Wine News - November 02, 2005
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Welcome to
VOLUME III,
NUMBER 17 of Wine News, the e-Letter from the WineCountry.IT network. (Would you
rather see the e-Letter on your favorite browser? Use
this link. Usa il link seguente se vuoi leggere
le News in italiano).
October has been a frantic month for WineCountry.IT / Italian Flavor Consortium. The results of the Italian Flavor Forum II though, where very gratifying, especially the great appreciation showed by most of the guests for the wines and other specialty products presented. The San Francisco Golden Gate Yacht Club was perfect as a venue. In addition, the City presented us with a splendid, bright sunny day in the middle of a heavily fogged-in week.
This is the season when in Italy all the new wine and food guides are published.
At WineCountry.IT we publish the preview of the list of wines selected by two of the most appreciated Italian wine guides: DUEMILAVINI 2006, edited by the wine tasters and sommeliers of the AIS (Italian Association of Sommeliers) and Bibenda, who assign the 5 Grappoli (Five Grapes); and the Gambero Rosso / Slowfood Guida ai Vini d'Italia 2006 guide, whose experts assign the 3 Bicchieri (Three Glasses) award.
In addition we now present the last three parts of our brief Sideways working vacation, scouting out the wines for the blind tasting face-off at the Italian Flavor Forum II.
That's all for this issue of Italian Wine News, one of the last of 2005.
I join WineCountry.IT staff in wishing our readers many pleasant convivial moments in the company of good friends and loved ones, for the Thanksgiving season.
Loris Scagliarini,
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Articles
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| Italian Flavor Forum II |
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 Wednesday, October 19, 2005 was an unusual beautiful sunny day for this time of year in San Francisco. The sky was blue and there was no trace of the fog that had enveloped the Bay the day before and would the day after, to hide the fabulous view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz or the Marin Headlands across the bridge. We took it as a very good omen for the Italian Flavor Forum II.
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| DUEMILAVINI 2006 – Seventh Annual Publication |
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 Saturday, November 19, 2005, the new Duemilavini 2006 wine guide, edited by the AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommelier, or Italian Association of Sommelier) will be presented in Rome at a dinner by world famous chef Gianfranco Vissani, who will pair all the wines that received the 5 Grappoli (Five Bunches) award. Here you will find all the wines that won the Five Bunches, region by region.
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Our Own 'Sideways' trip – Fourth of Four Parts |
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The morning is bright and hot. Though it is mid-October, it is summer again. After a rich classic American breakfast at the Paso Robles Inn Steakhouse, we began hitting the wineries along Highway 46 and around Paso Robles. The panorama was definitely rustic, especially when compared to the landscaped and manicured vineyards of Napa, but the vines seemed to be doing fairly well, and the Central Coast wines could definitely hold their own against other California wines.
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Our Own 'Sideways' trip – Third of Four Parts |
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 We awoke to a gorgeous sunny morning and tucked into the abundant breakfast that we had selected the day before which was delivered to our room at the requested time. From our window we could see a whale blowing water not far from the shore, passing by during her rather early migration south.
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Dates to
Remember – November / December
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Note: To find out more about
the places and activities for each event, please visit the News page.
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| Agnolotto (Stuffed Pasta) and Bonarda Wine – The Dinners |
Until November 25, 2005 |
| Weekend of Flavors: "The Tradition of Boiled Meat in the Padana Valley Cuisine" |
Friday 4, to Sunday, November 6, 2005 |
| Seventh Food & Wine Entertaining Showcase |
November 16, 2005 |
| Presentation of the new Duemilavini 2006 Wine Guide by AIS – Dinner directed by chef Gianfranco Vissani |
Saturday, November 19, 2005 |
| Eighth Annual Enologica and Sixth Typical Product Salon 2005 |
November 19, 20, 21, 2005 |
| Wine Tasting of the Duemilavini 2006 guide winners |
Saturday, November 26, 2005 |
| Wine Tasting of the Duemilavini 2006 guide winners |
Monday, November 28, 2005 |
| Wine Tasting of the Duemilavini 2006 guide winners |
Saturday, December 3, 2005 |
| Wine Tasting of the Duemilavini 2006 guide winners |
Sunday, December 4, 2005 |
| Wine Tasting of the Duemilavini 2006 guide winners |
Monday, December 5, 2005 |
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WineCountry.IT
Columns
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Italian Native Vines
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We were so busy with the Italian Flavor Forum II, held on October 19, 2005 at the Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco, California, that we skipped publishing the second part of Rosa D'Ancona's Italian Native vines from Basilicata article.
Here you will find a list of the regional red and white grapes, as well as a short selection of outstanding regional producers personally selected by Ms. D'Ancona.
- Read More...
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November, time to start thinking about the coming holiday season, with its traditions and festive spirit. Thus we selected a small baking enterprise from Friuli, Quality Bio s.a.s., as Company of the Month for November 2005.
Among other products, Quality Bio produces seasonal small Panettone, the traditional Italian Christmas sweet bread, with a twist. In fact, this small company uses exclusively ingredients which come from organic farming, as certified by IMC (Istituto Mediterraneo di Certificazione, or Mediterranean Institute for Certification).
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In November the wine has already started it's evolution in large vats, or in barrels of various sizes and materials. As the days are getting shorter and colder the countryside is getting ready for winter hibernatiion. It is the time of year we gladly sit down at the dinner table with friends and loved ones to celebrate with the blessings and products of the earth.
Following please find suggestions from Chef Davide Dalloco of the Scuola Alberghiera di Serramazzoni for a November menu.
- Polenta Pie with Tosone Cheese Fondue and Lambrusco Sauce
- Bolognese-Style Green Lasagna (see recipe)
- Duck Stew with Thistle Stalks (see recipe)
- Tortellette Frangipane
(Kind of Dessert)
- Pit Cheese Pecorino with Black Chocolate
Buon Appetito!
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We have received and published the September / October issue of Moletto News, the periodic Azienda Agricola Moletto newsletter.
The next morning we continued to drive south and decided to spend the next night somewhere near Hearst Castle after calling to reserve a tour, just like Jack and Miles, the two 
