Antinori: Generations in the making

If you’re a lover of Italian wine, then you must know the name Antinori. With bottles like Guado al Tasso, Solaia and Tignanello; Antinori conquered the fine wine racket with a host of “Super Tuscans” that helped define a generation of winemaking. However, you don’t need to spend upwards of $70 to enjoy a gorgeous bottle of Tuscan juice from this winery, which is now on it’s 26th generation of ownership (that’s right, 26 generations). Antinori also produces a number of bottles in the value category that drink beautifully. One of my favorites value wines is the Antinori Chianti Classico Peppoli. Each year I look forward to the newest vintage for easy drinking and highly enjoyable Chianti.

2008 Antinori Chianti Classico Pèppoli - The nose showed dusty potpourri with fresh crushed cranberry, cinnamon stick, and dark bakers chocolate. On the palate, it was medium bodied with a high level of acidity pushing dry yet intense red fruit and mocha. The finish was long on the palate with some drying tannin and lots of dry red fruit extract. (88 points) Find it on: Wine-Searcher!

I was a little on the fence with this wine but it opened up nicely after a couple of hours open in bottle. Once it started to show a little body on the palate, the dry red fruits and high acidity became more and more tolerable. In the end this is not Chianti for the neophyte, but does provide an interesting contrast to many of the, soft and modern, Chianti on the market these days.

I enjoyed this wine. I won’t put more in my cellar but I would be happy to accept a glass if offered. For a great value white wine from Antinori, I highly recommend the Antinori, Guado al Tasso Vermentino. It's an Italian white that smells and tastes as if it had been plucked right from a Mediterranean coast only days before you tasted it.

Grandi Vini: One man's opinion of Italy's best wines

I’m thinking back almost seven years ago to when I first started reading Vino Italiano (from authors Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch), which was my first bible for Italian wine. I had only just begun to explore wine and had fallen deeply in love with Italy. Vino Italiano was the end all of Italian wine in my universe. I must have read the book five times from cover to cover, going region by region, and trying to imagine the vineyards, wineries and people that made it all possible. It was the golden age of my wine education. Looking back now, there was one thing that Vino Italiano was missing: winery profiles. Enter Joseph Bastianich’s new book, Grandi Vini.

Joseph Bastianich

The Bastianich family has literally become synonymous with Italian food and wine, with a number of restaurants, retail ventures and even a winery in Friuli. Joseph Bastianich has spent his life in the industry, starting with his mother’s (Lidia Bastianich) restaurant in Forest Hills, Queens, where he rubbed elbows with distributors, importers and visiting wine-makers. Later in life, he traveled through Italy to find direction, working with winemakers in the vineyards and the wineries. Vino Italiano, and now Grandi Vini, are the result of this lifetime of experiences.

Grandi Vini is one man’s opinion of what the 89 best wines are coming from Italy today. Split up into the five different sections of Italy (Central Italy, The Islands, Northeast Italy, Northwest Italy and Southern Italy), Grandi Vini manages to provide a diverse and highly informative guide to some of the biggest names in Italian wine today. Even from the perspective of a well-versed Italophile, I still found myself pouring through this book to search for something new, something interesting; and the best part is, I found plenty of both.

The best part is that Grandi Vini doesn’t just cover the usual suspects. Many of the wineries profiled are off-the-beaten-path producers that I have spent years slowly learning about through tips from other collectors and extensive reading, yet here they all are. For the beginner, Grandi Vini presents something of a behind-the-scenes look into the world of fine Italian wine. For the obsessed, it’s a welcome addition and packed with useful information about some of our favorite wines and winemakers.

A Risotto Rendezvous

The summer is in full swing, and with it, my schedule has been full of wining and dining my clients and friends. There have been some great bottles and I’m looking forward to sharing many of those experiences with you. However, today I wanted to also make my readers aware of an interesting event taking place in NYC at the end of July.

Pumpkin Risotto

If you are a friend or client you know that one of the things that people love about my work are the many risottos in my arsenal. I love it! Nothing makes me happier than risotto and especially one that is made with patience and with a deft hand. Unfortunately, there’s a lot lack luster risotto being served in restaurants today. This causes many people to ask me what it takes to make risotto. My number one answer is patience and the best ingredients. However, I never would have gotten off the ground without the lessons taught to me in school by culinary professionals.

Imagine my fascination when I heard about the following event coming to New York this July. The Risotto Rendezvous on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the International Culinary Center in downtown New York.

Michelle Lawton of “The Joyful Plate,” and Lina Pernigo, chef at La Foresteria Serègo Alighieri at Masi, will prepare and serve three risotto courses while instructing guests as she cooks. What also makes this event special is that Raffaele Boscaini, of Masi Agricola, will be hosting the event and pairing a number of Masi wines with the food. I can’t think of a more interesting evening for someone who enjoys the wines of the Veneto and the joys of risotto.

For anyone who follows this blog, you may recall that the 2005 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Costasera, was one of my top ten wines from the Gambero Rosso, Tre Bicchieri tasting in NYC earlier this year. This event makes for an excellent way to learn about risotto and Masi. I’m hoping to be there myself, if my schedule permits.

To purchase tickets: Masi Risotto Rendezvous
Masi website: Masi Agricola

Some of my recent notes on Masi wines:

2007 Masi Campofiorin Ripasso Veronese IGT - The nose showed black cherry, dusty potpourri and sautéed mushroom with hints of cinnamon and clove. It was soft and enveloping on the palate with wild berries, and spices leading to a juicy sweet finish with red fruits and minerals lingering to the end (91 points)

2005 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Serègo Alighieri Vaio Armaron - The nose showed black cherry, yet it was savory as salty cheeses and holiday spice filled the senses. On the palate, it showed a full body with cherry liquor, herbs, cedar and earth. A little sweet but wonderfully finessed with a long, slightly pepper filled finish. (92 points)

2005 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Costasera - The nose showed rich black cherry, spices and tree bark, yet there was something animal about this wine that truly balanced the seductive fruit. On the palate, it was large scaled and rich, with cherry and spice, yet still feminine and graceful. The finish was long yet fresh. (93 points)