Carema: A Historic Town and Truly Heroic Winemaking, Lucca's Fast Food Ban and More: Being the 155th issue of Cosa Bolle in Pentola

To begin, an apology on bended knees for being so slow in updating Cosa Bolle. And now, to the task at hand:

Carema: A Historic Town, and Truly Heroic Winemaking

If you're planning to visit Piemonte with tourism in mind, you may well think of Torino, whose graceful elegance has become quite beautiful thanks to the massive facelift it received in occasion of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Or you may think of the Langhe, land of spectacular castles and gorgeous vineyards. Or you may decide to head high into the Alps, to either ski or hike or both. You probably wouldn't think of the Dora Baltea's valley, except as a means to reach the Valle D'Aosta. At least I wouldn't have, until Serafina Romano and Elena Di Bella, of the Provincia di Torino, took me on a day trip to see the Balmetti and Carema.

I have already written about the Balmetti, which are cellars built into the Dora Baltea Valley's lateral moraines at Borgofranco D'Ivrea, over openings amidst the rocks that emit a steady stream of cool air year-round.

But I hadn't written about Carema, in part because it is a wine appellation in addition to being a town, and I wanted to get a feel for the wines before I said anything about the town.

As is often the case, wine and history are intertwined and make for a fascinating picture. Carema is now the last town before the border between Piemonte and the Valle D'Aosta, and it has always been a border town: In Roman times it was the final outpost before the land of the Gauls, and in addition to hosting a customs house (some think that the name Carema derives from Cameram, i.e. duty, and note that the duty charged on goods passing through the town was 2.5%), also housed a military garrison. And there were already vineyards, because the Consul Terenzio Varrone's Legionaries, who defeated the Salassi in 23 BC, celebrated by breaking into the wine cellars.

In the Middle Ages Carema was at the border between the Kingdom of Burgundy and the Italian lands, which were assigned by Imperial decree to the Bishop of Ivrea, who in turn granted Carema to the Ugoni family, whose members, in addition to collecting the tolls their feudal rights allowed them to collect, quickly gained a reputation for stripping pilgrims and merchants of everything they had. In 1171 the Marchesi del Monferrato managed to extend their sway to Carema, despite the objections of the Bishop, and ruled until 1313, when the House of Savoy took control of the region; the Bishop accepted the situation in 1357, granting Amedeo VI Savoia perpetual rights over the lands and castles of the Dora Baltea Valley, including Carema. In the centuries that followed the House of Savoy assigned the administration of the town to a succession of families, until Carlo Emanuele IV abolished the feudal system in 1797. With the unification of Italy, Carema became the last town in Piemonte, overlooking the border with the Valle D'Aosta. And there it stands today.

It's a pretty town, of small-windowed slate-roofed gray stone houses and narrow lanes, built on the flank of the mountain, surrounded by terraced vineyards planted primarily to Picutener, which is the local name for Nebbiolo (it's also the name used in the nearby Valle D'Aosta). The vineyards, which extend far above the town, are frankly heroic, made by building drywall terraces and filling the space behind them with material the vines can sink their roots into, while support comes from trellises about 6 feet above the ground called topie in the local dialect, which are supported by stone pylons called pilun that absorb warmth from the sun during the day and release it at night, thus helping the grapes to ripen.

It's a system that took thousands of years to construct -- remember the Romans raiding the cellars -- and in the 1597 the wine was classified as "among the finest" by Andrea Bacci, in his "De Natural Vinorum Historia." And the wine continued to be valued; in the 19th century there were more than 350 hectares of terraced vineyards (by way of comparison, the current total area of Barbaresco's vineyards is about 700 hectares). Alas, the phylloxera bug that swept Europe a century ago hit the region especially hard, and there are now only 30 hectares under vine, with half the grapes going to the Cantina Produttori di Nebbiolo di Carema, the local cooperative winery, and the other being vinified by small producers.

To help visitors get a feel for their town, the folks at Carema have set up a visitor's walk that's about 4 km long, and winds through and around the town, touching upon the major sights and extending a ways into the vineyards. Elena and Serafina took us through the part in town (due to time constraints we were unable to walk the entire thing), ducking into a couple of wine cellars, which are called Crote in the local argot; in particular the cellar of Alma Vairetto (you'll have to ask for directions), which is no longer active but has spectacular botti with carved fronts, including a bust of Garibaldi, and of Oreste Vairetto Piccolo, who continues to make wine very, very traditionally: when we entered his cellar, he was standing on a ladder by an open tank, pressing the cap down into the fermenting must. A cap that was grapes and stems; he doesn't destem because he thinks that the stems contribute tannins that help the wine age better.

And this brings up an important point: if you taste a Nebbiolo from the Alto Piemonte, don't expect it to resemble a Barolo or anything else that comes from Langa. The conditions are very different, with (I think) cooler temperatures, perhaps less sun as there are mountains to cast shadows, and different day-night temperature excursions too; the end result is that the wines (even without the contribution of the stems) are much greener, and considerably more aggressive than the Nebbiolo-based wines of the Alba area. Indeed, one of the first I tasted had the vegetal grilled bell pepper notes I associate with rustic Cabernet. But it was Nebbiolo, and tasting through a vertical of the wine showed me that it ages like Nebbiolo di Langa, in other words very well. But it is a different animal.

Returning to Carema the town, following our visit with Oreste we continued down the street, past Palazzo degli Ugoni, where the feudal lords who despoiled travelers once lived, to a fortified medieval house at the outskirts of town called the Gran Masun, which is frankly imposing. There's more to see: chapels, springs, and (of course) vineyards; the walk is very pleasant, and a beautiful introduction to a part of Piemonte that is little known. And, as an added bonus, Carema is quite accessible; to reach the town take the A-5 Motorway north from Torino, exit at Quincinetto, and go north for a few km on SS26.

All of the producers whose Carema I tasted at Vinitaly also make Erbaluce, which is both an autochthonous white varietal and the white wine made from it. It is quite versatile -- there are sparkling, still, and passito versions -- and can be quite nice.


Santa Clelia
Santa Clelia Carema 2003
This is 100% Nebbiolo, aged in large wood. It's bright almandine ruby with ruby reflections and hints of almandine in the rim. Pleasant bouquet, with clean berry fruit supported by greenish heather and spice, with a fair amount of alcohol. Nice balance in a hot vintage key, and there are also some hints of berry fruit jam. On the palate it's ample and very smooth, with moderately intense fairly bitter berry fruit that is supported by moderate acidity and sweet smooth tannins that flow into a long warm finish with heather and berry fruit accents and a tannic underpinning. It's a nice expression of a hot vintage, and will drink well with succulent roasts or stews.
2 stars

Santa Clelia Rigore Erbaluce di Caluso Spumante Metodo Classico Brut DOC 2005
Pale greenish gold with brilliant green reflections and fine perlage. The bouquet is fairly rich, with breadcrumbs and tart concord grape aromas supported by deft acidity. On the palate it's full, and fresh, with clean minerality that gains depth from some bitterness and is supported by sparkle too, and flows into a clean long savory finish with some lemony acidity. Pleasant, and will drink nicely as an aperitif, or with shellfish (including oysters), fish, or white meats.
2 stars

Santa Clelia Erbaluce di Caluso Ypa 2007 DOC
According to legend, a nymph used to visit a lake near the Santa Clelia estate every day. Until one day, when Queen Ypa diverted the stream that fed the lake to irrigate the land: When the nymph saw the stony lakebed she shed a tear, from which sprouted an Erbaluce vine. A pretty tale, but Queen Ypa did exist, and lived in Mazzé, where the winery is located.
The wine is pale brassy gold with greenish highlights, and has a clean, savory bouquet with considerable minerality but not much in the way of floral accents. On the palate it's clean and full, with bright minerality supported by lemony acidity that flows into a clean citric mineral finish. Pleasant in a fairly direct key, and will drink nicely as an aperitif or with simple fish, white meat, or cheese-based dishes. Expect the bottle to go quickly.
1 stars

Passito is an important wine for Santa Clelia. They harvest the grapes for it a week before everything else, set the bunches on mats, and dry them until February, by which time botrytis has set in. They ferment to 14% alcohol, interrupt the fermentation, and age the wine for 4 years.
Santa Clelia Erbaluce di Caluso Passito DOC 2002
The volume of this vintage was significantly lower than usual, because they had to find the right bunches. But once they had them the vinification proceeded normally. The wine is deep gold with gold reflections and pale rim. The bouquet is fairly rich, with dates and dried figs mingled with some alcohol and walnut skins. On the palate it's full and languid, with fairly rich dried fruit supported more by savory accents than acidity, and it flows into a clean nut-laced finish with hints of dried apricot. Pleasant, and a refreshing change of pace.
2 stars
Ferrando
Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca DOC 2004 Pale almandine brick with almandine rim. The bouquet is rich, with clean leathery accents mingled with rosa canina and pleasing savory notes. Graceful, and quite a bit going on. On the palate it's bright, with clean deft sour berry fruit supported by warm slightly splintery tannins and clean tart brambly acidity that flow into a long warm finish. Considerable grace and elegance in a very young key; it brings to mind a gangly tomboy who will obviously grow to be beautiful. This said, one could drink it now with a succulent stew, but it will richly reward those blessed with patience.
90

Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera DOC 2003 This is only produced in better years. It's almandine with orange in the rim, and has a rich bouquet with clean leathery berry fruit supported by rosa canina and spice with a fair amount of underlying alcohol. Quite nice in a warmer vintage key. On the palate it's ample, with clean rich berry fruit supported by ample splintery tannins and a fair amount of warmth that flow into a clean spicy tannic finish. Pleasant in a hot weather key and quite young. It will drink well with roasts or stews.
2 stars

Ferrando La Torrazza Erbaluce di Caluso DOC 2007 Pale greenish gold with greenish reflections. The bouquet is savory, with clean minerality and intense spicy accents. On the palate it's full, and languid, with rich minerality that gains depth from bitter accents and flows into a clean savory finish. Pleasant and will be a nice aperitif, or drink well with flavorful fish or white meats.
2 stars

Ferrando Erbaluce di Caluso Vigneto Cariola DOC 2007 This has about 7% barrel fermented wine added to it; it's brassy gold with brassy reflections, and has a fairly rich bouquet with minerality and some wood smoke with a savory underpinning. It's more immediate than the Torrazza. On the palate it's ample and smooth with clean savory lemon fruit supported by clean acidity. It's pleasant and approachable, but I found it to be less interesting.
2 stars

Ferrando Vigneto Cariola Caluso Passito DOC 2002 Lively old gold with golden reflections. The bouquet is fairly rich, with dried fruit mingled with walnuts and some brown sugar, and underlying savory accents too. On the palate it's full and rich, with powerful brown sugar sweetness laced with dried apricots and nutmeats that flow into a clean sweet brown sugar-laced finish. It's pleasant, though just a tad settled, and will drink well as an aperitif or with cheeses.

Orsolani
Orsolani La Rustìa Erbaluce di Caluso DOC 2007 This is a selection; the name comes from the fact that Erbaluce bunches exposed to the sun turn rustì -- roasted, or burned. They select the colored grapes, which have higher concentrations of odor-producing compounds. The wine is pale brassy gold with greenish reflections, and has a fairly intense bouquet with strong minerality and slightly pungent heather mingled with some sage. Pleasant. On the palate it's ample and bright, with rich minerality supported by clean gunflint-laced acidity that flows into a savory citric mineral finish. It's quite approachable, and though I found myself missing the austere savoriness of some Erbaluce, I do have to say that the selection of the best grapes gives greater richness and depth, more than making up for the loss. Quite enjoyable.
2 stars

Orsolani Vignot S.Antonio Caluso DOC 2006 This is a cru of Erbaluce: low yields, no wood, to be aged. Pale brassy green with brassy reflections and some greenish highlights. The bouquet is fairly rich, with clean minerality supported by white pepper and clean lemon acidity that gains in intensity with swishing, shifting towards pineapple. On the palate it's bright, with full rich lemony fruit supported by clean minerality that flows into a clean fairly bitter citric finish. Pleasant and will work well as an aperitif, or with risotti -- mushroom risotto comes to mind -- meatless pasta dishes, and white meats. Worth seeking out, and it will do nice things as it ages.
2 stars

Orsolani Cuvée Tradizione Metodo Classico Brut Caluso Spumante DOC 2004 Pale brassy gold with pale yellow reflections and very fine perlage. The bouquet is rich, with clean minerality and some sea salt, mingled with deft bread crumbs. Bracing. On the palate it's bright and clean, with lively savory lemon fruit supported by both sparkle and acidity, which flows into a clean savory finish with peppery notes from sparkle. Quite pleasant, and will work well as an aperitif or with foods. Refreshment in a glass and the varietal acquits itself very well; the absence of wood contributes nicely to the feel of the wine. A pity to pour it out and move to the next.
2 stars

Orsolani Cuvée Tradizionale Caluso Spumante Metodo Classico Brut 2003 Black label; this is berrel fermented and then referments in bottle. It's pale brassy gold with brassy greenish highlights and very fine perlage. The bouquet is fairly rich with lemony fruit laced with greenish honeydew melon and breadcrumbs, and underlying savory minerality. On the palate it's full and clean with powerful lemony fruit supported by clean savory accents that flow into a clean bitter finish. It's more approachable than the Tradizione Base -- not as mineral, nor as aggressive, and this is the vintage too -- but I found myself preferring the upfront individuality fo the former. This said, this is good, and will drink nicely as an aperitif or with foods.
2 stars

Orsolani Sulé Caluso Passito DOC 2003 The word Sulé is dialect for Solaio, the place where the grapes dry. Tawny amber with brilliant apricot reflections. The bouquet is fairly rich, with alcohol and drued mutmeats mingled with some dates and a fair amount of dark brown sugar. On the palate it's full, and rich, with nutmeats and dried dates supported by sweetness and moderate acidity that flows into a clean fairly bitter finish. Pleasant in a rich, rather exotic key that I found myself much enjoying.
2 stars

Orsolani Le Tabbie Carema DOC 2003 Pale almandine with black reflections. The bouquet is fairly rich, with warm very ripe berry fruit laced with green leather and rosa canina, and underlying spice, hints of menthol, and sandalwood. On the palate it's ample and soft, with clean rather bitter red berry fruit supported by smooth sweet tannins that flow into a clean bitter savory finish. It's clearly a hot-vintage wine, and to be frank is weaker than I might have liked. They have done as well as could be expected given the vintage, but the tannins and minerality do have to step in to cover for the acidity that is more usually present in Carema.
1 star


And now a recipe, which will be perfect with Carema, and quite nice if your weather is anything like the cold, wet, and dreary weather we're having in Tuscany:

Costine e Cavoli, Spare Ribs and Cabbage By modern standards it's a simple and rather frugal recipe, though in the past, even them morsels of meat on a spare rib would have been a treat for the farmers and tradespeople living in the Alto Piemonte. To serve 4:

1 4/5 pound (800 g) spare ribs, cut into short pieces (have your butcher do this for you)
Half a head of Savoy cabbage, coarsely sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Broth or stock (unsalted bouillon will work if need be), as will vegetable broth

Heat the butter in a casserole (ideally, earthenware, but metal will work), and when it begins to crackle add the spare ribs and the garlic. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and shift the pieces around frequently to brown them on all sides. If they begin to stick, add a little broth, and in any case, when they are browned, add a brimming ladle of hot broth and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the sliced cabbage, cover, and simmer until the meat is quite tender, checking seasoning at some point.

Serve with polenta.

Lucca's Kebab Ban
Moving in a very different direction, the center-right government of the city of Lucca recently caused an uproar by deciding to prohibit the opening of new fast food joints in the historic heart of town (the 4 square km area within the 17th century city walls). The ban, which is specifically directed towards ethnic eateries, also says that restaurants should have at least one dish made from local ingredients according to tradition.

Rivers of ink have flowed, most condemning the ordinance as racist, xenophobic, or bigoted. My thoughts? I think many of the people from outside of Italy (and a certain segment of the Italian political spectrum) are either going into a cultural snit of their own making on this, i.e. applying their cultural standards to someone else, or using it to mount a crusade.

What Lucca is really objecting to is a plethora of fast food joints aimed at tourists in the heart of town, and while I think that it's in a way unfortunate that they tacked on a "you must have a local entree" provision for restaurants, I can see where they're coming from. The ban would also presumably extend to someone who wanted to open a burger joint or a place that sells pizza a taglio (slices of electric-oven cooked pizza).

In other words, in a clumsy way they are trying to keep the heart of their city, which is beautiful in all other respects, from becoming like Florence or Venice, where most everything is aimed at the tourists and one's chances of eating well without prior research, in other words simply by walking into an eatery, are minimal. So what we have is an attempt to keep a small section of a city from being overrun by low denominator fast food joints. They're not telling those already established to go away; they just don't want more. I don't object to that.

This time's proverb is Piemontese: Mangé da san e beive da malavi, Eat like a healthy man, and drink like a sick one.

Until next time,

Kyle Phillips
Editor, The Italian Wine Review
http://www.italianwinereview.com
Want to comment? Drop me a line at Kyle (at) cosabolle (dot) com

PS -- Please forward this to anyone you think would enjoy it! If you would like to read past issues (nothing in them really gets stale), you'll find recent ones at Cosa Bolle.Com, http://www.cosabolle.com, and older ones at http://italianfood.about.com/blbol.htm.

Montalcino, Restorations and More: Being the 147th issue of Cosa Bolle in Pentola

Greetings! The latest on Italian Food are Leonardo Romanelli's Tiramisu recipe, which gets around the dangers posed by raw egg in a deceptively simple way: He makes a zabaione of the yolks and stirs them into the Mascarpone cheese to make a Mascarpone cream. See here for illustrated step-by-step instructions. The latest on the Italian Wine review is instead an overview of the 2004 Amarone, with the notes from the presentation held in Verona about a month ago. 2004 is a good vintage, and some of the wines are superb. More could be, and those that aren't offer an opportunity to reflect upon the effects of supply and demand. See here.

Rumblings in Montalcino
Supply and demand lead us straight to Montalcino, where those in charge are doing their best to keep the lid on an ominously rumbling pressure cooker, and this invites yet more reflection.

Why the rumbling? Rumors of counterfeit wines. Actually, they're more than rumors: Before Benvenuto Brunello a friend and colleague told me that a dinner guest of his had told him that a fairly large -- several hectare -- vineyard not planted to Sangiovese had been found in the course of an inspection of one of the major Brunello producers. This would have been fine had the vineyard been destined to the production of Sant'Antimo DOC, which is Montalcino's catchall appellation for wines that contain things other than Sangiovese. Unfortunately, the vineyard in question was "atto a Brunello," for the production of Brunello -- winemakers must declare what their vineyards are for -- and since Brunello can contain only Sangiovese that vineyard shouldn't have had other varietals. But it did, and the Magistratura (essentially the DA) launched a criminal investigation for fraud, which is ongoing, and -- rumor has it -- has expanded to include several other major producers, who also have non-Sangiovese varietals in their Brunello vineyards.

I hadn't mentioned this because the investigation is ongoing, and I didn't think it was worth saying much before the names were released and the charges were made public -- conjecture can and often does wildly exceed truth, and in the process do much harm. However, Franco Ziliani, who is always in the forefront when it comes to ferreting out problems of this kind, said on March 21:

"Insistent and worrisome rumors reach us from Montalcino, and also from Germany and Holland, to the effect that several wineries (4-5) have been seized after the discovery, by the NAS -- The Carabinieri's food fraud unit -- and the Guardie di Finanza -- the Revenue people -- of Puglian wine that was sold (or rather passed off) as Brunello di Montalcino.

"The charge is said to be the usual "frode in commercio e falso in atto pubblico", commercial fraud and public falsehood…" (translation mine, see here).

As one might expect, the effect of Franco's post was like kicking a hornet's nest; a great many other bloggers weighed in, many saying it's about time (there are always rumors of fraud, but they rarely come to much), and a few -- Franco quotes Wine Spectator's James Suckling -- saying that what's going on is driven by envy and will turn out to be a tempest in a teapot. Then, yesterday, La Repubblica, one of the major dailies, said in a short piece that fully a quarter of all Brunello might be at risk (what I said about conjecture…).

Faced with a mounting wave the Consorzio took the extraordinary step of sending out a blanket email informing us that since 2004, when they began inspecting member vineyards (in 2002 the Italian government charged the Appellations with making certain their members followed the rules), they have found 17 hectares of non-Sangiovese vines, in a total of 1667 hectares of Brunello vineyards inspected. Less than 1% of the total acreage is not what is should be.

On the one hand, this is reassuring: Most people are playing by the rules. On the other it is not, because we don't know how those acres are distributed. The occasional different vine in a vineyard planted to a density of 6-8000 vines/hectare can occur, because nurseries do make mistakes when they deliver (Marchesi Pancrazi's entire Pinot Nero vineyard, whose wines now win awards, was a mistake -- the nursery was supposed to deliver something else).

But I have the impression that the occasional mistake is not what we're talking about here -- it certainly wasn't in the case of the winery my friend mentioned months ago, because a several-hectare vineyard with the wrong vines is not the isolated Cabernet, Merlot, or even Colorino vine surrounded by legitimate Sangiovese vines. And while it's true that when cuttings (which look like sticks with a root grafted to them) are planted, one plants on faith, assuming the nursery supplied what it said it supplied, when said cuttings grow into vines and begin producing fruit, one can see what they are. And if they're the wrong thing, one rips them out and sues the nursery, or at the very least changes the designation of the vineyard. One doesn't continue declaring the vineyard to be a Brunello vineyard (and making "Brunello" from those grapes) when it no longer qualifies. Nor does one leave the isolated Cabernet or whatever vine there, because it doesn't belong and that's that. But is seems that some people have, and here's the rub.

Does this mean all Brunello is suspect? Certainly not, not any more than the persistent rumors one hears every year of Brunello (and other northern appellations including French) being cut with inky dark, concentrated, alcoholic wines from the south. Some winemakers will do it, and then the question becomes which, and why.

The which is easy: Winemakers, like everyone else, have all sorts of personalities. On one end of the spectrum are the upstanding who follow the rules. Because they're rules and serious people live by them. On the other are those people who are great fun at a party, but you wouldn't trust with your house keys. If the rules are convenient (for them) they follow them, and if they aren't they don't. The former's Brunello will be Sangiovese and nothing but no matter what the vintage was like, while the latter's may not be -- if they think they can work around the regulations to counter nature's adversity or get ahead they will, especially if they think they have to.

And this brings up the more interesting question, why would one cheat? After all, the risks are enormous, because if one is found out one is (ahem) screwed -- a sales rep who handles one of the wineries under indictment posted a comment on Franco's blog saying he's been told not to sell any of that winery's 2003 Brunello indefinitely.

The answer is multifaceted, and in part imponderable. In the case of a small winery, I can think of three reasons: Willingness to gamble, laziness/incompetence, and a desire to make "what the markets want;" with this latter factor becoming much more important for larger wineries.

To begin with the gambling, some people are simply willing to gamble. I don't understand it. Laziness/incompetence? A small winery that works well, and makes good wine, will always be able to find someone willing to buy the volume it produces. If it works less well, the owners may decided to cut corners, turning to outside help to get the concentration, color, or whatever they were unable to achieve on their own.

And this brings up "what the market wants." As I said, a small winery that makes good wine (of any style, from the traditional austerity to the most opulent starlet in a glass) will always find someone interested in purchasing it. A large winery that makes several times the volume of the smaller winery is in a much more difficult position, because it cannot wait for the impassioned wine merchant/importer to say "This is the wine I like and will sell to my customers!" It instead has to find many purchasers, and is therefore much more conscious of what the wine press speaks admiringly of, leading the vast mass of wine consumers to seek: Depth of color, concentration, power, smoothness of tannin, richness of fruit and so on. And if what's in the glass the large winery's enologist draws from the cask doesn't match what the press is favoring, he or she may well decide to make it so, with outside help (the owner or enologist of a small winery that wants high scores may also do this).

In other words, some winemakers of most every appellation -- Brunello producers are certainly not unique -- will bend the rules for a variety of reasons, and though some are more understandable than others, I don't approve of or condone any. I would venture that the winery my friend heard about at dinner was trying to make what it thinks consumers will like, because it has to move a lot of wine. And it's successful, because its wines get good ratings -- I've read them. This doesn't justify what the winery did, though I can understand why it did it, and I will be quite curious to see who else has gotten caught in the net.

And what would I suggest to people thinking about buying a Brunello? Traditionalists are much less likely to be involved in this sort of thing than innovators, for the simple fact that though full bodied, traditional Brunello is neither packed with color nor tremendously concentrated. With this in mind, I'd say the same thing I've been saying all along: 2002 and 2003 were very poor vintages, and there aren't many wines I would consider buying of either. 2001 and 1999 are vastly superior (of the sort there would have been much less pressure to "correct;" the incriminated wines are said to be 2003) with many very good wines to be enjoyed. If you have read my notes, you'll know what I said I would look for at the vintage presentations, and I think I would continue to look for the same wines now. In particular, see here for the 2001 Brunello, and here for the 2001 Brunello Riserva.

On Cleaning Paintings
Moving in a very different direction, you may recall the tremendous controversy engendered by the Vatican Museum's decision to clean and restore Michelangelo's frescos in the Sistine Chapel. A great many art historians/critics wailed that the frescos would be ruined forever, and we were much better off looking at them darkened by centuries of grime. Some even went so far as to suggest that Michelangelo may have put a wash of grime up there to tone down the colors. While I have my doubts about this -- the Renaissance was known for lavishness, and I can't see people who enjoyed lavish lives wanting to tone down their paintings -- one thing people really didn't talk about was the fact that the frescos had already been restored or touched up several times, and a respectful cleaning using techniques and equipment of a sort unthinkable even 50 years ago could give us a much better idea of what Michelangelo actually painted, and his patrons saw (Daniele da Volterra's Braghe, or undies, added to Michelangelo's naked figures by order of the Counterreformational Congregation of Trent in 1564, were but the first of many additions made to the frescos ). The truth of the matter is that very few old paintings have escaped restoration at some point.

And that's what makes Vasari's Pala Albergotti so interesting. It's a large panel depicting the Assumption and Crowning of the Virgin, with Saints Donato and Francesco to the sides, and a number of smaller panels with facial portraits surrounding the major composition, which Vasari delivered to Filippo Salviati in 1567. Salviati had it placed in a chapel of the convent of the Suore di San Vincenzo in Prato. In 1570 Nerozzo Albergotti purchased it for 200 Scudi, as Vasari notes in his diary -- exactly how the transaction came about is unclear -- and took it to Arezzo, where he had it placed in his family's chapel in the Pieve di Santa Maria. There it remained until 1865, when the Church fathers decided to restore the Pieve and moved the painting to the Church of Santa Flora for safekeeping. The restoration was radical enough that the Albergotti chapel was ripped out (to reveal what was older) and therefore Nerozzo's painting remained undisturbed in Santa Flora until quite recently, when the parishioners and Don Soldani, the Parish Priest, decided to get it cleaned.

It didn't take long for the restorers they hired to realize they were the first to have worked on the painting since Vasari, and they therefore had something unique in their hands, which offered an unparalleled opportunity to study the painting technique of a Renaissance Master without the filters applied by subsequent generations of restorers. Rather than rush forward, they have studied the work at length, and will be holding a conference that promises to draw restorers from all over.

Just a reminder that even the smallest parish church in Italy can hide an unexpected treasure. The restoration, we were told, will likely take a year -- if you visit Santa Flora now you will find Vasari's painting hidden behind the walls of a tent erected in the church -- and I eagerly await the opportunity to see it next year, once again looking the way it did when it captured Nerozzo's attention and admiration.

Pastissada di Manzo
Winding down, Pastissada is an old Veronese stew that draws from Austro-Hungarian tradition (Verona was a part of the Empire for a long time) and brings goulash to mind. Most of the recipes I've seen call for horsemeat, but this one is beef-based, and might be nice with an Amarone. To serve 6:

• 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) boneless beef; I would be tempted by the rump

For the marinade:

• 1 onion, finely sliced
• A carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 cloves (the spice, not garlic)
• A teaspoon of powdered cinnamon
• A spring or two of rosemary
• A bottle of dry red wine, e.g. Valpolicella
• Peppercorns to taste
• Salt

Come time to cook:

• 2 ounces (60 g) cured lard or pancetta, cut into matchsticks
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in a little hot water

Put the meat in a bowl, together with the chopped vegetables, herbs, spices, and finally the wine. Marinate the meat for at least a day, turning it occasionally. Come time to cook it, remove it from the marinade and pat it dry. Make several thin punctures in it and slip the matchsticks of lard into them to baste the meat from the inside as it cooks.

While you're preparing the meat, heat the marinade in a saucepot big enough to comfortably hold the meat. Add the lardoned meat to the pot, together with the tomato paste diluted in warm water, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours, turning the meat every now and again.

When the meat is dome remove it, slice it, and set the pieces on a warmed serving dish. While you're doing this, cook the pan drippings down some over a fairly brisk flame, and blend them. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve at once. Accompaniments? Polenta, and greens or spinach wilted in a pot, squeezed somewhat dry, and sautéed in a little olive oil with a clove of crushed garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

This time's proverb is from the Veneto: A chi che no ghe piase el vin , che Dio ghe toga anca l'aqua: May God leave he who doesn't like wine without water, too.

Until next time,

Kyle Phillips
Editor, The Italian Wine Review
http://www.italianwinereview.com
Want to comment? Drop me a line at Kyle@cosabolle.com

PS -- Please forward this to anyone you think would enjoy it! If you would like to read past issues (nothing in them really gets stale), you'll find recent ones at Cosa Bolle.Com, http://www.cosabolle.com, and older ones at http://italianfood.about.com/blbol.htm.