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Issue 1 Volume 12
US $3.95
La Guardiense
Guardia 33 This “New Old” Winery Hits the U.S. in a Big Way page 16
La Guardiense
Guardians of the Wine
By Patrick Sullivan
You know what I don’t like about Italy? Nothing.
Photo by Patrick Sullivan
The land, the sea, the culture, the people, the food, the wine. Ah, the wine; I always come back to that.
A
nd to get to the wine in Italy, there are many beautiful routes. Beginning in Rome, we could head north to Tuscany or Piedmont, over undulating green hills sprinkled with fairy-tale villas. Or, why not climb east over the Apennine Mountains to Le Marche or Abruzzo, peacefully facing the gleaming Adriatic? We might roam south to Basilicata or Puglia, both bucolic and serene, yet each with its own personality. Every one of Italy’s 20 geographic regions, or communes, produces wine…lots of wine…and every one yields, at least, a few excellent ones, giving us a bounty of choices. This time, let us take the long way to a place nearby…the vineyards of Campania. In a hurry, we would drive southeast via Route A1, arriving in Campania in less than two hours. With time on our side, we wind our way due south out of Rome toward the west coast, then continue southeast, along a breathtaking series of little two-lane roads that twist painfully but spectacularly along the Tyrrhenian Sea toward Naples, the capital and largest city in Campania. After a pizza and a new custom-made suit, we might extend our southerly amble to
the legendary beauty of the Amalfi Coast, but this time, the siren calling us is the vine, so we turn easterly into the heart of the region. Perhaps, on a first visit, it would be toward the province of Avellino, surrounded by the only three D.O.C.G.¹ areas in Campania. Our plan, instead, is to make our way northeast to the province of Benevento, seat of one of the largest wine cooperatives in Italy, and producers of stellar regionally-correct varietals and a breathtaking riserva. Campania is the second most populous commune, and most densely-populated in Italy, but one would not suspect that, traversing the rolling hills through countless fields of vines, as well as many other agricultural products, such as artichokes, strawberries, tobacco, and chestnut and hazelnut trees.
Photos by Patrick Sullivan
The small, lovely village of Guardia Sanframondi is home to La Guardiense, a farming cooperative, formed by 33 associates in 1960, with the intent of stimulating business and the local economy through combined efforts of research,
development, production, shipping and marketing. In March, 2010, the association celebrated its first 50 years, having grown to well over 1000 members. The effectiveness of the Co-op is obvious in the quality of their products and the success of their sales locally, nationally and, increasingly, internationally. The local focus is reflected in the types of wines made, all indigenous grapes, and all showing a level of excellence and sophistication unheard of 20 years ago. The new line of wines being exported to the United States is impressive in every case. All are D.O.C.² and labeled under the brand “Guardia 33,” meaning “Guard 33,” named after the 33 original founders of the cooperative, and suggesting the many symbolic strengths long associated with the number. (Dan Brown’s 2009 novel “The Lost Symbol” had the number 33 lead the protagonist to the “meaning of life.”) Continued on page 18
¹ DOCG, Denominazione di Origine Cotrollata e Garantita, controlled place name with other guarantees, such as having to pass random taste tests for quality and style. There are 47 DOCG regions in Italy. ² DOC, Denominazione di Origine Caotrollata, controlled name of place of origin, numbering over 300.
We asked Chefs Scott Conant and Dan Rossi of D.O.C.G. Enoteca at the Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to come up with some of their innovative food pairings for the wines, all of which are available at D.O.C.G. in the Cosmopolitan. Included below are some of their brilliant suggestions. The three whites are especially interesting, in light of their familial connection; they are all members of the Greco family of grapes, now widely believed by oenologists to have been the parent of most of the white varietals in Italy, a stunning feat of proliferation, considering the nearly 1,000 different white varietals extant.
Named for the Greeks who brought many grapes to Italy more than 2000 years ago, the Greco, as with the other whites from Guardia 33, is a 100% varietal from Sannio D.O.C.-fruit, and like the others, is aged in stainless steel. Similarly, it is gently aromatic and straw-colored, with juiciness and bright acidity. Try it at home with a cool buffalo mozzarella on a warm day. Better yet, visit D.O.C.G. and ask for Chef Dan Rossi’s pairing: Pork Chocchetta, tomato jus and preserved lemon, proving that both the chef and the Greco are foodpairing wizards.
Falanghina paired with Grilled Scallops with Caper Salmoriglio.
Greco paired with Pork Crocchetta, tomato jus and preserved lemon.
Fiano paired with Veal Raviolini, sage butter sauce.
Photos by Bill Bokelmann
The Fiano grape, also from Sannio D.O.C., shows more intense aromas, with a lingering pesto-like bouquet of flavors, including herbs and pine nuts. This one has the chops to pair with…well, chops, veal or pork, as well as many types of seafood. Chef Rossi explores the Fiano’s versatility with his dish of Veal Raviolini with sage butter sauce. The sweet blossoms and spicy flavor of the grape were known to attract bees, giving it the nickname vitis apiano, “beevine,” from which its name is adapted.
D.O.C.G. General Manager Kevin D’Antonio hosted as Executive Chef Dan Rossi prepared the pairings.
Grilled Scallops with Caper Salmoriglio prepared by Chef Rossi at both D.O.C.G. and Scarpetto in the Cosmopolitan, an ingenious match for the feisty Fiano! The name is derived form the Latin term meaning “pole,” referring to the ancient Greek method of training the vines. Interestingly, Falanghina is seldom found on its own, but nearly always in blends.
Displaying a little of the nuttiness of the Fiano and citrus juiciness of the Greco, but with prominent lemon juice and lemon zest, Falanghina, from the Guardiolo D.O.C., in sum, is refreshing. I can almost taste the Caprese salad, paired perfectly with it. What I would rather taste, however, is the
Both reds from Guardia 33 are outstanding, beginning with the stainless-steel-aged Aglianico, from Guardiolo D.O.C. Its name is thought to come from the Roman term “Ellenico” (Hellenic) used for the Greeks, who brought it to Campania. In its best incarnations, it is referred to as “the
Rosso Riserva paired with Veal Chop with porcini mushroom and crispy pancetta.
¹ DOCG, Denominazione di Origine Cotrollata e Garantita, controlled place name with other guarantees, such as having to pass random taste tests for quality and style. There are 47 DOCG regions in Italy. ² DOC, Denominazione di Origine Caotrollata, controlled name of place of origin, numbering over 300.
Barolo of the South.” The classic style has earthiness, sometimes with notes of tar, leather and tobacco; the Guardia 33 style adds a slightly brighter and redder fruit component that lightens the usually ‘brooding’ grape. Savor it with wild boar and other game, as well as strongly-flavored pasta dishes. It works beautifully with Chef Rossi’s Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop with balsamic glaze. The crown jewel of the Guardia 33 line is an unusual blend of 80%/20% Sangiovese/ Aglianico…the Rosso Riserva, also from Guardiolo D.O.C. The grapes are chosen from the best vineyards, the wine aged for two years in small oak casks. You may recognize the Sangiovese as the primary grape in Chianti but, in this blend, in this region, it is a very different wine, displaying the grace, complexity and personality some of the best Chiantis can only dream of, more reminiscent of a Brunello di Montalcino. Although not extensively grown in Campania, the grape is not out of place in the region, since recent DNA testing has revealed that it is the child of an obscure Tuscan grape and the previously under-appreciated Calabrese de Montenuovo, grown for centuries in Campania. This Reserve wine has the
most prestigious of Italian wine reviewers, “Gambero Rosso.” Thousands of restaurants come and go, but the best, like D.O.C.G., always stand out. Similarly, thousands of wines are available, yet, the best stand out and endure; these wines, like La Guardiense and Campania itself, have a long, fruitful future ahead. They will be, as their labels proclaim, “The New Old.”
Aglianico paired with Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop with balsamic glaze.
power to match steaks and game, and the finesse to compliment lighter meats, as well as more intensely-flavored fish, such as tuna. Chef Rossi proves the point by pairing it with a classic Veal Chop with porcini mushrooms and crispy pancetta. Since introduction, the wines, under their European brand name Guardiolo, have been showered with awards and accolades, including, for the Fiano, Greco, Aglianico, and Riserva, the second highest award given, “due bicchiere” (two glasses), with one glass for the Falanghina, from the
Guardia 33 wines are distributed by Southern Wine & Spirits in Las Vegas and New York.
¹ DOCG, Denominazione di Origine Cotrollata e Garantita, controlled place name with other guarantees, such as having to pass random taste tests for quality and style. There are 47 DOCG regions in Italy. ² DOC, Denominazione di Origine Caotrollata, controlled name of place of origin, numbering over 300.
D.O.C. Italian Wines from Campania, Italy
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