On Friday 27th January we were invited to dine and drink (our wine!) at La Cantina in Chester, a restaurant with whom we have a close collaboration, and which holds regular Gourmet Evenings, various themed food and wine events, throughout the year.  Our own Juliusz  introduced and talked about the different wines that were on offer for the evening.

La Cantina is an Italian restaurant run by Mark and Liz, where the emphasis is on regional Italian cuisine. The menu of the evening consisted of a 5-course dinner of dishes from the Veneto and Friuli regions of northern Italy, prepared by Mark. These were accompanied by a range of selected wines from the same regions, supplied by us and presented and explained by Juliusz.

We started with a selection of antipasti; specially prepared La Cantina baccala’ cod with crushed almond and garlic aeoli, marinated grilled vegetables, beef Carpaccio with wild rocket, parmesan shavings and balsamic vinegar dressing. Our Valpolicella Vicentini, accompanied this delightful antipasti array, as a light and delicate partner to the contrasting Mediterranean flavours of peppery rocket, sweet balsamic and the olive-oil grilled vegetables.

Our next tastebud teaser was a smooth  Venetian risotto which was finished off with a glass of our  Il Roncal Cabernet Franc – the risotto was of perfect consistency and of an intense red wine colour due to the chef flavouring it with Amarone di Valpolicella as it is traditionally done.

We surprisingly truly enjoyed sipping our Soave as accompaniment to the following fish course, in what could be seen as an unusual choice of having red wines preceding a white one.  Still, it worked perfectly, and the mixed plate of fresh fish, sourced in the morning from Chester fish market included Capo Sante—Venetian style line caught scallop, grilled and then roasted fresh Sea Bass seasoned with fennel seed, crushed peppercorn & sea salt, chargrilled then roasted on a bed of thinly cut fresh fennel,white onion, parsley, lemon and wine; and Tagliolini, thin strips of fresh pasta, mixed lightly with freshly dressed crab, chilli, lemon and herbs. The whole combination was absolutely delicious!

There was still more to come!  Grilled medallions of leg of lamb, the meat boned and butterfly opened, marinated in lemon, oil, rosemary and served with a small selection of Veneto style sautéed and grilled vegetable of the season, which was perfectly teamed with our Barbera d’Asti In Pectore.  This last offering, by Garetto, was a favourite of the evening, and it was admirably followed by La Cantina home prepared Tiramisu and a small plate of lovely cheeses & chilled fruit, with the ‘dulcis in fundo’, last but not least, Vicentini’s Recioto di Soave, a perfectly sweet ending to a lovely evening.

]]> http://www.biancatrading.co.uk/gourmet-evening-at-la-cantina-chester/feed/ 0 http://www.biancatrading.co.uk/aglianco-del-vulture-part-one/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aglianco-del-vulture-part-one http://www.biancatrading.co.uk/aglianco-del-vulture-part-one/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:34:51 +0000 biancatrading http://www.biancatrading.co.uk/?p=602 Nunc est bibendum - “Now is the time to drink” – declares Horace, and we certainly agree, although the verse that follows may not really inspire in this cold and sodden month of January, Nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus - “now is the time to dance footloose upon the earth”.  The roman poet Horace was born in Venusia, to us Venosa, in 65 BC, in the southern region of Italy known as Lucania, today’s Basilicata, which is at the “arch of the boot between Puglia’s heel and Calabria’s toe”.  Perhaps it was an Aglianico del Vulture that he had in mind when writing those verses, or (however appealing the thought may be) perhaps not!  Most likely, in the 1^st century BC, a celebrated poet such as Horace would have been seen enjoying a Falernum, a red wine hailed as one of the best in ancient Rome.  Some say though, (one of the theories on how aglianico came to be) that this Roman equivalent of a first growth was perhaps made with ellenico grape, the name itself indicating its presumed Greek provenance.  From ellenico to Aglianico, is only a matter of etymology! An interesting new idea comes from Milan University where Aglianico is instead believed to have been a wild vine indigenous to the Italian peninsula, and later discovered by the Greek.  According to this theory the name Aglianico derives from the word eilanikos,meaning a “vine that grows up trees”.

Setting aside what could be considered a purely speculative attempt to trace the origins of aglianico, what is certain is that this grape,along with the other two main Italian varieties sangiovese and nebbiolo, is capable of producing “powerful and interesting red wines”.  It is also one of the only two DOC wines found in Basilicata.   The region is one of Italy’s smallest and least populated, and its reputation of being a poor and harsh place to inhabit, a mountainous impervious land which defies cultivation, dates back centuries.  However, in recent years there has been some improvement, and the wine industry, whilst in the hands of a couple of families since the 1920’s, has seen a definite revival.  An interesting number of small producers are appearing on the Basilicata’s landscape; Vito Paternoster who runs a long established, and respected family winery in Barile (with Venosa, a centre for the production near the Vulture), comments: ‘In the past, most of the producers in Basilicata just sent wine anonymously to the North, now we’ve got a real reputation for aglianico, and maybe more people will be encouraged to do something on their own’.

The Grifalco della Lucania winery, producers of the Aglianico del Vulture which we have on our wine list, have done just that.   Having mastered the complexity of sangiovese during their Tuscan beginnings, they decided to move on and use their knowledge to tame the aglianico’s strong ‘masculine character’, a term used by the sommelier Alessandra Andreani in her informative blog: http://winehippie.blogspot.com/2011/08/masculine-wines.html

Aglianico del Vulture is a deeply coloured wine, with exotic and aromatic notes of blackberries, coffee, leather and smoke.  The spent volcano Mount Vulture seems to inject a special power into the grapes grown on its soil: they are formed of small berries with thick skin producing wines that are full bodied with plenty of elegant fruit and tannins in their youth. These wines are capable of ageing for a long time, the best of them can easily last 15 or 20 years in a good cellar.  Just like a Barolo, to which the Aglianico is often compared, with age it develops in an abundance of complex layering and nuances. 

The compact region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia borders on Austria, Slovenia and the northern Adriatic Sea. Home to an array of native and international varieties, the Friulians have applied studied vineyard techniques and avant-garde enology to the production of highly distinctive whites, as well as some eminently attractive reds. It is here in Friuli that we found our producers from the Il Roncal estate, and we were pretty excited about having discovered them.

Varietal wines dominate the multitude of types included in Friuli-Venezia Giulia’s nine DOC categories (including part of Lison-Pramaggiore, shared with Veneto). Friuli has built a glowing reputation for white wines made by relatively small wineries and estates. The exchange of air currents between the Alps and the Adriatic has created a highly favourable habitat for vines on the terraced slopes called ronchi.

In the Friulan dialect, the name “Roncal” means  a ‘hillside holding cultivated in terraces’, and in fact it is precisely the “ronchi” which dominate this striking landscape. The slopes of the Il Roncal vineyards encircle the Montebello hillside which is favoured by an excellent exposure and a marl/sandstone combination soil which is ideal for grape-growing. The Roncal estate deliberately chooses to harvest late, ensuring that grapes are picked only at their most ripe. Vinification is carried out according to tradition, at controlled temperatures within the estate’s cellars. Tradition and modernity cohabit.  Therefore, alongside the shiny, cold stainless steel vats, are sweet-smelling oak casks where the wines are left to mature and their bouquets to develop. The philosophy behind the estate completely envelops this deep, although pleasant, contrast where the new is put to the test in the hope of improving that which has already been proven.

The antique Picolit is a rare, superior quality grape grown in Friuli’s Colli Orientali region with noble origins. It is considered, and rightly so, a jewel in the crown of Italian wines. For centuries, it tickled the palate of princes and bishops and it remains the Friuli wine par excellence. Picolit was produced as early as 1700 by Count Asquini di Fagagna, who exported it in green blown-glass bottles to the rest of Italy, and also to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Russia. Among his clients was the Holy Roman Emperor who considered his Picolit to be “better than any other wine.”  Its praises were sung by celebrated Venetian playwright, Carlo Goldoni, who called it ‘the delight of popes, cardinals and emperors.’

Picolit vines are extremely delicate, yielding only 10 to 15 tiny grapes. A consequence of the difficulty of harvesting this grape is that annual production of Picolit never exceeds 50,000 litres. It is only harvested manually and late in the growing season. For this reason it commands high prices. The grape bunches are handpicked and placed in low boxes to age, and after another 25 days raisining period in crates in a well-ventilated and conditioned room, the grapes are stemmed and lightly crushed. After a soft pressing, fermentation begins in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature and is completed in French oak barriques where it remains on the lees for 9 months.

This noble dessert wine is said by Il Roncal to be ‘vino da meditazione, di quelli da bere col cuore’. This is wine to be savoured, enjoyed, ‘drunk from the heart’ and saved for special occasions (…or moments of pure indulgence). Beautiful on its own, but for a divine contrast of tastes on the palate, it also compliments strong cheeses, oysters and sea truffles. You can purchase some to enjoy here.

It’s that time of year when the Christmas tree is up, the wreath is on the door, the fire is on and you find yourself singing along to carols at every opportunity. We all have our traditions at Christmas, and here’s a great British one for starters; it is a British Christmas tradition that a wish made while mixing the Christmas pudding will come true only if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction. That means, if you buy a Christmas pudding from the supermarket and make a wish, you have a 50% chance of the wish coming true (since you don’t know which way they mixed it up….)

A far easier, tastier and obtainable tradition is the match-made-in-heaven Italian Prosecco with Panettone. For those of you who have yet to discover the delights of this traditional Italian Christmas cake, it is made tall, dome-shaped or flat and round. The interior is filled with candied fruit, raisins, or with chocolate or flavored cream, chocolate chips or pastry cream and even liqueurs; and the exterior either can be plain, or as in the Pandoro, covered with confectioners’ sugar.

Legend has it that it appeared in Northern Italy around the 15^th century. The legend tells of a Milanese nobleman, Ughetto degli Atellani, who fell in love with the daughter of a poor baker named Antonio. To win her over, the nobleman disguised himself as a baker and invented a rich bread in which he added to the flour and yeast, butter, eggs, dried raisins and candied lemon and orange peel (which the poor daughter of Antonio couldn’t afford). It was an immense success. After having the bread, the duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro Sforza (1452 – 1508), agreed to the marriage, and encouraged the introduction of the new cake-like bread.

You may be wondering where the Prosecco fits in all of this. The soft creamy fizz of Prosecco makes it a marvellous match for Italian panettone, which is not too rich or too sweet to overwhelm it.

And most importantly, Panettone eaten with sips of sparkling Prosecco guarantees good luck and good health for the coming year.

You see? The combination is guaranteed success, tastiness and all-round festive enjoyment. If you’re in the area, why not drop by – we have Pandoro and Panettone’s in beautiful tin boxes, and of course our fantastic Prosecco to accompany it.

So if you’re feeling festive, as we certainly are, crack open a bottle of our delicately delicious Dal Bello Prosecco and slice yourself a hefty chunk of Pandoro or Panettone – for good health and good luck over Christmas and the New Year. 

http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/chester-business-news/2011/12/08/family-relaunch-chester-wine-business-59067-29913799/

So here’s a ‘cheers’, ‘cin cin’, ‘santé’ ,’¡salud’  and ‘na zdrowie’ to you all, and a big welcome from us!