon. The waters on the Sicilian coast teem with the herring’s cousin, the anchovy. These are the jewels of cooking, tiny additions that make the whole even more delectable.

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the trinity O lives . . . C apers . . . and A nchovies , oh my !

Olives

Capers

Anchovies

The rugged olive tree hails from Greece and thrives in the similar climate—hot and dry—of southern Italy. An evergreen known for its silvery green leaves that have come to symbolize abundance, glory, and peace, its fruit is harvested late in the year, in November and December. The once-popular harvesting method or brucatura, pulling one olive at a time off full branches, has given way to using machines that clamp on the trunk to gently shake the tree, with netting around the base of the tree to catch the released olives. Due to their high acidic content, freshly picked olives can’t be consumed until they are fermented: cure dried with salt, brine, or oil or dry roasted. Best eaten at room temperature as an aperitif or generously added to pastas or meat dishes to build flavor.

Also introduced by the Greeks, caper bushes grow wild in coastal areas with a similar penchant for full sun as the olive tree. A perennial spiny shrub, its fruit—a dark olivegreen bud the size of a kernel of maize—is also called a caper. Caper berries, the second bud of the plant, with seeds and a stamen, are also gaining popularity and, like the caper, are pickled before consumption in either salt or a salt-and-vinegar solution.

This creates an intense pungent flavor best described as a combination of mustard and black pepper.

This small, common saltwater fish, related to the herring, breeds abundantly in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean, although overfishing has become a source of concern in recent years. While fresh anchovies have a mild flavor, the stronger taste usually associated with these fish occurs due to the curing process. Anchovies are generally gutted, salted in brine, and later preserved in either salt or olive oil. They are added whole to dishes or salads or ground into a paste or “garum” for seasoning.

Chef White’s favorites

Castelvetrano: My favorite olive by far because it has low brine. It’s a very meaty olive by way of Sicily—bright green in color and tastes like candy. They are not too salty, with sweetness to them. Take a heavybottomed pan, smash the olives, remove the pits, and you can spread it right onto toast—they are amazing. Because it’s not an aggressive-tasting olive, it’s awesome with fish. Eating a Castelvetrano gives you a different perspective on olives!

Ligurian Black Olive: From Liguria and similar in taste to a French niçoise olive.

Handpicked in the hills of the Italian Riviera, these small brownish-black olives are cured in fresh, laurel-scented brine. Meaty with a full aromatic flavor.

Gaeta: Small black olives that are wither dry-cured (making them wrinkle) or brinecured (making them smooth and dark purple in color). Very flavorful.

Chef White’s favorites

Pantelleria: These are the finest, without question! They come from a tiny volcanic island off the coast of Sicily, where they are pickled in salt. I find capers in salt have a more delicate flavor so that when you wash off the salt, there is more of the caper’s essence left intact. Capers can also lose some of their texture to brine as well.

Cooking tips The beauty of capers is that, on the flavor spectrum, they can be sweet, sour, or salty.

So if you don’t want to add a heavy taste, cook them out in your dish. Adding raw capers to the end of the cooking process brings more intensity to the plate.

Salmoriglio is a condiment that graces the Italian table just like ketchup does in America. It’s very versatile, consisting of anchovy, onion, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil with a base of capers. It’s left out on the table in a bowl and pairs well with everything from steamed vegetables and chicken to fish.

Chef White’s favorites

Porto salvo Anchovies: These are from Sicily and are the best you will ever eat because instead of being salty, they have sweetness to them. Red in color and cured with just enough salt and bottled in this amazing yellow oil, they are the Rolls Royce of anchovies. I’ve watched people eat them right out of the jar!

Cooking tips Anchovies are so versatile, you can add them just about anywhere as a flavor-building block, and unlike capers and olives, they disintegrate when they cook out, so no one even knows when they are in a dish!

A great way to get the flavoring is by adding a few drops of Colatura di Alici from Cetara on the Amalfi Coast—the clarified drippings (blood and juices) of the anchovies. Use it as a substitute for salt in a recipe.

Make a puree and serve with radishes. Pour the anchovies into a blender and whip. You end up with a mayonnaise-like consistency: very light and frothy.

Cooking tips Don’t pair a strong-tasting olive like a Gaeta with a salty dish—like fish. Use olives to build and complement a dish. Warming them up in a pan with your meat or fish or pasta accentuates the flavor of the dish.

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purveyors

octopus :

Look for Vinny’s octopi to make their small-screen debut on this season’s Iron Chef!

finally getting a little tenderizing loving care Once relegated to the position of that mysterious sea monster of the depths, and always on the receiving end of squeamish faces on sight, these eight-armed invertebrates are finally getting their due: center stage on the dinner plate.

Vincent Cutrone, owner of the Octopus Garden in Brooklyn, a specialty fish market, credits the ballooning food explosion in general for elevating the status of octopus. “It has to do with quality food on the exotic side,” he explains. “People are more disposed to experiment.

True, they still grimace when they see it, but they are at least willing to taste it. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find prepared octopus in supermarkets in the future.”

In the meantime, don’t fret: cephalopods dot the menus of many of New York’s finest dining establishments (including both Convivio and Alto). Word of mouth accounts for the bulk of his business, with celebrity chefs who are lured in by the product and hooked on his processing techniques.

“Now, don’t try this at home,” laughs Vincent, as he recounts stories of people who have tried to tenderize octopus and cuttlefish in washing machines. “You’ll end up with a very rusty machine in no time at all”— not to mention a stinky one as well! His storefront in Brooklyn houses a battery of custom-made machines that basically paddle the fleshy mass into a palatable state. One machine resembles a cradle, upon which a container of salt water and ice and octopus is affixed.

As the cradle rocks back and forth, the motion allows

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the water to act like waves pounding the creature into submission! Another machine is equipped with paddles that sway back and forth in a semicircular fashion, beating the octopus with salty brine.

“This is not a new concept; ever since humankind has taken octopus out of the sea, they have tenderized it before consuming it.

Along the coast of the Mediterranean, they beat them against the rocks in the salty water. We recreated the technique through our machines.”

Vinny’s octopi mainly come from the northern Atlantic, off the coast of Africa, near the Canary Islands, waters governed by strict European Union rules. “Sustainable fishing is the goal: the E.U. is careful not to let certain areas get overfished. Plus, between October and January, the season is closed.” Once the octopi are taken out of the water, they are immediately placed in blast freezers. “An item that comes to us ‘fresh’ will take a minimum of two to three days, and I don’t regard that as fresh anymore. So it’s better they are shipped

frozen.” Although octopi do change color as a defense mechanism, Vinny suggests picking out ones that are white and crispy looking.

“Red is a sign of oxidation. Avoid that. Usually after an octopus has been tenderized, it curls into a ball and looks beautiful.”

While Vinny enjoys eating his octopus at such restaurants as Convivio and Alto—“I like seeing what people come up with”—he’s happy to eat them, simply prepared, at home as well. “I cut up larger ones into pieces, throw them into a sauce made of onions and tomatoes, and let it steep in there for half an hour or so. Large octopi are perfect for salads.

The smaller ones—half-pounders or so— can be eaten whole, either grilled, boiled, or marinated. I usually slice them open on one side, throw them on a hot grill for up to 10 minutes per side, and dress them in olive oil and lemon.” With less than 1 percent of fat, they are a perfect meal. “I was recently in Italy, where you eat octopus raw after they are tenderized with just a little lemon and bread. Perfecto!”

L a F rieda says

“ E at my M eat ” and N ew Y or k ers are happy to comply

It’s printed on the side on his building in a bubble above a chicken—but don’t stop with their poultry.

Pat LaFrieda Meats has rapidly gained status for their amazing custom cuts and product-line selections that make them the choice boutique meat supplier to New York’s top eateries.

Mark Pastore, Pat’s first cousin whose own

conditions. “I shine upon farms that are full

a heritage Berkshire breed that originally came from

family has always been in the meat business

circle: they grow what they feed their animals.

England and today is sustainably raised on three small

and who himself has racked up seven years

I prefer when everything is sustained based

farms out of the Midwest. It is 100 percent antibiotic

with the company, surmises they service

on one piece of land with one family or group

free, hormone free, free-pasture-raised pork.

about 500 restaurant accounts each week.

of people in charge; I don’t like outsourcing.

Mark obviously enjoys his rapport with Chef White

“Our chefs come to us primarily by word of

And since meat is a delicate item, how an

and Chris Cannon, whose restaurants he likens to a

mouth, which is really the best way to do

animal is handled—raised, harvested, and

magic show because “you never know what’s up their

business in this town,” he explains. “When

brought to me—is a very important part of

sleeves, but you’re always pleasantly surprised!” The

you have great chefs like Michael White

the process.”

most unusual dish Chef White ever served him was a

turning around and telling others about us, it becomes a snowball effect.” Mark is proud of the company’s relationships with their chef-clients. LaFrieda has no sales people; it is the butchers themselves who maintain each connection, and where the bond of trust begins.

The LaFrieda goal is to encourage people to enjoy life through great meals at fine restaurants by supplying a product that is just not available at home. And therein lies the relationship with the chef. At Convivio, there is even a special pork chop named after Mark.

“I would always tell Chef White about a pork

whole veal tongue on a bed of risotto. “It was cute and clever, just looking straight at me, but I have to say it was also wonderful, like everything else Chef creates.” He recommends the veal chop, also from the Amish milkfed line, as well as White’s whole suckling pig.

“Chef White roasts Duroc pigs whole, and they are great,” adds Mark. The animals are raised on a familyowned farm in the Hudson Valley. “Duroc pigs are a rich

In a world where quality and sustainability

chop I wanted from the end of the rib, which

go hand in hand, all the animals they bring

is closest to the chuck, that has an extra piece

in are humanely raised on smaller farms in

of meat on it. It’s so juicy and tender and

upstate New York or the Midwest. All their

anyone in the meat business always goes

LaFrieda Meats are based in Manhattan’s Lower West

veal comes from Amish or Mennonite farms

for it. Michael added it to his menu based on

Village and have served the New York area for over

in Pennsylvania, for example, where Mark

my recommendation.” The chop comes from

routinely heads in order to check overall

a special signature line called Hampshire,

breed that marbles and muscles well. And at 20 to 50 pounds each, you can actually get them into an oven!”

90 years.

For more information, visit www.lafrieda.com.

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wine

A B it about

B arolo E ric Z illier , S ommelier at alto

Never before have the wines of Italy been in such high demand in the U.S. Among the most well known of these is Barolo.

Recognized for its ageability, structure, and balance, Barolo hails from arguably the greatest of Italian wine regions.

The name “Barolo” is a Celtic derivation for wood or orchard (brolio or brol). Barolo’s popularity has brought with it many misconceptions about what it is, or what it is supposed to be. Varied winemaking styles, from the lean and austere “traditional” Barolos to the opulent, dark-colored “modern” ones, makes it very difficult to make sweeping characteristic generalizations about the wine.

Barolo is produced in the region of Piemonte in the northwestern corner of Italy, nestled between two major mountain chains: the Alps to the north and the Apennines to the south. The region’s altitude plays a definite factor, ranging from 800 to 1400 feet, but the critical issue is the grape’s exposure to the sun, since the late ripening grape of Barolo, nebbiolo, struggles to ripen even in the best of climes. For this reason, the exposure of the grapes in the Piedmont hills is chosen very carefully to capture as much sunlight as possible, the best being south-southwest. Hence, words like bricco (hilltop) or sori (slope) figure into many of the labels in the region.

To qualify for the Barolo DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), the highest quality level recognized within Italy, there is a lengthy list of criteria that must be met: geographic zone, soil type, yield (how many tons of grapes per acre), clones of nebbiolo allowed (Michet, Lampia, and Rose), and even

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the type and size of the bottle (no less than 350cc). It is further decreed that the wine have the color of “red garnet with orange reflections”; have an odor of “perfume” that is “ethereal, agreeable[, and] intense”; and a “dry, full, robust, austere but velvety, [and] harmonious” flavor. A governmentregulated panel tastes the wines of Barolo to ensure that these specifications have been met. In addition, all Barolo must be aged for no less than three years, two of which must be in oak. For a “Riserva,” the wine must be aged for no less than five years. These requirements are due to the fact that nebbiolo naturally contains high levels of acidity and tannin that tend to soften over time.

There are 11 townships that produce Barolo, five of which comprise 87 percent of overall production. These are La Morra, Barolo, Castiglione di Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba, and Monforte d’Alba. The western part of Barolo (La Morra and Barolo) makes for more elegant, perfumed wine because of the limestone clay soil, while the eastern part of the region (Castiglione di Falletto, Serralunga, and Monforte) produces more robust, powerful, tannic wines due to sandstone-based soils. A reason for this

difference is that the bluish soil (due to manganese and magnesium) in the west is younger and more fertile, whereas the soil in the east is older, Helvetian soil, with more iron. The less vigorous soil tends to slow the growth of the vines to make for a more powerful, age worthy wine.

Not unlike pinot noir or riesling, nebbiolo has the potential to reflect the terroir more purely than many other grapes. In the mid 19th century, Camillo Cavour (who was also instrumental in the unification of Italy in 1861) called upon French oenologist Louis Oudart to transform nebbiolo into something more structured and age worthy since, until then, most of the wines from the area were sweet. Mr. Oudart was well aware of the relationship between the soil and the finished wine. Enjoyed by the nobles of Turin and the House of Savoy, Barolo soon earned the nickname “the wine of kings, the king of wines.”

By the 1930s, the best areas for making Barolo had been identified. The next important chapter in its history happened in the 1960s. A group of visionary winemakers made a concerted effort to improve the wines of Barolo. Partially influenced by Burgundian

winemakers, with whom they consulted, a new focus on vineyard-specific Barolo emerged. Some winemakers learned these new techniques while others steadfastly held to ancient practices. Two schools of Barolo emerged: the “traditionalists” and the “modernists.”

Traditional practices include long skin maceration (where the skins of the grapes are in contact with the unfermented juice), the use of large Slovenian oak casks called botti for aging, and no temperature control during fermentation. The oxidation of the must, or freshly pressed grape juice, during this type of maceration actually lightens the wine and increases tannins, causing the wine to become brick or orange in color.

This process can also add other bacterial odors. For some, these odors are a classic trait of traditional Barolo; to others, these aromas can be off-putting. Extended bottle aging, sometimes 20 years or more, is necessary to soften the tannins in traditional Barolo. The best of these wines can have an incredible aging potential of 50 years or more. Elements of earth, tar, and rose can make for wines with unparalleled structure. Some feel these wines are the most accurate reflection of the terroir of the

respective communes. From a marketing point of view, however, these wines are difficult because they take so long to age and don’t always get big scores from the press.

The modernists, on the other hand, are associated with shorter, temperaturecontrolled fermentations and less barrel aging to encourage more fruit and softer tannins. Other methods are also employed to bring out the fruit and give the wine more color intensity, such as using small French barrels, called barrique, with a high toast (where the inside of the barrel is charred to a great degree) to impart a darkness to the wine. Limiting the fermenting wine’s exposure to oxygen also produces a Barolo with brighter, more intense, clean fruit flavors. At one point, there was even a movement to reduce the amount of nebbiolo to 90 percent to allow for the addition of other international varieties that would make the wines even richer. This effort mercifully failed. Modernist Barolo wines are often more blue in color than garnet.

The increase of glycerin and extracted fruit make for a rich, bold wine that is considerably heavier than the wines of the traditionalists. In addition to rose, hints of

vanilla, spice, and plum appear. The downside is that it is not always clear where the wines come from due to excessive oak and extraction. With age, these elements can integrate to exhibit a decadent side while remaining true representatives of the commune from which they came. There is some debate as to how these wines will age since the tannins are softer in modern Barolo. Time will tell.

When you are looking for a Barolo, keep in mind that there are many different styles. From the lean, austere Burgundian to the rich, decadent modern, there is happily a Barolo out there for everyone.

Examples of Traditional Producers Bartolo Mascarello Giacomo Conterno Vietti Bruno Giacosa Examples of Modern Producers Paolo Scavino Sandrone Moccagatta Domenico Clerico Other Great Producers Whose Wines Have Both Traditional and Modern Traits Aldo Conterno Pio Cesare Ceretto Prunotto Gaja sapori

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behind the bar

The Italian Job Alto’s Bartender Daniel Horvath

Amari, Italy’s traditional bitter liqueurs, are usually consumed as a digestivo, but are now finding their way into cocktails, especially in the United States. Brewed with an often secret mix of herbs, roots, flowers, and other botanicals, the concoction is left to macerate in a neutral spirit before being distilled. Horvath chose Averna, a Sicilian amaro, for The Italian Job cocktail because of its bright and refreshing characteristics, which highlight the addition of blood orange and lemon peels to its aromatic base of herbs.

1 lime 1.5 oz Averna Amaro 1 oz Plymouth Gin mint leaf ice

Cut the lime into four equal pieces. Muddle three wedges in a shaker with the Averna and the Plymouth. Fill the shaker with ice, and shake. Pour entire contents of shaker into a rocks glass. Garnish with a mint leaf.

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The PhilosoPher enTr ePr eneur

Thirty years ago, a successful industrialist decided to devote himself to his great passion: wine-making. And so began a fascinating and complex story of three very important estates in Tuscany.

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The purchase and restoration of an historic monastery (dating from 1000) at Castelnuovo Berardenga, in the heart of the Siena Chianti Classico area, the present day Castello di Monastero.

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Montalcino, the homeland of one of the most famous wines in the world, saw the acquisition and renovation of the Coldisole estate.

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Lastly, the foundation of Poggio alle Sughere in the Tuscan Maremma area.

2008 Distributed by W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd. Harrison NY 10604 wjdeutsch.com

HauteNotes

From the publisher, Haute Notes is about the discovery of all things innovative

and exciting in food and wine, art and design, and style and travel. Visit hautenotes.com.

HAUTEvine

HAUTECASK

Ceretto

Glenmorangie Signet

The Ceretto winery was founded in the 1920s but really came to prominence under the leadership of Bruno and Marcello Ceretto in the 1970s.

The Ceretto brothers are credited with bottling the first singlevineyard cru Barolo in 1982, Bricco Rocche. Ceretto also produces several Barbarescos and a traditional lineup of Piemontese wines: dolcetto, barbera, moscato, and a popular arneis.

Glenmorangie Signet is probably the most groundbreaking innovation in the world of single malts for decades. At the heart of its creation is a high-roasted “chocolate” malt that provides rich, dark, and powerful flavors no whisky has ever been able to balance so beautifully.

Signet is created from a secret combination of some of the rarest and oldest whiskies from Glenmorangie’s archives and reveals hints of amaretto, dark chocolate, and espresso.

Sneak Peek of Marea Chris Cannon’s latest project with partner Chef Michael White is called Marea, opening early 2009. The name is an ode to the four bodies of water that surround Italy and will feature a menu dedicated to fresh fish and seafood in a chic, urban space—picture sleek design with gleaming woods, buttery leathers, and Italian fabrics. Chef White will continue his tradition of house-made pastas and will also feature an extensive crudo menu. Cannon is personally designing the wine list: a significant assortment of European whites along with specially matched reds to go with the sea-oriented menu.

Restaurant Locations

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Alto 11 E 53rd Street New York, NY 10022

Convivio 45 Tudor City Pl New York, NY 10017

t. 212.308.1099

t. 212.599.5045

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HAUTETASTE

HAUTENOTEWORTHY

Publisher Michael Goldman

Editor-in-Chief Pamela Jouan Design Director Jana Potashnik BAIRDesign, Inc.

Hot Bread Kitchen One part bakery, one part social cause, Hot Bread Kitchen offers fresh breads baked according to traditional recipes from around the world. They handgrind their own cornmeal to make authentic corn tortillas, bake Europeanstyle breads such as baguettes and multigrain loaves, and produce organic wheat-flour lavash in their own style to create a crispy cracker topped with a variety of seeds and spices. Their social objective is to offer new professional opportunities to immigrant women while preserving baking traditions—a very good excuse to eat more bread from Hot Bread Kitchen. hotbreadkitchen.org.

Made to taste.com MadeToTaste.com is an online shopping destination that offers a curated selection of chef-created and chef-related products.

Imagine shopping in a chef’s pantry for food products, kitchen tools and accessories, and cookbooks! MadeToTaste. com also features chef demonstration videos, recipes, and wine and cocktail pairings.

Managing Editor Christian Kappner Assistant Editor Stephane Henrion Copy Editor kelly suzan waggoner Contributing Writers Pamela Jouan Chris cannon Photo Director Charles Harris Photography Melissa Hom Advertising advertising@hautelifepress.com Marketing Director Katherine Payne

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Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

What makes an excellent wine? Is it great terroir or the master’s touch? Is it the gentle slope of the vineyard or the complexity that only time can lend to barrel aging? With a spectrum of exceptional accomplishment across regions, vineyards and producers, Italy continues to produce classic icons that serve as benchmarks for exquisite wines throughout the world.

Come share our enthusiasm for the excellence of Italian wine.

THE ITALIAN WINES OF KOBRAND BOLLINI | CAPOSALDO | CAMPO AL MARE | CASTELLO DEL TERRICCIO FERNANDO PIGHIN & FIGLI | FEUDO MACCARI | MICHELE CHIARLO | TENUTE DEL CABREO TENUTA LA FUGA | TENUTA DI NOZZOLE | TENUTA DI SALVIANO | TENUTA SAN GUIDO TENUTA SETTE PONTI | TENUTE SILVIO NARDI | TORCALVANO

©2009 Kobrand Corporation, New York, N.Y. www.kobrandwineandspirits.com

Excellence In Italian Wine