Soft and generous, Tanto delivers a lot!

Tanto Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2011 (Italy), 
12.5%, €9.00 - 11.00, Stockists

Colour: Deep red.
Nose: A pleasant wave of red fruit aromas.
Palate: soft and generous with sufficient refinement to belie its youth and to complement the dark fruits (mainly plum, for me). Add in a long smooth finish and this warm juicy delicious wine lives up to its name and delivers a lot. Good value. Highly recommended.

It is generally acknowledged that the generous Montepulciano grape "is hard to foul up". The Tanto producers have not messed up here. Worth keeping an eye out for that colourful label.

* In Italian, Tanto means “a lot”.
** If you head east from Rome through Lazio, cross over the Appenines, you’ll find yourself in Abruzzo with the Adriatic ahead of you.

HAYFIELD IN HARMONY WITH SANTA SOFIA

HAYFIELD WINE SOCIETY WITH SANTA SOFIA

Well done to Sandra Biret-Crowley, sommelier at the Hayfield Manor Hotel, and her team who came up with yet another brilliant Wine Society Evening. This time, the wines from the Santa Sofia winery  (near Verona) were featured and you’d be hard pushed to find a better set from anywhere.

You’d be hard pushed too to find a better man to put the message across than Luciano Begnoni who beguiled one and all with his knowledge of the wines and “the way he told them”; not quite the queen’s English but very very engaging. His theme was a wine for every occasion.

First up, after a welcome glass of Prosecco (Bortolotti Spumanti), was the Pinot Grigio Garda DOC Le Caldera 2010, fruity and elegant, “a wine for every day”, according to Luciano. The reds though were to prove the stars of the show but, first let me tell you that the Whisky Cured Salmon, our first course, set a very high standard that was maintained for the enjoyable evening.

Now on to the House Smoked Magret Duck Breast, with duck liver and Foie Gras Parfait, orange dressing and Toasted Brioche. The team had decided that the Ripasso Valpolicella DOC Superiore 2008 would accompany this and it was a terrific choice.

This was a wine for every second day, according to Luciano, soft and easy to drink. “Aged in Slovenian barrels for 9 months, it is not so much spicy but very fruity.” Now we were on to the “once a week” wine: the Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Classico 2006.

“Cherry and vanilla,” according to Luciano. “And black pepper. It is complex and will have a long life. Now is only the beginning.” Just superb. And so too was the dish that accompanied it: Fillet of Irish beef, whole glazed cepes and confit of Shallot, scallion pencils, black truffle scented Potato puree, red wine jus.

Next up was the sweet one: Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2007. Luciano: “This sweet wine is difficult to produce but it is well balanced, sweet beginnings, clear to the end. After 12 months in French oak, it has a nice complexity and hints of cherry, wonderful with chocolate.”

We found instant confirmation as the Hayfield served up Chocolate Marquise with Griottine Cherries, Honeycomb, Crystallised Pistachios and Cherry Cappuccino. “A great combination” as Luciano had forecast.

Still time for one more wine: Montegradella Valpolicella DOC Classico Superiore 2008. Made from the same grapes as the Amarone but with an ABV of 13.5 as against the massive 15% of the Amarone. It was a perfect fit with the plate of Irish and continental cheeses.

Yours truly and Luciano (right)

Luciano was accompanied to the dinner by Donie O’Brien, Commercial Manager of the Erne Drinks Company that distributes the wines here. Donie, who spent 15 years with Heineken, was also in top form and indeed the two were quite a double act! A very likeable duo, let me add.

So thanks to Santa Sofia and their reps and to Paul and Ciara of the Hayfield along with Sandra, Orchids Sous Chef Stuart Bowes and Executive Chef Graeme Campbell for a superb evening in a lovely setting.

* At retail level, the Santa Sofia wines and other Erne wines, are available in The Dublin Wine Rooms at the IFSC (dublinwinerooms.com) and at their shop in Monkstown (enowine.ie). Both of these premises use Enomatic wine machines with 48 different wines on tasting everyday.

A Hillside Pinot Grigio

A Hillside Pinot Grigio

Ronco Blanchis, Pinot Grigio, Collio, Italy 2010, 13.5% abv, €13.99 @Karwig Wines 

Colour: Straw is what the publicity says but that seems a little dull. Maybe barley flashing in the sun.

Nose: Quite aromatic and very promising.

Palate: This wine is quite full bodied with more flavour than usual, velvety, and more rounded than normal. Here you find fruit, a good balance and a decent finish. 

Quite a contender all round and would like to taste it in a head to head with the excellent pale Little Beauty Pinot Gris that Fleur McCree showed in L’Atitude last week.

Collio is a province of Gorizia, part of Friuli, and is next to Slovenia. It is said to produce Italy’s best and most expensive dry whites.

When speaking of Pinot Grigio, the reliable Vino Italiano says that “Friuli’s best are the best in Italy”. Honestly, I can’t tell you if this is the best in Friuli. But it ain’t half bad. Recommended.

And just to explain: Ronco is a term for a hillside vineyard.

Gavi: a wine off freshness and simplicity

BRICCO DEI GUAZZI GAVI DOCG 2010, 12.5%, €11.99 Red Nose Wines. 

This is bright in the glass with a light honey colour. Micro bubbles cling to the glass. The nose is delicately aromatic. On the palate, it is fresh and fruity (more apple than melon for me) with a whisk of acidity.

This dry white is made in Piemonte, in the north west of Italy, and the grape, apparently native to the area, is 100% cortese.

Quality of Gavi can vary a bit but most are cool, clean and crisp. That excellent book Vino Italia says: "Gavi is usually a wine of freshness and simplicity, which may not be fashionable but is often pleasurable.”

And that pretty much sums up this lively Red Nose offering, another alternative to add to your white wine rota. Enjoy with pasta, salads, fish and shellfish.

Ballymaloe to showcase Tuscan Wines and Olive Oil

Wines and Olive Oil of Tuscany

Winemaker Dinner  

Wednesday 9^th November 2011, 8pm, at Ballymaloe

      

     

For the first time to be held in Ireland, launching the new season’s Tuscan Olive Oil, will be the owners of some of Tuscany’s iconic Olive Oil & Wine Estates, in association with Liberty Wines. The Tuscan estates represented here by the owners themselves, on Wednesday 9^th November, at Ballymaloe will be:

Bea Contini Bonacossi, from Capezzana, Carmignano www.capezzana.it

Federico Giuntini, Selvapiana, Rufina www.selvapiana.it

and David Gleave MW, of Liberty Wines will introduce the wines and olive oils of Fontodi www.fontodi.com

                 Dinner in the evening will be with the owners/winemakers from these Tuscan wine & Olive Oil estates here themselves for a unique evening at Ballymaloe, in association with Liberty Wines, with a specially chosen menu to match some of the finest wines from Tuscany, and the new seasons Olive Oil.

Wine and Olive Oil dinner, 8.00pm, €95

Tel: 021 4652531

res@ballymaloe.ie  

Full details also online www.ballymaloe.ie

THREE WINNING WINES

McWilliams Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005, Hunter Valley Australia, 12%, €10.00 Tesco, 4.5 stars
Colour: light gold, bright, micro bubbles
Nose: Citrus rind.
Palate: Full fruity tropical smooth waxy mouthfeel yet well balanced. The Hunter is famous for Semillon and this is a fantastic example where the patient aging in the bottle has paid off in a big way. No wonder that it comes with a bunch of gold medals! You may read much more about this prize-winning wine here. 

OGIO Primitivo IGP Puglia Italy 2010, 13%, €6 Tesco, 4 stars
Colour: Ruby red
Nose: Intense, mainly cherry
Palate: Rich and fruity, warm, hints of spice. With the tannins doing their job, it is an engaging mouthfeel plus it has a long lingering finish. Quite a hefty drink from the heel of Italy and recommended on Twitter by Tom Doorley.

Tagus Creek Shiraz and Trincadeira, Alentejano 2009, 14%, €8.69 Tesco, 4 stars 
Colour: Medium dark-red
Nose: Aromatic, ripe red/black fruits
Palate: Fruity and juicy, spicy and warm, yet pleasantly dry. It is supple with a comforting mouthfeel and finish.
Decanter recently awarded this its international trophy for a Red Blend at less than 10 UK pounds "Deliciously good value. Fantastic." They said. And the judges were also impressed by its freshness.
Tongue in cheek, I'm glad to say the judges agreed with me. Now, I'll get the tongue out of the way to make room for another mouthful of delicious Tagus Creek.

Karwig Wines: Cannonau di Sardegna

Stella & Mosca’s Cannonau di Sardegna

Barriques

Cannonau di Sardegna DOC Vendemmia* 2008, 13.5%, €11.95 (Karwig), 3.5 stars.

This island wine held my interest from start to finish. Colour is a weakish medium red but this is Grenache with muscle: mouth filling, juicy, fruity, spicy, straight-up. A lovely lively wine made from the Cannonau grape, a cousin or clone of Garnacha. I’m deliberately using the Garnacha here as it was the Spanish who planted up the island  many moons ago.

This rugged island version is some distance from the smooth and polite Grenache you find on the Rhone and  none the worse for that. Variety is the spice of life and this Sardinian effort underlines it.

Shop

Cannonau di Sardegna DOC Riserva 2007, 14%, €15.25 (Karwig)

Noah, it is said, used a garnet lantern to help him steer his ark through the dark night. Garrnet is the colour of this wine and I wouldn’t mind having more of this in the dark nights to come.

It is a while since I smelled violets so I can't confirm the label’s description of the bouquet except to say it is quite a pleasant one. But the mega pleasure comes when the wine hits the palate. It is like velvet.

The basic Cannonau above may be Grenache with muscle; this Riserva doesn't lack muscle but let us say that it is extremely well toned, supple and subtle, positively smooth and altogether very attractive.

It is a beautiful mouthful, the finish long and delicious and there are subtle spices from start to end. One to note, for sure.

·         Vendemmia = Harvest or vintage.

·         The Cannonau, with a big load of flavanoids, may be good for your health. Check it out here. 

MIXED BAG AT LIDL

A COUPLE OF LIDL WHITES

Vermentino di Sardegna DOC 2010, 12%, €6.95 at Lidl.

Colour is a pale honey with an aromatic nose. There is an immediate high impact dry tingle on the palate but lively fruit there also, all leading to a rounded wine with a decent finish. Very good value indeed.

Vermentino, the grape, is grown all over the island of Sardinia. It is the same as the grape known as Rolle and grown widely in Provence where it is made into some lovely wines (eg Chateau Miraval). For more info on Vermentino in Sardinia click here. 

Frascati Superiore Secco 2010, 12.5%, €5.95 at Lidl.

I wasn't as happy with the Frascati. Colour is very pale and it does have an aromatic nose. On the palate, citrus dominates and the refreshing hello fades under its domination. Just too much acidity.

Made with the traditional grapes of Trebbiani and Malvasia, Frascati is the wine of Rome and its tourists (picture). Perhaps there are better examples and you can find out more about the wines of Rome and Lazio (the area around it) here. 

EATING & DRINKING IN ITALY

Florentine steak
Bianco, with a little sparkle

Champagne arrival in Venice


Water stop at Spanish Steps, Rome


Dinner on banks of Arno, vantage point for fireworks later that evening

Olive Oil Press

Tuscan lunch venue

Ice cream champ

Burano Island (Venice)

Restaurant on the Venice Lagoon

Feeding time in another Venetian Square

Waiting for Lunch (St Mark's)

Musicians on St Mark's

Venice Hotel

Tastes better than it looks!

More photos from this Italian trip at http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/
or click on Corkman on Tour link on the right hand column

EATING AND DRINKING
While on
TOUR IN ITALY JUNE 2008

Arrived late from Milan to Baveno and went to the Hotel bar for a drink. A large and a small beer was the order. €14.00 was the price! Welcome to Italy. And it wasn't even a pint and a glass as we know them but 400ml and 200ml respectively.

Things got better. Another night in the small town, on the shores of Lago Maggiore, saw us follow the noise, as advised by a friendly waiter in a local restaurant, to a small piazza where a crowd of about a hundred had gathered to see Italy play against France in a vital game in Euro 2008. Great noisy atmosphere as we watched the big screen and the levels rose when Italy took the lead. There was bar service and here the large beer cost just €3.50.

But you don't really go to Italy just to drink beer. One dinner at the Hotel Dino was included in the tour price but we ate the other two nights at a local restaurant La Posta. The first evening, the night of the match, was a very lively one and we enjoyed a fine meal which included great starters, main course of grilled sea bass for me and rabbit, a bottle of water, a bottle of excellent wine. With the usual cover charge, the bill came to €49.00.

We went over the top at the same venue on the next night. Starters, mains (veal and rabbit), plus a plate of three desserts each, yes each, water, wine and cover came to €72.00.

Baveno also had a good selection of pizzerias. Lunch was no problem. The first day in Stresa was at the Pizzeria Central, a modest establishment. Two huge salads, one with tuna, the other with crab, plus a 50cl carafe of a local white came to €19.30.

We got good lunchtime value the following day in Lugano (Switzerland) where two well filled rolls of local bread and a big glass of the excellent local apple juice (invariably good here and in Austria) failed to wipe out the €10.00 note. We still had more than four Swiss francs left which we used to buy 2 bars of excellent Villars chocolate.

The Hotel Dino breakfasts are generous, taken in a beautiful lakeside setting and you really don't need much for lunch. On the Wednesday visit to Como we bought a bag of cherries in the market and enjoyed them at mid-day. On the following day, in a market in Verona, we demolished a carton of the local strawberries.

Dinner is included tonight at a local restaurant on the Lido of Venice where we are staying. There is a beautiful Risotto Cannelloni starter, a surprising main course of turkey and mushroom, a tiramisu dessert (it was apparently invented around here) and plenty of local Pinot Grigio at €15.00 a bottle. Later we enjoy a drink on St Mark’s Square, Prosecco or wine, and sit and watch the musicians play. This is usually very expensive but is included in the tour.

After a visit to the highlights round the square on the following day, our guide instructs us to get lost. We move well away from the square and end up in a restaurant situated on the Lagoon. Here we have a fine lunch. One has with a bountiful salad, one a plateful of Venetian sardines (served with currants and pine nuts). Two beers (€5.50 for the larger one), the cover charge (which includes a basket of bread), and water bring the total to €31.00.

Our Hotel, the Hungaria, has an unusually front (see photo). Just down the street is the Gran Viale restaurant, our venue for the dinner. Spaghetti alla carbonara is the starter. The mains are Scampi Busera (a local tomato based sauce). The sauce was absolutely beautiful but a lot of effort went into releasing the little bits of flesh. That led to messy hands.

The wine was a Ribollo Gialla, well worth the €18.00 charge. We were also charged for potatoes (which turned out to be chips) and water, and the bill was a stiff €84.50. Might have been worth it had the main course been more user friendly.

The next day we had quite a big lunch at the nearby Roxy Pizzxeria. Two Camparis, two pizzas, one water and one 50cl carafe of White wine (€6.00), plus a cover of €4.00 made up the €35.00 bill.

It is Saturday and the included dinner tonight is on the Fishermans Island of Burano. Not surprising, virtually all of the many course are fish but, surprisingly, most are done in batter. The restaurant is the Gato Nero (Black Cat) Trattoria. We get fish pate, the local St Peter fish, scampi, calamari etc and jugfuls of a decent local white wine before finishing off with Zambucco laced coffee.

Sunday we are on the road and heading for Florence. Included dinner is a multi course at a nearby restaurant. All the courses go down well, helped by a €20 bottle of the local Chianti.

Monday takes us on tour to nearby San Gimignano. We sample the World Champions ice-cream and relax with a cappuccino in a restaurant in the square. Both are excellent. Lunch back in Florence sees us stuffing ourselves at a sit down establishment with a €4.00 tramazzini (white bread sandwich, crustless), stuffed with salad, tomato and mozzarella.

The included evening meal is at a hillside restaurant outside of the city and is one of the highlights. We are greeted with generous glasses of a Campari and gin mixture. This is followed by a Risotto demo and a magnificent multi-course meal. One generous fellow at the table orders a slab of Florentine steak. The Chianti was flowing...singing...dancing.. but, what happens on the bus stays on the bus!

Tuesday, after a visit to Pisa, we are taken to a Tuscan vineyard (Montecarlo) for a tour and lunch. Lunch goes on for a while as we sample the six different types of wine (3 red, 3 white), a dessert wine into which we dunk our dessert biscuits, and then a grand finish with Grappa! The meal is good too!

It is St John’s Night and the banks and bridges of the Arno are packed for the fireworks, We stop at a deli for a mozzarella, salad and tomato sandwich and join the crowds to watch the spectacle.

The next dinner is in Rome on Wednesday, in a side street a block or two back off the Piazza Navona. Two courses, one bottle of wine €10.00, and 2 bottles of water, cost us €32.00.

Next day, we are off to Pompeii. Lunch here at the entrance gates comes with a rather stiff price tag of about €25.00 for a plate of pork and sautéed potato. It is a long trip and we look forward to dinner which is taken near the Hotel on the Via Cavour. It is a bit more upmarket than the previous night.

The mains are spaghetti with meat sauce and Lasagne al Forna. They are top class as is the fruit dessert that follows. The lot, including a bottle of win (€12.00), water, coffee, cover charge and a service charge of 10 per cent, comes to €55.00.

The next morning is spent visiting the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s and the Coliseum and we are well up for it by the time the farewell dinner comes around. It is held in a restaurant near the Vatican.

The meal, while a bit touristy, you get photographed with a Roman soldier as you enter (€6.00) and there a two opera singers entertaining (and selling their CD), is excellent and we enjoy the meal, the music and the farewell evening.

The following day, it is back to Ireland and we have to make do with a €5.00 Aer Lingus Panini (ham and cheese) and a little bottle of white wine (also €5.00) as we journey home. All good things come to an end. C’est la vie!

More photos from this Italian trip at http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/or click on Corkman on Tour link on the right hand column