Fancy Food Show Winter 2009
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This year, in the Italian pavilion managed by ICE (Istituto per il Commercio Estero, or Italian Institute for Foreign Trade) at the Fancy Food Show Winter in San Francisco, California, there was a fairly wide space dedicated to Sardinia. The Italian island region presented a selection of typical food products, such as bottarga to pane carasau, from pecorino cheese to extra virgin olive oil, to almond pastries and, obviously, wine.
One aisle of the Italian pavilion at the2009 in San Francisco, California
The Fancy Food Show has been organized by the NASFT (National Association for the Specialty Food Trade) since 1955, at first in New York only, then adding a winter edition in San Francisco, California, then a spring one in Chicago, Illinois. The Fancy Food Show Spring in Chicago was suspended by NASFT after the 2008 annual, while this year's San Francisco winter event was the 35th annual, with exhibitors hailing from over 80 countries.
During the three-day trade show, which lasted from the 18th to the 20th of January 2009, three presentations/tastings took place at the Sardinian booth, one per day, to introduce select DOP products paired with native and traditional wines from the island.
Three researchers from AGRIS (Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura della Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, or Regional Agency for the Agricultural research of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia) introduced the products from their specific sectors and guided the tastings.
Mister Giovanni Bandino opened the presentation each day introducing three extra virgin olive oils: Olio del Tempio (Oil of the Temple), San Giuliano (St. Julian) and Accademia Olearia (Oil Academy).
Mr. Giovanni Bandino, standing, to the right of the monitor, introduces three Sardinian olive oils.
Following, Mr. Antonio Pirrisi presented three types of Pecorino cheese: Pecorino Sardo Dolce, (Sweet Sardinian Pecorino) which is aged less then two months, Pecorino Sardo Maturo (Ripe Sardinian Pecorino), which is aged over two months, and Fiore Sardo (Sardinian Flower), aged for over three and a half months. This third cheese has a strong flavor and it consistency allows it to be used for grating it and sprinkling it as one usually does with the better known Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano cheese.
Finally, Mr. Pier Paolo Fiori presented different wines each day, pairing them with pane carasau, known also as carta musica (parchment paper, that is, the paper that was once used for writing music) because of its thinness, bottarga, the cheeses presented by Mr. Pirrisi, and typical Sardinian pastries made with almond paste called pabassinas, gueffus and amaretti.
Mr. Pier Paolo Fiori, standing, to the right of the monitor, presents the wines
and leads the tasting pairing them with the Sardinian food specialties.
The Tasting
- Sunday, January 18, 2009
- DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Olio del Tempio
- San Giuliano
- Accademia Olearia
- DOP Pecorino Cheese
- Pecorino Sardo Dolce
- Pecorino Sardo Maturo
- Fiore Sardo
- DOC Wines
- Nuragus di Cagliari DOC – Pedraia 2007, produced by Cantina Sociale di Santadi, paired with pane carasau and bottarga.
- Vermentino di Gallura DOCG – Funtanaliras 2007, by Cantina Sociale del Vermentino - Monti, paired with pane carasau and bottarga.
- Carignano del Sulcis DOC – Piedefranco, by Cantina di Calasetta, paired with pecorino sardo dolce cheese.
- Cannonau di Sardegna DOC – Chuerra, by Jerzu Antichi Poderi, ipaired with pecorino sardo maturo cheese.
- Carignano del Sulcis DOC – Terre Brune, by Cantina Sociale di Santadi, paired with fiore sardo.
- Moscato di Sorso Sennori DOC 2006 – Tres Montes, by Cooperativa Romangia, paired with Sardinian almond pastry (pabassinas, gueffus and amaretti).
- DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Left plate: pane carasau and bottarga.
Right plate, from left: Pecorino Maturo, Fiore Sardo and Pecorino Dolce
- Monday, January 19, 2009
- DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Olio del Tempio
- San Giuliano
- Accademia Olearia
- DOP Pecorino Cheese
- Pecorino Sardo Dolce
- Pecorino Sardo Maturo
- Fiore Sardo
- DOC Wines
- Vermentino di Sardegna DOC – Cala Siliente 2007, by Cantina Sociale di Santadi, paired with pane carasau and bottarga.
- Cannonau di Sardegna DOC – Corrasi Riserva, by Cantina Sociale Oliena, paired with pecorino sardo dolce and pecorino sardo maturo.
- Carignano del Sulcis DOC – Rocca Rubia Riserva, by Cantina Sociale di Santadi, paired with fiore sardo.
- Moscato di Cagliari – Donna Iolanda, by Meloni Vini, paired with Sardinian almond pastry (pabassinas, gueffus and amaretti).
- DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Some of the Sardinian wines brought to theSan Francisco Fancy Food Show Winter 2009
- Tuesday, January 20, 2009
- DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Olio del Tempio
- San Giuliano
- Accademia Olearia
- DOP Pecorino Cheese
- Pecorino Sardo Dolce
- Pecorino Sardo Maturo
- Fiore Sardo
- DOC Wines
- Vermentino di Sardegna DOC – Crabilis 2007, by Azienda Agricola F.lli Pala, paired with pane carasau and bottarga.
- Carignano del Sulcis DOC – Tupei 2006, by Cantina di Calasetta, paired with pecorino sardo dolce and pecorino sardo maturo.
- Cannonau di Sardegna DOC – Chuerra, by Jerzu Antichi Poderi, paired with fiore sardo.
- Moscato di Sorso Sennori DOC 2006 – Tres Montes, by Cooperativa Romangia, paired with fiore sardo cheese and Sardinian almond pastry (pabassinas, gueffus and amaretti).
The making of pane carasau
Please note the 'pairing by contrast' which Mr. Fiori proposed the last day of the show, between the Moscato di Sorso Sennori DOC – Tres Montes and the Fiore Sardo cheese. The Moscato di Sorso Sennori – Tres Montes is a well structured dessert wine with strong nose typical of the muscat grape, and deep notes of apricot, honey, dry fruits and raisins. In addition to complement the almond flavored pastries typical of the island perfectly, stood up to the contrast with a cheese difficult to match such as the Fiore Sardo very well. Mr. Fiori suggested as an experiment, pairing this wine with strong flavored herb cheeses as well.
The Società Cooperativa Romangia wines brought to San Francisco for the 35th Fancy Food Show Winter 2009 are:
The Sardinian participation in the 35th Fancy Food Show aimed at bringing some flavors from the island to, as we as educate, the US West Coast food professionals. Though on the one hand the promotional mission succeeded in awakening interest in the typical products presented at the three presentations/tastings, oddly enough, the commercial aspect of the mission seems to have been overlooked completely by the organizers.
The president of WineCountry.IT, Loris Scagliarini, and the director of sales for the products of the estates associated with the Italian Flavor Consortium, Massimo Margelli, were at hand during the three days of the show and participated in all three presentations, to promote the wines by the Società Cooperativa Romangia from Sorso, in the province of Sassari. Unfortunately, only one of the Romangia products brought along as ambassador for the island wines was presented during the tastings. Overall, the proposed promotional mission did not favor commercial interaction with the wine and food professionals who participated in the event.
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