Monthly Archives: July 2025

July 22, 2025 · 2:30 am

Italian Wine and Cheese Tasting

Pairing wine with complementary food was the subject of course that Michele and I used to teach at The New School. Finding the right wine for a particular food is important and it can really enhance the dining experience.

Recently I attended a wine and cheese tasting at the Columbus Citizens Foundation in NYC. This special Master Class was organized in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) as part of their mission to raise awareness around PDO and PGI-certified products from Italy.

The PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) is a certification that guarantees a product has been entirely produced with in a certain geographical area. It protects quality, tradition and authenticity inline with strict production standards recognized by the EU.

Robert Campana  guided us through the fascinating world of Italian cheeses.

Paula Pavan the organizer of the event spoke about the wonderful world of Italian wine.

There were five cheeses and five wines. Each cheese was matched with one wine.

Asiago PDO-aged 30 days-this is a cooked  semi-hard cheese made from pasteurized cows milk.The PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) ensures the cheese is made in a specific region of Italy, the Asiago Plateau, and following a strict production process. It has a soft texture, buttery with a mild flavor and slightly tangy.

Roero Arneis DOCG  Poderi Morettii. Made from 100% Arnesi ( little rascal in Piedmontese dialect). Fermentation takes place at a low temperature in stainless steel tanks for about 20 days. The wine remains on the lees for 4 months.This is a family run winery  in Monteu Roero, with 40 hectares of land, and 22 hectares dedicated to vineyards. The winery is committed to producing high-quality wines exclusively from its own grapes.  They employ natural farming practices, including selective pruning to enhance grape quality, organic fertilization, and techniques.

The wine has floral aromas, with hints of white peach,  apricot and a subtle almond finish. $15

Piave Vecchio PDO-aged 12 months-cooked compact cheese made from cow’s milk. It is a mountain cheese with a flaky hard grain, nutty flavors touch of spice, dense texture and no holes. The cheese is named after the Piave river in Belluno.

  IGT  Toscana Rosso Fattoria di Petroio made from 100% Sangiovese. The grapes are sourced from six hectares of specialized vineyards of which 5.5 are DOGC Chianti Classico. The remaining 6 hectares are rented out to a fellow winery, but the whole production is still done in Petroio. The Estate has been a member of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico since 1927, the year of its founding. Traditional fermentation for 15 days and the wine remains in the lees for 15 days. Aging is in stainless steel. The wine has hints of blackberries, blueberries and violets. $17

Grana Padano PDO— This hard, crumbly textured cheese is produced with raw milk from cows that are milked twice a day. The collection of the milk must take place within 24 hour starting from the first milking. Grana Padano PDO cannot be sold on the market before 9 months of maturation in a controlled environment. It is aged from 9 to 20 months. The cheese has a salty, nutty flavor, with a touch of butter and a note of hay. Grana Padano is known for its characteristic grainy, or “grana,” texture, with a brittle, flaky interior and a natural, golden-yellow rind.

Grana is exactly the same as Parmigiano-Reggiano, the only difference is that the milk used to produce Parmigiano comes from cows fed only with fresh grass or hay. For Grana, cereals or other animal feed can be used. Parmigiano is produced only in a restricted area smaller than the one allowed for Grana Padano.

Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG Fattoria di Petroio made from 100% Sangiovese. Traditional fermentation for 20 days. The wine remains on the yeast with batonnage for 90 days and is aged for 24 months in tonneaux. The wine has hints of blackberries, cloves, cinnamon and leather with a touch of cocoa. $44

Pecorino Romano PDO is made from sheep’s milk. Pecorino Romano is produced exclusively in Sardinia, Lazio, and the Tuscan Province of Grosseto.  Pecorino Romano is aged for a minimum of five months, and sometimes up to a year or more, in temperature and humidity-controlled environments. It has a sharp tangy flavor characteristic of sheep’s milk cheese, with nutty flavors and a hint of grassiness. It is a hard cheese with a granular texture that is perfect for grating over pasta. It is the preferred cheese of Southern Italy.

Mandrolisai Rosso DOC Cantina Mandrolisai made from Bovine Sardo, Cannon di Sardegna and Monica Sardegna. The soil is granite caused by weathering. Traditional harvest the first ten days of October. Maceration 8/10 days with submerged cap in stainless steel containers. There is oak aging. High-altitude red wines from the Nuoro Region of Sardinia are abundant in polyphenols – which lower bad cholesterol- than all other worldwide wine grapes. This medium to full-bodied wine has hints of dried fig, umami,  currants, and cigar-box tobacco toward the finish. $16

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO-aged 15 months-cooked hard cheese made exclusively with raw cow’s milk. It is a hard, granular cheese with a straw-yellow color and a delicate, slightly sweet and savory flavor. It’s a protected designation of origin (PDO) product, meaning it can only be produced in specific regions of Italy using traditional methods and ingredients: cow’s milk, salt, and rennet. At 15 months, the cheese is still relatively young, with a mild flavor and a soft texture that is beginning to develop a characteristic graininess.

Parmigiiano Reggiano aged 22 months is a hard, granular cheese with a complex flavor profile. It is considered to be in its optimal aging range, offering a balance of savory and sweet notes with a slightly salty and nutty finish. The texture is grainy and crumbly.

Recently I had a  Parmigiano mad from the milk of the rare RED Cow and aged for 30 months. It is higher in protein and butterfat and is aged longer than regular Parmigiano and can be sold only after at least 24 months of aging. The grains (crunchy crystals) of the 30 were more intense as was the flavor. A truly great cheese.

Rosso Piceno  Tenute Recchi “Donna Eugenia” made from Montepulciano and Sangiovese. Organic farming. Vineyards at 500 meters. The wine has hints of cherry, red currants, violets and a touch of spice. $?

Though the combinations of wines and cheeses were not what I would have chosen. I enjoyed the experience  and they all seemed to work.

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July 14, 2025 · 2:13 am

A New Look at Lambrusco

Lambrusco’s early popularity caused it to get a bad rap.  Many wine drinkers today think that all Lambrusco is sweet, red and lightly sparkling and they don’t consider it to be a serious wine.

A recent Lambrusco tasting that I attended proved them wrong.  The speaker was Alan Tardi, an award winning wine and food writer, wine educator, former chef, and restaurateur.  The seminar was called “A New Look at Lambrusco.”  With Alan teaching, it was not just a seminar but a true ‘Master Class.’ The class was given at The New York Wine Studio at 126 East 38th Street New York, New York. info@newyoekwinestudio.com.

 Lambrusco is the name of both an Italian  red wine grape and a wine made principally from the grape.  It is indigenous to and has its largest production in the region of Emilia-Romagna.  All of the production of Lambrusco in Emilia-Romahna takes place in Emilia with the town of Modena the center of Lambrusco production.  The grape is planted in other parts of Italy and a few other countries.

It is typically made using the Charmat process where a second fermentation is conducted in a pressurized tank. More recently some producers have been making wine by using the Classical Method, the same way Champagne is made, and even vintage dating the label. Lambrusco can be made in many styles from sweet “dolce” to dry “secco.”  Traditionally, Lambrusco was meant to be drunk young but now some producers are  using  the Classical Method and putting vintages on the label of some that can age.  One of the wines tasted was from the 2007 vintage.  It was not too old for Lambrusco.

Six Lambrusco varieties are the best known: Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Montericco, Lambrusco Salamino, and Lambrusco Sorbara. All of these various Lambrusco grapes are indigenous to Emilia and are not clones or sub-clones. The grape vines are often trained high above ground to prevent mildew. In the past the vines were trained to climb up poplar trees.

Lambrusco Grasparossa is the smallest wine-producing region located south of the town of Modena. It makes a wine which is full bodied, high in alcohol and more tannic than other Lambrusco varieties, It has aromas and flavors of black cherry, plum and a touch of almonds.

Lambrusco Sorbara is light bodied and high in acidity. It has aromas an flavors of violet, red currant, and strawberry.

Lambrusco Salamino is  he most common of the Lambrusco varieties planted in Emilia. Midway between Grasparossa and Sorbara, it is moderately tannic with aromas of  violet, rose and red berries. This variety has only female flowers so it is planted with Lambrusco Salamino, and the Salamino pollinates the Sorbara flowers.

Lambrusco Maestri has aromas and flavors of plum, black cherry, chocolate and violet.

Lambrusco Marani is tannic with flavors and aromas of violet, iris, black currant, and red cherry.

Lambrusco Viadanese is also known as Lambrusco Mantovano.

Lambrusco Bianco dell’ Emilia IGP N/V Lini 910 made from 100% Salamino grapes. Harvest takes place in September. There is a cold soaking of the grapes followed by a 10 to 15 day alcoholic fermentation at 59/60C. There is a partial malolactic fermentation. For the production of Lini’s classic Martinotti-method Lambrusco (also known as Charmat-method Lambrusco), a still Lambrusco is produced and then racked into pressurized temperature-controlled tanks where the second fermentation takes place. The wine is then aged on the lees until the desired complexity and nuance are achieved.The fining agent is bentonite and aging is in cement tanks.  Residual sugar is 10 g/l and alcohol is 11%.  The wine has hints ripe peaches and pears with a touch of hazelnut and a note of lemon.$18

Lini 910 has been a family-owned and operated sustainable winery in Emilia-Romagna, Italy since 1910.

Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Brut Rosè (coral pink color ) DOP 2024 Silva Zucchi made from 100% Sorbara.  The soil of the estate vineyards is silt and clay and the exposure is southwest. There is a careful selection of the hand-harvested grapes which are then softly pressed so that the free run juice or “mosto fire” is used for the final product. Fermentation takes place using the Charmat Method, in large pressure tight autoclaves, for 5 weeks on the lees at a controlled temperature of 14/16C.  The wine is only aged briefly in the bottle before release. Residual sugar 2.29 g/l. The wines has floral notes with hints of of strawberry, raspberry, red currants and a touch of grapefruit. $22

Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC ‘LEclisse’ 2023 Paltrinieri made from 100% Lambrusco di Sorbara from the oldest section of the IL Cristo vineyard at 80 ft. Alluvial soil mostly chalk and sand and the training system is cordoned speronato. Harvest is in the middle of September by hand. There is a soft pressing of the grapes without maceration. The wine is produced using the Martinotti method or long Charmat method where the wine is left on the lees in pressurized stainless steel tank for a period of 3 months. Alcohol 11.5%.  The wine is organic and has hints of citrus fruit, pears and floral notes. $20

Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce IGP ‘RossaViola’ (ruby red in color) 2020 Luciano Saetti made from 100% Salamino di Santa Croce. The vines are 40 years old and the training system is guyot and spalliera. Soil is deep grey clay, sand and silt. Harvest is manual. Grapes are crushed and the resulting spontaneous fermented must goes into steel tanks at a controlled temperature. The alcoholic fermentation process is concluded without the grapes being pressed. The sediment falls spontaneously to the bottom of the tank, avoiding any micro-filtering. The spring after a second fermentation takes place in the bottle initiated by the addition of grape must at a controlled pressure and temperature. It is fermented to  dryness. After a patient refinement that takes at least four months, the bottles are hand riddled and disgorged.  The date of this operation is shown on the back label (complete with day, month and year). The wine has hints of violets and red berries with sweet spice notes and a touch of plums.  Organic certified. No sulfur is added to the wines. $21

Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce DOC “Per Franco” 2001 Tettrvive made from 100% estate grown Lambrusco di S. Croce. The 5 hectare vineyard is at 23 meters and the age of the vines is about 15 years. Soil is of medium texture, sandy loamy. The farming is organic without chemical intervention. There are biodynamic preparations. Only copper and sulphur are used to protect the plants. Harvest is by hand in early September. The grapes are destemmed, soft pressed and only the free-run juice is used. Spontaneous fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged for 6 months in cement, and 6 months in the bottle. No clarification, no filtration, addition of must from the same vintage for refermentation. The wine has hints of citrus, grapefruit, lemon, green apples and a touch of fresh herbs.  The winery’s bottle storage area, modeled after a 17th-century-style icehouse, burrows like a Hobbit-hole directly into the side of a hill—a hill that the owner/winemaker Gianluca Bergianti constructed himself. $22

$29Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro “Monovitigno” 2024 (flamboyant cardinal red) Fattoria Moretto  Lambrusco di Grasparossa di Castelvetro 100% from a more than 50 year old clonal selection of a single vineyard facing south/southeast. The grapes are certified organic and the training system is spurred cordon. Soil is 30% silt and 70% clay.  There are 5,000 vines per hectare. Harvest is by hand. There is a 4/6 day maceration at a controlled temperature. In steel for the must.  The rosé juice is obtained by direct press and does not undergo malolactic fermentation.  Only indigenous yeast is used. Fermented and aged in stainless steel autoclaves (pressurized tanks).  The wine has hints of blackberry, blueberry, strawberry with a note of aromatic herbs and nice minerality  Fattoria Moretto  is a small family run winery established in 1971.  The vineyards are at 200 meters which make it unique because Emilia is very flat $29

 

Lambrusco dell’Emilia IGT “Rio degli Sgoccioli” 2022 Cinque Campi made from Lambrusco Borghi. Cinque Campi is a family-run winery with a history spanning over 200 years.   The winery is known for its traditional, organic Lambrusco and other wines made with indigenous Emilian grapes. The name “Cinque Campi” translates to “five fields” and refers to the original five vineyards that formed the estate. The winery has been passed down through the Nizzoli family for generations, with the current owner, Vanni Nizzoli, continuing the legacy. The vineyards are located on the  hills of the Appennino Reggiano, with soils characterized by a mix of sand, silt, and clay contributing to the wines’s freshness and minerality.  The soil is clayey silicious. Maceration is  on the skins in steel tanks for 3 days then in steel for 6 months and 1 year in bottle sur lies. Method Classico.  It has flavors and aromas of red fruit, strawberry, raspberry. Traditional methods like fermentation in the bottle and disgorging by hand are used, resulting in unique and complex wines. It is a certified organic farm, with a focus on minimal intervention winemaking, including hand-harvesting, natural fermentation, and no fining, filtering, or added sulfur. $18

Lambrusco del Reggiano Rosato DOC ‘Unique” 2021 Medici Ermete is a traditional method sparkling rosé wine made from 100% Lambrusco Marani grapes (pink in color).  The soil is clayey and the training system is condone speronato. It is a Brut style wine, meaning it’s dry. It undergoes 30 months of aging on the lees which contributes to its complexity. Minimal dosage of 4g/l is added after disgorgement. The company owns about 80 hectares of vineyards grown entirely organically. It is a 130-year-old, fifth generation family-owned winery.  The wine has hints of strawberries, raspberries, cherries and red currants. $29

Lambrusco dell’Emilia Rosso DOC “Suoli Cataldi” 2023 Podere G Giardino made from  30% Lambrusco Marani (acidity), 30% Lambrusco Salamino (perfume), 30% Lambrusco Oliva (color and sugar), and 10% Lambrusco Maestri (structure), from  2.1 hectare vineyard. Eco-harvested and co-fermented.  The alcoholic fermentation is in stainless steel with 6 days of maceration on the skins.  Malolactic did not occur.  Secondary fermentation, with the addition of must and yeasts, is in pressurized autoclave.  6g/l residual sugar, but dry-feeling.  Organic and vegan. The has hints of  cherry, strawberry, red currents and violets with a touch of chocolate. $18

Vino Spumante di Qualitá Metodo Classico Brut “In Correggio'”2007. Made from 100% Salamini  Lini 910  Harvest is in September. First there is a cold soak, then the wine is in contact with the skins for 10 to 15 days. Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks and in bottle for 10 to 15 days.  There is partial malolactic fermentation.  Cement vats are used for aging. The wine is vegan. The wine has hints of black cherries, rose petals, spice, violets and a touch of almonds. $40

Alan showed us a wide variety of Lambrusco styles which we tasted and discussed.  The tasting demonstrated the wide variety of Lambruscos available today and I enjoyed them very much.  All that was missing was a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano to accompany the wines.

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July 2, 2025 · 12:44 am

Tasting Wine in Rome

When Michele and I were in Rome last month, my friend Marco Melizi asked me if I would like to taste some wines. Marco is a wine salesperson in NYC and one of the most knowledgeable people that I know when it comes to Italian wine.  He sent me 4 bottles from the Azienda Agricola Biologica Bio Vio in Liguria and 2 bottles of wine from Fattoria Nicodemi in Abruzzo.

The wines of Azienda Agricola Biologica Bio Vio 

Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC Vementino made from 100% Vermentino.  Produced from vines at an average age of  35 years. The vineyard is at 60 meters and the soil is clay, ferruginous/sandy. The training system is spurred cordon and sapling. Harvest is from mid-August to mid-September. Cryomaceration takes place for 24 hours followed by soft pressing and fermentation with indigenous yeasts at controlled temperature in steel tanks. Battonage in steel for 4 months. The wine remains in steel for 4 more months then in bottle for two months before release. It has hints of rosemary, green apple, peach and almond, savory notes, and nice minerality. The winery was founded in the 1980’s in the heart of the Ligurian hinterland and their philosophy is to preserve the artisanal methods of the region.  The winery has been certified organic since 1989 and organic and traditional methods of cultivation are used.

Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato “Marene” made from 100% Pigato. The vineyard is at 100 meters and the soil is clayey, ferruginous/calcareous. Training system is guyot, spurred cordon and sapling. Harvest is from mid-September to mid-October.  Cryomaceration for 24 hours followed by soft pressing, fermentation at controlled temperature with indigenous yeasts, battonage in steel tanks for 4 months and 2 months in bottle before release. The wine has hints of  cedar, peach, and almond with a touch of moss.

Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato “Bon in Da Bon” DOC  made from 100% Pigato, macerated late harvest wine. Terraced vineyards of 20 year old vines are at 250 meters and the soil is marly-ferruginous.  The exposure is south/west. The late harvest is at the end of October. Fermentation is on the skins for 10 days with indigenous yeasts. Battonage for 12 months in a third passage French oak vat. The wine ages for 12 months in large barrels and 4 months in bottle before release. The wine has hints of ripe fruit, apricot, aromatic herbs and a touch of broom.

Rivera Ligure di Ponte Pigato “Grand-Père” Made from 100% Pigato, a late harvest wine. Vineyards are at 100 meters and the vines are about 30 years old. The training is spurred cordon and sapling and the soil is clayey and ferruginous. Exposure is south/west. Late harvest at the end of October. Two harvesting steps are made. The grapes of the first selection go into the Pigato “Marenè”, while the remaining part of the grapes remain on the plant for about a month more. Cryomaceration for 24 hours followed by soft pressing at low temperatures. Fermentation in steel at a controlled temperature with indigenous yeasts. Battonage in steel for 6 months. The wine is aged for 6 months and 2 months in bottle before release. The wine has hints of almonds, citrus fruit, peach and a touch of sage.

The Wines of Fattoria Nicodemi

Fattoria  Nicodemi Trebbiano D’Abruzzo Cocciopesto Made from 100% Trebbiano D’Abruzzo.The wines are grown on clay and limestone soils in the Teramo hills, influenced by the Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso mountains. 50-year-old Trebbiano vines are grown on the pergola.  Grapes are destemmed but not crushed and go into the cocciopesto containers to ferment with ambient yeast.  This wine macerates for 10 days, then gets punched down. It remains macerating on the skins for 6 months.  At this point, the skins sink to the bottom and the wine is racked off the top.  They then are returned to the vessel to complete fermentation and aging.  This wine is bottled unfiltered and released 1.5 to 2 years after harvest.  The wine has hints of lemon, lime, citron, with herbal notes and touch of basil. It is an organic winery.

Cocciopesto is ancient opus signinum that mixes brick, stone fragments, sand, binder and water. It isn’t like terracotta and it was used by the Romans and even before that, it had been used by the Phoenicians. It was used to clad aqueducts, cisterns and thermal baths. The shape of the wine container – inspired by the Roman dolium tradition – suggests that the egg-shaped interior’s convective motion fosters the recirculation of must during winemaking.  Cocciopesto amphoras don’t impart any flavor to the wines.

Fattoria Nicodemi Colline Teramane Montepulciano D’Abruzzo DOCG Cocciopesto Bio 2021 made from 100% Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. The vineyards are at 300 meters. The soil is of a medium mixture of calcareous  clay and there are 1,600 plants per hectare. The average age of the vines is 50 years and the training system is Abruzzo pergola. Harvest is near the end of October. Maceration is for 10–15 days and spontaneous fermentation with ambient yeasts in cocciopesto amphorae.The wine spends 12 months in cocciopesto amphorae then it is decanted. No filtration before bottling. The wine remains in  the bottle for 6 months before release. This is a full bodied and balanced wine with hints of blueberry, blackberry, spice with a touch of leather and a note of licorice.

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