Do You Know Sagrantino?

Before we moved to Italy in 2003 I knew very little about wine.  What I did know was that it was usually expensive in restaurants, which kept me from ordering it, because the only other thing I knew about wine was that I had no idea what I liked.  Other than Chianti, I don't even think I knew the names of any wines, grapes or regions.

Although I now know a little more about wine - with the emphasis on 'little', the things I've learned are important.  Probably the most important thing I've learned about wine is that wine improves food and food improves wine and they should always always always be enjoyed together.  While I still can't tell you which wine pairs best with what food, I'm learning.

When we lived in Louisville we enjoyed the wine tastings at Westport Wine and Whiskey.  In Italy there are so many wineries, ranging from tiny local home-based places to large, international companies, and many, many regional cantinas where you can fill up your 5 liter fiasco from a gas pump style hose for €1 per liter.  We recently visited Chiorri to take in the view and enjoy a refreshing glass of grechetto on a warm summer's afternoon.  Being able to have this wine by the glass let us sample, which led us to buy 5 liters to enjoy at home.



Those of you who know a bit about wine may know that Tuscany is famous for its' Brunello, and that Piemonte is known for Barolo and Barbaresco (And if you're interested,HERE is a link explaining the differences between those two wines, both made from the Nebbiolo grape.)  Here in Umbria there is also a very regional, very delicious and not as well know wine, Sagrantino,  There are about 50 producers of Sagrantino, and its production is strictly controlled to ensure the highest quality.

If you're visiting Umbria this year - and if you're not already making plans, start NOW! - the best way to see the beauty of Umbria and sample some of these great wines is to hire a knowledgeable guide.  We highly recommend GUSTO WINE TOURS.  Run by an English couple, Mark and Giselle Stafford, Gusto Wine Tours lets you meet the producers, mostly small, local places, sample the wines, not have to worry about driving,  enjoy the beautiful countryside, enjoy an authentic Umbrian lunch and spend the day with Mark, who is as knowledgeable about the wine as he is charming and witty!

Sharing the joys of Umbria, and of Sagrantino with the world is something we love to do.  If you've been putting off that trip because you're worried about earthquakes, please let me reassure you - Umbria is up an running, with little to no damage from earthquakes that occurred in other regions!  Come to Umbria, enjoy its' food, its' scenery, its' people and its' wine!  Book a tour with Mark and Giselle at GUSTO WINE TOURS for a truly special, unforgettable day!

You can also find Gusto Wine Tours on FACEBOOK.  

WINE TASTING = TASTY WINE!

Art received several bottles of wine for his birthday, and the other night we opened one of the bottles to share with friends. The wine was Poggio Madrigale from the Vini di Filippo winery. We'd never heard of the winery but thanks to Google I found their website and learned that they were just outside of Cannara. All four of us liked the wine so much that we decided we needed to visit the winery to see what other nice wines they might have.


We had a group of seven the day we visited Vini di Filippo. When we'd call to ask about a tasting we were told we just needed to call one day in advance. Elena greeted us when we arrived and after giving us a brief history of the vineyard we were ready to taste! We started with the whites: crisp. light and refreshing, then moved onto the reds. For a relatively small vineyard Vini di Filippo has a nice variety of wines, including a Sagrantino.


Some of us bought the white wine (Grechetto) and some of us concentrated on the reds. For us it was the Poggio Madrigale (2004) (the wine that brought us to the winery) and the Sallustio, a rosso di Montefalco (2006).

If you're in Umbria and looking for an organic winery run by nice people who make great wine, we can heatily recommend Vini di Filippo. The link will take you to their website, available in Italian, English and German. Their phone number is 074 273 1242.



Salute!

FUN AT LA FATTORIA DEL GELSO - LUNCH IN MONTEFALCO

During our day of wine tasting with friends Bill and Suzy we stopped for lunch in Montefalco, the epicenter of all things SAGRANTINO. As we pulled into Montefalco, a charming medieval walled city, we could see that the weekly market was just ending. We walked past a porchetta truck, and for me, a porchetta sandwich would have been more than fine for lunch...but of course Bill and Suzy had made other arrangements.

We made our way up the hill into Montefalco, passing the beautiful PARDI LINENS along the way.
Montefalco also has a store selling objects made from olive wood....salad bowls and serving pieices, decorative accessories, even jewlery, and I love every one of them! I recommend both of these as options to everyone who's visiting Italy and looking for a unique souvenier. Both the linens and the olive wood are uniquely Umbrian, weigh very little, and are unbreakable...what a winning combination!

Once we were up in the main square of Montefalco we crossed to the tiny little enoteca/restaurant L'ALCHIMISTA. Because we'd hadn't been able to coordinate schedules with the TABARRINI winery, we would enjoy their wines with our lunch - really a much better way to taste any wine in my opinion.
Bill and Suzy selected our menu, meaning that we didn't have to grapple with that tough decision. Antipasti was simple - bruschetta with various toppings, followed by several pasta dishes, and I have to pat myself on the back here. One of the pasta dishes, made with regular and spinach taglietelle also had pigeon, which is something I've never eaten before. It's fairly common here in Umbria, so I gave it a taste, and honestly, if you had asked me what was in it, I would never have guessed pigeon - and yes, it was delicious!

As you might imagine, the wine flowed, the food kept coming and the conversation was interesting. We all agreed that the TABARRINI wine was delicious. Had we been at the winery I'm certain we would have come away loaded down with cases of wine...maybe next time!

After lunch we visited the Paolo Bea winery where our outgoing host showed us through his work-in-progress, a brand new cantina for making his wine. Although still very much a construction site, we did learn about the passion each winemaker brings to his craft, and the very specific ideas each one has about what makes the perfect wine.

Our tasting at Paolo Bea came with plenty of food, which was a nice touch. Everything was made by mama, and the chicken liver pate was fabulous...and I'm not even a big fan of chicken liver pate! If we had it to do over, I'd recommend that the Paolo Bea winery would have been better in the morning when we weren't all quite so full. Everyone else in our group seemed to somehow manage to eat one more meal, taste one more wine, so maybe I'm just not the trooper I thought I was! All in all, our day in and around Montefalco was one to be remembered. We never did make it to the ANTONELLI winery, but there's always next time!

A SUNDAY OF SAUSAGE, CELERY AND SAGRANTINO

Last weekend we drove across Umbria, past the vineyards of Sagrantino, past the olive trees waited to be harvested, to Trevi. Trevi is famous for the beautiful celery that grows in the region. It's sweet, stringless and so dark green it's called black celery. We arrived early, as is our style, and on a Sunday afternoon this meant we were able to find a parking spot just outside the centro!

Stalls were set up selling antiques and knick-knacks, candy, and, luckily for us, onions from nearby Cannara. I bought several braided bunches of the flat sweet variety, perfect for roasting in the oven, some 'regular' onions for cooking, and a small bunch of garlic. Before we'd even entered the centro the trip was a success!

On our way into the centro we stopped in a small side piazza where potted herbs, apples, wine and grains were on sale. The pictures of the grapes in the previous two posts were from one of the booths, hosted by CANTINA BARTOLONI, one of the many producers of SAGRANTINO WINE. At €15 a bottle, this was our best bargain of the day.

Once finally into the centro we were surrounded by crates of beautiful celery and the smell of sausages on the grill. I'm guessing that this was the festa of sausages and celery because a festa with only celery wouldn't be quite as tasty! Art and I split a sausage sandwich and I resisted Art's urgings to buy more celery than we needed, knowing that we'll be back in Trevi on November 2nd for the FRANTOI APERTI. Hopefully there will be more celery for sale like there was last year.

For the drive home we took a new route, one we weren't sure of, but one we knew would get us to our destination.....eventually. The leaves of the Sagrantino grapevines are just starting to turn, and in a few weeks the vineyards will offer a dazzling display of reds, oranges and golds, our answer to fall color here in Umbria.

As always, more photos on OUR FLICKR PAGE.

Sagrantino grapes_7155

Sagrantino grapes_7155, originally uploaded by artnbarb.

Beautiful now, delicious later!

Sagrantino grapes_7154

Sagrantino grapes_7154, originally uploaded by artnbarb.

Gorgeous Sagrantino grapes! I just love that 'frosted' look!

A DAY WITH FRIENDS

On Friday we had lunch with Marcia and David, SlowTrav friends we'd met last summer. When Marcia emailed me to say that they'd be staying near Orvieto and planned to drive over to Bevagna, a stop at our house seemed like perfect timing. We were able to follow them on their travels from Rome to Sorrento and Pompeii through MARCIA’S BLOG.

Marcia also contacted Mary, and other Slow Traveller who we'd also met last summer at the big get together near Assisi. At that time Mary had just opened her beautiful country inn, GENIUS LOCI. The pictures we saw of the inn were gorgeous, and Brad and Palma, who'd decided to stay at the inn in order to be closer to the get together had told us how wonderful it was. Although Art and I had tried to get together with Mary and her husband Maurizio during the winter months, somehow it never happened, so this would be our first time to see the inn in person.

David and Marcia arrived at our house on Friday morning and we had a great relaxing lunch, nothing fancy: melon with prosciutto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, then spaghetti with pesto. For dessert I thawed out the last of the fresh strawberries and tossed the juicy sweetened berries with cubes of a shortcake I'd made the day before.

Normally when I serve strawberry shortcake I make baking powder biscuits, just as my mom did. This time I decided to see if I could find a recipe for pound cake, since of course I couldn't possibly have company without at least ONE new dish!

Most of the recipes I found required sour cream, or heavy cream, and I didn't have either one in the house. Because it was Thursday afternoon, the grocery stores in San Venanzo were closed, and I just couldn't justify a drive down to Marsciano for just one ingredient. (Note: we don't have sour cream in Italy, but I use Greek yogurt instead with great success)

Eventually I found a recipe for strawberry shortcake in my trusty BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS COOKBOOK. This recipe sounded like a cross between a cake and a biscuit, and was baked in an 8" cake pan. I would have preferred to make individual cakes, but the dough was way too slack for that, so I baked it as directed, then planned to slice it horizontally.

Once the cake was baked and cooled, I decided to use half the cake freezing the other half for something else....cherries? peaches? Anyway I cubed the cake and put about a third of the cubes in a clear glass bowl, then added some strawberries (and the yummy juices!), then repeated the process and refrigerated it. Of course while it sat in the frig the cake absorbed all the strawberry juice but still held it's shape. When I served the dessert I simply scooped out a spoonful or two and topped it with some whipped cream. Yum!

The four of us enjoyed our lunch while we got to know each other better. After lunch we gave them the nickel tour of the house then headed out towards Bevagna to visit with Mary.

We'd passed the sign for GENIUS LOCI several times but had never turned down the road for the inn. We were quite surprised that it was just a short distance down the white road, but the setting made you feel as if you were miles away from the rest of the world! Off in the distance we could see Montefalco, Spello and Mount Subasio. Foligno and Bevagna were down in the valley, and the hills in between were covered with shades of green...the grape vines, olive trees and fields of various crops were spread out in a beautiful panorama! Wow!




Mary was waiting to greet us, and once we stepped inside the inn we were all wowed again! the interior was charming and quaint and absolutely beautiful. Mary and her daughter Mar, who was visiting from Pennsylvania told us about the three, or was it four? year renovation of the old farmhouse into a gorgeous inn. Stone walls, huge fireplaces, vaulted ceilings with beams.....this place is everything you dream about!

We sat on the covered terrace enjoying the view, and later Mary's son Michael, who runs the inn, stopped by to say hello. Wow! Another amazing view! This guy is gorgeous! After working in the hospitality industry for many years Michael is now dedicated to making Genius Loci a special place...and I think he'll succeed. His good looks are matched by his friendly and helpful personality, much like his mother.

We were treated to a tasting of their very own Sagrantino wine, and even though I don't know much about wine I know what I like and boy, was this wine yummy! Maybe yummy is too frivolous a word to use for such an impressive wine, but I'd highly recommend this wine to anyone who loves a delicious red. I think I may have to grab a few bottles of this for a special occasion.

If you'd like to know more about the inn you can click on this link for GENIUS LOCI, or to keep up with Mary's life, which of course includes the inn, you can check out MARY’S BLOG.

JAMI AND BETH IN ITALY- PART 3

After a quick stop (“no shopping” was Art’s order!) at the IperCoop in Collestrada to pick up more wine, we headed to Assisi. For a change we parked at the lot at the base of the Basilica, knowing that this visit would be shorter, and that we wouldn’t have time to walk the entire length of the city.

The Basilica now offers a free headset, requesting only a donation for their use. This, combined with the new headsets used by most of the tourist groups, made the inside of the church so much quieter…very peaceful.

We viewed Giotto’s frescoes on the first level of the church, then made our way downstairs to the lower Basilica, my favorite part of the church. Its darkness and intensely colored blue-starred ceiling is just magical. Finally we descended to the tomb of St Francis, very small and simple, and a fitting resting place for St. Francis.

After turning in our headsets we walked up the hill, stopping at this shop and that, helping Jami and Beth find cute souvenirs as well as a book telling the story of the town and it’s saint. We stopped at the new olive-wood shop….what great souvenirs something made of olive-wood would make! Lightweight, practically unbreakable, and USEFUL! We also visited the shoe shop where Art had bought shoes on our first visit to Italy. We left Assisi poorer but happy!

By now it was nearing lunchtime, and we’d planned to eat lunch in Montefalco. After spending hours on our feet in Assisi the time in the car was just enough to rest our feet and recharge our batteries.

As we walked up the main shopping street in Montefalco, we were relieved to see that the restaurant we’d planned on was indeed open. I should know the name of this place, but can’t think of it! It’s before you get to the restaurant with all the wine displayed outside, and is decorated with musical instruments on the interior walls.

The meal we had was fabulous….as usual we shared an antipasti platter, accompanied by a bottle of…what else? Sagrantino! This is the wine Montefalco is famous for, and it’s a treat to be able to share it with friends. After lunch our server brought us each a shot of limoncello. We hadn’t ordered it, but it was their gift to us. When I complimented our server and asked if he had made the limoncello he said, “No, but it is very good! Here, why don’t you take this bottle home to enjoy later?”, and handed me a nice frosty bottle of limoncello! Don’t you just love Italy?

After lunch we wandered through the town, down towards the panoramic overlook with views of the valley below and Assisi off in the distance. Strolling back up to the town square, we found a tiny little enoteca open and ready to sell us both wine AND one liter tins of olive oil. Beth and Jami thought that several one liter tins would be easier to pack than a three or five liter tin, and I agree. Okay, another must-buy now checked off the list!

After Montefalco we drove towards San Venanzo, with a stop at the Scacciadiavoli winery, one of our favorites. This and the nearby Terre de la Custodia are both friendly places in beautiful settings. These and many other wineries are located on the Strada del Sagrantino, a beautiful drive anytime.

As usual we had a wonderful time learning and tasting, but were disappointed to find out that their Sagrantino had been sold out since December! Their good luck was our bad luck, but we still managed to console ourselves with a few bottles of Montefalco Rosso and their newest wine, an asti spumante type white wine, perfect for an apperitivo! We’d open a bottle for our dinner at home that evening.

We’d invited Belinda and Giacomo for dinner that night, and once we were back home all I had to do was to pop the pans of lasagna and cannelloni that I’d made weeks before and frozen, into the oven. I’d made a rich, flourless chocolate cake on Tuesday evening, having read that anything made with dark chocolate should be made in advance in order to enjoy the intensity of the chocolate.

We topped little slices of crusty bread with pesto for our starter, and along with our new wine we toasted Jami and Beth’s arrival in Umbria! Tomorrow we’d travel to Tuscany to visit a beautiful monastery and the Etruscan city of Cortona. At the end of the day a visit to the Perugina chocolate would give us a guaranteed lift.